My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 72

After finishing our meal at the restaurant, we hopped on the carriage to head to the next location.

The assumptions that popped into my head regarding Christina were still just that—assumptions.

For now, I was pretending like everything was fine and putting on a show.

I had always been good at acting.

“I used to come here often when I was little.”

“Yeah, I used to come here and wander around the market whenever I got bored.”

…Anyway, the place we finally arrived at was the market within the territory.

Honestly, they were talking about things only they understood, making me question whether I even needed to tag along.

“Both Christina and Alexandra, they both seemed to spend more time at home than Rosalyn.”

“That’s true. It seems like, according to father, Rosalyn has been the only one wandering outside a lot.”

“Isn’t she the youngest? The youngest ones are usually the most innocent, you know?”

“Hehe, maybe what mother said is true. Rosalyn was definitely the one who had the most active school life among us during the academy days.”

Of course, I didn’t mind the sporadic mentions of Rosalyn.

Most of the stories about Rosalyn were things I didn’t know.

Fortunately, unlike the discussions earlier at the restaurant, they didn’t bring up William or Leonhardt much.

Honestly, I didn’t like hearing those names tossed around by others.

“Camelia, are you comfortable walking?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“If your legs start to hurt while walking, you need to tell me, okay?”

“I’m not that frail…”

While walking through the market, Rosalyn seemed oddly worried about me, but it really wasn’t an issue.

After all, we hadn’t done much walking.

We had taken the carriage from the restaurant to the market, and right now, we weren’t really pushing ourselves—we were just walking slowly.

Compared to the market I saw in Melnick, this one honestly looked smaller.

Still, it felt like the market was developing to some degree… and the fruits that caught my eye looked fresh.

“But what made us come to this market all of a sudden?”

“Huh? Well, it’s been a while since I met my younger sister, so I just thought we’d take a stroll together as a family?”

“Hmm… how about heading to the dessert cafe a bit later?”

“The one we always go to?”

“If it’s still open.”

…I don’t know what it was, but they seemed to be having a discussion among themselves.

Rosalyn suddenly suggested the dessert cafe, and it seemed like everyone had a positive reaction.

To be honest, I preferred stepping into the dessert cafe over wandering around a market I didn’t know.

I’ve always had a sweet tooth.

“Hmm… Alexandra? Is the dessert cafe in front of the adventurer’s guild still open?”

“Of course it is. It’s still quite popular these days!”

“What do you think, father? Mother?”

“Since we’re finally going as a family after a long time, anything’s fine with us.”

So they chatted around Alexandra, and in the end, it was decided we’d go to the dessert cafe.

Let’s be real, it wasn’t like it was my first time at a market, and I wasn’t particularly amazed by it.

I just wanted to get indoors somewhere quickly.

…Honestly, I was feeling a bit lazy about walking.

*

“Camelia, the chocolate cake here is super delicious, so make sure to try it.”

“I can eat on my own… it might be better for you to talk with your family…”

“Hehe, but I can’t help wanting to look after you!”

“…Thank you.”

Thus, we arrived at the dessert cafe.

Rosalyn was incessantly doting on me.

People from the Rose Family glanced over at Rosalyn, but I didn’t pay them any mind.

“Rosalyn.”

“Yes, sister?”

Alexandra called out to Rosalyn, who had been fussing over me.

“How long are you going to stay in the territory? Since it’s been a while since we met, you aren’t planning to leave too soon, are you?”

“Hmm… I haven’t thought about it, so I don’t really know. I haven’t made any plans to go back yet.”

“Hmm… well, since it’s my first time in four years, you should stay longer. Right?”

“Hehe, that’s true. Just like you said, it’s been four years.”

Could it be because of the assumptions regarding Christina?

I was surprisingly not worried about Alexandra’s comments directed at Rosalyn.

From the beginning until now, Alexandra hadn’t touched upon anything related to Leonhardt.

Well… the guest facilities may not have been too impressive, but it wasn’t like Christina, who sent chills down my spine.

Of course, for now, I still considered what I thought about Christina just an assumption, but in my mind, it felt more like a certainty.

“And your daughter… it’s her first time at the Rose Territory. You have to let her enjoy it properly, right?”

“That’s true, just like you say. It’s Camelias’s first time back home, so she needs to see and enjoy as much as possible.”

“Exactly! Unlike the south, our territory has much better scenery and is close to the central area, right? In the south, it’s difficult to find such delightful desserts.”

“Hehe, that’s true.”

Well… even so, the atmosphere here wasn’t exactly cold or anything.

Compared to the conversation between Christina and Rosalyn back at the restaurant, this was… way better.

“Alexandra? Eat some cake while chatting.”

“Ah, I should.”

“Rosalyn? You should eat cake with the daughter next to you too!”

“I’m already doing just fine eating alone, you know?”

“Hmm…”

…It wasn’t like Rosalyn was one to retort like that.

In many ways, it seemed Rosalyn didn’t particularly like Christina.

“Delicious, right?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

Since coming to the Rose Territory, I hadn’t felt this good in a while.

But this time, I was… satisfied.

Not that anything else mattered, but as Alexandra said, it was a little difficult to find truly delicious desserts in the southern parts.

Desserts were simply the best in the central region, while the southern areas had more development in meat and that sort of thing.

Of course, that’s also why they’d hired a specialized patissier among the family cooks.

“…The cake’s filling is incredibly soft, and the toppings on top are just delightful.”

“Hehe, right? This dessert cafe has been around since I was little. It was probably there even before I was born.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Father, right?”

“Yeah, it was a shop that existed before you were born.”

“Oh…….”

I felt pure admiration.

I hadn’t expected that fact at all.

I’d never heard the shop had been running since before Rosalyn’s birth.

“That’s amazing…”

Could it be because I didn’t come from a noble family?

Every so often, I found myself admiring things that had deeper roots.

Though really, aside from the noble aspect, the taste of the desserts had a much larger impact.

“And it’s delicious.”

“Hehe, I’m glad to hear that. So, would you like to try some muffins instead of just the chocolate cake?”

“Yes.”

…Could it be because my body is female and I’m still young?

Unlike in my previous life, every time I ate something sweet, I felt so happy that I wanted to keep munching on it.

Of course, it wasn’t something I experienced often, and the taste had to be above average for that to happen.

That’s why I hired a specialized patissier in the first place.

“Hehe…”

…While I wasn’t fond of the Rose Family, I truly enjoyed this dessert cafe.

Honestly, I would have loved to bring a patissier from this cafe to our mansion.

“Camelia, you’ve got some foam on your mouth.”

“Uh… really?”

Rosalyn suddenly mentioned I had foam on my lips while I was eating cake.

…Could it be that I had gotten overly excited from eating delicious desserts after such a long time?

“I’ll wipe it off. Just stay still.”

“…You don’t have to…”

“It’s okay, just stay still, alright?”

“…Yes.”

…Being treated like this in front of everyone was, in many ways, embarrassing.

It wasn’t anything strange, but even if my physical age was young, I thought of myself as an adult.

Yet here I was, being treated like a child in front of others… I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

*

“So, how was your day touring the territory?”

“I… liked it. It was even better than I thought.”

“Really? That’s great to hear.”

After spending an entire day exploring the territory, we returned to the mansion.

The people from the Rose Family entered the main building, and of course, we went into the guest building.

“Honestly… there were a lot of my family members, right? Not just mother and father, but two sisters too?”

“That’s true.”

“So I was wondering if it might feel a bit uncomfortable. I had a lot of such thoughts. After all, everyone here is someone I’ve never met.”

Rosalyn and I were having this conversation on the terrace on the first floor.

In reality, we had only been sitting there to relax, but Rosalyn asked me for my thoughts on today, and it led to this topic.

“I’m really glad if it was okay in the end.”

“These are your mother’s relatives. There’s no reason for you to feel uncomfortable.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, I don’t usually feel awkward around people…”

“Hehe, that’s true. Our Camelia is a good child.”

It might feel like there was some exaggeration in that, but I had never felt uncomfortable around people without a reason.

I could be uncomfortable around someone for a reason, of course, but…?

“In any case, if you found it okay, that’s a huge relief.”

…Rosalyn’s expression as she said that was genuinely relieved.

Did she really need to worry to that extent?

“Hmm…”

Honestly, Rosalyn seemed to be unusually worried compared to her usual self.

No, to be precise, it felt just like when I first read the letter.

“…Mother.”

I had no intention of bringing up the Rose family or asking detailed questions to Rosalyn.

But today was… a little different.

I just casually returned from touring the territory, yet Rosalyn seemed so concerned.

In fact, I felt like if I didn’t talk to Rosalyn about what was on my mind here, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

I couldn’t help it.