Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! - Chapter 46

“The person I brought is Princess Meldenique.”

“We brought her here together.”

With the words from the two, Hildegart and her followers had shocked expressions. Everyone seemed to be curious about how someone like me enticed the two children.

On the platform, I lifted the clutch I was holding tightly.

The clutch had magic to make it big inside.

I pulled out a transparent box.

Inside the transparent box was pink and blue cloud like cotton candy.

“Wow, a big square came out of a small bag!”

I gave Melissa 20 cotton candies that looked like they were ripped off from blue clouds in the sky. And I gave a special pink cloud that looked like the sunset to Axion.

The two children started running around the hall with bright cotton candy sticks that were handed to them.

“We prepared these, so taste it!”

“Mel and I worked hard on it, so hurry and try it.”

Melissa and Axion handed out the candy I handed to them one by one as if they were carrying torches.

If they said it was a product I developed, no one would have tasted it. However, if it were Melissa, a princess of a powerful family, and Axion, a royal prince, it would be different.

The children and adults quickly forgot their disapproval and accepted the cotton candy.

In the midst of the brief disturbance, Viscount Telin raised his body and approached me.

He was certainly sent by Hildegart, who sat next to the president.

With a mean smile on his lips, he approached the podium and whispered.

“I can’t believe you thought of bringing those little things. Isn’t it too crude?”

“What do you mean crude. Watch your language. They’re gifts for the children.” I looked him straight in the eye and answered back sharply.

“W-what did you just say…?”

He looked quite flustered.

Even though I was the young lady of a Duke, my attitude of always using honorifics to him changed completely.

“For you, who has invested a lot of money for this debutant, this whole thing may feel like nothing.”

When I accepted it mildly, Viscount Telin’s eyes narrowed as if he could see my true intentions. But I didn’t have anything more to say.

“Check it well.”

As soon as I said that, a secret shadow moved at my feet very quickly. It was a subtle move that no one noticed. Something began to move, where Viscount Telin, who was right next to me, couldn’t see. A flash of light was seen briefly at the central table, where the phantom stones were, but then disappeared.

‘It’s complete.’

I took a long breath, as if to release the mana around my heart. My mana was quickly released around me.

One, two three.

The children’s mouths opened after tasting the cotton candy I made.

Of course, the ace I prepared wasn’t just cotton candy.

In a way, the cotton candy was just a medium. It’s soft and fluffy, so it’s a medium that would bring back memories.

A strange voice, both naughty and old, rang in my ear.

<Did it.>

I nodded almost imperceptibly to the voice.

Madame Hildegart created a spectacular stage, and just in time, I got mana.

Hildegart frowned as everyone who ate the cotton candy, smiling happily.

Looking at her anxious face, Viscount Telin grabbed my arm roughly.

“What is it, Meldenique?”

I smiled as I took off his arm gracefully.

“If you’re curious, do you want to try one?”

I took out the cotton candy left in the transparent box and handed it to him.

“What? I don’t even know what you did to it!”

‘No, you were the one who did all sorts of cowardly things to me, but why are you saying that to me?’

Instead, the president of the academy approached the podium.

“What in the world is going on? What is this? It’s like a cloud!”

“It’s called cotton candy. Please try it.”

The gray haired man took a piece of the cotton candy off with his finger and put it in his mouth.

The president’s eyes, who was mumbling and eating the lump of sweet sugar, sparkled. Then his gaze became blurry without focus.

“My God…”

“What’s wrong?”

Behind Despite Hildegart’s sharp old voice, the president was silent. I asked him in a soft voice.

“How is it?”

“I see a beautiful meadow and a flock of sheep in front of this. I’ve always wanted something like this.”

His grand dream was to further revive the academy. But what he really admired seemed to be a peaceful retirement.

“There’s something like a star in my mouth. It’s splashing, what is this?”

“It’s a small star candy I named ‘shooting star.’ It temporarily amplifies the amount of mana every time it splashes in your mouth.”

“W-what did you say…?”

Hildegart was frozen blue. Viscount Telin also looked surprised.

‘I have no mana and money, so you never thought I’d invent something like this.’

I spoke slowly, waving the cotton candy in both my hands.

“It is made with novice alchemy. Unlike the phantom stone, it allows you to have nice dreams.”

“Y-you?”

Hildegart cut off her words.

How dare you stand in my way? You’re just from cursed blood with no mana, what happened?

…those thoughts seemed to echo in my ear.

“Yes. That’s right.”

I grinned brightly from ear to ear as I looked at her.

Viscount Telin stumbled back to Hildegart’s side. He seemed to need time to organize his thoughts.

The sweet cotton candy melted softly and sweetly in their mouths. The shooting stars in the cotton candy began to pop in their mouths.

Everyone began to have pleasant dreams.

I stepped off the podium and looked straight forward.

The children who were alone, the children who were with friends, and the adults, were all smiling happily.

***

The young lady of Marquis Minnfeld, Aria, an intermediate art major at the Academy, had no friends. So throughout the petite debutant, she sat alone at a table in a strange place.

She was killing time by twisting her hair.

‘…I’m bored.’

No matter how great the phantom stones were, she didn’t pay much attention to it. In the first place, art had no big relationship with mana amplification. On top of that, it caused terrible nightmares, so there’s nothing worse than that.

She let out a big sigh when she saw her postcard painting disappear from the center of attention without much repercussion.

‘There are a lot of cool things.’

Aria had low self-esteem and was an alienated child with no friends.

For her, whether it was the petite debutant or not, it was just a bothersome event.

‘Should I just go sleep?’

Likewise, when the little princess and prince gave her cotton candy, Aria didn’t think much of it.

But the cotton candy that she ate without much expectation was really weird. The candy melted gently in her mouth, and she enjoyed the blue star-shaped candy that splashed in her mouth.

As soon as she took another bite, memories of her happy past came to her eyes.

“Is your name Aria Minnfeld?”

“Yeah.”

“Your drawing is really nice. It’s not the style of art that’s in right now, but I’m sure there will be someone who will appreciate your value someday.”

She heard the voice of her classmate who recognized her. It was awkward right now because they were divided in different classes, but they definitely had a close relationship.

Aria swallowed another mouthful of the cotton candy.

The tremors and excitement of holding the brush for the first time filled Aria’s heart. It occurred to her one by one why she decided to major in art.

Three minutes later, Aria opened her eyes with a fresh face. The other friends sitting across the table also had their eyes closed with gloating smiles.

‘I think I’m glad I came.’

Aria still had no friends. The fantasy shown by the magical cotton candy had long been released. But instead of negative emotions in her mind, positive thoughts filled it.

‘I want a draw a nice picture that gives hope.’

Aria was a pessimistic child, but nevertheless, she was encouraged by the good memories she recalled.

Aria plucked her courage and rose. She walked toward a friend who made the cool stuff she saw earlier.

“Hi.”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to tell you that the jewelry box you showed earlier is very pretty.”

That day, for the first time, Aria approached a classmate.

“Oh, really? Thanks! But what’s your name?”

“Aria. Aria Minnfeld.”

Fortunately, the results were successful.

She made a new friend.

Aria smiled broadly at the friend in front of her and thought about the magic of the cotton candy.

‘It’s really like magic.’