Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Off to the Rose Family
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I’d gotten a rough idea of the situation, but nothing had changed right away.
After all, I’d read it behind Rozalin’s back.
For the time being, I kept quiet and didn’t say a word to her about it.
“Karen said she’s coming again this winter, right?”
“Yes.”
Older Sister Karen had returned home as well, leaving just us in the mansion once more, as always.
I did feel a little bad for Karen, but things had piled up unexpectedly, so we hadn’t been able to spend much time together.
Of course, next year I’d be entering the academy, so naturally we’d get to spend more time then.
That had to count as fortunate, didn’t it?
“The mansion felt so lively for a while, but now it’s quiet again.”
“No helping it.”
“True enough. It’s a shame, but unavoidable.”
“Well, it’s not like we lost that many people anyway—just two.”
“Hehe, right. Teacher Ashley is still here, and Lize stayed too.”
It really wasn’t a big deal.
Sure, the two of them had gone home, but that didn’t mean anything was missing.
“......”
A few days passed, but Rozalin hadn’t breathed a word about the Rose Family.
She wasn’t bringing up the topic at all.
When she’d first read the letter, she’d mentioned that they’d invited her to visit once, but now she wasn’t even touching on that.
It left me in an awkward spot.
So, I decided to bring it up first.
“Mother. What’s the plan for returning to the Rose Family?”
“H-Huh?”
“The letter said something like that, didn’t it?”
Rozalin looked startled the moment I spoke.
She clearly hadn’t expected me to bring it up.
In all honesty, I hadn’t said anything to her about it afterward, so it made sense.
“Are you going?”
“Uh... um...”
From her reluctance to answer straight, it didn’t seem like she shared the Rose Family’s mindset.
Well, if she did, she wouldn’t have treated me the way she had all this time.
“It’s your hometown, right? The Rose Territory?”
“Yeah...?”
“I don’t know much about the Rose Family, so I’m curious.”
Not that I didn’t know already.
But Rozalin didn’t think I knew.
She probably figured I was clueless about the Rose Family and whatever went on between them and the Leonhardt Family.
Not that she was wrong about how much I knew.
“R-Really...?”
“I realized I’ve never really heard anything about your family, Mother.”
“W-Well... it’s not a particularly distinctive house...? Haha...”
“Why not?”
“Haha...”
It was obvious she was dodging the question on purpose.
We were just having a relaxed tea time in the garden, but she was making it so uncomfortable.
It was only natural.
I’d never seen her this uneasy before—today was definitely different.
“Other than you saying the rose garden was pretty once, nothing else comes to mind. What does the family mansion look like?”
“...You’re curious?”
“Yeah... I am? It’s about you, after all.”
“...I see.”
I kept dropping hints that I wanted to go to the Rose Family.
I couldn’t just blurt out “Let’s go,” after all.
“I’m curious about your room too, and what other places besides the garden are like.”
“......”
“How was it?”
Pretending to be an innocent daughter who knew nothing, I gently pressed her.
If I kept bringing it up like this, she’d feel the pinch eventually.
We’d only been talking about the Rose Family lately, so of course.
On top of that, the Roses kept urging her to visit after so long, and here I was harping on how curious I was about them.
Chattering away right in front of her.
“Uh... it was nice. Yeah...”
“Really?”
“Mm... the mansion was definitely... nice...?”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. The mansion and territory... yeah.”
She was trying to answer about the Rose Family, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to.
Well, given what the Roses thought.
She probably just didn’t want to talk about them to me, the person involved.
I could understand that, in my own way.
“Being in the capital, it must be grand and impressive, right?”
“That’s true...”
“I thought the same when I saw Older Sister Karen’s mansion. I’m looking forward to it.”
“...Yeah?”
“Oh. But you haven’t gone back to your family home once since coming to our mansion, have you, Mother?”
“No...?”
She really hadn’t.
In four years, Rozalin hadn’t returned even once.
“So, can I come with you?”
“Huh?”
“I’m curious about your family, and it’s the first letter they’ve sent you from the Rose Family, right?”
All while acting like I knew nothing about the Roses.
“When you go, Mother, can’t I tag along?”
“You want to come with...?”
“It’s your home, after all.”
I kept telling Rozalin I wanted to come along, that I was dying to see what the Rose Family was like.
And it was true—I was curious.
Though not just about the mansion or the atmosphere.
“Would that be okay?”
“...It’s not like it wouldn’t be.”
“So I can come?”
Flashing a bright smile, I begged her while acting like a clueless child.
Rozalin was kind at heart.
She rarely stopped me from doing what I wanted, in most situations.
“...Fine, let’s go.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Anyway... I should pay them a visit once. Might as well go together this time.”
Just as I’d expected, she gave in to my request.
Truth be told, I hadn’t planned on going at first, but after reading that letter, I wanted to.
“I’m so glad.”
“Really...? You wanted to go that badly?”
“Yes. I really did.”
I smiled outwardly—and inwardly too.
Thinking about the reaction when I showed up at the Rose Family with Rozalin just made me laugh.
“Ha...”
Rozalin, meanwhile, looked worried watching me.
Probably because the Roses hated us.
That must be what she was fretting over.
I had no intention of behaving myself once we got there, but she wouldn’t imagine that.
“Hehe.”
This was my chance to show them who was really in charge.
Their manners were beyond rude—they were nonexistent.
“Uh... when should we go?”
“I’ll go whenever you do, Mother. Any time’s fine.”
“Yeah...?”
I wouldn’t have minded leaving tomorrow.
Right now, I was more focused on the Rose Family gossip than business or anything.
They’d sent that kind of letter to Rozalin in our house—what must they be thinking among themselves?
I was looking forward to it.
After spending time with Rozalin over tea, she said she had things to do.
Probably writing a letter, but anyway, I returned to my room.
“Hehe... pfft... puhahaha...”
It felt a bit bad for fooling her so much, but honestly, I was excited.
The faces of those from the “noble” family who gossiped and called us nouveau riche behind our backs—how would they react to meeting their heiress?
“Ah... this’ll be fun.”
It really seemed like it would be.
Who’d have thought they’d think that way about their own benefactor, when they’d nearly gone bankrupt without money.
Anyway, we hadn’t decided when to go to the Rose Family yet, but it was settled.
Truth be told, I already knew quite a bit about them.
I’d had info on the Rose Family for years now, and since it was Rozalin’s house, I had to know.
-Scritch, scritch...
Slowly jotting down Rose Family details in my notebook.
Their territory was very close to the capital, and they’d always done well in central politics, even now...
The Roses had improved over the four years, but they were still far from their glamorous past.
Without our family’s support, they wouldn’t even be at this level now.
“Hmm... but common sense-wise, when I go to the Roses, will they treat me like they wrote in the letter?”
No, I’d decided to go, but it was weird logically.
They were nobles, after all—I was a guest, and their youngest daughter’s adopted child.
Surely they’d treat me decently?
“...Nobles should think straight and act that way.”
Maybe the letter had shocked me so much I was thinking too badly of the Roses without realizing.
Even if they badmouthed us behind our backs, common sense said they wouldn’t do it to our faces.
“...Yeah, they wouldn’t, right?”
They weren’t some rootless family like ours—their history went back over three digits in years.
They’d treat us well for sure.
There was no way they wouldn’t.
“Hmm... I was planning to put the Roses in their place.”
That had been the original plan.
Make it crystal clear who was the boss and bully them with money.
But on second thought, without solid proof, suddenly pulling that power play would be... problematic.
Rozalin, coming along, would freak out for sure.
“...Hm.”
It gave me more to think about, all around.
Of course, I still planned to show the Roses who was boss once we got there.
“I’ll know once we’re at the mansion.”
The letter said that crap, but they wouldn’t dare in person.
It reminded me of the old Niesista Baron, but the situations were different.
Yeah, it’d be fine.
Probably...?