The carriage raced on, arriving at the Royal Academy—the same place Rest had visited during the entrance exam—for the first time in a month.
Rest stepped out first and extended his hands to help Viola and Primula down from the carriage.
Before the academy's main gate, young men and women in uniforms thronged about, and near the entrance, trees that closely resembled cherry blossoms scattered white petals to the ground.
"Is that… someone from House Rosemary?"
"Yeah—the famous beautiful sisters."
"Who's the guy with them? A servant?"
A murmur rippled through the students gathered at the gate as the Rosemary sisters descended from the carriage.
They let out breathless sighs at the sight of Viola and Primula, then turned puzzled looks toward Rest at their side.
"Could he be… a lover or something?"
"No way. He's probably a servant or a bodyguard."
(Man… I really don't fit in here. Yeah.)
He silently agreed with the whispering students.
He knew full well he didn't measure up to the sisters. They were high-born young ladies, while Rest was the son of a made noble and a commoner—their very air was different from the start.
"Well then, shall we get going?"
"We'll need you to escort us."
"Oh—"
But Viola and Primula ignored the chatter around them entirely and latched onto Rest by either arm.
Rest ended up walking with a sister hanging on each of his arms.
"Wha—!"
"N-No way…?"
The murmuring around them swelled.
That level of closeness was impossible for a retainer or bodyguard. It was the kind of intimacy shared only between parent and child, siblings, or a betrothed couple.
"Stand tall, Rest. You're our fiancé, aren't you!"
"Don't embarrass us, Rest, alright?"
"…!"
Whispered by the sisters at his ear, those words made Rest's eyes snap wide open.
If Rest slouched and walked with his back hunched in shame, he would only end up embarrassing the two of them—his fiancées.
*(No good… I need to hold myself properly, stay dignified so no one around me can look down on me…!)* Wallowing in insecurity of his own making and keeping his distance from them—there was nothing right about that.
Rest took a deep breath, let it out, and straightened his back with a firm snap.
Then… he let the sisters each take one of his arms, and with them on either side, strode boldly toward the school building.
*"These are my women. You got a problem with that?"* "Nngh…"
Seeing his proud, commanding posture on full display, the crowd that had been looking down on Rest only moments ago parted for them.
The three walked leisurely down the path the crowd had cleared, making their way toward the auditorium where the entrance ceremony would be held.
"Looking good, Rest. Keep it up."
"You look very dignified, Rest."
Keeping their voices low enough that no one else could hear, the sisters praised him.
"Honestly… I'm so unused to this that it feels totally out of place, but…"
"Noble dignity is just fashion, really. If you think it's only natural for people to see you as someone important, the composure comes naturally."
"You're our fiancé, Rest, so you should feel much more confident. Keep your chin up like that."
"...Fine."
Rest moved into the lecture hall with a sister on each arm.
The hall was already lined with rows upon rows of chairs.
Since there didn't seem to be any assigned seating, the three of them sat side by side in the middle, closer to the entrance.
"So the entrance ceremony is about to start..."
"Yes. The academy headmaster will give a speech, and apparently the top-scoring student among the incoming class will give a representative greeting."
"I hear the top student in the Magic Department is a young lady from House Crocus."
Rest knew the name of House Crocus.
As part of his education for marrying into a marquis household, he had studied the major noble families.
The Duke of Crocus was the current prime minister — the king's most trusted advisor, a great noble who stood at the pinnacle of politics.
His position was above that of Marquis Rosemary, the head court magician, and Marquis Cattleya, the knight commander. He was the foremost noble outside of royalty who could speak to the king as an equal.
Eventually, the chairs in the hall filled up, and the time for the entrance ceremony arrived.
At the far end of the hall, a middle-aged man in a suit appeared on the podium and spoke in a magically amplified voice.
"Everyone, silence! The sixty-fifth entrance ceremony of the Royal Academy will now commence!"
The murmuring that had filled the hall fell silent at the voice of the man who appeared to be a faculty member.
Rest and the sisters, who had been chatting, closed their mouths and turned their eyes to the podium.
"Now, for the academy headmaster's address. All rise!"
Every incoming student stood up.
Prompted by a middle-aged instructor, Academy Headmaster Verroid Hahn appeared on the podium in a solemn manner.