**Chapter 19: The Ebern Couple in a Frenzy②**
In the office of the Viscount Ebern House, Lucas Ebern, Rest’s father, slammed his hand on the desk in frustration.
“Ah, for heaven’s sake… that good-for-nothing! What on earth is he doing?!”
Recently, a letter had arrived from the House of Marquis Rosemary. Given that his legitimate son, Cedric, had just put the Marquis’s sisters in danger, Lucas opened the letter with trepidation… only to find it was an unexpected invitation. It was a request to invite Rest, the son deemed the “good-for-nothing,” to the Marquis’s estate.
Receiving an invitation he never anticipated left Lucas utterly bewildered. Although Rest was the second son of the Viscount Ebern House, he was treated little better than a servant. He was not even allowed to live in the mansion, forced instead to reside in the stables, and his meals consisted of scraps.
Had Rest possessed any magical talent, he would have received a more respectable treatment… but a magic assessment conducted in his infancy had deemed him “Magicless.” Without political reasons, Lucas would never have taken him in.
(Where on earth did that boy establish a connection with the House of Marquis Rosemary? A child with no magic, living like a commoner, how could he possibly have found a way to the Marquis’s estate…?!)
Rest had 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 should have been with the Rosemary Sisters, and there was no chance for the good-for-nothing 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 driver reporting, “Rest-kun will be staying at the Marquis’s estate.”
(What on earth could have happened for that good-for-nothing to stay at the Marquis’s estate…?! I don’t understand; what is going on!?)
Lucas buried his head in his hands, but even the following day, Rest had not come back. He felt a growing sense of unease, as if something was happening beyond his knowledge, causing his stomach to churn.
“Damn it…! Why must I suffer over that good-for-nothing? I was planning to throw him out next year…!”
“Darling, it’s terrible!”
“Sir, it’s urgent!”
“Whoa!?”
Two figures burst into the office without knocking. It was Lucas’s wife, Lisa, and the butler who worked in the mansion.
“W-What is it all of a sudden!? You startled me!”
“This isn’t the time for that, dear!”
“Indeed, sir!”
“W-What happened…?”
“The Marquis… has arrived!”
“Huh?”
Lucas blinked in disbelief at the butler’s words.
“Marquis Rosemary has come! She is here at the mansion!”
“W-What did you say!?!?”
Receiving such unexpected news, Lucas leaned back in shock.
〇〇〇
When Lucas hurried to the reception room, he found Marquis Rosemary already seated on the sofa, waiting. Behind her stood the Marquis’s butler, a man named Diable, who had once been a Court Magician.
“M-Marquis Rosemary, thank you for visiting my humble abode…! The weather is splendid today, and the flowers in the garden are in full bloom…!”
“Enough with the pleasantries. Sit down already.”
Marquis Rosemary… Albert Rosemary pointed to the sofa across from him. Despite being in Lucas’s mansion, he acted as if he owned the place. Lucas felt sweat trickling down his forehead as he took a seat.
(Could it be that the Marquis himself has come to visit…?!)
Lucas struggled to suppress the trembling in his knees.
To Lucas, Albert was the superior of the Court Magicians. He generally considered him a generous and good superior. He did not wield his noble status to act tyrannically and was open to his subordinates’ concerns. Unless there was a significant mistake, he rarely scolded them harshly. Many among the Court Magicians admired Albert as an ideal superior.
However… Lucas also knew that Albert was lenient with his family, doting on his wife and daughter. Using Cedric to win over the Rosemary Sisters was an attempt to leverage that aspect of Albert to gain support.
(If Cedric had managed to win over one of the sisters, our family would have become relatives of the House of Marquis Rosemary. We could have enjoyed the protection of a lenient Marquis…!)
Had that happened, Lucas’s rise as a Court Magician would have been assured. Cedric’s position, destined to enter the Royal Academy and become a Court Magician, would have been secure. However, that plan had spectacularly backfired. Lucas had believed that his prideful son, Cedric, would surely capture the sisters’ hearts, only to provoke the Marquis’s ire instead.
“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. There was no excuse for what had transpired; all he could do was apologize.
“No, it’s not about him. I’m referring to your other son.”
“Not the trash… I mean, Rest? Did that good-for-nothing do something to offend the Marquis…?!”
“Good-for-nothing? Trash? I can’t believe you would treat your own flesh and blood in such a manner.”
“N-No…!”
Lucas’s face turned pale at his slip of the tongue. He trembled, struggling to find words of justification.
“…Well, that’s fine. I’m not here to reprimand you about your character today.”
Albert snorted and settled into the sofa, crossing his legs.
“I came to consult you. The Marquis House wishes to take Rest… your son.”
“Huh…? You want that boy… to join the Marquis House…?”
“Yes, we intend to have him work as an apprentice servant. You have no objections, do you?”
“O-Of course, I have no objections… but he is ‘Magicless,’ you know? Why on earth would the Marquis…?”
Lucas was bewildered. If they wanted Cedric, the magical genius, it would make sense, but he could not fathom why they would desire Rest, who was “Magicless” and had little to offer beyond caring for horses.
“…Am I obligated to explain that to you?”
“N-No, no, no! If that’s what you want, I would gladly offer him! Please feel free to use him as you wish!”
“Is that so…? I’m glad you accepted so readily. That concludes my business here.”
Albert stood up, and the butler immediately opened the door to the reception room.
“Um… Marquis…?”
“In exchange for him, I will overlook 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 pressed his forehead against the carpet, he heard Albert’s footsteps receding.
“I-I was saved…?”
Cautiously, he raised his head. Albert was no longer there; he had left the mansion.
Given the Marquis’s leniency, it was not out of the question for Lucas to be dismissed from his position as a Court Magician, and for Cedric’s future to be ruined as well. Yet… for reasons he could not comprehend, he had been spared.
“That good-for-nothing has finally been of use… I have no idea what the Marquis found appealing about him…”
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 quickly dismissed it with a laugh.
(If it were Cedric, who is exceptionally talented, that would be one thing… but I can’t imagine that a noble daughter would take notice of him. It’s likely just a whim.)
Lucas, who judged solely by visible talent, refused to acknowledge Rest.
(Though he has made a blunder this time… well, there will still be opportunities. After all, they will be attending the same academy next year!)
Despite having made a potentially catastrophic mistake, Lucas had not given up on acquiring the Rosemary Sisters. The arrogant and narrow-minded father thought to himself that this time it was merely a stroke of bad luck, and if they got to know Cedric better, 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 good-for-nothing, a child of commoners… 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 his time, savoring the process…”
Fools are fools because they do not learn from their mistakes. Lucas grinned as he plotted his foolish schemes.