How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 335

‘He wants to make sure I can gather plenty of maple and ginkgo leaves.’

 

But they would be staying here a few more days, so there was no need to hurry. Noah shook his head, insisting he was really fine.

 

“That’s because I’m hungry. I want to go back and eat soon.”

 

“Oh, really?”

 

Oliver, as if he hadn’t thought about that, briefly glanced at the mansion and then nodded.

 

“Yes. This should be enough… Come, let’s go back.”

 

Noah carefully arranged the collected ginkgo leaves, maple leaves, and cut flowers between the pages, and walked back to the mansion, holding Oliver’s hand.

 

It felt good to hear the crunching sound of fallen leaves underfoot.

 

Swinging his shoulders in rhythm with each step, Noah walked along cheerfully when Oliver spoke.

 

“By the way, what fruit does Noah like best?”

 

“Fruit? Hmm… I like all of them. I’m not picky.”

 

“If you had to choose just one? I’m thinking of planting a fruit tree in the mansion garden, and I’m trying to decide which one.”

 

“What fruit do you like best, Uncle?”

 

“Grapes. But there are plenty of grapes on our territory.”

 

“Ah…”

 

It was only natural for a lord to favor the specialty of his own lands.

 

Noah hummed thoughtfully in Oliver’s place before answering.

 

“How about a lemon tree?”

 

“lemon?”

 

Oliver laughed a little at Noah’s answer.

 

“I told you to pick your favorite fruit. Why are you choosing something Nell likes?”

 

“Oh, not Mother.”

 

Noah covered his mouth with his hand again and spoke in a secretive voice.

 

“Mother only started liking lemon pie after Titi came along. So it’s not Mother who likes lemons—it’s Titi.”

 

“I see. I hadn’t thought of that.”

 

Oliver stroked Noah’s hair over his hat.

 

“Then we’ll have to plant a lemon tree—and one more tree—for my second nephew or niece who’ll be born next year.”

 

Prompted once more to name his own favorite fruit, Noah took a little longer to think this time before answering.

 

“Then… chestnuts. Yesterday we all cracked open chestnut burrs together, and it was so much fun.”

 

“Not cracking them—what about eating them? Do you like that too?”

 

“Yes. The chestnuts were delicious.”

 

“That’s fortunate.”

 

Noah would only understand why Oliver said that once they returned to the mansion and stepped into the dining hall.

 

* * *

 

Although the sky was perfectly clear without a single cloud, the dining hall was as dark as deep night.

 

Noah, who entered the dining hall before Oliver, blinked in surprise.

 

“Uncle, that’s strange. The dining hall is so dark—”

 

—pop!

 

Noah was startled by the sound of a firecracker exploding and turned to where the sound came from.

 

From there, in the darkness that Noah thought was like the night sky, a halo of light like the Milky Way began to twinkle.

 

Beneath the shimmering glow, six candles burned with a reddish light—stuck into an enormous cake so large that Leonhard had to hold it up with both hands.

 

“uh….”

 

“Happy birthday.”

 

At Oliver’s low voice and the gentle push at his back, Noah stepped further inside.

 

The moment he did, the many people gathered in the dining hall shouted in unison:

 

“Happy birthday, young master!”

 

“Happy birthday!”

 

Amidst the sound of bursting firecrackers and thunderous applause, Leonhard and Raenel, holding cakes, approached Noah together.

 

“Happy birthday, Noah.”

 

As Raenel bent down and kissed the child’s cheek, she took off Noah’s hat.

 

Rake—who had been perched on her shoulder—fluttered over and placed the flower crown she’d been holding in her beak onto Noah’s head.

 

The crown slipped slightly, covering his right eye.

 

Even as he adjusted it reflexively, Noah blinked blankly, still trying to process what was happening.

 

“Today is… my birthday?”

 

“You didn’t know? Somehow, I thought that might be the case

 

“Let’s light the candles first.”

 

“Don’t forget to make a wish before you blow out the candles.”

 

“A wish?”

 

At Noah’s questioning look, Raenel winked.

 

“That’s what you do before blowing out birthday candles.”

 

“For your information, the candles on the cake are magical tools I made myself!” Marilyn declared proudly.

 

“They won’t burn down or drip wax, so you can make a very long wish!”

 

Leona tilted her head next to Marilyn, who was speaking with pride.

 

“But I think the cake cream will melt because of the heat?”

 

“What?! Young Master! Make a wish quickly!”

 

Catherine, who was just waiting for the cake cutting, exclaimed in surprise.

 

The cake, piled high like a mountain with chestnut cream, looked as though it would lose its shape quickly if the cream started to melt.

 

Before that happened, Noah quickly clasped his hands together.

 

“I wish Titi would come to me in my dreams too.…”

 

It was a very simple wish for a birthday, but that’s why it was cute.

 

Unaware that more than half of the watching adults were smiling warmly, Noah blew out the candles in one breath.

 

“Wow, you did it all at once? Everyone applaud!”

 

As loud clapping filled the room, the dark dining hall brightened.

 

A long table, set to seat dozens of people, was filled with all sorts of delicious food.

 

“After the meal, there will be a gift presentation ceremony, so eat plenty. You’ll need quite a bit of stamina.”

 

“A gift presentation ceremony?”

 

“Look over there.”

 

In one corner of the dining hall, where Raenel pointed, dozens of boxes—big and small—were stacked high.

 

“Those are… all for me?”

 

“Of course. And for the record, father’s and mother’s gifts are separate.”

 

“The flower crown you’re wearing is Rake’s gift.”

 

At Leonhard’s whispered words, Noah picked up the crown on his head and examined it closely.

 

Sure enough, it was a cosmos flower crown just like the one Rake had picked the night before.

 

Placing it back on his head, Noah gently stroked Rake’s head with his index finger as the little dragon flew down to perch on his shoulder.

 

“Thank you for the pretty crown, Rake.”

 

“Peep!”

 

Since the manor’s servants were gathered as well, Rake only chirped like a bird.

 

Noah unconsciously looked at Oliver.

 

Oliver, who was laughing while watching Rake imitate a bird quite well, winked at Noah, whose eyes met his.

 

“My gift is the fruit tree I mentioned earlier. From now on, every year on your birthday, I’ll send you chestnuts and lemons from the tree named after you and Titi.”

 

“Ah…!”

 

‘So that’s why you asked what my favorite fruit was.’

 

A bright smile spread across Noah’s face as he finally came to that realization.

 

“If I come here again for my birthday next year, can I harvest it myself?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Well now, it’s wonderful that uncle and nephew get along so well, but shall we move on to cutting the cake? There are quite a few people who’ve been waiting for this moment.”

 

Rake cried out loud, as if she were one of them.

 

“We made a lot of cake so everyone can eat as much as they want, so you can cut it into big pieces.”

 

“For your information, Mother and Father woke up at dawn and made this together.”

 

Leonhard spoke in a slightly embarrassed tone.

 

“Actually, all I did was peel the chestnuts…”

 

“You peeled almost an entire sack. That’s the hardest part, so you should be proud,”

 

Raenel said with a giggle as she placed a child-safe bread knife into Noah’s hand.

 

“Okay, Noah. Let’s cut the cake.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Noah worked hard to cut the cake to fit the number of people.

 

But it wasn’t difficult at all. Everyone who received a piece of cake wished him a happy birthday with a big smile on their face.

 

* * *

 

After a noisy and bustling breakfast, the gift-giving ceremony finally began.

 

Once all the leftover dishes and tableware had been cleared away, dozens of gift boxes were placed atop a table freshly covered with a pristine white tablecloth.

 

“Okay, everyone. The identity of the gift giver will be kept secret so that Noah can express his honest feelings.”

 

“I have a question! If that’s the intention, shouldn’t the two of you mix your gifts in with the others as well?”

 

Robert’s bold remark drew audible applause from all sides.

 

But I didn’t even blink.

 

“There’s no point in anonymity when it comes to my husband’s and my gifts. You’d be able to tell who they’re from the moment you saw them.”

 

“What kind of gift is it?”

 

“Now that we’re on the subject, would you like to receive your mom’s gift first?”

 

“Yes, Mother.”

 

Although he was trying to hide his true feelings, I could see the anticipation in Noah’s eyes as he looked at me.

 

I was confident I wouldn’t disappoint that expectation.

 

Thanks to that, I was able to confidently hand Noah a gift, neatly wrapped in colored paper.

 

“Go on, Noah. Open it.”

 

As expected, Noah’s eyes widened as he carefully opened the packaging and checked the contents.

 

“This is… could it be Titi?”

 

“Correct! You said you were curious what Titi looks like in Mother’s dreams, didn’t you?”

 

If I were to make a slight adjustment, it would be as if I had granted Noah’s wish to dream of Titi.

 

“Wow…! She’s so cute. Even more than I imagined.”

 

“My little sister…” Noah murmured, hugging the small framed portrait as though he were embracing his real little sister.

 

* * *