The entrance exam results arrived two weeks later.
The noble-track and commoner-track exams were held separately, but the results were delivered on the same day.
"I did it! I passed!"
Viola let out a joyous cry upon opening the envelope from the academy and seeing the letter inside.
In the language of this world, the word "PASSED" was written in large letters.
"Thank goodness… I passed too."
Primula likewise read through her letter, placing a hand against her chest and letting out a breath of relief.
She had said she felt confident after taking the exam, but it seemed she had still been anxious all along.
The Rosemary sisters celebrated their own success for a while… then turned their attention to the third person, who had gone silent.
"Um… what about Rest?"
"Lord Rest?"
"…………"
Under the gaze of the two sisters, Rest remained silent.
His expression was stiff. A look of unease crossed the sisters' faces. "Don't tell me…"
"Oh, sorry, sorry. I passed. Seriously."
Noticing their stares, Rest spoke up in a fluster.
The letter he held up clearly bore the word "PASSED."
"Geez! Don't scare us like that!"
"Lord Rest… you really startled me, you know?"
"Sorry, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Anyway, all three of us passed!"
"We did it!"
The sisters clasped hands and threw both arms up in victory.
With their nearly identical faces, they bounced up and down in perfect symmetry, like reflections in a mirror.
"Starting next year, we can all attend the academy together!"
"Going to the academy with Lord Rest… it feels like a dream!"
"I'm happy too… yeah, really happy."
It felt as though his life had taken a major turn.
If you could enroll in the academy, your future was all but guaranteed — unless you were an extraordinarily poor student.
A path to serving in the royal palace would open up, and even without that, one would likely be hired by a provincial noble house on favorable terms.
(And for me, this is where it truly matters.)
For Rest, passing was exactly as expected. He had known from the feel of the exam how it would go.
What mattered was what came next.
"Su, ha… su, ha…"
"Rest?"
"Lord Rest?"
Seeing Rest taking deep, nervous breaths, the sisters tilted their heads.
Rest then knelt before the two of them… and drew something from inside his coat, holding it out.
"Viola, Primula… will you marry me?"
"……!"
Both sisters' eyes went wide in unison.
What Rest presented to them were two rings of different colors.
Viola's bore a red ruby; Primula's, a blue sapphire, each set in a band.
Both had been purchased from a jeweler in the royal capital.
They were bought with every last coin he had earned from the monster hunts he'd been doing long before coming to the House of Rosemary.
"These rings…"
"They're beautiful…"
"I wanted to buy them with my own money, so they're not exactly top-of-the-line… but I chose them thinking of both of you. What do you think?"
Rest explained while sweat trickled down his back from the nerves.
(They're not much to look at… but even so, I wanted to give shape to my gratitude, my feelings for the two of you…)
Over this past year, he had spent his days alongside Viola and Primula.
During that time, Rest had come to hold deep affection for both of them.
(Liking two girls at the same time — maybe that makes me a cad… but I can't bring myself to choose one over the other now.)
If they would accept him, he wanted them to take the rings.
With that wish in his heart, he gazed up at them from where he knelt… and Viola and Primula broke into radiant smiles, blooming like flowers in full bloom.
"I'm so happy… thank you, Rest!"
"With pleasure… I'm never letting you go now, Lord Rest!"
The two accepted the rings, and Viola held hers up to her finger.
"Which finger should it go on?"
"Um… it's supposed to fit on the ring finger of the left hand…"
"The ring finger of the left hand? Does it have some kind of meaning?"
Primula tilted her head and asked.
"I read it in a book once. Apparently, in some country, it's the finger that signifies love."
Rest took the ring and slid it onto the ring finger of Primula's left hand.
Having secretly measured the size when the opportunity arose beforehand, it fit perfectly.
"Rest! Me too, me too!"
"Here you go."
"Thank you! I love you!"
Once Rest put the ring on Viola's finger as well, she was overcome with emotion and threw her arms around him.
"Hey, that's not fair! Sis!"
Competing, Primula followed suit.
The three of them pressed close together, sharing their warmth in a tender embrace.
(I'm so happy… I swear I'll make both of them happy… no matter what!)
Rest made a firm, unwavering vow in his heart, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes.
"…………Mmm."
"Youth is wonderful, isn't it…"
Meanwhile, in one corner of the room, Lord and Lady Rosemary sat watching with warm, fond expressions.
They were in the sitting room of the marquis's estate. A butler and several maids were also present, wearing somewhat awkward looks.
It would be a little while yet before Rest and the others noticed the attention of those around them and turned red.