Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Shabby Guest House
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"Oh my..."
After quietly resting in the garden with Rozalin and chatting, we returned.
When we got back, her older sister was standing in front of the building, feigning surprise.
I knew she was aware of everything, so seeing her put on that act was ridiculous, but I didn't say anything.
"Rozalin, was the guest house not cleaned?"
"Oh..."
"What should I do about this...? I'm truly sorry. I thought the servants would have kept it maintained as usual. I had no idea."
"No, it's fine. I left it to the servants I brought along, and we spent time admiring the garden after so long. Please don't worry about it."
Rozalin was Rozalin, through and through.
It was fascinating how she could respond so kindly and naturally even in a situation like this.
"Oh, I haven't introduced you yet. Sister, this is my daughter, Camellia."
With those words, she placed a hand on my back and gently pushed me forward.
...We hadn't properly exchanged names, introductions, or greetings yet.
I didn't want to with this person or in this situation, but it would put Rozalin in a tough spot.
So, I decided to just do it.
"Hello. I'm Camellia, the only daughter of the Leonhardt Family."
I kept it brief.
As long as they knew I was from Leonhardt, the only daughter without siblings, there wouldn't be any issues.
I wasn't particularly eager to introduce myself in detail anyway.
"Ah... So you're the one from Leonhardt..."
"Yes, I'm the daughter of the Leonhardt Family."
"I see... You're..."
Her gaze felt unpleasant, but I met her eyes and smiled.
In situations like this, the one who grimaces first loses.
"Nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you from Rozalin. Miss Camellia, I'm Alexandra."
"Yes, hello."
After that light first greeting, we shook hands and finished the introduction.
I was playing the part of an ordinary child, and Alexandra was pretending to welcome me normally.
I noticed it, but she probably had no idea what I was thinking or judging.
After all, there was nothing about me that seemed threatening.
I was just a bit short, with golden blonde hair and red eyes—pretty, cute, and daughterly.
She likely just saw me as the annoying kid from Leonhardt.
"Anyway, Rozalin. Shall we head inside? We've already seen the garden..."
"Yes, let's do that. Whatever you want, Sister."
Rozalin replied innocently.
Did she really think Alexandra had made a mistake, or was she just going along with it?
Of course, the building had already been fully cleaned, but I didn't see why we needed to go to the guest house.
We'd finished cleaning earlier, but that was it.
There could still be dust or something...
"Hmm..."
There was no need to invite a guest into a space that had only just been cleaned and felt a bit iffy.
Surely their own residence had places suitable for receiving guests.
"It's cleaned... quite well?"
"The servants worked hard. I was just resting with Camellia."
"Even so, I didn't expect it to be done so quickly and thoroughly."
In any case, we entered the freshly cleaned building and went into the reception room.
As we sat down, Lize acted completely normally.
As if she'd been following us the whole time, she naturally began preparing tea and the tea set.
"Madam, how would you like your tea?"
"I'm fine with tea, or just plain water. And Sister, what would you like?"
"Black tea is sufficient."
"Understood."
Lize began preparing the tea, teapot, and other items on her own.
She always kept a variety of teas ready so we wouldn't appear weak to others, and she knew exactly how to brew them perfectly.
Being my exclusive maid didn't mean she just catered to my whims every time.
"Hmm... Not bad."
Alexandra sipped the tea Lize had brewed and gave a somewhat approving reaction.
Honestly, I wasn't thrilled with the current situation.
There had been no need to come to the guest house at all.
They had a perfectly fine building they'd been using normally all along.
Why were we the ones cleaning, and why was Lize brewing tea?
It really... wasn't a satisfying situation.
"Brother has been staying in the capital lately. He has to fulfill his role as a central bureaucrat, after all."
"Is Big Sister still there?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"If she comes, I should greet her after so long. It's been too long since we last met; I'd like to say hello soon."
That was my thought, but Rozalin was simply relaxed because she'd reunited with her family after ages.
Her face was beaming, incomparable to the expressions she made while staying at the Leonhardt mansion.
"........."
"Oh, Mother and Father have been worrying about you often."
"Really?"
"Of course. How could they not, with their daughter gone for four years?"
The thirty minutes we'd made them wait and the issue with the guest house maintenance hadn't prompted any direct dislike toward Rozalin.
They were family, after all.
She was just having a normal conversation with her family.
"And Rozalin, you've always made us worry, haven't you?"
"Haha, yeah, quite a bit."
"There was a lot going on at the academy too."
"You caused plenty of trouble yourself back then, Sister."
"True enough."
I quietly sipped my tea and snacks while the two of them kept chatting.
Honestly, I had nothing to say, and I hadn't eaten lunch properly yet...
So I stayed silent.
Personally, I didn't like seeing Rozalin talk with Alexandra, but... I stayed quiet.
Whether I liked it or not, it was family talking, and that wasn't a problem.
"...Hmm."
Of course, I didn't like it.
"But Rozalin, how was it there?"
"I was fine. The weather's warmer than the capital, and there wasn't anything inconvenient."
"Hmm... Really?"
"?"
For a moment, it felt like Alexandra was glancing my way.
What was she staring at now?
"Hmm... Rozalin?"
"Yes, Sister?"
"Never mind. I'll tell you later."
"Yes...?"
She looked suspicious after glancing at me and then turning away.
I couldn't quite read her thoughts, but it didn't feel ordinary.
Nobles really were nobles, huh?
I could sense from her gaze alone that she didn't think highly of me.
Afterward, Alexandra returned to the main mansion from the guest house.
She couldn't stay in the guest house forever.
"It was... more normal conversation than I expected."
"Yeah? Even though it's been a while, maybe because we're family?"
"...Yeah. Because you're family."
I didn't really think the Rose Family would treat Rozalin badly either.
Family was family.
"Hmm..."
"Are you tired?"
"Yeah, a bit. The roads to the territory weren't great, so... yeah."
Rozalin stretched as she said that.
Truth be told, she hadn't really gotten proper rest since arriving.
We'd sat in the garden together, but the chairs there weren't exactly plush and comfortable.
They weren't that comfy, honestly.
Even the chairs in this reception room weren't great.
"...Shall we get up for now?"
"Yeah, let's. We need to check the rooms, and there's a bit... a lot to do."
"...Yeah."
It really didn't feel like we were guests.
We were guests, sure, but we had way too much to handle for that.
From cleaning the mansion ourselves to everything else—it wasn't a normal situation.
"Lize. Where are the rooms for Mother and me?"
"They're on the third floor. I'll show you."
"Okay."
We followed Lize up the stairs to the third floor.
The building was... honestly, it didn't feel great, but it was large.
It wasn't particularly ornate, but the structure itself was decent enough, and it showed.
Most nobles tended to decorate guest buildings lavishly.
"This is... the largest room in the building. We prepared it for Madam initially, but..."
"But?"
"...The furniture and items inside aren't great."
"...I see?"
We hadn't even entered yet; we were just at the door, but it already felt off.
If Lize was saying something negative like this, it really must not be good.
"...Let's go in for now. Open it."
"...Understood."
Lize opened the door, and it was thoroughly disappointing.
Even for a count's family... this was a building for guests.
This... really...
"...It's modest."
"...Yeah."
I was genuinely shocked at how empty it was.
It was a large room, but it only had one bed, a vanity, and... a desk and chair.
Nothing fancy, nothing impressive—just... like a slightly well-off commoner's room.
With a touch of exaggeration, even the rooms our mansion servants used looked better.
"...Hmm. It seems... fine... I guess..."
"......."
"Um... shall we go see Camellia's room now...?"
Rozalin's face trembled intensely as she said that to me.
I... had nothing to say either.