Chapter 18: Nursing by the Sisters
“Be a kind child.”
This was just before the moment of parting with his mother. She lay on the bed, holding Rest’s hand tightly, her frail voice whispering those words.
“Be a strong child. Be a resilient child. Be a child with many friends. Be a happy child.”
“Mother…”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t watch you grow up to be an adult. Thank you for making me your mother. Thank you for being born…”
Rest thought that it was he who should be thanking her. In his previous life, Rest had been born and raised without the love of parents, ending his life at the hands of the man who was supposed to be his father. For him, the ten years he spent receiving his mother’s love had been days that sparkled like jewels. Even though he was an unwanted child, the offspring of that cold and irresponsible man, he could only feel gratitude towards the mother who had loved him.
“Thank you for giving birth to me. Thank you for loving me.”
As he expressed his feelings, his mother smiled blissfully. And then… she passed away with that smile still on her face.
“Rest, you must not hate the world.”
The familiar priest said to Rest, who had lost his mother.
“From now on, many trials will surely come your way. But… they are not meant to make you unhappy. The goddess only gives people trials that they can overcome.”
“……”
“Live strongly and straightforwardly. Do not be trapped by hatred or resentment. Help others and live with a smile. If you do that… many people will surely gather around you. You will quickly forget your loneliness.”
The priest’s words were at least half true. Soon after, Rest would be taken in by his father, and many trials would indeed come his way. He would sleep in a stable, eat leftovers… and be thrust into days far harsher than when he lived as a commoner.
Honestly, it felt like a miracle that he had managed to live without hating his father, stepmother, or Cedric. If he had made a wrong turn somewhere, he would have surely become a vengeful spirit. He would have directed the blade of revenge at them, blaming them for his unreasonable life.
(But… that didn’t happen.)
It didn’t happen. He had managed to hold himself back just in time. He had desires to show his father, to outsmart his stepmother, and to surpass Cedric, but he did not wish to kill them. Perhaps it was because doing so would only make his mother and the priest sad. To avoid causing pain to those who cherished him, to stand tall and affirm that their love for him was not mistaken, Rest decided to carve out his own path in life.
“……Huh?”
“You’ve awakened, Rest!”
“Rest, are you in any pain?”
It felt like he had been dreaming of something nostalgic. When Rest opened his eyes, he found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, with each of his hands held by different girls.
“Viola? Primula…?”
Peering worriedly into his face were the sisters of the Rosemary Marquis House. Upon hearing their names, Viola and Primula smiled, tears welling in the corners of their eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Rest… It seems our butler went a bit too far…”
“We invited you over to thank you, and yet it turned into this… I’m truly sorry…”
“…No, it’s fine. I learned a lot too.”
Releasing their hands, he sat up. There was no pain. No injuries to speak of. Someone must have cast healing magic on him while he slept.
“I’ll make sure to have a word with my father and Dibble! I absolutely won’t forgive them!”
“…I won’t forgive them either.”
Viola’s face burned with fiery anger, resembling a raging demon, while Primula’s expression was as chilling as a witch from a frozen land. The contrasting expressions of the twin sisters, who bore such similar features, sent a shiver down Rest’s spine.
“N-No, really… I’m perfectly fine! I don’t feel any pain at all… and what I said about learning is true!”
In truth, the battle with the butler of the Rosemary Marquis House had taught him a great deal about his own shortcomings. His lack of experience in interpersonal combat. The areas where his fighting skills were insufficient were points for future improvement. He felt fortunate to have realized his deficiencies at an early stage.
“But… I lost. Does that mean I won’t receive a recommendation letter?”
“What are you talking about? That’s impossible!”
“Huh?”
“I will absolutely make sure you get that recommendation letter. That butler… Dibble was a former court magician. There was no way you could have won from the start.”
Viola declared with her hands on her hips. No wonder he found him so strong; he was indeed a seasoned magician.
(Lack of experience in interpersonal combat is also one of my weaknesses… I don’t know any magicians other than Cedric, so I have no benchmark for their strength.)
“My father promised to write the recommendation letter. Starting next year, we will be classmates.”
“Of course, that’s only if we both pass the exams!”
Primula smiled reassuringly at Rest, and Viola puffed out her chest proudly.
“I see… Thank you. Thanks to you two, my path has opened up.”
“We saved your life, so it’s only natural. More importantly… you will undoubtedly pass the practical exam for magic, but have you been studying for the written exam?”
“Ah… not really…”
“In that case, I can lend you our reference books.”
“Um… is that really okay? I don’t want to trouble you that much.”
“Of course it’s okay! Right, Primula?”
“Absolutely! How about we let Rest stay here and live with us? That way, we can help him with any parts he doesn’t understand while studying!”
“That sounds great! What a good idea!”
Viola snapped her fingers at Primula’s suggestion. It felt like the conversation was taking a wildly unexpected turn, and Rest hurriedly raised his voice.
“N-No, no, no! I can’t possibly impose that much! With young girls in the house, that’s just…!”
“Oh, why not?”
“Why not…? Well…”
“Both my father and mother are here, and the butler and maids live in as well. There’s no need to worry about such things!”
“That’s right, it would definitely be more fun with you around, Rest. It’s nonsense to go through the trouble of carrying the necessary reference books all the way to the Honorary Viscount House.”
Viola and Primula spoke firmly, blocking Rest’s escape route.
“Rest, you’re a commoner and probably not treated very well, right? Then I don’t think Honorary Viscount Evern would refuse you.”
“I don’t want to go to the Honorary Viscount House just to see Rest. That creepy person is there.”
That creepy person must refer to Cedric. It seemed the sisters had completely grown to dislike him.
“F-Fine… If the Marquis is okay with it, then I guess I’ll accept your invitation…”
In the end, Rest was pushed into accepting their proposal, effectively leaving the persuasion of the Marquis to them.
“It’s settled then! Now we need to talk to Father!”
“And we have to prepare the room! Oh, how busy we will be!”
Viola and Primula rushed out of the room, competing with each other. Left behind, Rest felt the significant shift in his life within just one day and stared blankly at the door.