My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 80

The ride to the Rose Family estate was a completely different experience.

Seriously… it was on another level.

I even thought it was a good thing that I deliberately arranged for a proper setup.

“Hehehe…”

“You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“It was so hard on our first trip to the Rose Family estate, remember?”

“That’s true; I was also surprised at how poorly the roads were maintained back then.”

“Still, I thought it was a bit much to neglect the roads to that extent.”

“Well… Father wasn’t particularly interested in the estate management.”

Even so, I often found myself wondering if they were managing the estate poorly.

But I didn’t voice those thoughts since Rosalyn was happily enjoying the ride in the carriage.

Originally, we should have been bouncing along the badly maintained roads like on our first trip, but now that wasn’t the case.

Before we departed… I had spent money to completely fix up the roads.

It was only a three-day difference, but the return trip was way more comfortable than the journey there.

“Huuuh… I actually couldn’t sleep well in the carriage on the way here. But now it feels so much better.”

“I think so too.”

“Maybe it’s also because the weather has gotten cooler?”

As Rosalyn said that, she kept smiling.

Her expression was completely different from when we were on the way to the Rose estate.

It was such a joyful expression on the way back.

Seeing Rosalyn so happy and excited naturally lifted my spirits.

“But Camelia, is there a reason you brought the rose petals for the rose tea?”

Turning her head from the scenery outside the carriage, Rosalyn asked that.

I had indeed bought quite a few rose tea-specific petals, since they mostly sold them at the Rose estate.

It was only natural that she would be curious when a girl who usually drank desserts and milk suddenly bought a lot of rose tea.

“Since it’s a kind of tea not available at the mansion and they are dried petals anyway, I got them because the quality of the ones sold in the Rose estate is the best.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Plus, when Mother drank the rose tea, she smiled a little, probably because she hadn’t had it in a while.”

“Huh?”

“Well, she used to drink it often since we were little, right?”

The flavor and aroma of the rose tea itself were indeed pleasant.

But the main reason I bought a large amount of it was because of Rosalyn.

“And it seems like she enjoys it a little whenever she drinks the rose tea.”

“…So you specifically bought a lot?”

“Yeah. To be honest… I don’t really plan on visiting the Rose Family estate again, so I bought extra just in case.”

Well… I did buy quite a bit.

“I’ll drink it whenever I want once we get back to the mansion.”

“Should we…?”

“Yeah. Even if I don’t like the Rose Family, the rose tea sold at the Rose estate was delicious, right?”

“That’s true. I haven’t had it since going to Leonhardt, but the taste was good.”

“Besides, Mother won’t be thinking of going back to the Rose estate for a while, right?”

As long as those people remained, Rosalyn and I would have no reason to see them again.

Anyway, Rosalyn was now more a Leonhardt person than a Rose Family person.

She could just stay at the mansion.

“Then shall we drink tea together when we get back?”

“Sounds good.”

After all, next year there wouldn’t be much time for that.

I wanted to spend as much time with Rosalyn as possible before entering the academy.

*

“Hmm… It has definitely gotten a bit dark. Stopping in this city seems like a good idea.”

“Yeah. The weather is worse than expected this evening.”

We made a slightly earlier than scheduled stop in a suitable city.

Originally, we planned to go a bit further, stay overnight in a suitable town, and then set off again, but the sky got a bit dark.

So we just stopped in the city that happened to be right along the way.

Moreover, there happened to be several nice inns close together, so we rented all the rooms.

“Still, since it had rained a lot not long ago, I hope it only drizzles this time.”

“I hope so too. If it rains too much, the road tomorrow could become rough.”

“Camelia, try this. It’s really delicious.”

“Okay.”

Anyway, having rented all the inn rooms, Rosalyn and I went outside together.

Since… well, we were nobles.

I was somewhat okay with it, but Rosalyn would probably find the ordinary food at a regular inn less appealing.

That’s why we made a point to look for a decent restaurant together.

“The salad smells good.”

“Mmm…”

“You’re more of a meat person than a vegetable person, right?”

“Haha…”

Well, it wasn’t that it tasted bad, but I definitely preferred meat over greens.

Before the main dish came, the salad served as an appetizer was… not bad, but I would much rather have bread or seafood.

“Still, give it a try. It’s not just greens, right?”

“That’s true. Honestly, I’m relieved.”

“Because being picky isn’t good; you have to eat your veggies too.”

“I’m making an effort. At least… for now.”

“Hehe, but it doesn’t taste completely awful, does it?”

That was true.

…Still, I hated vegetables.

After finishing the salad, a onion soup with a bit of cheese on top arrived.

It must have been to whet our appetite before the main dish.

“Mmm… this one’s pretty good.”

“The cheese flavor is nice, and the sauce itself is… quite good. Maybe it’s because it’s near the capital?”

“That could be it. I chose this place based on its look and interior, but… it’s pretty good.”

“Indeed. I think I made a good choice.”

As Rosalyn said, it was true.

Since it was close to the capital.

The capital was, after all, exceedingly famous for its cuisine compared to other regions, and the city we were in was located near that central hub.

So even though it was just a decent restaurant, it served food of this quality.

We were only having appetizers before the main dish, but it was definitely true.

It might be better than most restaurants down south?

Of course, the prices were a bit higher than theirs.

“Hehe… I think this place is way better than the places back home.”

“I think so too.”

“The buildings back home were bigger, and I’m sure the quality of the food there was better, but…”

“It was way too cramped.”

“Yeah.”

Rosalyn and I exchanged smiles while talking about that.

After all, the time spent with the Rose Family was honestly less than pleasant for more than half of it, right?

“Sigh… If only they had told me what the family was like from the beginning, I could have skipped the trip entirely.”

“Haha…”

“It feels like they hid it all. If I had known I would tell Camelia everything…”

If it were a usual day… I might have said no, but I had to admit something this time.

If Rosalyn had told me more about what the Rose Family was like, I probably wouldn’t have needed to visit.

The reason I insisted on going was also largely because of Rosalyn, wasn’t it?

“…Things have changed a bit from what I initially thought.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

…At first, I didn’t like the way the people of the Rose Family treated us.

But after hearing Rosalyn’s words, their actions became even more unpalatable.

So it was possible to say that what I disliked even more than before also counted as a change, right?

“Hehe… now I suddenly want to drink wine.”

“I don’t think drinking too frequently is really good for you.”

“Isn’t it a bit much to say I drank a lot that one day?”

“That day you definitely got drunk.”

Rosalyn couldn’t refute my words.

Because it was true that she had gotten quite drunk that day.

Drinking whiskey alone… um.

Of course, given the topic of conversation, it wasn’t surprising that she found it difficult to speak soberly.

“Wines and whiskeys have different alcohol content, you know.”

“I wouldn’t know since I haven’t tried them.”

I played dumb even though I knew.

Because I really hadn’t tried it yet, right?

At least not as Camelia.

“…That’s true. I suppose Camelia shouldn’t drink those kinds of things?”

“…Didn’t Mother just say she wanted to drink something?”

“That’s true, but I’d prefer it if Camelia didn’t drink those kinds of things.”

“Umm… I probably won’t have a reason to drink, anyway?”

Anyway, I’d never been particularly interested in alcohol, and there were so many other tasty things out there.

Like strawberry milk or the rose tea I brought this time… honestly, they were all better than alcohol.

Anyway, I was finally having a relaxed meal with Rosalyn after such a long time.

Recently, there had been quite a few people making dining with Rosalyn uncomfortably, but not today.

“Hehe…”

“Why are you smiling so much?”

“I’m just… feeling happy because I’m away from the family?”

“…Is that so?”

Seeing Rosalyn keep chuckling while looking at me made me wonder.

Of course… the time spent at the Rose Family had definitely been uncomfortable for her as well.

I could understand that line of thinking.

To be honest, I felt suffocated, and my time spent there was uneasy. But if it was worse for Rosalyn, then it must have been.

It wasn’t any less harsh on her.

“And I’m glad that our Camelia has been thinking about Mother so much.”

“Is that so…”

“Like with the rose tea… and bringing up topics that I hadn’t been able to mention first…”

Rosalyn looked happier than I expected.

Rosalyn certainly looked better when she was smiling and lively than when she bore a gloomy expression.

Yeah, this look definitely suits her better.