The car sped through the city toward the business district where Astral Corporation's HQ was located. About 15 minutes later, with the traffic optimized by Nexus Pri, they arrived at Astral Corp HQ.
After Will handed the car over to the valet who ca to greet them, he led little Sylvana toward her father's office. As they arrived, and the mont little Sylvana opened the office door, she was greeted by a lively scene.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
"Surprise!"
Party poppers went off, sending ribbons and confetti flying through the air as the smiling faces of her parents and others shouted "surprise!" However, Sylvana could only see the celebration through the gap under Will's armpit, as he imdiately used his body to shield her.
There stood Daniel, her father, along with Koyuki, Greed, Michaela, Penthesilea, and a woman Sylvana had never t before.
"Will… Can't you tell the difference between gunfire and party poppers?" Daniel asked in annoyance.
"There is a 2.14% chance that soone could invent a weapon disguised as a party popper for assassination purposes. The risk is too high to ignore, Master," Will replied calmly, stating the facts.
"Is that so?" Daniel asked, this ti directing his question to Nexus Pri.
"That is correct, Master," Nexus Pri confird.
Knowing it was pointless to argue with Nexus Pri, Daniel decided to proceed with little Sylvana's birthday party.
"Sylvy! Today marks the 1-year anniversary since we t you—happy birthday!" Koyuki exclaid as she picked up little Sylvana and walked toward the woman Sylvana hadn't t before.
"Mom… This is little Sylvana, your granddaughter," Koyuki said.
The woman was Mayumi Mori, Koyuki's mother and Sylvana's grandmother.
"Oh, sweetie, co here," Mayumi said with a smile as she took little Sylvana from Koyuki. Though Sylvana wasn't yet familiar with Mayumi, she was surprisingly quiet and didn't squirm much.
"Greetings, Grandma," little Sylvana said shyly.
"Ohhh, sweetie, you're so cute! What do you want for your birthday? Or where would you like to go? Tell Grandma, and I'll have your papa and mama arrange it for you," Mayumi cooed, imdiately doting on her granddaughter.
"Really?" little Sylvana asked.
"Really! What do you want?"
Hearing the confirmation from her grandma, little Sylvana thought for a mont. She rembered that when she went to the sea, no one wanted her to swim, and her father and mothers seed too busy and not very fond of swimming.
"I want a pet that can help swim and swim with ," little Sylvana said, expressing her wish.
"Huh? Can't Sat help you swim?" Daniel asked.
Sat's ears perked up at the ntion of his na, and his tail wagged expectantly as he looked at his master.
"Sat hates water. The other day, I tried to bathe him, but he wouldn't stay still. I had to ask Mama Michaela to handle him just to get him properly bathed," Sylvana replied matter-of-factly.
Daniel listened to his daughter's complaint and then shot a stern look at Sat, who was lying on his bed in the corner. In response, Sat tilted his head cutely in confusion.
"Can't you help her swim?" Daniel asked Mammon this ti.
"Do I look like a fish to you?" Mammon retorted while munching on a cherry tomato in his cage.
"Got it. I think I have the perfect candidate in mind," Daniel said with a smile to his daughter, recalling a certain little guy left to his own devices in Florida's great bayou.
The birthday party continued as little Sylvana sang the happy birthday song along with her family gathered around her. She then blew out the candles on the chocolate cake.
The cake had been specially ordered by Greed from Maison de la Gourmandise, a renowned patisserie workshop in France. It was made using only the most luxurious and finest ingredients available. Everything, from the flour, eggs, and butter, was sourced from renowned farms.
The fruits that decorated the cake were also of the highest quality, particularly the lon, which ca from a famous farm in Japan known for producing the best-tasting lons in the world.
Even the decorations, whether sugar gemstones or the model of a tree atop the cake, were entirely edible. At first glance, they looked like precious marble or gemstones. The cake itself cost a fortune, and if it hadn't been ordered by Greed, most people would never have dared to eat it.
Little Sylvana tried the cake and liked it, though she thought the flavor wasn't quite as good as the cakes handmade by Envy. The only aspects that surpassed Envy's cakes were the ingredients and decorations, but the taste was just a notch below.
That didn't an this renowned workshop's cake wasn't delicious—Daniel knew that if their palates hadn't been spoiled by Envy's creations, this would have been the most delicious cake he had ever eaten.
The birthday party continued with gas after the cake. Daniel played Dungeon and Wizard with little Sylvana and his wives. This ti, Michaela chose the Paladin class for the party, while Penthesilea opted for the Sorcerer class because she had long wanted to use magic in real life, and the Sorcerer intrigued her the most.
Greed excused herself from the ga to review so reports related to her company and the Order of Ember, responsibilities she had to manage, especially in finance.
The ga began, and with each roll of the dice, laughter and banter filled the room. anwhile, Mayumi played Go with Greed after she finished her work.
The ti of rrint and happiness ca to an end as the clock struck 11 in the evening. It was ti for little Sylvana to go to bed. Today had been the happiest day she had ever experienced, and tomorrow, when she opened her eyes, she would have grown one more year.
In Greed's room, Daniel sat on the balcony connected to her room, sipping wine and admiring the neon-lit cityscape below, which seed always alive and full of energy. Tonight, Koyuki was staying with Mayumi at the hotel so she could be trained by her, as Mayumi had another purpose for being here besides attending little Sylvana's birthday party.
"Why are you here, Danny? Are you hoping to get sothing from ?" Greed asked seductively as she erged from her bath.
"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't hoping for sothing," Daniel shalessly admitted, watching as Greed moved toward him and took a seat next to him, separated only by a small table holding the wine bottle.
The two admired the night view for about ten minutes before Daniel broke the silence. "You know… I've been thinking a lot… about us."
Intrigued, Greed turned toward Daniel, wondering what he was about to say.
"It's true that I'm still not fully adjusted to this whole Curtained World and mages' business," Daniel continued, still gazing at the view. "But… I'll do my best to take care of you all and protect you to the best of my ability."
"Oh? Is this a love confession? How cute," Greed teased, hoping to see Daniel embarrassed.
"Yes, it is," Daniel replied, looking into Greed's eyes as he took her hand and produced a small box. He opened it, revealing a ring with a chromatic gemstone.
The gemstone was crafted from a mysterious jewel called the Heart of Atlantis, one of the unique artifacts in the Fall of Atlantis set. It could generate enormous amounts of sacred mana, and Daniel had designed the ring to create a powerful shield to protect Greed in ergencies and to notify him if she was in danger.
It even had an instant portal function, allowing either of them to teleport to the other.
"This…" Greed was stunned, staring at the gemstone as Daniel slipped it onto her left ring finger.
"Will you marry ?" Daniel asked, looking deeply into Greed's still-stunned eyes.
She didn't know what to say. She was accustod to the Curtained World's customs, where mages usually married only one partner, even though many had more than one. Typically, only the most powerful or those with strong lineage would be chosen as a marriage partner.
She had never imagined Daniel would ask this of her.
"Wha… What… what about Koyuki? Didn't you plan to marry her? Lady Mori won't stay quiet if you try to marry ," Greed asked, though her voice betrayed a deep happiness.
"Of course, I plan to marry her too. Why would Lady Mori make a fuss over this?" Daniel asked, still not understanding what Greed was implying.
Hearing this, Greed let out a wry smile before explaining the mage customs of the Curtained World to Daniel.
"Oh… I see," Daniel said after listening to Greed's explanation. "But I don't think that has anything to do with . I'll marry all of you. All of my won will have the weddings they desire. I believe this is what they deserve. I won't belittle any of my won by making them concubines.
They will all be my wives. And I don't think I'll marry more than seven or nine, anyway. My heart isn't wide enough for… like… a battalion of won to sit in it." Daniel concluded.
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