My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 85

Having a lot of money really has its perks in many ways.

Plus, the habit of always bringing my wallet whenever I go somewhere turned out to be quite advantageous.

“Young Lady, I’ve brought some snacks from below.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The seats weren’t just any seats; they were the highest and most comfortable ones right in front of the stage.

There were a few people who had been sitting there before, but hey, I paid the fair price… so isn’t that okay?

The people I gave coins to were smiling so brightly.

Yep, I guess that’s true.

“Would you like some too, Mother?”

“…Should I?”

“Since it seems like we still have some time before it starts. And there’s a drink here, so let’s wait leisurely.”

Rize and Rosalyn were comfortably seated, gazing down at the stage.

Honestly, this was way better than watching at some cafe or other unclear place.

Compared to how sorry Rosalyn looked earlier, worrying about us, this was much better.

Of course, I might have glanced a bit when I bought the seat of the person who sat down first… but it’s fine now.

Isn’t this enough?

“Camelia, the person getting ready down there is the band leader.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure, but I heard the leader has a huge beard.”

“Oh…”

He did look quite impressive.

Rosalyn pointed to a guy who was adjusting his instrument and all that.

That guy… had a beard that was literally huge.

Most people grow a chin beard, but this guy was rocking just a mustache.

In many ways, it was really fascinating.

“But his hair is quite short…”

“True…”

His hair was on the shorter side, and his clothes were quite thin, but that mustache was really something.

I don’t know if most people from the North have that style, but the band leader’s look was definitely unique.

“With a mustache like that, doesn’t it tickle every time he breathes?”

“I wouldn’t know, since I don’t have a beard…?”

“…That’s true.”

Definitely… I wouldn’t know.

Anyway, Rosalyn and I couldn’t help but talk about that amazing mustache.

Seriously, how does one even grow something like that…

– Ahh, ahh.

“?”

While we were admiring the mustache leader, his voice blasted through the amplifier.

Looks like this band does more than just play instruments; there are singers too.

-E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Huh.”

-Oh!

“Huh…?”

The mustache leader suddenly started making bizarre sounds while looking at the audience.

Eh, oh, uh, eh, a, uh.

Definitely not any proper words.

What is this even.

– From now on, you all just need to follow what I did!

“What’s… happening here?”

“It seems like it…?”

“By the way, that amplifier looks like it has an amazing performance, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

Not sure what he’s planning, but for now, I decided to quietly watch with Rize and Rosalyn.

Of course, unlike us, the commoners below weren’t keeping quiet.

-Eee~~~~!

“””Eeeeeeeeeee!!!”””

-Oh!

“””Oh!!!”””

“…Wow.”

The noise is insane.

The amplified sound was loud, but the audience’s cheers were even louder.

I have no clue why he’s asking us to mimic him.

-E!!

“””E!!!”””

– E.

“””E.”””

“……..”

I couldn’t really grasp what was going on, but it was certain that the atmosphere in the plaza was heating up.

-Eeeeeee!!!!

That continued for nearly ten minutes.

No, felt like almost twenty minutes.

“””Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”””

-Ooooh!!!!!!

During that repetitive moment, the leader really… let out a sound so high-pitched, it felt like this was the true start, with veins popping in his neck.

And then… other band members began to rush in from both ends of the stage.

…Looks like the band show had actually started a while ago.

– Thud thud bang!

Unlike earlier, music sounds began to fill the air.

The plaza, already buzzing with excitement for the band leader, was heating up even more.

“Welcome to our band’s show!!!”

And then the leader’s powerful voice rang out.

It was so loud, it could be heard by everyone in the square even without the magic tools.

I seriously wondered if he was using magic for that voice; it was that mind-blowing.

“The entry fee and viewing costs! It’s all free! So let’s enjoy and make as much noise as possible!!!!”

“””Kyaaaaak!!!!!”””

“””Waaah!!!!!!!!!!”””

“Pfft…”

As the leader spoke, the audience erupted with cheers, and Rosalyn, who had been observing the band intently next to me, began to smile.

Looks like her tastes matched pretty well.

“…….”

Rather than the worried Rosalyn who had been fretting about finding seats earlier, seeing her enjoying like this made me feel good too.

I hoped she could just relax and enjoy, especially since she must have been tired spending time in the Rose Family until recently.

I didn’t bother to interrupt Rosalyn, who was already enjoying the show, and just sat quietly, alternating my gaze between her and the stage.

“Na~ na~ nananana~”

Sounds of music commonly referred to as band music continued.

In various ways, it was quite different from the music I had previously heard.

The tunes were ones I’d only heard in my past life, and they were really… stuck in my head.

The volume was so high…

The music was nice, but the volume was just too loud…

“Na~ na na~”

Unlike me, Rosalyn seemed unfazed by the loudness as she hummed along next to me.

Well, I could agree that the song itself was good.

Besides, the music created by magic tools, rather than classical instruments like piano, violin, viola, or contrabass, definitely felt fresh.

While I had already heard such music in my past life, it was probably the first time for the audience this time.

They were totally going wild.

The music was loud, and the leader’s voice was loud, but the cheers from the audience were even louder.

And both Rosalyn and Rize were showing such joyful expressions as they enjoyed the band’s music.

“…It’s nice.”

“Camelia, what did you say?”

“Oh, nothing. You must have misheard.”

“Is that so? By the way, those people are having so much fun with the music, right?”

“Yeah, it seems that way.”

There were plenty of thoughts coming to mind.

I felt like I was gaining a lot from watching… but I decided to stay quiet.

I just enjoyed watching Rosalyn, who was already having fun, and even Rize, who quietly tapped her fingers to the beat, enjoying herself as well.

*

“I’ve heard that Northern music has been quite enjoyable for a long time, but I never thought it would be this fun.”

“Right? The other people in the plaza seemed to be having a blast too.”

“It felt so different from when other bands came. I almost thought I was watching a circus!”

Rosalyn, who returned to the mansion, looked genuinely happy, laughing brightly, while telling me this.

Rize sitting next to her nodded as if to agree with Rosalyn, and in many ways, it felt like both were enjoying themselves much more than I had expected, which made me happy too.

For the first time in a long while, I could spend time without any worries.

“Camelia, Camelia. If the band from the North comes again, let’s go see them for sure?”

“Yeah, let’s make it happen. Just seeing the audience’s response today… I guess they will definitely come back.”

Though they had never visited before, and this was the first performance here… when they would come again, I didn’t know.

But that wasn’t a big deal at all.

After all, if you just invited them with money, that would be enough.

“Young Lady, would it be alright if I temporarily step away to help some other servants?”

“Of course. Why, is it urgent?”

“Um… I was called by the other servants…”

“Hmm… If that’s the case, well, I can’t do much about it.”

I saw a servant peeking from the garden entrance, calling for Rize.

Not sure exactly what it was, but it seemed like Rize was needed, so it would be right to let her go.

Personally, I wanted to keep Rize beside me, but she would come back once her work was done anyway.

So, I let Rize go like that.

“Can you sing well, Camelia?”

“Out of the blue?”

“I’m just curious.”

Rosalyn’s sudden question.

It seemed like she was curious after hearing the band’s songs today, just as she said.

Still, it was a bit of a surprising question.

“Um… I guess I sing normally? I’ve never really learned to sing, nor do I often sing in daily life… so I’m not sure.”

The question was abrupt, but I didn’t have much to answer.

After all, I really didn’t know.

I didn’t often sing, and I never had professional training… right?

In the first place, I barely knew any songs.

I had learned music as a part of my upbringing, but I had hardly faced songs with lyrics.

“Really?”

“Yup. What about your mother? Can she sing well?”

“Me? Hmm… I think I can sing well?”

Somehow, that came across as a question.

Does she sing well? Does she not? Is it somewhere in between?

“How about just one line? Back at the Academy, my friends… their reactions were a bit ambiguous, so I’m unsure too.”

“Should I…?”

Rosalyn’s voice was quite nice.

She would probably have gotten good responses otherwise.

But hearing her friends’ ambiguous reactions from the Academy made me feel like it might lean towards her not singing well.

Of course, it wouldn’t matter if Rosalyn wasn’t a good singer.

Since, aside from the fact that she might not be a good singer, Rosalyn had so many other strengths.

“Oh, uh, ahem…”

Rosalyn glanced at me while clearing her throat.

She seemed quite unsure about her singing ability.

“Then I’ll sing…?”

“Yes.”

Rosalyn spoke nervously, and I nodded in answer.

I didn’t know what song she would sing, but whether she did well or not, it was the first time I would hear her song.

I felt a bit excited.

“I’ve finally found, my love~”

“….”

“The person I’ve waited my whole life for~”

She started to sway a little, quietly singing with her lovely voice, eyes closed.

The thoughts I had just moments ago disappeared entirely; it was such a beautiful song.

Seriously… so beautifully sung.

“Is it beautiful…?”

Not just one line but a few lines, she swayed just slightly, singing in a gentle voice from her seat across from me.

“Camelia…?”

She looked at me with a face full of concern, as if she wanted to check if it was alright and seemed worried at the same time.

I had to respond to her, but for a moment I found myself speechless at how stunning her voice was.

It was truly a level of singing that made me completely understand why her Academy friends might not have been able to respond properly.

I wasn’t even sure if it was okay to evaluate such beauty… just couldn’t easily reply to such an incredibly beautiful song.

“…I think it’s nice.”

In the end, all I could come up with was a vague answer, something like what Rosalyn’s Academy friends would have probably said.

…A somewhat foolish answer by my own standard.