NOVEL WEB Chapter 37
Chapter: 37
“The weather’s hot.”
“It’s almost summer, isn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
As summer approached, the days were getting warmer.
Honestly, I like warm weather, but not hot weather.
“Hmm…”
“Why do you look like that, Young Lady?”
“Rize, do you prefer hot weather or cold?”
“I prefer it to be warm.”
“Really?”
Hmm… that’s too bad.
I was thinking of casting a spell to help if Rize said she preferred cooler weather.
But since Rize seemed alright, I decided to just relax.
[Low-level Magic: Gentle Wind]
With a gentle flick of my fingers, a small magic circle began to emit a light breeze.
It wasn’t difficult magic at all.
I could easily handle the mild warmth with just this spell; it wasn’t a matter of endurance.
Of course, if it got hotter than this, mere wind wouldn’t help.
“Phew… refreshing.”
Anyway, the weather was gradually getting warmer as summer approached.
It had been some time since spring had started.
“Rize, don’t you get hot wearing just that maid outfit? I’ve wondered every year.”
“It’s not that hot. I don’t move around much on a daily basis, either.”
“That’s true, but still, isn’t it hot?”
It seems like it would be uncomfortable regardless of how active you are.
Well, if Rize said she was fine, then I wouldn’t make it a big deal.
Personally, I thought that making the maid outfit lighter and shorter wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Although, that might end up looking like a maid cosplay.
“Hehe.”
“…You’re laughing oddly.”
“Was I?”
I wasn’t sure, to be honest.
Anyway, summer was approaching.
It seemed like it was about time to wear lighter clothes.
Not that I’d wear something like a miniskirt, but wearing something shorter than usual would probably be better than wearing long skirts all the time.
“Rize, prepare some thinner pajamas for me to wear tonight. But not summer ones.”
“I’ll do that.”
Right now, I could keep the spell going, but it was annoying to have it on all night while sleeping.
It was just easier to wear lighter clothes.
Anyway, I remained cool while reviewing documents related to business.
Rize was naturally resting comfortably next to me, standing as usual.
Personally, I wished she would sit down and rest, but she refused, saying that as a maid she couldn’t just stand idle.
There was nothing I could do about that.
“Hmm… Rize, could you fetch one document from the drawer for me?”
“Yes.”
“It’s the one in the second compartment; I’ve marked it in red.”
“Understood.”
For now, I continued working.
It felt a bit strange that I, who would be entering the academy next year, was looking at business documents, but honestly, this was more important than the academy.
“Hmm… it might be a good idea to prepare a travel package to the north for this summer…”
There were rumors that this summer would be hotter due to the mage tower’s predictions, and nobles traveling to the north had been increasing lately.
I thought developing a proper package would also be a good idea.
After all, we had maintained a decent relationship with the north for a while, and they were good customers for my business.
“Hehe…”
I already felt like I was going to make a lot of money.
Honestly, my lips were starting to curl up.
“Hehehe…”
“…Young Lady, you shouldn’t laugh like that outside.”
“Huh?”
“I thought you looked really suspicious.”
For some reason…
*
“Hmm… isn’t this earring pretty?”
“I think it would suit you well, Young Lady.”
“Hmm…”
Seeing Rize’s lack of enthusiasm, it didn’t seem that great.
Well, I was just asking casually.
“Then let’s look at something else.”
Saying that, I started to check out other accessories.
Usually, I handled most of my shopping for clothes, but this time it had been a while since I was here for accessories.
I didn’t come for any other reason; I needed to have some trendy accessories.
Even though I didn’t socialize much among young female nobles, having trendy accessories was still important.
It’s always better to have fashionable accessories when meeting people related to business than to show up with outdated ones.
“Hmm… honestly, the earrings are not that great… should I just get a necklace?”
“That sounds good.”
“Rize, are you not too annoyed by this? Could you put in a bit more sincerity?”
“…Young Lady, you really don’t need to bother with such ornaments to be pretty enough…”
“So?”
“…And I don’t really care much about these decorations… so I’m not sure how much advice I can give…”
“Hmm…”
That’s certainly true.
She was right.
Even though she was the daughter of a baron family, it wasn’t a family with a particularly good financial situation.
Plus, working as a personal maid, she wasn’t earning a lot either, and she couldn’t afford to buy expensive luxury items all the time.
“Hmm… then let’s do it this way.”
“Yes?”
It’s not a big deal; I was always thankful to Rize.
Of course, having a pretty maid like Rize wouldn’t magically make her beautiful just because of a few accessories.
But she had been helping me all the time, and starting next year, she’d be entering the academy with me.
“Then let’s get Rize a necklace, or hmm… earrings?”
Actually, I could have bought her more than just one, but knowing Rize’s nature, she would probably refuse saying it was too burdensome, so I thought I’d start out with just one.
“What do you think?”
“…You really don’t have to go out of your way like this…”
“I’m doing it because I want to. And I’m going to buy something for my mother too, okay?”
Given Rize’s nature, she would definitely refuse an offer like that… she would absolutely… never accept even the smallest present.
So I made sure to mention Rosalyn.
After saying that, I finally got an acceptance from Rize, though it felt a bit like I was forcing her.
But… hmm.
“What do you think would suit Rize…?”
“I’d be fine with something modest…”
“That’s not going to happen.”
I absolutely didn’t want to buy anything cheap or basic.
At least something decent.
I could afford to buy that for Rize.
“Let’s go with a necklace. Earrings need pierced ears, and rings would be uncomfortable while working, right?”
There was a reason behind my choice.
It wasn’t just that; with a necklace, it could be worn without a fuss.
I thought it would be easier to keep it hidden in her maid outfit.
“Hmm… blue… isn’t this pretty?”
“…Yes.”
Had Rize finally given up?
She started responding better than before whenever I asked her something.
After pulling out a beautiful blue necklace, I noticed she was being surprisingly honest about liking it.
“Don’t you prefer red?”
“That’s true, but I feel like something overly flashy would be a bit too noticeable.”
“Right… that’s true. Why don’t we go for something a bit smaller…?”
“…You can get whatever you want.”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
I thought Rize didn’t like it when I chose things on my own.
But now she seemed fine with it.
What was going on…
Of course, for me, hearing that it was okay to pick out whatever I wanted was just the best news possible.
I had wanted to do this from the start.
“Then Rize, how about this? It’s a red gem, but it’s small. Its kind won’t be overly flashy, right?”
“…It’s pretty.”
“See?”
Both Rize and I could agree it was a beautiful necklace.
The entire necklace was a simple silver chain, with a small drop-shaped red gem at the end.
Overall it seemed understated, but that made the gem stand out even more.
I could definitely say this one was better than the blue gem necklace I picked out earlier.
“Let’s get this.”
“Yes.”
It oddly ended up being an easier decision than I thought.
It matched Rize’s favorite color perfectly, and the necklace itself was clearly beautiful.
There was no way I wouldn’t go with this.
I’d just have to put it on her neck a bit later.
*
“Earrings?”
“Yes, I bought them on a whim, and I think they would be a nice gift for mother.”
After returning to the mansion with Rize, I mentioned that during tea time with Rosalyn.
I mean, since I bought them?
“The emerald ones were lovely. They also resemble mother’s eyes… so I just got them.”
It truly was just an impulse buy.
Seeing them reminded me a lot of Rosalyn.
The green color somehow made me think of her, so I just bought them immediately.
In fact, since they resembled Rosalyn and suited her well, I had thought they would look good.
“What do you think?”
“They’re pretty earrings.”
“Right? As soon as I saw them, I thought they were beautiful. I’m sure they’ll suit mother perfectly.”
“Hehe, I never thought our Camelia would think of such a thing?”
Well, I rarely came back with something special.
In that sense, Rosalyn couldn’t help but be delighted.
Had I known she’d be so happy about it, I might have given her more gifts throughout the year…