**Chapter 89: The Garden of Grim Men**
The next day, Rest, Viola, and Primula decided to go shopping in town. Today was a holiday, as the academy was closed. It was the perfect opportunity for a holiday date.
As Rest stepped out of the House of Marquis Rosemary, flanked by the two sisters, he noticed a large group of people in the garden.
“You all need to step it up! An extra five hundred push-ups!”
“Yes, sir!”
In the garden stood Irish Rosemary, the mother of the sisters, along with the young mages serving the House of Rosemary. Rest recognized some of the shirtless men doing push-ups; they were the ones who had challenged him to a race yesterday and had lost spectacularly.
“Oh, Rest-san!”
“Good morning, young ladies!”
“Good morning!”
As soon as the men noticed Rest and the Rosemary sisters, they stood up to greet them. At the forefront was Nick Beyle, a vassal noble.
“Are you going out? Please be careful!”
Despite boasting yesterday about not recognizing the sisters’ engagement, today he was unusually humble. It seemed the overwhelming defeat from the previous day’s challenge had left a mark on him.
(Or perhaps it’s the lady’s training that’s left a deeper impression…?)
“Enough chatter! Resume your training!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As Irish issued her command, the shirtless mages immediately returned to their push-ups. True to her word, it seemed she had started their rigorous training right away.
(I feel for them, but they brought this upon themselves. Sorry, but good luck with that…)
“Well then, ma’am, we shall be off.”
“Yes, try not to be too late. And you two, don’t rely too much on your fiancé.”
“We know! Don’t say that in front of everyone!”
“Yes… we’ll be going now.”
Viola and Primula said shyly, pulling Rest’s hands. Their affectionate display could have sparked jealousy among the men, but surprisingly, no one cast envious glances. Nick and the other young mages, sweating from their workout, sent them off with cheerful smiles.
“Does this mean we’ve been accepted…?”
“The House of Rosemary values merit above all else, both for the highborn and the lowborn.”
“As long as you have the ability, your birth doesn’t matter… My mother wasn’t the only one who thought that way; my grandmother was the same.”
It seemed that this mindset had been passed down through generations. Rest couldn’t help but smile wryly, realizing he had been welcomed into an impressive family. He led the sisters to the carriage waiting at the gate, helping them inside before taking a seat beside them.
“By the way… is there anything you want to buy today?”
“Eh, not really.”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Huh? You don’t have anything?”
Rest blinked in surprise. He had assumed they wanted to shop for something since they had invited him along, but it appeared they had no specific purpose.
“Honestly… Rest, you still don’t understand a woman’s heart, do you? Should I educate you as your fiancée?”
“That’s part of your charm, though. If you understood women too well, it might be a problem. This is just right, don’t you think?”
Viola and Primula exchanged glances, sharing a wry smile. For Rest, their conversation was utterly baffling.
“Um… what do you mean?”
“We’re not going shopping because we have something to buy; the purpose is to shop with you, Rest.”
“Exactly! We invited you because we want to enjoy shopping together.”
They spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Having had no experience with women in his previous life and not being wealthy enough to indulge in shopping as a hobby, this concept was entirely foreign to Rest.
(So it’s not about buying things, but rather enjoying shopping as a leisure activity…)
He had heard that women loved to shop, but he was only now beginning to understand what that truly meant.
“Let’s pick out clothes together, have some tea… enjoy the time we spend as a couple.”
“I’ll make sure to teach our oblivious Rest all about it. Be prepared!”
Thinking back, it had been over a year since he met the sisters, and they had even bathed together, yet they hadn’t really gone on a proper date. His studies and training for the academy had kept him busy, and once he enrolled, adapting to classes and school life had taken priority.
(Is that why they seem so excited…?)
It seemed Rest had been rather dense. Despite being engaged, he had been too passive and had failed to notice their feelings.
(If I don’t take the initiative to ask them out on a date once in a while, they might lose interest in me…)
Determined not to be abandoned by Viola and Primula, Rest resolved to engage in more romantic activities as a couple.