Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Lazy Morning with Mother
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"Zzz..."
"Haaaam..."
I really went all out having fun yesterday.
It started with just having dinner, but we got so excited that we kept going, and in the end, we didn't even go to our rooms—we just crashed right there in the central area.
It wasn't just me; Ashley, who had already been sleeping, Ella and Karen who were chatting away with me, and even Lize were all out cold.
"...Maybe we stayed up too late."
They were sleeping so deeply that they wouldn't notice if someone picked them up and carried them off.
They were all covered with blankets, sleeping so comfortably that I felt bad waking them, so I left them be and got up quietly on my own.
"Huu..."
Leaving my sleeping friends and teacher behind, I got up by myself and took a sip of water first.
By the way, who put the blankets on us?
Looking at everyone sprawled out on the floor without a care, it didn't seem like they did it themselves.
We were all sleeping in the villa's central space under blankets—everyone except one person.
Rozalin.
"...Well, figures it would be her."
After piecing it together, I headed straight up to the second floor.
If she wasn't down here, she had to be sleeping in one of the rooms up there.
*Knock knock.*
"Mother, may I come in?"
Rozalin wasn't the type to sleep long; she actually slept pretty lightly.
I'd never gone to wake her up first thing; usually, it was her coming to wake me.
She was definitely awake by now.
*Come in, Camellia. Of course.*
I heard her permission from inside, so I went right in.
Just as I thought—she was up.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I slept great, naturally. What about you, Camellia? Was the floor uncomfortable?"
"Thanks to the blanket you put over me, I slept just fine."
The wooden floor was a bit hard, but it wasn't uncomfortable or anything unpleasant.
Honestly, I didn't even remember falling asleep last night, so it didn't even cross my mind.
"Good to hear. Hmm... Want to lie down here with me?"
"Pardon?"
Rozalin, who was lying in bed, suddenly invited me like that.
She even pulled back the covers a little.
"Come on, Camellia?"
"...Sure."
It was Rozalin inviting me, after all.
She was my mother, and she was the one asking me to join her—I couldn't just ignore that.
I'd come into her room in the first place to thank her and pay her back for her kindness.
Lying down in the same bed as her and listening to her shouldn't be a problem... right?
"...Mother, why did you ask me to come in...?"
"I just wanted to be close like this? We haven't been this close lately, and it's been so long since I've just relaxed with you."
"...You don't have to go this far."
"I've been jealous watching you have so much fun sleeping next to Lize lately."
"........"
I had nothing to say to that.
It was true—I'd been keeping a little distance from Rozalin, but I'd actually gotten even closer to Lize than before.
I had my reasons for keeping that distance from Rozalin.
From her perspective, she couldn't help but feel a bit hurt.
"...What book were you reading?"
She'd been holding a book just a moment ago.
Not anymore, of course, but I felt like I had to say something.
"Just a novel. Nothing super famous, just some random one from the bookstore."
"I see...?"
It felt awkward asking, and her answer made it hard to follow up.
She had been reading it until I came in, but she'd closed it and set it on the nightstand beside her.
What was I supposed to say next?
Talking to Lize was so much easier.
"Are the kids outside still all asleep?"
"Yes. They're all still out."
"They stayed up late chatting last night, so it's better to let them sleep in."
"...How long did you sleep, Mother? It seemed like you went to bed after we all passed out."
"Me? Maybe around six hours? Not being in my usual room threw me off a bit—I woke up earlier than expected."
"Oh......."
I hadn't considered that.
The bed here was plusher than the one in her room...
It was made to my tastes originally, but hers wasn't quite this soft.
I'd slept in her bed plenty of times before, so I could compare.
Hers back then wasn't this sink-in soft, and it was smaller too.
"Glad you got some good rest anyway, Camellia. You just woke up a bit ago, right?"
"...Yes."
How does she know every little thing?
Lying next to her like this while we talked, I felt so embarrassed my mind was blanking out.
She kept looking at me and talking, though.
Unlike her, I was just lying there, unable to lift my head, staring only at the blanket.
"Did you sleep well too... Mother?"
"I slept a little less than usual, but it was good. The bed's different, but super comfy and soft?"
"...That's a relief."
Rozalin, lying next to me, wasn't wearing any outer clothes—just a thin nightgown.
Her signature pale skin kept creeping into the left side of my vision without me meaning it to...
It was hard to keep my eyes still in all sorts of ways.
"Mother? Today, um... Ella and I are planning to take a short walk in the mountains behind us..."
"Hm?"
"Please keep an eye on Older Sister Karen and Teacher Ashley. I'm... really worried about them."
"Oh, that? Of course I can do that. Doesn't sound too hard."
Having Karen and Ashley left alone with Rozalin in the villa did worry me... a lot.
There were other maids, sure, but those two had such unique personalities and habits.
I probably didn't even need to say it—Rozalin would handle it fine—but it felt unbearable not saying something.
If I didn't talk, my eyes would just keep drifting left...
That's how we spent some time in Rozalin's room, lying on her bed.
I couldn't focus at all, my eyes kept wandering despite myself... but I held back as much as I could.
We had normal chit-chat in between, talked about today's plans.
After that...
"...Camellia, how's the bath temperature? Good?"
"Yes... perfect..."
We ended up going into the bathroom together with Rozalin.
...I had definitely planned to refuse this one.
"Your blonde hair somehow sparkles more than anyone else's."
"Does it...?"
Before I knew it, we'd finished washing, and I was fully submerged in the tub with Rozalin.
She was right beside me, fiddling with my wet hair.
Our distance was incredibly close.
Not just skin touching—her shoulder was against mine.
It was so soft and warm, it gave me this weird feeling I couldn't help.
Just shoulders brushing shouldn't feel this strange—must be me being weird.
"Huu... Relaxing like this feels pretty nice in its own way. Maybe we should plan a trip to a hot springs resort next winter...."
Unlike me, Rozalin seemed totally at ease, chatting away.
Meanwhile, I couldn't stop my eyes from going to the woman's skin on my shoulder and the way her barely towel-wrapped body moved.
"...Hee hee, maybe it's because it's been so long since we traveled together like this? I'm just so happy."
"...Glad to hear it."
"Aside from that one time we went to Melnik together ages ago, we never have, right?"
"Yeah..."
I could understand why Rozalin was so happy.
It really had been forever since we'd traveled.
Excluding that fluke trip to Melnik with her, I'd never gone anywhere with Rozalin even once.
Plus, she especially loved when I did things for her.
That must be it this time too.
"Hee hee... The academy starts soon. I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible before then, and this worked out perfectly."
"...It's only a few years."
"But spending time with you is something I really love. Don't you feel the same, Camellia?"
"...Well."
There were issues in all sorts of ways, but I... didn't hate it.
...I was just the weird one.
Rozalin was never weird, and she was my mother to begin with.
William aside... hardly anyone dislikes spending time with family.
"You don't like it?"
"...No. I like it too."
"Hee hee, good. I've always wanted to..."
"Get along well with me, right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"You say it every time."
I'd heard it so often I could recite it by now.
Rozalin always said stuff like this, putting me in an awkward spot.
"...I came here because I like spending time with you, Mother. No need to worry about that."
"Really?"
"Yes."
That much was true.
I didn't dislike Rozalin—I liked her, which was why I'd suggested this trip together.
I'm no idiot or pushover; I wouldn't coax someone I hated into traveling with me.