The largest pink diamond I had ever seen was a four-carat one, given to my sister Leonie when she became the empress. The imperial newspaper had splashed headlines about the emperor’s lavish gift to his empress, equating the ring to the price of a small city.

But now, glittering before me was something far grander, around twelve carats, shimmering intensely. It was a teardrop-shaped pink diamond flanked by slightly smaller clear diamonds arranged almost like a crown.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

As I stared at the ring, dumbfounded, the man spoke hesitantly.

“They said making it any bigger would be too heavy, so I thought this size would be appropriate for everyday wear.”

“…How can anyone wear this casually!”

It’d be like painting a target on yourself for robbers!

The man nodded in agreement.

“Yes, of course, it’s not just about the ring. I’ve also transferred the ownership of a pink diamond mine to you, so you can match it with other jewelry pieces if you wish.”

…What?! How extravagant could a birthday gift get?

“It’s not a birthday gift. It’s just a gift.”

“Yes? Where does such extravagance even exist?”

As I lost my words, the man took the ring out of the case and held it out to me.

“Wouldn’t you give me your hand?”

It was clearly a proposal ring, but what was I supposed to do with it? As I hesitated, the man whispered soothingly.

“Just trying it on for size.”

Who fell for such absurd persuasion?

…Apparently, I do.

As if enchanted, I found myself extending my left hand. There I was, in my pajamas, holding jerky in one hand, right in front of a man who was slipping an enormous pink diamond ring onto my finger.

The ring fit perfectly as if he somehow knew exactly my size.

It objectively suited me, enhancing the strawberry hue of my hair that flowed down to my chest.

After confirming the fit, it was time to take it off, but the man quickly made me clench my fist, folding my fingers to keep the ring on. He covered my hand, which was curled into a fist, with his own and spoke.

“I struggled with what kind of birthday gift to give you, but there’s nothing in this world that matches your stature, Lady Bartholi. So, I think it’s best if you receive it for a lifetime.”

He nonchalantly used the word’ lifetime,’ suggesting that he intended to be a part of my entire second life. This man, who claimed to be infinitely serious and didn’t know with empty words, was looking at me with utmost sincerity.

“I will give you everything I have. All you need to do is accept me, Lady.”

“….”

In the end, the birthday gift is this man himself. Though disguised as a gift, it was, in fact, a proposal. He had cleverly phrased it to ensure that I couldn’t refuse. I couldn’t help but be charmed by this elaborate trick.

Playfully, I asked.

“Is there no return policy?”

“You’ve already opened it. No returns.”

“But it’s an unused product.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the man pulled my hand to his lips, kissing the palm. It seemed he was now quite bold after having kissed it once before.

“Since you’ve used it just now, no returns.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as well.

“What kind of product is so free-spirited?”

“That’s what makes it interesting to train, isn’t it?”

He then scooped up the white fox that had been watching us and cradled it in his arms.

Suddenly, I realized that his eyes were a bright gray, almost like a wolf’s. This man, who seemed like a wild beast that could never be tamed, fixed his gaze on me and said,

“Since you have a talent for taming, why not try to tame me, just like you did with Popo?”

“….”

“Please.”

My heart raced, and I felt a strange, deep emotion.

‘Is he really saying this?’

How did this man manage to act so remarkably brazen? He knew so little about me. What was certain was that this man had proposed to me with serious intentions, and I had to respond sincerely, even if he might change his mind later.

I cleared my throat.

“Let’s sort this out first.”

“Yes. What is it, Lady?”

As The man’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, I spoke with the same firmness I used with Popo.

“Nothing about national holidays.”

“…Yes?”

“The Lord said so. You mentioned making my birthday a national holiday. And also… peaches. There are many people who like peaches in this world. We shouldn’t let the seeds dry out. Moreover, ecosystems are more delicate than you might think. If even one species of plant or animal goes extinct, it can cause unpredictable consequences.”

The man was silent for a few seconds after I finished. Then, suddenly, he started laughing.

Heartily.

Uwack!

“Please don’t laugh so loudly!”

Since I hadn’t expected him to burst out laughing like this, I was a bit slow in covering his mouth with my hands. How suspicious would it be if someone heard this laughter coming from the locked-up lady’s bedroom?!

I nervously listened for any sounds from outside, trying to gauge if anyone had heard. In the meanwhile, the man quietly laughed to himself, then reached out and pulled me into a hug. I lost my balance while trying to keep his mouth covered and ended up falling onto him.

When the beef jerky fell from my hand, Popo, who had been watching us, quickly picked it up and placed it back on the coffee table.

Holding me tightly with both arms, Lord Glentino whispered.

“Then, I’ll cancel both plans. It’s a shame about the national holiday, but…”

“No!”

“Yes, I’ll give up on that. And as for the peaches, how about we just not supply them to the Bartholi family?”

“I’m fine with that.”

That was actually better. Now, my father wouldn’t be able to eat peaches.

The man still held me close. Considering that I’d just been proposed to, it would be awkward to tell him to let go! I waited to see when Lord Glentino would release me. But it seemed he had no intention of letting go.

He lifted me effortlessly and took determined strides, sitting down on my bed, and I naturally ended up sitting on his lap.

‘This is… a bit risky.’

He looked into my eyes and gently brushed my hair behind my ear. Then, he whispered as if sharing something very important.

“Arne misses you a lot.”

“Oh, Arne…”

In truth, I missed the adorable Arne as well.

“How about coming with me to the Duchy tomorrow? We could have a meal together, the three of us.”

The man spoke so gently that I almost agreed right then and there, but I was currently under house arrest.

“I can’t right now. I want to see Arne too, but… there are circumstances.”

“When can you come?”

“Please wait for five days.”

“Five days?”

To my ears, it sounded as if the man was saying, “Five whole days?” but what could I do?

“Some things just can’t be helped.”

Perhaps sensing my disappointment, the man fell silent. Still, I wanted to do something for Arne.

After some thought, I soon found a solution. As I tried to wriggle down from his lap, he wrapped his arms around my waist and asked.

“What are you trying to get?”

“I want to do some embroidery on a handkerchief. It should be in my vanity drawer.”

“You’re going to keep walking around even though your foot is injured?”

Why was he still talking about my foot? Anyway, the man carried me to the vanity while holding me close. When I wrapped my arms around his neck with the attitude of ‘do as you please,’ he let out a warm breath.

“It excites me that you came to me first.”

“What do you mean, ‘came to you’?”

“You didn’t push me away, did you? Right now, I’m ready to interpret even the smallest positive signal as an acceptance of my proposal.”

“Oh my.”

Even with my reaction, the man firmly held my hips with one arm and opened the vanity drawer with the other. Then, he paused.

I was sitting on the opposite side, so I couldn’t see what he was looking at.

“Is something wrong? Didn’t you find it?”

“No, I found it.”

The man soon returned with a nonchalant tone and placed me back on the bed. This time, he set me up comfortably against the headboard.

I got out my embroidery hoop and chose some threads with practiced ease.

“Please wait a moment, Lord. I’m pretty quick with my hands.”

“May I watch?”

Though it might be boring, after some thought, I nodded.

Lord Glentino settled in right beside me.

__