READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 14
Chapter: 14
William returned to the mansion, and the mansion was… quieter than before.
Well, it made sense… since William, the top dog of the mansion, was back. Obvious, really.
In fact, aside from that, the reason I felt this way was…
“…Mother. You looked really upset.”
“…Yeah.”
Even Rize could tell that Rosalyn’s expression wasn’t great. It hadn’t been good since William arrived.
I guessed it probably started after their conversation.
I hadn’t asked directly, so I could only speculate like this. I also didn’t want to ask anything that might upset her… and besides, she didn’t seem to have that kind of expression when we slept together on her bed.
Anyway, I attended classes in the morning and then, after lunch, I was taking a nap in Rosalyn’s room… that was my routine. The bed in Rosalyn’s room was still awkward, though.
“…Rize, do daughters usually share a bed with their mother?”
“Quite often. It’s not uncommon to share a bed with family.”
“Is that so?”
Yeah, it was certainly normal.
Honestly, I didn’t think it was odd, but aside from that, sharing a bed with Rosalyn still felt awkward and embarrassing.
Rosalyn, on the other hand, seemed to sleep comfortably.
“Huh…”
“Young Lady, it seems that Lady Nieshista will be visiting tomorrow.”
“Nieshista?”
“Yes.”
“…?”
Suddenly?
I accidentally dropped the pen I had been fiddling with.
And honestly, it was shocking. Why the sudden visit?
Aside from that time the Baron came after the tea party, there hadn’t been any other contact. Just suddenly?
I couldn’t think of a reason…
“…Well, it’s not like it’s a problem.”
Since a noble lady was visiting, it was at least better than the Baron himself coming.
To be honest, Ella Nieshista was… a bit silly. Not truly foolish, but she acted like it was all a game, which was kinda entertaining.
Though she probably didn’t see it as a game and was genuinely trying to act nobly.
“Rize, give me some candy.”
“Yes.”
I popped the candy Rize gave me into my mouth and started rolling it around while I continued to twirl the pen.
In truth, I wasn’t just idly playing around.
Even though I was just a bored 8-year-old, I still had things to do.
Of course, what I was doing wasn’t anything grand like business or investments, but it was still important in its own way.
Maybe one could say that not being focused could be a problem?
“…What happened in the year 442 of the Empire…”
…I hate homework.
*
“Hah! Is this all you can offer? I heard the Leonhardt family has plenty of money, but it looks like it’s not much after all?”
“Is that so? You look quite full already, though.”
“Th-This! It’s just that the quality of the food is… lacking a bit!?”
But with sauce smeared on her lips and cheeks.
She was really… a girl who loved playing noble. Of course, most little noble girls around that age were like that.
“Anyway! I’m not here to talk to you, but… I’ll give you some advice about meals!”
“Hmm… Really?”
“Hah! Of course!”
I could guess roughly what she meant.
Seeing her stuff food into her mouth alone and not observing dining etiquette made it pretty clear, but hearing her talk confirmed it further.
She looked calm and composed with her blue hair, but her actions told a different story.
“Honestly… it’s a bit disappointing. We’ve just finished the main course, but we’re not done yet.”
“So…?”
“Rize? Bring some ice cream.”
“Yes.”
The moment Ella Nieshista heard the word “ice cream,” her eyes widened in excitement.
Honestly… she’s still just a little kid.
Just hearing the word “ice cream” made her this excited. A few moments ago, she was playing aristocrat, and while she definitely was a noble, she still acted like a little girl.
She couldn’t resist sweet and tasty things.
“Ahem! Well… it’s a decent choice for you! Hurry and bring it over!”
“Alright, but please wait a moment. And you just finished your meal, right? If you eat too quickly, you might have a stomachache tomorrow?”
“Y-Yeah, that wouldn’t be good. Uh, yes, um… bring it a little slower!”
“Yes, yes.”
Anyway, I was just playing around with the little noble girl.
I didn’t know why she suddenly came here, but for now…
“By the way, what brings you to our mansion? I’ve already explained the last business to the Baron.”
I asked Ella, who was happily devouring the ice cream with a big smile on her face. To be honest, I had been wanting to ask this for a while, but I thought this would be a good time.
“Hmm! It’s nothing much. Just to build a connection with you? So, I came to visit.”
“You don’t have any issues with building relations with us, do you?”
“No, not at all.”
“From Leonhardt’s perspective, mingling with a family as renowned as ours is an honor!”
“Haha…”
We’re the Baron family, though.
Of course, I knew we weren’t treated as properly as nobles for a long time, so at this point, I wasn’t surprised. Besides, I’m not even an adult yet, just a young noble.
She probably just said that without thinking much about it. So, I didn’t pay too much mind.
Anyway, that was Ella’s message.
She wanted to build a friendship with me. Well, more accurately, it was our families that wanted that, but still, that was the gist.
It was sudden, but I wondered if it was because of Baron Nieshista?
I had helped them out with some issues, and since I was the one who suggested it first… I assumed that was the reason.
“How does the ice cream taste?”
“It’s super delicious…! Uhm… m-my, it’s decent! Though it’s not our family’s special ice cream!”
“Really? I haven’t heard that ice cream is a specialty of the Nieshista Domain.”
“It’s not exactly a specialty… we’re just starting a small business in that area. But! It’s quite popular, for sure!”
“That sounds promising.”
It was honestly kinda cute.
She had the tone of a grown noble, but she was still a little girl under ten. Her voice was so clear, and her energy was high, making her quite adorable.
“Have you ever seen magic?”
“Magic, out of nowhere?”
“It’s nothing special, but I just hired a magic teacher, and it turns out to be quite fun.”
“Is that so…?”
I wasn’t unfamiliar with magic.
I had obviously seen it in action before, and there were magical designs within the mansion.
While magic wasn’t overly common, I had certainly seen my fair share. William occasionally used magic.
“Magic… so you can use it right now?”
“Right now… not yet… I’m just starting to learn!”
“Ah, I see.”
I ended up bringing up something out of the blue.
Since she mentioned magic, I was intrigued.
Honestly, it would be fun to actually see magic. Of course, I had seen it before, but…
“And if you could learn some magic, it would be a good idea.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because it’s trendy among the young nobles in the social scene these days. They talk a lot about their magic abilities, what circle they’re in, and such. Don’t you know any of that?”
“U-Um, I hadn’t heard about that.”
I didn’t particularly like her smug expression, but it was still something I didn’t know about.
After all, I had no connections in the social scene.
That tea party I attended was virtually my first time talking to kids around my age.
My family was so unpopular and looked down upon that it was inevitable. So, I couldn’t help but feel a bit resentful about that.
As a result, I always found out about the famous and popular nobles late and with great difficulty.
“Well! You probably don’t know about such things!”
“…Yeah.”
“Hmm, I have a suggestion for you. You? Please participate in the meeting in the east that will be held next.”
“Yes?”
“Honestly, we don’t particularly like families like Leonhardt attending, but it’s a command from my father.”
“…?”
The Baron?
This was quite sudden in many ways.
Of course, the reason we helped the Nieshista family was largely to achieve a situation like this, but to get this suggestion just a month later was surprising.
“Really?”
I was sure I had heard it right, but I still had to ask. I never expected they would help us this quickly.
I thought maybe they would extend an invitation after I provided more assistance to the Nieshista family.
But they were already doing it.
“Haha! It’s a rare opportunity for Leonhardt, isn’t it? Just come quietly!”
“Um… I’ll need to consult with my father first… Uh, I really appreciate the offer.”
“Can I not have another serving of ice cream?! It wouldn’t be bad!”
“I got it. Rize?”
“Yes.”
Honestly, I started to feel a little bad if she had just come here out of boredom. That offer was genuinely good.
I wasn’t sure exactly what kind of gathering Nieshista was inviting me to, but it was ultimately a social event for nobles. Although I hadn’t made my debut yet, nobles remain nobles regardless of age.
“Hehehe…”
“Is it tasty?”
“Uhm, well… it’s edible!”
I didn’t know what kind of gathering would happen in the east, but I hoped it would be filled with cute kids like Ella Nieshista.
By the way… I was a bit worried about how Rosalyn was managing while I was away from the mansion. It seemed she hadn’t talked to anyone else aside from me.