The party had been scheduled for one month's time.
He thought it was still too early to start preparing, but both Viola and Primula had already sprung into action.
Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for noble parties to begin preparations well in advance, given their large scale.
People bustled in and out of the estate, hard at work.
"Well then… I guess I should get moving too."
"What are you planning to do, Rest?"
The one who asked from beside him was Yuri.
She walked alongside Rest through the town like a dog, trotting back and forth around him, and tilted her head innocently.
With the Rosemary sisters busily working on party preparations, Rest had left the estate with Yuri, who seemed to have nothing to do.
"The two of them are way too enthusiastic about this… Honestly, things like setting up the venue, hiring cooks and servers — there's really nothing for me to do."
Viola and Primula were energetically pushing forward with the preparations.
They issued instructions to the servants they'd brought from House Rosemary, working with spirited enthusiasm.
This was their first task as the ladies of the house. Both of them were so fired up that there was no room for Rest to step in.
"Well, I don't really know all the ins and outs of noble affairs… It's definitely more accurate to leave it to them than to meddle and make things weird."
"Yeah, same here. I don't understand noble etiquette or rules either!"
"No… You should at least learn those. You're a marquis's daughter, you know…"
Really… What kind of life had Yuri been living in House Cattleya?
Ever since they first met, he'd felt it — she was far too carefree for a noble young lady.
"So that's why you're just wandering around town having fun, huh."
"I'm not playing around… I'm actually heading to work right now."
"Work?"
"Yeah, I'm going out to procure ingredients for the dishes at the party."
A great many dishes would be served at the party.
The ingredients were to be supplied by House Rosemary's cooks.
But… this was the first party House Clover had ever hosted. They wanted to offer dishes and wines that most people rarely had the chance to taste.
"When I asked if there was anything I could help with, the two of them asked me to find rare ingredients and wines. They said if I just handled that, it'd be fine."
"I see, I see… Isn't that just a polite way of getting rid of you because you're in the way?"
"…………"
Yuri had hit the nail right on the head.
He'd had a feeling about that himself, too.
With nothing for him to do in the party preparations, maybe they had just given him some made-up errand to keep him busy.
"Well, I wouldn't know for sure, so it might just be my imagination."
"Yeah, well… Still. I feel like it's better not to overthink it."
Rest shook his head, trying to blow away the unsettling thought.
Either way… Viola and Primula had asked him. If they'd asked, he had to give it his all.
"When I say rare ingredients, I can't exactly serve something bizarre to guests, so I'm thinking of doing a bit of research first."
"How about monster meat? I'd recommend something like wyrm."
"I just told you not to serve anything weird… But, well, eating monsters could be a valid option."
Unlike Yuri, there were indeed monsters regarded as delicacies and sought out by gourmands.
Some people might find them unappetizing, but... having one or two dishes like that on the menu might not be such a bad idea.
"If you're going out to hunt monsters, I'll help! That's my specialty!"
"Yeah... I trust your nose for good food. I'm counting on you."
"Absolutely, put your faith in me!"
Yuri said this with a big grin on his face.
He could be a bit of an adventurous eater, but... nothing Yuri called delicious ever missed the mark. He'd surely prove invaluable in hunting down rare delicacies.
To prepare for the party, their assigned mission was to procure unusual ingredients. Rest and Yuri set off together in pursuit of the finest foods.