NOVEL WEB Chapter 39
Chapter: 39
Spending summer was definitely tiring.
Every single day, I just ate cold stuff like ice cream or shaved ice with Rize and Rosalyn, and even though I wore light clothes, it was still hot.
Of course, I didn’t feel like the heat was truly alleviated at all.
That’s why I had no choice but to indulge in shaved ice even more and enjoy the cool breeze from magic as much as I could.
Yeah, there was no other option.
“Cough… cough…!”
“…Camelia, are you okay?”
“Yeees…”
…Even though I caught a cold, I had no regrets.
It was just too hot.
Honestly, I thought it was the best, most optimal choice I could make in such a sweaty state.
Rize always scolded me for it, but I felt satisfied regardless.
“Cough!”
“Hmm…”
“Ugh…”
“You look really sick…”
“I’m not that sick… cough…”
Though I was coughing a lot.
Anyway… I was okay.
At least for now.
“Well… like Rize said, you shouldn’t push it too much…”
“…But it was hot.”
“Hah…”
Today, hearing Rosalyn’s sigh felt a bit embarrassing.
Of course, it was completely my fault.
Still, putting up with the hot weather, nothing could beat shaved ice.
Yeah, it couldn’t be helped.
I just lay on my bed, coughing and mulling over such thoughts.
“Ah…”
No matter how much I thought about it, eating shaved ice seemed like a good choice…
Maybe it was because I kept sleeping without covering up with a blanket.
If I could catch a cold just from eating a lot of ice cream and shaved ice, then I would have been sick days ago.
Yeah.
Hmm.
Until when do I have to just lie here in bed like this?
“Rize, how long do I have to stay like this?”
As Rosalyn left the room, I asked Rize while we were alone.
“My lady.”
“…No, I just mean out of curiosity… Do I have to stay like this for about a day…?”
“Ha…”
Rosalyn also let out a sigh, and Rize did too.
Hmm… Is it that pathetic?
If anyone were to just sit around like this… honestly, they’d probably dislike it.
“Cough…!”
“My lady, just… lie still. It’s not good for someone who’s sick to keep moving.”
“But… I’m bored…”
Even on normal days, doing nothing was boring, but today was even worse.
I had already been lying here for over an hour.
There was a wet towel on my head, and I had completely covered up with a blanket… sweating a lot…
“Rize…”
“My lady.”
“You’re feeling cold today…”
If it were the usual Rize, she definitely wouldn’t act like this…
It felt excessive, as if I wasn’t even sick.
I was only coughing a bit, feeling slightly dizzy, and sweating a lot.
Rize just sat quietly in the chair next to my bed, doing nothing.
“Rize…?”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Hand.”
“…Yes.”
At least she was offering her hand.
Rize was indeed kind.
Though today she felt a bit colder… her hand was warm, so that was fine.
“Rize… I’m hot…”
“…Let me wipe the sweat for you.”
“Uh-huh…”
“My lady, please sit up for a moment.”
“Okay… got it.”
My head was a bit dizzy, but I could manage this much.
Following Rize’s words, I lifted my upper body slightly.
…Dizzy.
But still, it felt much better than lying still.
It was uncomfortable still being covered with the blanket, and now that I wasn’t, it felt a little liberating.
That was more comfortable.
“…My lady, let me loosen your top.”
“Okay.”
Since the door was closed and Rize was also a girl, there was no need to feel self-conscious.
A bit embarrassed, but still.
Rize began to unbutton the shirt I was wearing, one by one.
Since I was too dizzy to do it myself, it was much easier for her.
“Rize.”
“…Yes.”
“Undo my bra too.”
“…Understood.”
Unlike when I was little, I now had somewhat of a chest.
Of course, I was wearing a bra.
Sure, it was still smaller than Rize’s, but what I really cared about wasn’t my chest size, but my height!
Anyway, once Rize undid my bra, I felt much more comfortable.
“Ahhh…”
“…Is it cool?”
“Yeah, it’s really cool…”
I had been sweating bullets under the blanket until just now, so it made sense.
It felt so good.
“Ah, this is it…”
“…My lady, please wait a moment. I’ll get another towel.”
“Okay, go get it.”
I couldn’t use the one on my head to wipe my sweat.
As Rize left and I took a moment of…
Freedom…?
Liberation?
I was briefly soaking in that.
Honestly, it felt so good that I almost forgot I was sick.
“…Actually, this feels better than when I’m not sick?”
Seriously.
Was it because I had been so hot and stuffy, and now I felt so cool?
“My lady, the towel… I’ve brought it…”
“Ah, you’re back?”
Lying there almost undressed.
I hadn’t taken everything off, of course, since I was still wearing pants, and I hadn’t fully removed my top; it was just draped over my arms and waist.
Well, I had already bared my skin before Rize, so feeling shy was pointless.
“…Then let me dry you off.”
“Okay.”
Rize said that and dipped the towel in water, wringing it out before placing it on my back.
“Hah…”
“…Is it cold?”
“No, I was just surprised…?”
Something cold suddenly touching my back made me unintentionally let out a sound.
Hmm… that was a bit embarrassing.
Anyway, Rize began to slowly wipe my back.
It was cold, but as the sticky sweat was wiped away, it was starting to feel cooler.
Honestly, being completely covered by the blanket earlier had been way too hot.
Yeah… I honestly wanted to just stay like this, but if Rize and Rosalyn were around, I was sure they’d say I’d catch a worse cold.
“Rize.”
“Yes?”
“…Are we having soup for lunch?”
“I think so. The lady told the chef to prepare it…”
“…No other choice…”
Honestly, I hated tasteless soup.
But since Rosalyn had already done it, there was no helping it.
“…Please add some meat.”
“Understood.”
“Okay… and don’t make it too bland.”
“Understood.”
Anyway, with Rize’s help, I managed to rest here.
Personally, I wanted to feel cooler and just bask in the breeze without any clothes, but… Rize said that wasn’t allowed.
Though she said the room could be ventilated, I was still told to lie beneath the blanket.
After changing into a fresh shirt, again…
“…I’m bored.”
I lay in bed, trying to do nothing.
…My head was dizzy, but it wasn’t that bad.
“Rize…”
“My lady, please stay still.”
“…Okay, I got it—but could you pass me the papers on the desk?”
Even with a cold, I could still handle looking at some papers.
Of course, they weren’t just any papers; they were business-related documents, but hey, that’s that.
“…My lady, just in case, I’d advise against working on such things while you have a cold.”
“Ah, it’s fine. I’ve got this cool towel on my head, and I’m all wrapped up in the blanket to sweat it out, you know?”
“…That is true.”
“So it’ll be okay! Probably?”
I wouldn’t suddenly pass out with a splitting headache just from glancing at a few papers.
Yeah.
It should be fine, right?
“Hah…”
“Don’t sigh so much, okay?”
“…Sometimes when I see my lady, I think you don’t care about yourself enough.”
“Is it really that bad?”
I didn’t think it was that extreme…
If anyone heard, they’d think I’m this incredibly generous person who’s always considering others.
Not at all; I’m pretty much a self-centered person.
Making money through business is honestly just fun for me; the thrill of earning and spending it as I wish is what I enjoy.
“Hmm… Rize, pass me a pen.”
“Hah… my lady.”
“No, I just wanted to draw a few circles…”
…I felt wronged.
Seriously…
*
Anyway, after spending the morning just lying in bed, I could finally… even if just for a moment, escape the blanket for lunch.
“Hah…”
“Are you that happy…?”
“It’s just so stuffy.”
“Camelia… you need to endure a bit even in the heat. It’s better to be a little stuffy than to keep feeling sick, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
I honestly believed that I would be having my meal downstairs, since I thought for sure I would eat there.
After all, I usually had meals on the first floor.
But contrary to my beliefs… I ended up eating in my room.
And that too, with Rosalyn feeding me soup.
“…What am I, eight years old?”
“Well, you’re twelve.”
“…This feels too childish.”
“Our Camelia is still a baby, isn’t she?”
“…Mother.”
“Hehe.”
“……..”
I shot Rosalyn a slightly displeased look, but it was true that I was younger than her.
So it was kinda hard to argue against that.
Anyway, though I thought I’d be eating on the first floor, truth be told, Rosalyn started to feed me soup in my room.
“Is it tasty?”
“…I can’t tell.”
“It must be because of the cold.”
“…That’s right.”
Maybe because of the cold, I couldn’t taste anything well.
I didn’t think my nose was entirely blocked, so I assumed I could sense some flavor and aroma.
But I couldn’t taste a thing.
There’s meat in there, but I couldn’t really taste it…
“…It’s not tasty.”
“Then you need to get better quickly, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Definitely… I felt I needed to recover soon.
It was something I could normally enjoy in my daily life, and I didn’t expect to be unable to do so at all.
…At this rate, if I had shaved ice, I wouldn’t be able to taste it and would only feel the cold.
“Then, listen to Rize properly. Okay?”
“…Got it.”
So I had no choice but to comply… with that.
…Honestly, it was very stifling, but since I couldn’t enjoy the taste of the soup at all while staying sick, I had no other choice.