If I am to marry, I will marry someone stronger than myself.
That was the vow Viola Rosemary, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Rosemary House, had made long ago.
"Haa... I wonder who that boy really is..."
Viola lay back on her bed, murmuring vacantly to the ceiling.
Her unbound blonde hair fanned across the sheets. Dressed in a thin nightgown, her physique—unusually well-developed for her age—was displayed with inadvertent boldness. Since she was alone in her room, her posture was relaxed and entirely defenseless.
(Rest... Rest-kun... He didn't give a family name, but he is a child of the Honorary Viscount Ebern House, isn't he?)
As she lay there, her mind drifted back to the face of the boy who had saved her and her sister’s lives just a few days ago. The boy who had introduced himself simply as Rest refused to leave her thoughts. Ever since that encounter, she found herself remembering him over and over, letting out soft sighs as the memories resurfaced.
Viola’s father, Marquis Rosemary, served as the Chief of the Court Mages. These mages were sorcerers in direct service to the royal family, standing alongside the Royal Guard as the twin shields of the kingdom. The Marquis House was a prestigious lineage of magic users that had produced countless legendary figures throughout its history. Born as the eldest child of such a household, Viola had been trained in the magical arts since she was a small child, consistently achieving top marks.
(One day, I will take a husband and inherit the title of Marquis Rosemary. I will be the one to uphold and advance our house’s great legacy.)
Because of that responsibility, Viola had decided she would only accept a husband who was a superior mage to herself.
It was during this time that she heard rumors of an exceptionally talented son belonging to Honorary Viscount Ebern, one of her father's subordinates. To make matters even better, the son was the same age as her and was scheduled to take the entrance exam for the Royal Academy the following year.
He seemed like a perfect candidate.
Hoping to see what kind of person he was, Viola had visited the Honorary Viscount Ebern House with her younger sister. However, the moment she met him, her hope turned to immediate disappointment.
Cedric Ebern, the heir to the Ebern House, was an arrogant, selfish, and utterly self-centered child. Viola wondered just how much a person had to be spoiled to turn out that way. He looked down on everyone else as a matter of course and seemed convinced that he was the absolute center of the universe. Whenever he opened his mouth, it was only to boast about his own greatness. Worse still, he would leer at Viola’s and Primula’s faces and chests, his expression turning slack with blatant lust.
There wasn't a single part of him she could respect.
(He might be talented as a mage... but the thought of having that thing as a husband makes my skin crawl.)
Though she wanted a husband stronger than her, she couldn't fathom the idea of spending her life with Cedric. His magical talent was certainly formidable—after being taken into the forest to watch him hunt monsters, she could confirm he was indeed a better mage than she was—but his character was non-existent. If Cedric were ever to marry into the Marquis House, it was painfully obvious that he would squander their fortune and run the family into the ground.
(He's a lost cause. I'll have to look elsewhere.)
The moment they had stepped into the forest, Viola had already written Cedric off.
(Being a powerful mage is the minimum requirement, but personality matters just as much. I wouldn't even mind someone of lower status, so long as they were a pleasant young man who excelled at magic...)
She had doubted such a convenient person actually existed, but then, she found him much sooner than expected.
"My name is Rest. I am... technically, the half-brother of Cedric, who is lying over there."
The one who had saved them from their desperate struggle against the White Fenrir was a boy claiming to be Cedric’s younger brother. Though his clothes were tattered, his features were handsome, and more than anything, his genuine concern for Viola and Primula shone through. Despite his appearance, he conducted himself like a perfect gentleman. It was their first meeting, yet she had liked him instantly.
And most importantly... the boy was strong.
He was stronger than Cedric, who was stronger than Viola. He had blown the White Fenrir back and neutralized its attacks with a barrier. Finally, he had released a staggering amount of mana from his body, intimidating the beast into a retreat.
It was overwhelming talent. It was an ability that stood on a plane far removed from her own.
Witnessing that power firsthand had convinced Viola of one thing: there was no one else in the world worthy of being her partner.
(It has to be him. The only man I will take as a husband, the only one to become the son-in-law of the Marquis Rosemary House, is him!)
If Viola were to bear Rest’s children, they would undoubtedly become the greatest mages of the next generation. They might even give birth to a Sage, the likes of which appeared only once in a century of the kingdom's history.
(Primula seems interested in him as well... but I can't back down on this, not even for her.)
To Viola, Primula was her precious, darling sister. She would happily give Primula her finest jewels or her most beautiful dresses, but she could not yield Rest. A man so perfectly suited to her would never appear again.
(Honestly, I don't want to fight with Primula. Perhaps I could simply share him with her... Wait, what on earth am I thinking!?)
Still lying on the bed, Viola shook her head vigorously to clear the scandalous thought.
In order to make Rest her husband, she first had to get her father’s approval. She needed an excuse to invite him to the estate under the guise of thanking him for saving her life.
(I'll need to prepare tea and the finest sweets... Rest-kun, I wonder what kind of treats you like?)
Her heart fluttering with excitement, Viola lost herself in thoughts of how best to welcome him.