NOVEL WEB Chapter 178
Chapter: 178
Time passed, and before I knew it, it was night.
After finishing dinner, I just sat around killing time… and now it was really night.
“Phew…”
I was slowly making my way down to the floor where Rosalyn’s Room was.
Rosalyn had just called me to spend some time together before I returned to the Academy.
Even though I knew it was just for that, I personally liked the thought behind it.
I found myself looking forward to it, even though I hadn’t reached Rosalyn’s Room yet.
“Mother, I’m here.”
“Hehe, you arrived earlier than I expected, huh?”
“I came early because I wanted to hang out with you.”
“It’s just a late-night snack and some relaxation, you know? No need to put it so nicely.”
“Phew…”
As I stepped into Rosalyn’s Room, she stood up to greet me.
And perhaps it was because it was nighttime, but she was wearing something a bit thinner than her usual attire.
After all, it was her own room, and it wasn’t exactly visiting hours for anyone else right now.
So, that’s probably why she dressed lightly.
“Contrary to what you just said, it seems like food is already prepared, right?”
“Hehe, I asked the chef to prepare something for my daughter to eat at night, and it turned out to be much tastier than I expected.”
“Yeah, it looks really delicious. The fried food, the chicken, and the pizza… it all looks great.”
The table in the room was already set with food.
For a midnight snack, the variety and taste were quite impressive, so much so that I couldn’t help but salivate.
“Hehe, just sit down. You’re not going to eat while standing, are you?”
“Okay, I got it. But Mother, you should sit too.”
“I’m just going to grab something for a moment.”
“…Yes?”
I sat down, while Rosalyn did not.
She had invited me to sit, so why was she suddenly moving toward the dresser?
Watching Rosalyn’s back as she moved toward the dresser made me curious.
“Hehe, on a night like this, it feels a bit disappointing not to have anything to drink, right?”
“Are you going to drink… wine?”
“Hehe, with such good snacks, it would be a waste not to drink a little.”
“Well… I guess so.”
Rosalyn brought out one of the bottles from the display on top of the dresser.
I didn’t quite expect that.
After all, there was already sparkling water and orange juice on the table.
I really hadn’t anticipated her bringing out alcohol here.
“This is white wine, and it’s one of my favorites.”
“It seems different from what you had at the Rose Family before.”
“Hehe, that’s probably because back then it was red wine. So, of course, the colors are different, right?”
“Ah…”
Well, I was somewhat knowledgeable about alcohol and had an interest in it, so I did know the difference between red and white wine.
It was just that the type was different from before, and I had nothing else to say about Rosalyn drinking.
“Hehe, I’m just going to sip this for flavor.”
With that, Rosalyn returned to her seat, holding the wine.
To be honest, when Rosalyn got drunk before, it was quite a handful… yeah.
When she was drunk back then, it was pretty annoying, honestly.
If she weren’t Rosalyn, I might have looked at her a bit unfavorably, even.
“Hehe, it’s been a while since I’ve spent a night like this with Camelia. I feel a bit excited.”
“I feel the same.”
Well, back then, Rosalyn’s mood was probably low due to the Rose Family members.
If she drank tonight, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Thinking that, I continued chatting with Rosalyn.
“I’m glad I could relax in the carriage on the way back. Camelia’s always sensitive to the heat, so it’s great that you learned some magic from the teacher.”
“I can’t do it as well as the teacher yet, but I think it’s nice that I’ll be comfortable when I return to the Academy.”
“Honestly, aside from the heat, it seems like Camelia is extra sensitive to it.”
“That’s… something I can’t help, right? Phew…”
“Hehe, that’s true, Camelia.”
We were having a pretty normal conversation.
We slowly picked at the food on the table with our forks, and the conversation was surprisingly enjoyable, so it continued.
To be honest, the atmosphere kind of made me want to try some wine too.
But I was still a minor.
And considering I wasn’t alone but with Rosalyn, I thought it absolutely wouldn’t be okay.
If I drank in front of her, wouldn’t there be a lot of… nagging on various levels?
“Phew…”
“What are you planning to do this fall?”
“This fall? I’ll probably just spend it normally…?”
“You mentioned decorating the garden, so I was wondering if you had any other plans.”
“Hmm…”
I was just eating food and sipping sparkling water.
Meanwhile, Rosalyn was quietly sipping her wine as we spoke.
I was a bit worried since Rosalyn’s tolerance for alcohol wasn’t particularly high, but she still didn’t seem drunk at all.
“Camellia, when you’re at the Academy… you have to get along well with your friends, okay?”
“Hehe, of course.”
“And, um… it’s better not to get too friendly with the Academy students. It could get tiring in social circles afterward…”
“It’s not like I’ll be going to social events much anyway. So it shouldn’t really be a problem, right?”
“I don’t mean simply that… it’s good to be careful while building relationships…”
Seeing her nagging about just having a late-night snack, it felt just like her usual self.
Rosalyn had often told me to be careful about my behavior while attending the Academy.
Just a completely normal conversation time.
“When you’re with the girls at the Academy, make sure to be careful with your words.”
“Is it because it might stir up trouble in social circles again?”
“Yes.”
What can I say…
It definitely felt like she was nagging a lot.
I wasn’t thinking that I disliked what she said; it was genuinely a lot.
It truly felt like there was a lot of nagging going on.
While comfortably spending time with Rosalyn, it seemed like I heard the most nagging…
“Since a long time ago, Camelia has sometimes acted without considering others, so it might be good to be careful about those parts.”
“Um…”
“Honestly, the other girls might think our Camelia is just too pretty. So they might not care much about it…?”
“Is that so…?”
Is that a compliment or a criticism?
I really couldn’t tell.
“When I thought about Camelia going to the Academy, I was genuinely worried about how she would manage there…”
“Thank you.”
“But it seems like Camelia has been managing quite well, and I’m kind of thankful…? It feels a bit different…”
…Hmm.
A flushed face.
Deeper breaths being released.
Eyes that were slightly losing focus.
Observing those signs, I realized that Rosalyn was gradually getting tipsy.
“Camellia is… super pretty…? I was worried that the other Academy students might develop strange interests in you…”
“Haha…”
“Of course, I know Camelia is quite sharp, so I thought she would be fine…”
Most of the conversation ultimately revolved around my Academy life.
Apparently, I was worried about it, and that was what most of our talks were about.
Rosalyn saying those things genuinely made me happy, so I couldn’t help but smile.
Even though Rosalyn, being a bit tipsy, was just talking on her own.
“Camellia has really grown up beautifully…”
“Hehe, really?”
“You were super pretty as a child too, but now… you’re just… so pretty…”
“Phew…”
This time, it was pleasant words rather than nagging.
It was just a simple compliment, but hearing such words still felt good.
Especially when it came from someone as beautiful as Rosalyn.
“You’re really beautiful, Mother.”
“That’s not what I mean. Camelia is just a bit more… how to say it…”
Well, how much more beautiful can she describe it?
A simple compliment of being beautiful should suffice.
Seeing Rosalyn deep in thought about it, I couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s kind of a lot… um… ummm… kind of seductive, I’d say… yeah…”
“Seductive…?”
“There are pure girls and cute pretty girls, but Camelia seems different… yeah.”
“Ah-ha…?”
That was a lot.
Certainly a conversation I never expected.
Whether being called seductive was a compliment was a bit ambiguous to me, but I just went along with it?
I couldn’t fully agree with being called seductive, but since it was Rosalyn’s words…
“Thank you…?”
That was the best response I could come up with.
Personally speaking, I thought Rosalyn looked even more seductive right now.
“You’ve grown a lot taller than before, and if you keep growing like this, you might be called a stunning beauty in social circles.”
“Isn’t that a bit too much of an exaggeration?”
“Hehe, I genuinely think Camelia will become that beautiful…”
Hmm.
With such strange compliments coming out, it was clear she was indeed tipsy.
Not just a little, but getting tipsy to the point of perhaps losing her wits…?
“Phew… It feels so good drinking wine after a long time. Camelia, you really shouldn’t do this?”
“Even if you say that, I’m not drinking before I become an adult.”
“Nope. How about you take this chance to try a glass?”
“…What?”
…Huh.
…This was another thing I really didn’t see coming.