NOVEL WEB Chapter 4
Chapter: 4
Since Rosalyn entered the mansion, daily life has changed just a little—definitely not some monumental shift, but there were simply more things to laugh about than before. After all, there was now a proper conversation partner.
“Rize?”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“Is Mother scheduled for lunch today?”
I asked even though I had already confirmed that she wasn’t. After all, I hadn’t formally invited Mother for lunch yet.
Ah, by the way, Rize is my personal maid. Originally a young lady from the Baron family, but like Rosalyn… well, you know.
If she had been a completely ordinary commoner, she wouldn’t be my personal maid to begin with, and I got lucky having a maid who listens well and understands me. Plus, Rize’s family received a good amount of money, so it seems beneficial for both of us.
“Lady Rosalyn has a free afternoon schedule. She is expected to start her official activities as a Leonhardt family lady after this weekend.”
“I see… Then could you ask Mother to join us for lunch a little later?”
“Yes.”
By the way, looking at Rize reminded me of Rosalyn. Maybe it was due to their similarly dark hair.
Of course, they didn’t look exactly alike. Their eye colors were different, and Rize had a sharper impression.
“Rize.”
“Yes.”
“Do you happen to have any relatives connected to the Rose Family?”
“To my knowledge, no. There might be some connection with grandparents or further up, but at least my parents are not from any Rose family.”
“I see.”
Hmm… I subconsciously associated her with Rosalyn. Logically thinking, the chances of someone from a Count family being related to Rize’s family were quite low.
What can I say? I’ve been spending all this time with Rosalyn recently, so I often had such thoughts without realizing it.
Even when sleeping, I would hug my pillow, thinking about what it would be like in Rosalyn’s arms, or how to become closer while walking in the garden, or if a gift she likes would be okay—I’ve been having these thoughts quite a bit lately.
Honestly, it didn’t seem particularly beneficial.
“Rize, what do you think about our newly arrived Mother?”
“I think she’s a good person. Despite our family having a rather poor reputation, she’s joined us without showing any sign of it.”
“Hmm… That’s true.”
We both knew it.
How short the history of the Leonhardt family was and how it was looked down upon by families with long histories.
From the head of the family to me, all of us knew that fact—including the butler, maids, and all the servants.
“Well, anyway, that part will gradually be resolved.”
“Yes.”
William had been putting in more effort than expected to build that reputation. Of course, it wasn’t solely for good reputation; it was also to move on to the next stage and earn more money.
In any case, Rize’s words were reasonable and true.
I didn’t see Rosalyn as a bad person either. She looked very different from William, who I still hadn’t met yet… but still, she treated me well, so there was extra credit for that.
Moreover, regarding the Leonhardt family, even though they were called “fox kits” by true “nobles,” I was grateful they didn’t say anything unpleasant.
There were times when I disliked William’s antics, but I still felt a sense of belonging. After all, it’s the family that raised and supported me.
“Well, at least she’s better than the last Mother. That much is certain.”
“I think so too.”
“Oh, by the way, Rize? How did the tea party planning go? You were supposed to talk to the butler about it.”
“For now, the Count family and Duke family felt it was premature, so we’ve decided to invite the young ladies of the Baron and Baroness families.”
“Hmm… I see. Is it okay if I select the guest list?”
“Of course. I will inform the butler today.”
“Thanks.”
After chatting a bit more, Rize went back to her tasks.
At first, it felt strange to be bossing around Rize, who was three years older than me. After all, I wasn’t in the position of being in charge of anyone in my previous life.
But by now, I had gotten used to it. I had already been living in this world for eight years.
In fact, I thought it would be weirder if I didn’t get used to it. Since I was already accustomed to a world with servants, it wouldn’t be possible to stay awkward forever.
“More importantly, what should we prepare for lunch today…”
What I like is simple, but Rosalyn’s tastes are definitely more noble.
Unlike me, who would be satisfied with just some meat and sweet dessert, she enjoys… should I say she has a bit more of a gourmet taste?
Of course, the chefs in our family did their job well enough, so it wasn’t a huge problem. Still, when I planned to invite Rosalyn for lunch and choose the menu, I didn’t know what she would like more.
Anyway, I had already finished my homework from the tutor in the morning, and the task related to the north I discussed with another tutor was also done. Essentially, it was now time for me to play freely.
So, I was going to ask Rosalyn to have lunch together.
“Hehe.”
I wasn’t sure if it’s because I had been an adult before, but I really enjoyed having time to just relax without anything to do.
Sometimes it felt a bit like being a bum, but hey, I was eight years old.
Isn’t it weirder that William keeps asking me business-related questions? I do have a few light businesses of my own. It wasn’t something I considered too ordinary.
“Whew…”
Anyway, just holding my pillow and quietly resting was the best.
Recently, I enjoyed spending time with Rosalyn, but when I couldn’t do that, it was also nice to relax comfortably and not think about anything…
“Hehe…”
It felt good. Yes.
The inside of the blanket was warm, the pillow was soft and fluffy, and I wanted to hold it even more tightly.
It made me feel so drowsy that I couldn’t help but close my eyes. But I didn’t dislike that feeling, so I just went ahead and closed them. It felt so good.
And then…
“Whoa…!”
I fell asleep.
Literally, just like that. I might be an eight-year-old kid, but I fell asleep way too easily.
I was supposed to have lunch with Rosalyn… I intended to check the time. But as I got up from the bed, what met my eyes was… green eyes.
“…Mother?”
“Finally awake, I see?”
“Ah, that………”
I was flustered.
I’m usually not the type to get flustered that easily, but I felt panicked. Why was Rosalyn here?
Well, it wasn’t really a problem if I thought about it for a moment, but since I met the person I had made lunch plans with right after waking up, I was more flustered.
“I saw you sleeping so soundly that I just left you be. Was that a mistake?”
“N-No… I’m sorry…”
Rosalyn hadn’t done anything wrong, that much was clear.
I had just been cuddling my pillow and had dozed off. I was the one who made the lunch plans with Rosalyn, after all.
“Lunch…”
“Of course, we haven’t eaten yet. We planned to eat together, right?”
“………”
Typically, if the person who set the plan didn’t show up, one would feel upset.
But Rosalyn looked at me and smiled as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Meanwhile, I was way too flustered. Honestly, I felt so bad that I didn’t even know how to respond.
Maybe it was because I had just woken up, but the situation itself was so embarrassing.
“Oh dear, you don’t have to be that sorry.”
“…Yes.”
“Camellia is still young, right? At that age, it’s completely normal to take a nap and sleep when you feel like it.”
“………”
Rosalyn rubbed my head and said those words.
They were words so different from what I usually heard. Something more family-like than anyone I’ve met in these eight years.
“Oh my, is your room a bit warm? Your face looks a little red…”
“N-No…! It’s just… I… I want to drink some water…”
Feeling shy, I pushed Rosalyn’s hand away and got off the bed. If I stayed there any longer, I felt like I’d fall into a warmth that was too unfamiliar.
“You don’t have to feel that shy, really, hehe.”
“…Shall we go eat lunch?”
“Of course! That’s why I was waiting here. I intended to have lunch with my adorable daughter today, right from the start.”
Hearing Rosalyn’s cheerful words, I began to change clothes with Rize’s help, who entered the room.
Though it was a time that felt no different from usual, the presence of someone in the room made it feel slightly different. So I unconsciously tried to cover myself up.
“That dress looks great on you.”
“Really…? It’s just an ordinary dress.”
“They say clothes can give you wings, right? Our Camellia is just too pretty for that.”
“…….”
We had conversations like that.
Anyway, after I changed clothes, we left the room together.
Rosalyn was wearing the black dress I prepared for her the other day, while I wore just the dress I usually did. Normally, I would have just eaten a simple meal in the mansion, but today was different.
I had initially thought of asking the chefs to prepare the food, but considering what happened…
I felt a bit shy, so I wanted to eat something more delicious and distract myself from that. Plus, I wanted to feed Rosalyn something good and give her a tour outside the mansion.
“Camellia?”
“Yes, Mother.”
While we were headed towards the restaurant outside the mansion by carriage, Rosalyn called out to me.
“Who is the girl next to you? I still don’t know everyone working in the mansion.”
“Ah…”
That was true.
Since Rize was my personal maid, she hadn’t had many chances to meet Rosalyn yet. I may have informed Rosalyn of our lunch plans today, but…
Additionally, Rosalyn had only just entered the mansion a few days ago.
So, by the time we arrived at the restaurant outside the mansion, I spent some time introducing Rize to Rosalyn. The distance wasn’t far, so it didn’t take long at all.
By the way… I hope she likes the restaurant.