I heard from Birana about what happened five years ago. About what happened at the boss's birthday party. What Regalia lost that day. And how she became the owner of Eblis Corporation at such a young age.

All the secrets.

“So, that’s how it happened.” “…I see.”

It wasn’t particularly new information. Someone, afraid of Eblis Corporation’s growing power, targeted its owners. They half-succeeded, and the previous president of Eblis—Regalia’s parents—died that day without even leaving behind a body.

Many guests who had come to celebrate Regalia’s birthday also lost their lives, and despite the large number of victims, they hadn’t found a single trace of the perpetrator.

The culprit was too elusive, and it became a problem because even those with personal grudges were targeted. Everyone was a victim, so even Regalia, who had lost her parents, couldn’t strongly suspect or pressure anyone.

“It’s like a ghost story. With so many major corporations involved, and not a trace to be found.” “Does that mean it was the government? Someone with more power than these corporations?” “If it was the government, they would’ve found something by now. But there’s no trace, so…”

There wasn’t even an organization that could do this alone. It was as if the entire world had conspired against Eblis.

Hearing this, I felt a surge of anger. Death is commonplace, but when it happens to someone you know? People can easily become emotionally involved even when it’s not directly their business.

“Well, in any case—the young lady hasn’t held a birthday party since. It’s a bit of a trauma for her.” “She seemed fine attending that company party a while back.” “That’s because the security was insane. You know how many top corporate leaders were there? S-rank heroes were as common as street performers.”

No assassin or villain would dare show their face there. Even the craziest of lunatics would avoid such a suicidal act, Birana rambled on, shrugging as if to ask if I had learned everything I wanted to know.

“So—are you satisfied? Any more questions?” “Not really. Now I know why the boss doesn’t hold birthday parties.” “And have you decided what to give her as a present?” “I have an idea.” “Ooh, can’t you give me a sneak peek?” I shook my head, indicating a firm “no.” Birana pouted in frustration, but it was only fair—she hadn’t told me what her gift was either.

However, based on what she’d told me—why the boss didn’t hold birthday parties anymore and what she had gone through—the answer to what I should give her became clear.

Even Aile had said it—the boss is still a girl. And children, after all, need their parents, even if it's just for one fleeting moment in a dream.

Kitty, the secretary who served Regalia, the president of Eblis Corporation, took pride in her work. She wasn’t bothered by the fact that her superior was just a child of ten years old.

What did age matter? Was serving a ten-year-old embarrassing, while serving a fifty-year-old man something to boast about?

To Kitty, what mattered was supporting someone who produced results, regardless of age. Those who belittled Regalia for her age were nothing more than bitter losers, envious of the position they could never achieve.

“—Miss, it’s time for your break.” “Already? Time flies.” “Work is important, but you should take better care of yourself... It’s been 100 hours since you last slept.”

Hearing Kitty’s words, Regalia laughed heartily as if everything was fine.

“I’m fine! The scientist gave me a tonic! It’s supposed to keep me awake for a week with no problem!” “Still…” “Alright, alright. I’ll rest for a bit now. Will that satisfy you?” “I’ll make the preparations, miss.”

Regalia sighed, resigned, as she got up from her chair. Kitty, suppressing the ache in her chest, saw how gaunt Regalia’s limbs had become. She served her tea designed to relieve fatigue.

After downing the tea, Regalia lay on her bed, and Kitty carefully massaged her. Sitting for long hours can severely impact circulation, and if not addressed in time, it could lead to serious problems. Kitty massaged her with all her strength.

As the massage neared its end, Kitty noticed tears running down Regalia’s face and froze in surprise.

“M-Miss?” “—Ah. Are you finished?” “D-Did my massage hurt…?” “No? It was just right. I almost fell asleep.” “That’s a relief… But why were you crying?”

Hearing Kitty’s question, Regalia wiped her eyes, finally realizing that she had been crying. It wasn’t just a few tears from yawning—there were far too many.

Wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, Regalia shrugged it off like it was nothing, but to Kitty, it was a deep emotional wound. She felt as if her heart had been torn apart.

“—You can leave now.” “…Yes, miss.”

But a mere secretary couldn’t involve herself too much in the affairs of the president. Kitty bowed her head and left the office, retreating to the secretary’s room, where she quietly wept to herself.

She knew the reason the young lady had been so sorrowful. She had seen it several times in the past few days.

Ever since that scientist—picked up off the street—gave her that tonic.

‘That scientist… how impudent.’

Kitty had never liked him. She couldn’t understand how such a scoundrel could have gained the favor of the young lady, especially after giving her something so harmful.

A tonic that keeps someone awake for over 100 hours? Just thinking about the possible side effects was terrifying.

‘How could anyone let the young lady harm herself like this?’

It didn’t matter that the young lady had chosen to take the tonic herself. Wasn’t it the duty of loyal subjects to stop her, no matter what?

No matter how busy she was, there was no excuse for her to be pushing herself to the point of physical harm. And to make her cry, when she had never shown emotion since that incident?

Fuming with rage, Kitty stormed off to confront the scientist. As she entered the lab, she saw the former bodyguard lounging on the sofa.

“Oh? Kitty? What brings you here?” “Is the scientist in?” “Yeah, he’s in the middle of some research. Said not to disturb him—”

Ignoring her, Kitty headed straight to the back of the lab, where the scientist was tinkering with something. Without turning around, he spoke.

“—Birana, didn’t I say not to disturb me?”

“I’m not Birana. I’m Kitty.” “…Who? Oh, right. The head secretary from the mansion.” “Yes, I’m Kitty, the young lady’s chief secretary.”

Having introduced herself, Kitty glared at the scientist. He looked back at her with a slight hint of annoyance at the interruption.

“What is it? Why are you here all of a sudden?” “I’m here because of the tonic you gave the young lady.” “Do you need more? I gave her enough already.” “No. Quite the opposite. What exactly did you give her?”

“What did I give her…? A simple tonic.” “A ‘simple tonic’…!”

At his response, Kitty could no longer contain her frustration.

She told him everything—the hallucinations, the tears. How the boss had been suffering because of the tonic. But the scientist remained unperturbed.

After hearing her out, he nodded as if he understood.

“I see. So?” “Are you even listening to me? The boss is suffering because of the tonic you gave her!” “She’s not suffering because of the tonic. I have a good idea why. I’ll fix it, so you can go now.”

Watching the carefree scientist, Kitty bit her lip. He wasn’t even moved by what she had said—just calmly claiming he’d “fix it.”

It was as if he had no empathy at all. She couldn’t understand why someone like him was so favored by the young lady.

“You said you know why she’s upset? And that you’ll fix it?” “Yes. That’s what I said. Now, please leave so I can get back to work.” “Ha! I’ve served the young lady since she was born, and you think you know her feelings better than I do—!”

But the scientist, seemingly disinterested, waved her away. Infuriated, Kitty stormed out of the lab and confronted Birana in the hallway.

“—What’s with his attitude, Birana?” “Why ask me? He’s always been like that.” “The young lady won’t tolerate this.” “Well, the young lady’s quite fond of him.” “She’ll change her mind once she hears about this!”

But when Kitty rushed back to report, she found Regalia once again shedding silent tears. This time, however, she wasn’t just crying—she was also murmuring something.

“…Mom, Dad…”

Hearing those words, Kitty’s heart sank. The former president and his wife—the young lady was mourning her long-departed parents.

Of course, it made perfect sense. She had been so focused on forgetting her grief that she had overlooked the most obvious truth.

The young lady was still just a child, a child who needed her parents. Even that scoundrel of a scientist had realized this simple truth, while she hadn’t.

‘But, how could he fix this?’

Her parents were dead, without even a body to bury. How could he possibly bring them back?

Kitty believed there was no solution to this problem.

A few days later.

Regalia frowned as she watched the executives of the villainous organization barge into her office without warning.

“Yoo-hoo! Boss, we’re here to see you!” “E-excuse us...” “Ugh, annoying.”

Seeing the office crowded with her subordinates, Regalia asked in a slightly tense voice.

“...What’s going on? Why are you all here together? Do you have some complaint against me?”

“Complaint? Boss! Do you not know what day it is?” “What day…?”

Glancing at her calendar, Regalia confirmed that there were no scheduled events. No national holidays or anniversaries. Just another ordinary day.

But to some, this day was anything but ordinary.

“Today’s your birthday, boss! We came to celebrate!”

“…Ah, is that so? My birthday already. Time flies.”

Having worked nonstop for nearly a week, Regalia massaged her eyelids as if the time had passed too quickly.

As she rubbed her eyes, the executives presented her with the cake and gifts they had prepared.

“B-Boss! Happy birthday! My gift is this... a magical girl costume!” “…Oh, thank you, Aile.”

“I didn’t prepare anything. I’ll just sing you a song and be on my way.” “Your thoughts are appreciated, Galm.”

“Levi-tan brought carrot chocolates! They’re tasty, so you should savor them!” “I could use some sugar right now. Thank you.”

“I brought a lucky stone◆. It’s said to bring good fortune.” “A lucky stone? That’s reassuring.”

Receiving a magical girl costume, a birthday song, carrot chocolates, and a necklace with a lucky stone, Regalia smiled as she looked at her subordinates.

Honestly, she would have preferred to use this time to deal with more paperwork, but the lessons of leadership reminded her to put those thoughts aside. Being too cold and distant wasn’t good for managing her subordinates.

“Miss! I’ve prepared something special for you!” “What’s this? Oh... a doll?” “Yes! I’ve been working on it for years, though back then I was missing an arm...”

Birana handed Regalia a handmade doll of herself. Despite its less-than-perfect craftsmanship, the effort Birana had put into making it, even with only one arm at the time, was clear.

Regalia wasn’t particularly fond of dolls, but she accepted it with a cheerful hum, appreciating the sentiment. Finally, her gaze fell on the one person who hadn’t given her a gift yet—Eight.

The last person, the one she couldn’t guess what kind of gift he would bring, pulled out a simple candle from his coat.

“...A candle?” “Yes. It’s an aroma candle.” “And this is… a gift?” “It’s a gift, yes.” “I see. Thank you.”

Expecting the scientist to do something outlandish, Regalia was relieved to receive such a simple gift. Both in a good and bad way, the tension melted away. Sighing in relief, she gathered the gifts with a smile.

“Thank you, all. I won’t forget this and will surely return the favor.”

“—Boss. Be sure to light the candle alone, with the door closed.” “Mm? Alright. I’ll do that.” “And one more thing. Boss, about that place—”

Half-listening to Eight’s warning, Regalia blew out the candles on the cake. After enjoying the cake with her subordinates, she returned to her work.

After a week of sleepless work, Regalia finally finished her urgent tasks and felt the weight of exhaustion settle in as she headed to her room. Once in bed, she remembered the candle Eight had given her.

He had said to light it alone with the door closed, speaking as if it were some kind of drug.

‘It can’t really be a drug, can it…?’

Despite her curiosity, Regalia lit the candle, laid down, and let the gentle aroma fill the room. Exhausted from the past week, she quickly fell asleep, and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in the middle of a garden.

“…Huh?” “—Regalia. What’s wrong?”

Suddenly.

A voice she had longed to hear called out to her.

Turning around, Regalia gasped at the sight of the woman standing there.

“Regalia?”

The woman spoke again in a worried voice.

It was the voice of a mother, protective of her child.

In disbelief, Regalia looked at her mother, and then at her father, who was standing a little further away, chatting with some guests.

‘This is…’

Five years ago.

The day of her fifth birthday.

The day she lost her parents.

‘What is this…’

Suddenly, Eight’s warning echoed in Regalia’s mind:

— Boss, this is just a dream. Please, don’t be deceived by it.

Yes, she was dreaming. Dreaming of the day that happened five years ago.

A dream that felt all too real.