TOYLCG 43🍒

Chapter — 43

Someone saying “I’m fine” can actually mean they are not fine at all.
Duke Efrian learned that through Ariel.

By the time he realized it, Ariel had already left this world. That was why he could not help but be sensitive about Rosebell’s condition.

His daughter also belonged to the type who constantly said she was fine. After injuring her head, she seemed like a different person, but whenever he caught glimpses of her mother in her, the duke would flinch.

I might lose her too.

Wrapped in anxiety, the duke grabbed his daughter’s hand a bit too roughly.

“Never… ever lie to me.”

“Ow! Father!”

“Ah… I’m sorry. Still… you must never say you’re fine when you’re not. Do you understand?”

“O-Of course!”

Rosebell thought she understood why her father was overreacting. A daughter who possessed the same ability as her mother. His trauma might have been triggered by the fear that history would repeat itself.

“Your mother was like that too…”

“Yes?”

Duke Efrian remembered how his wife’s eyes would tremble when she lied, and how she would bite her lower lip tightly.

Rosebell was doing the exact same thing. It was almost ridiculous how similar they were.

But this time was different. This time, he would move. He decided to become a completely different person from the one who had made Ariel bear everything alone.

Marquis Ophelia paced back and forth through the mansion in her nervousness, ordering the servants to clean again and again. This had never happened before, so they were flustered too—but they assumed an extremely important guest was coming.

It had been a long time since the marquisate had been this busy, and even the servants found themselves strangely energized.

“Whew… Does she like sweet things? If she’s like Ariel, she’ll probably eat anything well… Ah, what should I do? I’m trembling so much I can’t stay still.”

She looked completely different from when she sent letters to the duke. When she asked him to send Rosebell and he came himself instead, she had been quite taken aback.

Still, she had welcomed his visit because it allowed her to hear stories about Rosebell.

Since Rosebell barely knew anything about her mother, the duke’s request—to tell her as much as possible—had pleased her.

If it was about Ariel, she could talk for three days and nights without rest.

After receiving advance notice from the duke, she had prepared various gifts.

She waited earnestly, hoping Rosebell would like them.

The servants smiled as they watched her unable to leave the window. It had been more than a decade since they last saw her wait for someone like this.

Her behavior reminded them of when the duchess used to visit, and they quietly hoped the young lady would come often in the future.

“They’re here!”

Seeing the marquis cheer like a child, the servants quickly returned to their positions.

The marquis adjusted her clothes as she watched the carriage approach from afar. Since this was their first meeting, she wanted to make a good impression.

Some might think this was excessive, but Ariel had been that precious and unforgettable to her.

She did not particularly like Duke Efrian, but because he was the man Ariel loved, she kept an appropriate distance.

After all, they had both lost the person most precious to them. They could comfort each other, but their deep wounds needed time to heal.

Moreover, from the marquis’s perspective, she did not want to blame a man who had been left to raise a young daughter alone.

No—more precisely, she feared that she might blame him, so she kept her distance even more.

When the carriage stopped and the door opened, moonlit hair appeared first. At first, Ophelia thought it was a woman, but upon seeing the uniform, she realized it was a man.

Then a familiar figure appeared behind him. Golden hair that shone even brighter in the sunlight captivated Ophelia.

It was a beauty completely different from Ariel’s. The man she had mistaken for a woman naturally escorted Rosebell.

A rich purple dress, matching her eyes, flowed beautifully with purple rose decorations.

“As expected—she’s beautiful!”

Ophelia loved beautiful things. That was why she enjoyed her current business as well.

Ability shown in work one truly loves reached a level no one else could imitate.

“Welcome, Lady Efrian!”

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you.”

Rosebell was startled when Marquis Ophelia rushed toward her before she could even state her name.

It felt like an aunt greeting a niece she had not seen in a long time.

“Thank you so much for visiting. Honestly, when Duke Efrian came first, I was so displeased.”

“…Pardon?”

“Oh hoho, we’re quite close, you see.”

Marquis Ophelia’s first impression was that of a very cheerful woman—though those who truly knew her would have been shocked to hear that.

“I see. I heard about it from my father.”

“Is that so? Shall we go inside and continue talking?”

“Yes! Ah, this is Aren. He’s in charge of my protection.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Aren. Thank you for allowing me to visit.”

“Welcome. Please take good care of our Rosebell from now on.”

At first, the marquis had planned to meet only Rosebell, but the duke had already explained why Aren needed to accompany her.

A man with an attractive appearance, remarkable abilities, and yet an orphan—she found him intriguing.

The three of them gathered in the reception room, where Rosebell began brewing the tea she had prepared.

“This is apple syrup made from apples grown in our territory. Since the syrup is sweet, we steep mint and dried apples separately and add them to balance the flavor.”

As Rosebell explained in detail, Ophelia’s expression softened, as if she were listening to a gentle song.

Watching them, Aren found the scene amusing.

One person was busy explaining earnestly, while the other was simply absorbed in admiring her face, no matter what she said.

It felt as though Marquis Ophelia had been waiting only for this day.

“You really look just like Ariel.”

“Ah… really? I don’t remember my mother’s face at all…”

Rosebell answered honestly. Even a fool knew there was no benefit in lying here.

“Didn’t your father show you any portraits?”

“…No. But I think he did it for my sake.”

“How kind-hearted you are.”

Unlike her formal manner at first, the marquis spoke comfortably now. She suddenly stood up and left the room for a moment.

Only then did Rosebell let out a sigh of relief.

“I feel strangely nervous.”

“She is an intimidating person.”

“She must have many memories with my mother.”

“She said she was the closest to her, didn’t she?”

“Yes.”

Rosebell poured the fully brewed tea into the apple syrup.

Like the purple rose decorating her dress, apple blossoms bloomed beautifully in the cup. The red and pale yellow colors looked like jewels.

“Maybe it’s because of the place… the tea looks especially pretty.”

“I feel the same. It’s prettier… and the aroma seems stronger too.”

Was it a matter of the heart?

At the ducal estate, she had simply focused on the taste, but here, she found herself paying more attention to the scent.

The faint fragrance of parchment and ink filling the room seemed to perfectly reflect the marquis’s taste.

“I’m thinking of decorating our mansion with fresh flowers too.”

“Out of nowhere?”

“They make everything feel fresher… and I think that’s why the tea smells stronger.”

Though she said that, Aren could tell Rosebell truly liked this place.

Wasn’t it the residence of someone just like her ideal self? She might even be projecting her future self onto it.

“I’m sorry! I made you wait. I brought some portraits. Here!”

“Thank you.”

Rosebell swallowed dryly as her heart began to pound. She realized she had more emotions about the concept of a mother than she had thought.

Perhaps these weren’t feelings of the present, but emotions from a time when she had no memories at all.

“She’s beautiful… even more than I imagined.”

The woman in the portrait wore a bright smile. With the same golden hair and purple eyes as Rosebell, she was surrounded by flowers.

Though it was just a painting, it felt vividly alive and radiant. Why did she seem like someone perfect in every way?

Rosebell, who had thought of her mother only as “someone who wasn’t there,” felt an inexplicable heaviness rise as she stared at the portrait, her eyes growing hot.

Ah… this is sadness.

The moment she recognized the emotion, tears began to fall.

Startled by the tears dropping one after another, Rosebell lowered her head, not knowing what to do.

“Here…”

As if he had expected this, Aren handed her a handkerchief.

Rosebell silently took it and pressed it to her eyes. She didn’t know why her chest hurt so much—but perhaps it was because her mother’s face looked so bright and innocent that it made her even sadder.