TOYLCG 35🍒

Chapter — 35

The shop was filled with neatly arranged bottles of ink in brilliant colors, and a deep, rich scent hung in the air.

Strangely, the smell wasn’t unpleasant at all. Instead, it made her want to take a deep breath. That alone felt surprising.

Unfortunately, the owner seemed to be away. There was no one inside.

“If you’re going to leave the shop open, shouldn’t someone be here?”

The disappointment of not being able to buy ink grew stronger. Not being able to get something she wanted made her restless.

There was no guarantee she could come back here again. Of course, she could force some time to return, but she didn’t want to waste time unnecessarily.

“I probably won’t have time to come all the way here again… sigh…”

“I can buy it for you later. Why are you worrying so much?” Daniel said.

“You’ll be busy with the barley harvest soon. Don’t talk like you’re someone with nothing to do,” Rosebell replied.

She wasn’t wrong, so Daniel smiled awkwardly.

The three of them left the shop with regret heavy in their steps.

To cheer up Rosebell’s gloomy mood, Daniel led them to a fairly large inn. It was an inn that also ran a restaurant, famous for its delicious food.

Tribe.

The name was simple, but compared to other places, it felt a bit rough and plain.

As soon as they stepped inside, the strong smell of cream filled their noses. Only then did Rosebell quickly grab a seat, swallowing her saliva.

“Daniel! Aren! Sit down quickly!”

The sudden change in her attitude caught both men off guard. They couldn’t tell whether people could really change that fast, or if it was just because she was a woman.

On the other hand, Rosebell was trying to clear her gloomy mood by eating something good.

The thick cream smell reminded her of pane bread right away. A creamy stew full of meat and vegetables also sounded perfect.

As expected, when she opened the menu, it was filled with detailed illustrations and dish names.

“I think anything with cream will be delicious!”

“The cream stew sounds good too,” Aren said.

“And this one—this tomato stew has a bit of spice. That looks good as well!”

They had been distracted by the surroundings for a moment, but hunger won in the end.

“May I take your order?”

A big, bearded man approached, and Daniel quickly ordered.

“We’ll take this, this, and this.”

His voice grew small as he hurriedly pointed at the menu. Watching him, Rosebell was reminded of their first meeting.

“Oh! Young Count! I didn’t recognize you since you were sitting with your back turned.”

“It’s fine,” Daniel replied.

She had heard he was a regular, but she never imagined he’d be such a shy one.

A table full of hearty food was soon set before them, and the three picked up their forks and knives with eager eyes.

The bread served with the stew felt unmistakably like bread from the Demetra territory.

It had clearly been lightly baked in a stone oven. The moment she dipped it into the stew and took a bite, it made a crisp sound. The nutty scent of butter deepened the flavor even more.

“Wow! This is really good!”

Seeing Rosebell’s eyes widen, the two men burst out laughing. They knew she was serious about food, but it still amazed them every time.

While other women worried about gaining weight, Rosebell worried about not being able to eat.

As long as it tasted good, that was all that mattered to her. She was even enthusiastic about developing new foods.

“Daniel, you’re so lucky. Your bread is delicious, and the food made with it is delicious too. You’re truly blessed!”

“Is it really that much of a blessing?”

“Of course! Eating well and living well is incredibly important!”

She was completely sincere. But the two men seemed to think she was just joking.

After eating until they were stuffed and leaving the inn, the scenery around them looked more vivid than before.

As she walked, Rosebell instinctively thought, This truly is the drug the world allows—carbohydrates!

Her steps were slower than before, but that allowed her to take in her surroundings more calmly and clearly.

Then her gaze lingered, full of regret, on the ink shop she couldn’t buy anything from.

“Huh?”

“What is it?” Daniel asked.

“No… it’s just… did I see something wrong?”

Something she had forgotten came back to her. This was a world inside a novel.

But she couldn’t be sure. The place where the Crown Prince met the female lead wasn’t here—it was at the autumn harvest festival.

A grand festival, celebrated almost like a national holiday. The Crown Prince went out in disguise and met the female lead there. He felt a strange attraction toward her and began to court her. That was how the story introduction went.

The pleasant meal suddenly felt heavy in her stomach.

Still, the female lead was described as having beautiful blonde hair and amber eyes—an appearance impossible to miss.

So why couldn’t she take her eyes off the woman who had hurriedly disappeared into an alley just now? It must have been because of the blonde hair.

No—more accurately, she couldn’t be sure she had seen correctly.

She thought about following her, but when Daniel suggested they leave, the chance slipped away.

The atmosphere clearly changed.

Before, the place had felt lively. Now, it felt heavy. The Count’s expression had also changed.

“May I ask what brings you here so suddenly, Lady?”

“What?”

The greeting sounded almost like an order to leave, and Rosebell was taken aback. Aren, also flustered by the unexpected situation, moved closer behind her.

If anything happened, he intended to protect her. After all, the Count’s eyes looked dull, lacking the vitality they once had.

“May I ask why you’ve come such a long way?” the Count asked again.

“Ah… Daniel said the barley harvest season is approaching, so I came to see the barley fields.”

As Rosebell spoke with the Count, a chill ran down her spine. His lifeless look felt deeply ominous.

At that moment, Sylphid spoke.

—Rose, don’t react. Just listen to me. You should be careful around that man.

After saying they would talk about the details later, Sylphid disappeared.

The Count replied with an unwilling expression.

“I see…”

“And there’s also something I wanted to ask you,” Rosebell continued.

“Something you want to ask me…?”

“I heard you’re planning to hold a large bread festival.”

As Rosebell’s voice sank, the Count visibly flinched. His shoulders trembled slightly, and he took a step back—his movements weak, unlike before.

Why did she feel so uneasy?

“May we talk inside?” she asked.

“Of course. But please don’t forget—the reason I made this proposal is because it benefits the Efrien family as well.”

At her sharp tone, both men swallowed dryly. Rosebell looked angry.

The Count didn’t seem to notice that. He only seemed to feel threatened.

Sunlight poured into the reception room. Normally, it would have been a perfect place to enjoy the warm light and the scent of Darjeeling tea.

But Rosebell had too much to say.

“It seems you thought the Efrien Ducal House was easy to deal with.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“Otherwise, why would you ignore my proposal and try to increase the scale on your own?”

Being underestimated because of her age was nothing new. But business was a different matter.

This involved money, and risking the territory’s future for personal greed was simply foolish.

She didn’t believe the Count didn’t know that. Not knowing what had happened after she left made it even more frustrating.

“We thought it would be a good opportunity to promote our territory… If we made it bigger, word would spread faster,” the Count said.

“Have you forgotten that this region is on the frontier?”

“Well…”

The Count fell silent.

Having the largest plain in the empire also meant being on its outskirts.

Even if word spread, it would only go so far. That was why she had planned to start small and rely on merchants’ word of mouth.

She couldn’t understand who had whispered such foolish advice into his ear.

“I understand wanting more as the lord of the territory. But after setting the entire annual budget, suddenly starting a massive project that wasn’t planned—what about the people who live here? Be honest. Weren’t you planning to raise taxes?”

“…Yes. As you said…”

“That’s irresponsible.”

Aren and Daniel felt frightened watching Rosebell press him without hesitation. They had never seen her this cold and didn’t know what to do.

Aren even thought it would have been easier to stop her if she had thrown a punch. But calmly crushing someone with words like this was beyond imagination.

“It’s not irresponsible! It’s to save the territory!” the Count protested.

“Aren’t this territory’s main products wheat and barley?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s exactly why I call it irresponsible. The people’s main source of income is farming. Making such a decision right before the harvest—did you truly think it through?”

Daniel felt this had gone too far. Even if his father was mistaken, he didn’t believe he deserved this level of condemnation.

“Rosebell, I think you’re being too harsh.”

“You should stay out of this, Young Count.”

The form of address changed.

Daniel felt his breath catch in his throat. He was shocked—Rosebell must be truly furious to change how she addressed him.