Chapter 5
Continental Calendar, January 10th, 761 (Sunday).
It was the day Muriela would attend Kasper and Adeline’s mother’s birthday party.
‘What kind of gift would be appropriate for the queen’s birthday party?’
Solinor had pondered the question for two full days but still couldn’t find an answer.
Despite his reputation as a ladies’ man during his lifetime, Solinor had never truly understood women’s hearts.
Like a giraffe never questioning why its neck is long, he acted as he pleased, and women would swoon without him having to try.
He was, quite literally, a natural-born charmer.
The only women he had ever given birthday gifts to were Aiorin and Aryen.
And neither of them had really cared much about what he gave them.
Aiorin, being from the Fey Forest, was always fascinated by anything from the outside world.
Aryen, on the other hand, simply appreciated the fact that Solinor had given her a gift.
Having grown up in luxury, she never truly needed anything.
***
Solinor had no idea.
It didn’t matter what Muriela brought as a gift—or even if she didn’t bring one at all.
Queen Elodia would never feel upset about it.
To Elodia, Muriela was like a fragile little finger—a cherished, delicate thing.
She was the daughter of Elodia’s close friend, the fourth queen, who had passed away too early.
Muriela had never seen her mother and was largely ignored by her father.
She was a pitiable princess, like a lifeless doll.
That’s why Elodia had always cared for Muriela indirectly through Kasper and Adeline.
Fortunately, Elodia’s children had come to think of Muriela as their real sister.
And Elodia herself had come to view Muriela as one of her own children.
Whenever Muriela was invited to events, Elodia felt sorrow at seeing the princess so lifeless.
Muriela would sit quietly in her chair, showing no joy or energy, and then leave without much interaction.
So, when Kasper and Adeline brought news that Muriela had not only spoken happily but had also enjoyed her meal,
Queen Elodia was overjoyed.
‘The same Muriela who used to be so listless actually engaged in conversation and enjoyed her food!’
This year’s party, then, was secretly planned as a celebration of Muriela’s recovery.
The queen’s birthday was merely a pretext.
Besides, hardly anyone else was expected to attend.
The first and second queens, who were on bad terms with her, and their children certainly wouldn’t come.
The fifth queen, who was currently pregnant, had sent a letter of congratulations instead of attending.
But the truth was, she simply didn’t want to bother coming to celebrate the outdated third queen’s birthday.
She wasn’t even three months pregnant, so how uncomfortable could it really be to attend?
The fifth queen was currently the king’s favorite.
He was always on the lookout for new women—young, beautiful women with large busts.
And as soon as a sixth queen arrived, the fifth queen would find herself pushed aside, too.
Alfred, the son of the first queen, had already been named crown prince, but even he received little attention from Eldric.
It was as if Eldric had simply handed the title over out of obligation.
There were already four princes, and more would certainly follow—could the kingdom really survive without incident?
‘What will become of the kingdom’s future?’
Elodia briefly wondered about it but quickly dismissed the thought.
She had long since lost the king’s favor, and his affairs were no longer her concern.
Three years had passed since the king had stopped caring about her.
But Elodia was never an ambitious woman.
Power and the throne didn’t matter to her as long as her children were happy.
And that included Muriela, whom she had come to see as one of her own.
Hearing that Muriela’s health had improved filled her with anticipation.
“Hmm~ hmm~ hum~”
Elodia hummed as she sat at the garden’s party table, wondering what cute gifts Kasper and Adeline would bring this year.
***
As the time drew near, Solinor had no choice but to ask Bianca for help.
He wanted to pick a gift for his family on his own, but there was no way around it.
“Bianca, do you remember what I’ve given to Kasper’s mother before?”
‘If I knew what Muriela had given in the past, it might give me a clue.’
However, the answer was unexpected.
“Princess Muriela has never given Queen Elodia a gift before.”
That wasn’t much help.
While Solinor was somewhat pleased to finally know the queen’s name, he was also more worried than ever about Muriela’s relationships.
‘Muriela, my dear, you’re supposed to give gifts to family members on their birthdays. Especially when they live so close.’
Could it be that Muriela had a poor relationship with the queen? Was accepting the invitation a mistake?
The fact that she had attended birthday parties without giving gifts was simply shocking.
“Then, do you know what Queen Elodia likes?”
Bianca looked up slightly as she recalled memories from previous birthday parties.
“In the two years I’ve attended Queen Elodia’s birthday parties with you, the queen seemed very pleased when she received things like teddy bears or flower necklaces.”
Solinor was taken aback.
What kind of queen is satisfied with such simple and inexpensive gifts?
Even Aiorin, who was easily pleased with anything, wasn’t that undemanding.
And who in their right mind would give such things to a queen?
‘No, wait. That’s actually a great thing for our kingdom.’
No sycophants and a thrifty queen. What more could one ask for?
Solinor felt ashamed of his past self, proud of having lived without succumbing to power.
‘Compared to this queen, I was such a greedy king. My son has a good eye for women, after all.’
Then Bianca spoke up again.
“Princess Muriela, it’s time to attend Queen Elodia’s birthday party. I will accompany you.”
Bianca’s elegant bow and extended hand filled Solinor with panic.
‘I haven’t decided on a gift yet!’
But there was no way to delay the appointed time.
Frozen in her dilemma, Muriela stood still.
Bianca gently took her hand and led her toward Queen Elodia’s garden.
***
“Queen Elodia, Princess Muriela has arrived.”
Before the attendant at the garden gate could even finish his report, Prince Kasper shouted.
“Mu-nuna! Hurry up!”
Solinor was still in a daze from the dilemma.
‘I need to find a gift… but I’ve already arrived… But I need a gift…’
When Muriela didn’t answer, Kasper, growing impatient, yelled again.
“Mu-nuna! What are you doing?”
“Kasper, you know Muriela is slow. Let’s give her a moment,” Queen Elodia said gently.
“But, Mom! When we ate together last time, she moved just fine!”
Their conversation jolted Solinor’s mind awake—or at least tried to.
‘Right, the gift! I need to find a gift! Oh yes, the flower necklace!’
“Nuna, where are you going?”
“Muriela, where are you going?”
“Muriela?”
“Princess?”
Ignoring their curious calls, Muriela ran toward the garden’s flowerbeds.
Once there, she frantically began to pluck flowers.
‘Wait, what? Why is my body moving on its own? I can’t stop!’
Solinor panicked as he lost control of Muriela’s body.
A few moments later, Muriela approached Queen Elodia, hands dirty and clutching a hastily prepared “gift.”
“It’s… a gift…”
She held out a clump of poorly tied flowers, still clinging to their roots.
After a brief pause, Queen Elodia burst into laughter.
“Oh ho ho ho, oh Muriela, haaha ah!”
Kasper and Adeline stared in wide-eyed shock at their mother’s uncontrollable laughter.
Soon, they too joined in, giggling at the scene.
Solinor, having regained control of the body, blinked in confusion.
‘What’s so funny? Did my sense of humour go out of style while I was gone?’
In truth, Solinor had never had much of a sense of humour. His face alone had been his winning card, though he never realized it.
***
Despite the brief commotion caused by Muriela, the party soon fell into its usual rhythm.
As always, Kasper and Adeline brought gifts that made their mother happy.
Kasper presented a knight doll dressed in a makeshift gown, while Adeline gave a hand-embroidered handkerchief with their mother’s name.
The knight doll looked ridiculous in its mismatched dress, and the handkerchief was stained and wrinkled, with a faint unpleasant smell.
But Queen Elodia thought herself the luckiest mother in the world.
Upon closer inspection, the stains were faded bloodstains.
Adeline had clearly pricked her fingers multiple times while embroidering the handkerchief in secret, determined to complete the gift without anyone knowing.
It must have been incredibly painful, and she had likely hidden the whole ordeal even from the maids.
Naturally, she hadn’t had time to wash it, leaving the stains and smell intact.
Tears of joy welled up in Elodia’s eyes.
And on top of that, to receive an unexpected gift from Muriela—her first gift ever!
Even if the flowers had been hastily pulled from her own garden.
The gardener, sitting nearby and sulking over the ruined flowerbed, looked pitifully amusing.
‘In moments like these, who needs power or the throne?’
Elodia savoured the best birthday party of her life, sharing vanilla cream cake with her beloved children.
—
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