TOYLCG 41🍒

Chapter — 41

Trying too hard to calm her mind had only made things worse. Even so, Sylphid didn’t give up and kept circling around her.

As the air around her grew fresh, Rosebell finally began to breathe slowly. The tension left her clenched fists, and the strength drained from her tightly shut eyes.

“Hoo… I’m okay.”

This was self-suggestion. The eyes and hands that hadn’t matched back then—she still didn’t know why she had felt fear at the time. But one thing was certain now.

She wasn’t alone.

Only now did she truly realize it. So then, what should she do next?

She had to find a way to solve this problem without informing the Duke.

—Use me. I’m using you too.

While chewing over Sylphid’s words, Rosebell steadied both her body and mind.

Aren had noticed that Rosebell had been avoiding him for several days. But since he had decided to wait, he didn’t say anything.

When people think too much, they sometimes fail to notice what’s around them. Rosebell seemed especially prone to that.

“Should I go see her this time? Just leaving things alone won’t solve anything, right?”

He felt hurt that Rosebell hadn’t come looking for him. But if he went to her without a plan, he wouldn’t know what to say either.

Though he didn’t realize it himself, Aren had changed a lot. He had grown to the point where he could think things through and reach conclusions quickly and simply.

Even so, when it came to Rosebell, he was still the Aren of the past. Worrying about someone he cared for was his weakest point—more fragile than any other emotion.

On top of that, his mana control had improved enough that he could manage it on his own. In other words, she didn’t strictly need him anymore.

The thought that his role might be disappearing filled his head with mixed feelings. And yet, he had a strange confidence that she wouldn’t abandon him.

Whenever Rosebell was involved, his mind froze up and turned more negative and complicated than ever.

Because of that, he stood there stupidly, not even noticing the presence that he would usually have sensed right away.

“Aren!”

Before he could even turn around, Rosebell’s hand struck his back. Smack! A sharp pain spread through his entire body.

“Aaagh! Are you crazy?!”

His tangled thoughts cleared instantly. In front of pain, pointless worries meant nothing.

“You seem lively enough. Your face looked pale earlier, like someone about to die.”

“Damn it, you could’ve just called me! Why hit me?!”

“Just because. I’ve finished sorting things out in my head. Let’s talk.”

“I was just about to come find you anyway.”

Aren swallowed dryly as he looked into Rosebell’s clear, sparkling eyes. He liked being looked at by those pretty eyes—but he was afraid of what might come out of her mouth.

What had made his thoughts so complicated in the first place?

To make matters worse, all of this was happening while the Duke was away from the estate. It was only natural to feel tense.

“Let’s have some tea and talk calmly first. This isn’t something that’ll end quickly.”

“Alright.”

For the first time in a long while, the two of them sat face to face, fidgeting with their teacups. Aren waited for Rosebell to speak.

“First, the reason I didn’t say anything for a few days was because I needed to organize my thoughts, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not what you think it is. So don’t worry.”

“What do you think I’m thinking?”

Aren asked without realizing it. Rosebell let out a deep sigh. Right now, he was swinging between heaven and hell over her every word and action.

“Do you remember what happened in Ritten?”

“Ah… things got strange after the ink incident.”

“That’s right.”

“Why did that happen?”

Aren wanted to ask whether she had started thinking about leaving him back then. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask—because he thought it might actually be true.

But what came out of her mouth was unexpected.

“The owner there was strange.”

“The owner? She was just an ordinary old woman.”

Rosebell had expected Aren to say that. If she herself didn’t have the habit of instinctively observing people, she might not have noticed either.

Of course, she had started paying attention because she thought she needed to find a sorcerer—but still.

She couldn’t be completely certain that the woman used black magic. Even so, what Rosebell had seen, and the fact that the spirits couldn’t use their power properly, meant a lot.

“The hands of an ordinary old woman wouldn’t be as smooth as mine.”

“What?”

Aren’s eyes widened in shock. As people age, wrinkles appear.

And the easiest places to see that are the face, the neck, and the hands.

“So I decided. I’ll borrow Sylphid’s power.”

“Sylphid’s power? Will you really be okay?”

More than anything else, Aren worried about Rosebell’s condition. Of course, there wasn’t much he could do for her right now.

“That’s why I’m training harder—to be okay. You might not know this, but I’ve been practicing mana control early every morning lately. It’s better than I expected.”

“Still…”

“Don’t you think I’m better than before?”

“That’s true.”

Watching Rosebell’s mana control improve day by day gave Aren a lot to think about.

At some point, Rosebell had stopped asking him to teach her things. Once she figured out the basics on her own, she handled the rest herself. Aside from occasionally asking about changes in her body, she no longer asked him about mana control.

“I was worried because it felt like you were focusing only on me, so this is a relief. But on the other hand, I think things are about to get busier in a different way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think it’s time to send you out more. How much sword training did you get from your father?”

“I’m not at an advanced level. But the Duke said I’ve improved a lot.”

“Is that so?”

Rosebell smiled as she looked at Aren, who had grown so much. She wondered if this was how a mother felt when watching her child grow up.

“For now, I think it’s right to tell the Duke about this. It’s not something the two of us can solve alone. And you can’t keep relying on Sylphid forever, either.”

Aren was right. No matter how much power she borrowed from the spirits, there were limits.

“But where did Father suddenly go? He’s not even at home…”

The Duke’s absence made Rosebell anxious.

She needed to tell him—but the head of the family was away. It was maddening.

The Duke, whom Rosebell had been anxiously waiting for, didn’t return until late in the evening. He looked haggard, as if he had gone through something very difficult.

“Father! Where have you been?!”

“Ah… Rosebell.”

“Are you sick? Your face looks—”

“I was put through a bit of trouble, but I’m fine. But what’s going on? You look like you have something to say.”

“I do have something to tell you, but please rest today. Let’s talk tomorrow.”

“That works out. I also have something to say to you.”

“Then please rest for today.”

Seeing how completely exhausted the Duke was, Rosebell couldn’t bring herself to speak. Still, his fatigue didn’t feel unpleasant somehow. Instead, she felt oddly relieved.

Early the next morning, Rosebell came to the training grounds as usual to practice mana control.

“Hoo…”

“You’ve become very stable.”

“Father?”

Rosebell was surprised to see the Duke appear at the training grounds in comfortable clothes. She accepted the apple he handed her.

“Do you know the saying that an apple in the morning is the best medicine?”

“Yes, I do. But is it okay to just eat it like this?”

“Well… there are people who waste things without a thought, so this much should be fine.”

Since the Duke muttered the last part, Rosebell didn’t hear it clearly and asked again.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Just eat it. You’ll have a lot to do from now on, so you need to take care of your stamina first.”

“Yes!”

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Compared to yesterday, the Duke looked more relaxed than ever. That made Rosebell worry whether it was right to bring this up now.

Of course, before this conversation, she should probably hear about her mother—but she could already imagine how that calm expression would change.

Still, there were things that had to be done.

“I’ve made contracts with all the spirits.”

“I see.”

“Aren’t you being awfully calm about it?”

“Your mother was the same, so it’s not that surprising to me.”

“I see. Then that means you’ll tell me about Mother now, right?”

The Duke nodded with a faint smile. He lightly shook the apple and said,

“Shall we finish eating this first and then talk?”

“Here? Sitting down?”

“It won’t be a long story. I doubt you’re curious about our love story, anyway.”

“…Well, I am a little curious.”

The daughter chewing her apple seriously while thinking other people’s love stories are fun amused him. Realizing that she had only been pretending not to care all this time, the Duke took a deep breath in and let it out.

At that moment, the morning air felt especially clear.