Chapter 19: The Evern Couple in a Frenzy②
In the office of the Evern Honorary Viscount House, Lucas Evern, the father of Rest, slammed his hand on the desk in frustration.
“Ugh, what a failure! What on earth is he doing!”
Recently, a letter had arrived from the Rosemary Marquis House. Given that his legitimate son, Cedric, had just endangered the Marquis’s sisters, Lucas opened the letter with trepidation, only to find it was an unexpected invitation. They wished to invite Rest, the son who was deemed a failure, to their estate.
Receiving an invitation he never anticipated left Lucas utterly bewildered. Although Rest was the second son of the Evern Honorary Viscount House, in reality, he was treated little better than a servant. He was not even allowed to live in the mansion, instead residing in the stable and eating scraps for meals. If he had possessed any magical talent, he might have been afforded a more respectable treatment, but a Magic Power Assessment conducted in his infancy had deemed him “No Magical Power.” Without political reasons, they would have likely never taken him in.
(Where on earth did that boy make connections with the Rosemary Marquis House? A child with no more status than a commoner, deemed “No Magical Power,” should have had no chance of escaping the mansion, let alone establishing ties with the Marquis House…!)
Rest claimed he met them at the mansion, but Lucas did not believe him. After all, Rest was forbidden from entering the mansion except during breakfast. Cedric was supposed to be with the Rosemary sisters, and there should have been no opportunity for the failure of a son to meet them.
After accepting the invitation, Rest had not returned even by nightfall. Only the carriage that had taken him there returned, with the message that “Rest-kun will be staying at the Marquis House.”
(What on earth could have happened for that failure to stay at the Marquis House…? I can’t make sense of it; what is going on!?)
Lucas held his head in despair, but ultimately, Rest still did not return the next day. He felt a nagging sense that something was happening beyond his knowledge, causing his stomach to churn with anxiety.
“Damn it…! Why must I, of all people, be troubled by that failure? I was planning to throw him out next year…!”
“Darling, it’s terrible!”
“Sir, it’s urgent!”
“Wha—!?”
Two figures burst into the office without knocking. It was Liza, Lucas’s wife, and the butler who worked in the mansion.
“What’s the matter all of a sudden!? You’ll give me a heart attack!”
“This isn’t the time for that, dear!”
“Indeed, sir!”
“What on earth is going on…?”
“The Marquis has… arrived!”
“Huh?”
Lucas blinked in disbelief at the butler’s words.
“Marquis Rosemary has come! He is here at the mansion!”
“Wha—!?”
Receiving such unexpected news, Lucas recoiled in shock.
〇 〇 〇
When Lucas hurried to the reception room, he found Marquis Rosemary, Albert Rosemary, already seated on the sofa, waiting. Behind him stood the Marquis’s butler. If Lucas’s memory served him correctly, this man was a former court magician named Dibble.
“Y-you honor me with your presence, Marquis Rosemary…! The weather is splendid today, and the flowers in the garden are in full bloom…!”
“Skip the pleasantries. Sit down quickly.”
Marquis Rosemary—Albert Rosemary—pointed to the sofa across from him. Despite being in Lucas’s own mansion, he displayed an air of ownership. Lucas felt sweat trickling down his forehead as he took a seat.
(Could it be… that the Marquis Rosemary would come here in person…!?)
Lucas struggled to suppress the tremors in his knees.
To Lucas, Albert was the superior of the court magicians. He generally considered him a generous and good-natured superior. He did not flaunt his noble status with tyranny, and he was willing to listen to his subordinates’ concerns. Unless there was a significant mistake, he rarely scolded them harshly. Many among the court magicians admired Albert, regarding him as the ideal superior.
However… Lucas also knew that Albert was lenient with his family, doting on his wife and daughter. He had attempted to use Cedric to win over the Rosemary sisters, hoping to leverage Albert’s affection for his family as a backing.
(If Cedric had managed to win over one of the sisters, our family would have become relatives of the Rosemary Marquis House. We could have enjoyed the protection of a lenient Marquis…!)
Had that happened, Lucas’s career as a court magician would have flourished. Cedric’s position, as he would eventually enroll in the Royal Academy and become a court magician, would have been secure. However, those plans had spectacularly backfired. Lucas had believed that his prideful son Cedric would surely capture the hearts of the sisters, but instead, he had incurred the Marquis’s wrath.
“I came today regarding your son.”
“Y-you mean Cedric…? I sincerely apologize for what happened the other day! Truly, truly… please forgive us…!”
Lucas prostrated himself on the floor, offering his apologies. He had committed an unforgivable act; all he could do was apologize.
“No, it’s not about him. I’m referring to your other son.”
“Not the failure… but Rest? Did that good-for-nothing do something to offend the Marquis…!?”
“Good-for-nothing? Trash? Surely you don’t treat your own flesh and blood in such a manner?”
“N-no…!”
Lucas’s face paled at his slip of the tongue. He trembled, desperately trying to find words to excuse himself.
“…Well, that’s fine. I didn’t come here to chastise you about your character today.”
Albert snorted, settling back into the sofa and crossing his legs.
“I came to consult with you. The Marquis House wishes to take Rest—your son.”
“Wha… you want him at the Marquis House…?”
“Yes, we intend for him to work as an apprentice servant. You have no objections, do you?”
“Of course, that’s fine… but he is ‘No Magical Power,’ you know? Why on earth would the Marquis…?”
Lucas was bewildered. If they wanted a magical genius like Cedric, he could understand, but he could not fathom why they would desire a failure with no magical talent, who could only tend to horses.
“…Am I obligated to explain that to you?”
“N-no, no, no! If you want him, I would gladly offer him! Please, use him as you see fit!”
“Is that so… I’m glad you’re so agreeable. That’s all I needed to discuss.”
Albert stood up, and the butler who had been waiting immediately opened the door to the reception room.
“Um… Marquis…?”
“In exchange for him, let’s forget about the blunder your proud son committed. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Y-yes! Thank you very much!”
Lucas once again prostrated himself. As he rubbed his forehead against the carpet, he heard Albert’s footsteps receding.
“W-was I saved…?”
Cautiously, he raised his head. Albert was no longer there; he had left the mansion.
Given the Marquis’s leniency towards family, it would not have been surprising if Lucas had been dismissed from his position as a court magician, and Cedric’s future had been ruined as well. Yet… for reasons unknown, he had been spared.
“That failure finally proved useful… I have no idea what the Marquis found appealing about him, but…”
Could it be… that one of the Rosemary sisters had fallen for Rest at first sight? Such a thought crossed Lucas’s mind, but he dismissed it with a laugh.
(If it were Cedric, who is exceptionally talented, that might be plausible, but I can’t imagine that a noble daughter would take notice of him. It’s likely just some whim.)
Lucas, who judged solely by visible talent, continued to refuse to acknowledge Rest.
(Though he made a blunder this time… well, there are still chances ahead. Next year, they will be attending the same academy together!)
Despite having made a potentially catastrophic mistake, Lucas had not yet given up on acquiring the Rosemary sisters. The arrogant and narrow-minded father thought to himself that this time it was merely bad luck, but if Cedric were better known, the daughters of the Marquis would surely take a liking to him.
Because Cedric was a genius. He was a wonderful son who had inherited his talents well. He was not a failure or a commoner’s child… he was his one and only child.
“When he enters the academy, I must ensure he knows to pursue the daughters of the Marquis… taking my time, and doing it thoroughly…”
Fools are fools because they do not learn from their mistakes. Lucas grinned, lost in his foolish schemes.