Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Truth Behind the Marriage
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"...Mother, may I ask you one question? It might be a bit rude."
"Yes...?"
"...There's something I want to ask. Can't I?"
Rozalin might hate it, but if I didn't ask, this curiosity would give me a headache.
I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"What's going on...?"
The sun had already set, and there were only the two of us on the terrace.
The door to the terrace was already closed, and this side was on the opposite end of the building used by the Rose Family people.
I thought it wouldn't be a big problem to ask and hear the answer.
On top of that, I'd already checked with magic whether there were people around or not.
"About you and the Rose Family. I have a few things I want to ask."
"........"
"Is it... okay?"
I wanted to ask, but I had no intention of bringing up anything Rozalin didn't want to hear.
Of course... honestly, I just wanted to hear the answers.
I really had no intention of tormenting Rozalin or anything like that.
"...Why do you want to ask about that?"
"Something just came to mind today."
"...I see."
"If you don't want to, Mother, it's fine with me. It's not a question I have to ask right now to get an answer."
"Camellia..."
"If you really don't want to answer, it's okay not to."
I absolutely had no intention of upsetting Rozalin.
Sitting on the terrace, I waited for her response for a moment.
"........"
She stared out beyond the terrace with a truly serious expression, saying nothing.
I didn't know what answer would come, but there might be something bigger between Rozalin and the Rose Family than I thought.
About three minutes...?
After that ambiguous amount of time passed, Rozalin slowly turned her head toward me.
"...Ask away. I don't know what the question is, but... I'll answer."
"Yes."
Permission granted.
Now I could just ask.
"...There was a deal between your family and ours, right?"
For starters... Rozalin didn't know what I knew about this.
So I decided to start from the beginning, one by one.
"...Yes."
"Through your marriage to our father, the Rose Family received money from the Leonhardt Family."
"...That's right."
This was something I knew from the very start.
To be precise, before Rozalin even came to our family.
William had told me outright without hiding it.
The previous stepmother before Rozalin came had been the same arrangement.
Of course, unlike me, Rozalin looked extremely uncomfortable as she answered.
She must have thought I really had no idea about this until now.
"And the dowry back then was enormous too."
"...Yes."
"Some of the famous paintings and jewels in the Rose Family mansion I saw yesterday were probably from that time, and some were bought recently with money our family sends."
"...That's right."
"It seems like for a while now, compared to their former glory, they've become a rather decayed house."
It was a shame, but facts were facts.
Rozalin gave a slight nod to my words.
"...But there's one problem here."
"...What is it."
"Given our father's personality, he would surely have chosen someone who could bring the greatest benefit and elevate the Leonhardt Family's status the most after marriage."
It was obvious.
No matter how beautiful Rozalin was, the fairest rose in the Rose Family, or whatever rumors there were, she was ultimately the youngest.
Noble society didn't run on beauty and charm alone, and Rozalin would have had no real power in her family.
Sure, she attended the academy and had a decent school life there... but anyone else could do that too.
"But... things changed a bit, didn't they?"
"......."
"Originally, the contract was aimed at Christina Rose... the eldest daughter of the Rose Family. But Christina Rose contacted our father and deliberately had it switched, right."
I didn't know the details.
I couldn't read the letters from four years ago.
It was just deduction, thoughts in my head.
"Well, she probably offered to reduce the dowry amount or cut back a bit on the annual payments to the Rose Family."
"...Camellia."
"So you came to our family without your consent. Is that right?"
...I told Rozalin what I'd been thinking about since this afternoon.
No, I spat it out.
It was just letting out the words that kept tangling, swirling, and circling in my head.
"...Yes. That's right. Originally, it was supposed to be my older sister Christina marrying Viscount Leonhardt, not me. At first."
"And then suddenly at some point, the story changed."
"Yes."
...Honestly, asking Rozalin these questions must have been burdensome and unpleasant for her.
But Rozalin was answering honestly.
Easier than I thought, surprisingly.
"......."
"Camellia, you're right. Smarter than I imagined... incredibly so?"
"...I guess."
"Well.... It's already been four years."
"When you first heard about it, Mother... didn't you have any thoughts?"
I was honestly curious.
Even without siblings, I couldn't imagine being okay with it.
No matter that there was an eldest daughter in the family and she was the youngest, this was too much.
I thought Rozalin would hate it.
But her nonchalant response... didn't sit well with me.
"No sense of betrayal or anything? None at all?"
"......."
"...Sorry."
Only after saying it did I realize I'd spoken too harshly.
Even with permission, it was my mistake.
"...That was rude."
"No. It's okay."
"........"
I did feel a bit sorry toward Rozalin.
Even saying it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"...Camellia."
"Yes, Mother."
"...Shall we go up to my room?"
"Yes?"
"Hmm... There are no people around, but I don't want to talk here."
"...If that's what you want, Mother."
I hadn't expected her to suddenly suggest going to her room.
But I decided to accept Rozalin's proposal, and we went up to the third-floor room just like that.
"...Mother?"
"What is it."
"........"
"...Oh, because of the alcohol?"
"Yes."
Rozalin took out some liquor.
Truth be told, I hadn't seen her drink often until now.
So when she entered the room and immediately pulled out a bottle from the display, I was honestly quite surprised.
The sight of her grabbing a whiskey right after entering... was enough to startle me.
Rozalin didn't usually drink much, and it wasn't even that late.
"Hehe, now that I think about it. I haven't drunk in front of you much, have I, Camellia."
"...Why are you suddenly drinking?"
"Huh? Just... just drinking. Is that weird?"
"Well... not really..."
"Hehe, Mom's an adult, so I can have a drink or two."
"...True."
She wasn't wrong.
As Rozalin said, she was an adult.
Old enough that it wasn't an issue.
Four years had passed since we first met.
-Ssshh...
Rozalin placed a suitable glass on the table and lightly froze its surface with magic.
Making the inside and outside of the glass slightly chilled...
"Hehe, you haven't tried alcohol yet, have you, Camellia?"
"No."
"You're 12... still a long way off. Don't drink with friends at the academy, okay?"
"...I'll be careful."
Well, I hadn't enjoyed alcohol much even in my previous life.
I didn't particularly want to drink.
Anyway, I quietly watched as she poured liquor into the chilled glass and drank.
Rozalin didn't bring up the main topic on purpose, just wetting her throat with alcohol for a moment.
Sitting in the main seat, Rozalin didn't look comfortable.
A mix of worry, contemplation, and other thoughts.
"...Hoo."
"......."
"Even thinking back now, that incident four years ago was quite a shock. I'd seen the family struggling compared to the old days since I was young, so I knew my older sister would go somewhere."
"But you didn't expect you'd be the one going."
"Huh? No."
...A response quite different from what I thought.
I was sure of it, but Rozalin said otherwise.
What could it be.
I didn't know the full story of Rozalin and the Roses for sure... but I couldn't easily guess why she answered that way.
"My sister ended up going sooner than expected, but the Rose Family hadn't been in a healthy state... long before I was born."
"........"
"Naturally, I thought that my sisters and I would have to marry into better families to help the house."
...Oh.
Such a mature way of thinking.
Honestly, if I were in Rozalin's position, I'd have thought about abandoning the family and running away.
Honestly, I hated the idea of being forced to marry someone else.
"If I were in your position, Mother... I don't think I could have thought that way."
"Huh?"
"...Honestly, our father."
"Ah..."
I thought I was pretty objective about it.
How many women would want to marry William?
Aside from the family having money... advantages... um... none?
At best, he didn't mess around outside.
"Hmm... true. But Camellia, there's something you don't know well. I wouldn't have just married someone from another family for the house without more to it."
"...What?"
"Thinking back now... it's a bit funny."
Rozalin took another sip of liquor and continued with a wry smile.
As if pitying her past self.
"...I hoped to marry some incredibly handsome, kind prince or young noble who would solve the family's problems?"
"Ah......."
"Looking back, it was such a childish thought. Isn't it ridiculous?"
"...No."
"No, even I think it's funny now?"
...It wasn't funny.
If anything, it felt a bit pitiful.
Even though she'd been drinking, this was a different side of Rozalin from usual.
"Pfft..."
"...Mother, drink slowly."
"...I have more to say. It's hard for me to just spit it out."
"...There's more?"
I thought it was just a little heart-to-heart.
There was more reason?
...But more than that, wasn't she drinking too fast?
It was around 40 proof, but she was already finishing a glass.
And less than 10 minutes had passed...
"........"
"Hehe..."
I was a bit worried, but Rozalin was an adult.
She'd control herself... right?
She knew her own limits...
Yeah, I figured it'd be fine.