Six hours have passed since Althea, and I had our little ‘role-play’ activities. While fun initially, I did have to return to chef mode if we were to make it in time for the dinner party. Being the gentle soul that she was, Althea had offered to help me like she always did. However, it just didn’t feel right if I allowed the birthday girl to work.

 

So, I relegated her into the living room where the augmented reality dressing simulator was and kept my head down in the kitchen. There were an array of dishes that I had planned, and each one required my undivided attention. Therefore, before I knew it, the afternoon was coming to an end, and the evening sky quickly rose to the heavens.

 

“Phew, I’m almost done...”

 

I breathed a sigh of relief while wiping off the sweat on my forehead. I had long changed from the butler uniform into something more comfortable, but due to my close proximity to the oven and the stove, my body had been drenched in sweat.

 

Urgh, looks like I have to change for the second time today…

 

I wouldn’t mind looking sloppy even if the Queen was coming if it were any other day. However, this was Althea’s special day. Given her character, the girl would likely take a thousand and one photos just for the memories. In fact, she’d already snapped a few while I was dressed in tails.

 

There was no way that I would ruin Althea’s big day just because I was too lazy to change.

 

Speaking of the young lass…

 

“Althea, how do you like it?”

 

“Ah, Desir… You’re done cooking?”

 

It took me quite a while to convince Althea to rest while I worked my ass off in the kitchen. Luckily, I had the augmented reality system installed long before, giving the girl ample reason to be distracted.

 

“Yeah, all that’s left is the cake. It’ll take a while to set up, so I’m leaving it for later.”

 

“Ah, okay...” Althea pouted her lips, curious to see what I’ve prepared for her unforgettable day. Alas, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she found out that easily, right?

 

“So, what do you think about the system?”

 

“... It’s really nice.”

 

“But?”

 

“Hah… Are you a mind reader, Desir?”

 

Althea perked her ears up and quickly rested her tensed body after I called her out. Haha, if you’re going to have that lacklustre tone, anyone could tell that you had some misgivings over the system.

 

“The design is flawless, and it really changes at the click of a button, but...” Althea turned towards the system and frowned in discomfort. “The selection is really limited… I’ve already tried on all of the clothes during these few hours.”

 

“... All of them?”

 

What the hell? I know that the selection was still premature as companies have yet to load their catalogues into the system but still… There were at least three hundred sets of clothing pre-loaded into the system. I could understand if she finished trying them all in three to four days but to finish it in less than a day… Heck, the afternoon wasn’t even over yet!

 

“Yeah,” unaware of my mental distress, Althea continued to pout. “I’ve even repeated some dresses out of boredom.”

 

“I see...”

 

My girlfriend is a shopping leviathan. If I didn’t buy this system for her… Would she have spent millions of dollars picking the best outfit?

 

Just thinking about it brought a chill down my spine.

 

“A-Anyway, if you’re done with the augmented reality system, could you call Grace and Sienna? Just check if they’re on their way.”

 

“Ah, they messaged me a few minutes ago,” Althea responded lightly. “Grace is on the way. Sienna and Len might be a little late. It seems like their prior arrangement was dragged on.”

 

“Prior arrangement? On a day like this?” I frowned in annoyance. It was Althea’s birthday, and those two actually had the gall to run late?

 

“Haha, it’s no big deal. Sienna said that they would be at most fifteen minutes late.”

 

“Hah… Seriously, what were they thinking?”

 

Due to the pandemic, the government had restricted gatherings to have no more than five people. Given the news, I could only invite three people to Althea’s birthday party. Initially, I asked Althea if she wanted to invite three of her closest friends over, but the girl very quickly denied that thought.

 

Althea said it was best to only invite Grace while Sienna and Len filled the last two spots.

 

“Hey, Althea… Is it really fine?”

 

“Huh? What’s fine?”

 

“Our choice of guests,” I said as a matter of fact. “I know that you don’t want me to be uncomfortable, so you’ve invited Sienna and Len, but it’s your birthday. We could have invited two more of your closest friends.”

 

“Ah, that...” Althea shook her head. “I’m really alright with it! I’m not really close to my friends. Of course, Grace is an exception!” The girl bitterly chuckled. “While I like their company, I wouldn’t classify the girls that I hang out with in university as my closest friends. Besides, I can only invite three of them out of the group with the five people restriction. I don’t want any of them to feel left out.”

 

“Haha, to avoid isolating one of them, you left out all of them?”

 

“J-Just this time! I-I mean, I can’t help it, right? There’s a restriction on the number of visitors a household can have.”

 

“Gotcha...”

 

Turns out Len and Sienna’s existence was beneficial for the young girl. Well, I could understand her pain. There were many times where I didn’t want to invite someone, but if I didn’t, it would be socially impolite.

 

“B-Besides, I’m not just doing it for your sake! I really like Sienna… and Len as well. If I didn’t invite them after they’d planned our summer vacation, it would feel kind of ungrateful, wouldn’t it?”

 

“Haha, I get it. I get it.”

 

I honestly didn’t really care who she invited or not. As long as Althea was happy, I would be satisfied. But within her words, I sensed that she didn’t have a good impression of Len. Hmmm, did that asshole do anything to her while I wasn’t looking? Maybe I should just kick him out of the party and let him eat with the rats?

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“... How cute you are.”

 

“D-Desir?!” Althea snapped back, face flushed and ears red by my upfront confession. “Goodness, you better not tease me in front of Grace! I don’t want her to think that I’m a fool that keeps falling for your tricks!”

 

“Isn’t it too late for that?”

 

Even now, Althea was misled by my false words.

 

Still, I wasn’t one to humiliate my girlfriend when she’s already agitated. Swallowing my desire to tease her even further, I moved back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the dishes for the party.

❖❖❖

A little over two hours later, all of our guests had arrived in the apartment. As expected, Grace came earlier than everyone else while Len and Sienna barely managed to reach on time. With everyone arriving, I wasted no time and prepared the dishes on the dining room table.

 

“Hey, Desir… Isn’t this a little overboard?”

 

“What do you mean, overboard?”

 

“I mean...” Len was unable to speak as he pointed at the numerous plates on the table. “Can the five of us really finish all of that?”

 

“... You have a point.”

 

When I first took on the endeavour to prepare the best birthday meal that Althea ever had, I didn’t consider the number of mouths I had to feed. All I cared about was cooking the dishes that Althea loved. And the results were as follows:

 

“Salisbury steak… Seared tuna fish… Smoked salmon salad… Pesto pasta… Grilled pork tenderloins… Vietnamese spring rolls… Rotisserie chicken… Did you think that you were feeding an entire village?”

 

“... You told me to cook all of Althea’s favourite foods.”

 

“Even so! Restraint has to be exercised, right?! How are we going to finish all of this? There’s even cake later!”

 

“I’m counting on your bottomless pit of a stomach.”

 

“What the hell?! Do you think that I’m your dedicated trash can?!”

 

Len’s rant aside… I did prepare a little too much. I looked at Althea, who was busy bonding with the other two girls that arrived for her birthday. Naturally, she was able to see the amount of food on the table, and a bitter smile crept up her face. Not knowing if she should display an expression of happiness or confusion, Althea walked over to me.

 

“Desir… Now I know how much you usually hold back when it comes to cooking.” The girl apathetically said.

 

“No, you’re mistaken.” I shook my head in reply. “I only do this much when it comes to festive occasions. The amount that I usually cook is what I consider normal.”

 

“I-I see...”

 

“Don’t worry, if we can’t finish the food, we can have them as leftovers tomorrow.”

 

“Sounds good!”

 

Either way, it was a win-win scenario for Althea. Over the months that I’d cooked for the girl, I had carefully experimented on her taste buds, slowly determining the best recipes to satisfy my girlfriend. Thus, everything that was on the table were food that Althea loved.

 

“Should we begin our meal?”

 

“Hold on!” Sienna, who had been earnestly testing out the augmented reality system that I’ve prepared, interfered with my call out and added: “I think that we should let Althea open up the gifts first!”

 

“Why? We have plenty of time-...”

 

Before I could finish my question, Sienna dragged me to a corner and whispered into my ears: “What about your other present? If Althea eats and gets bloated, how is she going to try it on?”

 

“Ah, makes sense...”

 

Thinking about the second gift I’d gotten for Althea with Sienna’s help, I immediately changed the conversation: “Guys, let’s let Althea open up the gifts first. The food won’t turn cold that quickly.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Len was the first person to raise his hands. Slipping into his bag, the man pulled out a small box wrapped in white gift paper.

 

“Let me go first,” Len said enthusiastically. “I heard from Sienna that you love sweets, so I got some special Belgium chocolates. It took me some time to find them, but I can guarantee its taste!”

 

“Ah, is this Belvas?”

 

“Oh? Someone has a refined taste!”

 

Not expecting Althea to recognise the chocolate box after one look, Len shot my girlfriend a gasp of surprise. Hah, you’ve severely underestimated Althea, my friend. Although she lives like this now, Althea was a bona fide member of the upper class during her childhood days. It was natural for her to recognise a luxury good or two.

 

“It’s my turn, then!”

 

Soon after Len finished, Sienna popped up with another wrapped gift. This time, Althea’s eyes shone brighter as she eagerly palmed over the gifting paper and gently tore it apart.

 

“As you’ve requested, I got a blouse from Edora’s upcoming fall catalogue. It’s not a limited edition or anything, but it’s not yet out on the market.”

 

“Thanks, Sienna!!!”

 

Sienna worked in one of Althea’s favourite designer apparel companies. It was easy for her to snag one or two clothes from the factory. In fact, I’ve heard that most of Sienna’s clothes were taken in this manner as her company had a particular eye for perfection. Embroidery in the wrong spot, loose stitching, a superficial dye blemish… Just one of these minute imperfections were enough for the manufacturers to burn the clothes.

 

Fortunately, before they wasted all of that good material, they would sell it at a discount to employees or donate it to charity.

 

“Is it just me, or is Althea way happier to receive Sienna’s gift rather than mine?” Len leaned in and asked with an annoyed tone.

 

“It can’t be helped,” I laughed. “Wearing pretty clothes is Althea’s one weak spot. Even if you gave her a thousand crates of chocolates, she would pick Sienna’s gift any day of the week.”

 

“Hoho seems like you know your girlfriend quite a bit.”

 

“Of course!”

 

“Huehuehue, I’m looking forward to what else you’ve got her then.”

 

This scheming rat… As Sienna’s boyfriend, he must have had a clue about the gift I bought for Althea.

 

“Haha, it’s my turn then!” Grace stepped forward and was ready to present her gift. “Althea, remember when you said you needed a new wallet?”

 

“That was over a year ago. Wait, don’t tell me...”

 

“Hehe, that’s right!” Grace beamed ever so brightly. “Tada! It’s a new purse!”

 

Grace handed over a beige clutch wallet with an elegant yet simple design. Seeing the gift, Althea’s eyes sparkled like the bright stars in the night sky.

 

“T-This! This is the design I wanted! How did you know?!”

 

“I’m not your best friend for nothing!” Grace puffed out her chest like a proud mother. “Happy birthday, Althea!”

 

“Hahaha, thank you, Grace!”

 

Happiness flowed out from Althea’s tiny face as she hugged onto the purse and blouse. Meanwhile, Len wore a sour look when the chocolates he bought had been overlooked, drawing a simple smile to my stern face.

 

… Now it’s my turn.

 

“Althea, here’s my present.”

 

“Hmmm? Didn’t you get the system for me?”

 

“I got you another gift as well.”

 

I answered the puzzled girl with a smile of my own. I didn’t wrap my gift in any wrapping paper as it would be a colossal waste. And so, Althea could quickly unfurl the present for all to see.

 

“T-This is...”

 

“A purple maxi dress from Edora’s fall catalogue,” I answered succinctly. “Unlike Sienna’s gift, this one is a limited edition version.”

 

“Show-off,” Sienna teasingly sneered at me, to which I responded with a smile.

 

“Of course, Sienna was able to help me score a discount, so you’ll have to thank her as well.”

 

“Haha, don’t listen to his crap, Althea. I may have helped him with the payment, but that’s all that I did. He chose the dress and even customised it with silver flowers. It’s probably the only one of its kind in our catalogue.”

 

“...”

 

Althea didn’t answer. All she did was stare at the dress silently like a frozen statue.

 

“W-Well, do you like it?” I nervously asked.

 

“... Can I try it on?”

 

“Of course! In fact, I need you to test if it fits. Otherwise, I’ll have to send it back for readjustments.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Althea nodded before disappearing into my room with her gift in hand. Hey, if you’re going to change, why don’t you go to the bathroom or your own apartment? Why do you need to change in my room?

 

The other three, seeing the girl’s peculiar reaction, all shot mocking smiles down my neck. Grace was more restrained, not daring to openly tease me about Althea’s comfort in my apartment, but the same couldn’t be said about my other friends.

Fortunately, before they could tease me into a hole, Althea emerged from my room in less than five minutes. And as anticipated…

 

An angel had stepped foot into the land of man.

 

Donned in rich purple, Althea’s snowy white skin glowed with an impeccable, ochreous hue. Her hourglass figure was highlighted by the silver patterns that encircled her waist. With the dress reaching below her knees, not much could be seen of her wondrous legs, but it didn’t take away from Althea’s overreaching charm. In fact, it added a layer of elegance to her already noble stature.

 

“Wow...”

 

Grace sucked in her breath, spellbound by the sight that belayed her eyes. The same could be said about Len and Sienna. Being used to Sienna’s overwhelming sexual appeal, Len didn’t have the same look of lust that every man seemed to have when they saw Althea for the first time. However, his eyes were locked in on Althea’s body, as if there was a gravitational pull forcing him to. Sienna was the same. She was turned to stone as she saw the purple dress that she helped make magically turn into a priceless treasure before her eyes.

 

As for me…

 

“H-How do I look?”

 

“... Beautiful,” I replied with complete honesty. “You’re the most beautiful angel in the world.”

 

“D-Desir...” To hide her embarrassment, Althea hid her face in my chest and gently beat my sides. “W-Why do you have to be like that?”

 

“What do you mean? Did you want me to lie?”

 

“N-No, but...”

 

“Then there’s no problem,” I added. “I truly believe that you’re the most beautiful girl in the entire world.”

 

“... I give up.”

 

Hearing my genuine thoughts for the second time, Althea felt herself melting into my body. She no longer cared that there were others in the room. No, it was more like they didn’t exist in her consciousness anymore. All that remained was my touch against hers.

 

Alas, the world wasn’t so kind to our pinkish atmosphere.

 

“Hello? If you’re going to flirt, do that later tonight. Otherwise, the food will get cold.” Len snapped coldly.

 

“My God, who knew that Desir was such a sweet talker?! You could learn a thing or two from him, Len.” Sienna added with a sinister smile.

 

“... Althea, I take my eyes off of you for one second, and you’ve already become an adult. Urghhh, where can I find a boyfriend?!” Grace cried tears of joy, or were they grief? I couldn’t really tell with my back turned.

 

Hearing her friends’ words, Althea quickly snapped back to reality. She wanted to separate, but the embarrassment in her heart wasn’t that easily absolved. So, she stuck her face onto my chest, desperately trying to hide her candied apple face.

 

“Hah… You guys go ahead and start dinner. We’ll join you in a minute.”

 

“Gotcha,” Len snorted while breaking into a smile. “Come, let’s leave these lovebirds be.”

 

The trio looked at us with warm eyes before finally leaving for the living room table. In the end, Althea and I stayed for a good five minutes before I could finally persuade her to change back so that we could start Althea’s birthday party in full.