NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
Chapter: 17
“Ugh…”
“Were you very uncomfortable?”
“Not really…”
It was a pricey carriage, so it was definitely less shaky.
But still, riding in such a carriage for long periods was undeniably uncomfortable, and as soon as we entered the inn, I could do nothing but collapse onto the bed.
“I’m just tired…”
“Well, we did intentionally ride longer in the carriage today because of the schedule, so I can see why it would be uncomfortable.”
“Ugh…”
“Camellia, how about you lie on your stomach for a bit?”
“Lie on my stomach?”
“Yeah.”
“…?”
I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I complied and laid down as Rosalyn suggested.
It wasn’t a difficult task; it was just lying down. Besides, I was already satisfied just being able to relax on the bed.
It was only the first day since we set off east, and it already felt like the journey would be a rough one.
Although it was a trip I unexpectedly joined Rosalyn on, apart from the uncomfortable carriage ride, it wasn’t bad at all.
Honestly, chatting with Rosalyn in the carriage was fun, too.
—Grrr…
“Ugh!?”
Suddenly, Rosalyn pressed her hands against my waist, causing me to make a strange sound without realizing it.
So this was what she meant by lying down. I had thought she just wanted me to rest, but it was a massage!
“Are you okay? Did that hurt a little?”
“Ah… yes… just go a bit gentler, please…”
It didn’t actually hurt that much; it was more surprising because she pressed down on my back suddenly.
While I was startled, it was true that my back did hurt from riding in the carriage for so long, and I could definitely use a massage. We had to ride tomorrow, too. If this tension wasn’t relieved, it would surely hurt more.
For now… I began receiving Rosalyn’s massage.
She pressed around my waist, gently working on my muscles. I lay still, enjoying the slow massage.
It wasn’t so intense that it worked all the knots out, but it seemed better than just lying still.
“Ugh…”
“Even though we’re still a bit far from the east, we traveled a lot today. We should arrive within a few days.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah, originally we planned to take a break around this afternoon, but we rode longer on purpose, right?”
“That’s true…”
Rosalyn was right; the extended carriage ride today had a reason behind it.
Of course, arriving a little late didn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to attend the social gathering. I just wanted to get there a bit earlier so we could prepare.
“Hehe, or should we just take a break and rest? We’ve traveled a long way today. A day of rest wouldn’t be a big issue for the schedule.”
That wasn’t exactly wrong…
Honestly, it was a tempting suggestion.
But still, that wouldn’t work. No matter how tired I was, we’d only been traveling for a day. With more days of carriage riding ahead, resting so soon would be a bigger problem.
I thought it would be better to take a break a few days later, and that was probably the right idea.
“We should still go tomorrow. We decided to travel faster than usual in the first place. Changing our plans less than a day in is a bit excessive.”
“Well, if Camellia says so, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Honestly, the knights want to arrive quickly, too.”
After all, the inn we were currently using was just an ordinary inn in a town. The luxury inn William booked in the east had better facilities and infrastructure.
It would be better for everyone to arrive sooner rather than later.
It wasn’t really that demanding, but I figured it was probably because I was petite that I felt this way.
“Ughhhh…”
“Young Lady, the bath is ready.”
“Ah… really?”
While receiving Rosalyn’s massage, Rize entered the room.
Bath… thinking about it, I hadn’t bathed yet. I had just collapsed onto the bed as soon as I came in, feeling exhausted.
“Go wash up, Rize?”
“Yes.”
“Since Camellia is a bit tired, why don’t you help her wash and ease her fatigue a bit?”
“Understood.”
Thus, I ended up being washed by Rize while still receiving Rosalyn’s massage.
On a normal day, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind, but today… it felt incredibly relaxing.
Being on the carriage for so long had tired me out, and I found myself surprisingly comfortable. I usually wouldn’t have the gall to ask for a massage, but today, I couldn’t help but think about it.
“Rize.”
“What is it?”
“…Give me a massage.”
“…Pardon?”
“Riding in the carriage has been more tiring than I expected. Normally, I only ride for an hour at most.”
Was that the case?
I said this while Rize was washing me. I had never said something like this to her before.
Had Rosalyn’s massage made me feel unexpectedly relaxed? I honestly enjoyed it.
Of course… it wasn’t right to keep asking my stepmother, who was older than me, for massages.
So I threw the suggestion at Rize.
“Would that be okay?”
“…I’m sorry. I haven’t learned anything like that yet…”
“It’s fine. I just mentioned it for the first time anyway?”
“Even so…”
Honestly, I was half-joking when I said it. Rize wasn’t a full-on maid; she was from the nobility herself.
Even if Rize had said she would really do it, I planned to brush it off as a joke.
“Hehe, it was actually a joke, so you don’t need to feel so sorry about it.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Oh come on, I said it’s fine.”
Rize took my words too seriously, but then again, she was a bit… I suppose I could say straightforward.
I found her reaction amusing and even cute.
Anyway, while chatting, I was comfortably pampered by Rize while taking a bath.
In comparison to the facilities at my mansion, it was indeed lacking, but today, I didn’t mind at all due to my exhaustion from the long carriage ride.
For me, as long as there was warm water, a nice scent, and a way to clean my body, I didn’t care too much about anything else.
“…Young Lady.”
“Hmm?”
“…I can give you a very light massage on your hands.”
“Huh?”
As I was almost finished bathing and comfortably resting in the tub, Rize mentioned she could give me a tiny bit of hand massage.
I didn’t immediately understand why she said that, but it probably was because of my earlier suggestion. Rize appeared somewhat cool on the outside but had a surprisingly deep heart.
Perhaps she was concerned about not being able to fulfill my earlier request.
“Umm… would you do that for me?”
“Yes, I will. Please, hold out your hand…”
Rize reached her hand out.
I wasn’t sure how good Rize would be at hand massages, but she was at least willing to try, which made me feel grateful and a little special.
Then Rize started to knead my hand.
Her hands were smaller than Rosalyn’s but bigger than mine, and I could definitely feel a massage sensation. It wasn’t bad at all.
Of course, my aching spot was my back rather than my hands, but still?
“Hehe.”
“How does it feel…?”
“It seems alright. You’re doing a good job.”
“Is that so?”
Honestly, it wasn’t to the level of feeling amazing, but I didn’t think it was bad.
Rize was indeed being careful with her touch as she worked on my hand.
To be honest, having someone as cute and pretty as Rize give me a massage couldn’t possibly be bad.
Plus, I found it fun to admire Rize’s beautiful, delicate hands.
“All done.”
“Thanks. I think I feel a bit of my fatigue lifting.”
It felt like the effect of the massage came more from my emotions than the actual massage itself.
Still, thanks to Rize, my mood improved, and I felt more relaxed overall.
*
After I woke up, things were still the same.
Today, I had to spend another long time in the carriage. As much as I didn’t like it, I had to ride to the east.
At least it was less painful for my back than riding a horse myself.
“Camellia, if you’re too uncomfortable, be sure to tell me, okay?”
“I know.”
“And if you feel a little stuffy, feel free to open the window.”
“Haha…”
Maybe it was because I looked too tired yesterday? Rosalyn was worried about me right after we got in the carriage.
Of course, that wasn’t a bad thing, but being overly concerned was a bit burdensome.
She looked genuinely… genuinely worried, not just saying it. Rize also expressed concern, but it wasn’t to the same extent.
“Young Lady, they say they will stop at a convenient town before sunset.”
“Really? Tell the guards to take care of things, and let the coachman know to stick to safe roads.”
“Understood.”
In any case… I had to waste time in the carriage again today.
Actually, it wasn’t really a waste…
“I have to finish my homework…”
“…that part isn’t right…”
“………”
I had to finish my homework.
No matter how I thought about it, doing homework during a trip to a social gathering felt wrong. I thought attending the gathering and doing homework afterward would have been just fine.
But William and the tutors insisted, so I was doing my homework against my will.
Honestly, I found this all quite annoying.
“Ugh… I think my history is lacking a bit.”
“…That’s true.”
“If we’re going to be doing this while traveling anyway… should I teach you a bit?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, the history questions shouldn’t be that hard, right?”
At Rosalyn’s words, I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide in surprise.
After all, the homework I was doing now was genuinely tough!
Of course, it was partly because I didn’t have any interest in the topic, and thus I kept forgetting, but it was a good suggestion.
Given how bumpy the carriage ride had been, and how frustrating the questions were, Rosalyn offering to help me… I couldn’t resist that.
Of course, partly I wanted to avoid doing the homework, but…?
“Hehe, I’ll help you out completely. Shall I finish the homework while we’re traveling?”
“Really? Can we finish it today?”
“Of course! I did get good grades at the Academy.”
“Ooh…”
Somehow, I learned a new side of Rosalyn today, but I wasn’t too concerned about that.
What mattered now was that Rosalyn was offering to help me with my homework!