Chapter 166
Chapter 166
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Refreshing Morning at Home
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"Young Lady, it's time to wake up."
"Ugh...."
Unlike usual, the first thing I felt upon waking was a refreshing coolness.
When I woke up in the Academy dormitory, there was always that distinctive stuffiness... The Magic Air Conditioner truly was divine.
It had been so long since I'd opened my eyes to a cool morning like this....
"Hmm.... So cool...."
"Shall I let you sleep more?"
"No.... I should get up. It's been ages since I came home. Sleeping in on the first day would probably get me scolded."
"In that case, please get up now. I've already prepared your bath."
It felt strangely novel in many ways to greet such a refreshing morning after so long.
The room change played a part, but the cool air filling the room was truly wonderful.
"Phew...."
I definitely needed to learn this magic properly during this summer break.
Last summer, I was a bit short on time and couldn't master it, but now I wanted to make sure to learn it from Ashley this time.
Still half-asleep with a fuzzy mind, I left the room with Lize and headed straight to the bathroom.
It was practically the same as when I first returned home.
Yesterday, after coming back, I'd bathed and spent the time napping comfortably.
I figured today would be the same.
"Young Lady, this way for a moment."
"Yes."
"Your hair is on your face."
"Hehe...."
The first morning back at the mansion after so long felt far more comfortable than expected.
It even reminded me of why I wanted to come home when I first went to the Academy.
"Young Lady, how do you plan to spend today?"
"Just lazing around normally? It's vacation, after all."
"That sounds nice too, but how about spending time with Madam today? I heard she smiled a lot after you returned to the mansion yesterday."
"Really?"
I hadn't heard that story.
I'd been napping, so I didn't know, but I hadn't expected Rozalin to be that happy.
Lize probably chatted privately with the other maids, which was how she found out.
"Hmm.... Well, I've got plenty of time anyway."
It didn't really matter.
If anything, Rozalin probably had quite a bit on her plate....
Things were different from before; she had more duties around the mansion now, so asking her to clear her schedule outright felt awkward.
For now, I'd just savor the pleasant fact that she was happy I was back.
We'd have breakfast together anyway, and lunch, and dinner.
No rush... it should be fine.
*
"What are you up to today, Camellia?"
"Hmm.... I thought I'd chat a bit with Teacher Ashley since it's been so long, and wander around the mansion to pass the time."
"That sounds good. It's been almost half a year since you came back, after all."
"And if I end up with too much time and nothing to do, maybe look over some documents.... That's the plan."
"Hehe, it's only been a day since you got back. Aren't you working too hard?"
"You're right about that."
Breakfast with Rozalin was the same as always.
Our usual meal, chatting just the two of us.
It felt distinctly different from meals with William, which was why I personally preferred it.
William was my biological father, sure... but our relationship was awkward and stiff.
"Does Mother have a lot on her plate today?"
In any case, I much preferred these times with Rozalin, where we could talk so freely.
She'd always been far more comfortable and pleasant than William, which was the biggest reason.
"Hmm.... It's summer, so I plan to have the servants clean the garden."
"Summer does bring out the bugs.... That makes sense."
The south was especially hot, and in this weather, bugs were inevitable.
Garden cleanings had to be done diligently on a regular basis during summer.
That was probably why Rozalin was doing it.
"And you hate bugs, Camellia."
"That's true."
"Better to clean properly than have you get bitten wandering outside or even inside the mansion. That's the idea."
"Oh...."
Yeah.
It felt kinda nice.
Rozalin probably didn't think much of it... but honestly, it made me happy.
It was like she was looking out for me.
She'd always cared for me a lot, so it wasn't like this drove me wild with joy.
Just... nice, you know?
"Um... Mother?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"If you're done with everything today, do you have anything else after?"
"Hmm.... Probably not?"
I see....
I'd assumed she had a ton of work.
But contrary to my expectations, it was less than I thought, which surprised me a bit.
"Then, would you like to go out together this evening?"
"This evening?"
"Yes. I want to spend time with you after so long."
I didn't usually suggest going out like this.
But after hearing about her from Lize this morning, and since I did want to spend time with her...
We hadn't seen each other for months, only exchanging letters.
"What do you think?"
"If it's what you want, of course it's fine. I'm actually glad you suggested it first."
"Really...?"
"You rarely say 'let's go out together' first, Camellia."
...Well, yeah.
Even I knew I didn't usually bring up going out to Rozalin first.
She was always the one suggesting it to me.
"Where to?"
"Just dinner or something...?"
"Hehe, that sounds lovely. We can stroll around together and spend some intimate time. I love it."
"I'm glad."
In the end, it was a relief that Rozalin accepted my suggestion so readily.
She liked me enough that I didn't need to worry about things like this anyway.
"How about we go after the garden cleaning, once the sun sets?"
"Hehe, you want to wait until sunset to avoid the heat, right?"
"Yes."
I'd admit what needed admitting.
No matter how much I wanted to go out with her, the heat was unbearable.
*
After breakfast, I headed to Ashley's room.
I had the promise with Rozalin, but that was for evening anyway.
It had been ages since I'd seen Ashley too, so I needed to greet her.
Separate from greeting Rozalin after arriving yesterday, I hadn't seen Ashley.
"Still such a heavy sleeper."
I'd greeted Rozalin after returning, but hadn't gotten around to Ashley.
The reason was obvious: Ashley kept sleeping.
"Phew...."
She was ridiculous in so many ways.
Even when I first met her, I didn't think she was the culprit, but over time, it only got more absurd.
She probably wandered a bit during my nap, then went back to sleep when I woke up.
*Knock knock.*
"......."
No response to the knock.
She was probably asleep again.
I'd already finished breakfast, but this was Ashley.
She'd likely sleep straight through until after lunch.
Of course, I had no intention of waiting around—I just opened the door.
"Pfft."
"Hmmnya...."
As expected, Ashley was still fast asleep.
Hugging a pillow the perfect size for cuddling, looking utterly comfortable.
Rozalin had piled work on her for a while, but I wondered how this sleepyhead managed.
Not that I felt too sorry for her; she'd been coasting on her salary comfortably before.
"Hmmng...."
She didn't even notice me entering, just sleeping so peacefully—it made me want to prank her a little.
It was so absurd how soundly she slept through my arrival that I poked her cheek.
"Ughhh...."
"No matter how I look at it, she acts even younger than me."
"Huuu...."
"Even more childish than Grace."
This felt spot on.
Grace was cute, but not to this babyish degree.
Separate from adoring her older sister, she didn't throw tantrums much.
If anything, she acted like the older sister, looking after Karen.
"Teacher?"
"Uht...."
I tapped her arm instead of her cheek and spoke.
Not that the sleeping Ashley would wake from that.
I'd probably need to do it ten times or more.
"Hmm...."
What would it take to wake the Ashley on the bed?
I thought for a moment... but gentle methods didn't seem likely to work.
So, the method I chose was...
"Teacher."
"Hnnght...."
She was lying on her side, facing the ceiling, so I leaned close to her ear and whispered.
Lize had acknowledged it: my voice was quite nice.
Not super low or a high-pitched cute tone, but definitely pleasant.
"How long do you plan to sleep?"
"Hnnght...?"
"Your student came to see her teacher after so long, and you're just going to keep sleeping?"
Whispering right into her eardrum like that, Ashley's reactions grew stronger bit by bit.
A little more, and she'd probably wake... or so I thought.
"...Hmm."
A sudden idea popped up.
I was already close to her ear, speaking, and could see it clearly...
"Hmm...."
Licking her ear might startle her too much, right?
But she wasn't showing much sign of waking despite that.
*Lick....*
"Eek?!"
Just the tiniest lick on her ear with the tip of my tongue, and Ashley jolted awake in shock.
Hmm, so this was the answer after all?