厨房从后面挺进李婷

— What\'s going on…? — I was taken aback.

At first, Maxie squinted at me in bewilderment, then laughed.

— Have you already forgotten? Today is your birthday.

— Birthday?!

I finally woke up from this news.

The girl came to me early to congratulate me on the holiday, which I even forgot about. Despite the fact that I was looking forward to the day after which I would officially become an adult, due to recent events, this date completely flew out of my head.

But now I\'m glad.

The day of my coming of age has finally come! It\'s a pity, of course, that my father wasn\'t there, but in my current situation, it was the last thing I could complain about.

— Hmm… and how do you know about him? I asked, because I did not expect that Maxie would congratulate me the very first.

«Is that what you decided to ask me?» — Maxie grinned, — Get ready faster. Today we will go to the city.

— To the city? What for?

— Stupid! Do you really want to spend a holiday in this hut?

I was embarrassed because I really didn\'t expect anything special from my birthday. A simple greeting would be enough.

But Maxie decided otherwise, and for the first time in a long time she intended to take me out to unwind.

— Okay… let\'s go.

Maxie winked.

— I\'ll be waiting for you outside.

After the girl left and I was left alone in the room, I took a deep breath. The first thing I thought about was Elsa, and I was surprised that she hadn\'t been there yet. Isn\'t she coming with us?

Of course, she could have her own affairs, but still… I was a little offended that she didn\'t even congratulate me.

When I started to get dressed, I noticed a letter in a scarlet envelope on the table next to the bed. I was a little surprised who it could be from.

I was going to print it out to look at it, but at that moment Maxie\'s voice rang out from the street. It turned out that I had already kept her waiting for quite a long time.

— I\'m coming! — she shouted, having completed all the last preparations over her appearance, and was about to leave.

I threw the letter into the bag I took with me. I\'ll open it sometime later.

Maxie and I went down the mountain to the town of Wales, and the first thing the girl asked me where I would like to go. From this question, I fell into a kind of stupor, because nothing really came to mind. Moreover, my thoughts were completely occupied with something else.

— Where\'s Elsa?

Maxie frowned at the name coming out of my mouth.

— I have no idea, — she chuckled, — Why are you asking about her? Today is your birthday. Just forget about it.

— Um-m…

Since I didn\'t say anything, Maxie took me where she wanted. It turned out to be the best pastry shop in the city, where they sold cakes and sweets for every taste.

Of course, Maxie knew in advance that I would like it.

When we went into a cozy room with an interior in pink tones, there were mostly only children there. Although, this is not surprising. After all, they were usually the ones who were interested in goodies, along with «normal food». Now I myself did not differ much from them, when I was already «devouring» the goods in the window with an admiring look.

We sat down at a table, and Maxie ordered the largest cake that they had in their assortment. Strawberry with cream, on which there were exactly eighteen candles on top. This cake was so huge that I really doubted I could handle it alone.

Happy Birthday!

The heroine\'s mentor smiled at me, and I blew out all the candles.

— Thank you…

Having mentally made the most typical wish, like that my loved ones were doing well, I began to eat it. Maxie, meanwhile, asked me:

— Is there any gift you want to receive?

I shook my head in embarrassment.

— This cake will be quite enough.

Probably, for the first time during our journey, my conscience woke up. Before that, Maxie had already spent too much on my brazen whims, and I could no longer mindlessly use her wallet.

The girl, apparently, read my thoughts on my face, and sighed.

— It\'s okay. If you\'re not going to buy a castle in this town, I can handle everything else.

— No… Really not necessary. Just thank you for being with me on this day.

Not celebrating a birthday alone was really worth a lot. Especially since my father and best friend were far away now, as were many other guests with whom I could throw a noisy party. The fact that Maxie hadn\'t forgotten already made me happy.

The girl tried to convince me for some time, after which she resigned herself. Instead of a gift, she ordered a bunch of desserts that barely fit on the table.

From my side, it really went to heaven.

On my most important holiday, I\'m sitting in a cafe with a bunch of my favorite food, and opposite is the idol of my teenage youth. It would seem that what else is needed for happiness?

But at the same time… I still felt some kind of inner longing. The thought that Elsa really wasn\'t coming was deeply disappointing. For some reason, it was from her that I expected congratulations in the first place.

After that, I had the right to be offended for at least a week!

Maxie didn\'t notice the decline in my mood, and instead poisoned some life stories to cheer me up. I pretended to be listening, although in fact my thoughts were far away from here.

We sat in this pastry shop until the evening, despite the fact that Maxie offered to go somewhere else. But I didn\'t want to go anywhere else.

Despite the fact that I had eaten so many sweets today, there was still bitterness in my mouth. However, I put it down to the fact that I was just tired after a long day.

When I told Maxie that I already wanted to return to the mountain, the girl hesitated at first, but then agreed.

— good. I\'ll go pay the bill.

She left, and I waited for her at the table. At that moment, I finally remembered the letter I took with me this morning. Since there was nothing to do anyway, I decided to reveal it right here.

The letter fell out of the envelope, and I ran my eyes over the contents with interest.

«I\'ll be waiting for you on the bridge today. I have something to say.»

There was no signature at the bottom, but I immediately guessed who it was from.

Elsa…!

No one else could have left such a letter in my room. Does that mean she\'s been waiting for me since this morning?

I was taken aback by this guess, but even more angry with myself. And why did you think of opening the envelope just now?!

Of course, this is unlikely, but still… Could it be that she was still there? Just in case, I decided to check.

— Maxie, I have to go!

At that moment, when the girl was coming back with a paid bill, I told her this sudden news. Her jaw dropped.

— what? — I asked again, — You said you were tired. Where can I go so late?

— I\'ll explain everything later!

Maxie was right, and it was really getting dark outside. There was no time, so I just asked her not to worry, and to come back by herself.

— But…!

She didn\'t have time to object when I already grabbed the bag lying on the table and stormed out of the cafe. Then, with all her legs, she rushed to the only bridge in the center of the city of Wales. Just to have time…!

Fortunately, despite the tons of desserts I ate, I didn\'t seem to feel this heaviness, and «fluttered like a butterfly.»

Half an hour later, I finally got to the right place, when the street lights were already on, illuminating the night city. Breathing raggedly from such physical activity, I looked hopefully at the bridge, hoping that someone was still there.

My wish came true.

All the previous grievances were taken away when I saw a single figure in the middle of the bridge. Even from afar, I immediately guessed from the physique who it was.

— Elsa…! — I exhaled with relief, coming closer.

The girl turned around, and a smile appeared on her face at the sight of me.

«So you\'ve come after all.»

I felt very guilty.

— I\'m sorry… — she looked down, — I read your letter late, and…

— It\'s okay. You\'re here, and that\'s the most important thing.

I looked at her blankly.

«Have you…» she faltered, «really been waiting for me all day?»

Elsa nodded.

— But why…! If it\'s that important, we could talk at home.

— no. I want to do it now.

I was surprised when Elsa suddenly came up behind me and hung something around my neck. A second later, the lock snapped, and I was even more stunned to find a familiar ornament on my neck.

— The Ashford family pendant?! I was amazed, grabbing a silver pendant with an emerald.

The last time I saw and held it in my hands was a very long time ago. First, it was confiscated from me by the Marquis of Windsor, and then it was stolen by the maid Maxie. After Griselda\'s death, I no longer hoped to ever find him.

For the first couple of seconds, I couldn\'t utter a word from shock.

— But how…! — I was amazed, — How did you…?!

According to official testimony, the pendant was stolen by a mercenary immediately after Griselda\'s murder. Therefore, I could not imagine how he suddenly ended up with Elsa.

— I was looking for a gift for you, and… I saw this pendant in one of the pawnshops. I thought you might like him.

— Did you buy it at a pawnshop…? I asked incredulously.

— Yes, — the girl nodded without any shadow of suspicion, — Is something wrong?

I fell into a stupor. How the Ashford family\'s heirloom jewelry got into one of the pawnshops of the city of Wales, I had no idea. Maybe it\'s fate, and the pendant itself has returned to my hands?

I took another look at him, and realized that it was not a sin to complain. It doesn\'t matter how, but I had the suspension again. Now, you won\'t even need to justify yourself to your father.

— No, — I shook my head with a smile, — Thank you very much!

Elsa leaned over and kissed me on the forehead.

— Happy birthday.

After the girl whispered this congratulation in my ear, I was even more confused. This behavior seemed unusual to me and made me blush.

— Hmm… what did you want to talk to me about? — I decided to ask, since it came to that.

— Oh, yes.

Elsa smiled and suddenly put her hands on my shoulders. I was surprised.

«Lea,» she said mysteriously, looking straight into my eyes, «Will you give me another chance?»