Father, I Won’t Do Anything

“I’ve never seen so much food before!”

“It’s incredible! How many cakes are there alone?”

The ladies marveled before even tasting the food.

The spacious dining hall was filled to the brim with dishes.

At a glance, there seemed to be hundreds of different dishes prepared.

“Even birthday parties held at the imperial palace wouldn’t be on this scale.”

There were at least five birthday cakes to start.

Moreover, each layer of the cakes had a different flavor.

“Wait, wasn’t it just one chocolate cake? Each layer tastes different?”

The ladies decided to count the varieties of chocolate cakes in the birthday party venue.

A cute cake with a thick chocolate coating and a little doll figurine on top.

A forenoir cake generously topped with chocolate-dipped cherries, rare for this season.

A smooth chocolate cake made from richly melted dark chocolate.

A chocolate vanilla cake that alternated between layers of cocoa powder-infused genoese and regular genoese.

“Woaah…”

“Does Jaina eat things like this every day here?”

Including the crisp eclairs filled with chocolate ganache, chocolate tarts with a tart shell filled with chocolate, and chocolate fondue for dipping foods, the sheer variety of chocolate desserts alone was staggering.

“Jaina, is chocolate your favorite out of all these?”

Jaina tilted her head with a perplexed expression.

“No, not really. I do like it, but… it’s not my absolute favorite.”

And yet, to have prepared so much of it… It was an incredible display of care.

Apart from those, there were various salads and soups to whet the appetite.

Strangely, the veal steaks of different cuts, lobster baked in butter, grilled bluefin tuna belly, roasted turkey, roast chicken, truffle lasagna and ravioli, escargots, and more all seemed piping hot as if freshly made.

“How are all these hundreds of dishes still so warm?”

“It’s the preservation magic in the dining hall. The magicians of the Magic Tower swarmed to design it.”

After attempting to count the dishes but eventually giving up when they couldn’t see the end, the ladies decided to cut into the cakes instead.

“…Which cake should we cut first?”

“…Where do we stick the candles?”

With so many cakes, such issues arose.

In the end, they agreed to have Jaina use wind magic to light candles atop each cake.

Watching the flickering candle flames float up, Marilyn said with a regretful look,

“For the celebrant to stick the candles herself.”

However, with the multi-layered cakes reaching such towering heights, there was no one else who could reach to place the candles.

“Jaina, your abilities are your own downfall.”

“So what have you all been doing instead of learning magic?”

When the candles were lit, the ladies turned sparkling eyes towards Jaina.

After quietly watching them, Jaina closed her eyes and silently made a wish.

* * *

It was only natural to feel sleepy after eating their fill. The ladies, who had been nodding off like sickly chicks, decided to play a game to wake themselves up.

“Let’s play that game Jaina taught us last time.”

Jaina had previously introduced her friends to the ‘Mafia Game’ played on Earth.

“Jaina sometimes shares unique games with us.”

The games Jaina had spread among her friends included not just the Mafia Game, but also cat’s cradle, and various breathing games.

Of course, there was a process of modifying ‘mafia’ to ‘thieves’ and ‘police’ to ‘knights’, but nonetheless.

“Ahem, ahem, let’s begin then.”

One of the friends took on the role of host. Everyone closed their eyes and lay facedown, waiting for the host to assign the thieves, knights, doctor, and civilians.

When everyone opened their eyes, they suspiciously looked around. It was amidst this that:

“I’m suspicious of Jaina!”

Marilyn abruptly stood up and pointed her finger at Jaina.

“Oh, come to think of it, I feel that way too!”

“She does seem a bit tense, doesn’t she?”

Faced with the sudden barrage of suspicion, Jaina protested.

“I didn’t do anything, why are you calling me the thief? And my expression is always like this.”

But Marilyn remained confident until the end.

“It’s hard to explain, but the vibe is different. I’ve seen you so many times!”

Though singled out, Jaina wasn’t too worried.

Marilyn’s claims like ‘a feeling’ or ‘a vibe’ lacked any real basis.

But then.

“An innocent civilian died last night.”

With the host’s words, Jaina was declared dead, and surprised voices rang out.

“Jaina wasn’t the thief?”

“Huh? Really?”

Jaina made an indignant expression and met her friends’ eyes one by one. They averted their gazes sheepishly.

When it was Marilyn’s turn, instead of feeling apologetic, she simply said:

“I kept staring at you, so you’re the only one who came to mind.”

The friends beside her chimed in.

“Yeah, we ended up picking you because we love you so much.”

“Everyone was flustered by the Magic Tower setting, but you were so composed. Our eyes just kept going to you…”

Thus, this round of the Mafia Game ended in the civilians’ defeat.

One of the ladies who hadn’t said a word during the entire game belatedly scratched her head and spoke.

“I didn’t do anything, but I won…”

She had been the mafia all along.

As the winner, she took the dessert plate in the center as her prize.

“Surely there can’t be anyone who only loses every single Mafia Game, right?”

And yet, that ‘surely’ became reality.

Remarkably, Jaina suffered defeat in every round of the Mafia Game.

“Well, last time Jaina won all the rounds by remaining expressionless.”

“We just did whatever Jaina did with her composed demeanor, and we all ended up losing.”

“We just ended up targeting Jaina from the start…”

While everyone held delicious treats like cakes, tiramisu, scones, cookies, and brownies, Jaina was the only one empty-handed.

The friends exchanged glances before taking turns feeding Jaina bites from their own plates.

“We can’t let Jaina go hungry! Jaina, say ahh!”

“Ahh~!”

Jaina obediently received the spoons coming at her from all directions.

And the very Jaina who had been protesting it too much just moments ago immediately turned docile.

Watching this scene, the ladies let out admiring gasps as they saw Jaina’s face covered in whipped cream.

One of the nearby ladies hugged Jaina.

“I can’t bear to see our Jaina getting married!”

“Me too!”

The ladies still remembered Jaina’s first appearance with her round, snow-white cheeks.

Now her jawline had sharpened considerably, her nose more prominent, carrying hints of a refined lady’s grace, yet Jaina still monopolized her friends’ adoration for her cuteness.

“Ah, our adorable Jaina. Mwah mwah.”

Perhaps feeling guilty for accusing Jaina as the mafia, Marilyn also hugged and nuzzled against her.

“…How absurd.”

“We have Jaina.”

“Jaina, I love you!”

Though bewildered, Jaina remained still, warmed by the affection enveloping her from her friends.

Seeing this, everyone cooed over how cute she was.

* * *

As the sun set, the young ladies changed into their pajamas and gathered, chatting away cozily.

“I want more of that cake we had earlier.”

“I ate too much chocolate, I don’t think I can sleep now.”

Chit-chat.

Whenever someone seemed about to wrap things up, another would pick up the conversation, ensuring it flowed seamlessly without pause.

“So, have you decided which atelier will make your debutante dresses?”

And when it came to their current primary interest, they all wore serious expressions.

“I’ll be going to the Vellia atelier. It’s the most famous, after all.”

“I heard it’s hard to get an appointment there, how did you manage it?”

“Ah, the Sorphina atelier is also good if Vellia is difficult to book.”

And from debutante dresses, the conversation gradually shifted to talking about their futures.

“After my debutante, I think I’d like to get married to my fiance in a few years.”

“I feel the same way.”

“I haven’t decided on a partner yet, so marriage still feels far away for me.”

“I thought things were going well with Lord Randolph?”

“But he seems a bit flighty.”

“Yeah, Lord Bernadette might be a better fit?”

“Write him a letter right now!”

One of the friends hesitantly began writing a letter.

The other friends, bored from waiting, also decided to write letters to their partners.

‘Partners…’

Jaina herself didn’t have a decided partner yet.

Seeming to sense Jaina’s hesitation, one of the friends smiled slyly and said:

“For those without fiances, how about writing to someone you like instead?”

Like Jaina, Marilyn, who also didn’t have a fiance, seemed inclined to write something on her letter.

But Jaina couldn’t bring herself to pick up a pen. She didn’t even have a crush, let alone someone she truly liked.

Watching the dazed Jaina, the friend who spoke looked at her with an odd gaze and said:

“Come to think of it, when we first met, Prince Rosian was the one who brought you along, wasn’t he? Right?”

“That’s right. He’s at the academy now, so he can’t attend the debutante.”

“Jaina, you’ve been keeping in touch with His Highness, haven’t you?”

“I have.”

“Aah, our handsome Prince Rosian doesn’t even return during breaks…”

It seemed Rosian had firmly resolved himself, not visiting even his mother Princess Elia.

‘He really is working hard, just like he said.’

Jaina thought of Rosian. There were times when she missed him.

Like when messenger birds flew around the Magic Tower.

Or when a dish Rosian had enjoyed was served in the dining hall.

‘I don’t really have anyone specific to write to…’

As Jaina picked up a pen, her friends exchanged knowing glances and smiles.

How much time had passed?

Fwooomph!

“Oh, goodness, that startled me!”

“What was that sound just now?”

The friends looked at each other in bewilderment as a loud noise came from outside.

But the loud noise didn’t end with just that.

Fwooomph!

“What is it, what is it?”

“Did someone cast magic outside or something?”

The words struck fear into the young ladies’ faces.

Upon hearing them, Jaina bravely rose from her seat.

“Jaina, don’t go!”

Marilyn tried to stop her, but Jaina paid no heed, her face impassive as she approached the terrace.

“…Wow.”

Fwooomph!

Fwoosh!

Jaina stood dazedly holding onto the terrace railing, watching the fireworks blooming across the night sky.

“Jaina, are you okay?”

“What’s going on?”

Jaina turned back and smiled faintly.

“Fireworks.”

Gazing at the fireworks, Jaina recalled attending a classmate’s birthday party in her previous life.