Eastern Kingdom of Aiwood. House Lavender's domain.
It was a border with the eastern neighboring country, the Gaiselle Empire, and a former main battlefield.
During the war with the empire, many fires of war raged, and it was a land of trial where many heroes lost their lives.
The master of this land, Margrave Lavender, was the most militant among the many nobles in the Kingdom of Aiwood.
Even now that the war with the Gaiselle Empire had ended, he was a potential opposing force who objected to the cooperative diplomatic line taken by the royal family.
(Margrave Lavender was known as a loyal vassal to the royal family. Celestine had said that he wouldn't rebel like Marquis Eiger did... but I should be sufficiently cautious.)
I don't know if he's a good person or a bad person. Depending on how you look at it, he could even seem like a patriot.
But... it was true that he was an elder statesman with differing opinions from Marquis Rosemary, Marquis Cattleya, and Duke Crocus.
He probably had something in store for Rest as well, so this likely wouldn't be a leisurely trip.
(I could have given up on just procuring ingredients... but I received an invitation. Refusing clumsily would cause bad blood.)
Having received the invitation from Margrave Lavender, Rest once consulted his father-in-law, Marquis Rosemary.
Marquis Rosemary apparently had no idea why Rest was being called in, and since it was a good opportunity, he asked Rest to investigate.
Otherwise... he wouldn't have gone alone to a land where who knew what trouble awaited.
"How should I put it... I feel a bit like a spy. Of course, I can't treat it lightly."
Rest looked out the carriage window and gave a wry smile.
House Lavender's domain. At its center was the domain capital, Lavenderburg.
It was the largest city in the eastern Kingdom of Aiwood.
Though not as much as the royal capital, it was lively, and the main street had a large number of merchants.
Among the merchants, there were also people with skin tones that clearly seemed foreign. With it being the eastern border, there were probably many coming from the neighboring country for trade.
(Margrave Lavender is supposed to be an anti-Gaiselle Empire guy, but business here is really thriving. Isn't there a saying for this? 'Cold politics, hot economy'?)
He recalled a term he had learned in his social studies class in his past life.
It described a situation where political relations were cold, but economic ties were strong.
In this city too, just as the saying went, many merchants were coming in from the Empire, and it seemed merchants from the kingdom were also visiting to export goods to the Empire.
(Trade revenue with the Empire is an indispensable source of income for the Kingdom of Aiwood. Even if the Empire has its own political issues, trying to upset that balance is unforgivable...)
Figuring out what Margrave Lavender was thinking was one of the purposes of this visit.
After the carriage traveled through the city for a while, they arrived at the House Lavender mansion located in the center of the city.
"Welcome. We are honored by your visit, Count Clover."
As Rest alighted from the carriage, a man in butler's attire who seemed to be a servant of the House Lavender greeted him.
"Thank you for coming today. I shall show you inside… The young lady is waiting for you."
"Ah… Is Urla doing well?"
"Yes, very well. She has been eagerly awaiting your arrival, Count."
"…I see."
This place was practically enemy territory.
The only person he could rely on was Urla Lavender, with whom he had deepened his friendship.
Perhaps Urla was harboring ulterior motives too, but… they were comrades who had crawled through a centipede nest together. He had no choice but to trust her.
"This way, please."
"Ah… I'll leave it to you."
Guided by the butler, Rest stepped through the mansion's gate.
When he entered the foyer… a large number of servants had lined up on both sides to welcome Rest.
"Welcome, Count Clover!" the servants chorused.
"…………"
Though Rest was startled by the servants' sudden, unison greeting, he was a count, a noble of high standing. He couldn't afford to be shaken by something like this.
Steeling his legs, which wanted to step back, he held his ground.
(Calm down... this isn't that big a deal. It's nothing compared to when the King bestowed a title on me at the castle. There's no way I should be this nervous.)
"I thank you for this warm welcome. So, Lord Margrave Lavender and his young lady are..."
"W-Welcome..."
"......!"
He had been determined not to show any surprise, but Rest couldn't help but be stunned by her appearance.
A single girl was descending the stairs right next to the entrance, step by step, at a slow, deliberate pace.
"Urla... is that you?"
"…………"
Rest asked bluntly, unable to stop himself.
The girl nodded without seeming offended by his rude tone.
"I've been... waiting for you... I'm glad to see you..."
The one awkwardly weaving together a welcome, her face adorned with a gentle smile, was Urla Lavender.
Adorned in a lovely mauve dress, with makeup and accessories, she was his friend transformed into a radiantly beautiful young lady.
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