NOVEL WEB Chapter 165
Chapter: 165
“Young Lady, it’s time to wake up.”
“Ugh….”
The moment I got up, unlike usual, I felt a refreshing coolness.
Whenever I woke up in the Academy Dormitory, I was always greeted by that signature heat… Truly, Air Conditioning Magic was a blessing.
How long has it been since I woke up to a cool morning like this?
“Ahh…. So refreshing….”
“Do you want to sleep more?”
“No…. I need to get up. It’s been a while since I returned home. I feel like I’d get scolded if I oversleep on the first day.”
“Then let’s get up now. The bath has already been prepared.”
It was an unusually refreshing morning, and I found it fascinating in many ways.
The change of rooms was significant, but it was the cool air in the room that really felt great.
“Heh….”
This summer break, I absolutely needed to learn this magic.
Last summer, I was slightly lacking and couldn’t learn properly, but I really wanted to make sure I learned from Ashley this time around.
Still half-asleep and in a daze, I moved out of the room with Ella and headed straight to the bathroom.
It felt no different from returning home.
Just yesterday, I had returned home, washed up, and spent time napping or relaxing.
Today would probably be the same.
“Young Lady, this way for a moment.”
“Okay.”
“Your hair is in your face.”
“Heh….”
The first morning back in the Mansion was surprisingly comfortable.
I even recalled why I wanted to come back when I first went to the Academy.
“Young Lady, how do you plan to spend today?”
“Isn’t it just about relaxing normally? It’s vacation, after all.”
“That sounds nice, but how about spending some time with the Lady today? After you returned to the Mansion yesterday, the Lady seemed to smile a lot, they said.”
“Really?”
I hadn’t been aware of that.
Since I had been napping, I didn’t notice, but I had no idea Rosalyn would be that happy.
Ella probably had a habit of talking with the other maids on her own.
Maybe that’s why she brought me the news.
“Hmm…. Well, time is not a problem for me.”
It didn’t really matter.
If anything, Rosalyn would probably have a lot to do….
Unlike before, Rosalyn now had many more tasks within the Mansion, so outright asking for time felt a bit awkward.
For now, I decided to just remember that she was happy to see me.
After all, I’d be having breakfast together, lunch, and dinner too.
Taking my time to decide… should be fine.
*
“What are you going to do today, Camelia?”
“Um…. I thought I’d catch up with Teacher Ashley and wander around the Mansion for a while.”
“That sounds good. It’s been nearly half a year since you returned.”
“And if I have too much free time with nothing to do, maybe I’ll take a look at some documents…. I’m considering it.”
“Heh, it’s only been a day since you returned, aren’t you working hard?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Breakfast with Rosalyn was not different from before.
As always, we had a meal while chatting.
It was definitely a different atmosphere compared to mealtime with William, and I personally preferred it.
Even though my biological father was William, things felt awkward and stiff between us.
“Does Mother have many tasks today?”
Anyway, I personally found my time chatting with Rosalyn much more enjoyable.
Honestly, it felt like being more comfortable and closer to Rosalyn than with William.
“Um…. Since it’s summer, I plan to have the servants do some cleaning in the garden.”
“That makes sense since bugs can definitely come out in summer… sounds good.”
After all, the south was especially hot, and there was no way bugs wouldn’t appear in this weather.
Regular cleaning of the garden during the summer was a must.
Rosalyn probably thought that way for the same reason.
“And Camelia, you hate bugs, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Rather than wandering outside or getting bitten by bugs inside the Mansion, it’s better to clean up properly. That’s why I’m doing it.”
“Ah….”
Hmm.
That felt kind of nice.
Rosalyn might have said it without thinking much, but honestly, it made me feel a bit happy.
I don’t know how to put it, but it felt like she was thinking of me.
In truth, Rosalyn had always cared for me quite a bit, so it wasn’t like I was suddenly thrilled by her words.
It was more like a simple pleasantness.
“Um… Mother?”
“Hmm, what is it?”
“If that’s the case, will you have nothing else to do after finishing today?”
“Um…. I don’t think so?”
Oh, I see….
I was sure Rosalyn would have a lot of work to do, or so I thought.
Yet, contrary to that assumption, I was slightly surprised that it seemed to be less than I imagined.
“Then, would you like to go out together for dinner tonight?”
“For dinner?”
“Yes, I want to spend some time with you since it’s been a while.”
I usually didn’t make suggestions like that.
But I had heard Rosalyn’s comments before breakfast today, and besides, I really wanted to spend time with her after such a long time.
It had been a few months since we last met, and we only communicated through letters.
“What do you think?”
“If Camelia wants to, of course that’s fine. I’m glad you brought it up first!”
“Really…?”
“Then, isn’t it rare for you to suggest going out first?”
…Well, that was true.
Even I realized I rarely initiated such invitations with Rosalyn.
More often than not, Rosalyn had suggested going out first.
“Where are you thinking of going?”
“Just for dinner, I suppose…?”
“Hehe, that’s nice too. Spending quality time together with Camelia after a long time? I really like that.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Well, in the end, I was relieved that Rosalyn accepted my invitation so easily.
In reality, I didn’t need to worry about such things, as Rosalyn really liked me.
“Then how about going out after we finish cleaning the garden… after sunset?”
“Hehe, you’re avoiding the heat by waiting to go out after the sun sets, huh?”
“Yes.”
I acknowledged it.
No matter how I thought about it, heat was something I could not stand.
While it was nice to go out and have fun with Rosalyn, the heat… it was hard to bear.
*
After finishing breakfast, I headed toward Ashley’s Room.
While I had a promise with Rosalyn, that was for the evening, after all.
I hadn’t greeted Ashley since it had been a while, so I thought I should do that.
Though I had returned to the Mansion yesterday, I hadn’t had the chance to say hello to Ashley yet.
“It looks like you’re still a heavy sleeper.”
I had greeted Rosalyn after my return, but I hadn’t been able to greet Ashley.
The reason was obviously because Ashley had continued sleeping?
“Ugh….”
She was really quite a ridiculous person in many ways.
Even when I first met Ashley, I didn’t think she was at fault, but as time went by, it became even more absurd.
She probably wandered around a bit while I was napping, then went back to sleep when I woke up.
Knock knock.
“…….”
I knocked, but still heard nothing.
She was probably sleeping again.
I had already finished breakfast, but it was Ashley after all.
She was bound to keep sleeping until lunch, right?
Of course, I had no intention of waiting endlessly and thus opened the door.
“Heh.”
“Hmm….”
As expected, Ashley was still asleep.
She was cuddling a perfectly-sized pillow, looking extremely comfortable.
Rosalyn had mentioned that she had given Ashley a lot of work recently, so I wondered if the heavy sleeper could handle it well.
Of course, given that Ashley had been getting paid comfortably from the start, I didn’t feel too sorry for her.
“Ugh….”
Seeing her sleeping so soundly that she didn’t even notice I entered made me want to play a little prank.
Honestly, I found it absurd that she could sleep so peacefully without knowing I was even here, so I pinched her cheek.
“Ughh….”
“No matter how I look at it, you act younger than me.”
“Huh….”
Instead of her cheeks, I poked her arm lightly to try to wake her.
Well, that wasn’t likely to wake Ashley from her slumber.
If I were to wake her like this, I probably would have to do it more than ten times before she stirred.
“Hmm….”
What should I do to wake the sleeping Ashley?
I thought briefly but figured that being overly gentle wouldn’t do the trick.
So, the approach I chose was….
“Teacher.”
“Ugh….”
As Ashley lay on her side, I leaned closer to her ear and whispered.
Rize had affirmed that my voice was pleasant enough.
It wasn’t an overly deep or ridiculously high-pitched cute voice, but it was definitely nice.
“When are you going to keep sleeping?”
“Huh…?”
“I came to visit you after a long time, and you’re just going to keep sleeping like that?”
As I continued to whisper into her ear, Ashley began to react a little stronger.
I thought just a bit more and she might wake up…
“…Hmm.”
Suddenly, a thought came to mind.
Since I was close to her ear and could see Ashley’s ear, it dawned on me…
“Um….”
Wouldn’t it be too shocking if I licked her ear?
But given that Ashley showed few signs of waking up, maybe I should try it.
“Nom….”
As soon as I lightly licked her ear, Ashley’s eyes snapped open in shock.
Hmm, so this was the correct answer?