Rest returned to one of the cottages after the regular meeting concluded.
He had spent his nights in a tent when the development first began, but a month into the project, he had been assigned one of the newly constructed cottages to serve as his base of operations.
"I’m home."
"Ah, welcome back, Lord Rest."
A girl in a white apron greeted him as he stepped through the door. It was Primula Rosemary, his fiancé. She held a kitchen knife in her hand, clearly in the middle of preparing their evening meal.
"Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes."
"Thanks. I'm sorry you have to do this every day."
"Not at all. This is my duty, so please don't worry about it."
Primula had been staying at the site almost permanently since the project started, along with her older sister, Viola. While he sometimes wondered if such a life was appropriate for a Daughter of a Marquis, mages from the Marquis Rosemary House were always stationed nearby as hidden guards.
"Where’s Viola? Is she in her room?"
"No... Big sister went out with Yuri. Apparently, a new traveling merchant arrived, so they went to see what they could find."
"I see. You didn't want to go with them, Primula?"
"I stayed behind because I had to get dinner started."
She was a truly devoted wife. Rest found himself thinking once again that she was a woman far too good for him.
Primula had completely taken over the cooking lately. While Viola and Yuri helped out occasionally, Yuri was strictly forbidden from being in the kitchen alone.
"Dinner is almost ready, but would you like some tea while you wait?"
"Yeah, that’d be great."
"Certainly. Just a moment, please."
After checking on a simmering pot, Primula brewed a pot of tea. Rest took a seat at the dining table and sampled the warm liquid.
"Whew..."
It had just the right amount of sweetness to balance the bitterness. She had added milk and exactly one teaspoon of sugar—precisely how he liked it. The soothing taste seemed to melt away the lingering tension from the meeting.
"How was the meeting today?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. It feels like we’re finally moving past the Initial Stage of the development."
Rest answered her question while idly reflecting on the day's discussion. The greatest hurdle in the development of the Magical Wilds was always the extermination of monsters. However, Subnock, the Master of the Magical Wilds, had already been slain, and the vast majority of its Corrosion Beast kin had been wiped out. Since the other groups were making steady progress with their hunts as well, there were no significant obstacles left in their path.
"From here on, the harder work will be the logistics—securing supplies and personnel. I should be able to take it easy for a while."
"That’s good to hear. I received a report from Father, and it seems the development of the Northern Plain is proceeding well too."
The Northern Plain was slated to become the territory of the Count Clover House. The Marquis Rosemary House was leading the development of that sector, with the neighboring Marquis Catreia House providing support. Even though the land would technically be his, Rest was the Marquis Rosemary House Matrilocal Husband; for all practical purposes, the project was an expansion of the Rosemary domain.
Adequate compensation had been arranged for the Marquis Catreia House, so that side of things was progressing without friction.
"...Though, Father has been complaining that Marquis Catreia keeps pestering him with questions about Yuri."
"Hahaha... I see my father-in-law has his hands full."
The secret was out; everyone knew Yuri was staying with the Rosemarys and participating in the project alongside Rest. Marquis Catreia desperately wanted to bring her home, but Yuri had been officially tasked with investigating the Center of the Plain. Attempting to forcibly remove her would be an act of sabotage against the development—an insult to both His Highness Andrew and the King who had commissioned it. No matter how much the Marquis doted on his daughter, his hands were tied.
(Wait... did His Highness Andrew assign Yuri to me specifically for that reason?)
It might have been overthinking things, but Andrew likely had his own political motives.
"We're back!"
"Is dinner ready?"
As he was pondering the prince's intent, Viola and Yuri appeared at the entrance. Both girls were lugging stuffed hemp bags.
"Oh, Rest. You're home early."
"Yeah, welcome back... Wait, who's that?"
Rest went to greet them, only to realize there was a third person standing behind them.
"Forgive the late intrusion, Count Clover."
"Lady... Celestine?"
Standing there was Celestine Crocus—the daughter of the Prime Minister and the daughter of a Duke House.