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🕑 Added 2025-08-02 21:16:52 +0000 UTCEP.12 12th Birthday Ball (1)
Time passed, and it was finally Yuno’s 12th birthday.
The breakfast table, prepared under Empress Yuria’s direct supervision and orders even entering the kitchen herself was more lavish than usual. Although Yuria disliked extravagant meals due to her frugal nature, she never held back for her children’s birthdays, and since this was for her most beloved son, it was especially grand.
“Our Yuno~ Happy birthday~ Mom worked really hard to prepare this breakfast, so you have to enjoy it, okay? The real birthday party will be in the banquet hall later, but I wanted to set my son’s birthday table myself.”
In the Balkan Empire, turning twelve meant being recognized as more than a child treated as a youth and allowed to participate in social events, making the 12th birthday a significant occasion.
“Mom’s got a great birthday present ready for you, so look forward to it, okay? I’ll give it to you after breakfast, mwah!”
After Yuria gave Yuno a light kiss on the cheek, Isabella and Marie rushed over as well.
“I’ll give you a birthday present too~ My present is a loving kiss from your big sister~ Chu~”
“I’ll kiss you too, oppa~ Chu~”
“Isabella! Marie! I don’t need that kind of birthday present!”
Yuno happily accepted his mother’s kiss but tried to fend off his sister’s and little sister’s kisses. However, Isabella and Marie ignored his resistance, hugging and kissing him anyway. Fearing he might hurt them if he pushed too hard, Yuno had no choice but to accept their kisses.
In return, he lightly kissed their foreheads and then looked over at Eliza standing nearby.
“What? Why are you staring? Do you want a kiss too?”
“...No, I was asking if you had a present... Never mind.”
Though she said that, after breakfast, as Yuno was about to go receive his mother’s birthday present, Eliza stopped him and handed him something.
“Here! You gave me a present for my 12th birthday last month, right? Did you think I wouldn’t prepare something for you?”
Yuno stared blankly at the unexpected gift.
“Don’t just stand there, open it. I put a lot of thought into this present.”
At Eliza’s urging, Yuno opened the box to find a pair of glowing bracelets inside.
“These bracelets...?”
“Hehehe, remember a few days ago when the head of your intelligence service invited us out of the palace? I bought them then. I wanted to stop by a magic tool shop, and the knight escort said it was fine for a moment.”
“Magic tools?”
“They’re bracelets enchanted with weight adjustment magic. If you say ‘weight adjustment’ and specify the weight, you can set them anywhere from 1 kg to 200 kg. Hardly anyone uses these, so they don’t sell much, but the shopkeeper tried to charge a fortune. If it weren’t for the knight, I would’ve been ripped off... Kyaa!!”
“Eliza!! Thank you!!! This is such a helpful present!! I love you, Eliza!!”
Overcome with gratitude, Yuno hugged Eliza tightly and even said he loved her. Of course, Yuno meant it as familial love, but to Eliza, it meant something else, and her face turned completely red.
“Y-you... What do you mean by that...”
“Oops! Mom’s waiting, I’d better go. I’ll treasure this! I was just starting to need more of a challenge at the training grounds, so wow~!”
Eliza stared blankly in the direction Yuno disappeared.
‘Ugh!! Saying “I love you” with that face is cheating!! Jerk...’
Of course, Eliza knew Yuno meant it as heartfelt thanks, but the destructive power of hearing “I love you” from such a handsome face was more than she could handle, and she clutched her pounding heart for a while.
She also fiddled with the necklace Yuno had given her for her own 12th birthday a necklace she had never taken off since receiving it.
“Mom~ I’m here~”
“Yuno, go over there. Hoho, Madeleine? Please take Yuno and help him change.”
When Yuno entered the Empress’s room, Yuria was waiting with many maids.
“Huh? Mom? Um...? Uh?”
“This way, Your Highness.”
Dragged off by Madeleine, the head maid, and the other maids, Yuno found a tailcoat laid out before him.
“Madeleine... what’s this?”
“Today is Your Highness’s 12th birthday, so you’ll be attending the ball from now on. Her Majesty the Empress invited the Empire’s best designer to create this outfit after much thought.”
“Sigh~ These clothes are uncomfortable...”
He sighed, but couldn’t refuse a present his mother had prepared, so he let the maids dress him in the tailcoat.
“Huh? It’s more comfortable than I thought?”
The tailcoat Yuria had prepared looked very stylish but was also comfortable to wear.
“Her Majesty had it made to fit Your Highness’s measurements exactly, and ordered that it be made from a new fabric blended with rubber for comfort.”
Without unnecessary jewels, the single-color tailcoat with gold embroidery matched Yuno’s blond hair, giving him both charisma beyond his years and a childlike charm.
When Yuno emerged dressed up, Isabella, Marie, and even Eliza were all there, and they were astonished by his appearance.
“My goodness, is that really you, Yuno? I knew our little brother was handsome, but this...”
“Oppa shouldn’t go to any balls for a year. Wait until I turn twelve... All the foxes will try to seduce you. You have to wait until I can protect you!”
Smack!
“Marie, are you going to keep saying nonsense to oppa? If you keep this up, Mom will scold you! It’s good if lots of girls like oppa! That way, Yuno can choose a good wife!”
“Hmph~ Oppa can’t get married! I’m going to be oppa’s bride!!”
Smack!
“Marie! Didn’t I say Mom would scold you? And Mom always says to watch your language, right?”
While Marie was being scolded by Yuria, Yuno hugged Yuria and tried to calm her.
“Mom, I really love this present. I thought I’d never be able to wear something like this comfortably... Hehehe, thank you so much, Mom.”
Yuno thanked Yuria with a bright smile. At that moment, Yuria’s heart skipped a beat.
Her son, who had long since grown taller than her, smiled with that handsome face and hugged her tightly. Yuria instinctively felt her womb tremble, as if the woman inside her, dead for over ten years, was awakening.
‘Ugh... Did I just get excited being hugged by Yuno? I’m crazy! No, no, it can’t be... Even if it is, it shouldn’t be... Yuno is my most precious son.’
Denying herself, Yuria stepped away and, acting as if nothing happened, praised Yuno, saying the outfit suited him perfectly.
“My son is so handsome what if you’re too popular with the noble girls at the ball tonight? Hohoho.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Your eldest daughter Isabella will protect me. Ahem!”
“Hmph... Starting next year, I’ll stick to oppa like glue.”
While Yuria, Isabella, and Marie fussed, Eliza stared at Yuno in a daze, then snapped out of it and looked away.
But her heart kept pounding, and she glanced at Yuno with an angry expression.
‘He looks so cool dressed up like that. Jerk... bastard... My heart’s always being tossed around while he’s totally unfazed... It’s not fair...’
But since Yuno couldn’t know Eliza’s feelings, she could only shed silent tears over her unrequited young love.
That evening, Yuno, feeling a bit excited, headed to the main palace’s banquet hall.
As the guest of honor, it was customary for Yuno to arrive a little late and enter to cheers, so he walked the palace halls slightly after the start time.
Even though the party had already begun, many nobles and young ladies were still waiting to enter in the corridor. They greeted Yuno with slight surprise and bowed, making him tense up.
‘Phew~ I can’t make any mistakes and cause trouble for Mom...’
As Yuno accepted the nobles’ greetings and headed to the waiting room, he was stopped by a voice from behind.
“Yuno? Oh my! When did you get so tall? You look like a completely different person since I last saw you! Hohoho.”
Turning, Yuno saw the First Princess, Diane.
Normally, Diane rarely left her own palace and, having never married, was considered a spinster. But as the Empire’s top alchemist, even the Emperor couldn’t marry her off as he pleased.
“Ah... Diane, sis? It’s been a while.”
“Oh, I told you to speak comfortably with your sister! If my cute Yuno is so stiff with me, it makes me really sad. Sob, sob, sob.”
‘How can I speak casually to a sister older than my mom?!’
“Hahaha... I want to, but... I’m scared of Heinrich...”
“What? My brother? Don’t worry, Yuno. If I see Heinrich, I’ll half-kill him for you, so just relax and rest in your sister’s arms.”
With that, Diane hugged Yuno and pressed his face into her large breasts.
“Mmff, sis! I can’t breathe...”
“Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine. Want some milk? If you want, I can invent a potion to make me lactate and feed you.”
‘That’s... No, no, I only love Mom... Mmff!’
Though Yuno was briefly tempted, he held back for his mother’s sake and managed to escape Diane’s embrace, hurrying into the waiting room.
Diane touched the door Yuno had disappeared through and whispered softly.
“Our Yuno’s all grown up? Haah, haah... In a few years, Yuno can be mine... Ahh... You made your sister fall for you the first time we met, you bad boy... Someday, let’s be together forever in my arms, Yuno. Hohoho.”
If Yuno had heard, he would have run away in shock, but fortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t hear her little soliloquy.
