My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 109

“Ugh…”

“Are you really tired…?”

“Yeah, super tired.”

I felt like I’ve done nothing special, yet here I am, completely worn out. Today seriously felt like one long day.

Just an entrance ceremony and a test for class assignments, and yet, it felt like I’d been through a marathon.

“Rize, could you bring me the documents on the desk?”

“Of course.”

“Oh, you don’t need to take them all, just the ones on top.”

With that casual request to Rize, I lay idly on the bed.

The documents I asked Rize for contained information about the new students entering the academy with me, especially a few notable ones I’d taken note of.

Like the eldest daughter of the Nordal Family I saw today, and the two saintesses… they were all popular and well-known ladies.

Of course, it’s unlikely there are any new students more famous than the Nordals and the saintesses.

Especially the saintesses, since they were saintly, they weren’t as broadly known as the Nordals; I’d say Nordal was the most famous of them all.

Though it was highly probable that none of this would have a direct impact on me.

“Hmm… Rize, that girl was really beautiful.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Ivana Nordal from the Nordal Family. I saw her in person for the first time today, and she was stunning.”

While lying on the bed, I casually brought this up to Rize.

After all, Rize had just been waiting quietly in our dormitory room all day, with no clue about what had happened during the entrance ceremony and tests.

I wanted to share tales of what went on.

“I feel like I’ve hardly ever seen white hair before, it was quite the sight. Have you ever seen white hair, Rize?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

“Then we definitely need to cross paths with her while wandering around the academy next time.”

“……”

“It felt so different from blonde hair. Hmm… it was just incredibly fascinating.”

I knew Ivana Nordal was already acknowledged for her beauty and that she had white hair, but actually seeing it in person was something else.

Sure, I’ve seen black, red, blue, and blonde hair, but never white hair; it was a topic I couldn’t help but discuss.

“Really…?”

“Yeah, it’s not for nothing that it says here in the documents that Ivana is pretty. The new students seem to really like her.”

“……..”

“I haven’t seen the saintesses yet… but Hmm… I’m not exactly eager to meet them.”

“Oh really…?”

“Yep.”

I felt like it would be okay to meet the daughter of the Duke of Nordal if I bumped into her. But I didn’t really feel the same about the saintesses.

And I figured it made sense since… they were famous and revered members of a strong religion, right?

They weren’t just daughters of noble families, but were said to be blessed by a god or favored by divine grace; getting tangled up with them could easily lead to trouble.

Of course, getting involved with the daughter of the northern duke could also lead to issues, but at least it felt like it would be less problematic than getting tangled with the religious side of things.

“Hmm… I keep thinking about how little information we get about different young noblewomen compared to other nobles.”

I breathed out a little complaint as I skimmed through the documents.

I mean, seriously, there was hardly any content. There wasn’t much to glean from reading them.

Sure, it was better than nothing, but…

Sigh “Rize?”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Hmm…”

I put the documents down and looked at Rize.

She was diligently managing our little dorm room with minimal mess. I was sure she cleaned it up while I was at the entrance ceremony and managed it all by herself.

I didn’t quite understand why she was working so hard to keep it maintained.

Plus, she seemed a bit down, to be honest.

“Stop what you’re doing and come up on the bed.”

“…What?”

“Hurry up, just come up here.”

“…?”

It wasn’t like the room had that much to clean, and I hadn’t messed it up after returning, so I called Rize over to my side.

I didn’t know what was going on, but she looked a bit upset, and I was also feeling a bit bored.

“…What’s wrong?”

“I just thought Rize was working too hard? Since it’s just the two of us, I felt a bit bad for her staying in maid attire and cleaning.”

“You don’t need to worry about it…”

“Oh, come on. You’ve been tidying up so well since the moment we arrived, right?”

“…….”

Rize was such a neat freak and diligent, there really wasn’t anything to clean.

To be honest, I didn’t even really understand why Rize was cleaning so hard earlier.

“Hmm…”

“Why are you acting like that…?”

“Just curious?”

As I continued to watch Rize, she asked me why I was looking at her.

It wasn’t like I’d never looked at Rize before, but her reactions were always the same; it entertained me.

I thought it might be time she got used to it, but Rize’s flustered reactions were still a treat.

“Hehe…”

“……..”

It was always amusing to tease Rize, who was older yet more bashful than I was. She was hardworking, kind, and an excellent maid, but it was her cute reactions that made everything worthwhile.

“So, Rize, what shall we do tomorrow? Now that the ceremony is over and we still have a bit of time before the academy starts its semester?”

“As you wish, Young Lady…”

“Then how about we lie down together on the dormitory bed and do nothing tomorrow?”

“That… is…”

“Why not?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“What were you gonna say but stopped?”

I asked her, still embracing Rize from behind while she sat on the bed.

Rize’s ears were already bright red, and I was actively teasing her again.

As is the norm, Rize was at a loss for words and had to just hold it in.

She could give in.

“Hmm… but doesn’t it feel a bit off to just stay holed up in this room? We need to eat lunch or dinner too.”

“…Yes.”

I continued to whisper gently to her from behind.

“So what are we gonna do tomorrow? What do you want to do, huh?”

“I’ll go with whatever Young Lady desires…”

“Oh come on, I’m asking what Rize genuinely wants to do!”

“Really…”

Hmm… was that really true?

Rize’s responses were always the same, leaving me confused about how to take it.

Whenever I asked what she wanted, she always replied this way… it was truly perplexing.

Of course, I asked the questions with good intentions and followed up, so wouldn’t that suffice?

“Then how about we go out together tomorrow for a date?”

“A date…?”

“Yeah, how about we just have fun together? We’ve been busy with preparations for the entrance ceremony and other stuff lately, but we really have nothing to do tomorrow?”

Well, it was just a date in name.

It was essentially the same as our usual outings.

“What do you think? We can go out for a nice meal and… hmm… enjoy doing things you like while wandering around?”

“……..”

“I want to do that, but what about you, Rize?”

“If it’s what Young Lady desires…”

“Okay, then let’s do it?”

“…Yes.”

I wasn’t sure if Rize was always this passive or if it was because I was her master, but she did keep agreeing when I asked her.

Well, it seemed like it would be fine to go ahead with it.

“By the way, Rize, did you change your perfume this time?”

Maybe it was because I had been holding her from behind for a while, but I noticed a scent that was noticeably different from usual around her neck. It was definitely a sweet scent that was smooth yet slightly sweet.

It was a fragrant aroma unlike anything I’d smelled from Rize before.

“Oh, that… yes…”

“This scent is really nice. It’s subtle but fragrant.”

“A maid I know gave it to me as a gift before coming to the academy…”

“Hmm… really? Who was it?”

“Just a younger junior maid of mine. She helped me when I was working as a trainee maid before…”

“Oh, I see…”

Though Rize was my maid, she was quite popular with others as well.

She was beautiful, cute, and kind, so it wasn’t surprising at all.

“Really now…?”

“Yes…”

Hmm…Earlier, I thought the scent was pleasant, but now it was less appealing somehow.

It was nothing significant, but it left me feeling a bit off.

“Uh… Rize.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Are you really in love with the perfume you put on for the first time today?”

I asked her while still embracing her from behind.

“It’s not like I’m head over heels for it. It’s simply nice that a younger maid gifted it to me. My previous perfume ran out not too long ago…”

“So?”

“It’s just a nice gift I appreciate. It’s actually the first time I’ve worn it today.”

“Oh, I see…”

My mood started to lift a bit.

I found myself smiling just a little.

“Then Rize…”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Why don’t you keep your new perfume as a gift, and I can just use my own perfume? I’ve prepared thoroughly since coming to the academy.”

“…What?”

Rize immediately turned her head towards me, something she hadn’t done before.

Was it really such a shock?

“What’s wrong with that? Don’t you like it?”

“No, even so… it feels a bit out of place for a maid like me to use what you wear.”

“Ah, it’s okay. It’s not like it’s exactly expensive, and anyway, it’s normal to spray it two or three times when we go out together. There’s no problem.”

“…….”

Holding Rize tighter from behind, I whispered in her ear.

She initially kept refusing and saying it felt wrong, but after I kept insisting it was fine, she finally accepted.

Even if it was given by a younger maid, it was still a maid’s gift.

In comparison to mine, with higher price and quality, it would clearly feel worse for her.

So was it really even a good situation for Rize?

Of course, if she ended up saying she disliked it now, I would force her to share the same thing with me.