TOYLCG 38 🍒

Chapter — 38

It felt like I was walking alone through a long, endless tunnel.

My head was ringing. I could hear someone talking, but I couldn’t tell who it was.

—Rose, are you okay?

—It’s Elaim’s fault for not explaining things properly in the first place!

“Ifrit, watch your words. Elaim was just doing what he had to do.”

—Sylphide… What should I do? I guess this happened because of me.

Rosebell realized why her head was ringing.

“Ugh, my head is pounding, so be quiet!”

At her sharp words, the spirits fell silent.

Her face was far too pale to calmly ask if she was all right. She had used the powers of all four spirits at the same time—there was no way she could be fine.

The only good thing was that, unlike before, she woke up fairly quickly.

“Rosebell!”

It was Aren’s voice.

“Ugh… My head hurts. How long was I asleep?”

“Three days.”

“That’s fortunate.”

It sounded strange to call it fortunate, but in a way, it truly was.

Because Aren had thought Rosebell might never wake up.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. My head’s just a little dizzy.”

Rosebell shook her head lightly and tilted it side to side. A sharp cracking sound echoed.

She looked at Aren, feeling a bit embarrassed. But his face looked even worse than hers, even though she had been asleep for three days.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“I stayed by your side the whole time, just in case… I shudder at my own incompetence…”

Aren bit his lower lip and gave a bitter smile.

Rosebell understood how he felt. Still, she believed people needed to know what they could and could not do.

Otherwise, they would drown in negative emotions, blaming themselves for things beyond their control.

“I just did what I could. And I believe that someday, you’ll be able to do what I couldn’t. I trust you, so don’t think like that.”

It was the best comfort she could offer in his moment of despair.

“Will there ever be a day when I can truly help you?”

“You’re already a great help.”

“I am?”

“How do you think I would’ve made it back if you weren’t there?”

“Ah…”

Aren seemed lost in thought. The words must have comforted him, at least a little.

“By the way, weren’t the Count and Daniel shocked?”

“Oh! Right. That’s what I meant to tell you.”

“What are you talking about?”

They said the purification effect from the day Rosebell collapsed had also reached the Count.

He had returned to the state he was in when he first arrived at the estate. Daniel, too, had been startled by his father’s sudden recovery.

Rosebell heard that both of them had turned pale when they saw her being carried on Aren’s back, soaked from head to toe in rain.

“That sounds amusing.”

“You think that’s funny?”

“Well… I don’t know who it is, but doesn’t it feel like someone is deliberately spreading malice, as if they know all my movements?”

“Isn’t that just speculation?”

“Is it?”

Aren clicked his tongue, and Rosebell wondered if she might be overthinking things.

The Count had been suffering from a strange mental fog, making decisions he would never normally make.

Even conversations with his son felt wrong. On top of that, recalling the princess’s rude behavior during her visit made his head spin.

He felt trapped inside his own body when, suddenly, a heavy rain began to fall—and his mind cleared.

Not long after, he found Aren and the princess soaked by the rain and nearly collapsed in shock. Their clothes were caked with mud, and their faces were so pale it wouldn’t have been strange if they had collapsed at any moment.

“Your Excellency, you really must act like an adult now…”

“Still, I can’t express how relieved I am that my father has returned to himself.”

As the saying goes, blood runs thicker than water. Daniel focused more on caring for his father than on Rosebell.

“I thought something was wrong with me too, so it must have been even worse for you.”

“But how did it suddenly happen?”

“I don’t remember very clearly…”

He remembered being a traveler heading to Lytton, but after speaking with a woman who asked him for directions, his memories disappeared.

Thinking back, it was strange. Why would he casually give directions to a stranger on a narrow path inside the Count’s own estate?

It felt as though he had been possessed. He couldn’t properly remember that day at all.

He wondered if Rosebell would believe him—but everything he said was true.

“Your Excellency, the Princess has awakened.”

“Ah! I’ll call the doctor at once. Please wait just a moment—”

“There’s no need. I’m fine. I just slept too long. If it’s all right, could you prepare a meal for me?”

Her smile was as bright as a clear blue sky. It was completely different from her expression during her first visit.

“Of course! Please wait a moment. Daniel, I’ll prepare the tea first.”

“Yes.”

Daniel stared in disbelief at Rosebell, who looked perfectly healthy. He couldn’t believe this was the same person who had worried everyone by sleeping like the dead for three days.

A faint scent of apple mint tea filled the drawing room. It seemed like a gift Daniel had just taken out for her.

“What if I just bring out the tea I prepared myself and drink that?”

“Isn’t that something you shouldn’t drink?”

“No, that’s not it. I meant to serve it to important guests. Or when I feel anxious…”

“I think the tea I’m drinking right now is already calming me.”

Rosebell smiled. The relief of seeing the princess awaken made the tea taste even better.

When people eat while anxious, they can’t truly taste the food. The human body was that sensitive.

Rosebell set down her teacup and waited for the Count to arrive.

“Your Excellency, are you feeling better?”

“As you can see, I’m fine. I am hungry, but while the food is being prepared, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

The two men looked terrified, as if the moment they had been dreading had finally arrived. Aren quietly stared into his teacup.

Those who had seen Rosebell truly angry knew one thing: it was better to stay silent and listen.

“Your Excellency, you seem very different from a few days ago. May I ask what happened?”

“Ah… well…”

The Count honestly explained what he remembered. He had guided a stranger along the path that Rosebell and Aren had taken down.

At those words, the two froze and swallowed dryly.

“Do you remember what the woman looked like?”

“I don’t remember clearly. It was strange, but I remember talking as if everything were completely natural.”

The two men realized the woman must have been a sorcerer. However, there were no immediate clues.

But why would a sorcerer target this place?

It was nothing but open plains, not a territory favored by the Emperor.

It was simply one of the lands under the goddess’s protection.

“For now, if you remember anything else later, please tell me.”

“Ah… yes.”

“And since I’m here, I think we should definitely go ahead with the bread festival. What do you think?”

“Do you still believe you can help me, even after what I did?”

“Just remember—there won’t be a next time. First, let’s prepare it in time for the barley harvest. You’ll be harvesting soon anyway, right?”

“Yes. Spread the word among peddlers and merchants traveling between territories that we’ll be holding a harvest festival around that time.”

“All right.”

“I think making flyers would also be good. Distribute them throughout the territory to draw attention.”

The Count nervously fidgeted with his hands, afraid to miss a single word. Rosebell smiled as she watched Daniel follow his father’s lead and take notes.

At last, everything seemed to be returning to normal. Just a few days ago, even Daniel himself had been afraid of the Count.

“What else should we prepare besides flyers?”

“Set up tables. It would be best if they’re low enough for people to see the food being made. Even better if the smell of cooking draws visitors in.”

“If we’re talking about street food, all we really have is bread…”

Rosebell stared at the Count in disbelief. It was absurd for him to say that in a place where bread itself was the greatest strength.

“The main goal is to make the territory known. But it will also bring people here to buy bread.”

The Count blinked, wondering how many people would really come just to buy bread. Rosebell immediately continued.

“Don’t forget this estate’s strengths. If you package bite-sized apple pies, pastries, and madeleines and sell them individually at low prices, people will line up just from the smell of butter and bread.”

The Count was doubtful, but this was a situation where he had to take a risk to gain something.

And the moment he tasted the street food Rosebell prepared, he admitted how foolish his doubts had been.