READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 19
Chapter: 19
“You seem to be living better than I imagined!”
“It’s been a while. Have you been doing well?”
“Of course I’ve been doing well! Do you think I’m in the same boat as you?”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Ella came to visit our inn. Though it seemed too large to still call it an inn.
Anyway, spending a few days in Melnick, it felt like ages since I’d talked to someone other than Rosalyn or Rize. Of course, chatting with those two was more than enough.
“This gathering is being hosted by the Roseaki Family. And naturally, it’s our Young Master who is around the same age as us hosting it. You remember the date, right?”
“It’s in a week, isn’t it?”
“Hmph, I’m glad you remembered. It would be a problem if you didn’t.”
There was still a week left. I’d arrived earlier than I thought I would compared to the day of the gathering, but I had no choice but to arrive early.
After all, I needed to gather some information. It was best to collect additional details separately from what William had given me about the families.
And I also had to have some conversation with Ella. It was Ella who allowed me to participate in the gathering hosted by the Roseaki Family. I thought it would be nice to meet up as a way of expressing my gratitude.
“Have you prepared a dress?”
“I brought a few from the mansion.”
“Hmm… If you packed them well, that’s good. It seems your family won’t be viewed favorably. It would be troublesome to wear something out of style and outdated.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I bought it just before leaving.”
“Is that so? Well! The Leonhardt family certainly has enough money. I guess that makes sense.”
Ella’s words were true.
The Leonhardt family had answers that revolved solely around money. One could not afford to make mistakes when it came to appearances.
We had to ensure that the esteemed nobility couldn’t belittle us.
I had to prepare everything perfectly, from clothes to my appearance, the parts that would be most visible. Of course, my looks were already beyond acceptable and quite pretty.
I tended to buy outfits that were in vogue each time. Just so you know, the money for the clothes wasn’t mine, but William’s. It’s quite convenient in this respect.
“Hmm… I suppose it should be fine. When I saw it at the tea party last time, it didn’t seem like a strange dress.”
“Yes.”
Anyway, we talked about such things. It seemed that Ella hadn’t just come to hang out. After some preparation discussions for the social gathering, she left earlier than expected.
The truth is, I had other matters to attend to.
I felt like I got closer to Ella by chance, but I couldn’t keep chatting with her. It was better to finish our discussion neatly. I could talk to Ella after getting the job done.
“Mother, I’m done.”
“Oh? Shall we head out now?”
“…Yes.”
I had promised Rosalyn to go out together this afternoon.
Yesterday, we merely strolled around the sea and the market. So today, I planned to explore Melnick.
The difference from yesterday was that Rize said she wanted to join us today. Of course, it was no problem bringing along a maid or two.
“What did you talk about with Lady Niesista?”
“Oh, we just exchanged some pleasantries. After that, we chatted a bit about the social gathering.”
“If you talked about that after coming all this way, then the Niesista family might think more highly of Camelia than expected.”
“Really? I thought we were just aligning our interests.”
“Hehe, you think so? But Lady Niesista seemed to smile a lot while talking.”
“Um…”
I’m not sure.
She had smiled the first time we met, and she had laughed like an ordinary girl during our previous conversation.
I didn’t feel particularly close to Ella Niesista. If anything, I felt closer to Rosalyn than Ella.
Anyway, Rosalyn said so, so I just nodded. There was no need to dispute each and every statement.
“Young Lady, the carriage is ready, but the distance isn’t really vast, so…”
“Then it might be better just to walk, right? Camelia, what do you think?”
“Um… It didn’t feel too expansive while wandering around yesterday…”
There really was no need to take the carriage. Honestly, walking was more comfortable than taking a carriage from the start.
Thus, we all decided not to take the carriage and simply wander around Melnick on foot.
“That large mansion over there is the Roseaki Family’s mansion. The gathering will be held there, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I’ve heard there’s a magically created lake in the garden of the Roseaki Family’s mansion, and it’s rumored to be incredibly beautiful. Of course, I’ve never seen it myself!”
“A magically created lake?”
“Yep. They didn’t really dig it out and fill it with real water but magically hollowed out the ground and filled it with water… a small lake.”
Rosalyn shared such stories as we passed by the Roseaki Family’s mansion. I wondered if it was due to her noble background that she seemed to know more than I did.
She spoke about characteristics of the Roseaki Family that went beyond the information William had provided and shared common knowledge about them too.
Despite not having any paper or documents, Rosalyn freely spoke about such things as we strolled along.
“Here’s the largest Dessert Cafe in Melnick. I think it’s been around for about 100 years?”
“That’s quite old.”
“Right? I’ve wanted to come here for a long time. But somehow, I ended up coming here with Camelia.”
The place we arrived at with Rosalyn was a massive Dessert Cafe. A three-story one at that.
Yesterday was just the market, but today we decided to roam around a more upscale place than what ordinary folks would enjoy.
“Hehe, it’s really big, isn’t it?”
“…Yes. It’s immense.”
As I stepped inside, I found myself glancing around without even realizing it.
It truly was huge. I had seen the third floor from outside, but inside, it felt even more extravagant and grand.
It wasn’t just a calm and pleasant atmosphere; it felt genuinely aristocratic.
The chandeliers were quite extravagant, and the chairs weren’t just made from wood but were shiny… metal? Chrome? Whatever it was.
I couldn’t help but be captivated by the sparkling interior and the array of desserts on display.
“Rize, you should just sit down.”
“Me? But still…”
“Mother, is that alright?”
“Yes, of course. I actually wanted you to sit with us.”
Rize usually stood around, but I didn’t want her to keep standing even here.
It was partly because she was around the same age as me… but I simply didn’t like it when she silently stood behind me.
Even when I used to eat alone, I didn’t like her standing behind me.
Anyway, Rize sat down too.
Even though it was a rather extravagant cafe, which wasn’t really to my taste, the sweet scent of desserts was so delightful. I unconsciously turned my attention away from the decor and towards the desserts.
“………”
Such a sweet fragrance.
It was different from the floral scent I sometimes caught from Rosalyn. I couldn’t help but keep directing my eyes, nose, and face toward the direction of the dessert aroma.
The ice cream I usually had at the mansion was nice, but this scent was dangerously intense.
“Camelia?”
“Oh, yes…”
“Hehe, were you really that eager to eat dessert?”
“………”
I had unknowingly been caught staring like that.
Every time, I was reminded of how I was just eight years old. There was simply nothing I could do about it.
When it came to something sweet and sugary, I often found myself overly intrigued.
“Rize, Camelia? Shall we get up and check out the desserts first?”
“Yes…”
Though I felt a bit embarrassed, I was curious about the desserts.
I had already been gazing at the desserts from a far-off seat. Of course, upon Rosalyn’s suggestion, I immediately got up, and we started looking at the desserts together.
We would place an order, but there were so many varieties that I found myself lost in fascination.
Really… the colors were so diverse.
“Wow…”
“What do you want to eat the most?”
“I want the chocolate cake over there…”
“Then let’s pick that one and another.”
“…Okay.”
I usually didn’t ponder much over choosing just one dessert.
However, this time, each dessert looked so beautiful that I found myself staring in amazement. Rosalyn and Rize, who were sitting next to me, didn’t seem to react much at all.
I was the only one so… engrossed in it all.
“………”
It was a bit embarrassing.
Well, but… still… they looked so delicious and beautiful.
“It seems our Camelia likes desserts more than expected?”
“…Yes.”
“I remember you were smiling so brightly when you had dessert last time. You seem even happier today.”
“Uh… I don’t think that was the case…”
“Do you really think so? Rize, what do you think?”
“The Young Lady always smiles brightly when eating sweet foods. It’s more evident because she doesn’t usually smile much.”
“………”
Once back at the table, I had to face that confirmation.
…It was all because of my youthful body. If I were just a little older, I wouldn’t be so easily swayed by sweet desserts.
…Maybe?