My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 74

“Definitely… alcohol is a good thing…”

“…Mother, you’re eating too fast…”

“Oh come on, this much is fine.”

Rosalyn was downing whiskey by herself.

I felt a bit worried, but Rosalyn, who was the one drinking, didn’t seem to care at all.

It was only her second glass, but honestly, I couldn’t help but be concerned.

“Hehe… Camelia. Want to have a drink too?”

“…Mother.”

“I’m just joking, just joking. I wouldn’t force alcohol on my daughter who’s not even an adult yet.”

“Well, that’s a relief…”

Is she a little tipsy?

I couldn’t help but watch Rosalyn, who seemed more lively than usual.

The truth is, I had rarely seen anyone drink, and especially Rosalyn, even less so.

Usually, if people were drinking in the mansion, it was typically tea or juice.

So it was really rare to see someone drinking like this.

“Heh… There were times I drank with friends at the Academy.”

“…What?”

“Back then, I couldn’t even use magic well, and there were times I was so tipsy I couldn’t hold my glass because it froze completely?”

“Uh…”

Why is she suddenly bringing that up?

Rosalyn wasn’t one to talk about her Academy days often.

“Hehe, Camelia, when you go to the Academy… I’m sure you’ll have a great time.”

“…I suppose?”

“I’m just worried about what I’ll do alone in the mansion while you’re gone…”

“……..”

That’s… true.

Just as Rosalyn said… if I went to the Academy, she’d be left alone in the mansion.

I had occasionally worried about it before, but I had forgotten about it for some time.

“Hehe, why are you reacting so seriously? I’m just saying it.”

“Ah…”

“If I didn’t want my daughter to go to the Academy, I wouldn’t mind. It’s just that I think the mansion would be terribly boring without you in it.”

…Is she a bit tipsy?

With her more serious expression and tone than usual, it was hard to just brush off Rosalyn’s words.

I had talked to Rosalyn about this before, but today her demeanor was more earnest.

“Camelia, don’t you think?”

“…Think about what?”

What could she be talking about this time?

Today, Rosalyn was saying things I had never heard from her before, which made it hard to guess her next words.

“Um… How many days have you seen the Rose Family?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen them. Not just the building, but a lot of different things.”

“Right, since you’ve seen them for a few days, you must have seen quite a bit. Even the members of the Rose Family.”

“…I guess?”

What kind of story is she trying to tell with these questions?

“I’ve seen my sisters, and I’m sure you’ve seen our mother and father too.”

“Yes.”

“How did you feel watching them?”

“…Huh?”

“You can just be honest. How did you feel watching the people of the Rose Family?”

“Ah…”

That was indeed a sudden question.

How should I respond here?

Honestly, the reply that came to mind wasn’t… very positive.

Would it be okay to say this directly to Rosalyn?

“……..”

“You can say it honestly, really.”

“…Alright.”

Since it was Rosalyn herself who brought it up…?

I thought it would be okay.

“…Honestly, I thought it was strange. I can’t pinpoint it, but it just felt odd.”

…Honestly, it was difficult for me, born into the Rose Family, to speak ill about them.

But since she said it was okay…

I continued speaking, thinking it might be alright.

“First of all, it felt odd that they were giving us a guest house knowing our mother would be coming.”

“…That’s true.”

“I understood the standard of furniture and decor, but the first time I saw how… completely unmanaged it was, it was too much. No matter how I think of it.”

“…Yeah.”

Rosalyn didn’t deny my words and simply nodded along.

Well… It really was in a strange state to argue against.

“And… the way we were treated as guests… Honestly, it was pretty terrible, right? They sent us an invitation, and yet didn’t even check on us before the meal…”

I started voicing my grievances about their treatment before the meal with the head of the Rose Family and his wife.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel upset about that…?

“…It’s definitely true. I also feel really sorry about that.”

“That’s not Mother’s fault.”

“…Still.”

“And… suddenly talking about Christina… should I call her that?”

I wasn’t sure if it was right to call her Aunt in front of Rosalyn.

It was correct, but I hadn’t exactly asked for permission.

I had called Alexandra Aunt before, but that was just to tease her.

“…Yeah.”

“The way she talked about Leonhardt, and brought up my father, didn’t feel comfortable at all. In many ways… it felt belittling.”

There were definitely more negatives than positives in what she was saying.

Not just about William, but it seemed like the entire south was looked down upon.

In various ways, I couldn’t take her words positively.

“…….”

“There was our mother right next to us. In that situation, she kept making remarks that scratched at me.”

“……..”

“I don’t know how Mother felt hearing that, but I didn’t like it at all.”

“…Yeah, that could happen.”

“Well… what’s clear is that the people of the Rose Family don’t really like Leonhardt.”

To be blunt, that was the conclusion.

It was the answer to Rosalyn’s question about how I felt watching the people of the Rose Family.

“I see.”

“Yes.”

“…Well, my sisters, and my parents too…”

Rosalyn, who had been drinking, looked even redder in the face while listening to my response.

On top of that, her eyes looked a bit… glazed over too.

“Sigh…”

“…Mother.”

It felt awkward, seeing a side of Rosalyn that was different from her usual self.

She kept giving a sort of self-deprecating smile, and it was only getting more pronounced every time she heard my words about the Rose Family.

“That’s probably not just because of you, Camelia.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not just because of the Leonhardt family and you… It’s also because of me that the family feels this way.”

“…What?”

For a moment, I couldn’t understand her words.

Because I couldn’t grasp how Rosalyn could be the reason for it.

After all, Rosalyn was a member of the Rose Family; how could she be the cause?

No matter how much she had settled on a contract marriage with William, it’s not like Rosalyn was now using the Leonhardt name…

“What do you mean…?”

It was a truly confusing story.

“Why… is it your fault…?”

“……..”

I tried to think about what thoughts Rosalyn must have had to bring this up.

But no matter how I thought about it… I just couldn’t understand it.

“Mother?”

“Hehe… I’ve never spoken this to anyone else before. I can’t believe I’m sharing it with you, Camelia.”

“…Mother?”

“Other families don’t know about this at all. If you happen to… tell anyone else, that would be bad.”

“…Okay.”

…What on earth is she trying to tell me?

Rosalyn downed the remaining alcohol in her glass.

I was a little worried about her quickly drinking strong alcohol, but I stayed silent and just waited.

I was waiting for Rosalyn to respond.

“I’m actually… not really the biological daughter of Mother.”

“…What?”

“…You know how it goes, right? A noble gets drunk and rolls around with a beautiful commoner woman, and then that common woman ends up pregnant.”

“…….”

“After the baby is born, they give the common woman some money, telling her not to return and not to get involved with his family.”

Even though Rosalyn was drinking, I wasn’t, and it felt like I was just sitting there without grasping the reality.

I clearly heard her, but it felt like I hadn’t really heard it.

“Are you saying… that Mother is… a bastard child of the Rose Family…?”

“…That’s right. To put it bluntly, yes, I’m an illegitimate child. But the family members outside have no clue.”

“…….”

That was information I had never heard before.

Even when I tried to find out about Rosalyn before she arrived at the mansion, and about the Rose Family, I had never come across this information.

It was a secret that Rosalyn had brought up, and even other families had no knowledge of it.

“…Hehe. You can’t help but be surprised, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“I’ve never said this to anyone until now. But saying it to you somehow feels a bit more comfortable.”

“Are you… sure it’s okay to tell me this…?”

Regardless of how surprised I was, I was worried about Rosalyn.

This wasn’t just an ordinary story; it was an incredibly important and secretive matter.

Was it really okay for her to share such important information about her birth with me?

“Huh? Is it okay?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s wrong with it being okay? Camelia wouldn’t be the type to spread this kind of story to others.”

“Still…”

“Well, all the time I’ve lived for over twenty years, I’ve barely spoken about it.”

Her voice was louder than usual.

“I was never really acknowledged as a proper member of the family, and they treated me almost like a burden.”

Even though she looked a bit tipsy with a flushed face, her expression was deadly serious.

“When other families come over, they purposely kept me hidden and wouldn’t let me out of my room during dinner.”

“…Mother.”

“And you know… at first, I hated being sold off to the Leonhardt family. I mean, I was brought here just because Christina didn’t want to come.”

“……..”

“But after hearing that, I started packing my bags with a happy heart a few days later.”

“…Yeah.”

“At least I wouldn’t be in a place where I’m shunned and ignored for being an illegitimate child.”

“……..”

These were stories I was hearing for the first time.

I had no idea there was this kind of backstory, and until now, I thought Rosalyn had simply spent a comfortable childhood in a count’s house.

It was an entirely different story than what I had assumed.

I had thought a little about whether Rosalyn came to our family instead of Christina, but I never expected the story to go this far…

“…I’m sorry.”

“…It’s fine.”

“No really, I think I’m just a bit too drunk right now.”

Rosalyn swayed a little and stood up.

She then put the liquor on the table back into the cabinet and turned to face me.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to bring the mood down this much, but it just happened…”

“……..”

“…Let’s keep what we talked about today a secret from everyone, okay?”

“Of course, I understand.”

I answered her question like that.

No, saying anything else wasn’t really an option.

Rosalyn’s expression was just too… sad.

“……..”

After that, Rosalyn mentioned wanting to sleep, and I returned to my room.

I hadn’t anticipated this kind of conversation.

Somewhere along the line, I ended up hearing something huge.

I had realized that the count family was in decline, but Rosalyn being an illegitimate child born to a commoner was truly…

“…Sigh.”

Maybe it would have been better to just keep quiet?

I regretted having brought up such a strange question on the terrace.