My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 70

“Mm.”

I was alone, back at the guest building.

Originally, I thought I would be wandering around with Rosalyn, but instead… here I was all by myself.

“Rize.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

“Um… the Rose Family has fallen from grace… not entirely, but there’s a reason for the decline in vigor.”

“…Young Lady.”

I mean, it could be true, but the way they treated me was just too much… I couldn’t help but think that way.

Sending me away for family conversation while they spoke among themselves… I get it, but couldn’t they have chosen a better way?

They had to have lunch together, and even after dessert, there was no need to send me away like this.

Since the head of the household insisted the Rose Family members should talk, Rosalyn couldn’t resist either…

“Tsk…”

It wasn’t exactly a pleasant situation.

“Do they really dislike Leonhardt that much? I honestly don’t get it.”

“Mm…”

“I didn’t come here to cause trouble; I’ve only been good, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“But treating me like this seems kind of dumb.”

Honestly, it’s weird, isn’t it?

No matter how vast the difference between a Baron and a Count is, they act like they’re looking at a beggar.

The ones who have less money than me and depend on our family’s wealth.

“If it weren’t in front of Mother, I’d have been really angry.”

“…Still, it’s best to endure…”

“Rize.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I think I understood why Rize was reacting this way.

After all, we were in the Rose Family’s mansion.

Even though it was a place meant for our use within the guest building, constantly talking like this could become an issue.

But still…

“I know, but what can I do about being angry?”

“…That’s true.”

There was no way I wouldn’t feel bad sitting here, treated like this in the guest building.

“Sigh…”

Anyway, I was quietly resting on the veranda with Rize.

Rosalyn was probably chatting with the Rose people.

Of course, I didn’t really care much about talking to those folks anyway.

Maybe because they were talking without me, I had a hunch about what they were discussing.

Rosalyn was trying her best to deflect questions, but still, the Rose Family kept bringing up topics related to Leonhardt.

When I wasn’t around, I was sure they’d talk even more.

“Rize, can you ask the available cook for some shaved ice?”

“Certainly. Shall I make it with fruits as usual?”

“Yep.”

When Rosalyn had to ask for permission helplessly, I brushed it off with a smile, but I still felt angry about it.

I thought just chewing on some ice would make me feel a bit better.

*

So there I was, chewing on my shaved ice, passing the time by reading more about the Rose Family.

I definitely returned after lunch, but Rosalyn didn’t come back until around three hours later.

“Camelia, have you been resting well?”

“Yes, I’ve been resting just fine. How about you, Mother? Did you have a good talk?”

“I had a great time! Just chatting a bit with relatives I hadn’t seen in a while.”

Rosalyn spoke with a subtly vague expression that was barely detectable.

“It had been a long time since we met, so there was more to discuss than I expected… Haha…”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it turned out to be more about things other than updates… So when you hear it, you might find it a bit boring? Uh…”

“It must have been so nice to have a fun chat with family.”

“Huh? Uh… right? It’s been four years, haha…”

I treated Rosalyn just like always, without any hint of my true emotions.

I smiled at her as if I was genuinely congratulating her.

But despite my reactions, Rosalyn kept showing awkwardness towards me.

It seemed like the conversation had been uncomfortable for her in various ways…

I could tell just by looking at her expression, without her needing to say anything.

“Ah, Mother.”

“Hmm?”

“While you were talking, we brought in a new piece of furniture. Want to go see it?”

“Oh, right…”

I had some things to say, but I decided against it.

After all, Rosalyn looked tired.

“It’s moved to the third floor lounge, so let’s head up.”

“Hehe, okay. Just take your time; we don’t want to stumble.”

Rather than unnecessarily tiring Rosalyn out, it’d be better to let her relax.

I had already seen it, and even though I continued to write while waiting for Rosalyn, it was still different for her.

So, we slowly made our way up to the third floor together.

This was where our room was, but there was a veranda across the hall from those rooms.

“A sofa?”

“Yeah, it might not be the biggest sofa, but it’s not meant for many people, and I thought it would be nice to use it here.”

“True, the view from here is nice. But isn’t it more comfortable to see it from the room?”

“That might be true, but from here, you can only see the scenery of the territory without seeing other buildings of the Rose Mansion, right?”

Rosalyn gazed out at the landscape.

When looking out from my room, I was hit with a view full of the Rose Family’s mansion clearly visible.

The idea of making this place comfortable for seeing outside came from that.

I didn’t want to see the Rose Family’s mansion too clearly from inside their building.

“It’s really clean and nice, isn’t it?”

“…Indeed. It’s quite lovely.”

Honestly, one of the reasons I chose this place purely came from the beautiful view.

The sunlight wasn’t too harsh; it was just right.

“Rize, can you bring me a drink? Not tea, something cooler.”

“Yes, understood.”

After I sent Rize off with that errand, I started to move inside the veranda.

Until just a moment ago, I had been staring outside from the porch, after all.

Just sitting outside and staring wouldn’t allow me to relax, right?

“Mother, would you like to rest here for a bit?”

“…Should I?”

“Rize is bringing drinks too. Just sit down and relax.”

I said this to Rosalyn, and we both settled onto the sofa in the veranda.

Rosalyn probably remained tired regardless.

Even when I was seated, she didn’t seem to like talking about Leonhardt, let alone once I had left.

“…This is relaxing.”

“Right?”

“Yeah. It’s so… relaxing. Just sitting quietly and taking in the territory’s view.”

“That grassy area at the edge of the territory looks beautiful too.”

“Hehe, right? I’ve thought it was beautiful since I was a kid.”

We sat on the same sofa together, just looking outside.

After all, the mansion was up on a hill, making it easy to see the beautiful scenery of the territory all at once.

“Young Lady.”

“Oh, Rize. Thank you.”

“Here’s lemonade, and beside it is iced tea. I brought differing flavors as requested, but if you prefer another, I can get it for you.”

“No, thanks for bringing it. This will do for you, right, Mother?”

“Yes, of course.”

So we sipped our cool drinks, giving Rosalyn, who must’ve felt drained from family interactions, a little break.

I didn’t force conversation on her, and if she didn’t speak up, I stayed quiet too.

“…?”

…Was talking really that exhausting?

Rosalyn fell asleep just like that.

She lay on the sofa of the veranda.

Uh… she fell asleep.

“…This wasn’t part of the plan.”

Sure, I wanted her to rest, but I hadn’t intended for her to fall asleep like this.

But contrary to my thoughts, she was completely out.

“…Just how much did I tire her out?”

I had never seen Rosalyn fall asleep like this from exhaustion before.

Really… I had no words.

They were all Rosalyn’s family, yet they weren’t considerate of her feelings, babbling on about nonsense the whole time.

I just couldn’t understand why they acted like that.

I could comprehend why they threw strange conversations my way, but there was no need to keep bringing up uncomfortable topics for Rosalyn either, right?

“First… Should I get a blanket or something?”

Putting aside the bad thoughts, I decided to get up.

Even though the weather was warm, it wouldn’t be good for her to sleep only in clothes.

I figured it would be better to cover her with something.

*

While quietly resting next to the sleeping Rosalyn, I became certain of one thing.

Actually, I had thought about it before, but after observing her carefully, it was confirmed.

As a daughter, I knew it wasn’t good to think this way, but I just couldn’t shake it off.

“………”

Rosalyn, lying next to me, had such a beautiful figure.

She just had a genuinely lovely figure.

“…Ha.”

Thinking like this… wasn’t exactly appropriate.

But my eyes just kept wandering.

I’ve always known Rosalyn was beautiful and that she had a lovely figure, but now, staring at her lying still… it felt really strange.