NOVEL WEB Chapter 201
Chapter: 201
Two years flew by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, I had turned 18, with autumn bringing a chill to the air.
Despite various happenings during this time, there hadn’t been any remarkably huge changes.
Rosalyn and I still maintained our mother-daughter relationship, and William’s health remained precarious.
Taking over the businesses William had originally managed added to my workload, and I even sold some of them to Ivana… a lot had happened.
It was simply a matter of aligning interests with Ivana.
“So, the bottom line is that Camelia is essentially taking over as head of the family.”
“Well, yes. It’s exhausting in many ways. There’s just no one else to do it besides me.”
I realized this was my first time seeing Ella in nearly two years since my graduation from the Academy due to how terribly busy I had been.
The last time I saw her was probably the summer I turned 16, making it our reunion in the autumn of my 18th year.
I had genuinely spent those two years just working constantly.
“Ugh….”
“Still, it looks like things are finally settling down a bit for you?”
“Maybe? At least today, I have no work to do. I suppose that’s a sort of organization.”
In reality, my tasks weren’t completely over.
But still, tomorrow would undoubtedly bring more work.
“Ah….”
“Well, with a little more time, things should get better, right?”
“Is that so?”
“Or I’ll just keep working until I drop dead. You know.”
“Um….”
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
“Oh.”
Anyway, I was finally able to see Ella after two years.
Personally, I would have liked to meet others more often, but there was just too much to do.
Originally, I only took over a fraction of William’s businesses, but at some point, I found myself managing nearly all of them… it was unavoidable.
“If possible, I’d love to hang out with Karen and Grace next time, but I just can’t find the time.”
“Was it that hectic?”
“I mean, I haven’t seen you in two years.”
“That’s true….”
It had also been quite a while since I last saw the Roseaki Sisters.
Of course, I received letters from Karen almost every month, but I just couldn’t find the time to meet.
Even if the idea of meeting came up, I couldn’t go.
Aside from a few business meetings with Ivana, this was the first time I met a classmate.
Was it surprising that the distance between Ella’s territory and my mansion wasn’t really that far?
Perhaps it was this distance that made it feel so novel.
“Anyway, it’s nice seeing you after such a long time. It’s been ages since I met someone from outside the mansion or business.”
“…You’ve been that busy?”
“Yeah.”
I had indeed spent the last two years ridiculously busy.
It was truly… absurdly busy.
I would wake up at 9 AM, prepare breakfast, have a brief meal with Rosalyn, and then head out, only to return home around 9 PM.
Because of this, I barely had any time to think about Rosalyn and would just crash into bed the moment I got back.
The only time I could play around with Rize was during the carriage rides, and once I got back to the mansion, I would jump into bed and fall asleep…
“Hmm.”
“What’s up?”
“Do you want to go grab something delicious to eat together?”
“Suddenly?”
“I just want to relax and eat, okay?”
“Well… I didn’t have lunch, so it doesn’t really matter…”
“Alright, then let’s get a move on. We’ve already polished off our coffee, and I’m starting to feel hungry.”
As I said this to Ella, we stood up from our seats.
I had been so worn out lately; aside from the quality meals, I hadn’t had much chance to enjoy good food… it was a necessity.
I wanted to spend some comforting time with Ella after such a long while.
…I really had been so tired lately.
*
After spending the whole day with Ella, we returned to the mansion in the evening.
While I had been swamped with business and work recently, today was a total contrast.
I simply strolled around the city leisurely with Ella, enjoying each other’s company.
“Ughhhhh….”
Letting out an involuntary noise, I stretched as I got out of the carriage.
I really felt like fatigue had piled up in my body excessively.
I probably needed a full month of proper rest, but that time just didn’t exist.
I still had to keep working, working, working on matters related to the businesses owned by me…
“Camelia, are you home?”
“Ah, Mother. Were you waiting outside?”
As I got out of the carriage and slowly made my way into the mansion, I encountered Rosalyn.
Why was she outside?
“I figured you’d be back soon, so I waited outside just a bit.”
“Ah….”
“You’ve been really busy with the business lately, haven’t you? I wanted to spend some time with you again. That’s why.”
“Shouldn’t we go inside then? There’s no need to stay out here.”
“Shall we?”
I was mildly surprised to find Rosalyn outside, but for now, I entered the house along with her.
As I walked slowly behind Rosalyn, my gaze was fixated on the back of her neck.
Perhaps it was because I hadn’t spent much time with Rosalyn lately and because my mornings had been so chaotic.
Was that why?
Seeing Rosalyn in a rare peaceful state made me feel sentimental.
People really do need some leisure in their lives.
Truly.
“You seem awfully busy these days… Are you alright?”
“I’m tired.”
“That’s expected, I guess?”
“Well, I can’t just not work. I’m just trying to do as much as I can.”
As we walked down the corridor slowly, we chatted like that.
I hadn’t genuinely had time to spend together recently, and our conversations were just the typical day-to-day exchanges.
Before long, we naturally made our way to the bathroom.
Originally, I planned to go in alone, but suddenly Rosalyn suggested that we enter together.
“Well, it seems things are getting organized one by one, so that’s good to hear.”
“True. To be honest, I was a bit worried at first, but working with the Nordal Family has helped resolve quite a bit. Things have been going fairly well overall.”
“Heh, you really worked hard since graduating from the Academy.”
“Indeed, I did. Initially, I had planned to take it easy after graduation.”
We continued talking as we each washed up.
The past few years had hardly given me time for moments like this.
After finishing work and coming home, it would usually be either night or late evening, and Rosalyn tended to go to bed quite early.
That left us with barely any time together.
Because of that, odd thoughts about Rosalyn hadn’t really entered my mind either.
“I’ve heard that Father’s health has been declining even more lately; what’s the current situation?”
“Well… They say he’s been worse since the priest visited from the capital.”
“Ah….”
…It was a sequence that was expected.
I had been aware of this all along, which is why I kept myself busy with work.
Because of that, Rosalyn had also accumulated quite a bit of tasks, given the household management and such.
Over the course of two years, the things we needed to handle ended up being far more than I had anticipated.
I found myself traveling due to business across the north, west, east, and central regions, while Rosalyn had become more occupied than ever before.
Consequently, even Ashley, who spent most of her time sleeping in the mansion, had plenty of work, and naturally, Rize who followed me around must have struggled too.
“How are things going regarding household matters?”
“I think they’re proceeding fairly well. The Knights within the family weren’t substantial in number, so it wasn’t particularly challenging, and the servants mostly stated there wouldn’t be a significant issue as long as their pay remained consistent.”
“That’s a relief.”
The responsibilities Rosalyn had in the mansion were honestly more crucial than my business affairs.
This pertained to matters concerning the succession of Cameliea Leonhardt as head of the family.
Given William’s deteriorating health, it was a choice that both he and I reluctantly had to make.
However, since I had other business matters to attend to, Rosalyn inevitably became involved with those responsibilities.
“I doubt there will be many changes with the servants or knights working in the mansion moving forward.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Heh, right?”
“Yes.”
Frankly, I felt a bit guilty asking Rosalyn to take on these kinds of tasks.
She had been handling household personnel management for a while now, but beyond that, I was now handing over all preparations necessary for me to become the head of the family to Rosalyn.
“I think it’ll all be wrapped up before Cameliea reaches adulthood.”
“That’s faster than I expected.”
“Actually, it wasn’t because there was an overwhelming amount to do. After all, I won’t have to go personally to send documents to the central men.”
“I thought it would take a bit longer, honestly.”
While our conversation flowed naturally, Rosalyn and I found ourselves soaking in the bath.
Two years had passed since my graduation from the Academy, and winter was approaching.
In just a few months, I would become an adult and the head of the family.
Even though there were only three of us in the family.
And while it wasn’t set in stone, it was evident that William would likely not survive this winter.
“……..”
Becoming the owner of what was essentially a two-member family — is it right to call such a place a family?
Questions and thoughts began to flood my mind, but in the end, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do at this point.
In many respects.