My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 96

The carriage was parked outside the mansion.

It was a spectacular carriage that sparkled and looked beautiful.

It was more extravagant than the one our family usually used.

“We’re really going now.”

“Indeed, Mother.”

I was staring at the carriage outside with Rosalyn.

Well, that carriage was here to take me to the Solkemia Empire Academy.

“…Have you packed everything?”

“Yes, Rize has already checked it several times.”

“Right… Rize is a diligent girl. I’m sure she prepared well.”

“That’s right.”

Rosalyn looked at me, sipping her tea.

It was a cup of tea that was quite bitter, not the sweet rose tea.

Her lips were curled up, but her eyes didn’t look very happy.

In many ways, I couldn’t help but understand what Rosalyn was thinking right now.

“I know I’ve nagged a lot, but the academy is a place where many kids gather. You’ll make more friends there…”

“Yes.”

“And there’s a lot to learn at the academy, like magic, and great professors to learn from… Yeah.”

“Not just Rize, but Ella is enrolling with us too. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, our Camelia is smart. She’ll be okay.”

Rosalyn said that, but her expression still remained troubled.

Honestly… it was bittersweet to leave Rosalyn like this while heading to the academy.

It felt like it would be better to reassure Rosalyn a little more before we left, but since the academy had already come to pick me up…

“………”

In the end, all I could do was sip my tea.

I couldn’t think of anything to say to Rosalyn, and the more I looked at her…

…I truly felt helpless.

“Camelia.”

“Yes, Mother…”

“Even if you have fun at the academy, you must send letters occasionally, okay?”

“I know.”

“It’ll be too boring without our Camelia around… So please.”

“Yes, I will.”

…Honestly, I planned to send letters frequently anyway, and I had already given Rosalyn the answer she wanted before.

Even with the reassurance, Rosalyn would still worry.

But still, maybe this was the right thing to do.

Yeah, I hope it would help.

If I reacted calmly about leaving for the academy, it would at least reassure Rosalyn a bit.

I truly hoped so.

“………”

“Haha…”

However, seeing Rosalyn’s sad smile continued to tug at my heartstrings.

Really… I wasn’t used to this situation either.

I kept looking at Rosalyn’s face and eyes, nodding my head down repeatedly.

“…Mother.”

In the midst of all this fidgeting, I called out to Rosalyn once more.

She wiped away the sad smile she had just shown and revealed a normal smile again.

I realized that just showing no big concern about going to the academy wouldn’t be enough to reassure her.

So even a little… To ease her worries, I felt I should help in some way.

I thought it would be very difficult to calm the anxious new mother down by merely being quiet and indifferent.

“Shall we take a nap?”

“Eh?”

“Anyway, the people who came from the academy said there’s no rush; they just need to leave today.”

I blurted out some ludicrous nonsense.

It seemed better to say something silly rather than something serious and important.

After all, me being serious here wouldn’t change the fact that Rosalyn’s worries wouldn’t vanish.

“What do you think? Maybe it’s just that I had lunch earlier, but I’m feeling a bit sleepy.”

“Now…? Even so, getting in the carriage…”

“Come on, we can just ask Rize or another maid to pass the message! It’s just a matter of giving them a little money to take a short warm break, and that’s it!”

I said this while smiling.

After all, I wouldn’t have to deal with these people again today.

It was merely a transaction to pass time and to pay for a break, so there were no issues.

“Still…”

“…Is that not allowed?”

“Th-”

I intentionally interrupted Rosalyn while giving her my brightest puppy eyes.

I’ve always had a knack for tricking Rosalyn, and she tended to be a bit weak against my requests.

“Mother… Is that not okay…?”

“T-then… wait a moment.”

In the end, she had no choice but to grant me this permission.

Seriously… should I say it was easy or sweet?

It was hard to pin down, but nonetheless, I was just glad it worked out.

*

Rosalyn then called over another maid and briefly and lightly explained the situation before she requested understanding from the academy’s people who had come to pick me up.

Basically… just saying that I was really tired and my body wasn’t feeling well today.

She asked if they could postpone the departure time for a few hours.

While handing over a few coins, she suggested letting me rest for about 3 to 4 hours, and it was successful.

Since they were happy to receive the coins to chat about it, it was all clear.

I could easily see the people from the academy outside looking delighted.

“Hmm… so just a little nap and then wake up?”

“Yes, that makes sense. The people outside are probably waiting quite a while.”

“…That’s true.”

Though Rosalyn agreed to my sudden napping request, she kept making faces that seemed to question if this was okay.

At least it wasn’t the same worried expression she had before, so that was a relief.

“When I go to the academy… I really won’t be able to spend time like this napping with you anymore…”

I said that on purpose to Rosalyn.

Dear Lord, I probably had the most mournful tone and expression imaginable.

“Camelia…”

In response to my words, Rosalyn looked at me with a look that seemed touched, or moved, or something like that.

Really… it made me worry to leave such a naive and kind person alone…

Of course, Rosalyn wasn’t a fool, and she acted this way just towards me, right?

“Honestly, I don’t mind going to the academy, but… I hate being away from you, Mother.”

“…Really?”

We were lying on her bed together when I said that.

I felt a bit shy saying it.

“If something strange happens to you while I’m away, please let me know immediately.”

“Pfft, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course! Even though my position is what it is, I don’t have the time to go all the way south to pull something like that.”

“…Well, that’s a relief.”

I acted a little more like a spoiled daughter.

While I couldn’t say I had no sincerity in it, I still repeated my lines in my head as a performance.

I was hiding my embarrassment, after all.

“Mother.”

“Yes, why? You seem to be being quite spoiled today, our Camelia?”

“…I won’t be able to see you for a while.”

“Haha, so you’ve been thinking that too, huh?”

“…Yes.”

…Indeed, that was how it was.

I clearly didn’t normally act like this.

So obviously, it would definitely feel a bit different to Rosalyn from how I usually was.

I was well aware of that.

“That’s okay, yes. If I think about not seeing Camelia for a while, it’s really disappointing for me too.”

“…Is that so?”

“Of course. You are my daughter, after all?”

…Seriously, both when I first met her and now, she was such a wonderful person.

So different from the Leonhardt family.

Even though not a single drop of blood is shared between us and we’ve only known each other for about 4 or 5 years, she has treated me like a true family member.

Of course, on paper, we were indeed family, but still… I found it hard to simply think of Rosalyn as just family or mother.

“…That’s true.”

Even so, I replied to Rosalyn’s question like this.

Because that’s what Rosalyn wanted to hear.

“My cute daughter is worried about how she will manage at the academy and hopes she has fun and makes good memories.”

“…Yes.”

“Umm… could I hug you?”

“…Yes.”

…Before and even recently, I had tried to avoid physical contact with Rosalyn as much as possible.

After all, being close to Rosalyn… still didn’t feel ordinary at all.

Her soft skin, her unique scent… even her beauty up close was so overwhelming.

I typically stayed away from skinship in most cases, but today, I allowed it from Rosalyn.

“Ugh…”

Rosalyn hugged me tightly as I lay on the bed.

That warm feeling.

…While this warmth during the hug felt nice, it was also strange.

“……..”

“Hehe…”

It truly felt odd.

Really…

“Camelia, you must do well at the academy.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Don’t fall ill either.”

“Yes…”

Rosalyn held me in her arms, whispering comforting words into my ear.

Hearing her soft, clear voice worrying about me was truly…

“…You take care of yourself too, Mother.”

That wasn’t easy.

“Hehe… Yes, I need to make sure I’m well so that Camelia can do well too.”

…Still, it seemed Rosalyn looked a little more at ease than when she was sitting quietly while drinking tea a moment ago.

It was just a slight change in her voice and expression, and deep inside, she must still harbor some worries, yet I could still sense that difference.

“Hehe… being like this is nice.”

“Is it…?”

“Yep. Holding my small and cute daughter? How could I dislike that?”

“…I guess that’s true.”

“I’ve told you before, right? I’ve never seen a girl as pretty as you, Camelia?”

“Haha…”

Rosalyn continued to shower me with shy compliments while holding me close.

“Mother… but…”

“Yes?”

“…Nothing.”

…I thought to ask how long we would be staying like this, but the sight of Rosalyn’s expression when I slightly looked up was so lovely.

Seeing Rosalyn smiling kindly unlike before made it difficult for me to say anything.

In the end, what I could do was… nothing.

-Thump thump…

And I wondered if it was because I was still in Rosalyn’s embrace.

Due to my embarrassment, my heart seemed to be racing faster than usual.

…Of course, I hoped Rosalyn wouldn’t hear my heartbeat.

No, to be precise… I just hoped she wouldn’t detect that my heart was racing fast because I was nestled in my stepmother’s arms.

Really.