My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 150

“…Huh.”

Once I lay down, I usually sleep like a log until morning.

I typically stay in the same position I fell asleep in until dawn.

“…Hmm.”

But for some reason, today I woke up when the sun hadn’t even risen yet.

The window was covered by curtains, but there wasn’t any bright sunlight coming through, so the room was still dark.

I wasn’t sure of the exact time, but it was definitely early enough to call it dawn… and I had no idea why I had woken up.

The only possible reason I could think of was that I had napped at the Cathedral earlier today…?

“Ugh…”

For now, the person I was using as a pillow, Rize, was still fast asleep.

I had dozed off while hugging Rize and chatting with other friends, so seeing that I was still holding her made me wonder if I had just slept enough to wake up.

The others around me were still asleep.

Maybe I just woke up automatically because I had enough rest.

“What to do…”

Even though I was awake, everyone else was still sleeping… and Rize, whom I was hugging, was also out cold.

It felt too much like a hassle to leave the blanket, but there was nothing to do outside either.

“Hmm…”

It was a bit awkward since I could accidentally wake someone up with my movements.

Today, there were six of us in the same room, and I was right in the middle… I felt like if I moved too much, I might actually wake someone.

“Hmm.”

While contemplating this, I started gently touching Rize’s stomach.

I wasn’t pressing hard enough to wake her, just a soft touch.

Her belly felt smooth rather than squishy, which made it much more entertaining to stroke.

“Should I head out?”

After about ten minutes of fiddling with Rize’s belly, I made up my mind.

Lying there and just touching her stomach felt too boring, and it also felt a bit mean to tease Rize while she was sleeping.

Anyway, I quietly managed to get out, trying my best to avoid touching the blanket or legs.

“Yawn…”

Waking up this early felt really strange; it had been ages since I last did it.

I had moved to the sofa after getting outside, but it felt awkward since it was so different from my usual routine.

Normally, I would only wake up when Rize would rouse me or when she had something else to do.

But today, I woke up at a time that was hard to even call morning.

“What should I do until breakfast…”

If I had woken up in the dormitory room, I probably would’ve looked over some documents related to the business.

I wasn’t managing the business as diligently as before, but I still had some remnants left.

But now…

“Sigh.”

I could only spend my time bored, idly waving my hands in bed.

If I had known this was how it would turn out, I should’ve just stayed up and chatted with the others during the day.

“…?”

Just as I was passing the time alone on the sofa, the bedroom door suddenly opened.

And out came Ivana.

Ivana, dressed in her pajamas unlike usual, emerged while rubbing her eyes.

“Uh…”

She met my gaze as I lay comfortably on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

Did she not expect that I’d be awake?

“Woke up because of the bathroom?”

“No, I just… usually wake up early in the morning.”

“Oh, I see.”

“…Why is Camelia awake?”

I was a bit surprised that she was up at this hour, but I decided to answer her question first.

Besides, Ivana had a look that seemed more alert than sleepy or tired.

“Maybe because I took a nap during the day. I slept pretty well at the Cathedral, right?”

“Ah.”

“That might be why I woke up early. Honestly, I’d like to sleep more, but I can’t seem to doze off again, so I’m just here.”

That was a surprisingly short explanation with nothing more to add.

It was just the plain truth that she had woken up for that reason.

“…I see.”

“Um… Would you like to come sit here, Ivana? I was just feeling a bit bored. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Should I?”

Ivana accepted my invitation without a second thought.

I had half-expected her, with her pretty free-spirited nature, to choose another spot, but she didn’t.

Since she had acted on her own will in the past, I couldn’t help but consider that possibility.

But recently, it seemed she was following my words a bit more than before…?

“Hmm.”

Well, it didn’t bother me to have a beautiful girl like Ivana act as she liked.

Even if she did, it wasn’t to an extreme extent.

Given her appearance, I could easily see why others might let it slide.

“So, do you wake up early every day?”

“Yeah.”

“Even when you were at the Academy? Before you attended?”

“I’ve set my sleep time to six hours since I was little.”

“Oh…”

Wow.

Honestly, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

How could anyone get by on just six hours of sleep?

Even when I was managing the business diligently, I always slept until I wanted to wake up.

I found it hard to understand Ivana’s six-hour sleep claim.

“When I lived with my family, we had breakfast very early, and then I had to train with the knights afterward, so I had no choice.”

“Oh…”

Knights…

As someone who didn’t have any knights belonging to my family, I found this story genuinely interesting.

Especially since in my previous life, knights and magic were things that only existed in fantasy creations.

I had been interested in magic back in the day for the same reasons.

“What kind of things do you usually practice with the knights, Ivana? Like lifting barrels and such?”

“That stuff exists too, but I don’t do it; it’s just for the knights.”

“So what do you do?”

“I mostly do swordsmanship or stretching.”

“Ooh…”

That sounded impressive.

While magic classes mostly consisted of memorizing magic circles and moving mana, I couldn’t help but be more intrigued by Ivana’s physical training and actively working up a sweat.

Of course, I didn’t want to do it myself.

“Last time in the sparring session, you wielded a massive sword. Do all the other knights of the Nordal Family do the same?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

That sounds epic.

I hadn’t even thought it through, but it seemed like it would be so cool.

Groups of knights clad in elegant armor, each wielding huge weapons—how awesome!

“Of course, there are many knights who use different weapons. Some use axes, and there are definitely quite a few who prefer spears…”

“Ooh…”

“It’s actually common for knights to prefer axes over greatswords. They’ve been using them since long ago, so they’re accustomed to it.”

“That sounds really fun.”

“Watching them, you mean?”

Not that I would ever want to train with them.

If I had been interested in that sort of thing, I would’ve been practicing sports instead of running a business.

“We don’t have anyone who could be called knights in our family, so it’s kind of fascinating.”

“The Leonhardt family could easily form a small knight regiment.”

“Oh, it’s not about money, but we don’t have the estate anyway, so we just live in the mansion? There’s no need to spend money on knights.”

Money wasn’t an issue.

Sure, hiring knights cost a lot more compared to maids or butlers, but it was never a shortage problem.

Honestly, there simply wasn’t a need for it right now.

“Whenever I need protection for the business, I just use mercenaries or adventurers. I avoid routes where bandits show up.”

“Oh.”

“However, if one day our family gets an estate, or something changes… who knows?”

“Mm…”

Though we were just living in a southern city for now, the future was uncertain.

I had managed to acquire my title of baron purely through financial means.

So, I figured that getting an estate might also be possible someday.

“Next time… when you come to our estate, I’ll show you how the knights train.”

“Really?”

“It’s not a difficult thing to do. Most of the knights’ routines revolve around training anyway.”

“Ooh…”

I honestly hadn’t expected her to suggest something like that.

It was unexpectedly a great proposal, and I found myself tempted by it more than I had anticipated.

After all, the knights of the Nordal Family were quite renowned, and personally, I’d love to witness their training at least once.

But maybe that was just because I was a guy?

Seeing knights decked out in shiny armor, swinging axes and greatswords was something I really wanted to experience.

“I never thought Ivana would be the one to propose something like this.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, you did mention last time that I should help with the business… but I didn’t expect this kind of offer? To say you’d show me something when I visit the estate.”

“……..”

“Well, either way, if I want to learn about the business being done in the north, I should probably go see it at least once.”

But I hadn’t imagined I would be discussing things related to the estate with her.

I had trouble wrapping my head around Ivana’s actions and found them hard to predict.

“I feel like we’ve become a bit closer now, Ivana.”

“Is that… so?”

“It’s partly because of your competition for the heir position, but ultimately, we’re getting to know each other better, so I’m happy.”

“…Is that so?”

Honestly, who wouldn’t be thrilled to get closer to a strikingly beautiful girl with silver hair?

Ivana, despite her pale complexion, was stunningly fair-skinned with hair even whiter than her skin—it would be strange not to be interested.

Of course, considering Ivana’s title as a duke’s daughter, I couldn’t approach her quite as casually as I did with Ella and Rize, but building a friendship with her was certainly a good thing.

“I’ve never been to the north before, but it would be nice to visit with you next time.”

If possible, I wanted to get to know Ivana better.

Although a big part of it was due to her looks?