The bathroom of the Marquis Rosemary estate was as vast and opulent as a public bathhouse. Within its steam-filled walls, three beautiful young women sat in repose.
There were the daughters of the house, Viola and Primula Rosemary, and their guest—the girl who had arrived moments ago drenched in blood—Yuri Catreia. All three were currently soaking in the hot water, stripped of their clothes and pretenses alike.
"Now then... would you care to explain yourself?" Viola asked, speaking for the sisters.
She fixed her sharp, upturned eyes on Yuri, pressing her friend for the full story.
"Um... sorry. I messed up," Yuri replied, looking as dejected as a scolded puppy in the face of Viola’s uncharacteristic intensity.
It seemed she had finally realized just how discourteous her actions had been.
"I’m sorry... I think I was just too excited after defeating my father. I should have settled things with the two of you before I ever proposed to him. I am truly, deeply sorry. I think I’ve really fallen for Rest."
When she stopped to think about it, she realized she had lacked any sense of integrity. She had fallen for her friends' fiancé and proposed to him without a word to either of them.
"But... I only want Rest. I don’t even mind being a concubine; I just want to be by his side. Could you please let me stay?"
"We don't actually mind that part," Viola said.
"No, we don't mind at all," Primula added.
The Rosemary sisters shook their heads at Yuri, who was huddled in the water looking small and awkward.
"We already knew you had feelings for Rest, Yuri. It was painfully obvious. Honestly, it was inevitable," Viola remarked.
"You clearly treated him differently than any other boy... It would have been stranger if you didn't like him," Primula agreed.
Viola and Primula exchanged a glance and nodded. They had long been aware of Yuri’s affection for Rest, and they had already come to terms with the fact that he would eventually take multiple wives.
The problem, however, lay elsewhere.
"We’re fine with it. Lady Celestine’s marriage to Rest is already informally finalized, so adding you to the mix isn't an issue in itself," Viola continued.
"Celestine is marrying him too? That sounds like fun! It'll be so lively!" Yuri chirped.
"Yes, now hush for a second."
"Ugh... sorry..."
At Viola’s sharp tone, Yuri slumped her shoulders and hung her head again. Once she was quiet, Viola resumed.
"The real issue is whether you are actually okay with this, Yuri. If you marry Rest, you'll be treated as a secondary wife. Do you understand what that means?"
Rest was the head of the Count Clover House, but it was already a settled matter—with the King’s blessing—that he would also inherit the Marquis Rosemary House. Naturally, the primary wife would be one of the sisters—most likely Viola.
As someone marrying in later, Yuri would be relegated to the status of a secondary wife. For the daughter of a Marquis to be treated as a mere accessory was normally unthinkable.
"Lady Celestine seems to have accepted that role, but that’s only because she has no other choice," Primula noted.
Even if Celestine accepted being a secondary wife, she had no other viable paths. There was no partner more suitable than Rest, and it was a far better fate than being married off to the Geisel Empire, given the current political friction.
"But you're different, Yuri," Viola pressed. "You’re the only daughter of the Marquis Catreia House. You could have your pick of any husband in the kingdom."
"Rather than intentionally placing yourself in an unfavorable position, you might find more happiness with someone else, Lady Yuri..." Primula added, her voice full of genuine concern.
Because of her high status as a Duke's daughter with royal blood, Celestine lacked any equal marriage partners. If the Royal Family hadn't been so intent on securing the hero who slew the Magical Beast Subnock, even her marriage to Rest would have been difficult to arrange.
Yuri, however, should have been able to find a perfectly suitable match. There was no logical reason for her to settle for being a secondary wife.
"If you marry Rest, you’ll be ranked below me, below Primula, and even below Celestine—who is a Duke’s daughter marrying in by the King's decree. You’ll be fourth or lower in the household hierarchy. Are you truly okay with that?"
"Oh, that? I don't care about that at all. It doesn't bother me one bit."
"It doesn't bother you...?"
"The order of things doesn't matter to me," Yuri answered lightly, as if the heavy topic Viola had raised was nothing more than a minor detail.
"The only thing that matters is spending my life with the person I love, right? As long as I can be with Rest, I don't care what number I am. And if I get to be with you two and Celestine as well, it'll be even more fun. Honestly, it’s exactly what I wanted."
"Um...?"
"I... I see...?"
"Ah, what a relief! I really thought you’d be furious at me for confessing to Rest without asking. I’m so glad we don't have to stop being friends!"
Despite the gravity of the situation, Yuri acted as if the difficult conversation was over, stretching her limbs out in the hot water with a relaxed sigh.
"So, I guess I'm Rest's fiancée now too! Oh... since we're all here, why don't we see if Celestine wants to join us next time? The five of us could all take a bath together!"
"Y-Yeah... sure."
"I suppose... we could..."
"Ah, this feels amazing. Nothing beats a hot soak after shedding some sweat and blood!"
" "............" "
The Rosemary sisters sighed in unison at Yuri’s innocent enthusiasm. They had offered their advice out of genuine concern for her future, but it seemed their meddling had been entirely unnecessary.
Yuri Catreia was going to marry Rest. Eventually, they would all be one family.
"Well, I suppose it’s fine..." Viola murmured.
"Yes, it's fine," Primula whispered.
"Oh, that reminds me!" Yuri exclaimed, suddenly speaking up as if a thought had just occurred to her.
"I think the daughter of the Margrave Lavender House likes Rest, too. I haven't heard it from her directly, so it's just a hunch, but I'm pretty sure."
"Tell us everything!" Viola demanded.
"We need the details, now!" Primula added.
"Whoa!"
The sisters lunged at Yuri the moment she dropped her bombshell. The three of them stayed in the bath so long after that they ended up completely lightheaded from the heat.