As promised, a banquet was held at the Margrave Lavender mansion.
Rest was genuinely moved by the dishes laid out before him, which occasionally carried the nostalgic flavors of his original home. However, one thing led to another, and he found himself fleeing the Margrave Lavender territory that very night.
I’ll leave it to the reader’s imagination why Rest—a man’s man, through and through—came to that conclusion, but he did manage to make it back with the Diamond Bear meat in hand.
"With this, we have everything we need for the party! As expected of you, Lord Rest!"
"Good work, Rest! I didn't think you would actually bring back the Diamond Bear, especially since people call it a phantom ingredient!"
Upon his return to the Count Clover mansion, he was welcomed by his official fiancées, Viola and Primula.
"It must have been hard on you, Rest."
"It was... yeah, really. You have no idea."
At Viola’s words, a look of profound exhaustion washed over Rest's face.
It had been hard. Utterly grueling.
After his hasty departure from the mansion, Rest had sprinted across the land while carrying the heavy Diamond Bear. He’d used magic to bolster his physical abilities, fleeing the Margrave Lavender territory without a single wink of sleep until he reached the safety of the Count Clover territory.
"I'm just glad I could secure the Diamond Bear... I'll leave the cooking and preparation to you."
"Yes, of course! The Wyvern, the liquor, and the fish have already arrived, so we have plenty of ingredients!"
"Leave it to us. We will make sure the first ceremony of the Count Clover House... is the best party anyone has ever seen."
Viola and Primula offered him gentle smiles.
It was incredibly reassuring. In their presence, the atmosphere was as relaxing as his own family home, and he felt a profound sense of peace wash over him.
Yuri, Celestine, and Ulula—all of them were exceptionally beautiful, and they all adored him. Even so, the ones he felt most at peace with were undoubtedly Viola and Primula.
"I'm finally home..."
Gathering the ingredients had been more difficult than he had anticipated. However, his struggles had yielded results. In addition to the Wyvern, the liquor, and the Takoyaki, he had even managed to obtain a delicacy as rare as the Diamond Bear.
It would surely be a party that would satisfy every guest.
"Ah, that's right... please add Celestine and Ulula to the guest list."
"Celestine was already on it. But you want to invite Lady Ulula Lavender as well?"
"Yeah... she helped me hunt the Diamond Bear. And..."
Rest trailed off.
He hesitated over whether he should tell the two of them what had happened in the Margrave Lavender territory.
Well, they did mention involving His Majesty the King. It’s bound to come out sooner or later anyway.
"Actually..."
Battling a mysterious sense of guilt, Rest consulted them about his conversation with Ulula.
"............"
"............"
When he mentioned that Margrave Lavender had suggested Ulula marry into his family, Viola and Primula looked only slightly surprised.
"To think that Margrave Lavender himself would approach the Moderate Faction..."
"I suspected Lady Ulula had feelings for Lord Rest, but..."
"Yes, that part isn't surprising at all."
"Not in the slightest."
"Oh... is that so?"
It seemed both of them had already noticed Ulula's affection. Rest had suspected she didn't exactly hate him, but he hadn't imagined things had progressed to a formal marriage proposal.
"I mean, it was obvious from her attitude..."
"We also received some information to that effect from Yuri. If it's Lord Rest we're talking about, it's entirely possible."
"Please, don't make me sound like some kind of rake... Though, looking back at my behavior lately, I suppose I can't really deny it."
He hadn't proactively courted them, but lately, Rest was constantly surrounded by women. This would have been impossible back in Japan.
Back in Japan, polygamy would have been a total dealbreaker. I wouldn't have even been able to marry both Viola and Primula, let alone anyone else.
And yet, before he knew it, he was surrounded by fiancées and concubine candidates. Perhaps this was truly what it meant to live in another world.
It's not that I mind. It’s a lot of trouble, and the mental fatigue is real, but I’m honestly happy that they care for me. However, when it comes to political complications, it’s a bit much...
"Of course, we'll send Lady Ulula an invitation. But as for the marriage proposal, we'll have to consult Father."
"Viola-neesan is right. I'll write a letter to Father immediately."
"............"
Rest nodded silently at the sisters' words.
Just when he thought the ingredients for the party were finally ready, it seemed an even larger problem had surfaced. The outer defenses had been systematically dismantled, and now it seemed the inner walls were under siege.