Chapter 172
Chapter 172
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Casual Visit to Mother's Room
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Mother, may I come in?"
I casually opened the door and asked that.
I'd been entering Rozalin's room frequently lately, so I knew well that she wasn't doing much at this hour.
I'd come to her room knowing full well what was going on from the start.
In a situation where there was truly nothing for me to do anyway, the only way to have any real fun was to drop by like this, so I had no choice.
"Yes, it's fine."
"Hehe... Then, excuse me for a moment."
With those words, I slipped into Rozalin's room.
Rozalin's room was always nice, no matter when I entered.
The traces of how I'd diligently decorated it before she first arrived at our mansion as my stepmother were still there.
And it had such a pleasant unique fragrance, so it couldn't possibly be anything but good.
"What were you up to?"
"Hmm... I was just glancing over some documents and thinking about having tea. I'd already sorted out all the tasks for the servants at the start of the month, so there wasn't anything else to do?"
"Ah..."
"Camellia, what did you do today? You seemed to be doing something with Lize this morning."
"Just organizing the papers in my room. I need to start throwing out the unnecessary ones..."
After entering the room, we exchanged mundane conversation.
Just everyday chit-chat... really nothing more than that.
We weren't handling business like before, and Rozalin had already taken care of most of the work, so it was simply sharing how we'd spent the day comfortably.
"But Camellia, no plans to meet friends during the break or anything?"
"Hmm... Probably not?"
"Really? Didn't you say you'd gotten close with quite a few at the academy?"
"That's separate—everyone's so far away, it'd just be a hassle to meet during break."
"Ah..."
Well, if I really wanted to, I could meet them.
Of course, it would be troublesome in all sorts of ways... but it wasn't completely impossible.
"Going north is way too far, and the Rosaki Family side... honestly far too, and the weather's summer, of all things?"
"True enough."
Rozalin knew full well how much I hated the heat.
Just last summer, I'd caught a cold from eating shaved ice alone.
"I could go see Ella, but she said the family has business this time."
"Then... yeah, meeting up right away would be tricky."
"Yes, so I'm just lounging around the mansion like this."
"Hehe, makes sense."
Honestly, part of me wanted to gather everyone and go somewhere.
But gathering them... would be pretty tough.
Even sending letters took quite a bit of time to arrive, so there was no helping it.
"Still, how about sending letters to your friends every now and then? They might even come down from the academy?"
"Hmm... Could be. Especially Ella—she's a lot closer. Might be fine to ask once."
"Hehe, good to know you're getting along well with your friends."
True enough.
Even I thought I was genuinely close with them.
With Grace and Ivana, whom I'd met at the academy, and even my old friends—all felt closer now.
I figured we'd stay close even after graduating the academy.
"You seem a lot closer with Lize than before too?"
"Hehehe... You think so?"
"You were always friendly, but lately it feels even more so."
Hmm... Really?
My relationship with Lize had always been great, so I hadn't noticed any huge change.
But while attending the academy, there'd been so many days I basically used her as a pillow.
Maybe that's why we'd grown even closer without me realizing.
Of course, even without that, we'd always been tight.
"But Mother got close with Teacher Ashley while I was away at the academy?"
Rozalin was commenting on me making friends and getting closer with Lize, but I had a point to make too.
Nothing major, of course.
"Honestly, I never thought you'd get that chummy with the teacher."
"Really?"
"Your ages are similar and all... but you'd barely spoken before?"
"Ah..."
Personally, I'd always wanted Rozalin to feel a little less lonely in the family.
She hardly ever talked to anyone besides me.
I'd hoped for an environment where she could relax more in the family, in the mansion...
But after she actually befriended Ashley, I felt a bit off about it.
No clue why that thought crossed my mind.
"With you gone, it was too boring. Couldn't help it."
"Really?"
"Hehe, you have no idea how dull it was without Camellia."
"Yeah...?"
"You usually liven up the whole mansion, but you even took Lize with you? It got way too quiet."
Hmm.
Hmm...
Felt kinda nice.
Yeah, it made me feel so good that my lips curled up without thinking.
"Ah, Mother. Tomorrow I'm thinking of going out with Lize to buy some clothes. Want to come along?"
"Camellia inviting me first? How could I say no?"
"Just in case. If you're busy, postponing a day or so is no big deal."
"Hehe, nothing like that. It'll be nice to shop together after so long. But what kind of clothes?"
Truth was, it wasn't like I lacked variety.
I had plenty of shirts, pants, dresses by type—but my body had grown quite a bit since then.
So I had to buy some to a certain extent.
Meaning, not buying wasn't an option.
"The clothes I'm wearing now don't fit quite right? The thighs... and here too..."
I slightly lifted the cardigan I was wearing to show Rozalin.
Just a shirt underneath, but because it was small-sized, it clung tightly in all sorts of ways.
"...Definitely."
"Right?"
"Yeah... it does seem small...."
"So I can't just not buy new ones."
Well, they weren't so small they were unwearable.
Of course, the tightness made them uncomfortable in various ways, but like half a size too small?
"For now... you should probably button the cardigan at least...."
"Hehehe... Got it. Can't risk a cold. I wouldn't walk around without it even in this cool room."
Rozalin had already nagged me plenty about that sort of thing.
Anyway, my height spurt wasn't bad at all.
I actually liked that I'd grown taller, that my body had developed.
Before, even peers' standard sizes had felt too big on me, which bummed me out in various ways.
Yeah, this was definitely better.
"Does Mother need any new clothes?"
"Me...? Nah, not really...."
"Hmm... Still, wouldn't hurt to look at a few? You always wear the same black dresses."
"It's just my taste."
"Ah."
We'd shopped together often before, but Rozalin mostly stuck to black dresses.
They suited her so perfectly that I personally had no complaints...
But I hadn't realized it was her actual preference.
"So that's why you wear black dresses almost every day?"
"I don't dislike other clothes... but aren't these pretty?"
"Of course they are. Anything Mother wears has to be pretty."
"...That's not what I meant."
"Hmm..."
But they really were pretty—I hadn't thought much beyond that.
Sure, they were similar styles every time, but they were so stunning.
They were too beautiful for me to even consider calling them anything less.
"But Mother, you're so pretty to begin with that even a plain dress just makes you look elegantly beautiful."
"Really...?"
"Yes, and black suits you best anyway."
"Does it...?"
One thing I was absolutely confident about: black was the color that suited Rozalin most.
Black was generally safe for most people, sure.
But on Rozalin, it was exceptionally perfect.
"How about we buy all black tomorrow too?"
"Should we...? If Camellia says so, it might be fine."
I was holding back a laugh inside.
Rozalin was subtly unaware of just how stunning she was.
More precisely, she didn't seem all that interested in her own looks.
I'd hardly seen anyone as beautiful as her, yet she didn't see herself that way.
It was almost ridiculous.
But the way her face lit up subtly when I complimented her appearance... it was so cute.
"So, when are we going shopping tomorrow? Morning might be tough."
"Hmm... When works best? I've got plenty of time either way."
"Then how about going after lunch with Lize?"
"Sounds good."
Time didn't really matter much.
All I wanted was to hang out with Rozalin and spend the day together.
That was it.
Personally... I really wanted to maximize my time with her before heading back to the academy.
Since once I did, I wouldn't see her for a while again.
...Hehe.
Of course, I didn't voice thoughts like that—even I felt a bit embarrassed to say it aloud.