READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 23
Chapter: 23
“Did you say there was one more daughter in the Roseaki Family?”
“That’s what I heard. Honestly, I didn’t know either… we just happened to get close.”
“I had no idea. That’s amazing, right? I was actually worried about how Camelia would handle things.”
After returning to our accommodation, I got a bit of an explanation about what had happened. Though it wasn’t really an explanation.
Anyway, I was chatting with Rosalyn about various things.
Of course, I couldn’t know what I was doing there. I had to fill Rosalyn in on the details of today’s gathering for her to understand what had happened.
Plus, Rize wasn’t there today, right?
“I’ve never heard of any daughter other than Grace in the Roseaki Family; it’s quite surprising…”
“Ah, that’s…”
I explained a bit about Karen’s preferences and personality.
To be honest… it felt kind of awkward to speak about it openly. But I knew Rosalyn wasn’t the kind of person to speak ill of anyone in that regard.
“Oh, I see… That makes sense. There are indeed some nobles who don’t participate in society. Since she’s still a young lady… that’s perfectly reasonable. There are even people who don’t show up in adult social circles.”
“So I was really surprised. I thought she was just a member of another family, but it turned out she was from the Roseaki Family…”
“Hehe, when you go to a gathering like today, there are definitely moments like that. Sometimes, a quiet person you don’t recognize belongs to a more distinguished family than you thought, and sometimes it’s the opposite.”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. That happened to me when I was younger. It’s perfectly normal.”
Well, that’s a relief, right?
I thought Karen might be disappointed for not recognizing her own family, but hearing Rosalyn made me feel like it wasn’t something to worry about too much. After all, she had said it was her first time at a social gathering.
“I’m glad it all turned out well. Was there any trouble when you went?”
“Trouble…? I don’t think so. I just wandered around with sister Karen.”
“Then since you achieved your goal and nothing went wrong, it sounds like it went really well?”
“Y-Yeah? It was the Roseaki Family, after all.”
I felt good, as it seemed like I had achieved my goal.
It was more than just a chat; this time I had built a rapport.
“Young Lady, the bath is ready.”
“Oh, you’re done already? That was quicker than I expected.”
“Well, since it’s smaller than the previous mansion’s bathroom, it didn’t take long.”
While I was chatting with Rosalyn, Rize entered the room.
Having come back after the evening gathering and having walked around the Roseaki Mansion, I had worked up a bit of a sweat.
“Shall I go wash right away?”
“Uh…”
After hearing Rize’s words, I glanced at Rosalyn.
Since we had been talking, it wouldn’t be polite to just leave suddenly.
So, I slightly turned my gaze toward Rosalyn.
She smiled at me. Uh… what does that mean?
No matter what, I wasn’t someone who could grasp every emotion and intention behind each expression.
“Mother? Uh…”
“Are you going to wash up?”
“Yes. I mean, I’ve been outside for a while now.”
It would be appropriate to wash up, I thought, looking at Rosalyn.
Of course, if Rosalyn wanted to talk a bit more… I was up for that.
“Hmm… that is true…”
While I enjoyed chatting with Rosalyn, washing up was still important. In fact, Rosalyn was probably thinking the same way; it seemed I could leave now.
“Shall we wash together?”
“W-What?”
Huh?
*
…Huh?
– Swish… Swish…
“Young Lady, how is it?”
“Um… just fine. Please keep going.”
“Yes.”
…I was quietly receiving Rize’s help as she soaped my back and arms.
Yeah, this was just a bath like any other.
It was only the location that was different; otherwise, it wasn’t a big deal at all. The only thing that felt different was…
“Ah… the temperature’s just right. It’s pleasantly warm…”
“Thank you.”
It was the fact that Rosalyn was in the bathroom with me.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time I had shared a bathroom with her. Though I might have run away halfway through, it wasn’t my first time. Still, entering this space with her now definitely felt embarrassing.
I couldn’t bear to look at Rosalyn, who had washed up first and was relaxing in the tub.
“Camelia, do you prefer cold baths or hot baths?”
“I think I like hot baths more. Of course, I don’t like it too hot… but I prefer a warm temperature…”
“That’s what I thought. Most people tend to choose the warm option over the cold one.”
“Um… I guess that makes sense. It’s nice in summer, but I suppose on most occasions, it’d be too cold.”
“That’s true…”
Naturally. It wasn’t a common thing to prefer cold baths. I didn’t know why I was even bringing it up suddenly.
“Then you can come in once you’re done washing. The tub is really comfortable.”
“Ah…”
“The water quality could be a bit better, but aside from that, it’s so cozy.”
“Right…”
Rosalyn was indeed quite relaxed, just as she had said.
She was practically lying in the tub.
If she were even a bit drowsy, she might just fall asleep. But I guessed that wasn’t likely?
“Young Lady, I’m done with your back.”
“Okay, I’ll turn around.”
As I was chatting with Rosalyn and heard Rize’s voice, I slowly turned my body.
Various parts of my body were now visible to Rize from my chest down, but that didn’t embarrass me.
“Ugh.”
“Ah, Young Lady. When are you going out tomorrow?”
“Probably in the afternoon again. I didn’t really get a chance to talk to the people I met today, but I should be able to then.”
“In that case, I’ll prepare everything beforehand.”
“Okay, thank you.”
We continued chatting like that while Rize helped scrub my body.
She was washing my chest, stomach, arms, and various other parts. It was much the same as always.
Of course, Rosalyn didn’t usually relax like this in the tub. Normally it was just Rize and me in the bath. Having someone else in here, especially somebody like Rosalyn, made it all the more awkward.
“And when are you coming in, Camelie?”
“I’m not done yet…”
“I was just asking. Isn’t it super nice in here?”
“I’ll wash up and come right in.”
Since Rosalyn kept talking like that, it must be that the bath was nice for her.
Of course, the thought of sharing a tub with Rosalyn already made my face feel a bit hot.
Honestly, it had been tough looking at her even when she came into the bath I was in… but still, I had to go in. There was no reason to feel embarrassed.
In the end, we were both women, and we were mother and daughter.
Feeling embarrassed about simply washing was a bit strange. It was time to get used to it.
“Mother, what do you think of Melnick?”
“Me?”
“Yes, the reason I came to Melnick was for a social gathering, but it’s not the same for you, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Yeah, you came because of me… but aside from the first few days after arriving, I feel like you haven’t really enjoyed Melnick.”
There were probably various tasks that kept her occupied, more than just touring around.
“What did you think?”
“Well… I didn’t come just to play in Melnick. I didn’t really have other thoughts.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, plus, I came here to help Camelia, right? As long as Camelia does well, that’s enough for me.”
“…That’s a relief.”
In many ways.
I was glad I had done a good job and that Rosalyn’s feelings didn’t seem to be hurt.
“What did you think of Melnick, Camelia?”
“I… liked it.”
I responded that way as Rize had almost finished washing me.
Honestly, I didn’t have any reasons to dislike it.
“Hehe, then before we head back, should we have some fun exploring Melnick properly?”
“That sounds good… yeah.”
“First, we still have some work left, so… we’ll have to do that in a few days.”
“Yeah, I figured. I’m supposed to meet Karen once too…”
“Okay, once everything is done. Let’s hang out together?”
“Yeah…”
I felt a bit ticklish, but I didn’t think too much about it. I was simply considering what we might do while wandering around with Rosalyn in Melnick.
Nothing specific came to mind, but it didn’t seem like it would be bad at all.
Honestly, I’d be content just seeing the ocean with Rosalyn like last time. Of course, I’d prefer to dip my toes in the water too and move around like that.
“Young Lady, you’re all set.”
“Oh, thank you.”
As I was lost in such thoughts, it was over.
Since it was done… now it was time to get into the tub. Rosalyn had been looking at me with a smile since she heard I was finished.
I felt slightly embarrassed in this situation where I was showing my bare body.
“Shall I come in?”
“Of course.”
That was decided.
We had already made a promise to do this with Rosalyn.
There was no way I was going to back out now. I had thought from the very beginning that I needed to get used to taking a bath like this with Rosalyn.
Feeling embarrassed each time I bathed like this instead would actually be strange.
There was no reason to feel shy as we were both women, and we had that mother-daughter relationship.
So now, even though my face was a bit hot for reasons other than the temperature of the water, and my heart was racing faster than usual… I still had to face it head-on.