"Heh, so something that interesting happened! I wish I could have joined in!"
It was later that night.
The family was gathered in the lounge of the Rosemary estate. When I recounted the events of the day, Viola voiced her disappointment with a mischievous grin.
The room was filled with the primary members of the Marquis House. I was there as well, seated on the sofa and, as usual, sandwiched between the two sisters.
After finishing the monster culling in the Count Valery Territory, I had been challenged to a race by the young mages of the house. By sprinting across the earth and leaping through the sky at maximum velocity, I had arrived at the mansion over three hours ahead of the rest of the group.
It seemed that Nick and the other mages who had challenged me were severely scolded for their pathetic performance. It was only natural, really. They had picked a fight with the man the Marquis’s daughters had chosen—and whom the Marquis and his wife had officially recognized—only to suffer a humiliating defeat.
"Those young mages have grown soft! I’ll have to personally beat some discipline into them!"
The one fuming was the other master of the house present in the lounge—Eilische Rosemary.
As Viola and Primula’s mother, she was a muscle-brained warrior through and through. Though she was a radiant, beautiful witch—befitting the mother of such lovely twins—she was the type who preferred to let her fists do the talking. She clearly couldn't tolerate such incompetence from the house's young retainers.
"Ah... please go easy on them. They didn't really mean any harm."
Since the race, Nick and the others had eventually arrived and bowed their heads to me in sincere apology.
"We are truly sorry for our insolence!" they had shouted. "We acknowledge your strength, Young Master!"
By losing so overwhelmingly, they had been forced to recognize the truth: I was a man worthy of becoming a matrilocal husband of the Marquis Rosemary House. I was a man who deserved to stand beside both Viola and Primula. Their way of addressing me had shifted from a casual "hey you" to "Young Master," and it felt like I had finally earned the genuine respect of the mages serving the family.
"That is a separate issue!" Eilische declared, crossing her arms sternly. "Under a fierce general, there are no weak soldiers. The Rosemary House has no need for weaklings!"
She didn't look like she was going to budge. I felt a bit sorry for Nick and his friends, but their fate of being subjected to her grueling training was now a settled matter.
"So, Father," Primula spoke up, "is the situation in the Count Valery Territory fully resolved?"
"Yes, it's quite fine now," Albert replied, nodding from his rocking chair. "We managed to cull most of the Locust Imps that appeared in the territory. While they haven't been entirely eradicated, they shouldn't pose a problem for the rest of the year."
No matter how many mages you mobilize, it’s impossible to completely wipe out monsters. The Locust Imps would eventually breed and return to ravage the fields again.
"The Valery family possesses vast granaries, but because they maintain their distance from the capital, they lack military strength. In that regard, our interests align, as we have no shortage of mages. We must ensure our relationship remains strong moving forward."
Among the nobility, there were Central Nobles who thrived in the Royal Palace and Regional Nobles who remained in their own territories. The Rosemary family belonged to the former. While we held territory, Albert served as the Court Mage Captain and was highly favored by the King. The Valery family belonged to the latter. They rarely visited the Royal Capital outside of major festivals and focused entirely on managing their lands.
While Regional Nobles lacked political influence, they spent very little money at court, making them surprisingly wealthy. However, because they had fewer opportunities to recruit talented people from the center, their military power was often lacking.
"Once you become the head of a house, you must learn to interact not only with your own vassal nobles but with other families as well. Make sure you take that to heart, Rest."
"Yes, I understand," I replied with a nod.
I had lived as a commoner until recently, but I knew I’d eventually need to master the art of diplomacy.
(I really should seriously consider joining the Student Council Executive Committee...)
Building a connection with the Second Prince, Andrew, would be a major asset for my future in the Rosemary family. Furthermore, the Student Council also included Lady Celestine, the daughter of Duke Crocus. Joining would give me a direct line to the Duke’s house as well.
"If you're joining the Student Council, Rest, I might join too," Viola added. "Lady Celestine invited me."
"I-I was asked as well," Primula said. "She asked if I would consider joining the General Affairs department..."
It seemed the twins had been keeping in touch with Lady Celestine even when I wasn't around.
"What? You should have told me sooner."
"If we said we were joining, you would have felt pressured to join too, wouldn't you?" Viola teased.
"I thought I should wait for you to make your own decision first, Rest-sama," Primula added softly.
"Ah... I see."
They had been respecting my autonomy. I was, as always, moved to tears by how much they looked out for me.
"More importantly, we’re staying in the territory until tomorrow," Viola said, changing the subject. "Let's go shopping in town!"
"Viola, didn't you just go shopping today?" I asked.
"What does that matter? Shopping two days in a row is fine! Besides, it's different when I'm not alone!"
"Oh, I'd like to go too. That's okay, isn't it, Rest-sama?" Primula looked up at me with pleading eyes.
When both of them looked at me like that, there was no way I could say no.
"Yeah, of course."
I nodded, happily accepting the invitation to spend the next day shopping with them.