Chapter 26

After that, Adel sent several more gifts and letters in Nine’s name.

Since he had stolen the stationery and seal to use each time, it was inevitable that he was caught right away.

‘This is for the best.’

Adel walked confidently, without a hint of fear, as he was called into Nine’s office.

The office he entered was, as always, a desolate place. But having been in it several times now, Adel was no longer afraid of the place or Nine.

Instead, Adel was determined.

‘I’ll use this opportunity to tell him to be good to Chacha!’

“Adel.”

Nine was flipping through the pile of documents on his desk.

Whether he was busy or just didn’t care to give him attention, his eyes never left the documents, not even when he called Adel’s name.

Based on his past experiences, Adel thought it was the former.

‘Maybe that’s why he didn’t kick me out.’

Maybe he didn’t have enough interest to kick him out, and maybe he had the tea time because he thought it was the quickest way to get rid of him.

It was clear that this time, too, he would just say something, and then it would be over.

‘But if you’re married to Chacha, you shouldn’t treat her like that!’

Adel held a steady gaze at his brother, who wasn’t even looking at him.

Nine, still with a deadpan expression, spoke in a low voice, only saying what he had to say.

“The official seal is not something for you to handle carelessly. Be more restrained.”

Adel waited for the next words. But Nine just quietly picked up his pen and signed the documents.

“You don’t have anything else to say?”

“No. You can go now.”

“…”

It was as he expected.

Adel had sent Chacha so many gifts and letters, but Nine didn’t even mention them.

Adel was upset by that. He was used to his indifference, but Chacha was too good of a person to be treated with such an attitude.

Adel quickly clung to Nine’s desk. It was the same way he usually leaned on Chacha’s office desk and chattered.

“You know what I did with the seal, right?”

“…”

“If you know, then you do it yourself. It’s hard for me to do it for you~!”

As he clung to the desk, Norman approached, as if to pull him away. Adel glared at Norman with displeasure, but unexpectedly, Nine gestured for Norman to back off.

“What a useless thing to do.”

Adel wondered for a moment if he was talking to Norman. The voice was that small and sounded like a mutter to himself.

But the moment he turned his head, he knew that wasn’t the case. Nine’s jet-black eyes, which held no interest, were looking at Adel.

Those eyes, which had never left the documents, were only directed at Adel when he called his actions useless.

“…”

Adel’s face turned beet red. He was angry at Nine for belittling his efforts for the two of them.

“You’re, you’re a fool! You deserve to be divorced!”

Adel couldn’t hold back his anger and shouted at Nine before running out of the office.

And in his anger, he headed straight for Chacha’s office, but then soon changed his mind and went to his own room.

‘I can’t tell Chacha!’

He wanted to vent his frustration to Chacha and be comforted, but to do so, he would have to reveal that he was the one who had sent the letters and gifts all this time.

As soon as Adel returned to his room, he screamed and kicked the sofa.

“Why did Chacha marry a brother like that!”

Adel was so disappointed in Nine, who had dismissed his efforts for the Chacha he liked as useless.

‘I even helped him even though he’s my rival!’

Rival was a word Adel had learned from reading romance novels.

“I don’t care anymore! Let them get a divorce! If Chacha leaves, I’ll leave too!”

***

Adel no longer invited Nine to tea time.

Naturally, the gifts and letters also stopped abruptly.

The two, who had at least met at tea time, no longer saw each other.

Adel felt a tightness in his chest.

‘I don’t care. I should just think about what to pack when I follow Chacha.’

Adel bit into a cookie with a crunch and patted his chest as if he was still feeling frustrated.

“Ugh!”

“Adel, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Chacha looked at Adel with a worried expression and stroked his head. With that one small gesture, Adel’s mood gradually improved.

‘After all, if Chacha gets a divorce from my brother, I should follow her…’

“Adel, your birthday is coming up soon. Is there anything you want to do for your birthday?”

Adel, who had snapped out of his thoughts, looked up at Chacha with a blank expression.

‘My birthday is soon.’

Only then did Adel realize that his 10th birthday was not far away.

Nobles usually held parties for their birthdays, but Adel had never celebrated his birthday in a big way since he was a child with memories.

That was because no one in his family celebrated Adel’s birthday. Nor did Adel have the opportunity to interact with other nobles outside of Iclea.

So Adel’s birthday was always just a few servants wishing him a happy birthday, and the number of dishes was a little more than usual.

He had only recently learned about the existence of birthday parties through a book. That’s because no one in the castle had a birthday party until then.

“…I, I want to try.”

“Hmm?”

For Adel, a birthday was just a day that passed by. It was just a day, not particularly special.

He had always lived that way, but he also avoided it because he knew it would be even sadder if he was the only one who thought the day was special.

But he had only held it in because he couldn’t tell the ever-busy Nine, Roana who had no interest in him, or Kate who was a recluse. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to.

“A birthday party…! I want to have one!”

Adel said, his face flushing.

Chacha smiled a little at his expression, which couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Then how many guests should we invite?”

At that moment, Adel recalled the invitations the protagonist had prepared in the book where he learned about birthday parties.

He wanted to do that too.

“That’s a secret! I’ll deliver the invitations myself!”

***

The invitation Adel prepared was a heartfelt card with handwritten phrases and colorful drawings.

As soon as the invitation was completed, Adel gave the first one to Chacha. As expected, Chacha happily accepted the invitation.

Next, he gave them to Van, who had always been good to him, Pedro, his close attendant whom he had become friends with since he was assigned to him, and other servants.

He had no intention of giving one to Kate from the start because she wasn’t feeling well, and he didn’t give one to Roana either, in case she came and told him not to play with Chacha.

However, he did give one to Nine.

Nine took the invitation with a nonchalant expression and said, ‘I’ll think about it,’ creating an atmosphere that clearly showed he wouldn’t come.

Adel, who had a gut feeling that if he just let him go like this, he wouldn’t come, thought for a moment.

He couldn’t let Nine go like that because he had a separate purpose for calling him.

‘How can I get him to come?’

As he thought, he recalled something Chacha had said and an action a young noble had taken in a book he had recently read.

‘If there’s something you want, just tell me honestly. It’s okay for you to do that, Adel.’

[WAAAH! Father, I want to go to the hunting tournament too! I want to go! I said I’m going to gooooo!]

Chacha had said that because she felt sorry for Adel, who was always awkward about asking for what he wanted, but…

Thud.

Adel’s actions, which had acquired a wrong way of asking from Chacha’s words and a book, had a big impact.

“WAAAH! You have to come too! If you don’t come, I’ll come find you every day! I’m not leaving until you say you’ll comeeeeee!”

Adel just flopped down in front of Nine and threw a tantrum.

Seeing Nine and Norman freeze in embarrassment, Adel raised his voice even more and started shouting.

“It’s my birthdaaaaaay!”

As the child’s tantrum got worse, Nine finally sighed.

“Alright, stop now. The documents are flying around.”

Thump.

“Really? You’re coming, right? You promise, right?”

“…Yes.”

“If you don’t come, I’m really going to come find you again, so be prepared!”

“…”

“Young Master, how did he get to be like this…”

Adel left Nine’s office with a big grin, not hearing Norman’s quiet voice.

Adel didn’t know that this was ‘throwing a tantrum’ rather than a way to ask for something, so he wasn’t embarrassed, and instead, he was thinking this.

‘It’s effective, isn’t it? I should do this from now on!’

It was a mistake Chacha was unaware of.

***

A few days later, Adel’s birthday party was held.

The people seated at the small tables and seats Adel had arranged himself were mostly in a harmonious atmosphere.

Except for the table where Chacha, Adel, and Nine were seated together.

“…”

“…”

As silence settled on the table where he had finally seated the two of them, unlike the surroundings, Adel’s expression gradually darkened.

When a shadow of worry fell on the face of the child who had been looking forward to the birthday party, Chacha finally, tactfully, spoke to Nine.

“Good afternoon, Your Grace. I see you’ve attended the party.”

“…Yes. Adel brought me an invitation.”

Adel’s expression immediately brightened when he saw the two of them start to talk. Chacha smiled a little, seeing Adel eating cake with a smile.

“How did you do it?”

Chacha’s gaze turned back to Nine. Chacha immediately understood the meaning of the sentence with the omitted subject.

“I just fulfilled what the child needed.”

“What he needed, you say.”

“Yes. Of course, since Your Grace is busy with matters inside and outside the Dukedom, it may be difficult for you to pay attention… but basic interaction, communication, and attention are essential. Especially for children who are growing up.”

“…”

Nine looked down at his teacup, lost in thought for a moment.

However, he soon looked up again and said something else to Chacha.

“Is internal management difficult?”

Chacha blinked a few times, looking a little surprised, but soon smiled casually and continued the conversation.

It was a good atmosphere, different from the beginning.

Adel, who was poking at the cake with his fork, looked up at the two of them talking.

‘I don’t know what they’re talking about, but it’s good.’

The conversation between the two of them lasted longer than Adel had thought. It was worth it to have arranged this gathering.

‘Now only the last plan is left.’

The corners of the excited child’s mouth twitched non-stop.

As Adel was timing the last plan, Nine happened to get up as if to leave.

Adel didn’t miss that moment.

‘Now!’

Thump!

Adel quickly pushed Nine.

Towards Chacha.

‘Just hug already!’

It was a dangerous moment where he could have fallen, but Nine quickly placed his arms on the back of Chacha’s chair and the table.

However.

Smooch.

“…”

“…”

A sound far from a hug clearly rang out, instantly quieting the commotion at the party.

Adel, puzzled by the sudden silence and the surrounding gazes, turned his head back to Chacha and Nine.

‘What? What is it? I can’t see!’

From his position, Adel couldn’t see exactly what had happened to the two of them.

While Adel was feeling disappointed inside that he couldn’t see, the two people whose lips had met slowly flushed with wide eyes.

“…”

“…”

Nine, who had been frozen and staring at Chacha, quickly got up and left the party room.

Chacha, with a red face, ran her hand over it a couple of times and waved at the gazes that were focused on her.

“Pl-please continue to enjoy yourselves.”

Only then did the gazes begin to disperse one by one, but the fluffy atmosphere that had been created did not easily disappear.

Adel tilted his head and looked around.

For some reason, a satisfied smile was on the faces of everyone except for Chacha.

Adel looked at the sight in puzzlement and soon came to a conclusion.

‘Everyone must feel the same way I do!’

Like Adel, who had pushed Nine to make them hug, maybe they were also cheering for the two of them.

Adel praised his own plan and happily began to put the birthday cake back in his mouth.

‘Mission accomplished!’

The cake he was eating with a good feeling was very sweet.

It was only later that he heard from Pedro that the two had kissed and burst into tears, saying, ‘I haven’t even kissed Chacha yet!’