More than a year had already passed since I first met Ruena.Today, as on many days, I was clad in a frilled apron, my forearms tensed as I vigorously whipped meringue with all my might.It was then that my younger brother approached.Celen.”What is it?””Why does someone as small as you have so much muscle on their arms?””Because I’ve been doing this for over a year, of course.”I stole a glance at my arm, noting how it had undeniably grown firmer than it was a year ago.Why was it that my magical power refused to grow, while my physical strength seemed to be the only thing burgeoning?After exhaling a soft sigh, I ignored my brother and resumed whipping the meringue.Today—I absolutely could not afford to make any mistakes.’It’s Ruena’s ninth birthday. This is my chance to dramatically boost her favorability towards me.’Indeed.My very existence seemed to hinge on the success of this plan.After all, over a year had passed without any significant progress.I typically met with her around three times a week.Despite seeing her nearly every other day, there had been no discernible advancement in our relationship.Nor had there been any progress regarding information about the future.My relationship with Ruena remained at a standstill.To be precise, while there was some progress, it was excruciatingly slow on both fronts.The duration for which I could glimpse into the future was gradually extending.The issue, however, lay in the erratic nature of the future I perceived.There were far more useless visions of the future than truly beneficial ones.’This is too much of a waste… a complete waste…’The Noahr family’s ability could be utilized in three distinct ways.One could expend their own magical energy, offer material compensation to another, or provide non-material compensation to another.Among these, non-material compensation encompassed emotional responses such as favor, affection, and gratitude.’Which is precisely why my second eldest brother spends all his days charming women…’It wasn’t as if Ruena didn’t feel grateful after savoring my desserts.Each time, she would finish every dessert I prepared, expressing her gratitude in a small voice and quietly hoping for my return.The problem, however, was that the intensity of her emotions was far too minuscule to grant me a clear glimpse of the future.I could unequivocally state that—Among the Noahr family’s myriad abilities, ‘precognition’ demanded the greatest expenditure of power.The future was not a linear progression.Instead, countless possibilities intertwined like a spiderweb, forming an intricate and complex tapestry.Thus, to perceive even a single thread of the future demanded a proportional expenditure of both compensation and intense concentration.Even my father, the esteemed head of the Noahr family, could only foresee events up to three years into the future.This feat, too, was only achievable by expending immense magical energy and meticulously accumulated compensation.’I can see hundreds of years into the future, but I can’t pinpoint specific events…’In my current predicament, this ability proved to be a bane.Hundreds of years from now—What significance could there possibly be in a future where my bones had long since dissolved into the earth?Especially when, in the prime of my life, I was destined to be stabbed to death by my childhood friend.What I truly needed was a glimpse into the next decade or so.What Ruena’s distant descendants would eat or how they would live hundreds of years from now held absolutely no importance to me.’That’s why Father always served extravagant desserts when entertaining guests…’While non-material compensation, such as emotions, remained abstract, material compensation, despite its clear limitations, was instantly quantifiable.The more money invested, the more flawlessly an item was crafted, the more directly its value converted into compensation.It was remarkably straightforward.A system where the outcome directly correlated with the amount offered.Unquestionably, for those with abundant wealth, it was the simplest form of compensation imaginable—even more so than magical power.But—Emotions were not so compliant.The depth of gratitude, the weight of favor, the sincerity of love.None of these could be quantified by numbers, and often, no matter how much effort one poured into them, they proved utterly futile.For it was entirely predicated on the subjective evaluation of the other person.Ruena was no exception.While we had undoubtedly grown much closer than in the beginning, at a certain point, that distance between us simply ceased to shrink.’…It would be stranger if we *did* advance.’I sighed, gazing at the perfectly stiff meringue that clung to the bowl even when vigorously shaken.To summarize my daily routine with Ruena—I would greet her.I would proceed to Ruena’s room.I would present the dessert.I would watch her eat.I would meticulously clean up any traces of the meal, then bid her farewell.For over a year, this was the sole routine we repeated.The only variable in our encounters was the type of dessert.Some days, it was cookies.Other days, pudding.And on others, a tart adorned with seasonal fruits would grace the table.Occasionally, Ruena herself would prepare tea, but even those instances were…”Oh, thank you.””Mm.””The aroma is lovely. What kind of tea is this?””I don’t know.”It was always like that.It was a time when I definitively learned the meaning of silence, even if I never learned the name of the tea.We would simply sit across from each other at the table, sharing nothing but the warm fragrance of the tea.’Isn’t this a bit much?!’I might have been audacious, but I wasn’t insane.Even I wouldn’t enjoy a tea time spent talking to myself while staring at a wall.’That’s how I ended up talking to a parrot.’At some point, unable to bear my own monologues any longer, I began training the parrot.The very parrot Ruena kept, the one that had nearly crossed the Yellow Springs (TL Note: A Korean mythological river marking the boundary to the afterlife) after eating chocolate.”The dessert must be delicious. Ruena, you look happy.””Ruena. Like. Like.””Buddy, do you like the almonds I brought too?””Delicious. Delicious.”The parrot was responsible for eighty percent of our conversations.If I could somehow quantify the intimacy between us—I suspected Ruena’s score would be a mere ten, while the parrot’s soared to ninety-nine.At least the parrot offered a reply when spoken to.’Perhaps dying by a scenic lakeside is the best future I can hope for…’It was only recently that I’d found myself contemplating the comfort of my eventual resting place.Even so, I harbored a sliver of anticipation that day.My father had, after all, ordered an expensive cake in honor of my birthday.I covertly watched Ruena as she ate the cake.Holding my breath, I yearned for even the slightest shift in her expression.’Perhaps this time, I’ll be able to see a little further into the future…’After all, its material value far surpassed that of any cake I had ever baked.Just as I was resigning myself to her characteristically subdued reaction—Ruena, who had been quietly eating her cake, slowly turned her gaze to me and spoke.Celen.”Yes?””This cake is different from usual.””Ah, yes. It’s delicious, isn’t it? A famous pâtissier made it.”Ruena gently set her fork down, then mumbled almost imperceptibly.”…Celen’s taste better.””Huh? Oh, really?”With her head bowed, Ruena slowly nodded.This was truly her most perplexing trait.She rarely displayed emotions, yet when she did, her honesty was startling.’I need to earn her favor, so why on earth am I…’I forced a smile, attempting to calm my unnecessarily flushed face.”Thank you for saying that. Father ordered that cake for my birthday, it was quite expensive.””Birthday…?””Ah, yes. My birthday was a little while ago.”Would she feel apologetic for not having celebrated my birthday?Even if she wasn’t apologetic, I secretly hoped for at least a simple ‘Oh, I see.’After all, I hadn’t mentioned it precisely because I wanted to elicit some kind of reaction.Yet—What emerged from Ruena’s lips diverged significantly from my expectations.”On a birthday… you eat cake?””Huh?””…Why?””What do you mean, ‘why’?”Was this what it felt like to hear words but utterly fail to grasp their meaning?We stared at each other in bewilderment, each striving to comprehend the other’s perspective.’Ah, her father. He dislikes her eating sweets.’Recalling that fact first, I spoke, hoping to ease the awkward atmosphere.”Ah, your father doesn’t care for desserts, does he? So you must only receive gifts.””…Receive gifts?””Huh?””Why?”‘…Wait a moment.’This was far more serious than I had initially imagined.Cold sweat beaded on my brow as I scrambled to choose my words, confronted by her utterly different upbringing.”…Well, a birthday is the day you were born, isn’t it?””Yes.””To commemorate that day, you eat what you like, or receive a gift you want… That’s how you celebrate.””Why?”Ruena’s expression made it clear she genuinely didn’t understand.Her gaze was like one observing me explain some bizarre religious ritual.Only then did I realize.This child had no concept of being celebrated by anyone.This is truly awful…’Even the seemingly gentle Grand Duchess—had she never once celebrated this child’s birthday?’For the first time, I felt a pang of pity for the Ellyard Grand Duke’s heir.Ruena.”Yes?””When is your birthday?””Two months from now…””Good. Then, I’ll make you a proper birthday, a birthday worthy of the name.”Ruena nodded silently.The tips of her ears were redder than usual.And so, the long-anticipated birthday was finally today.I had prepared a gift for her, and even arranged a makeshift birthday feast that would at least evoke a celebratory atmosphere.’I prepared it outside so we wouldn’t be caught.’Yes.Today was, in many ways, a historic day.It would be the first proper birthday party in Ruena’s life.And a monumental day, marking the first time we would spend time together outdoors.I vowed to make it a truly unforgettable day.”Oh, this is delicious.””Hey, don’t just pick at the cream!”The cream on the cake vanished in an instant.My younger brother grumbled, then swiftly snatched a strawberry.He’s so prickly for someone so small. And I even gave him an expensive gift for his birthday.”Ah, come on—! Stop picking strawberries off the cake! Eat the ones on the plate!””That’s not stealing, then!””You trash.”Leaving that ‘trash’ of a younger brother behind, I finally managed to finish the preparations.A little while later—Arriving at the Grand Duke Ellyard’s estate.Ruena stood quietly before the massive gate.Ruena!”Hello.””Happy birthday.””…Mm.””Follow me. Let’s go this way.”Ruena walked beside me without a word.Her steps, however, were lighter than usual, and she seemed somewhat excited.’A good start.’I chuckled softly, leading her slightly ahead.A forest path a little distance from the Grand Duke’s estate.If we were to turn off the path, which I had always simply passed by in a carriage—A small lake appeared.A place where the blue sky settled upon the calm surface of the water.Beside it, I had prepared a small birthday table for Ruena.’Now, I just need to take her there, celebrate her birthday, and then…’I mentally replayed the plan I had meticulously devised over the past two months.A perfect plan to elicit a perfect reaction at the perfect moment.’Good. All I have to do is follow the plan.’However—An entirely unexpected intruder had already arrived at the birthday table.
