NOVEL WEB Chapter 49
Chapter: 49
“Ugh…”
“Yawn…”
Yesterday was a blast.
Sure, we just started dinner at first, but somehow we got so carried away that we ended up playing and didn’t even go to our rooms, sleeping right in the central area.
It wasn’t just me; Ashley, who was already sleeping, and Ella and Karen, who were chatting with me, were all out cold.
“…Maybe we stayed up too late.”
They were all sleeping so soundly that they wouldn’t have noticed if someone carried them away.
Everyone was wrapped in blankets and looked so comfortable that I felt bad waking them up, so I just left them be and got up from my spot.
“Phew…”
Leaving my sleeping friends and the teacher behind, I got up to drink some water.
By the way, who covered us with blankets?
Looking at everyone casually sleeping on the floor, it didn’t seem like something we did ourselves.
Although everyone was sleeping comfortably with blankets in the central area of the villa, there was one person missing.
Rosalyn.
“…Well, I guess that makes sense.”
After making a quick guess, I went upstairs.
If she wasn’t here, she must be sleeping in her room on the second floor.
-Knock knock.
“Mother, is it okay if I come in?”
Rosalyn usually didn’t sleep long—she was more of a light sleeper.
It wasn’t common for me to wake up before Rosalyn; she often came to wake me up instead.
I was certain she would be awake by now.
-Camelia? Come in.
I heard the permission from inside, so I stepped inside.
Just as I expected, she was awake.
“Did you sleep well?”
“I obviously slept well. What about you, Camelia? Was the floor uncomfortable?”
“The blanket your mother covered me with helped a lot.”
The wooden floor was a bit hard, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or unpleasant at all.
In fact, I had no idea when I had fallen asleep yesterday, so I didn’t think much of it.
“Thank goodness. Hmm… do you want to lie down here with me?”
“Huh?”
Rosalyn, lying on the bed, suddenly invited me over.
She pulled back the blanket a bit.
“Come on, Camelia?”
“…Sure.”
Since it was Rosalyn’s invitation.
I couldn’t ignore it, especially since it was my mother inviting me into her space.
In fact, I came into Rosalyn’s room to show my gratitude, wanting to repay her for her kindness.
Lying down on the same bed as her wouldn’t be a big deal, right?
“…Mother, why did you ask me to come in…?”
“I just wanted to be like this for a while. We haven’t spent time like this together in a long while, and I wanted to be comfortable with you again.”
“…You really didn’t have to go this far.”
“I was jealous because you’ve been having so much fun with Rize lately.”
“……..”
I had no words.
Sure, I had kept a bit of distance from Rosalyn, but I had indeed grown closer to Rize than before.
I had my reasons for creating space between us, but to Rosalyn, it must have felt a bit hurtful.
“What book were you reading?”
I noticed Rosalyn had been holding a book earlier.
Though she wasn’t right now, I felt the need to say something.
“It was just a novel. Not a famous one or anything, just a decent book from the bookstore.”
“Oh really…?”
It was an awkward question, but her answer was a tad vague as well.
She had been reading just moments ago, but now the book was closed and placed on the bedside table.
What else was there to talk about?
The conversation felt different compared to when I talked with Rize.
“Are the kids outside all still asleep?”
“Yeah. They’re all still knocked out.”
“Since everyone was chatting late last night, it’s probably best to let them sleep longer.”
“…How long did you sleep, Mother? It seemed like you went to bed after we did.”
“Me? Probably around six hours? I woke up surprisingly early; maybe it’s because it’s not my usual room.”
“Oh…….”
I hadn’t thought about that.
Indeed… the bed was much softer than Rosalyn’s.
It was originally designed to suit my taste, while Rosalyn’s bed wasn’t quite this comfortable.
Having slept on Rosalyn’s bed often in the past, I could definitely compare.
Back then, it wasn’t nearly as soft, and it was smaller than this one.
“I’m glad you seemed to sleep well, too. You just woke up, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
How does she know all these details?
Lying next to Rosalyn, I felt shy, unable to think straight.
Rosalyn kept talking while facing me, but I lay quietly, unable to lift my head and could only stare at the blanket.
“Did you sleep well too, Mother?”
“I slept a bit less than usual, but yes, it was nice. Even if the bed is different, it was really soft and comfortable.”
“That’s a relief.”
Rosalyn, lying next to me, wore nothing but a thin pajama top.
Unintentionally, I found myself sneaking glances at her soft, pale skin…
I really couldn’t keep my eyes to myself.
“Mother? Today, I was thinking of going for a little hike on the mountain behind with Ella…”
“Huh?”
“Please keep an eye on Karen and Teacher Ashley. I’m a bit worried…”
“Oh, was that what you meant? Of course I can! It doesn’t seem like such a difficult request.”
I truly felt a bit… worried about Rosalyn staying alone at the mansion with Karen and Ashley.
Sure, there were other maids, but their personalities were quite unique.
Honestly, I didn’t need to say this; Rosalyn would handle things just fine, but I felt the need to say something.
Saying nothing might lead me to keep stealing glances to the left.
So there I was, lying in Rosalyn’s room on her bed, spending some time together.
I couldn’t focus at all; my eyes kept wandering involuntarily… but I did my best to hold it together.
We had a normal chat about the day’s plans.
Then there was…
“…Camelia, how’s the water temperature? Is it good?”
“Yeah… it’s just right…”
And then, I found myself in the bathroom with Rosalyn.
…To be honest, I had no intention of rejecting this.
“Your blonde hair seems shinier than everyone else’s.”
“Really…?”
Before I knew it, we’d washed up and were soaking in the tub together.
At that moment, Rosalyn was right next to me, playing with my damp hair.
Thanks to that, we were sitting quite close to each other.
It wasn’t just shoulder-to-shoulder; Rosalyn’s shoulder was resting against mine.
It felt soft and warm, leaving me feeling strangely flustered.
Just a shoulder touching might be odd to feel this way, but I must have been the weird one.
“Ahh… just being able to relax like this feels pretty good. I think a winter trip to a hot spring would be amazing…”
Unlike me, Rosalyn seemed to be enjoying her time.
She kept chatting away.
Meanwhile, I… couldn’t help but keep staring at her shoulder brushing against mine and the little bits of skin peeking out.
“…Heh, it’s been so long since I traveled with you, Camelia. I’m having so much fun.”
“…I’m glad to hear that.”
“Aside from that time we went to Melnick, we’ve never traveled together, right?”
“That’s true…”
I understood why Rosalyn was so happy.
After all, it had been such a long time since our last trip.
Unless we counted that improbable trip to Melnick, I had never gone on a trip with Rosalyn.
Moreover, Rosalyn especially loved when I did things for her.
So that was probably why.
“Heh… soon we’ll be at the Academy. I wanted to spend as much time with you as possible before then, so I’m really glad it turned out like this.”
“…It’s just a couple of years.”
“Still, spending time with you really makes me happy. Don’t you think so, Camelia?”
“…Well.”
There were many things to consider, but I didn’t… dislike it.
…I guess I was the one with the issues.
Rosalyn wasn’t strange at all; after all, she was my mother.
William was a separate case, but no one really dislikes spending time with family.
“Do you dislike it?”
“…Not at all. I enjoy it.”
“Ahh, I’m glad to hear that. Since way back, I always wanted to…”
“…spend time with me?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“You say that every time.”
I had heard it so often that it was practically memorized.
Rosalyn always said the same things to me, making me feel awkward.
“…I came here to spend time with you, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
That much was genuinely true.
I didn’t dislike being with Rosalyn; in fact, I liked it, which was why I had invited her on this trip together.
I wasn’t a foolish pushover who would invite someone I disliked on a trip; that was for sure.