"Huh?"
He froze for a moment. But…wasn't everyone like that?
Just like you, Boss—I've only ever heard you mention your daughter, but never a single word about your wife.
I have to admit, Roselle was really something when it came to abstract thinking.
———
Edward was still eating breakfast when Roselle, dressed in a long robe with a hood pulled low over his head, quietly sneaked into his house through the back garden gate—accompanied by his four loyal knights.
Then, without so much as a proper greeting, he called for Dubois, dragged Edward into a guest room, and began setting up a "tactical operation" by hanging a whiteboard on the wall.
In short—surprise, surprise, and more damn surprise!
To avoid arousing Bernadette's suspicion, they needed the cooperation of Edward's servants to prepare for the "glorious entrance" of Father Roselle. As for Edward's role, all he had to do was jump out at the right moment and shout "Happy birthday!"—a textbook background character in the act.
Edward had no objections. After instructing Dubois to fully cooperate with Roselle, he excused himself under the pretence of going to wash up and then headed once more to Krismona's place.
It had already been several days since the time Lilith promised to return. Her mood was clearly growing more anxious; most of her time was now spent standing in front of the barrier of the Mirror World, waiting.
Beyond that, there was nothing else she could do.
Arrodes was still offline. Edward wandered briefly through the shallow layers of the Mirror World, then roamed the Sea of Stars and the Astral Realm again before finally returning to the villa at around three in the afternoon—just in time for Roselle's grand surprise birthday party for Bernadette.
———
When Bernadette woke up, it was already close to eleven. The events of the previous night still left her feeling as if she were in a dream.
After washing up, she stepped into the courtyard.
The servants were, as usual, going about their own tasks, the atmosphere calm and peaceful. Her mother was sitting on a garden bench, quietly reading a book.
"Daddy forgetting my birthday is one thing, but even Mama?" she muttered under her breath, puzzled.
When she looked up, Matilda happened to raise her head and wave with a warm smile. "You're awake? Good morning."
"Morning, Mama."
Bernadette hesitated for a moment before asking, "Where's Daddy?"
"Oh, he went out early this morning. Said he had something to take care of."
As Matilda spoke, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of helplessness. Sometimes, her husband really was even more childish than Bernadette herself.
Just to give their daughter a "surprise," he insisted that she pretend to have forgotten Bernadette's birthday too—and then he'd gone off at dawn with his knights to Mr. Sparrow's house to make preparations.
Honestly…how childish could he be!
Seeing the disappointment in her daughter's eyes, Matilda felt her heart ache a little. She wanted to tell her the truth—but if she did, wouldn't that ruin all the trouble her husband had gone through to plan this surprise?
Ugh, both sides were precious to her; she was truly caught in the middle.
The real problem was…she couldn't act to save her life.
"What's wrong? Did you need something from your father?"
"No," Bernadette shook her head. "It's just…he's been really busy these past few days."
"Yes, and once your father joins the army as an officer, he'll probably be even busier."
Truth be told, Matilda couldn't quite understand why her husband would give up a peaceful and comfortable life just to join the military—but perhaps that was simply a man's ambition.
"Are you hungry? I'll have someone make you breakfast."
"No need, Mama. It's almost lunchtime anyway. I'll go find Mr. Sparrow to play with."
"Alright…wait!"
Matilda suddenly realised what she'd just said. Roselle's most important instruction to her was—under no circumstances let their daughter go looking for Sparrow!
Bernadette turned back with a puzzled look. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Uh…haven't you been spending all your time lately either with Mr. Sparrow or with your father? It's been a while since you spent time with me, hasn't it?"
As she spoke, Matilda's gaze darted away guiltily. Lying—especially to her own daughter—was excruciating.
"That's not true! I spend plenty of time with you, Mama."
"T-then how about today you stay with me? We can read and sunbathe together. Don't go bother Mr. Sparrow—he, um, seems to have something important to do today."
"..."
Bernadette suddenly stared at her mother, her bright blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Mama, why do you look…nervous?"
"!!!"
Matilda's breath caught. She forced a smile. "No, not at all! It's probably just the sun making me a bit flushed."
"Mama."
Her daughter leaned closer, her clean, sea-blue eyes gazing straight into hers. "You're acting really weird."
"No, I'm not."
"Then why won't you look me in the eye?"
"My eyes were dazzled by the sunlight."
"Then I'll blow on them and rub them for you, and after that you can look into my eyes again."
"It's not like I've got sand in my eyes. What good would rubbing do?"
Matilda forced a smile. "Just sit here and keep Mama company for a while, alright?"
Bernadette nodded obediently.
"Okay~ but I want Mama to look into my eyes when you say that."
"…"
Matilda's fingers tightened slightly. A faint flush rose to her cheeks—born of irritation.
This little rascal…
She's really rebelling now!
Matilda steeled herself. If that was how her daughter wanted to play it, then fine—she'd become the strict mother for once and let Bernadette learn what "respect for elders" truly meant!
"Mama, are you hiding something from me?"
The next question, however, popped her paper-thin intimidation like a bubble.
"Are you…" Bernadette leaned in close, her small face taut with seriousness. "Are you really having an affair with Mr. Dubois?"
"???"
Matilda froze, utterly dumbfounded. "Wh–where did you get that idea?! I'm just helping your father pretend we forgot your birthday, that's all!"
"Oh."
A sly glimmer flashed in Bernadette's eyes.
"So that's how it is, huh?"
"…"
Matilda went blank for a moment, then covered her face with her hand. "I don't know anything. Go ask your father."
"Daddy's at Mr. Sparrow's house, isn't he?"
"…"
"He's preparing a surprise for me, right?"
"…"
"And the surprise is happening tonight, isn't it?"
"…"
"Alright. Got it."
Bernadette nodded firmly, turned, and began walking away.
Matilda called after her weakly, "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere. I'm just waiting for Daddy's surprise."
"Huh?"
Bernadette's face lit up with a radiant smile. "Since Daddy put so much effort into preparing it, of course I can't let him down!"
Then she lifted a finger to her lips.
"Shhh. Mama has to pretend not to know anything either. You have to help me keep the secret, okay?"
Matilda: What?! Pretend again? I can't take this anymore…!
———
When all preparations were finally complete, Roselle took Bernadette by the hand under the pretence of "dropping by Mr. Sparrow's house," and they headed straight for 28 Emerald Street.
The moment they stepped out, the Four Horsemen—already in position—sprang into action at the villa, orchestrating the chaos of last-minute setup.
As soon as the father and daughter entered Sparrow's home, Edward caught Bernadette giving him a subtle arch of her brow and a mischievous little smile.
That one look was all it took. Edward immediately understood: This girl definitely already knows.
Of course she did. With her intelligence, how could she possibly be fooled like some clueless child?
And so began a scene worthy of a stage comedy:
Roselle, believing his daughter still knew nothing, acted his heart out to keep the suspense alive.
Bernadette, knowing full well what was happening, pretended she didn't know, playing along flawlessly.
Edward, who knew that Bernadette knew—yet had to pretend he didn't know that she knew—also acted along.
It was…truly a spectacle.
By seven o'clock that evening, after more than an hour of idle chatter and feigned normalcy, the signal arrived: everything was ready. Roselle politely took his leave, escorting Bernadette back home.
The two sat in the carriage, rocking gently along the cobbled street.
Bernadette rested her chin on the window frame, quietly watching the rows of glowing lamplights drift past.
"Bernadette."
Roselle's voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Do you know what day it is today?"
Bernadette turned around, tilting her head in mock puzzlement. "What day is it?"
Roselle looked softly at the little girl before him, his eyes filled with a rare tenderness. "Today…is the day I truly began living in this world."
"Ah?"
She blinked, not quite understanding.
Seven years ago, on this very day, with the birth of that tiny wrinkled baby girl, Roselle had, for the first time, felt that this world was real.
That small creature had closed her eyes and wailed loudly, her cries piercing and sharp—yet for a man who had always claimed to dislike children, Roselle had not found it noisy at all.
In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to pour every ounce of love he had into her.
It was she who gave him a sense of belonging to this world.
She who made his existence truly alive.
She who made this world meaningful—made it feel real.
Creak.
The carriage came to a halt.
Roselle leapt down first, then stood with one hand behind his back and the other extended forward, bowing slightly like a gentleman. "Your Highness, may I help you down?"
Bernadette took her father's hand and hopped down lightly, giggling.
"I'm not a princess!"
"No! At least for today, you are the most noble princess of all!"
Boom, boom, boom!
A series of thunderous explosions erupted overhead. Streams of colored light soared from the Roselle family estate, bursting across the sky in showers of dazzling fireworks that illuminated the night.
The "background actors" immediately sprang into motion. Hundreds—no, thousands—of balloons floated upward. Multicoloured lights flared to life across the once-dark courtyard, transforming it into a dreamlike spectacle.
Even though Bernadette had already guessed everything and had promised herself to pretend to be surprised—the sight before her made all acting unnecessary.
She stood frozen, wide-eyed, her gaze reflecting the kaleidoscope of colours dancing across the night sky.
Roselle crouched down, smiling warmly.
"My dear, happy birthday."
The little girl's eyes curved into crescents. She threw herself into his arms and nuzzled against his chest. "Thank you, Daddy~"
Roselle's moustache curled upward with his grin. He turned his head toward the group of "extras," signalling with a glance for them to take their positions for the next part of the event.
But then—his expression changed. His gaze caught on a particular figure among them.
Wait…why is Zaratul here already?!
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.