Chapter 42 - Happy Birthday, Lotty!

"Anything is fine. What kind of deal do you want?"

Kian smiled with his eyes.

It was a beautiful face without fail, but I won't fall for it.

That boy with a pretty face is a monster that doesn't understand humans after all.

"I won't go anywhere, I'll be Kian's friend. Then instead, let Kian······."

If so, let's let him know.

Even if it's the final boss, he's part of what I've created.

Since the original work has twisted this much, I'll make the world impossible to dream of!

"If I say so, you have to follow everything. You have to come wherever I call you, follow me, and never refuse it."

Kian's expression seemed to be gently excited. It's my first time seeing that face, but that's scary, too.

He approached me again. I tried not to back down, but I kept shaking.

"Will that be okay? Will you remain my friend without fearing me or going anywhere?"

"I'm sure. Instead, if Kian breaks the promise, if he doesn't listen to me and harms others, it won't happen. You can't ask the monsters to start. Then, I'll be your friend, Kian, who's not going anywhere."

Where would I escape abroad or go to exile?

"Okay, I'll do that as much as you want."

Kian soon grabbed my hands gently with a bright face.

"I will come from anywhere when Rossette calls me, listen only to Rossette, and cherish and love only my little friend."

Not so natural, he held one of my hands and briefly put his lips on the back of my hand.

"Now Rossette, it's okay to break me down as much as you want and treat me carelessly. Anything you want from me is fine, so tell me everything. Don't just get tired of me."

The disaster is bowing in front of me.

Black eyes that sparkled red like jewels even though there was no light contained a cold smile.

"I'll listen to you well."

For some reason, I feel like I'm being confessed to.

Like a large beast curled up with his sharp teeth and claws hidden, Kian bent his shoulders and smiled, making eye contact.

He, who had his eyes empty with a predator-like expression just before hunting, took a step back, letting go of my hand.

I guess my face showed nervousness again.

'Can I really trust you?'

I don't know if he'll really keep his promise with me.

I have no choice but to believe that the transaction between that child-shaped King of the Holy Spirit and me brings only desirable changes to the ending of this world.

It was a moment when I thought that far.

"Rossette, what are you doing there?"

I was surprised by the familiar voice and looked back, and Henriette stood with a lamp.

"Oh, dad."

I completely forgot about Henriette!

His gaze reaches Kian behind my back, carrying clear questions.

I was embarrassed. How should I explain this situation?

"Why on earth is your Highness the Crown Prince·····?"

Henriette's expression is subtly hardening.

I tried to say something in a hurry.

However, behind my back, I heard a finger ringing.

Surprised and turned around, Kian was lowering his hand.

He smiled as if not to worry, and I suddenly felt the silence everywhere and looked back at Henriette in a hurry.

Surprisingly, he was stiff as he was moving inside. As if time itself had stopped.

"Let's see, the one who received the protection of the shining star due to the highest power. Even though I forced him to fall into a deep sleep, he must have realized that you disappeared."

Kian said as if he were laughing.

I was still embarrassed and alternated between him and Henriette.

However, Kian was standing on the balcony railing again in a blink of an eye.

One by one, a group of lights shining on the night sky were seen rising back over his back.

With the dark clouds and darkness fading away and the moonlight revealed, a pale-faced boy smiling kindly.

"Tell me if one day these families don't satisfy your happiness anymore. I'll eat them up."

Let's correct it. He's not friendly at all.

"There's nothing I can't do for my lovely little friend. If you want, you can make this empire disappear."

"I, I don't need it. You can't do that."

I shook my head as hard as I could.

"Don't forget. N, never hurt anyone."

"You're really…"

The fever somehow faded Kian's face with a smile.

Just like a person who is digging through a memory.

However, there was nothing he continued to say.

"…Then, I'll see you again next time. Rossette, I hope you have a good night."

With that said, Kian disappeared into black smoke over the railing, just as it was mixed with the darkness of the night.

At the same time as I was relaxed, I fell down from my legs.

And the sound of Henriette's feet, which had stopped, reached the floor. I looked back at him in a hurry.

"…What were you doing here alone?"

Henriette just seemed to have forgotten that Kian was there.

I felt uncomfortable, but it was fortunate that I was able to cover up the situation.

"I just had a nightmare and wanted to get some fresh air. I'm sorry I went around freely."

"... You're saying something new."

Henriette picked up and hugged me.

"There is no place in this castle where you cannot go around as you please. However, don't disappear alone at night."

Then he took me back to the room.

"If you had a nightmare, just wake up your dad. I don't want to sleep comfortably alone without knowing that my daughter had a nightmare."

"Yes·····."

I casually looked out of the window, leaning my lost head on Henriette's shoulder.

After Kian disappeared, the dark night sky was completely clear.

Even the light-like eyes that were flashing beyond the garden disappeared.

As if it were just a nightmare.

The next morning, Henriette stood in front of the carriage and confirmed that the coachman had completed the inspection.

The Zert Empire, which was in late summer, was suffering from the heat, but the air was very fresh, perhaps because it was still early.

"Let's go now."

"Yes!"

The four little ones answered side by side.

I was very tired, perhaps because I woke up for a while at dawn yesterday.

However, I tried to wake up as much as possible, tapping my round cheeks with small hands.

"Lotty, didn't you sleep?"

"Ugh. A little bit. But it's okay. Are we going out to play today?"

"Right! Do you know where we're going?"

"No. Where are we going?"

When asked by Camillean,

"Capital? Why?"

"From today, the emperor's birthday celebration continues for five days. Festivals will continue to take place while celebrating the birthday of His Majesty. And…."

Looking at the little girl who was excited at the word festival, Avelle deliberately drew attention.

There is something more to be happy about when Rossette hears it.

"And? And what else?"

When Avelle smiled playfully and didn't talk on purpose, even Camillean, Carlyx, and Henriette shut up.

Rossette became frustrated and stomped her feet, and Peina, who was slightly wary of them, gave them a hard time.

"Don't you remember? Tomorrow is your birthday!"

"Woo, Woong? Ah!"

In the Zert Empire, it was considered to be a year older from the beginning of the year, and birthdays were considered separate from it.

However, it was customary to hold only awakening ceremonies on birthdays.

Tomorrow is Rossette's seven-year-old birthday.

"I'm going to go to the Capital and celebrate your birthday grandly tomorrow. You can look forward to it."

Henriet said, getting on the wagon first.

Rossette began to get excited.

It wasn't even possible to see what kind of birthday celebration would be prepared, to the extent that Henriette, not anyone else, said it himself.

In the first place, it was her first time in her life to celebrate her birthday. It's been a long time since I forgot because no one took care of me.

But Henriette remembered. Ever since a long time ago.

"Our family doesn't usually celebrate birthdays, so you'd better not expect too much."

At the time the carriage just started, Carlyx spoke openly and clearly.

"I don't even remember having a banquet."

"So what you need to do this time is…"

When Henriette brought it up, Carlyx immediately shut up. All three sons looked at him with surprised faces.

"It's my first time celebrating my birthday as Carlyx said, so it may be different from your expectations. But you can achieve everything you want."

Flinch. Rossette shook her shoulders for some reason.

When Avelle asked if she was not feeling well, she shook her head. He just said he remembered the nightmare he had yesterday.

"…so I'll prepare plenty of presents. If you want anything else, you can tell me."

"Yes! You're the best!"

Rossette exclaimed with great joy, albeit awkwardly.

The banquet soon took place when the Duchess was alive, but even that completely disappeared after the incident seven years ago.

For the Wensgrey family, who had stopped and dried up that day, Rossette was alone shedding a scent in achromatic space like the most brightly bloomed flower.

They want to see her happy.

The three brothers silently winked at each other. And I imagined for a moment.

"You're the best!"

"Millie, I like you the best!"

"The smallest one is so cool!"'

Little Rossette smiles in front of them with a voice of joy just now.

"Hey, beans."

As if embarrassed to think of the imagination, Carlyx called her with a more insightful voice than usual for no reason.

He put a little effort into it, and as before, he pulled out the horse slightly avoiding Rossette's gaze.

"What do you want?"

"Right, Lotty! Is there anything you want? Your little brother will give you everything!"

"Okay, Lotty. Don't you think you should have presents, too? Can you tell me what you want?"

Then, with Camillean and Avelle also asking, Rossette became embarrassed.

A gift, she wasn't usually spending money for a gift.

This is because I could get anything even if I didn't have anything I wanted.

"I, I'll think about it and say it.'

She had to continue her worries even after the wagon quickly arrived in the Caoital through several gates and stopped.

"Lady, we brought presents too."

"Really? Wow!"

Peina, Mary, and Shelia had also brought gifts for Rossette tomorrow.

Seeing Rosset shouting, "The best! Thank you!" with great joy, the three brothers became more determined.

And at that point, they began to be competitive, keeping each other in check.

At least I should give a better gift than my brother and younger brother.

"Dad, why are we here? You said we were going to a separate house."

In the Capital, there was a separate house for the Wensgrey family.

It was when Rossette thought it would be a place as luxurious as their majesty, even if it was worse than the Duke's Castle, but the place where they arrived was in front of the imperial palace.

Rossette felt suspicious, and Henriette calmly replied.

"Isn't that why we came?"

"············?"

"This is it. The annex we will use during the festival."

Again, it was the imperial palace in front of them.

Rossette couldn't help but be surprised.

She looked up at Henriette with a look as if she were saying this.

'Here? Really? Really?'

With Rossette, who was shocked beyond surprise, the Wensgrey family entered the imperial palace.

To be exact, it was called the Second Imperial Palace.

It was the place that the current emperor ordered to build for the Duke of Wensgrey himself, boasting as majestic and luxurious as the imperial palace he saw.

"Lotty, let's go and pick a gift! There are so many shops in the Capital that can be bought as gifts!"

"Yeah, let's go out together. Are you going to go too, Carlyx?"

"Who's not going?"

As soon as they arrived at each separate room and received room guidance from their servants, the children quickly went outside with excited faces to choose Rosette's gift.

"I'll be back!"

Of course, Henriette did not send them alone.

After sending a large number of servants, maids, and escorts, Henriette's surroundings were actually destroyed.

"Your Highness, do you mind if only Confucius and the princess are sent out?"

"I don't know about Camillean and Carlyx, but I'll be fine with Avelle. Many of the knights are outstanding, so nothing big will happen,"

The aide who came along with them laughed enthusiastically.

I knew that Henriette was worried about the children a lot even if he didn't show it.

He knew that his master had become a very different person than before.

"Then, from now on, the schedule was·····."

It was then.

The space in front of Henriette's eyes was dimly distorted, and a video popped out.

It was a kind of communication magic using space transfer.

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared to Henriette.

<Oh, it's finally working! It's been a while, Duke Wensgrey! How have you been? Hahaha.>

The lively voice seemed to burst into the room. The aide reflexively covered his ears.

Henriette frowned. He was an unwelcome noble.

"·····The Duke of Elger, what connection do you contact me for?"