NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 66
Chapter: 66
“Oh my…”
I returned from the garden, where I had been leisurely chatting with Rosalyn.
As I got back, I found Rosalyn’s sister standing in front of the building, feigning surprise.
Seeing her put on such an act when she already knew everything was a bit ridiculous, but I didn’t say anything.
“Rosalyn, was the guest building not cleaned?”
“Ah…”
“What should I do about this…? I’m really sorry. I thought the servants would always keep it in order. I didn’t expect this.”
“No, it’s fine. I also left it to the servants I brought, and I spent some time enjoying the garden after a long time, so it’s really okay.”
That’s just like Rosalyn, isn’t it? It was amazing how she could speak with such kindness even in this situation.
“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself yet. Sister, this is my daughter, Camelia.”
With those words, she placed her hand on my back and gently nudged me forward.
…We hadn’t officially introduced ourselves yet.
Though I didn’t really want to do so under these circumstances, it would be awkward for Rosalyn if I didn’t.
So, I decided to go ahead with it.
“Hello, I’m Camelia, the only daughter of the Leonhardt family.”
I just gave a rough introduction.
As long as they knew I was a Leonhardt and the only daughter without siblings, there shouldn’t be any issues.
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly keen on introducing myself either.
“Ah… So you’re the daughter of the Leonhardt…”
“Yes, I’m the daughter of Leonhardt.”
“Right… so you are…”
The way she looked at me felt a bit off, but I smiled back and maintained eye contact.
In situations like this, the first one to grimace usually loses.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot from Rosalyn. Camelia, I’m Alexandra.”
“Yes, hello.”
After our light introductions, we shook hands to finish our greetings.
I was just pretending to be an ordinary girl, and Alexandra was pretending to be an ordinary person welcoming me.
I noticed this, but Alexandra wouldn’t know what I was thinking or judging.
After all, I didn’t present any element that could be harmful to her.
I just looked a bit small, with my blonde hair and red eyes, appearing cute and pretty.
Maybe Alexandra thought I was just some annoying little girl from the Leonhardt family?
“Well, Rosalyn. Should we go inside together? We’ve already seen the garden…”
“Yes, let’s do that. We can go as you wish, Sister.”
Rosalyn said that innocently.
Did she really think that Alexandra made a mistake or something? She just readily agreed to whatever she said.
Of course, the cleaning of the building was already done, but I thought it wasn’t necessary to lead her to the guest building.
Although they had just finished cleaning, it was merely completed.
There could still be some dust left or something…
“Hmm…”
There wasn’t really a need to insist on entering a space that was slightly uncomfortable after just being cleaned for a guest.
There had to be places in the buildings they lived in that were suitable for receiving guests.
“The cleaning is… well done?”
“The servants worked hard on it. I was just resting with Camelia.”
“That’s true, but I didn’t expect it to be this quick and clean.”
Anyway, we entered the now clean building and walked into the reception room.
As we sat down, Rize naturally began to set up the tea and tools as if she had been following us since earlier.
“Milady, how would you like your tea?”
“I’m fine with just some plain water. And Sister, what would you like?”
“Just some black tea will be fine.”
“Understood.”
Rize started preparing tea, teapots, and various other items all by herself.
She always kept a decent selection of teas on hand to avoid looking weak to others, and Rize was incredibly skilled at making tea.
She wasn’t merely catering to my whims as my personal maid.
“Hmmm… this isn’t bad.”
Alexandra showed a decent reaction while drinking the tea Rize prepared.
To be honest, I wasn’t that satisfied with the current situation.
After all, there was no real need to come to the guest building.
They had a perfectly suitable building that they had been using normally all along.
Why did we end up cleaning and having Rize serve tea in this situation?
Seriously… this wasn’t a situation I was enjoying.
“My brother is still spending time in the capital. He has to fulfill his role as a central official.”
“Is your elder sister still there?”
“Well, yes?”
“When she comes, I want to greet her after such a long time. It’s been too long since we last met, and I’d like to see her quickly.”
I thought about that, but Rosalyn was just comfortably enjoying her time with family.
Her expression while talking was so much brighter compared to how she used to look when we were at the Leonhardt Mansion.
“……..”
“Oh, your mother and father have been worried about you.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It’s been four years since their daughter has returned. How could they not worry?”
Waiting for thirty minutes had something to do with issues regarding the management of the guest building, but I didn’t directly express my discontent towards Rosalyn.
After all, they were family.
It was just a normal scene of family chatting together.
“And Rosalyn, you always made them worried, didn’t you?”
“Haha, that did happen a lot.”
“You had a lot going on at the Academy too.”
“That’s true; you made plenty of mistakes back then as well.”
I was quietly sipping tea and snacks while the two of them continued their conversation.
Honestly, I had nothing to say, and I hadn’t properly eaten lunch yet…
So, I just stayed quiet.
To be frank, I didn’t like the sight of Rosalyn and Alexandra chatting, but… I just kept silent.
Whether I liked it or not, they were just having a family conversation, and that wasn’t the issue.
“…Hmm.”
Though I wasn’t fond of it.
“But Rosalyn, how have you been there?”
“I’ve been doing well. The weather is warmer than in the capital, and it hasn’t been uncomfortable at all.”
“Hmmm… really?”
“?”
For a moment, I felt like Alexandra was looking my way.
What could she possibly be staring at me for this time?
“Hmm… Rosalyn?”
“What is it, sister?”
“Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”
“Y… yes?”
After glancing at me, she turned her gaze away while saying that, leaving me feeling somewhat suspicious.
I had no idea what she was thinking, but it didn’t feel very ordinary.
Must be the nobility’s aura, I guess?
From her gaze, it seemed clear she didn’t view me positively.
After that, Alexandra returned from the guest building to the main mansion.
I suppose she couldn’t stay in the guest building forever.
“We talked more normally than I expected.”
“Right? Though it’s been a while since we met, I guess that’s how family is?”
“…That does seem to be the case. Because we’re family.”
I didn’t really think that the Rose family members would treat Rosalyn poorly.
Because they were family.
“Ugh…”
“Are you tired?”
“Yeah, a bit tired. The roads weren’t great coming to the territory, so I’m a little… yeah.”
Rosalyn stretched as she said that.
Honestly, since we arrived, it didn’t feel like I had a proper rest.
We did sit and relax in the garden together, but the chairs in the garden weren’t exactly cushy and comfortable.
In honesty, they weren’t very cozy at all.
Even the reception room chairs felt similar.
“…Should we get up for now?”
“Yeah, let’s do that. We need to check the rooms, and there’s quite a bit to do…”
“…Yeah, it seems so.”
It truly didn’t feel like I was here as a guest.
I may have come as a guest, but in reality, there was too much to do.
We were basically involved in the cleaning and related tasks around the mansion, making this not a very normal situation.
“Rize, where’s the room for my mother and me?”
“It’s on the third floor. I’ll guide you.”
“Alright.”
Following Rize, we went up the stairs to the third floor.
The building was… to be honest, it didn’t feel that great, but it was large.
While it didn’t quite give off a lavish feel, it was decent enough in size, and it actually was decent.
Usually, noble families tend to decorate the buildings where guests stay in a more elaborate manner, but…
“This is… the largest room among the rooms in the building. It has been prepared for milady…”
“But?”
“…The furniture and items in the room aren’t that good.”
“…Really?”
…We hadn’t entered yet, and were just standing at the door, but it didn’t seem promising at all.
Seeing Rize speak so negatively made me feel like it really wasn’t good.
“…Let’s just go inside. Open it.”
“…Understood.”
With that, Rize opened the door, and I was thoroughly disappointed.
No matter what, this was a building of a Count family… it was meant for guests!
“What a… modest room.”
“…Indeed.”
I was really surprised at how empty it was.
It was a large room, but there was just one bed, a modest dressing table, and… a regular desk with a chair.
It wasn’t fancy in the slightest, not impressive, just… honestly, it looked like the room of an average slightly wealthy commoner.
To exaggerate a bit, the rooms the servants used in our mansion looked much nicer.
“…Um. I guess it’s… okay… maybe…”
“…….”
“How about we go see the room that Camelia will use next…?”
Rosalyn’s expression when she said that was incredibly… nervous.
I also had no words to respond.