NOVEL WEB Chapter 63
Chapter: 63
In the Solkemia Empire, there were three Count territories surrounding the capital.
The three Count territories, including Rose, basically had the boring role of protecting the capital.
While that role had diminished somewhat compared to a long time ago, the Count territories still served as sturdy guardians of the capital. However, it had been quite some time since Rose had properly fulfilled that role.
Before Rosalyn and I were even born, the family had repeatedly failed in various ways, causing their power to wane significantly. Thanks to that, they had reached the point of relying on Barons and Viscounts beneath them.
Of course, it wasn’t as serious now, but it was certainly a family that had gone through a pretty severe period of stagnation.
“Hmm…”
The reason I was talking about this was simple.
I was currently riding in a carriage with Rosalyn, heading towards that family.
“The road is more… nature-friendly than I expected… right…?”
“It’s beautiful. The grass and trees aren’t artificial; instead, they give off a refreshing vibe.”
“Y-Yeah…”
Most other families… well, at least most of them.
Even the Nieshista Baron family takes care of their roads leading to their territory.
It was all too obvious that the Rose family, being a Count family, had completely neglected the road leading to their own domain.
Thanks to that, the horse didn’t even need mana; it just stopped on its own to graze on the tall grass along the way.
“…Haha.”
Even though it was the first time in a while I was going back, Rosalyn was only giving a sigh-laden smile.
She probably didn’t expect this kind of situation.
“Rize, are the other carriages following along well?”
“Four in total, all are in line just fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Honestly, if only one carriage were following us, it would be somewhat okay… but right now, there were five carriages total.
The one we were in, carrying gifts for Rose, and the remaining ones filled with our mansion’s servants and knights.
We were currently on our way to the Rose family, but, man… the road was uncomfortable.
Seriously.
Despite being a luxury carriage, it was bouncing around like crazy due to the poor state of the road, regardless of its high-quality design.
Thanks to that, my butt and back were really uncomfortable.
I was trying to hold back a sigh because I kept glancing at Rosalyn, who looked sorry for me.
In the first place, this wasn’t Rosalyn’s fault at all.
“…I can’t take this anymore.”
After enduring for a while during the bumpy ride, it became unbearable.
I had to make a decision.
“Let’s get off at a suitable lodging.”
“Eh?”
“…We don’t have to rush there right away. It’s been a few days of traveling in the carriage, so let’s just rest early today.”
We were already close to the Rose family’s mansion, so it felt like the best choice to take a break here.
Really, the main reason I wanted to stop was that I just didn’t want to endure this anymore.
“…Okay, let’s do that. I do feel quite tired…”
“I’m sorry. I want to arrive quickly too, but I think the people in the back carriage are feeling tired as well.”
“There’s no helping it. I never expected it to be like this either…”
It couldn’t be helped, so we decided to get off and rest whenever a decent inn appeared.
Continuing like this would truly be exhausting.
It was probably just me, but the servants and knights in the back carriage weren’t having a comfortable ride either.
Resting comfortably today seemed like the best option.
*
“…Rize.”
“Yes, young lady.”
After renting out some rooms in a suitable inn and allowing the knights and servants to rest, I was in the room with Rize.
It seemed best to let Rosalyn have her own room, and since Rize was fine with sharing, that was the situation.
“We’re going to Mother’s family soon, right?”
It wasn’t necessary to bring it up with others, but I thought it was better to inform Rize.
I had some worries, but I could trust Rize, and she wasn’t the type to spoil secrets.
“The Rose family basically… dislikes our family.”
“…Pardon?”
“I mean they dislike us in a way similar to how they feel about other families.”
“…Is that true about your family…?”
“Yep.”
Well, she had to be shocked.
I didn’t know the specific contracts, but Leonhardt’s people vaguely knew the story.
Other families might be indifferent, but it was odd that Rose outright hated us.
“Even if they may not express it, just in case they show any sign of disliking us, don’t react directly. Understood?”
“…Understood.”
“Wow, you accepted that pretty easily?”
“Isn’t it your order, young lady?”
“Oh, really?”
Well… that was a typical Rize reaction.
Actually, it was more common for Rize to ask questions when I said something like this.
I thought she used to refuse a bit more in the past, but not anymore.
“All in all, while they might not directly express their dislike, I doubt they’re going to favor us either, just so you know.”
“Yes. But how do you know this, young lady?”
“Just picked up some information along the way.”
“Is that so? Then should I inform the other servants and knights…?”
“Let’s hold off on that a bit. Don’t mention it right now; let’s see how they react after we arrive at the mansion. They might treat us more normally than expected.”
Originally, I had plenty of thoughts about causing a ruckus right from the start, but messing things up for Rosalyn would be too much to bear.
So I thought it’d be better for me and the other servants to assess the situation first.
Honestly, the likelihood of them treating us normally was quite high.
“Nonetheless, this inn doesn’t feel very inviting.”
“I’ve heard that’s typical around here because the traffic is low.”
“Yeah… but since it’s not too far from the Rose family, usually, there wouldn’t be a need to rest here anyway.”
While the quality of the inn wasn’t terrible, it was a bit small, which was a downside.
Thanks to that, due to a lack of available rooms, Rize and I had to share one.
I wanted to give Rize a room for herself, but we had no choice but to share one.
Of course, it would be more uncomfortable for the servants and knights.
“Still, it seems better than a bumpy road with no maintenance.”
“…I agree.”
“Seeing how locals aren’t really maintaining it either, I feel like they don’t use that road much… but I can’t understand why the Roses would neglect it.”
Honestly, it made no sense.
Even so, since it was their direct road to their own territory, how could they allow it to be this badly maintained?
It was kind of absurd under common sense.
It couldn’t have been due to a short-term neglect; it was clear this road had been poorly cared for over a long time.
It was even possible that the roads we had traveled on before arriving here were in better condition.
“Isn’t the Rose family’s situation supposed to be improving recently?”
“I understood it that way.”
“There you go. I heard they regained some authority and even returned to central politics.”
I couldn’t understand why they’d be in such a state.
This wasn’t some backwater village; it was a Count territory.
I never imagined that the road leading to a Count territory could be in this sort of disrepair.
In fact, the Nieshista roads were much, much cleaner—no comparison.
“I’m feeling… a bit worried.”
Seeing this sorry state right away, I began to form increasingly bad premonitions about the Rose family.
I had never visited the Rose family’s territory before, but seeing it like this just couldn’t help but create a negative image.
“…For now, just stay comfortable. I’ll check on the condition of the servants.”
“Will you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
Rize left the room to check on the other servants, and I was left alone in the room.
To be honest, I was tired from days of traveling in the carriage to the Count Rose territory…
So Rize went out of the room, and I decided to lie down on the bed to rest.
My back and backside really didn’t feel good at all.
“Ugh…”
*
After resting in the inn and having a light dinner, I returned to the room with Rize.
Originally, I wanted to talk with Rosalyn about how things would go tomorrow and catch up on other things.
But since Rosalyn seemed troubled about today’s events, we ended up having a quiet dinner without much conversation.
“Yawn…”
“Young lady, I’ll prepare your bed.”
“Sure, I’d appreciate that.”
Anyway, once I entered the room, I watched Rize as she prepared the bed while brushing her teeth.
…It feels weird to be sharing a room with Rize.
I didn’t think much of it at first, but now it did feel a bit different.
I’d slept next to Rize before, but this would be the first time I was spending a whole night together like this.
“…Rize, please don’t spread out a blanket on the floor.”
“…Understood.”
Rize was casually trying to set up her sleeping area on the floor.
I couldn’t allow that.
No matter how much she was a maid, I had no intention of letting Rize sleep uncomfortably on the floor.
While it felt awkward in various ways, sharing a bed with Rize wasn’t something new.
We could just lie down.
“Let’s sleep early and get up early tomorrow, okay?”
“…Yes.”
Rize finished getting ready, and I finished my own preparations.
Though it was still a bit early, I was tired, and we planned to set off in the morning, so…
“Then we should get to bed soon, right?”
“…Understood.”
Rize seemed a bit hesitant, maybe feeling shy about it, but she knew she had no choice.
Having grown accustomed to this, she obediently climbed under the covers.
It was a tiring day, partly because of the road’s condition, but also due to all the traveling we’d been doing for days; however, it wasn’t so bad when I found myself lying beside the lovely Rize.
By the way, it was pretty obvious that Rize had matured more than before… that was definitely clear.
“……..”
Lying face to face with Rize, I couldn’t help but notice how she had matured… uh.
Feeling like I might be thinking some wrong thoughts, I turned my body to sleep on my side instead.