While Rest suffered a mysterious defeat at Yuri’s hands, a young girl let out a long, heavy sigh in a room within a building at the heart of the Eastern Pioneer Village, just a short distance from the inn where the two were staying.
"Haaah..."
Hands cupped against her flushed cheeks, Ulula Lavender let out a shaky breath, her eyes brimming with emotion.
She was the legitimate daughter of the Margrave Lavender House and the official representative of the Lavender family’s interests in the development project.
The table before her was draped in a lace-trimmed cloth, upon which sat a transparent crystal ball. Reflected in its depths was the figure of Rest.
From the early morning hours, he had been eating breakfast with Yuri in what appeared to be a flirtatious manner.
"Hauuu... He’s beautiful today, too..."
"......"
A woman stood silently behind Ulula. In her mid-twenties, she was Ulula’s attendant and had looked after her devotedly since childhood.
Though her name had not been mentioned until now, she was Arlie Purple, a woman born to a family of vassals serving the Margrave Lavender House.
Arlie had been a childhood friend of Ulula’s father—the man who was supposed to have become the next head of the house. After he went missing and Ulula’s mother fled, Arlie became the closest thing to an older sister for the girl, who was left with no blood relatives other than a grandfather who had become a demon of vengeance.
"My Lady, may I ask you something?"
"Haaan..."
"What exactly is the enjoyment in watching the man you adore spend time with another woman?"
Knowing she likely wouldn't receive a straightforward answer, Arlie asked anyway.
For some time now, Ulula had been obsessed with the man named Rest. For a girl who had been raised like a hollow doll under her grandfather’s oppressive education, this was her first attachment. It was her first taste of passion.
As someone who cared deeply for Ulula’s well-being, Arlie generally viewed this change as a positive development. If there was a problem, it was simply that the man already had a fiancé.
Furthermore, he seemed to have several other women with whom he was intimate. For Ulula, who had yet to establish a relationship with Rest beyond that of a mere acquaintance and was separated from him by age, she was at a massive disadvantage.
"It's not... I accept him. He's my fave."
"Yes."
"Everything. Acceptance... because he is beautiful."
"I see. So that is how it is."
Ulula spoke without once lifting her eyes from the crystal ball. It was a mere string of words that hardly qualified as an explanation, yet Arlie understood her perfectly.
"In other words... you believe that true love is accepting your fave exactly as he is. It is not about forcing your own desires or expectations upon him. What matters most is his happiness, and as a believer, your role is to pray for that happiness—is that what you mean to say?"
"Yes."
Ulula gave a short, clipped answer to Arlie’s clarification. In a sense, the two were so perfectly in sync that long-winded explanations were unnecessary.
"Beautiful... so beautiful. It’s spreading..."
"Is that so? Then that is quite good."
"Good... very, good..."
Inside the crystal ball, Rest and Yuri continued their meal together. Rest wore a grimace for some reason, but a definite bond could be felt between the two, even if they hadn't known each other for long.
"...I love him..."
"...That is wonderful. A truly lovely thing."
To an outsider, it might have looked like a fruitless, unrequited love, but Arlie refused to deny it. If the word 'fruitless' were to be used, it would be to describe Ulula’s entire life up until this point.
Ulula’s grandfather, Loser Lavender VI, had inherited a burning hatred for the Eastern Empire along with the name 'Loser.' To him, his children and grandchildren were nothing more than tools for his revenge.
Being consumed by a pathological love like this was a far better fate than being used and discarded by Loser.
"My Lady, I have prepared your breakfast."
"Mm...!"
Arlie brought forward a breakfast that featured the exact same menu as the one Rest was currently eating. She had even meticulously ensured the brand of tea was the same.
"...Eating together."
"Yes. By eating the same meal, you can enjoy a simulated experience as if you were dining with him. I am honored that it pleases you."
"Mm... good girl."
Ulula began to eat, shoveling the food into her mouth.
"......"
Watching Ulula consume each dish in the same order and at the same timing as Rest, Arlie silently wiped the corners of her eyes.