READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 20
Chapter: 20
One thing’s for sure, Melnick is a really nice city.
That was the conclusion I reached after wandering around various places, starting from the Dessert Cafe with Rosalyn.
I came here just for a social gathering, but I really couldn’t deny that it was a great city. I liked it so much that I almost wanted to stay even after the social event ended.
Rosalyn said the same, and even Rize mentioned how nice it was.
“Of course, a dress that’s too fancy will definitely catch the eye, right?”
“I guess so. Why?”
“I’m worried about what to wear to the gathering tomorrow. I feel like I should wear a dress, but… I’m not sure about the color.”
“I see.”
While I was truly enjoying my time relaxing in Melnick, the day before the social event finally arrived.
It seemed even more chaotic than the last tea party, but since I was already here, I just thought I’d make some decent connections with the right families and wrap things up.
So far, Leonhardt had always been the problem; at least I hadn’t faced any serious backlash.
Honestly, someone as pretty and cute as me wouldn’t get criticized. I hadn’t attended any social gatherings, nor did I often meet people from other families. Even at the rare meetings that did happen, things went by quite normally.
As for Camelia Leonhardt, there were more favorable reviews than criticisms. At least that’s what I’d heard.
“I was considering blue, but blue dresses aren’t really my style.”
“Hehe, should we take a look then? Rize?”
“Yes, I’ll go fetch some dresses.”
Rize immediately started bringing out dresses to choose from for tomorrow’s event. It was best to try on at least one of them.
Even if it wasn’t all of them, it’d be good to try on most. After all, tomorrow was the social gathering.
“Hmm… the colors are well prepared. You said you don’t like blue, right?”
“Yes, the design is a bit lacking for me.”
“Then Rize, just hang this one back on the rack.”
“Yes.”
With that, Rosalyn began looking through the dresses one by one.
She touched the fabrics, confirming their weights, while I just sat and watched.
“Hmm… how about white?”
“I’m fine with any color, as long as it’s not too flashy.”
“In that case, this kind of dress might be better. It has a bit of frill, but the design isn’t overly flashy. The color is decent too.”
“Just let my mother decide then.”
After all, I didn’t know all the dresses we had brought. Most of them were Rize’s choice anyway.
Anyway, I sat quietly waiting for Rosalyn to pick a dress.
Getting a bit bored, I wiggled my feet on the chair and shook my head.
“Umm… should I try this one on first?”
“Yes.”
So, the ones I pulled out were a black dress and a white dress. They had a more neutral vibe than expected.
I was slightly worried about what would happen if I were given something genuinely childish, like pink or yellow dresses. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
In fact, they had a clean and simple feel.
“Hehe, so which one will you try on first? The black one?”
“Um… I’ll try the black one first. Unless you think the white one is better…”
“Huh? No, I think Camelia looks cute in anything. You’ll look great in either.”
“…I see.”
I felt a bit embarrassed by how direct she was, but I started putting on the dress anyway.
After taking off my everyday clothes… Rosalyn, making sure to shield me with a screen so she couldn’t see, began to help me into the dress. After all, it was a bit embarrassing to show my body even to my mom.
Of course… I was wearing the appropriate undergarments for the dress.
“Young Lady, shall I tighten it more?”
“Umm… no. I’m only trying it on to see how it looks. Don’t tighten it too much.”
“Alright.”
And so, I began to put on the dress. Rize lightly adjusted the corset part and tied it up.
It was easy since I had worn dresses before. I just had to stand still, and Rize knew what to do.
By just standing still, it was finished.
“Mother. I’ve got it on…”
“Oh my.”
As soon as I stepped out in the outfit, Rosalyn looked a bit surprised.
Was it not good?
I didn’t think it looked bad at all. In fact, I thought it was pretty.
“So cute!”
“R-really…?”
But contrary to my concerns… Rosalyn was thrilled. She even came closer, fondling my cheeks.
“Wow, you’re seriously adorable! Should we just go with this for the gathering? It seems perfect. You’re so cute…”
“Is it really that much…?”
Isn’t that a bit over the top?
I thought to myself as I noticed how excited Rosalyn was reacting so positively. She was close enough for me to tell that her smile was genuine and not forced.
“Hehe, I think it’s more about how pretty Camelia is than the dress. Right, Rize?”
“…Yes.”
“Camelia, raise your arms like this… both sides.”
“Huh? Um…”
I did as asked.
I didn’t quite understand why I was instructed to do that.
Honestly, I didn’t expect such a strong reaction. I knew I was pretty, but Rosalyn seemed so genuinely happy that I couldn’t help but feel a bit better myself.
Compliments… they really are nice to hear, huh? What can I say?
“Ugh!?”
“Hehe… I worry that our Camelia is too cute!”
“J-just a moment… put me down!”
Suddenly, Rosalyn lifted me up.
Her hands went under my armpits and hoisted me up.
I instinctively started kicking my legs because I was taken by surprise, not because I was afraid of heights.
“Was that too much? I lost control because Camelia is just so cute. Did you not like it?”
After Rosalyn set me down, she expressed worry. I had indeed been quite startled. Honestly, it was surprising, but not in a bad way.
She hadn’t lifted me that high; it was just enough for us to meet eye to eye.
“I didn’t dislike it… I was just surprised…”
“Oh really? I thought maybe Camelia didn’t like being so close to me. I got a bit concerned.”
“N-not at all… really…”
That came out a bit louder than I intended.
I was more startled by Rosalyn’s words than anything else.
“…It was really just surprising…”
“Really?”
“Yes…”
“Hehe, I was joking! You’re quite surprised, aren’t you?”
“……..”
So that was just a joke.
I genuinely worried for her because I was startled. I thought I had overreacted and that I had made Rosalyn feel bad…
…I realized that Rosalyn wasn’t just a pure-hearted person after all.
*
“Hmm… Rize, I think I can tighten it a bit more.”
“…Really? It seems tight enough already…”
“Really? But there’s still a lot of space around my waist, isn’t there?”
“…It really is.”
Rize checked my waist again and tightened the corset a bit more.
That makes sense, since until just now, I hadn’t even been fitted properly. It felt way too loose if I didn’t keep tightening it, honestly.
“Ah… Rize, could you hand me the documents on the desk again?”
“Sure.”
Rize handed me the pile of documents that were on the desk. I wasn’t fully prepared yet.
Having only put on the dress, I still needed to do something about my face and hair.
Thus, I began to double-check all the things I needed to confirm. After all, the reason I was going to this social gathering was important. If I went without thinking, I’d probably just sit there doing nothing.
“Hmm…”
First and foremost, it would be great to get friendly with someone from the Roseaki Family. Of course, that seemed quite tough, so I skipped it.
After that, there were several nobles I had heard names of in the newspaper and elsewhere, like the Marquess and Count families. It seems like the Rose Family wasn’t included here, but most were already familiar names.
The documents listed the families attending and how many members of each family were sent. That was about it. Of course, there were separate documents for key figures.
For now, I just perused through the papers.
Receiving Rize’s combing while I sat there.
By the way, this was my first time attending a social gathering that wasn’t a tea party. I wondered how it would go. It couldn’t just be nobility dancing, right?
“Yawn…”
“Are you tired?”
“Umm… not really… I’m just feeling a bit lazy thinking about the gathering soon…”
I had already napped with Rosalyn earlier, so I wasn’t sleepy; it was just the thought of the gathering.
Since I had never been to one before, I was sure it would tire me out.
Of course, that might not be the case, but…
During the last tea party, aside from business talks, honestly, the kids had worn me out.
It was clear that kids were in a league of their own.
“Rize, come here.”
“Yes?”
I called Rize, who was standing behind me, to come to the front.
It wasn’t anything special…
“Over here. Come a bit closer.”
“…?”
I brought Rize closer. We were so close that if I stood up, our heads would almost collide.
Of course, I didn’t want to actually bump into Rize…
“Ah…”
I pulled Rize into an embrace while she stood in front of me.
Since I still had some time left and my preparations were mostly done, I just… wanted to hold something, and hugging Rize last time felt so nice.
I wanted to enjoy the comfort of being close to her. Although Rize was quite startled.
Anyway, that was the situation.
“Rize is definitely more comfortable to hug than a pillow.”
“W-why all of a sudden…”
“Just… recharging?”
The feeling of hugging Rize was nice, but an even better reaction came from her too.
I couldn’t help but smile, giving her a bit of a squeeze.
Thanks to Rize, the earlier feeling of not wanting to go and just wanting to rest had started to fade.
“Still… what if the Lady sees us…”
“Eh, it’s fine. We’re just girls, right? What’s the big deal?”
Just like that, we maybe spent around 10 minutes?
I wasn’t paying attention to the exact time, but it felt like that.
Of course, Rize continued to act cute while trying to escape, but that was also cute in its own way.