TOYLCG 45🍒

Chapter — 45

Melania had been in a bad mood for several days. The magic circle she had finally completed with so much effort had vanished in an instant.

It was unbearably frustrating that she couldn’t tell which human had done it. She also didn’t know the true identity of the human who was feeding her information. Still, that person’s goal was clear: to isolate the Efrian Ducal House.

“What do humans who know nothing think sorcery is? Stupid fools.”

Ever since she had fallen into this world, she had tried everything to meet the Crown Prince as quickly as possible, but he hadn’t shown himself even once.

Of course, she knew where their first meeting was supposed to happen. But waiting until then felt impossible—the situation she was in was simply too miserable.

The so-called privileges of a transmigrator who knew everything were annoyingly absent.

Still, at least she could use sorcery, and that was fortunate. Being able to control people’s minds freely was an extremely useful tool for her.

If the Crown Prince didn’t bend to her will, she could always twist him with sorcery.

Melania picked up an ink bottle and let out a sigh, trying to hide her irritation. Marquis Ophelia was her biggest customer.

And that marquis—who had become the head of the family despite being a woman—was destined to take in an adopted child in the middle of the story. That adopted child was none other than Melania herself.

Thinking that waiting for that time would take far too long, she had decided to act on her own.

Pretending to be the owner of an ink shop hadn’t been difficult. She had used portraits to create a false identity. Every night, she traveled around small villages, drawing magic circles and brainwashing the villagers’ minds.

Of course, since she still wasn’t fully skilled in sorcery, she had to disguise herself as an old woman—but that much she could endure.

Every time she visited the Marquis’s estate, Melania felt the same thing: it perfectly matched Ophelia’s taste.

“If you live in a place like this, you won’t suffer at all. You’d just live comfortably while others serve you.”

When she had first transmigrated as the female lead, she had felt like she owned the entire world. But knowing the full story made it far from pleasant.

Only after suffering endlessly did the character gain a little comfort. Melania had already lived through enough suffering in her past life. She didn’t want to repeat it.

“What is this…?”

The moment she entered the drawing room, she saw the two people she had encountered at the shop. Melania swallowed hard.

She used sorcery, but she had never tried to charm many people at once. Brainwashing took time, so if these were only temporary visitors, she had to be careful with her words.

“It seems you came while our grandmother was here.”

The moment she said it, Melania realized her mistake. That had been completely unnecessary. If her memory was correct, the woman in front of her should be the Efrian young lady. She was slightly surprised that a character who should have been dealt with early on was still alive.

No—more accurately, that character should have been infamous throughout the empire for her reckless behavior by now.

The woman’s overly calm demeanor, along with the observing gaze of the perfectly normal-looking man beside her, made Melania uncomfortable.

Had she made some mistake when they visited the shop?

Melania’s thoughts raced, but it seemed to be nothing more than her own anxiety.

Seeing them calmly choosing ink and chatting with Marquis Ophelia, she finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Next time, come visit the Efrian Ducal Estate as well.”

“If you invite us, we will gladly come.”

“Good. I’ll contact you soon.”

That commanding tone, so used to ordering people around—it made her sick with envy. Still, Melania kept her smile and lowered her head.

Melania counted how many ink bottles she had sold to the marquis. This time as well, she had sold quite a lot.

It wasn’t just about the money. It was the sorcerous energy sealed inside them.

The more the ink was used, the better her brainwashing worked, and the easier it became to control the emotions she sensed.

“I came planning to do a bit more while I was here, but this place isn’t suitable for that at all… How annoying.”

Melania kicked the seat of her shabby carriage with a dull thud. What came back was only old dust and the smell of mold.

“I’ll bring it up next time. If I don’t, I think I’ll go crazy.”

She was the type who wanted to enjoy everything others enjoyed. Even though her rise in status was guaranteed by the story, she didn’t need a Cinderella-style reward that came only after endless hardship. If she could pull that reward forward herself, she was willing to do anything.

After Melania left, the three began discussing paper.

“But Duke Efrian said he needs very thin, opaque paper.”

“Yes. It’s for the orchard. Of course, we’re not asking for it for free. We plan to make a contract and have it supplied every year.”

“This is a first for me… But what will you use that paper for? It won’t turn into compost. Is it for packaging?”

“No. More precisely, once the apples bear fruit, we plan to wrap them to prevent pests and disease.”

As Rosebell explained step by step, the marquis—who had been writing everything down—gradually lost focus in her eyes.

Rosebell noticed immediately and took her hand.

At the same time, Aren stood up and opened all the windows in the drawing room.

The scent of flowers flowed in with the wind, and Rosebell carefully released a controlled stream of purifying energy.

“Ow! Suddenly… my head hurts…”

When Ophelia clutched her head and curled up, Rosebell swallowed dryly.

She had adjusted the strength, but no matter how many times she experienced it, the sudden drain of mana was hard to get used to.

Crash.

The ink bottles shattered one by one, spilling ink all over the table. Rosebell panicked, but the sound snapped the marquis back to her senses.

“I… what was I…?”

“Are you all right?”

“Ah… yes. Are you okay?”

“I’m my mother’s daughter, after all.”

“Ah…”

The moment she heard the words “Ariel’s daughter,” Ophelia realized that something had briefly invaded her mind.

This wasn’t her first time experiencing something like this, and she had never thought that fact would be helpful.

The thought that it might happen again made her body tremble.

“It’s all right. Everything’s resolved now. But… does that girl named Melania come often?”

“I only call her when I need her. As you know, I run a paper business, so I’ve always been interested in ink.”

“Is it because it’s a specialty of Ritten?”

“No… I started collecting it while reminiscing about the days I wrote letters to Ariel, and it just became a habit…”

“Did my mother like it?”

Ophelia was momentarily speechless. There had been a time when Ariel asked her to decorate letters with fallen flower petals.

Not long after that, Ariel passed away.

Could it be that the ink she had gifted was the cause?

As Ophelia flinched, Rosebell gently brushed her arm.

“Father said Mother used it often too. So it probably isn’t what you’re thinking.”

At Rosebell’s words, Ophelia finally managed an awkward smile.

When she thought back on that time, her memories felt hazy, like fog. But one thing was clear—she remembered feeling a strange sadness every time she received a letter.

“Ariel… what did she say back then…”

Rosebell felt she might gain even the smallest clue. This was her chance. She desperately hoped Ophelia would remember.

“Marquis?”

“I feel like something’s about to come back to me…”

Ophelia tried with all her strength to recall those days. But what surfaced was—

…Be careful. It’s dangerous. …What you see isn’t everything.

She had warned her not to get close to people. She had said that appearances weren’t everything. As Ophelia spoke, Rosebell’s expression slowly stiffened.

“For now, please don’t use that ink. Use ordinary ink instead.”

“All right.”

“And I noticed there are a lot of fallen petals in the garden. Decorating your letters with those would be even more beautiful.”

“Ah…”

Ophelia’s eyes grew hot for the first time in a long while. The daughter of her only friend was comforting her with the exact same words.

She felt like she might burst into tears. At noon that day, she missed Ariel more than she had in a long time.

Unable to fully calm her emotions, Ophelia excused herself for a while. During that time, Rosebell and Aren began investigating the estate under the excuse of looking around.

Fortunately, they didn’t feel the same kind of ominous presence that had hung over the count’s estate.

“I don’t know whether to call this a relief or not…”

“But that woman… I’m not completely sure, but she seems connected to sorcery.”

“How can you tell?”

“The pendant and the bracelet. Sorcerers often wear bracelets made by weaving threads of many colors, infused with strong desires. And that pendant was far too ornate for a commoner.”

At Aren’s words, Rosebell fell into deep thought. Judging by the cover, the female lead had seemed overly innocent. Yet now she was tied to sorcery—what kind of absurd situation was this?

“Silphid.”

—Hello, Rose. Seeing your skills improve day by day moves me deeply.

“Thank you for saying that… but I need your help.”

—Go on.

“Please look into a woman named Melania. Just knowing what she’s been doing would be enough.”

—You do know that the more I move, the greater the burden on your body, right?

“Of course. Please.”

—Very well.

Without another word, Silphid disappeared. Instinctively, Rosebell began circulating her mana and steadied her breathing.