The talks between House Rosemary and House Eberun were concluded, and it was decided that House Rosemary would take custody of Rest.
On the way home, in the marquis's carriage, Albert Rosemary let out a sigh.
"Honestly… what a disgrace. That man."
"Yes. It was truly unsightly."
The butler, seated across from his master, replied.
The spectacle that Lucas Eberun had put on display during their earlier meeting was more than enough to leave both of them dumbfounded.
"I knew he was fixated on his noble status and looked down on commoners. And that his obsession with magical talent ran deeper than most. But… I never expected him to treat his own son that cruelly."
During the meeting, Lucas had constantly referred to Rest — his own flesh and blood — as "that thing," "that good-for-nothing," and "trash."
Albert, known as a man who loved his family and was lenient toward his own kin, could not help but furrow his brow at the tone Lucas had taken.
"And yet he goes easy on his arrogant son, who has talent but nothing else — it's enough to make anyone exasperated. Honestly, I'm half-tempted to have him dismissed from his position as court magician."
"Then why not simply do so? Surely you have grounds for it."
The eldest son had lured away the young ladies of the Rosemary household and put them in danger.
No one would fault him for making the father take responsibility.
"No… I'll hold off on that for now. If he were no longer a noble, it would complicate things with making Rest his son-in-law through an engagement."
He did not care what became of House Eberun, but it was clear that his daughters had taken a liking to Rest.
In order to arrange an engagement with one of them, Rest needed to have noble status.
"It wouldn't be a problem once Rest graduates from the academy and takes up a position as a court magician or in some other office. Until then, it's more convenient for him to remain a noble. There is the option of having him adopted into another household, but that likely couldn't be arranged before next year's academy enrollment."
Next year, Viola and Primula would be enrolling in the Royal Academy.
He had wanted to have Rest engaged to one of his daughters by then.
Once they enrolled at the academy, plenty of men would surely come sniffing around the sisters.
Setting aside a father's partiality, they were both extraordinarily beautiful young women, with great figures and impeccable bloodlines.
"...That idiot prince will be enrolling next year too. If Rest were my daughters' fiancé, he'd be able to protect them."
The "idiot prince" in question was Rodele Aiwood, the Third Prince of the royal family.
His personality was overbearing, arrogant, and womanizing — yet he wasn't incompetent, possessing at least genuine talent in magic, which made him all the more troublesome.
That good-for-nothing, who was essentially a worse version of Cedric, would be enrolling at the academy in the same year as the Rosemary sisters, of all things.
"I wish he'd fail the entrance exam, but... things rarely work out that conveniently. He's capable enough. He'll almost certainly pass."
If Rodele enrolled as a classmate, he would undoubtedly start harassing Viola and Primula.
He had already been causing problems before.
He'd hit on a noble girl he met at a ball, causing a confrontation with her fiancé.
He'd assaulted a young maid working at the royal castle, attempting to have his way with her by force.
He'd tried to seduce a princess visiting as an envoy of friendship from a foreign country, and when she rejected him, he flew into a rage and started screaming.
These incidents had been swept under the rug just before they became major scandals... but everyone knew that Rodele was a once-in-a-generation waste of a prince.
"...Crocus, the Duke's daughter who is already betrothed, is also scheduled to enroll in the same year. And His Highness the Second Prince will be in the grade above, so he may not cause any major problems."
"For the young ladies' safety as well, it would be better to have a fiancé in place, wouldn't it?"
With a fiancé, even a prince would be unable to force his attentions on them.
And if he did push himself on them and they fought back, he would be the one blamed.
"As soon as Rest passes the exam, I'll arrange the engagement immediately. I cannot bear the thought of my daughters falling prey to that idiot prince's claws."
"For that very reason, House Eberun is necessary. Understood."
At Albert's words, the butler gave a deep nod.
But the butler immediately pressed further. "However…"
"Which of the two—Lady Viola or Lady Primula—do you intend to arrange an engagement with Lord Rest? Whichever one you choose as the fiancée, I imagine the other will be quite displeased…"
"Guh… gu…"
Albert's face darkened as the butler struck right at the sore spot.
To protect his daughters from the idiot prince, it would be best to have even a nominal engagement in place.
But… Rest was one person. And he had two daughters.
Viola and Primula—whichever one he chose as the fiancée, it would certainly create friction.
"As nobles, multiple marriages are permitted. You could simply have him take both…"
"No! No, no, no, no!"
Albert shook his head vigorously at the butler's proposal.
"I know perfectly well that Rest is an upstanding young man with a talent for magic! But… giving him two of my daughters is going way too far! Absolutely out of the question!"
"However, if you choose one, the other lady will certainly hold a grudge against you, won't she? Can you truly endure that, sir?"
"Ugh…"
Albert clutched his chest at the mental image of his beloved daughter telling him, "I hate you, Papa!"
He couldn't endure it. His heart would burst.
"If you think about it differently… if you were to have both of them marry Lord Rest, wouldn't you be able to keep them both in the household rather than sending either one away?"
"That… well, perhaps… but still…"
Inside the rolling carriage, Albert buried his head in his hands and slumped forward.
All the way until they arrived at the marquis's estate, Albert did nothing but groan in anguish.
—————— Thank you so much for always supporting this work.
I've also published two new novels, so if you're interested, I'd appreciate your support for those as well.
The Cursed Swordsman He was burdened with all the misfortunes of the country and cast out to sea, but he has no interest in revenge. Since nothing matters, he pursues ultimate power instead.
The Monkey King's Tale Having been reincarnated as a monkey, he builds a harem and lives life however he pleases.