My Stepmom is Too Pretty, and It’s Troubling Me – Chapter 91

Three months until entering the Academy, and about two months until departing for the Academy.

“Mother, I’m planning to get my school uniform fitted. Would you like to come with me?”

“…Huh?”

On that day, I suddenly asked Rosalyn in her room.

Isn’t it dull to go alone?

It would be fine to go with Rize, but I wanted to do this with Rosalyn.

Even though we weren’t blood relatives, it was still a big event for my entry into the Academy.

“What do you think…?”

That’s why I came all the way to ask Rosalyn.

She didn’t have to go with me, but I still wanted her there.

After all, once I’m at the Academy, we’ll have fewer chances to meet, so I wanted to create more memories before that…

For that reason.

“I didn’t expect Camelia to say that first. If you’re okay with it… can we go together?”

“Of course.”

Honestly, calling her a stepmother feels a bit off since Rosalyn treats me so well, and I’ve known that for a long time.

I’m not a fool, nor am I some clueless blonde beast who doesn’t recognize affection.

It was pretty hard not to notice how kind Rosalyn had been toward me.

I had given her jewelry and various gifts before, but those were ultimately material things.

While it’s natural for jewelry to be valuable, it’s a stretch to compare that value to the kindness Rosalyn shows.

Her smiles and affections toward me were worth way more.

“Are you going out right away?”

“I’m thinking of having lunch first, then heading out.”

“Got it… Can I come along with you then?”

“Of course.”

It was an answer I had just given moments ago.

“Shall we meet at lunch a bit later then? Mother… you seem to have some work to finish.”

I glanced at Rosalyn’s desk as I said this.

Though I was a bit far away, I noticed several documents that were probably related to managing the mansion.

“Yes, let’s do that. See you soon…?”

“Yes, Mother.”

After saying this to Rosalyn, I left her room.

“Hehe…”

It was a trivial matter, but I definitely felt happier.

We were just going together to get our school uniforms fitted, nothing grand, but it felt really nice.

I wondered what Rosalyn might think, but I hoped she would like it.

From what I could tell, she seemed to enjoy dressing me in cute clothes… though I felt a little shy about it.

“Rize, should I wear a shirt that’s easy to change into when we go out today?”

“I’ll make sure you’re ready.”

“Great.”

There was still time before we had to leave.

Lunch was still ahead, but… I found myself chatting with Rize like a child excitedly.

Hmm… Should I buy a new maid outfit for Rize too?

*

-Screech…

The carriage stopped in front of a store that was larger than your average clothing shop, with a sign that included “Specialty Store for Academy Uniforms.” This was our destination for the day.

“Milady, Young Lady.”

After the carriage stopped, Rize opened the door and offered us a helping hand to disembark.

Every time I received help like this, I always wondered why nobles needed such assistance… Honestly, I didn’t get it.

Of course, there are certain traditions, but struggling to get out of a carriage seems odd.

Well, I thought that while Rize had always disciplined me, so I just complied quietly.

“This store is bigger than I expected.”

“It’s probably because it’s the easiest-to-find specialty store for Academy uniforms in the southern region.”

“That could be true.”

“Seeing so many people inside confirms it.”

Looking through the glass, I noticed quite a few young nobles that seemed to be about my age.

Of course, since they sold more than just uniforms, there were other customers, but most were looking at the Academy uniforms.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yes.”

After hearing Rosalyn, we entered the store.

As soon as we stepped inside, a staff member greeted us and recited the usual lines of a typical clothing shop employee.

“We’re here to get our Academy uniforms fitted. Is it possible to do that now?”

“Yes, of course! May I ask which Academy’s uniforms you are looking for…?”

“Solkemia Empire Academy.”

“Ah… Yes! I’ll prepare everything promptly!”

The staff member looked a bit surprised after hearing Rosalyn’s words and hurriedly dashed deeper into the store.

I figured this reaction was due to the mention of Solkemia.

Not just any academy, but the top-ranking one in the Empire that everyone was keeping an eye on.

That made sense.

“Um… Mother, should we sit over there? It seems like it might take a bit longer…”

“U-Um, customers! Allow me to escort you to the waiting room!”

“Huh…?”

“While you wait, we’ll ensure you receive the highest quality and service possible…!”

…Hmm.

I felt a bit like I had unintentionally become the demanding customer here.

Even if it’s the Solkemia Empire Academy, this reaction was way too sudden…

“Oh.”

I figured it out.

They weren’t just behaving like that because I was headed to Solkemia, but rather because they thought we were important nobles.

Rosalyn really had an elegant and beautiful appearance, and although I didn’t resemble her, I could hold my own in terms of looking nice.

“Hehe…”

“Camelia, what’s so funny?”

“I just found it a bit amusing.”

I didn’t say much, but honestly, the misunderstanding by the staff was a bit comical…

Aside from being exceptionally pretty, we were… a noble bastard from a declining count family and a girl from a nouveau riche family, right?

Whatever the staff thought of us, one thing was clear: the truth was probably much more humble.

Thus, together with Rosalyn and Rize, we waited briefly in the waiting room.

It wasn’t just idle waiting; there were refreshments and decent tea… It was rather pleasant.

Of course, it wasn’t fine-tuned to our specific tastes, though?

“U-Um, dear customers! I have brought the fabrics and uniforms used for Solkemia Academy! We will accurately measure your sizes and tailor them afterward, and these are for you to try on…!”

After waiting for a bit while sitting, a staff member came in with the materials and uniforms.

There were dark blazers and skirts, and a pure white shirt.

They brought a lot for fitting purposes… It seemed like too much, but since they chose that themselves, I didn’t feel like I could complain.

“Oh, thank you! The fabric… seems nice.”

“The fabric you’re touching now is for the spring and fall uniforms, while the fabric for summer is being fetched from the storage right now…!”

Rosalyn was talking with the staff member, feeling and assessing the fabric.

I remained still, quietly listening.

“Camelia, want to feel the fabric?”

“Sure.”

“This certainly seems like high-quality material. Feel the shirt fabric first, and then check the blazer next to it.”

“Definitely… it’s soft. Overall.”

“Right? It’s quite similar to the fabric of the shirt you’re wearing now.”

Rosalyn was correct: the material did seem high-end.

It was easy to see why this Academy operated under the Empire, and that they would think of using such quality fabric to make hundreds or thousands of uniforms was truly impressive.

As we were experiencing the uniform fabrics, the staff diligently handled the garments hanging on the rack to prepare.

Honestly, I felt bad just sitting and watching them work so hard.

I always think about how the treatment I received from nobles was vastly different from how common people would act…

“Haha…”

Of course, I didn’t entirely dislike being treated this way; I decided to just stay quiet.

No need to shy away from someone treating us nicely, right?

Especially in a situation regarding clothes I’d be wearing, it was much better than being treated poorly.

“Hmm…”

After that, I changed in the fitting room.

I could have had the staff assist me in changing, but… I didn’t want to show my body to people who weren’t close friends like Rize or Rosalyn.

Even if I wasn’t particularly shy about it, that felt too much.

Once I finished changing, I stepped out of the fitting room slowly.

“Mother, how does it look? It doesn’t feel overly uncomfortable…”

That was pretty much my assessment.

The fit wasn’t absolutely perfect, but it wasn’t bad either.

The fabric was nice, and the tailor seemed to have done a good job?

“Camelia…”

“Yes, Mother. Is something wrong?”

I hadn’t checked every detail in the mirror, so I was worried there might be something off.

“You look absolutely gorgeous!”

“Really…?”

Suddenly, Rosalyn stood up from her chair.

Not just getting up from her chair, she came right up to me and began to examine my appearance closely.

She was really… REALLY scrutinizing, completely ignoring my gaze or anyone else’s, simply focused on me.

“Uh, Mother…? Could you… step back a bit…”

She got so close that I could almost see down her dress.

Honestly, I had no choice but to feel flustered.

If Rosalyn kept this up, my face would likely turn bright red.

“Ah… Sorry, it looked so good I got carried away… Hehe…”

“…It’s okay.”

So far, I wasn’t blushing, which was fine.

So far.