NOVEL WEB Chapter 209
Chapter: 209
“Doesn’t it feel like it’s been a while since it’s just been us out with mother?”
“It does seem that way. I don’t think we’ve had time alone like this for a few years… except maybe on birthdays, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I think too. I personally wanted to go out a bit more, but it couldn’t be helped.”
“Hehe, true that.”
It felt like such a long time since I had gone out on a date with Rosalyn.
We hadn’t really gone out properly in years, and I wanted to spend some time together, so here we were.
Of course, to be exact, I was out here because I wanted to go on a date with Rosalyn.
“The weather’s chilly, so make sure to keep your hands in your pockets.”
“I’m wearing gloves, so I’m not that cold.”
“But you never know. If your pretty, soft hands get cold, that would be such a shame, right?”
We were just walking together, exchanging that kind of conversation.
Honestly, it wasn’t really a date; it was just spending time together.
It was too ordinary to even call it a date.
“I was thinking of maybe changing the interior in the mansion a bit when the new year comes.”
“Suddenly?”
“Well, it seems like we’ve changed the exterior quite often, but we hardly ever change the interior, right? I thought it might be good to give it a go.”
We were just having such casual discussions.
Enjoying the sight of Rosalyn in her lovely winter outfit, which I rarely saw in the mansion was quite a treat.
Since it was cold outside, we decided to pop into a decent café after wandering around a bit.
“That used to be Camelia’s business, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s quite an old business, but I think it’s still doing alright these days.”
We found ourselves inside the Room Cafe.
It wasn’t your typical place; it was a very upscale spot aimed at the nobility.
But to me, it still had more of a Room Cafe vibe.
“There’s no one else around, and it’s so quiet… I think it’s pretty nice, don’t you?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I think it’s quite nice. It’s a bit uncomfortable being surrounded by people every time we go to a café. Here, we can just relax without worrying about others, right?”
Rosalyn, having stepped into the Room Cafe, was looking around the room with curious eyes.
This wasn’t exactly a common layout for a café.
After all, there was no way Rosalyn would come to a Room Cafe like this.
“Wow….”
As a result, Rosalyn was slowly wandering around the room by herself.
Seeing her like that, I was just standing still, enjoying the view.
I had been here often, even back from my previous life, after all.
“I personally think that I like places like this way more than just regular cafés.”
“That’s good to hear. I brought you here because I wanted you to enjoy it. I would’ve felt bad if you didn’t like it…”
In conclusion, I was glad that Rosalyn seemed to like it.
She rarely expressed dissatisfaction, but I still couldn’t take her somewhere that wasn’t nice.
I always thought that if we were going out together, we should go to the best places.
Just the thought of disappointing Rosalyn or making her feel let down at a bad place was unbearable.
“Hehe… since it’s cold, coming inside like this definitely feels better, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“And I love that we can relax without worrying about other people’s eyes… it’s really nice.”
“Did you know you’ve been saying the same thing over and over?”
“Really?”
Well, I figured anyone with Rosalyn’s looks would obviously gather attention just by walking.
Even I could feel the gazes coming toward me as I walked down the street.
What should I say, it felt like the destiny of a beauty.
Something like that, I guess.
“You’re having the heir succession ceremony on your birthday, right?”
“If everything goes as planned.”
“Hmm… it seems like there’s less time left than I thought.”
The conversation we started at the Room Cafe turned towards my heir succession.
In the past, to properly succeed the family, you usually had to go to the center and handle various tasks.
However, given the current situation of the Leonhardt Baron household, thanks to Rosalyn’s hard work,
I no longer had to go to the center to inherit the position.
“Once you become the head of the household… you’ll have more things to do, right?”
“Well, probably. I’ve just wrapped up stuff regarding the business, but once I really become the head, I’m sure there’ll be even more to do.”
Maybe it was because we both were well aware of our family situation.
Our conversation was flowing quite naturally.
“But mother.”
“Yes?”
“…what exactly do you do after becoming the head?”
A sudden question.
But I genuinely wanted to know, so I asked Rosalyn.
I was working hard on something, but outside of that, I had no clue what being the head of a noble household really entailed.
Our family wasn’t even particularly prestigious, and it didn’t have much depth, so… I felt even more lost.
“Hmm… I think you just live like normal?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, given that the Leonhardt family… has very few people, right? So there probably won’t be too much work. Just handling business and finances like always…?”
“Oh….”
“Of course, I don’t really know what someone who’s actually the head does either?”
“Oh.”
Hmm.
Rosalyn definitely fit that role well.
Among the Rose Family, they’ve seemed to have always watched Rosalyn with disdain….
I felt slightly guilty.
*
Somehow, we ended up wandering the city with Rosalyn until late in the evening.
After all, it really had been a long time since we spent time together.
With so much going on until now, I could hardly imagine being alone together like this.
So, since it was a rare opportunity, we made the most of our time.
After spending the whole day outside from morning until evening, we naturally ended up in Rosalyn’s Room in the mansion.
“Hehe… today was a lot of fun, right?”
“It really was. I think it’s been a while since I had such a joyous time with mother.”
“I think so too. If I had my way, I would’ve liked to spend more time with Camelia, but it’s been difficult lately….”
Rosalyn’s Room had a small bathroom.
Compared to the large bathroom in the mansion, it was much smaller, but still quite nice.
We hardly used it on a normal day, but today we took a wash together there.
And after coming out of the bathroom in the room….
“Should we change our clothes first? I might have something in my room that Camelia could wear….”
Both of us were in our underwear.
Me and Rosalyn standing there with nothing but our underwear on.
“Could you wait a second?”
“Yeah, I’ll wait.”
Honestly, the clothes I would wear were just in the room, so it would’ve been enough to just get them and come back.
But since Rosalyn mentioned it first, I was just standing there, quietly watching Rosalyn in her underwear.
It felt like a legal peep… right?
It was all because Rosalyn had set the stage for me to gaze at her after all.
“Hmm…. I think there was a slightly oversized shirt here somewhere….”
Rosalyn was leisurely rifling through the wardrobe.
I was sneakily enjoying the sight of her from behind.
“Hmm….”
Eventually, I stopped watching and slowly got up from my seat.
Rosalyn was so engrossed in her search that she didn’t notice I was approaching.
So naive, really.
I often thought about how innocent Rosalyn was.
She was an adult and older than me, but in many ways, she seemed completely unaware of how captivating her appearance and figure really were.
It was like she didn’t know how beautiful and interesting she was.
“Mother.”
“Yes? What is it?”
Despite me calling her name from so close behind, she didn’t even bat an eyelash.
Every time I saw this reaction, it felt cute, making her seem younger than me.
“Uh…? What’s wrong…?”
I hugged Rosalyn from behind as she was rummaging through the wardrobe.
She seemed just a bit puzzled by the sudden affection, wondering why I was hugging her out of the blue.
“Why?”
“Just… it just felt like it? I was wondering if something was up since you suddenly hugged me from behind.”
“Nothing like that.”
“Then why?”
With my arms wrapped around her, I could smell that unique rose fragrance.
As always, it was so lovely.
I felt like I could just immerse myself in that scent for hours.
And on top of that, the soft sensation of Rosalyn’s body where we touched.
“Mother.”
“Yes?”
“Umm….”
I called out to Rosalyn while keeping the bear hug going.
She still didn’t seem to mind at all with me holding her like this.
I began to think it might be a good idea to gently shift this situation.
The mother-daughter relationship wasn’t a bad thing, but in my current situation, it was more of a hindrance.
Though it wasn’t me, Rosalyn had always seen me just as her daughter till now.
If things stayed like this, getting what I wanted would be utterly impossible.