My Taboo Harem!

Victoria and Delilah had already spoken before Melissa.

Their speeches had been brief, strange, and painfully theirs.

Victoria had stood with that cold elder-sister composure of hers, expression sharp enough to cut fruit and emotions alike, and said very little. Too little, perhaps, for anyone else. But for Sienna, it had been enough. A few controlled words about survival, strength, and how some people did not need to say much to prove they had always been standing nearby.

Then she had looked at Sienna for one long moment and added, "You are troublesome, but you are ours."

That had been Victoria’s love letter.

Naturally, it came dressed as a disciplinary note.

Delilah’s speech had been softer, warmer, and a little more dangerous because she nearly cried, which meant half the room had to pretend not to notice while Sienna looked faintly threatened by emotion. Delilah had thanked Sienna for being the kind of sister who did not comfort normally, did not speak gently when sharper words would do

Then, with a trembling smile, she had said Sienna made her feel safer even when she was being unbearable.

Sienna had stared at her.

"You are embarrassing me," she had said.

Delilah had smiled through wet eyes. "Happy birthday."

After that, a few of the princesses had given their own short words. Some elegant, some teasing, some careful, and some clearly improvised because no one truly knew how to make a proper birthday speech for a girl who looked as if praise personally inconvenienced her. Yuki called her the most difficult princess to celebrate. Nastya said Sienna had finally proven she could wear a gown without the universe ending.

Maddie, who absolutely should not have been given a microphone again, congratulated the Ice Robot on surviving public affection for longer than five minutes.

Sienna had threatened three people with her eyes alone.

Sienna was in the center of it all, still in that impossible starlit gown, face cold, violet eyes unreadable. Whatever Melissa’s words had done inside her, she buried it deep enough that only the smallest tightening of her fingers around the glass betrayed anything at all.

Then it was Phei’s turn.

He did not look eager.

Which was how everyone knew he had been cornered into sincerity.

Terrible condition. Often terminal.

Phei stepped forward beneath the black-silver crystal rain, glass in hand, the hall’s violet lights catching along the edges of his black-white attire. Several gazes followed him at once. Mother watched him like a woman still learning how much of the boy had become someone the room could not help turning toward.

Sienna watched him with suspicion.

Correctly.

Phei stopped beside her.

For a moment, he looked across the room and smiled.

"I was told I had to say something," he began. "Which is cruel. I am usually much better when I am allowed to be handsome in silence."

A laugh moved through the hall.

Maddie called, "Liar!"

Phei pointed at her. "You are banned from heckling birthday speeches."

"You gave me a microphone earlier. That was your mistake."

"It was. I regret many things."

Sienna said flatly, "Continue."

Phei turned to her. "See? Even on her birthday, she’s managing me. This is why she is precious to the family even she pretends to be cold but she loves us all."

"I will throw this glass at you, Phei."

"Affection."

"Violence."

"In our family, the difference is mostly timing."

More laughter, even Sienna’s mouth twitched faintly, though she buried it instantly like evidence.

Phei lifted his glass slightly. "Honestly, I do not have much to say."

Several women immediately gave him disbelieving looks.

He sighed. "Fine. I do have much to say. I am choosing mercy. You are welcome."

Amber murmured, "Growth."

Phei ignored her with noble suffering.

"I have been thinking tonight," he said, and the softness in his voice made the room quiet without him asking. "About birthdays, family and how strange it is that I somehow went from being the same age with you, Sienna in a house that barely knew what to do with me, to being the only baby in a family of four very special people"

Melissa’s eyes softened, Victoria looked away, Delilah smiled faintly and Sienna stared at him with clear warning.

Phei grinned. "Yes, Sienna. You are included. Do not look so offended by love. It is bad manners."

"I am offended by your face."

He laughed.

Then his expression gentled.

"I am lucky," Phei said. "That is the annoying truth. I can brag all I want, and I will, because humility is a disease rich people pretend to have at charity dinners. But tonight, standing here, I know I am lucky. I have Melissa. I have Victoria, Delilah and Sienna."

His gaze turned to her.

"I do not know what fate has in store for you," he said to her. "For us. For our family as a collection of people who clearly attract disaster with uncomfortable consistency."

Phei continued, eyes still on Sienna. "I do not know what waits beyond tonight. What old things will wake. What enemies will move and what truths will come walking through doors we thought were locked."

Sienna’s violet eyes stilled:

"But I know this." Phei’s voice lowered. "No matter what is thrown our way, we have you, Sienna to lean on. We have you, Sienna we can count on to have our backs. And you have us."

Sienna did not move.

Phei stepped closer by half a pace.

"I know you are independent. Painfully. Offensively, you act like needing people is a design flaw in weaker species."

"It is," Sienna said quietly.

Phei smiled. "There she is."

A soft ripple of laughter passed through the hall, but it faded quickly.

"Here, we are not asking you to become weak," Phei said. "We are asking you to remember that strength does not mean standing alone until the world finally pins you down. Turn to us when that world dares to try. Trust us with your back the way we trust you with ours. We are family, Sienna. People you can count on. People you can trust your life with."

His eyes warmed.

"And people who trust their lives with you."

Sienna’s fingers tightened around her glass again.

Whatever moved behind her violet eyes remained hidden.

Sienna’s head turned slowly toward him, Phei did not have much of a birthday speech but just a reassurance to her to not ever let her problems be hers only but to rely on him and he would always be there and also it was also a thank you for things she’d done for him. He did not know the magnitude but he knew she’d silently did a lot for him.

Phei lifted his glass higher.

"We love you," he said. "Happy birthday, my Ice Robot cousin and friend."

The silence broke laughter erupted across the hall.

"Do you have a death wish?" she asked.

Phei’s smile was shameless. "Sorry, not sorry."

Melissa covered her mouth, eyes shining. Delilah laughed openly now. Victoria looked like she wanted to scold him and hug him, and because that emotional combination was disgusting, she did neither. Maddie nearly clapped herself sick. Yuki leaned against Natasha, laughing. Even the Vice Principal smiled faintly, though his eyes remained fixed on Sienna with that strange reverence Phei had not forgotten.

Everyone drank for her.

Glasses lifted.

"To Sienna!"

"To the Ice Robot!"

Sienna’s glare sliced toward Maddie.

Maddie immediately hid behind Sierra, because bravery, like intelligence, apparently had limits.

Then Phei lowered his glass.

"As promised," he said, "here is your gift."