My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 83

“Ugh… I don’t want to go to the Academy…”

“Young Lady.”

“What’s even fun about going there… Honestly, when I go, it’s just the same old gossip every time, isn’t it?”

I was chatting with Rize in the garden.

The business matters were already sorted out, and thanks to that, my work hours had been drastically reduced.

So here I was, just shooting the breeze with Rize.

“……..”

“See! Even Rize can’t argue with me!”

“Honestly, I can’t deny that…”

“Right?!”

“…Yes.”

Rize had been with our family since she was young.

She’s from a Baronial family, but since she had been a maid in our mansion since she was really little, she knew too well about our family’s situation.

Well… Anyway, Rize wasn’t the type to go spreading gossip about our family, so I wasn’t particularly worried.

“If I really go… It’s obvious those people from other families will start talking nonsense to me…”

“…Young Lady.”

“Those other noble kids at the Academy don’t manage any businesses at their age… Of course, they won’t even know what I do.”

“That’s true…”

“At least the adults have some idea about what’s going on…”

Noble kids would probably have no clue.

Even though I had been running a business for four years, I was still treated like a snake in the eyes of other nobles.

“Ugh.”

“…But you do have an outstanding appearance, so it might not be too bad?”

“Sure, my father is ugly, which makes our family’s reputation worse. But honestly, most of the criticism isn’t just about looks…”

“…That’s true.”

It was evident that William had gotten chubby and wasn’t exactly handsome… But the main reason for the criticism was indeed that.

Well, it wasn’t just William; there were other fat and unattractive nobles too.

“Ugh… I’m already worrying about what comes after we go…”

“……..”

Honestly, I was already concerned about life at the Academy.

Three years of listening to gossip?

It was something I was used to, but it still didn’t sound pleasant.

Of course, I didn’t care much since my mother, Rosalyn, was already being talked about in that way.

Still, it wasn’t exactly enjoyable.

“Plus, I’m worried they might do the same to Rize.”

“Are you talking about that…?”

“Yeah. Rize is going as Camelia Leonhardt, the maid of Camelia Leonhardt. Naturally, they won’t treat her well.”

“……..”

“There’s no way I couldn’t be worried about that.”

Of course, thanks to the connection between the Leonhardt and Rose families, things had improved a lot compared to before.

On top of that, William and I had made names for ourselves through our business.

Still… There were many nobles who weren’t familiar with us yet, but compared to the past… Things had definitely gotten better.

It seemed manageable.

“Oh, right.”

“?”

“Do you remember that thing from ages ago? I was, what, seven? Six?”

I couldn’t quite recall since it was such a long time ago.

That was probably around the time my first stepmother ran away…?

“Remember that letter that suddenly came to our house? Do you recall?”

“Ah.”

As soon as I mentioned it, Rize remembered.

A lot of time had passed, but that event had definitely left a lasting impression.

Even though I had been an adult, I was so young then that it was a bit shocking.

For a little girl aged six or seven, it was definitely something startling to experience.

“I was so shocked back then…”

“…That’s for sure.”

“I thought it was just a regular letter. I never thought there would be so many threatening ones… I really had no idea.”

“Yes…”

“Ugh… I still don’t understand why they sent me something like that.”

Even though it was anonymous, judging by the handwriting and such, it was clearly letters that came from some noble family.

But the content was way too… odd for a six or seven-year-old girl…

“Gross.”

Those were really weird people.

“I still can’t grasp why they’d write such life-threatening stuff and send it to me. If it had been sent to my father, it might have made a bit more sense.”

“I think so too. At that time, Young Lady, you weren’t running a business, you were just living in the mansion.”

“Right?”

Even though it was a long time ago, it was really shocking.

I had no clue what the noble society was like until then.

After that, I got a vague idea, which I really didn’t want to know.

“Ugh… I hope things are more low-key after entering the Academy.”

“…I hope so too.”

While we were having that conversation, Rize and I were sitting quietly, drinking tea, killing time.

There was really nothing to do.

Honestly, it felt rare to have a day this empty. There had been so few days like this.

We were enjoying some rose tea bought from the Rose estate.

“Camelia?”

“Mother?”

While we were at it, Rosalyn came into the garden.

What’s this?

“I found you here?”

“Uh… Yeah. I’ve just been here for a while.”

Apparently, Rosalyn didn’t realize I was around.

I had probably been sitting there for an hour.

Seeing other maids trailing behind Rosalyn, I guessed she came to have some tea too.

Now that the weather was getting cooler, sipping tea in the garden was much nicer.

“Did you come for tea?”

“Yeah.”

“Then please sit here. There’s a spot open.”

“Hehe, should I?”

Rize was sitting there, but after all, Rosalyn didn’t seem to mind such things.

After all, Rize was a maid from a Baronial family, right?

“I see you’re having rose tea?”

“Yes. I wanted something sweet for a change. I’ve been stuck with bitter stuff lately, and it’s been a bit disappointing.”

“Seems like it suited your taste more than you expected?”

“I personally think it’s the best product from the Rose family.”

“Ha ha…”

It really was the best among the things from the Rose family.

Ah, besides Rosalyn.

I hadn’t seen anyone as good as Rosalyn, so I thought Rosalyn was the best among all things that came from the Rose family.

“Is it delicious for you too, Rize?”

“I think it’s definitely sweeter than the black teas I usually drink.”

“Hehe, is that so? I’m glad you all enjoy it.”

Rosalyn was asking that to Rize, who was sitting next to me.

For sure, Rosalyn and Rize had seen each other numerous times over the years.

After all, Rize was my maid and Rosalyn was my mother.

It couldn’t be any other way.

“But, Camelie, what were you and Rize talking about for so long?”

“Ah, we were just talking about what it’d be like at the Academy and sharing some old stories. I mean, I don’t really have business matters to discuss anymore, do I?”

“I see… That does make sense.”

Despite being my maid, I often assigned Rize errands related to business matters.

However, I genuinely had no need to do that now, so we simply chatted.

“Rize will also be going to the Academy with Camelie, right?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Hmm… I’m a bit worried.”

“You don’t really need to worry…”

Of course, it was normal for our family name to be scrutinized, but Rosalyn’s excessive concern felt a bit overwhelming.

After all… Receiving too much worry from Rosalyn felt burdensome.

It wasn’t that Rosalyn’s concerns weren’t well-intended; they were just really… good, but uncomfortable.

“How can you not worry when Camelie is going to the Academy?”

“I heard from Sister Karen, that the kids at the Academy are all friendly with each other nowadays…”

“But worrying is just inevitable.”

“…….”

“Plus, Camelie will naturally be the topic of conversation among the Academy students.”

“Is that so…?”

No matter how you looked at it, we were just a Baronial family.

Would people really have that much to discuss about me?

Rosalyn seemed to be seriously worried, but honestly, I didn’t quite grasp the reasoning.

“What do you think, Rize?”

“I share the same opinion as my lady.”

“Huh?”

“I think, for sure, that the Young Lady will become quite a subject among the other students at the Academy.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“…Huh?”

Rize next to me was also agreeing with Rosalyn’s sentiment.

What is going on here…

“Is it really that serious…?”

No matter how I thought about it… I didn’t feel this situation called for so much concern.

Sure, I was prepared for some form of alienation or gossip, as it was Leonhardt.

But would a mere baronial family be that much of a topic among the students?

In a way… we were just a minor baronial family.

Well, we were a family that had gotten a lot of flak for being aimless… but we were just another nouveau riche family.

The only issue was that we were a nouveau riche family with a whole lot of money.

“Is it really that serious…?”

“Yes.”

“……..”

It felt like the concern was a bit excessive.

Sure, I was also worrying about life at the Academy with Rize earlier, but from the way it was being discussed, it sounded like some tragic novel where a world’s worst criminal enrolls at an Academy and scares the students.

“Is the Leonhardt family really that popular…?”

“Hmm… Even without counting Leonhardt, Camelie will surely attract a lot of interest from the students.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t that right, Rize?”

“Yes.”

“…?”

I really couldn’t figure out why they were worrying so much.

The more I heard, the less I understood.