NOVEL WEB Chapter 204
Chapter: 204
The matters regarding the succession of the head of the family were being handled by Rosalyn, while I was managing the business and affairs of the Rose Family just fine on my own.
It was certainly a busy time, and before I knew it, winter had begun.
Not that it was particularly cold in the South, though.
“…Is that you, Camelia?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
I just walked into the room where William was resting.
William was now aware that his end was approaching.
To be honest, there was quite a bit weighing on my heart.
I never expected to have these thoughts about William, but then again, perhaps a father is just a father?
Well, it’s true that despite his somewhat lacking personality, he never caused me any disadvantage.
Seeing William in his current state was somewhat hard to bear.
“…Right.”
“How is your health?”
“It’s the same as always.”
“I see.”
“Yep.”
We had never been the kind of siblings who chatted much.
Our conversations had always been just that—nothing significant, devoid of great sadness or pain.
“It seems like everything you were assigned is going well.”
“I worked hard.”
“Yes… it must have been a lot… Your handling of things is quite neat.”
“I was able to do it easily thanks to someone teaching me.”
“…….”
If there was anything connecting William and me, it was probably the business and money.
From a young age, William raised me as a successor to carry on the family business rather than as his daughter, and I treated him in a similar way.
In fact, it seemed like I shared more genuine family moments with Rosalyn, my stepmother.
Though that was somewhat ambiguous since I never truly viewed Rosalyn as my real mother.
“That’s fine.”
“Is it?”
I sat quietly speaking with William, who was lying in bed, struggling to breathe.
There was no nursing or cozy scenes of a father and daughter bonding; it was simply conversation.
“Why didn’t you live a little more comfortably?”
I made that remark as a light-hearted joke.
I knew well that William would take it as mere silly talk.
“It’s better to die like this than to live like that.”
“I figured as much.”
“In the end, what I’ve built will remain… and that’s enough.”
“That sounds about right.”
“You… have talent. I think you’ll do just fine on your own. Even if you weren’t to continue my business, you’d probably be able to start one of a similar scale.”
“That’s quite the compliment.”
“What does it mean to flatter someone who started a business at eight years old?”
…That does hold some truth.
Thinking back, if William hadn’t ended up like this, I would have probably started my own business again.
After all, I’ve known the taste of money since I was eight, experiencing what it’s like to earn through business.
“You would probably keep everything I built running without a hitch.”
“Of course.”
“Yes… that’ll do.”
“Um…”
What should I say next?
I wanted to bring up that there wasn’t much time left.
William seemed to have an inkling of that too, but I also wanted to say a lot about it…
“…Um.”
“What is it?”
I struggled to find the words.
I didn’t expect to feel this way.
“I just had something to say, and was wondering if I could.”
“Since I’m going to die anyway, just spit it out. A life without regret is more valuable than one filled with regrets.”
“Ah.”
Truly, despite his character, he had a lot of experience.
I had to admit that about him.
“I’m just checking… is there anything you’d like to say before you die?”
“……..”
“Um… was that too blunt?”
“…No. I’m also much better at being straightforward.”
“Haha….”
I suppose it was indeed rather blunt.
But honestly, I preferred it this way.
Even if I sugar-coated it, this was ultimately what I needed to ask.
I was simply saying it plainly.
“Honestly, there’s no point in spending time not seeing your last moments… it’s the same at night or in the morning, right?”
“…Live doing what you want.”
“I’m already doing that just fine.”
“Good, that’s how my daughter should be.”
“That’s true.”
We both admitted that we had spent our time doing all sorts of things outside.
I was aware that it was significantly more than in my past life, and I also understood where that came from.
So, I just nodded in reply.
“And… don’t bother with the funeral or anything like that. Just cremate me or bury me wherever… just handle it your way. After all, nothing matters once you’re dead.”
“That’s quite a thing for a father to say.”
“If I was the kind of person to care about that when I die, I wouldn’t have lived like this.”
“Puhuh….”
That was true enough.
I had to admit it.
Even though William had some flaws in his character, he was still quite a man.
“And after I die, once things settle down, check what’s inside that safe over there.”
“What about the password?”
“As long as you have Leonhardt’s blood, it will just open.”
“That’s interesting.”
“Anyway, it’s just money or land. Spend it as you like.”
…I had thought I had received all the businesses and money from William.
The fact that there was still more was quite shocking.
“How much money is there really?”
“If it weren’t for those worthless aristocrats, the Count family could have easily bought a castle.”
“Oh….”
“But don’t buy a castle. It’s just a luxury to show off wealth. It’s better to buy a small mansion and decorate it to be more lavish and valuable.”
“That’s valuable advice.”
“I have nothing else to say. You have a lot to do, so just hurry up and go.”
With that, my conversation with William ended.
It felt like… honestly, I couldn’t recall ever having such a heartfelt conversation with William, which made it awkward and surprising.
In 18 years, I had never had a chat so deep between a father and daughter.
“…We both were a bit odd, huh.”
Neither William nor I were quite normal.
One was so consumed by business that he was living and dying poorly, while the other was fixated on his stepmother with strange thoughts.
“Um.”
At this point, I felt sorry for Rosalyn, who had come to our family.
Well, I had always felt a bit bad about it.
“…Should I go see Rosalyn?”
I immediately decided to head towards Rosalyn’s Room.
Although it was in the South, it felt slightly chilly since it was winter.
I thought it would be good to tell the servants to raise the heating in the mansion.
– Knock, knock.
“Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course! What’s the matter?”
“I just wanted to see you.”
“Hehe, it makes me happy to hear that, no matter how many times you say it!”
Rosalyn’s reaction upon entering her room was as always.
In fact, it was rare for her to show any different reaction when I visited her room.
Seeing Rosalyn in her usual black dress gave me a thought that she was simply pretty.
She had been wearing similar outfits since childhood.
“What were you doing?”
I walked over to where Rosalyn was sitting and asked.
Even though there were several other seats available, Rosalyn wasn’t surprised by my closeness.
That was because I had been coming over like this for quite some time, and over time, Rosalyn had grown used to it.
She simply thought I was acting normally, as I always did.
“Umm…. I was just looking over some documents as usual.”
“You’ve been working hard since this morning.”
“Hehe, it’s all for Camelia. I must do my best.”
“Thank you.”
I truly meant it.
It was quite overwhelming for me to handle everything on my own.
“……..”
“You’re really tired, aren’t you?”
I casually stood behind Rosalyn and hugged her.
She wasn’t surprised at all and simply smiled while stroking my head.
Even though I had been busy with business over the past few years, I still spent a lot of time with Rosalyn.
Well, it was true that the time was absolutely insufficient.
“Yes.”
“Hehe, our daughter has been incredibly busy lately. So it makes sense.”
“I think it’ll get better if this busyness continues just a bit longer.”
“That would be wonderful.”
I just shared those words while holding Rosalyn from behind.
Rosalyn, whom I was embracing, simply brushed my hair gently.
“…….”
Standing quietly behind Rosalyn, I clearly sensed her unique rose fragrance.
I always wondered how a person could smell so good.
It wasn’t due to perfume or anything; it was a genuinely distinctive scent, which made it even more fascinating.
“Hehe, Camelia tends to act quite spoiled, you know?”
“Is it really spoiled to that extent?”
“Right now, you’re showing many signs of wanting to be pampered while clinging to your mom. If that’s not spoiled, then what is it?”
“…That’s true.”
It felt more like I was releasing my stress through Rosalyn than being spoiled.
From Rosalyn’s perspective, it would be inevitable for her to see it as spoiled behavior.
“But you know, Camelia acting spoiled like this makes me really happy.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! Since Camelia has grown up so much, it’s rare to see her act like this, so it’s nice!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Rosalyn didn’t seem to dislike it at all, which was reassuring.
So, it was okay to embrace her while subtly taking in her scent, right?
Not that I would mind either way.