Chapter 434 (2/2)

“Today is your birthday, so I’ll host a celebratory feast in the castle tonight,” Roland said with a smile, “but before that, I have a gift for you.”

“A gift?” Tilly said, taken aback. “Is it what you’re carrying?” She turned around and said, “Come in.”

“Um… It’s a little bit big, but I promise it’s very special.” The prince mopped the sweat on his forehead and placed the gift on the floor. The noble during this time usually gave small and delicate gifts, such as flowers and rings, so that they could hide them in their robes and take them out as a surprise. Roland carrying a large wrapped paper box was definitely a rare sight—and this thing was much heavier than he imagined.

“You’ve never given me anything before,” Tilly said in a mysterious tone.

“I gave you a goose feather quill when you were born.” Roland corrected it. “But it wasn’t anything valuable.”

“Alright, it’s a Graycastle royal tradition.” She shrugged. “What about this? Can I open it?”

“Of course.”

Roland smiled as he watched her untie the ribbons, and when the box fell open, he heard her gasp quietly.

“What… what’s this?” Tilly blinked.

“It’s a bear!” Roland said with a grin.

“What kind of bear looks like this.” She circled the stuffed animal curiously and patted it. “It’s so soft…”

Its fur cover was specially made by Soraya according to the fur of Northern wolf cubs and added a silky soft touch. As for the design… Roland completely based it off of the future’s pandas. As an animal that had survived millenniums by simply acting cute and had even been used as diplomatic gifts, it was exceptionally cute.

“I’ve never seen this kind of bear… Its color is so strange…”

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I mean…” Tilly seemed to be at a loss for words, but her eyes, which were flashing with excitement, revealed her true thoughts.

“It’s called ‘panda’, and it’s a… widely-loved animal.”

She quickly understood what he meant. “This belongs to your other world…”

Roland nodded. “And it’s not just a stuffed animal you can hold. Try pinching its neck.”

Tilly did as he adviced, and the panda suddenly started to move, wave its legs and try to climb on top of Tilly. She covered her mouth in shock and backed away, while the stuffed animal continued to move its legs and walk slowly towards her.

This was why it was so heavy—Roland had installed connecting rods and gears in its body with small generators in each leg, and the generators’ power came from miniature Dawn I engines. As he lowered the magnetic flux, its shelf life was greatly extended, lasting up to three or four months without use or four fifths of the time if used frequently. Even if Tilly returned to the Sleeping Island, the panda would still accompany her for a long time.

“Pinch its neck again, and it’ll stop.” Roland smiled. “I hope you’ll like this gift.”

This time, even though Tilly didn’t respond, her expression told Roland everything he needed to know.