It was a perfect spring.
Through the frozen ground, new green creatures diligently raised their heads.
The garden, which was a bit desolate, was now dyed with various colors with colorful flowers.
The atmosphere at the Grand Duke's residence was also much more lively and noisy than before, but it didn't seem to be just because the weather was relaxing.
I heard the reason for this vigor from Anne a little late.
"You are holding a banquet for me?"
"Yes, this is your first birthday here. His Highness the Grand Duke had been preparing for a grand birthday banquet."
I heard him show me the greenhouse the other day and say that he prepared it for my birthday.
I hadn't forgotten that day, but I didn't know that he was preparing for the banquet.
I didn't know why he kept preparing for such a congratulatory event without telling me.
Still, I didn't feel bad, so I smiled at Anne and replied.
"That's why you made a fuss."
"Everyone was so excited. His Highness the Grand Duke also prepared a gift with more excitement than usual... Oh, he asked me to keep it a secret, but I told you."
"He's preparing another gift? I also got a greenhouse the other day."
"That's... I think he showed it too early, so he must have prepared another gift for your birthday. Can you keep this a secret that I said? The Grand Duke told me not to say it..."
"Yes, I'll keep it a secret. I pretend to be surprised."
It seems that he was going to surprise me by suddenly giving me a gift, but Anne's mistake caused him to cross the water.
Imagining him excited without knowing that I had noticed my plan made my heart flutter.
'I didn't expect you to prepare a surprise for me. There's a cute corner.'
A smile kept coming to my face.
I was determined to prepare a surprise gift for his birthday.
There was a quiet knock and Frida's voice.
"Your Highness, can I go in?"
"Yes, come in."
With my permission, Frida and Madam Bianca brought in what looked like a lump of luggage on a tray.
When I realized that it was a layered dress, I was stunned for a moment and speechless.
"Is this...?"
Anne, who was beside me, cried out in a sweet voice.
"I think the dress for the banquet is ready!"
I don't know when he ordered the dress to be made again, but it seemed to be quite a few things at first glance.
As I stood there, Anne and Madam Bianca chattered in a brighter voice than usual.
"All the dresses were made in Leonore's dressing room, right? It's so popular these days, I heard that even if you have money, it's not easy to commission a production here."
"It seems that they put aside other reservations and made Your Highness's dress first. The reception dress you wore at your last wedding was a big hit, and the designer who made it made a big profit."
Frida, who had been watching the dress with sparkling eyes while they talked, picked up one of them and held it out to me.
"Would you like to try it on? Since it is a birthday party, I think it would be good to have bright and bright colors."
I nodded and accepted Frida's dress.
I don't know when I'll wear all those things, but I feel a little confused.
***
As Elona was in the middle of trying on her dress, Kishian was silently staring at the ring case in front of her.
When the ornately crafted case was opened, a ring Inside was revealed.
It was a ring with a moderately sized sapphire and a plain design.
He looked at the ring and finally picked it up and examined it.
"It doesn't seem like there's a manual, just put it in her hand and all the magic will be removed."
Not long ago, he had written to the wizard asking if there was a way to nullify an enchantment that had already been cast.
It was sent by a wizard in response.
Wearing this small ring would remove all the magic from the wearer.
As he stared at the ring suspiciously, he remembered the words of the Princess that had been occupying his mind all along.
"There is an amazing power of magic in the world. If you use it, you can make ugly women look beautiful and fake people look real."
He tried to dismiss it as nonsense that he didn't need to worry about, but he couldn't just ignore it.
She specifically mentioned magic... It felt like it wasn't just random nonsense.
He wanted to check it out.
Only then would he be able to clear up the last shred of suspicion against the Grand Duchess.
The problem was how to fit it naturally into the Grand Duchess's fingers, and there was a good opportunity at the right time.
"You can give them gifts on your upcoming birthday and give them to them as well._
Putting the ring on wouldn't make anything happen.
Unless the Grand Duchess was using magic to deceive him.
She won't even notice that what she received as a gift is a magical item.
She would never realize that her husband had been suspicious of her and had paid a high price for magical supplies.
"..."
It would be a lie if he said that he had a light heart in a situation where he cheated on his wife, who would have been excited about her birthday.
But he also had to check it out.
He couldn't continue to live with strange suspicions.
He put the ring in and closed the case with a loud sound.
After that, even though he kept it in a drawer out of sight, he couldn't concentrate on his work.
***
As the birthday approached, gifts from the nobles of the Grand Duke's family arrived at the mansion one after another.
It was a lot of food that made me really tired of it.
This was the first time I had ever received so many gifts in my life.
'As much as Letie has received.'
Of course, I was discriminated against even on my birthday.
Since we were twins born together, we had the same birthday, but the quantity and quality of the gifts we received were very different.
It seems like only yesterday that I was envious of all the shoes, dresses, and accessories that arrived in front of Letie.
Now that such gifts are arriving in front of me. I felt a new feeling.
I instructed the maids to put them in an empty room first.
It was too much to open right away, so I would take it slowly tomorrow.
The next day was the day of the banquet, so I thought I would have to check the contents diligently tomorrow.
I decided to put the gift aside for now and read the enclosed birthday cards first.
I was left alone and read the first card in the quiet bedroom.
[ Dear Noble Northern Moon, His Highness the Grand Duchess Letie ]
When I read the first line, I laughed.
This is what it is. Living by borrowing someone else's name.
They were certainly gifts and cards delivered to me, but I was not the rightful owner of them.
I was just a person who pretended to be the child's name and received the gift on her behalf.
"..."
The depression that I felt was now overwhelming and weighed heavily on my chest.
I was reading the cards that came to me in front of Letie.
Kishian, who seemed to have just finished his work, quietly entered the bedroom.
"Are you reading cards?"
"Yes, I'm going to check the gift tomorrow. Just read the cards first."
"Ah, but is there anything bad written about it?"
I looked at him, not knowing what he meant, and he replied.
"Because your expression looks dark. I thought there was some kind of abusive word written on it."
I was depressed for a moment when I saw Letie's name written on the first line of the card, but then I noticed it again.
His perception was so fast that it sometimes felt scary.
"Who would dare to send it with an abusive word? To the Grand Duchess."
"Then why are you so depressed?"
"It was just a little bitter. Because the gifts and letters they sent were... They were sent to the 'Grand Duchess' rather than to 'me'."
I put down my card appropriately and continued.
"They sent it not because they truly knew, cherished, and loved me, but because they didn't want to be seen by the Grand Duchess. Isn't it new? Just thinking about this."
I can't say that I was depressed because they were all gifts from Letie, so I just looked around like that.
After thinking for a moment, Kishian nodded with a vague face that seemed to understand.
"There may be gifts that I sent you because I like you. At least my gift was prepared not because you are the Grand Duchess, but because you are you."
"...Is that so?"
I decided not to know that he had prepared a gift, so I should have been surprised here.
Didn't he promise to do so with Anne?
Remembering that, in hindsight, I suppressed my depression and pretended to be happy.
"You prepared a gift, right? Since you gave me a greenhouse, I thought there would be no other gift."
"...I feel like it's not enough."
The person who prepared the gift seemed a little subdued, and Kishian replied.
Then he asked me.
"Do you want to see it now?"
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