NOVEL WEB Chapter 59
Chapter: 59
“Mother…? Is it a good time?”
It was a bit late in the evening, but I was just peeking my head into Rosalyn’s Room.
Not for any particular reason, though.
“I have something to show you.”
“Huh?”
“Well… um…”
I didn’t really want to bother Rosalyn at this late hour, but there was no way around it in this situation.
It was a bit too awkward to handle alone, and it was also quite difficult.
So, I decided to ask Rosalyn for help.
That’s why I found myself here, lingering at Rosalyn’s Room.
“What’s going on? Is something bad happening?”
“It’s not that. Um… I’d say it’s more of a ridiculous situation.”
“Huh…?”
I was genuinely baffled myself.
I had just been quietly processing the documents and handling tasks while away from the Mansion, taking a little break afterward.
“I was just resting in my room until a moment ago?”
“Yeah. Why’s that?”
“I was taking a little break while sorting business documents, and I have something you definitely need to see.”
“…Huh?”
It was sudden in so many ways, and I was feeling a bit flustered.
Bringing it up with Karen or Rize in the Mansion didn’t feel appropriate, so I had no choice but to come to Rosalyn’s Room.
“What’s going on?”
“While I was at the villa for a while, I got some unusual mail addressed to me.”
“Mail?”
“Yes. It wasn’t exactly addressed to me… but it came my way.”
Though the recipient wasn’t precisely me, it was from the Leonhardt family, and I couldn’t help but show it to Rosalyn.
The sender was a problem that couldn’t be ignored.
“What does it say? Where’s it from… huh?”
“…You should look for yourself, Mother.”
“…Okay.”
As Rosalyn properly checked the envelope, her expression grew a bit serious.
Gone was the worried look from earlier, where she seemed uncertain about the situation.
“…Um.”
I handed the letter envelope to Rosalyn, who opened it and began to read the stationery inside.
On the seal of the envelope on the table was a distinct rose pattern.
And the stationery Rosalyn was reading was also embossed with a rose design.
…Because it was a letter from the Rose Family.
“Mother.”
“Um…”
“…What does it say?”
I didn’t know what it contained, but it was a letter from the Rose Family.
Naturally, I thought Rosalyn needed to read it, so I came to her with it.
I never expected to receive a letter from the Rose Family after all this time, especially while I was out of the house.
And I had no idea why it was sent to the whole family instead of just Rosalyn.
“Um…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Camelia, um…”
“…?”
Rosalyn looked like she was deep in thought.
What’s with that?
Seeing this different side of Rosalyn made me even more worried.
Is there really something in there worth pondering about?
What could possibly be in there that made Rosalyn hesitate to talk to me?
“I didn’t expect a letter like this…”
“What’s it about…?”
“…It’s not strange, but they want us to visit the family.”
“…Huh?”
“It has a lot of other messages, but that’s the gist of it.”
“…?”
We hadn’t had any contact until now, and suddenly they send a letter, asking us to come visit.
It was quite shocking, to say the least.
“Don’t worry too much. Of course, I’m a bit taken aback too…?”
“Um… Is it a good thing?”
“Heh, I’m not quite sure about that either.”
“…Right.”
I was genuinely confused.
Since Rosalyn was effectively brought into our family, the Rose Family had never contacted us separately.
And they certainly hadn’t told us to come visit.
Aside from an annual greeting, there hadn’t been much else.
Why are they reaching out now?
“At least it’s not an outright request for us to head over. Um… It’s sudden, but I think it’ll be fine.”
“If you say so, Mother…”
It must be fine, right?
I found the letter while taking a break from work, browsing through correspondence unrelated to business, and immediately came to Rosalyn.
It felt somewhat strange, though.
When Rosalyn started reading, I thought it was serious, and while I was surprised by its content, it was odd that Rosalyn seemed fairly okay with it.
Anyway, while it was unexpected, I managed to convey it to Rosalyn.
Um… It should be fine, right?
“Um… Is it okay for me to head back now…?”
“Yeah, thanks for letting me know, Camelia. Uh… sleep well?”
“…Yes. You sleep well too, Mother.”
It felt like it had been ages since we exchanged goodnight greetings like this at night.
Since we had different rooms and were quite some distance apart, we hadn’t had a chance to talk much before bed.
So it felt a little awkward.
Well… I didn’t dislike this kind of farewell.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, goodnight.”
“…Okay.”
With that, I left Rosalyn’s Room.
I couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted the Rose Family to reach out.
They hadn’t communicated with us at all until now, and suddenly they’re sending a letter asking us to visit their estate…
Why?
“… I really don’t get it.”
Even being alone in my room again, I still couldn’t understand it.
*
“Hmm…”
“Mother.”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
Rosalyn’s expression wasn’t very cheerful during lunch.
Maybe it was because of yesterday’s letter, but she didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
“You haven’t been eating much since a little while ago.”
I couldn’t help but worry, given the circumstances surrounding yesterday’s events and the sudden contact from her family after nearly four years.
It was natural that Rosalyn would have more on her mind than me, given it was about her.
But Rosalyn typically didn’t dwell on her thoughts much, nor was she someone who worried excessively, so this felt unusually intense today.
“…I’m fine. Probably…?”
“…Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
…I wanted to ask more, but since Rosalyn claimed she was okay, it felt difficult to press further.
“Um…”
“…?”
Not knowing what had happened the night before, Karen tilted her head in confusion.
Meanwhile, Rize was quietly curious behind me.
“Camelia.”
“Yes?”
“…Never mind. Let’s just eat.”
“Got it…?”
It was clear that Rosalyn was off today, but for now, I decided to let it slide.
In truth, I hadn’t read the letter’s content closely, so I didn’t precisely know the reason for Rosalyn’s unusual behavior, but it was evident that the letter was the cause.
Anyway, keeping a quiet watch over this different Rosalyn, I continued through our meal time.
“Rize.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
“I’m going to see Teacher Ashley for a bit. Please organize the documents upstairs.”
“Of course.”
After telling Rize while processing documents in the room, I stepped outside.
Since it kept gnawing at me while I worked.
“Teacher.”
“Huh…?”
“Could you please get up for a moment?”
“What’s going on… yawn…”
“It’s a bit important.”
Ashley was sleeping as usual, looking the same as always.
I expected nothing less.
However, at the moment, I needed Ashley to be a little less sleepy.
“I’ll help you sit up a bit.”
“ugh… sigh…”
I propped Ashley’s upper body up slightly from the bed.
At the very least, I wanted her to be alert enough for a decent conversation.
I sat beside Ashley’s bed, who was still gazing at me with drowsy eyes.
Fortunately, she looked somewhat more awake than a moment ago.
“What’s up…? Why’d you come out of the blue… Is it class time…?”
“Not exactly, I need your help.”
“Huh…?”
Though I was able to use some high-level magic, I still wasn’t at the same level as Ashley.
Of course, the magic I could manage might be helpful, but it wouldn’t be a straightforward solution.
That’s why I came to ask Ashley for her assistance.
“What kind of help…?”
Since I rarely used the word “help,” maybe that’s why Ashley looked at me with wide eyes after hearing my words.
“…I want to retrieve something from Mother’s room.”
“…Huh?”
If I told Rosalyn, she might lend it to me, but given how she had been acting recently, I figured the chances were slim.
She seemed reluctant to involve me in her matters.
“So, I need your help.”
“…?”
“Can you help me with that?”
“Uh… sure?”
Ashley, who only a moment ago watched me with sleepy eyes, now looked fully awake.
Hmm.
Was it really such a shocking request?
“Could you please? No, can you?”
I leaned in closer to Ashley as I asked.
After all, Ashley had top-notch magical skills, and regardless of her quirks, I knew she was competent in both appearance and magic skills.
I thought she could manage retrieving whatever Rosalyn had read from her room.
Doing so discreetly without Rosalyn noticing seemed manageable as well.
I had no other options that came to mind besides asking Ashley.
“Wait… Camelia? I don’t really understand…”
“You’re getting it right. I need you to retrieve something from Lady Leonhardt’s room.”
“Um…? You mean… Lady Leonhardt’s room…?”
“Yes. You got it?”
Sleeping a lot or not, she was definitely smart.
I was relieved she understood my intent clearly.
“Please do.”
“Wait… this is a bit too sudden… No, it’s all too unexpected…”
“Teacher, you’ll help me, right? I’ve been handling your salary and room accommodations since a few years back, haven’t I? And with your skills, it shouldn’t be any trouble.”
“……..”
I beamed at Ashley as I made that request.
Considering Ashley’s skills, I felt there was no way she could fail, and in reality, I had been quite generous to her as well.