Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Steamy Bath Together
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I ended up spending more time outside with Rozalin and Lize than I had anticipated.
My original plan had been to grab lunch, do some shopping, and head back to the mansion... but we stayed out until dinner.
"Whew..."
I was pretty tired.
We hadn't walked an insane amount or anything... but it was still tiring.
I don't usually go out much, and today I was out for a solid six or seven hours.
Of course I'd be exhausted.
On top of that, it was summer... so naturally...
"Ugh... haa..."
I was beat.
It had been a ton of fun, and I was personally super satisfied, of course.
"...Gotta shower, too."
It was evening, but summer meant I'd sweated a lot while wandering around outside.
My shirt was soaked through on the back.
I'd just gotten to my room, so I hadn't changed yet.
It'd definitely be better to wash up properly before changing.
Yeah.
I was hot from all the walking and tired to boot... but I still needed to clean up.
"...Should I call Lize?"
She'd probably sweated too, so she'd need to wash up anyway.
I slowly got up from the chair, deciding to head to her room and suggest we shower together.
*
"Haaah..."
"Are you very tired, Young Lady?"
"Maybe because we walked around so much today? I'm a bit worn out."
I was heading to the bathroom with Lize, carrying just a change of clothes.
When I went to her room, she happened to mention she was about to shower too... so we decided to go together.
The servants' bath isn't bad at all, but the grand bath in the mansion is way better.
It was a nice bonus for her to join me and use the nicer one.
"Today... thank you."
"For what?"
"You were supposed to spend time with Madam, but you took me along too... and we went out together. You even paid for my clothes.... That's what I meant."
"Oh, that?"
I was honestly caught off guard when she suddenly thanked me.
I'd barely given it a thought, and here she was bringing up something minor like it was a big deal.
"Don't worry about it. I wanted to go out with you from the start."
"Still..."
"Spending time with Mother is great, and hanging out with you is great too. So that's why we all went together."
This was true.
Two of us would have been fine, of course, but three was way more satisfying.
That's why I'd suggested we all go out today.
"Mother really likes you too, right? She's different with you than with the other maids."
"That's true, but... that's because I'm your maid, Young Lady. Isn't that why?"
"Hehe, nope."
Rozalin was genuinely kind, sure, but she wasn't some naive pushover.
She could be pretty... well.
You could tell just from how she talked about the Rose Family.
"Anyway, just relax about it. We like you, that's all. So we go out and have fun like today, and buy you stuff."
"...Understood."
Lize still felt burdened by my generosity toward her, but she did her job so well and helped me so much.
Spending money on her didn't faze me at all.
If anything, I wanted to spend more.
"Man, it was hot out there. This shirt I bought today is already soaked with sweat."
"...I'll have it laundered after we shower."
"I wasn't saying that—I meant it was hot today."
"True... it was hot. The mansion is nice and cool inside, but outside..."
"Pfft... right?"
We chatted like that in the changing room before entering the bath, slowly starting to undress.
We'd actually sweated, so our clothes were damp.
"Haa... We really did too much today. After washing up, I need to relax in the bath...."
"You should wash your body first, then soak."
"Yeah, you're right."
With that exchange, Lize and I entered the bathroom.
The mansion's bath was always ready for use, so as soon as we opened the door, warm steam enveloped us.
"Whew..."
"Young Lady."
As we made our way deeper inside, Lize called out to me.
She was probably about to offer to help with my bath, but I wasn't in the mood.
"Lize, no need to attend me. Just wash up beside me."
"...Understood."
She'd been out walking all day too, so she had to be tired.
I wanted her to relax, so that's why I said it.
"...Camellia?"
"Mother?"
As we continued our talk and went further in... we ran into Rozalin, who was already washing up.
What.
Caught off guard, both she and I froze for a moment.
Her pure white skin contrasted sharply with her dark hair, making her body stand out even more.
For just a split second—really just an instant—my eyes were drawn to it without thinking.
"You're washing up...?"
I shook off the weird thought that popped into my head and spoke first.
It felt like I should.
"Yeah. We were out all day, so I was sweaty too, right? You are... aren't you, Camellia?"
"Yes, so I came with Lize to shower. I didn't expect you to be here, Mother."
"Hehe, I see...? You surprised me a bit, coming in so suddenly."
She'd thought she was alone, relaxing, and then people showed up.
I was a little flustered myself, so I got it.
"...Shall we wash up first?"
My eyes kept wanting to wander inappropriately, but I had to say something.
Otherwise, it'd be awkward in all sorts of ways.
For now... I'd shower and cool my head.
*
"Puha..."
I was soaking comfortably in the warm water... staring up at the ceiling.
Turning my head sideways would just make things worse in every way.
"Young Lady, if you need a towel, just say so."
"No. This is fine for now."
"I see..."
After cleaning up thoroughly, we slipped into the bath.
Not just me—Rozalin and Lize were soaking with me, all relaxing together.
I'd shared the bath plenty with just Rozalin or just Lize.
It had happened a lot since I was little, and I'd gotten somewhat used to it... but not now.
"...Hoo."
Having Rozalin and Lize on either side of me felt strangely unfamiliar.
I couldn't help sneaking glances without meaning to.
They were totally at ease, unlike me... but I'd been self-conscious since earlier.
"Whew..."
Look one way, and Rozalin's breasts were floating on the water.
Look the other, and Lize's smooth waistline glistened wet.
...Every direction was impossible to ignore.
I'd thought I was used to this kind of thing, but apparently not completely.
Living as a woman but still seeing women that way... it wasn't like I could just shrug it off completely.
"......"
Yeah, that'd be weirder.
They were stunning beauties I'd known since childhood, so familiarity helped... but they were still gorgeous.
Married woman and maid or not, our age gap wasn't that big, and finding them pretty and attractive wasn't an issue at all.
"Camellia."
"Yes, Mother."
"You had a blast today, right?"
"...Yeah. It'd been so long since I lost track of time having fun."
I'd thought I'd outgrown feeling shy talking to Rozalin around age ten.
Guess not.
Even normal stuff made my face heat up for some reason.
And with the current situation, my heart had been pounding since earlier...
"I had such a great time with you and Lize after so long. I'd love to do more, but... I have things to do."
"Can't be helped..."
I kept answering without looking fully at Rozalin.
I didn't want to stare at their bodies and feel guilty.
They couldn't read my mind, but weird thoughts kept bubbling up that I couldn't voice.
"Lize, you had fun too, right?"
"It was more than I deserved."
"Hehe, seeing Lize say that means you really enjoyed going out with Camellia today."
"Haha... Glad to hear it."
Just a bland response.
I spat it out wearing the mask of normalcy, the ordinary, the everyday.
Picking the most normal thoughts from a head suddenly filled with stuff I'd ignored before.
"They said all the clothes we bought arrive tomorrow... Wasn't strolling the market a ton of fun?"
"Yeah, it was. Hadn't done it in ages, and there was way more to see than before."
"Hehe, true."
Rozalin had scooted closer beside me as she spoke.
Earlier, she'd been talking from a distance, so I hadn't glimpsed her body... but now I couldn't avoid it.
"Before break ends, how about we spend more time together? I'm so bored with you at the academy."
"That sounds... nice..."
...My eyes kept drifting downward.
Rozalin chattered away beside me, oblivious, but my gaze wandered on its own.
I knew I shouldn't, but still...
"......"
...This is driving me crazy.
My eyes kept sliding toward their bodies without my control.