Chapter 149: A Harmonious Family
On the day Aracila handed the invitations to Isaac for the Red Hawk Knights, she also sent one to Prince Lucas. She couldn’t possibly overlook Damian’s only true friend.
“Happy birthday, Lord Vandermir!” Lucas boomed, clapping Damian on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. “I finally know your birthday. You wouldn’t tell me no matter how much I asked!”
Damian, feeling a touch awkward, dipped his head. “Thank you for coming, Your Highness.”
“Haha, attending a friend’s birthday is only natural. I’ll invite you and your wife to mine next year, so you’d better show up!”
“I will,” Damian replied.
Lucas winked at Aracila, blew a playful hand-kiss to Damian, and stepped back, giving others a chance to greet the guest of honor. Aracila, standing nearby, pulled her friend Paula forward.
“Damian, this is my friend Paula. You remember her, right?”
“Of course I do. How have you been, Lady Hayden?” Damian asked.
“Oh, quite well! I’ve heard you and Aracila are getting along splendidly. No wonder you look so radiant today,” Paula said, covering her mouth as she chuckled. Her vibrant red eyes sparkled with genuine warmth toward Damian.
He nodded appreciatively, touched that Aracila’s friend had taken the time to attend his birthday. “Thank you for making time despite your busy schedule.”
“No trouble at all! It’s only right to show up for a friend’s family event, isn’t it?” Paula replied with a boldness that belied her refined appearance, a trait that clearly marked her as Aracila’s friend.
After Paula stepped away, Isaac and Colin approached.
“Well, well, Commander! Happy birthday!” Isaac exclaimed, his voice brimming with enthusiasm. “How’s it feel today? Care to share your thoughts?”
“No. And lower your voice, Isaac,” Damian replied curtly.
Isaac pouted, his excitement slightly deflated. He was noticeably more animated than usual. Beside him, Colin offered a polite smile and a calm greeting.
“Congratulations, Commander. I hope today brings you nothing but ease and joy, free from any worries.”
“Thank you, Colin,” Damian said, returning a faint smile and giving Colin’s arm a light pat. Isaac, catching this, looked affronted and practically lunged forward.
“Commander, why don’t you do that for me?”
“Figure it out yourself,” Damian said dryly.
Isaac stroked his chin, pondering, then lit up with a grin. “I’ve got it!”
Damian felt a prickle of unease.
“You want a group salute from the knights, don’t you?” Isaac declared.
“No—”
“Alright, everyone, gather ‘round to celebrate the Commander!” Isaac called out.
At his summons, the knights scattered throughout the hall assembled with military precision. Aracila and Colin exchanged a glance.
If we stay here, we’ll get caught up in this, won’t we?
Yes, better to slip away.
Colin bowed and quietly withdrew, while Aracila leaned in to whisper to Damian. “I’ll be right back.”
“My lady, where are you going?” Damian asked, but she only smiled and slipped away. Surrounded by his boisterous subordinates, he had no choice but to let her go.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Commander, happy birthday to you!” the knights sang, their deep voices clashing in a cacophony that made Damian wince.
Even as a child, I never wanted this kind of celebration…
“Hey, wait, don’t we usually do birthday spanks?” one knight piped up. “Can we do that to the Commander?”
“Idiot, you think that’s allowed? Let’s hoist him up instead!” another suggested, raising his hands as he approached.
Imagining the mortifying scene of being lifted in the middle of the hall, Damian’s face hardened. “Attention!” he barked.
“Sir!” the knights snapped to order.
“Enough. Return to your places.”
“Yes, sir!”
At the low, commanding tone, the knights, sensing they’d pushed too far, dispersed like a receding tide.
In their wake, only two figures remained: Sally and Rudy. Initially, Aracila hadn’t planned to invite her junior colleagues, but her conversation with Isaac had changed her mind. She realized Damian might appreciate hearing how they were doing. As a result, Sally and Rudy had received their invitations late but made it to the party.
“Uh, hello, Lord Vandermir,” Sally said.
“It’s been a while,” Damian replied.
Their teamwork during the lamp explosion incident had fostered a certain familiarity between Damian and the two mages, though they still seemed a bit nervous in his presence.
“Happy birthday, sir,” Sally said.
“Thank you for, er, inviting us today,” Rudy added, clearing his throat.
Exhausted by his rowdy knights, Damian found the quiet congratulations from the two mages soothing. “Have you both been well?”
“Yes! Since our senior returned to work, we’ve been busy and happy,” Sally said with a bright smile, her words filled with sincerity.
“Busy, huh?” Damian asked.
“A bit,” Sally admitted. “Under her lead, we’ve recently started researching a truth serum.”
“Truth serum?” Damian’s brow furrowed in surprise. He knew the production of truth serums had long been discontinued, rarely even mentioned anymore. “Can you still make something like that?”
“We’re not sure yet—it’s early in the research. The main ingredient is extinct, so we’re trying to find ways to revive it or develop a substitute,” Sally explained.
“Hm. What’s the main ingredient?”
“Have you heard of the Dylai flower? It has seven petals, each a different color like a rainbow.”
Since she hadn’t seen it herself, Sally spoke based on the description from a botanical encyclopedia. Damian shook his head briefly.
“It sounds like it’ll be a challenging study.”
“I think so too. But since our senior is leading us, I’m not too worried.”
Rudy chimed in confidently. He believed that with Aracila by his side, they could overcome any difficulty.
And the more arduous the process, the greater the catharsis from the result—that was the way of things.
Seeing how the group, which had been wilted and listless when they’d gone to Audrey for help earlier, was now brimming with energy, Damian let out a soft chuckle.
Then, the two noticed Aracila approaching with Marquis Hugo’s family in tow, so they bowed silently and departed.
As Damian watched Isaac approach them with a welcoming expression, he slowly turned his body. Just then, Aracila and her family arrived in front of him.
“Damian, my family is here.”
“It’s been a while.”
Damian bowed his head politely. Marquis Hugo let out a hearty laugh and patted him on the shoulder.
“I’ve missed you, Damian. Why so formal among family?”
“That’s right. You’ve become even more handsome since we last saw you, Damian.”
The Marchioness also greeted him warmly.
Behind them stood Iris, holding Adrian’s hand. A unfamiliar man was with them as well.
Once their parents’ greetings seemed to conclude, Iris stepped forward with Adrian in tow.
“Happy birthday, sir. Since it’s your first birthday after getting married, I hope you and Aracila have a wonderful time.”
“Brother-in-law, happy birthday!”
Adrian exclaimed boldly, his face flushed with excitement. His eyes sparkled as he looked up at Damian.
“Thank you. And thanks.”
A faint smile graced Damian’s lips as he ruffled Adrian’s round little head.
Though his real family, the VanderMeer Dukedom, was absent, the presence of Marquis Hugo’s family more than filled the void.
At an appropriate moment, Iris introduced the unfamiliar man beside her.
“This is Eric Roberts, the young lord. He’s attending as my partner today.”
“Pleased to meet you, sir. I’m Eric Roberts.”
“I’m Damian Vandemir.”
The two men shook hands. Damian was slightly surprised that, despite Eric’s delicate appearance, his hand was large and calloused, while Eric was quite taken aback by the tremendous grip strength befitting a sword master.
Golden eyes scrutinized Eric closely. If he was close enough to come as Iris’s partner, this man could soon become the second son-in-law of Marquis Hugo’s family.
‘He has a similar vibe to Lady Hugo.’
Just as Aracila and Damian matched in a vibrant, vivid style, these two shared a soft, gentle harmony.
“Actually, this is my first time meeting Lord Roberts today too. My sister is such a mystery when it comes to her relationships.”
“Oh, Ari. You’re the one who’s been busy. Are you trying to pin the blame on me?”
Iris playfully placed her hands on her hips and scolded her younger sister. For a moment, Damian glanced sidelong at Aracila as if gauging her reaction, but Eric jumped in with a laugh.
“I’m truly sorry that I’m only greeting the madam now. I should have met you earlier to rack up some points.”
“You’ve already scored quite a few with your first impression, so don’t worry.”
“Haha, is that so? Thanks to that, I’ll sleep soundly tonight.”
Damian found himself staring intently at Eric, who was chatting amiably with the sisters, without even realizing it.
Even though it was their first meeting today, he seemed quite comfortable exchanging words with Aracila, suggesting he was a very sociable person.
The way they clicked so well felt oddly irritating, and just as Damian was about to furrow his brow, the Marchioness spoke first.
“Oh, it really hits me that our daughter has grown up. The girl who used to fight with friends at parties and get chased out is now hosting her husband’s birthday party.”
“Mom, why bring that up all of a sudden?”
As intriguing stories from the past began to surface, Aracila quickly went on the defensive. But it failed when the Marquis joined in.
“Haha, our Ari didn’t just fight with friends. On her own birthday, she tried to make a grand entrance with magic and ended up falling right onto the cake, covered in cream.”
“Even you, Dad?”
“And for my birthday once, she cut off her own hair and gave it to me as a present. I’d accidentally cut the hair off her favorite doll and was feeling down about it. She said it was for the doll.”
Iris added her bit, and everyone burst into laughter, while Aracila’s expression turned sulky.
She scanned downward in search of a new scapegoat. Adrian was obliviously munching on a cookie.
“But at least I didn’t cry for three hours because I got scared by fireworks like our Adri did.”
“S-Sis! It wasn’t three hours, it was two!”
Adrian’s face turned bright red as his embarrassment was suddenly exposed. The adorable reaction drew waves of laughter.
“It’s normal for kids to do something silly on their birthdays at least once. I once played hide-and-seek with friends during a party and fell asleep alone in the attic, turning the whole house upside down.”
Eric naturally joined in by sharing his own story. Iris covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
“Oh my, really?”
“Yes, my parents thought I’d been kidnapped and even reported it to the authorities.”
“Goodness, they must have been so shocked.”
“I woke up after a good nap, and when I came out, everyone looked at me like they’d seen a ghost. I got in a lot of trouble that day.”
At the added detail of him kneeling and sobbing in punishment, everyone chuckled with amusement. Adrian burst into giggles too.
Only Damian stood there with an ambiguous smile on his face.
Somehow, Damian sensed an invisible wall standing between him and them, and he racked his brain, trying to recall if he had any amusing incidents like that from his own past.
Naturally, there were none.
The birthday parties for the son born to a legitimate wife whose position was precarious had always been filled with nothing but tension.
Young Damian had desperately strived to act mature, going to great lengths so that his mother wouldn’t be criticized because of him.
He had never once experienced a joyful birthday like those of the Hugo family or Eric.
It was a fact he already knew, yet for some reason, his mood sank. Perhaps it was because the people before him shone so brightly, without a single shadow.
“Dad cried once while singing for Mom’s birthday, didn’t he?”
“Hey, Ari? You’re not supposed to mention that.”
“Ned, why are you being so cowardly? You went and told all those stories about Aracila yourself.”
“But I didn’t mention how you cried while reading that letter to me on my eighteenth birthday.”
“You just did?”
“Oops, my mistake.”
As Aracila said that with a face that showed not the slightest hint of remorse, another wave of laughter erupted.
Gazing at the Hugo family, where cheerful smiles never ceased, and at Aracila who belonged within it, Damian felt a heaviness settling in his heart.
No matter how much he loved her, he could never become that kind of family for her. He was too full of unhealed scars for that.
Before he knew it, Damian’s subdued gaze turned toward Eric. He watched as this man, unlike himself, blended seamlessly into the harmonious family as if it were second nature.
‘The one truly suited for my wife… would be a man like him, not me.’
Even though his relationship with Iris hadn’t been that long, and today was his first encounter with Aracila, Eric had already integrated himself into the Hugo marquisate.
He possessed a brightness that only someone raised in a flawless household could exude.
If Eric were to truly build a family with Iris, comparisons would inevitably arise. After all, he would be able to give his wife a perfect home.
It might even become the catalyst for Aracila to realize that being with him was a tragedy.
‘Better to leave before that happens.’
That seemed like the right choice, after all. If he wanted to return a harmonious, flawless family to Aracila without any blemishes.
His mind accepted the fact, but his heart throbbed stubbornly on its own, dragging his mood down to the depths. Damian did his best to manage his expression so as not to let it show.
Fortunately, no one noticed that his complexion had turned subtly off.
“Damian, are you okay?”
Except for one person.
Damian flinched at the warmth that stealthily wrapped around his forearm. Aracila, who had keenly picked up on the change in his expression, continued in a soft whisper.
“If it’s because you’re uncomfortable, just hold on a little longer. I’ll send the family off soon.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m all right.”
“Come on, that’s a lie. You look way too drained for that.”
Aracila pressed her index finger firmly against Damian’s forearm, her face etched with concern.
As Damian stared at that face so fully focused on him, he impulsively asked,
“Am I part of your family?”
If she said yes, it felt like he could erase at least a bit of this sense of alienation.
Though bewildered by the out-of-place question, Aracila answered without hesitation.
“Of course you are. We’re husband and wife.”
“…That’s all I need.”
With that single response, the feeling of being cast out as an outsider melted away like snow. Damian grasped Aracila’s hand tightly.
She gave him a puzzled look but didn’t pull away from the contact as she might have before. Damian turned his gaze forward, his face now far more at ease.
At least for now, I belong to your family. Confirming that alone filled him with more than enough joy.
He couldn’t even think of desiring anything beyond that.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
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