Episode 326: Urura Lavender’s Ambition
After finishing their conversation, Rest was led to a guest room in the mansion.
They strongly urged him to stay at the mansion for the night, postponing the Diamond Bear hunt until tomorrow.
As Rest disappeared into the guest room… Urura and Baron Lavender, left behind, began to converse in hushed tones.
“Was this alright, my lady?”
“Mm, no problem.”
Baron Lavender spoke to Urura with polite language.
To his question, Urura nodded, looking satisfied.
“Good. Praise.”
“You honor me with your words. I am glad you are satisfied.”
Baron Lavender bowed deeply to Urura.
It was a conversation where the roles of master and servant were reversed, but this was the true relationship between the two.
“Ah, it’s alright to undo the disguise now.”
As Baron Lavender waved his hand in front of his face, his appearance changed in the next instant.
What appeared was a man in a butler’s uniform. The butler who had guided Rest.
Rest had no way of knowing this, but… this butler was a member of the covert unit that Baron Lavender commanded.
He had mastered magic such as transformation, and he used it to disguise himself as Urura’s grandfather.
“Now we’ve created a debt with Count Clover. It will be difficult for him to refuse a request from my lady.”
“Mm.”
“After that, if we get permission from Marquis Rosemary, and as a final push, permission from His Majesty the King, Count Clover will have no choice but to accept the marriage with my lady… And the two of them have no reason to refuse this marriage. They will find our change of heart puzzling, but in the end, they will agree.”
What the butler said was probably correct.
The Lavender Barony had distanced itself from the cooperative route taken by the pro-King faction and was advocating for war with the Empire.
The existence of such a Lavender Barony was a source of concern for the King.
If Urura were to marry Rest, such concerns would be resolved.
Rest was under the patronage of Marquis Rosemary and was a member of the moderate faction.
It would be troublesome if Rest were to be absorbed into the Lavender Barony, but it would be greatly welcomed if Urura were to be absorbed into the Clover Count House.
In effect, it would be equivalent to absorbing the Lavender Barony itself into the moderate faction.
“The only problem would be… that too much power is gathering in the Clover Count House, wouldn’t it? If Rest Clover were to raise a rebellion against the Aiwood Kingdom, the country could be destroyed.”
Officially and unofficially, Rest had multiple fiancée and mistress candidates.
Viola and Primula of the Rosemary Marquis House.
Yuri of the Cattleya Marquis House.
Celestine of the Crocus Duke House.
If Urura of the Lavender Barony were to be added to this list, he would be related to more than half of the influential nobles of the kingdom.
Depending on Rest’s actions… he could gain influence that surpasses even the Royal Family.
“If something evil were to sprout in his heart, he might become a threat even greater than the Geisel Empire…”
“Good.”
To the butler’s concern, Urura replied immediately.
“Good. He’s alright.”
“But… at least, a watchman…”
“No. I’m watching.”
Urura’s eyes shone with seven colors.
“I’m watching… always, always watching. So, it’s fine.”
“…Is that so?”
The butler, who was in charge of managing the servants in the Lavender Barony, was not in a position to object to his lord’s will.
If Urura said so, he had no choice but to accept it.
“If my lady says so, then I shall leave it to you.”
“Mm… Besides, it’s necessary for this country.”
“Necessary… is it Rest-sama?”
“Storm, coming. North and East. So, gather around Rest. Important.”
“…………”
Urura possessed a special eye called the ‘Fairy Eye’, which allowed her to see distant scenes, and sometimes even the future.
Something that only Urura could see might be foreseeing that Rest would be caught in a great storm in the future.
“Understood… By the way, for dinner…”
“Eastern Ethnic Cuisine. Rest wants to eat that.”
“Ah, he was delighted with the Azuki Bean sweets, wasn’t he? Eastern cuisine must suit his palate.”
“Ramen too. He’ll be happy.”
“That soup pasta, is it? I’ll tell the chef to add it to the menu.”
“Thanks.”
That day, the Lavender Barony served ethnic cuisine that had been brought from the East.
Whether it was brought by a Reincarnator, or whether such a culture existed in this world… Rest was so moved by the nostalgic dishes he had eaten in Japan that he was almost in tears.
――――――――――
Thank you for your support of this work throughout the year.
Thanks to you, we were able to take first place in the weekly rankings for the first time, and we also won an award in the fantasy category of the Kakuyomu Contest.
We are planning to release a book next year.
I cannot give you the details yet, but I will inform you as soon as they are decided.
Thank you for your support next year as well.
Have a happy new year.