The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go

 “Huh…?” 

Cedric looked like he didn’t understand the situation for a moment.

 

After a few seconds, he realized something.

 “Oh, it’s my birthday.” “Again, you forgot.” 

I pulled up a chair and placed it next to Cedric’s bed.

 “Don’t you remember the last time you cried about not being able to celebrate because it coincided with the High Priestesses’ visit to the temple?” “Haha, yeah.” 

Cedric’s expression softened and he smiled sheepishly.

 “I can’t believe you forget your birthday so often, it’s such an important day.” “Oh, I guess it’s a habit.” 

Cedric smirked and scratched his cheek.

 “I’ll try to remember in the future.” “You better keep that promise, or I’m going to be so mad at you next year.” “No, you won’t be mad…” “Anyway, I’ve come up with a little conversion gift for you this year to make sure you never forget your birthday next year,”

I said, and carried a cake with pre-lit candles across the bed.

 “Wow, what is this?” “Well, it’s a homemade cake that’s 90 percent my heart and 10 percent hard work.” “Homemade? You made it yourself?” 

I felt a twinge of guilt as I saw those bright red eyes and told the truth.

 “…I made the cookie molds for the decorated cookies, which is why I said it was 10 percent effort.” 

There was no choice. I’m a terrible cook, and the palace already had the best chef in the empire.

 

If I had forced myself to make the cake and give it to Cedric, there would have been a front-page story that the head of the Imperial Knights had tried to poison the Emperor by slipping poison into the cake.

 “Instead, I designed the cake, and I prayed beside it as the chef baked it in the oven that it would turn out well.” 

At that, Cedric said, ‘

Pfft!

’ and burst out laughing.

 “Hey, you’re not laughing at me, are you?” “No, no, I pictured you standing next to the oven. 

Cedric said with a mischievous grin,

“That’s kind of cute.” 

I wasn’t sure what logic he used to arrive at that conclusion, but I held my tongue.

 “So these cookies, Ciel molded them yourself, right?” “Yes.” “And they’re shaped like hearts?” 

Cedric looked at me with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

 “Oh, that’s because the chef keeps insisting I use that shape and no other…” 

Cedric’s eyes went cold at that.

 “I see.” 

At first, I tried to mix hearts, stars, clouds, and other shapes, but the chef was strangely resistant.

 

He said it had to be all hearts.

 “Well, that’s why I ended up with hearts, which is fine, because I was always going to have at least one heart-shaped cookie anyway.” “Oh, really?” “Yeah.” 

Nodding, I looked up into startled red eyes.

 “When we first met, His Majesty gave me a cookie to thank me for helping him hide from Tekarke, and it was shaped like a heart.” “Oh, yeah. You were thinking about that and making a heart-shaped cookie?” “Yeah. I actually felt kind of flattered when I got it, like I had a really genuine friend,”

I said, looking at the adorable cookies on the cake.

 

The taste of the sweet chocolate cookie and the sloppy blue ribbon tied around it made me smile.

 “I decorated these cookies to thank you.” 

Cedric seemed genuinely pleased to hear that.

 “I’m so grateful and happy… but are you sure I can have these?” “As I tell you every year, yes, of course, and it would actually make me sad if you didn’t.” 

I said, nudging the cake towards him.

 “Here, it’s a gift.” “Oh, I could have just gotten you a cake, but what else…” “You gave me a two-tiered cake and a sapphire mine for my birthday.” “That was just a courtesy I gave you as the head of the Imperial Knights.” 

How could he say that so brazenly without batting an eye?

 

I’m pretty sure I’m the only Knight Commander in the history of the Empire to have been given mining rights by the Emperor as a birthday present.

 “Ah, yes. Let’s just say I was doing it as a befitting tribute to His Imperial Majesty, then.” 

With that, before Cedric could remove his hand, she quickly took the bouquet she had hidden behind her back and placed it in his arms.

 “These, aren’t they lily of the valley?” “Yes, they are, but that’s not all, I have one more.” 

She pulled out a blue velvet case,

“Here, these two are my gifts.” “What’s in this case?” “You’ll see when you open it.” 

She smiled and handed the case to Cedric, who gingerly took it, still holding the bouquet.

 

When he opened the lid, his eyes widened in surprise as he stared at what was inside.

 “Isn’t this a diamond?” “Yes, it is.” 

It was the diamond necklace and bouquet of lilies that I had picked out for Cedric’s birthday.

 

‘I hope he likes it.’

 

Cedric would be grateful for anything I gave him, but it would be nice to know that he liked my gift.

 

It’s something I’ve made with my own meaning and heart.

 “They’re both so pretty…” 

Cedric murmured, staring mesmerized at the diamond necklace in one hand and the bouquet in the other.

 

As a member of the royal family, Cedric had seen more jewelry than he could count since he was a child.

 

My gift was nothing compared to the jewelry he had seen in his life.

 

Nevertheless, I was grateful that he was genuinely happy and complimented my gift as beautiful.

 “But a diamond and a lily of the valley, I think it means something.” “Oh, that’s right. Care to guess?” “Hmm.” 

Cedric looked back and forth between the bouquet and the necklace, thinking.

 

He glanced back at me to see if the answer had occurred to him.

 “Are you saying that if you marry me, you’ll be happy as death?” “No, how do you interpret that?” 

I was speechless with incredulity.

 

Caliberne, who was watching, felt the same way and said in an exasperated voice.

 [He’s totally interpreting it in his own way…] 

And then Caliberne turned to me and said,

[You better get this straight, or he’s going to use this as leverage to have you sealed on a marriage contract in the palace.] 

I barely regained my composure.

 

‘Wow, that’s a big jump out of nowhere.’

 “But it’s a diamond, right? I thought it was the most popular gemstone for proposals.” 

Cedric smirked out of the corner of his eye and spoke in a low voice.

 

‘That guy’s enjoying himself.’

 

He’s doing it on purpose. He’s trying to make fun of me.

 

‘It’s his birthday, and he’s hurt, so I’m letting him off the hook.’

I sighed inwardly.

 “No, because diamonds mean eternity, and lily of the valley means happiness, and…” 

As I spoke, something stirred inside me.

 

I hoped that Cedric wasn’t an extra who would be happy one moment and then fall into misery for the sake of the part.

 

He deserved a happy ending, after all.

 

‘I want to change it this time.’

 

I looked at the way he’d comforted me so many times, and the way he loved me without reservation, and I made a decision.

 

I wasn’t leaving until I changed the ending of the original story and made sure Cedric got his happy ending.

 

And I would do everything in my power to make it happen.

 

So my gift, which meant happiness for eternity, not just for a moment, was an object that represented my desire and commitment to Cedric’s happily ever after.

 “I just want you to be happy, Your Majesty,”

I said, smiling broadly, as if it didn’t matter.

 “Ciel…” “Because, in my opinion, you deserve it.” 

And I know why you often forget your birthday.

 

It’s because you never take care of yourself, it’s why at times you think you’re not important.

 

But I wish that wasn’t the case.

 

So I looked into the flickering candlelight and spoke from the heart.

 “So—”