Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Future Living Arrangements
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To cut to the chase, Ivana ended up heading back to the Northern Region.
She was about to officially become the head of the Nordal Family soon, after all, and there was a ton of work waiting for her.
Until she left, we spent our nights tangled up in pleasure and our days relaxing leisurely... making sure she could truly unwind and enjoy herself.
I wanted to spend a little more time with her, deep down.
But there wasn't much I could do about it.
"Yawn..."
"Camellia, feeling sleepy?"
"A bit, yeah. I haven't gotten much sleep these past few days, so that's probably why."
"Well, Lize did complain that cleaning your room was a nightmare every time. Can't blame you."
"You've been chatting with Lize about that?"
"Hehe, turns out she's getting along surprisingly well with Ashley too?"
"Oh..."
That was news to me.
I knew Rozalin occasionally talked with Lize, but I hadn't expected those kinds of conversations.
Was Rozalin even more open-minded in this area than I'd realized from the start?
She'd even said it was fine to be somewhat open about our relationship with others.
In so many ways, she turned out to be way bolder than I'd thought.
"Ivana has some pretty intense tastes, more than you'd expect. It just kinda happened one thing led to another."
"Hmm... Intense how? Now I'm curious if you're putting it like that."
Lize knew because she came in to clean the room, but Rozalin was still largely in the dark about Ivana's preferences.
Just knowing it was "intense" didn't reveal the specifics.
Ivana had given her okay anyway, so I figured I'd just tell her.
Plus, I was a little curious what Rozalin thought about that kind of rough play herself.
"Ivana likes getting hit."
"...Huh?"
"Spanks on the butt, slaps on the breasts. She loves it every time."
"...Huh?"
"Oh, and choking too. She's really into that."
"...What?"
Rozalin looked a bit... broken after hearing me out.
Like she couldn't process it.
Maybe she wasn't quite as open to this stuff yet?
On the other hand, it wasn't exactly incomprehensible.
"It's just a thing."
"Oh... I see...?"
I decided to gloss over it vaguely.
Not everyone was well-versed in these matters, after all.
Sure, plenty of nobles in the empire had wild sex lives, but Rozalin wasn't there yet.
If anything, the promiscuous one was... me?
"You don't need to worry about it, Mother. It's not exactly a common kink."
"I suppose...?"
"Yeah, neither you nor Lize are into that sort of thing, right?"
"True, but... it's just kinda fascinating."
"Wanna give it a light try sometime?"
"...No thanks. That's a bit... scary."
"Pfft... Fair enough?"
SM play wasn't exactly commonplace or familiar, after all.
I got it, and I had no intention of pushing Rozalin into it.
We had plenty of other fun things we could do together without it.
"Um... Camellia? Can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?"
A few days had passed since sending Ivana back north.
Nothing major had happened; we were just passing the time like this.
Spending slow days with Rozalin or Lize, and steamy nights with Ashley now and then.
"Those... girlfriends...? Partners?"
"...Pardon?"
"You know, the people you get intimate with. Starting with me, then Lize, Ashley, and even Ivana."
"...Ah, yeah."
Why bring this up out of nowhere?
Rozalin rarely initiated talks about my harem, so it piqued my interest even more.
Harem—still felt weird saying it out loud, but that's what it was.
Trying to describe my relationships with all these women any other way would be way harder.
"So... how many more are you planning to add?"
"...Ah."
"I'm not forcing you or anything, but... they all like you so much that they're okay sharing with others, right?"
Cautiously.
But earnestly.
That was Rozalin as she broached the subject.
"It's your heart leading you, but... I don't think expanding it recklessly is a good idea. Your body isn't infinite—it's just one, right? If you go overboard... it could turn out badly."
"...I understand what you're saying. I know it well myself."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course. Even with Ella and Ivana, I worried about you, Lize, and Teacher Ashley."
I'd always had some concerns about that.
That's just how harems worked, right?
Not one-on-one, but one against many.
Naturally, the others could feel anxious, worried, or uncomfortable—not just me.
Just recently, I'd felt a silly twinge seeing how well Rozalin got along with Lize.
"So I have no plans to add people willy-nilly. Probably... keep it to around ten at most...?"
"...Ten?"
"...Kidding, kidding."
Rozalin's eyes widened in genuine shock, so I backpedaled quick.
It was a joke, but her reaction showed she hadn't even imagined ten.
Fair enough—ten was a stretch.
"I'm just thinking of pulling in the Rosaki sisters—Older Sister Karen and Grace. No plans beyond that."
"So... seven in total?"
"Yeah."
Seven.
Honestly, even that felt like a lot to me.
But backing out of the Rosaki sisters now? That'd be such a waste.
Lately, Karen was wielding some real influence in the Rosaki Count Family—not quite on Grace's level, but more than expected.
The count family's eldest daughter, who used to stay veiled from high society, quiet but incredibly capable.
And honestly... Karen herself said my influence was huge in her coming out of her shell.
No one paid her much mind before; she flew under the radar.
But I'd been friends with her since we were kids, helping her open up a bit...
Not that everything I did was scheming to bed her or anything.
Still... letting some other guy swoop in on her now? No way in hell.
"I'll really stop there. I haven't even thought about anyone else."
I loved women, sure, but I wasn't into just anyone—and I sure as hell wouldn't neglect the ones I cared about.
"But what about later?"
"What do you mean?"
"You'll keep staying at the Leonhardt Mansion, right? Meeting count family daughters and dukes here?"
"...Why?"
"The Rosaki Count Family and Nordal Family... they're so far away. Too much trouble to visit constantly?"
"Uh... yeah."
The question of what to do.
The distance to Rosaki and Nordal territories.
Probably...
"Are you saying we should find a place where we can all live together?"
"Wouldn't that be better?"
"Hmm..."
"Of course, from me to Ella, we're either together or nearby. But the other three? Way too far. Especially Ivana—it's a huge trek."
She had a point.
Getting from the north to here took Ivana forever.
Even at top speed, a week minimum.
That meant pulling all-nighters nonstop, which was impossible.
"Hmm..."
Yeah, this was something to think over more.
Just like Rozalin said, the distance was killer.
Not right now, but eventually... it'd be smart to set up a place where we could meet or live together.
Somewhere the far-off three could easily reach.
"...Ah."
"Thought of something good?"
"What if we topple the Rose Family and take their territory?"
"...Huh?"
"We're planning to crush them anyway, and the plan's already halfway there. They're practically done. Why not just claim their territory?"
"......Huh?"
Rozalin looked baffled, but I was half-serious.
It was totally doable, and snagging the Rose territory wouldn't be that hard.
"Once everyone there gives up on succession, you could take over as head, right Mother?"
"No way..."
"You'd be the head of the Rose Count Family."
"......."
Rozalin just froze, mouth agape at my words.
Pretty shocked, huh?
Couldn't tell.
I'd just blurted it out on the spot, so I had no clue her reaction either.
But it wasn't impossible.
"Oh, right—I forgot. Gotta send a letter to the Rosaki Family."
"Huh?"
"Forgot after Ivana left. Need to write to Older Sister Karen and Grace."
Rozalin stayed stunned longer than expected, so I threw that out to change the mood.
I'd planned more one-on-one time with her anyway.
It lightened the atmosphere a bit.
And she probably needed more time to process.
"Already calling them?"
"Better early than late. Plus, I don't wanna come back and find them cozying up to someone else."
"True... that'd sting."
Anyway, Rozalin had brought it up suddenly.
But figuring out a shared living spot with the women I loved... yeah, worth some deep thought.
My offhand Rose takeover idea wasn't a full serious pitch.
Though razing the place after dealing with the bitches who tormented Rozalin? That I was dead serious about.
"Yawn..."
For now, better give her time to mull it over.
I shifted the vibe casually and spent the time cuddling with Rozalin.
Once the Rosaki sisters arrived, these long intimate sessions with her would get trickier.
Someday, no more sneaking around—free to touch Rozalin, Ella, Lize, everyone, all out in the open...
Just imagining it got me hard.