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Holy crap!

“So you’re getting soht,” Tor replied and I felt pain sharp in ut, like I’d been punched “And if ination out of bed, you can well iernon chuckled a low, ht I was the Cora of this world

He didn’t believe I wasshit, I’d already fallen in love with hiet his heir

He was trying to gethi it, too

But I loved him

And he did not loveuys have to be dicks in my world and in fairytale world?

Why?

“Well done, sir,” Algernon stated as I htened froht into the roo in my direction

But I only had eyes for Tor as he stared atthe swirly, creamy frosted cake with its blue birthday candles that I’d wanted so badly and worked so hard to make for him (seriously, the kitchens in his castle arm and jolly but the utensils and appliances were so far away from KitchenAid it wasn’t funny)

“Happy birthday,” I whispered and even I heard the ache in my voice

When Tor heard it, I watched him flinch and the flinch was so reactionary he had no hope of hiding it

He knew I heard

Good

“Cora –” he started

“In my world,” I cut hiernon, “we don’t serve birthday tarts with birthday sparklers, as Perdita told me you do here In my world,” I looked back at Tor as frozen to the spot and watching me stop at his desk and set the cake on it, “we serve birthday cake with birthday candles”

I touched the stick to a candle on his desk, lit it and started lighting the birthday candles as I kept explaining

“So, for your birthday, since I have no ive you so that was special to me, a piece of my world, kind of literally I scoured the city to find all the right ingredients and Perdita had the candleestured to the cake with a flick of the stick “A my world birthday cake” My eyes went to his “My birthday present to you And nohat you have to do is make a wish, blow out the candles and your wish is supposed to couess I didn’t explain very fully to Perdita) I’d finished with them so I blew out the stick and set it on the desk

“Cora –” Tor started again, beginning toup a hand and he stopped

“I’ll just –” Algernon began, my head snapped to hio, you must have some cake,” I whispered, his eyes shot to Tor but he didn’t move

I looked back at Tor

“You need to make your wish,” I told him “Then blow out your candles”

“Sweets –” he started, my eyes closed and that tear in ently rip deeper

It slashed throughit in two

I opened , deceitful ones and I felt mine fill with tears

“Make your wish,” I whispered