Niklaus was not someone who ate sweet food, nor did he care about the type of food at all. He ate only out of necessity.
But he didn't say anything. There was no reason to refuse. He just ate the cake quietly, without showing any displeasure or dissatisfaction.
But what surprised him more was that he ate it not because he wanted to, but because he thought not eating it would be rude.
He never cared what others thought of him. He never cared if he was rude to them. But this time, it was different.
Perhaps it was because of his respect for Maria. Or Ethan's attempts to do something that had never happened to him before. Or perhaps it was because of Adele's looks—those eyes full of excitement, as if she wanted to share this moment with him.
He quickly pushed all these thoughts out of his head. He didn't want to think about or analyze them now.
He ate the cake in silence. While everyone around him celebrated something he didn't care much about… but he didn't mind either.
When he returned from his memories, he looked at the cake in front of him, then realized something else—in the imperial palace, no one had ever celebrated Niklaus's birthday.
That wasn't entirely strange. His birthday was the same day the Empress died.
Everyone remembered that day. But not because it was his birthday—because it was the day the Emperor lost his wife. The day the palace's view of him changed forever.
Even Prince Adrian only recalled this day as a memory of sorrow. He saw no reason to celebrate it.
And that never mattered to Arthur.
After Niklaus had taken two spoonfuls of cake, he waited for Ethan to finish his plate. Then he stood up. It was time to leave.
He turned his back to leave.
But Ethan, who wasn't ready to let him leave like that, grabbed his coat and yanked him back with a sudden movement that annoyed him.
"You can't leave like this!"
Niklaus said in a calm but slightly annoyed tone: "There's no reason to stay longer."
But Ethan wasn't listening. He led him directly toward Maria, who was standing at the table, waiting without saying a word.
Adele, invisible to Ethan, stood beside Maria in silence.
When Niklaus looked at Maria, he didn't expect anything. But when she spoke in a quiet voice carrying a hint of warmth, it sounded like an admission of something he didn't want to think about:
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"
He looked at her for a moment. He was about to say something but couldn't find the right words. But he didn't need to do anything. Maria hugged Ethan first—Ethan, who smiled in clear triumph.
Then she stopped in front of Niklaus. She hesitated for a moment, then hugged him quietly. The hug wasn't exaggerated or overly emotional, but it contained something he didn't fully understand.
He didn't say anything. He didn't pull back, but he didn't move either. It was surprising in a way he didn't know how to handle as usual.
She looked at him lightly, then said in a low but clear voice: "Take care of Ethan. And of yourself."
He didn't say anything. He stepped back, turned, and walked out of the inn.
Ethan smiled quietly at Maria and said: "Goodbye. I hope we meet again."
Maria returned the smile and said nothing. She just looked quietly at Adele. Adele, whose eyes had previously sparkled, was now very still—frozen in place.
Ethan hurried after Niklaus, who was walking ahead coldly, feeling an annoyance whose source he didn't know.
Ethan called from behind: "Wait for me!"
But Niklaus kept moving farther away.
He stopped for a second. He felt something strange—as if someone was watching him. But he resumed walking, uninterested.
Five minutes passed as they walked. They still hadn't gone far from the inn.
Suddenly, the sound of an explosion tore through the morning silence.
Niklaus and Ethan stopped in their tracks.
The sound came from the direction of the village—from the inn.
Ethan muttered, his eyes wide: "What was that?!"
Niklaus stood still, as usual not caring about what happened. He was about to continue on his way, but his feet moved on their own. He suddenly turned and started running toward the inn without thinking about why.
Ethan immediately ran after him, worry covering his face as he watched Niklaus's back quickly receding.