Happy Birthday, Part 2

Frieren never discovered the secret hidden deep within the sea of flowers. She simply stared at it in a daze for a while. No one had ever treated her to anything like this before.

"Senior Brother... I wonder if you'll prepare something like this for me next time."

Frieren murmured softly as she gazed at the sea of flowers before her.

Little Fool blinked. She seemed to have heard something she shouldn't have, but it also didn't seem like too much of a problem.

As a maid, especially a top-class maid, she would tell the young master everything about anything that concerned him. After all, Xiao Wu and Xiao Xue had once said that the young master was their heaven and their earth, the reason they lived.

As someone who wanted to learn from Xiao Wu and Xiao Xue, she had already set a firm goal for herself. Though she was a Demon, she was a noble Demon, because her young master was the greatest.

That night, Frieren rested her chin in her hands as she gazed at the usually delicious food. For some reason, today's portions seemed much smaller than usual. Though the presentation was still exquisite, beneath that refinement was a substantial reduction in food.

"There's a surprise after dinner."

Li Yan smiled as he brought the last dish to the table. Today's dishes were especially exquisite, and he had reduced the portions by more than half, all because the final surprise was a delicacy neither Frieren nor Flamme had ever seen.

"Oh~"

Frieren answered listlessly, sprawled across the table. The beautiful sea of flowers she had seen that afternoon lingered in her mind. It was every girl's dream setting.

"A surprise? I'm looking forward to it."

Flamme covered her mouth and chuckled. She finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks, then sat quietly in her chair, waiting for everyone to enjoy the meal together.

"It's something you've never seen before."

Li Yan spoke with deliberate mystery as he handed Flamme a wineglass filled with red wine and gave Frieren and Little Fool glasses of juice.

Although Frieren was unhappy about Li Yan treating them differently, she had tasted red wine before and preferred juice. Red wine wasn't as sweet.

Little Fool sat obediently in her chair and quietly waited for the meal to begin. Li Yan took his own seat, and Flamme's birthday dinner officially began.

Frieren picked up an exquisite morsel with her chopsticks and ate it in small bites. It tasted different from usual, with the slightly sweet flavor her master Flamme liked.

It wasn't just that dish. Almost every dish had a slightly sweet taste, while the fragrant and spicy and extra-spicy dishes she usually loved had vanished entirely.

"Senior Brother! Why aren't there any fragrant and spicy or extra-spicy dishes?"

Disappointment showed on Frieren's face. Tonight's dishes were all things her master liked, without a single one that she liked.

"Ahem, there'll be some tomorrow. Besides, there's a little surprise later."

Li Yan changed the subject. Today was his godmother's birthday, so every dish had been made to suit Flamme's usual tastes.

The food covering the table tasted quite good, but for Frieren, who had already grown fond of fragrant and spicy and extra-spicy flavors, it was a painful realization.

"All right..."

Frieren lay across the table, looking as though she had nothing left to live for. The normally subdued emotions of the elves had been thoroughly brought to the surface.

"A Yan."

Flamme gave Li Yan a light pat, signaling that he really shouldn't have put Frieren through this. Although she loved tonight's dinner, the most important thing was for everyone to be happy, not just her.

"I understand."

Li Yan sighed softly and could only get up and head into the kitchen. It took only a few minutes for a dish to go cold, while Li Yan needed only one minute to make one. With convenient magic, whether chopping or stir-frying, everything took only a short time. An excellent mage could multitask, chopping and stir-frying at the same time, and Li Yan's powerful physique allowed him to toss the wok with ease, heating the food perfectly evenly.

In exactly one minute, Li Yan gracefully picked up the freshly cooked dish and used Spatial Movement to reach the table, where he set down the new fragrant and spicy dish.

"Let's eat, Godmother, Junior Sister, Little Fool."

Dinner was especially pleasant. Frieren rubbed her tummy, thoroughly satisfied, and began to look forward to the little surprise her senior brother had prepared for her master.

After clearing the table, Li Yan told Little Fool to fetch some candles. Under Frieren and Flamme's puzzled gazes, he brought out the three-tiered fruit cake he had prepared for his godmother Flamme from the kitchen.

The cake had been especially easy to make. Its main ingredients were only eggs, white sugar, and wheat flour, with milk, juice, fruit, and the like as additional ingredients.

"It's so big and beautiful! Amazing! It looks delicious."

Frieren rested her chin in her hands as she gazed at the three-tiered fruit cake Li Yan had brought out.

"Young master, what are the candles for?"

Little Fool curiously handed Li Yan candles of all sizes. He gave a mysterious smile and took them in his hand, then waved his hand, and every light in the room went out.

In the dim room, flames suddenly rose, and a heart-shaped ring appeared around them in an instant. It was a circle of candles shaped like a heart, surrounding Flamme as she sat at the table.

Frieren stared in a daze. This sudden romantic gesture made even her heart flutter for a moment. If today had been her birthday, perhaps she too would have developed feelings for that senior brother who was so very much younger than her.

Flamme blinked her lovely eyes. Though she had already prepared herself, Li Yan's sudden display still made her heart begin to pound.

"Happy birthday, Godmother!"

Dressed in splendid formal attire, Li Yan stepped out of the darkness holding vivid red roses, an appropriate smile on his face.

Seeing that Li Yan had changed clothes in just a few seconds, Frieren parted her lips. She had long wanted to learn that magic, which could change her into whatever clothes she wanted to wear in just one second.

"Thank you."

Flamme lightly bit her lower lip and accepted the roses from Li Yan. Unlike the sea of flowers that afternoon, these brightly colored roses set her heart ablaze.

"Godmother, make a wish, then blow out the candles on the cake. That way, your wish will come true."

Li Yan spoke with a soft laugh. Seeing the smile on Flamme's face, he felt satisfied.

"Mm-hm. Is that really a thing?"

Flamme answered in a tsundere manner.

"It's a tradition when eating cake. Don't say your wish out loud, Godmother, or it won't come true."

Li Yan spoke with a soft laugh. Beside him, Little Fool's eyes shone with envy. Though she didn't know what this feeling was, making a wish, blowing out candles, and eating cake were experiences she had never had before.

The adorably innocent girl cast a secret glance at Li Yan, a trace of admiration in her eyes. She too wanted a special day for her birthday, and she wanted the young master to hold a birthday party for her.

"Young master really is amazing..."