READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 10
Chapter: 10
“The head of the family will be returning from the East soon. That’s what the letter said.”
“Hmm…”
“It seems like he’ll be back within a week.”
“Thank you.”
The butler had delivered the news since morning. Of course, it was about time for him to return. I knew that.
But knowing that didn’t change anything.
William had left for business in the first place, and it wasn’t supposed to take long anyway. I thought he’d probably be back at a reasonable time this time too.
“Did everything go well in the East?”
“According to the letter, yes, but I don’t know the details. However, if it’s the head of the family…”
“He must have handled it well. He’s someone who knows that kind of business very well.”
“Yes.”
Everyone knew that. William had an extraordinary knack for sniffing out money.
I figured he’d manage just fine.
After the butler left my room, I was alone again.
I flopped onto the bed, casually organizing my thoughts. It was okay to call Rize, but I needed some time to think alone right now. It wasn’t anything major.
“Hmm… Anyway, I’ve already come to an agreement with William regarding the Nieshista side… and things are going pretty well for the tea party. There shouldn’t be any problems… Hmm…”
Surprisingly, things with Nieshista and the tea party had gone too smoothly.
When I was planning, I was a bit worried that some issues might arise. Like, what if Ella Nieshista said something to the Baroness? But surprisingly, nothing happened at all.
Is it because I handled things better than expected?
“Well, I did say we should meet again after the tea party.”
Maybe I did better than I thought.
“Hehe…”
I felt good, probably because things had gone well. At least all the worries and hard work I’d put in recently had paid off.
Of course, I didn’t know how the next matters would unfold, but at least this time everything had gone well.
I had developed a good relationship with Rosalyn as well. Everything was progressing nicely… what a relief.
“Hehehe… Hehe!”
I felt so good that I couldn’t help but keep giggling.
“What should I do now… Should I consider doing some business in the North as we talked about last time… I’ll ask William.”
After all, the head of the family is still the head.
I had to ask. Not asking at all would be just as strange.
While I was lying on the bed, I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
“Young lady.”
It was Rize who entered.
I hadn’t called for her, so I wondered what had brought her here.
Although Rize and I were pretty close, she usually didn’t come without a reason.
No matter how close we were, she was still a maid, after all. It was just how it was.
“What’s the matter?”
“Young lady, there’s a letter from the Liang family. I didn’t read the contents, but it seems to be from the young lady of the Liang family.”
“From the tea party last time?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… I see.”
It was sudden, but I received a letter from Rize.
By the way, why did they send it to me? I hadn’t really spoken about anything related to the Liang side that day.
“Hmm…”
The content of the letter wasn’t anything special.
It was just a casual invitation to a tea party that they were planning to hold next time.
Of course, they didn’t specify exactly when it would be.
“Nothing much, right? Rize?”
“Yes.”
“Could you brush my hair? I’m going out for a bit.”
“Of course.”
Knowing that the letter didn’t hold much significance, I started getting ready to go out. After all, it was about time to head out anyway. I had already bathed, so I just needed to change into my outing clothes.
“Oh, and prepare the carriage.”
“Understood.”
Without any fuss, Rize acknowledged my request. How convenient.
Once Rize brushed my hair and helped me change, I finished getting ready.
Then we hopped into the carriage that had arrived in front of the mansion and set off.
*
“Young lady, why did we come here all of a sudden?”
“Huh? It’s nothing much… just came to make some money, you know?”
“…Was that allowed…?”
“Huh? When has my father ever been strict about making money? Only when losing, right?”
“Well… um…”
Rize looked at me in surprise. I understood, but I didn’t care much.
The fact that I was here would have startled anyone, even if it wasn’t Rize. Normally, eight-year-olds… no, children before adulthood wouldn’t come to places like this.
“Gambling…”
“What do you mean gambling? I’m just placing bets legally and making wagers.”
“…”
Rize looked at me incredulously, but it was true.
This was a legal casino operating in the South, even sanctioned by the royal family. Besides, I had proof of my identity.
“It’s fine. I’ve been here a few times.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve won quite a few times before.”
“…When did you come without me knowing?”
“Um… I think I came here about three times last month?”
“Hah…”
“Don’t look at me like that. My father knows too.”
Maybe saying that William was aware made Rize stop questioning me about gambling.
But the fact was, I was doing it with permission, so it was fine. I’d actually won money after all, right?
Truth be told, I had spent quite a bit when I prepared Rosalyn’s necklace and the Rose Path. Specifically… the necklace I bought for Rosalyn was a bit pricey.
That’s why I came here to try and save some money. William did give me pocket money, but… maybe I also wanted to gamble a little…?
“Hehe, Rize? Just watch how good I am at gambling.”
“…You just admitted it’s gambling.”
“Yeah, I suppose so. But it’s legal, right? If there were issues, I wouldn’t even be able to enter a casino properly, would I?”
Everything is legal.
I had a knack for gambling, so every time I came to the casino, I kept winning. I might have a bit of a flair for it, but the results were just too good.
Anyway, I began choosing what kind of gambling I’d do at the casino today.
Rize, following behind me, looked worried, but there was no problem at all.
After all, I was confident about everything!
*
“1… 100 gold…! You win!”
“Yay~”
“………”
Just from gambling, I had already made almost 1,000 gold today.
I was still going strong with my skills. Honestly, with this level of skill, I could probably turn gambling into my profession, right? Just kidding, of course.
No matter how much I might joke, being the profession of a noble young lady is probably not a great idea. This is just a way to earn a little pocket money and indulge in a hobby.
“Should we head back now?”
“…Yes.”
“Hehe, see? I really did well, right?”
“………Yes.”
Rize still looked as if she couldn’t believe it.
Is it amazing that I did well?
Well, I’d always come to the casino by myself, and never brought anyone else with me.
“Hehe, I might be getting a bit higher allowance this month! I won more than usual.”
“That…”
“Isn’t that nice?”
“…”
Though she didn’t reply, it was pretty much a confirmation.
She probably wouldn’t like the fact that I was gambling, but an increase in allowance was a different matter.
In reality, I was the one giving her bonuses, but it was the same difference. Anyway, I had finished gambling, so we started riding back to the mansion in the carriage.
“Whew… that was fun after a long time…”
“…Young lady. I’ll let it go this time, but still, gambling at your age…”
“Oh come on, it’s fine! I’m not addicted or anything!”
Of course, when you mention gambling, people would naturally think of addiction. But that’s not me at all.
I really just went to increase my personal assets. It’s not like I came just because I wanted to gamble. After all, with Rosalyn’s necklace and the tea party, and stuff related to Nieshista… I had spent a considerable amount of my money.
Anyway, I’m just saying I’m not addicted to gambling.
“No matter how much our family loves money, we’re not going to be addicted to something like that…?”
“…Is that so?”
“Don’t say you don’t believe me. Besides, you said you’ve never seen me go gambling before, right? So it can’t be that I’m addicted.”
“That’s… true.”
But still…
Anyway, I assured Rize that there was really no problem, saying that as we returned to the mansion. Since we had set off for the casino in the morning, it was now just about time for lunch.
However… as soon as I opened the door of the mansion, I bumped into Rosalyn.
“Mother?”
“Camelia.”
“Yes?”
“The casino. Did you go?”
“Uh… yeah?”
Why was she suddenly asking about the casino?
Wait, how did she even know about it? Rize had come with me, and I hadn’t particularly told anyone else.
“…?”
“Hah… Camelia.”
“Yes?”
There was something… intimidating about Rosalyn.
Her expression wasn’t much different from when she usually smiled. She was certainly smiling. But… something felt very cold about that smile.
What is it?
Something about the way Rosalyn’s eyes looked felt different this time. Her mouth was certainly turned up, and she was smiling, but her eyes weren’t smiling. Something felt… a little off.
“Why… are you acting like this…?”
“Shall we go inside first?”
“N, no?”
Suddenly, Rosalyn took my hand. And then, I was being… dragged along.
“…Huh?”
“……….”
I started to be pulled by Rosalyn, and as I turned my gaze towards Rize behind me, I saw her shaking her head from side to side.
…?
What’s going on?
Something felt… wrong.
“Mother? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden…?”
“Camilla. It’s true that you know more about business and investments than I do, but… I don’t think this is right.”
“What do you mean? Ah, the casino…? That was all with permission…”
“Children shouldn’t go to places like that. At only eight years old, why would you go to a casino? What would happen if some weird person were to harm you!”
“Uhh….”
“And at your age, if you start doing things like gambling, your sense of money would get messed up, and it would be bad in many ways. Did others give you permission as well?”
“That’s… true, but…?”
“Huh… No way. Let’s go to my room.”
“N, no?!”
Rosalyn seemed angrier than I had expected.
With how she gripped my hand tightly and her eyes looking sharper than usual… it was making me feel exactly that way.