Even though her posture was so spirited, her face looked like she was holding back tears, which made me feel sorry for her again.
Both the children and the adults were eagerly awaiting Linea to blow out the candles. It was then.
“Happy birthday.”
Carcel, having said that, lifted Linea up.
As if this were the only way to blow out the candle on top of the cake taller than Linea.
I spoke to Linea, who was breathing heavily in Carcel's arms.
"Linea, you have to make sure you make a wish that comes true and blow out the candle. Got it?"
Linea nodded resolutely.
Soon, the child even closed their eyes and seemed to be praying for something.
Linea soon opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and with a whoosh, lit the candle.
“It’s off!”
"Now your wish will come true!"
All 11 candles went out at once.
Linea smiled brightly amidst the people's congratulations.
"Linea, shall we cut the cake now and share it with our friends?"
When asked, Linea, who was held in Carcel's arms, the child at first just quietly nodded her head, then...
Little by little, very little by little, her expression crumbled.
Linea's nose turned red, and her mouth twitched.
The child seemed to be struggling to hold back their tears, but eventually, the tears flowed down their cheeks.
Linea cried while laughing.
Feeling like I understood how she must be feeling, I silently took the child from Carcel and held her in my arms.
Linea began to calm down little by little as I hugged the back of her neck and patted her.
"Happy birthday, Linea. Today is the day your life begins anew."
"Heehee..."
The child doesn't know yet, but Linea is registered under my name.
Now, legally, she was my child, too.
At those words, Linea's shoulders trembled even more.
After quite a while, the child stopped crying and popped their head up.
Her long eyelashes were completely wet and tangled, and her breath was ragged and moist from her stuffy nose.
"Oh my, it's ugly."
Smiling playfully, I wiped Linea's flushed face with a handkerchief.
Linea started expressing her emotions more than before. For some reason, I felt like I was going to cry too.
She is the kind of child who would have surely just held back her sadness, emotion, or joy somehow, if it were the past.
"My crybaby. A pretty crybaby."
I held the child, bouncing my body back and forth, and glanced at the people around me.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward because Linea was crying, but the look in my eyes made everyone try to lighten the mood again.
"Happy birthday, Linea!"
“Can’t I eat cake?”
In the midst of this, the adults burst into laughter at the innocent question of the child who coveted the cake even more.
Carcel also looked at Linea and wiped away the tears flowing down her plump cheeks with his thumb.
“Are you okay?”
"Yes."
Linea, whose pronunciation was more slurred than usual, nodded.
And soon, Linea picked up a knife and cut the cake vigorously, even while sniffling again.
Then applause poured in.
Even though Linea cried, the atmosphere was one of congratulations without anyone caring.
The child, who was always scolded for crying, did not seem uncomfortable crying for the first time today.
So, Linea soon started eating cake with her friends with a flushed face.
The children didn't find Linea strange either, and started playing together while giggling.
“It’s nice to see.”
Carcel tilted his head at me and whispered.
I looked up at him and smiled.
"I know, it seems Linea isn't afraid of children anymore, either."
Linea was such an alien presence that she couldn't fit in even among the children, living like oil floating on water.
So, Linea was always anxious about whether she looked strange when she was among people.
Fortunately for me, the children accepted Linea's anxiety better than I had expected.
After that, the sound of children's laughter echoed ceaselessly through the mansion.
It was a day filled with laughter that no one would ever forget.
***
The birthday party ended safely.
But there was one more thing left!
"Linea, the Marquis has one more gift prepared for you."
"I've already received this much."
"It's something different from this."
I brought Linea with Carcel to the drawing room after the others had left and began to speak.
The drawing room floor was already piled high with opened gifts.
It was filled not only with dresses, shoes, and accessories for the child to wear, but also with toys.
Enough to feel like I wouldn't need to buy anything for a year.
Linea also looked burdened by the gifts she had already received.
"Hey, sit down, baby. This isn't that kind of gift."
I sat next to Linea and took the documents out of the envelope.
"What is it?"
"It's a difficult word, so Mommy will read it for you."
Carcel was also standing behind us, looking down at us with a smile.
"Waiver of custody."
“Custody?”
"Hmm... In short, I'm saying that Grandma and Uncle are no longer Linea's family."
"Uh, then I..."
Linea's eyes wavered.
"...Do I have no family now?"
I smiled faintly and shook my head.
"No, Linea has a new family now."
“New family?”
"Look at this."
I handed Linea another document.
"This is an adoption certificate. But what is Linea's name written here?"
At those words, Linea read the letters little by little.
"Linea Rivandel..."
"Marquis Rivandel's estate?"
When I asked playfully, the child's shoulders shot up.
Linnea, who at first was just surprised as if she couldn't believe the situation, soon took a deep breath.
"Th-then, I really..."
"Yeah. Now Linea is legally Mom's baby, too."
I nodded toward Carcel and continued speaking to Linea.
"And you are also the Marquis's daughter."
Linea took the adoption confirmation from me and sat quietly for a moment.
What could be so many thoughts swirling in that child's little head?
However, soon Linea sprang to her feet and lunged at me.
"Oh my!"
Linea hugged my neck tightly without hesitation.
“Um, Mom!”
"That's right! I'm Linea's mom!"
Even though she called me Mom all this time, deep down somewhere in her heart, Linea must have also had a deep shadow she couldn't let go of.
Because dreams are bound to end eventually.
Linea was not a child who could simply accept affection innocently.
Love is something that can be transferred at any time.
Although Carcel and I are acting like her parents right now, she must have realized that we might have to part ways.
“Mom.”
“Yes, daughter!”
"...Thank you so much.”
The child relaxed their body and, while being held in my arms, repeated thank you several times.
I stroked Linea's back.
"Thank you too. For calling me Mom and choosing me, Linea."
Just two months.
Despite having suffered countless abuses and traumas, the child opened their heart to me in that short amount of time.
I knew how brave that was.
Even adults run away because they don't want to get hurt.
Linea soon moved away from me, then turned around and looked at Carcel.
"M-Marquis. No, Dad."
"...!"
Even Carcel was shocked and froze as soon as he heard those words.
The child opened her arms to him as well.
At that signal asking to be hugged, Carcel lifted Linea up without the slightest hesitation.
"Thank you, Dad."
"There is nothing to be thankful for. Any father with a daughter like Linea would be happy."
I also nodded vigorously, thinking, "That is true."
Carcel gradually crumbled in front of Linea.
At first, he looked flustered, but gradually, he, too, looked numb.
He must have realized just how touching the child's pure affection and the trust that approached him defenseless were.
I also... the feelings I received from Linea.
It is a mysterious feeling, as if it were redefining who I am.
Carcel whispered as he stroked Linea's hair.
"No matter what happens, I will protect Linea. As a father, I will do my utmost..."
Carcel paused for a moment, as if his throat were tightening.
And he closed his eyes and hugged Linea tightly.
"...Hehe."
Linea also smiled faintly.
Soon, Carcel carefully placed Linea down on the sofa.
"Baby, how do you feel?"
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