Chapter 260: Yuri Cattleya’s Proposal
Yuri Cattleya burst into the room, bloodied and breathless. Her entrance was sudden, but the words that tumbled from her lips were even more shocking—a proposal.
“Wait! Hold on a moment! Don’t panic!”
Rest, who was more confused than anyone, managed to steady his nerves through sheer willpower.
“First of all, Viola and Primula. This is unexpected for me as well, alright? I didn’t invite or woo anyone, so please don’t misunderstand!”
Even though he had a stance that accepted polygamy and mistresses, he felt it necessary to clarify.
“Y-yes, I understand…”
“I got it…”
Viola and Primula regained their composure and nodded in agreement with Rest’s words. Next, Rest called out to the servants who had followed Yuri.
“And to the butler and maid at the back, please prepare a bath and get some clothes ready. Also, clean the floor and hallway, if you would!”
“Y-yes, understood!”
“We’ll prepare everything right away…”
Once he confirmed that they had left, Rest cleared his throat and turned to Yuri.
“Now… Yuri. Please tell me what’s going on.”
“Ah, right. Well, marriage is when a man and woman become a couple and have children…”
“Yeah, I’m not asking for a definition of marriage. What I want to know is… can you tell me what happened from the time we parted until today?”
The last time Rest had seen Yuri was when they had gone to hunt a worm together. After completing their mission, they had parted ways on the eastern side of the Subnock Plain, and there hadn’t been any talk of romance at that time. So why was she suddenly asking to marry him and claiming to have defeated the Knight Commander?
“Ah, I’m sorry. I kind of jumped ahead there.”
“‘Kind of’ is an understatement… that was quite a leap…”
“Then let me explain.”
Yuri nodded, puffing out her chest with an oddly cheerful smile.
“When I last saw you and we parted… I realized I wanted to marry you, Rest.”
“Okay…”
“So, I went to kick my father.”
“…Okay…”
“And after defeating him, I came to see you. Will you marry me?”
“……………………Huh?”
“Oh, thank goodness! You’ll marry me!”
“Yeah… no, wait! That’s not the kind of ‘yeah’ I meant!”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Rest shouted.
“That explanation doesn’t make any sense! First of all, why did you fall in love with me?!”
“Well, you helped me when I fell, we took classes together… and then we slept in the same bed. I started to feel lonely without you. I began to think I wanted to be with you forever. I hadn’t realized it until now, but… it seems I love you. Let’s get married and have children.”
“Alright, thank you!”
For now, he expressed his gratitude. Although he had asked for an explanation, he hadn’t expected her to be so straightforward about it. The embarrassment was overwhelming, making him want to roll on the floor.
“Well… I kind of figured that out.”
“It was quite clear, wasn’t it, Lady Yuri?”
Meanwhile, Viola and Primula exchanged knowing glances, seemingly satisfied with the revelation. Rest, too, had sensed Yuri’s affections. As everyone knew, she was carefree and wild, but he hadn’t realized it was romantic love.
“So… why did you defeat the Knight Commander?”
“My father opposed me going out or dating men. As long as he’s around, he would never allow me to marry you.”
“Y-you didn’t… kill him, did you?”
If her father was still alive, then marriage was impossible. So, did that mean she had him removed… or killed?
“No, he’s alive. I defeated him, but he’s not dead.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“My father had both his arms and legs shattered, his neck twisted about one hundred eighty degrees, and nearly half of his blood had spilled out… but he’s still my father. He won’t die from that.”
“Wait, is he even alive after all that?!”
No matter how one looked at it, that was a fatal injury. A normal person would be dead.
“He didn’t approve of our marriage… but the rule of the Cattleya Marquis Family is that the strong are right. Since he lost, he can’t argue against it!”
“I-I see…”
“So, please marry me! I promise I’ll make you happy!”
“…………”
Rest looked helplessly at Viola and Primula. Both of them wore troubled expressions but eventually sighed and spoke.
“For now… let’s take a bath and clean ourselves…”
“I’ll join you, sister… I need to hear more about this.”
“Ah…!”
The two of them dragged Yuri out of the room. Left behind in the now empty space, Rest let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had weathered a storm.