READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 28
Chapter: 28
“Karen… did you really dislike going together that much?”
“N-no… it’s not that…”
“I thought you liked books…”
What on earth is going on since morning?
I was quietly sleeping when, somehow, both Karen and Count Rosaki showed up at our lodging, conversing between themselves.
Honestly, I just wanted to tell them to conduct their conversation in their own mansion…
But since they were nobility, I couldn’t voice my discontent.
So, I just let them talk as they pleased, and we ended up using another room.
…my room, that is.
“…Mother.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“…When exactly will the Count be leaving?”
“Oh.”
Honestly, there was nothing I could do about it.
They were inside my room, and I couldn’t just ask them to stop.
I had intended to sleep in a bit longer and rest… but my plans had completely fallen apart.
“Hehe, it can’t be helped. It seems like they don’t usually talk much, so let’s let them have a chance to bond… for our sake, okay?”
“…If you say so, Mother, I suppose I have no choice…”
Well… I didn’t actually hate it.
I was just a bit regretful, that’s all.
“By the way, it’s time to return home from Melnick now.”
“That’s right. It feels like we’ve been here in Melnick longer than expected.”
“Hehe, still, it was enjoyable, right?”
“Yes.”
Naturally, I was satisfied with my life in Melnick.
Was it because the city was beautiful? There was certainly a clear difference from the Leonhardt Mansion.
Thanks to that, we ended up staying a few more days instead of leaving immediately after attending the Rosaki social gathering.
I had no reason not to be happy in many ways.
“And when we return, Camelia will have a magic teacher and will be busy with various things, right?”
“Well, it’s all part of what we’ll learn at the Academy. I actually think it’s great.”
“Hehe… the Academy…”
Rosalyn seemed to think a bit more whenever the Academy came up.
I recalled her expression not being very pleasant when we previously talked about it.
“It’ll probably be fun. Camelia is a very good child. There will definitely be various experiences while living and studying at the Academy.”
“I think it’ll just be about studying.”
“Staying at the Academy and only studying seems like it’d be more tiring, doesn’t it?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, mostly because it’s an academy where only nobles go. It’d definitely be difficult in that regard.”
Sure enough… if it’s only nobles, it could easily turn into a small political arena.
Honestly, I had somewhat anticipated this.
Personally, I’d prefer to spend my time at the Academy just ordinarily, but that’s always how nobles were.
Karen and Ella were too gentle, but I already knew that most nobles were much worse.
Our family was even so disliked that we occasionally got disparaged in the newspapers.
“Maybe… it won’t be so bad after all.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. Most families dislike the Leonhardts, right? I don’t think my image as a Leonhardt will suddenly change because of whatever happens at the Academy.”
To be frank, I didn’t believe what I did at the Academy would matter much, unless I caused a real scandal… then it would be risky.
If it was something at a manageable level, wouldn’t the other noble peers just ignore it?
Of course, if I faced bullying… that would be a problem.
“I still think it’ll be okay. Didn’t I just say? Camelia is a good girl. She’ll probably be quite popular at the Academy; it’ll be fine.”
“That’s a relief then.”
“And, children that age usually really like pretty things. Surely, they’ll like Camelia too, right?”
“…I don’t think it’ll be to that extent.”
“Hehe… do you really think so?”
“………”
No matter how I thought about it, I doubted that being from a family already enough of a turn-off would have their impression improved just because she has a pretty face.
Well… I already knew that Rosalyn giving me compliments was a usual occurrence from before.
I spent time just brushing off Rosalyn’s words.
And simultaneously in the room next door… the father and daughter continued their conversation.
“…Should we just step out for a bit?”
“Should we?”
It seemed like the conversation wouldn’t end anytime soon, and the sounds from the next room kept going.
So… it would be better to step out for a bit.
And then…
“Where should we go first?”
“What about you, Mother?”
“Hmm… the sea, I suppose? I feel like I’ve seen enough of Melnick’s sea already, but it’s still fun.”
I stepped outside with Rosalyn.
The noise from the Rosaki family was quite bothersome, and on top of that, it felt awkward for us, the temporary hosts, to be there.
So, we held hands and stepped out as if we were just going for a walk.
It wasn’t like we had a major reason to go out, so it could just be a casual stroll.
“Then let’s go see the sea first. We’ve already eaten breakfast… and the weather is nice today; there’s a slight breeze.”
“Hehe, shall we?”
“Yes.”
Anyway, we started our walk along the beach.
Since we weren’t wearing formal shoes but just comfortable sandals, it felt even more relaxed.
Even if a bit of sand got in, we could just shake it off; we were genuinely enjoying the sea breeze while wandering around with Rosalyn.
“Camelia!”
“Yeah?”
Rosalyn, who had been walking slightly ahead of me, suddenly stopped and called out loudly.
Was something wrong?
Not sure what it was, I walked closer to Rosalyn, who remained still.
“Look at this!”
“…Oh.”
“Is it because we’re by the sea? I’ve never seen crabs scuttling around like this before.”
“Right? They certainly look a bit cute.”
Underneath Rosalyn was a bunch of crabs.
Not puppies, but actual crabs walking sideways.
They weren’t just one or two; several were lined up, moving around in their own little way.
It was just a normal occurrence, but perhaps because they were as big as my fist? It felt oddly cute.
Honestly, I hadn’t been to the beach much before, so it was quite fascinating.
“I almost want to take one back to the mansion and keep it as a pet.”
“That might be a bit unreasonable, right? They’ve probably spent a long time in the wild…”
“Oh, I’m not serious! I just mean they’re cute.”
I said no after seeing Rosalyn’s reaction, but personally, I often found myself wanting to possess pretty and cute things.
I didn’t show anyone this, but inside my drawer, I kept various types of jewels.
If I bought a small aquarium and decorated it with sand and stones… maybe these little creatures could live there well?
Of course, if not, then it couldn’t be helped.
“So, Camelian, what animals do you like?”
“Animals?”
“Yeah. These little crabs are cute, but… they are still crabs, right?”
“Ah… that’s true…”
Crabs aren’t exactly common pets either.
Usually, people keep fish at home, but it’s rare to see anyone keeping crustaceans like crabs. Generally, one might only see someone taming a wild beast with magic instead…
Honestly, I preferred the idea of keeping reptiles.
“Animals… Hmm…”
“Oh, I personally like cute animals like rabbits. I occasionally saw them when I was little, and they were simply adorable.”
“Rabbits are cute, yes. But I think…”
While I pondered Rosalyn’s question, I realized I preferred something beyond just rabbits…
“I like dogs more.”
“Dogs?”
“Yeah, they’re cute, right? They’re loyal and kind to people.”
Most dogs just seem to behave like that by nature.
When a person extends a hand, they would nuzzle and lean against it; it was honestly adorable.
They would act cute without any prompting, which was delightful, and personally, I loved that feeling of warmth when they were inside.
Cats are fine too, but they can be a bit temperamental, and they’re not as attached to their owner from the start.
In that regard, dogs were definitely cuter, gentler, and much better.
“Hehe, dogs are cute, alright.”
Rather than thinking purely about the cuteness of dogs, Rosalyn seemed to be reflecting something different.
Of course, I also found dogs’ appearance cute, so it was only natural for me to think that way.
After all, I loved beautiful and cute things.
“Maybe we should try having a pet next time?”
“If we keep one at the mansion, I think Father would disapprove. He hates being interrupted while working, after all. Plus, there’s the worry about fur and such.”
“Hmmm… that’s quite regrettable.”
Having this conversation, we stopped observing the crabs and resumed our beach walk.
Rosalyn was still joyfully watching the sea. But it was indeed an impressive sight.
“Now that our life in Melnick is coming to an end. So is our time seeing this beautiful sea.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“Camelia, should we venture a bit into the sea?”
“Yeah?”
Rosalyn suddenly brought up a strange idea.
To go into the sea, suggesting we have some fun in the water.
Caught off guard by Rosalyn’s sudden words, I could only respond in bewilderment.
“Hehe… we’ve come to such a beautiful sea, and it would be odd not to do anything, right?”
“Uh…”
“Hehe…”
Rosalyn suddenly looked at me with a suggestive gaze… and right then, moved closer to the water…
“Gotcha!”
“Wh-What?!”
…and splashed water right in my face.
Even though she was my mother… well, of course, it’s not proper to do such things.
I reflexively retaliated.
“Ah~!”
“That’s… really too much to do with the face…”
“Is that so? I avoided your eyes! Did it hurt…?”
“…Not really, though.”
Saying that, I immediately splashed water back at Rosalyn. And thus began… our little water fight.
It started unexpectedly, but we continued jokingly splashing water at each other.
Well, since we were both laughing, there really was no problem. Initially, Rosalyn had started it first anyway.
“Phew… that was fun, wasn’t it?”
“…Yes, it was fun.”
We continued playing with the salty water, still drenched, and were taking a break afterward.
Naturally, we moved a bit away from the water.
Who knew that a noble mother and daughter would play like this?
Honestly, I hadn’t anticipated this, but… just like Rosalyn said, it was indeed enjoyable.
We were having so much fun that I didn’t even realize how quickly time had passed.
“It’s such a shame. If only there were a sea like this near the Leonhardt Mansion… we could have visited all the time.”
“If the sea was this close, we probably wouldn’t visit much either.”
“That’s true. But still… it was really fun, right?”
“Were you having fun too, Mother?”
“Of course I was! I was playing with Camelia, after all.”
“………”
As I looked at Rosalyn while responding to her words, I suddenly realized something.
It was about…
How Rosalyn’s clothes were soaked from the water. Her hair was also wet… all in all, it was quite visually striking.
“…S-Should we head back now? I think the conversation is probably wrapping up. Plus, it’s a bit awkward to wander around in wet clothes…”
It wasn’t like any critical areas were visibly exposed, but seeing Rosalyn, such a pretty person with her clothes so wet, was undoubtedly visually provocative.
Honestly, it was hard to look at Rosalyn, drenched as she was, and I could only hurry to suggest we go back.
Moreover… even wearing clothes, I couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat inappropriate.