Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Relaxed Bath
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Compared to my childhood, it was true that the burden and reluctance I felt toward doing things with Rozalin had diminished quite a bit.
After all, several years had passed.
Naturally, I'd spent a lot of time with her, so it made sense that things had improved.
-Rustle...
"Hmm..."
Well, we'd even gotten into the habit of sharing baths pretty often.
In conclusion, it wasn't as nerve-wracking as I might have thought.
I was a little flustered, but... it was just washing up together, right?
So, the end result was me slowly undressing in front of the bathroom door where Rozalin had gone in first.
"Hmm..."
Was it because I'd finally come home after so long?
She probably just wanted to chat with me after such a long time, so she suggested we bathe together.
There didn't seem to be any other reason to bathe together.
Anyway, once I was fully undressed, I wrapped a shower towel around myself and opened the bathroom door.
Even though it had been a while since I'd last come in, the interior was still filled with steam, just as always.
"Phew..."
It had only been half a year, but coming back to this house after so long...
It really felt no different from before.
"Camellia, have you come in?"
"Yes, I have."
"Then why don't you come over here?"
Rozalin said that after hearing the door open.
I slowly made my way toward the sound of her voice.
Past the huge tub, past the small tub, I arrived—as always—at the shower area.
"You haven't washed yet?"
"It's been so long since I've bathed with my daughter. I wanted to scrub your back and have a nice long talk."
"We have plenty of time to talk even if you didn't wait..."
"It's fine. Come over here quickly."
"Phew... Okay."
Rozalin could be surprisingly stubborn.
For now, I decided to go along with what she wanted.
It wasn't as if being washed by her was some huge ordeal.
She was my mother, after all—there was no reason to feel weird or embarrassed about it, right?
"How's the water temperature? Not too hot?"
"It feels fine. It's good enough as is."
"Hehe... That's a relief. Shall we get started? If it gets uncomfortable at any point, you have to tell me."
I smiled and answered her question, and she began slowly wetting my back.
It felt just like always—no different from usual.
Exactly the same as when she used to wash me before.
Just the ordinary routine of directing the water from the magic tool at me and gently stroking my body with her hands?
"Your hair seems longer than I thought."
"Yeah, I guess it has. I haven't cut it in a while."
"It's probably down to your waist now... almost to your hips?"
My hair had definitely grown a lot.
I'd kept it long since childhood, but lately it had grown even more, so Rozalin couldn't help but comment.
"Honestly, it is a bit inconvenient... but you and Lize keep telling me not to cut it."
"That's true. Still, it would be a shame, wouldn't it? Such beautiful hair."
"That's why I haven't cut it."
"Hehe, good. It really would be a waste to cut it."
As she spoke, Rozalin gently touched my damp hair.
My hair was definitely in great condition.
It had always been smooth and healthy, and Lize took meticulous care of it every day.
"But if I keep it like this, won't it reach all the way to my feet by the time second semester starts...?"
"Hmm... Yeah, probably. But we can cut it before then. I think?"
That was true enough.
It felt just a tad too precious to chop off right now, at this length.
Letting it go past my waist to my hips and then snipping it all off felt... a little regrettable.
Of course, I wasn't planning to grow it out to absurd lengths or anything.
"But don't you always keep your hair long, Mother?"
"Yeah, I do."
"Even when you were little?"
"Oh... no, not really. I actually started growing it out after graduating from the Academy."
"Really?"
Huh.
That was more surprising than I'd expected.
Rozalin with short hair? I could hardly imagine it.
Sure, she must have had short hair as a little kid, but still... it was unexpected.
"So you didn't grow it out before that? It's so pretty."
"Yeah. Back then... it was hard to keep my hair long for various reasons."
"...?"
"I told you before, remember? I didn't get along with my family. Things were just... tough all around."
"..."
Yeah.
This seemed like a sensitive topic.
It was probably tied to that time she got drunk and confessed she was the Rose family's illegitimate child.
"That makes sense."
"Of course, I was pretty active back then, so short hair was actually more convenient."
"Ahaha..."
Well, she said she was fine with it.
She probably was.
Honestly, I felt a little uncomfortable whenever Rozalin talked about the Rose family or her status as an illegitimate child.
It was one of those things that just... rubbed me the wrong way, regardless of how she felt about sharing it.
"But does it look better long to you too, Camellia?"
"Yes."
I answered simply.
Rozalin really suited long hair much better.
I had no idea what her short hair looked like, but her signature braided style always struck me as elegant.
What was the word? Poise? She definitely had it.
"Hehe... That's good to hear."
"Even so, Mother... I bet you'd look amazing with short hair too."
"Should I try cutting it short next time?"
"If that's what you want, it wouldn't be bad at all."
Personally, I preferred long hair over short, but for someone as beautiful as Rozalin, it probably wouldn't matter.
Hmm... actually, it might suit her.
Yeah, she could probably pull off a ponytail right now, or whatever else.
Anyway, we finished bathing while chatting like that.
I offered to wash her in return, but for some reason, she turned me down, so it ended with just her washing me.
After that, we relaxed together in the tub before heading back to my room.
"Hmm..."
It definitely didn't feel as embarrassingly intense as it used to.
That was my take once I was back in my room—things had truly changed since childhood.
Seeing Rozalin's body or having it touch mine... when I was little, that stuff really embarrassed me.
But today, having her wash me felt completely natural.
"Actually... I..."
Unlike before, I even found myself thinking it might be nice to wash her body once in return.
She'd washed me plenty of times over the years, but the other way around? Never.
Maybe just once, I could wash her myself...
"Hmm. That sounds kinda pervy."
It was just a thought to myself in my room, but yeah, it came off pretty perverted.
Touching her body like that—what else could it be?
"Hmm..."
Anyway, the conclusion was clear: I'd changed a lot from my childhood self.
If little me had been bathed like this today, I'd have bolted halfway through from embarrassment or insisted on doing it myself.
That much I was sure of.
Back when I first met Rozalin, in those early days, I really was that shy around her.
"...Well, it's a good thing."
I decided to think of it positively.
It basically meant I could treat Rozalin much more comfortably now.
I'd liked her from the moment we met, but comfort was a different level altogether.
"Hmm..."
For now... I just wanted to sleep.
It was probably because I'd traveled by carriage all the way from the Academy to the mansion, and that inn where Ella and I rested midway was worse than expected.
I'd slept on all sorts of beds and tried many out, but one thing I could say for sure?
This bed I was lying on right now was incredibly comfortable.
"Phew hee..."
It was so good, I felt like it was a waste for me to have it all to myself.
Even the top-of-the-line beds at the Academy couldn't compare—it was better than high-end.
"Should I call Lize..."
She must be tired from traveling down with me.
It made me a little sorry seeing her dive right back into work the moment we arrived, and calling her now to relax together while I wiped her sweat...
"Ah. But it probably isn't hot enough to sweat here?"
Thanks to Ashley's air conditioning magic covering the whole mansion.
She might not be sweaty at all.
Of course...
"That doesn't mean I'm not calling her."
With that thought, I got right up from the bed.
I'd just showered, so I felt fresh and clean, and yeah, sleepy too, but...
During my time at the Academy, I'd always slept cuddled up with Lize.
Sleeping alone without her felt a little lacking somehow.
And lately, I was pretty sure she wouldn't refuse my invitation to spend time in the room.
"Lize?"
With that, I slipped out of my room and began searching the mansion for Lize, who was working somewhere inside.