Chapter 249
Chapter 249
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Rozalin's Perfume
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Watching how I treated Lize and Ashley, Ivana didn't say a word.
Seeing that made all sorts of thoughts run through my head.
Honestly, I'd thought she'd say something to me, even just a little.
But no, she just let the moment pass in silence.
"Mother, what are you up to?"
"Oh, you're here."
"I got bored, so I came to visit."
Ivana had been resting comfortably in the warm room and ended up dozing off.
Now, to spend even a little time with Rozalin, I'd come to her room.
I could have shown off my relationship with Lize and Ashley openly to Ivana.
But showing this side of my bond with Rozalin so blatantly still didn't feel right to me.
"Hehe, did you get tired of being with Lady Ivana? Coming straight into the room and clinging so cutely like this."
"It's because I haven't spent time with you, Mother."
"Hehe..."
The moment I entered Rozalin's room, I nestled right into her arms.
She'd just been sitting there comfortably, reading a book, doing nothing in particular.
Like I'd told her, it was because we hadn't spent time together.
Our relationship had shifted, and now she accepted me, but because I'd been focused on seducing Ivana... I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret at the lost time.
Sure, we'd enjoyed ourselves before Ivana arrived at the mansion.
"Mother, did you put on perfume today?"
"Hm?"
"It's quite different from your usual scent."
While nestled against her and breathing in, I caught a fragrance that was noticeably different from normal.
Not 100% different, of course.
Subtle... but definitely a sweeter vibe than usual.
"I... tried spraying it just once...?"
"Ah."
"Is it weird? I thought maybe you'd like it more, Camellia, so I gave it a try..."
"I like it. It's a bit sweeter than your usual scent, I'd say."
"Really...?"
It was just one of those actions from Rozalin that gave me so much to think about.
She'd sprayed perfume herself, wanting me to like it more.
She'd never done that before, which made it all the more heartwarming.
Rozalin usually didn't wear heavy makeup or use perfume.
She stuck to similar outfits most days, living in a routine that never changed much.
For the Rozalin who'd always been like that to spray perfume now—using me as an excuse, as a reason—it was impossible not to smile.
And she'd only done a light spritz, which was adorably cute too.
"It's a nice scent to savor. Like this... *sniff*..."
"Then I'm glad."
"*Pff...* So sweet."
Still nestled against her, I buried my nose right into her neck.
Behind the faint rose scent I always caught, there was now this added sweetness.
"You sprayed perfume to look good for me, right?"
"...Yes."
"Because you want to look good for your daughter, spraying perfume like this. And wearing something a tad more revealing than usual?"
"......Yes."
"You're such a pervert?"
"...Don't you prefer things like this, Camellia?"
"Well, yeah."
I answered with a laugh.
Because it was true.
Seeing Rozalin like this honestly got me a little wet.
If I slipped off my panties and checked right now... it wouldn't be drenched, but that certain spot would definitely be damp.
Just enough to notice.
"And... you're smiling like this."
"You're enjoying it way too obviously."
"Hehe, seeing your reaction... I'm just relieved our daughter likes it so much. Honestly, I wondered if I was being too pathetic."
Pathetic?
Hearing that word from Rozalin's mouth was absurd.
What she'd done wasn't pathetic at all—it was the furthest thing from it.
Honestly, the moment I entered the room, my eyes had gone to her outfit because it was pretty, even though it was just a slight increase in exposure from usual.
And the sweeter scent that hit me when I nestled into her arms? It was still so good.
"You could do even more."
"Really...?"
"Yeah. Why would I hate seeing you like this, Mother? I'd actually be happier."
"Then I'm glad."
"You're doing this to appeal to me because you want me to like it, right? Of course I'd love it."
Rozalin doing this for me said it all.
She wanted to be pretty for me.
It might sound a bit self-centered, but I didn't think it was wrong.
In a relationship, dolling yourself up is basically to charm and be loved by the other person, right?
"Part of me wants to just go for it right now, like this."
"...Really?"
"Of course. You know how much I like you, Mother. And you're going this far for me. How could I not want to?"
"...I see."
Rozalin nodded slightly, smiling.
Honestly, I wanted to pounce.
Regardless of Ivana napping nearby, I wanted to start right here in Rozalin's room.
Keep going until dinner, until she collapsed from exhaustion.
But...
"We can't do it in the middle of the day, though. And with Lady Ivana in the mansion right now, we'll have to hold back a little."
It sucked, but what could we do?
Rozalin had said last time it might be okay to show our relationship a bit.
But I still didn't want to show this woman off to others.
Sure, it wasn't ideal, but I wanted these cute moments—and the nighttime ones—for my eyes only.
I didn't want to flaunt her to people with no connection to us.
"...Camellia?"
"Yes? What is it?"
"What if... just 10? 20 minutes... wouldn't that be okay? You said Lady Ivana's sleeping right now."
"......."
Rozalin took my hand gently as I nestled in her arms, saying this.
Her face flushed a bit as she spoke, wearing a shy expression.
...I couldn't help it.
Sorry to Ivana, who might be asleep in her room by now or already awake.
*
"Lady Ivana, you're awake?"
"I just woke up a bit ago."
When I returned to the room, Ivana was letting out a small yawn.
Of course, she quickly closed her mouth the moment I entered.
Anyway, I'd had a fun time while she slept and come back to my room.
Judging by the yawn, she'd really just woken up.
Even if not, there was no way she'd know what I'd done earlier.
"The room's so warm, I just... fell asleep."
"*Pfhehe*, I see?"
"...Yes."
Was she embarrassed about dozing off on her own?
Ivana made that excuse with a slightly sheepish look.
"You came here to rest anyway, Lady Ivana. If you can relax in my mansion, that's great."
"...Yes."
"It's not like the business stuff is that demanding anyway."
"......."
She had no counter.
The actual work wasn't much.
Separate from using the business as an excuse to lure her here to strike at the Rose Family, there wasn't a ton to do.
The real reason I'd invited her was something else entirely from the start.
"Still, falling asleep like that makes me feel a little bad."
"It's fine. I just want you to feel at home in my mansion, Lady Ivana."
"Even so."
"It's okay. Just relax. I even stepped out of the room briefly while you were sleeping, right?"
"...Got it."
Honestly, I was curious what Ivana was thinking right now.
Coming to my mansion, seeing all the sides of me I'd shown so far—what did she make of it?
Stroking Lize's hips, smacking Ashley's butt.
Not exactly everyday behavior.
"Hmm..."
Should I just ask?
No, it felt a bit premature.
"By the way, the room's so warm. No need for such thick clothes, right?"
"...?"
So I decided to show rather than tell.
Sitting idle just because it was awkward to bring up wasn't my style.
There were plenty of things I could gauge without asking outright.
"Don't you think so, Lady Ivana?"
"At this temperature, it just feels comfortably warm..."
"Hmm... really? I figured since you live in the cold Northern Region, you might be weaker to heat than I thought."
"I'm actually more sensitive to cold."
"Hmm...?"
So that was her deal.
One curiosity satisfied.
But thinking back to how she wore thin clothes every summer at the academy... maybe she was sensitive to both heat and cold?
That was my guess.
"Lady Ivana, didn't you always walk around in your uniform up north? Wasn't that cold?"
"I have to endure it. I'm from the Nordal Family."
"Ah..."
That made sense.
Northerners had to project strength to others.
I'd gotten that vibe plenty when I visited the north before, so I remembered it well.
Strong over weak, cold over warm, steadfast over easily swayed... that kind of impression dominated.
That was probably why Ivana always wore those sharp, chilly-looking uniforms.
"I'm way more sensitive to heat, personally."
"Ah... yeah, I can see that..."
"I like warmth, but I hate actual heat. So I'm just going to take off my coat for a bit."
"...Pardon?"
I gave her the heads-up and promptly started unbuttoning my shirt.
I had a camisole underneath anyway, and underwear too.
Plus, I'd show her even more revealing outfits and sides later.
We'd already bathed together recently, so she'd seen plenty of my body.
"It'll just be for a little while, okay? Once I cool off, I'll change right away."
"Ah, um..."
"The other servants in the mansion all say it's warm. It feels hot to me, though. *Pfhehe*..."
"...Yes."
At my announcement, Ivana... could only answer quietly, saying nothing more.
Thanks to shedding my clothes, my thin, short camisole revealed my cleavage more easily, and she started sneaking little glances at it.