Chapter 379: The Surprise

Rebecca’s POV

Eight Months Later

"Stephanie, will you please tell me what’s going on?"

"For the hundredth time, Rebecca, it’s a surprise!" Stephanie replied, rolling her eyes as she continued arranging my hair.

I sighed and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "I know it’s my birthday, but you and Melvin have been acting suspiciously since this morning. And now you’re making me wear a gown that probably costs more than an entire house."

"Well, you’re dating the Southern Dragon King. What did you expect? A cheap dress and a birthday cake from the village bakery?"

I burst into laughter. "There’s nothing wrong with a cake from the village bakery!"

"Of course not, but His Majesty clearly has other plans." She picked up a silver hairpin and carefully secured it in my hair. "Now, stop complaining and let me finish. You’re going to ruin my masterpiece."

I shook my head in amusement before returning my attention to the mirror. I had to admit that Stephanie had done a wonderful job. My hair was styled in elegant curls, with a few strands falling gently around my face. The beautiful emerald-green gown Melvin had sent to my room fitted my figure perfectly, and the diamonds around my neck sparkled whenever I moved.

I looked beautiful, but I still couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a big deal out of my birthday. It wasn’t as though I had never celebrated one before. Although, now that I thought about it, this was the first birthday in years that I was genuinely looking forward to, and I knew exactly why.

Melvin.

Just thinking about him brought a smile to my face. It had been eight months since I’d finally agreed to give him a chance, and somehow, those eight months had become some of the happiest I’d experienced in a very long time.

When we’d first started dating, I’d been nervous. I wasn’t sure whether I could ever open my heart to another man after everything I’d been through, but Melvin had made things surprisingly easy. He never pressured me, never demanded more than I was willing to give, and never made me feel guilty whenever I needed time to myself.

Instead, he made me laugh. He took me on dates, surprised me with flowers, and sometimes traveled all the way to Stone Pack simply because he’d missed me. There were days when he’d abandon his royal duties for an hour just to have lunch with me, much to the frustration of his advisers.

And whenever I scolded him for neglecting his responsibilities, he’d simply grin and tell me that keeping his future queen happy was also an important royal duty. Of course, I always reminded him that I hadn’t agreed to become his queen, and his response was always the same.

Yet.

The memory made me laugh softly.

"What’s so funny?" Stephanie asked.

"Nothing," I replied, trying to hide my smile.

She narrowed her eyes at my reflection. "You’re thinking about Melvin again, aren’t you?"

I felt my cheeks grow warm. "Stephanie!"

"Oh, please!" She laughed. "You two have become absolutely unbearable. Every time I visit, he’s either calling you, sending you flowers, or finding some ridiculous excuse to come and see you."

"He’s not that bad," I protested, although I knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Rebecca, last month he flew all the way to Stone Pack because you told him you had a headache!"

I laughed. "He was worried!"

"He arrived with three royal healers!"

"Alright, that was a little dramatic," I admitted, laughing even harder.

"A little?" Stephanie shook her head in disbelief. "That man is hopelessly in love with you."

My laughter gradually faded into a smile. "I know," I admitted quietly.

Stephanie’s expression softened as she looked at me through the mirror. "And what about you?"

I turned toward her. "What about me?"

"Do you love him?"

The question caught me slightly off guard, although it shouldn’t have. I’d asked myself that same question many times over the past few months, and somewhere along the way, the answer had stopped being complicated.

"Yes," I replied softly. "I do."

Stephanie smiled. "Then that’s all I needed to hear."

I looked back at my reflection, feeling a strange warmth spread through my chest. I loved Melvin, not because he had waited for me or because I felt obligated to return his feelings, but because of the man he’d shown himself to be. He made me happy, and whenever something wonderful happened, he was the first person I wanted to tell. For the first time in a long while, I could imagine a future with someone without feeling frightened.

"Alright!" Stephanie suddenly announced, stepping back to admire her work. "I’m done!"

I blinked and examined my reflection. "Wow."

She grinned proudly. "I know. I’m amazing."

I laughed before standing up. "Thank you, Steph."

"You’re welcome. Now, come on. Everyone is waiting."

I frowned immediately. "Everyone?"

Stephanie froze, and I narrowed my eyes at her. "Stephanie, what do you mean, everyone?"

She gave me an innocent smile. "Did I say everyone? I meant Melvin. Obviously." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"You’re a terrible liar."

"And you’re asking too many questions. Come on!" Before I could protest, she grabbed my hand and practically dragged me toward the door.

The moment we reached the grand staircase, I knew something was going on. The palace corridors were decorated with fresh flowers, and several servants hurried past, carrying trays of refreshments. Soft music drifted from somewhere downstairs, making me stop in my tracks.

"Stephanie," I called suspiciously.

She kept moving. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Why is there music coming from the grand hall?"

"Perhaps someone is playing an instrument."

"Stephanie!"

She burst into laughter. "Alright, fine! Melvin organized a little birthday celebration for you."

I stared at her. "A little celebration? Then why did I just see about twenty servants carrying trays of champagne?"

"Rebecca, please. You know how royalty can be."

I shook my head, already imagining what Melvin had done. That man really didn’t understand the meaning of simple.

When we finally reached the entrance to the grand hall, two royal guards stood on either side of the enormous doors. They bowed respectfully and wished me a happy birthday, and I thanked them with a smile.

Stephanie squeezed my hand. "Ready?"

I sighed dramatically. "Do I have a choice?"

"Nope!" she replied cheerfully before nodding toward the guards.

The doors slowly opened, and the moment I stepped inside, I froze.

"Happy birthday!"

The entire hall erupted into cheers. I gasped, instinctively covering my mouth as I stared at the crowd gathered before me.

Oh, Goddess! There were so many people!

The grand hall had been transformed into something out of a fairy tale. Beautiful white and gold flowers decorated the pillars, crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead, and hundreds of tiny lights illuminated the enormous room. At the far end stood a magnificent birthday cake, surrounded by an arrangement of flowers.

And standing in the middle of everything was Melvin.

My Melvin.

He looked incredibly handsome in a black royal suit with silver embroidery. His silver hair was neatly styled, and the moment our eyes met, a wide smile spread across his face. He immediately started walking toward me while I remained rooted to the spot, still trying to take everything in.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," he said when he reached me.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Melvin, what is all this?"

"Your birthday party," he replied with a chuckle.

I looked around the enormous hall before turning back toward him. "This is not a birthday party. This is practically a royal coronation!"

He laughed. "Well, I considered organizing a coronation, but my advisers informed me that I couldn’t crown you queen without marrying you first."

"Melvin!"

"What?" He grinned innocently. "I’m just telling you what they said."

I shook my head, laughing despite myself. He took my hand and brought it to his lips before looking me over with an appreciative smile.

"You look beautiful, Rebecca."

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling my cheeks grow warm.

He leaned closer. "Although I must say, I was hoping you’d wear the dress I sent."

I looked down at myself in confusion. "I am wearing it!"

"I know." His grin widened. "I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention."

I smacked his arm lightly, making him laugh before he slipped an arm around my waist.

"Come on. There are some people who have been waiting all evening to see you."

He guided me farther into the hall, and I immediately spotted my mother standing beside my father.

"Rebecca!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Mother!" I hurried toward her, and she pulled me into a warm embrace.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart!" she said before pulling away to examine me from head to toe. "Oh, look at you! You look absolutely beautiful!"

I laughed. "Thank you, Mother. You’re going to make me blush."

"Well, it’s true!"

My father stepped forward next, smiling proudly. "Happy birthday, my little girl."

I smiled and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Father."

He kissed my forehead before stepping back. "King Melvin has certainly outdone himself."

I glanced toward Melvin, who was standing beside us with an extremely pleased expression. "He certainly has," I agreed.

"And I haven’t even shown you the best part yet," Melvin added.

I immediately turned toward him. "There’s more?"

He simply winked, making me groan while everyone around us laughed.

For the next hour, I moved around the hall, greeting guests, accepting birthday wishes, and trying to understand how Melvin had managed to organize such an enormous celebration without my noticing. There were royal families from neighboring kingdoms, nobles from the Southern Dragon Kingdom, and several familiar faces from Stone Pack. I was especially happy to see some of my old friends, whom I hadn’t seen in months.

At one point, Stephanie appeared beside me, holding two glasses of champagne. She handed me one, and I accepted it gratefully before turning toward her.

"Did you know about all this?"

"Of course," she replied casually.

I stared at her. "Stephanie!"

"What?" She laughed. "Melvin asked me to help. And before you ask, yes, your parents knew too."

I smiled and took a sip of my drink. My eyes wandered across the hall until they found Melvin speaking with a group of royal advisers. The moment he noticed me looking at him, he smiled, and I couldn’t help smiling back.

Stephanie followed my gaze and sighed dramatically. "Oh, Goddess. Here we go again."

I turned toward her. "What?"

"That look."

"What look?"

"The one you two keep giving each other as though you’re the only people in the room."

I laughed. "You’re just jealous."

"Of course I am! Where is my handsome king who throws extravagant birthday parties and looks at me like I hung the moon?"

I nearly choked on my drink. "Stephanie!"

She laughed so hard that a few nearby guests turned toward us, and before I could respond, the music changed. A slow, beautiful melody began playing, and Melvin excused himself from his conversation before walking directly toward me.

"May I have this dance, birthday girl?" he asked, extending his hand.

I smiled and handed my glass to Stephanie. "Of course, Your Majesty."

He took my hand and led me toward the center of the hall. As his arm settled around my waist, I rested one hand on his shoulder, and we began moving gently to the music. For a while, neither of us spoke. I simply enjoyed being close to him, occasionally looking up to find him smiling down at me.

"Are you having a good birthday?" he eventually asked.

I looked up at him. "The best."

His expression softened. "Good."

"But you really didn’t have to do all this, Melvin."

"I know."

"Then why did you?"

He smiled and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from my face. "Because you deserve to be celebrated, Rebecca. And because I wanted to see that beautiful smile on your face."

I smiled and rested my head against his chest as we continued dancing, listening to the soft music and the steady beating of his heart beneath my cheek. For a moment, everything felt perfect, and I found myself wishing the evening could last a little longer.

When the song ended, Melvin kissed my forehead before leading me toward the enormous birthday cake. Everyone gathered around as the servants lit the candles, and Stephanie immediately started shouting for me to make a wish.

I laughed and closed my eyes. For a few seconds, I thought about everything that had happened over the years. The pain, the mistakes, the people I’d lost, and the happiness I’d finally found. Then I silently made my wish.

Please, let this happiness last.

I opened my eyes and blew out the candles, earning another round of applause from the guests. Melvin wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed my cheek.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart."

I turned toward him, smiling. "Thank you. For everything."

He smiled back. "You’re welcome. But there’s actually one more thing."