Chapter 87: A Garden Date with Primula

Maximizing his speed with magic, Rest raced through the highway. 

Without getting lost along the way, without dozing off like the hare, without encountering any mysterious beauty falling from the sky… He safely reached his destination.

“Ah, welcome back, Rest-sama.”

“Huff, huff… I’m back, Primula.”

Upon returning to the mansion in the Marquis Rosemary’s territory, Rest was greeted by a familiar face.

The mansion here was a size larger than the one in the capital. In its garden, Primula was tending to the flowers.

Seeing Primula pruning the roses in the garden filled Rest with a sense of relief.

“I heard you were off to subdue monsters in the neighboring territory, but you’re back quite early… And why are you so out of breath?”

Primula took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Rest’s forehead.

Even though he increased his speed with magic, fatigue still caught up with him. While physical fatigue could be healed with recovery magic, mental fatigue from continuous spellcasting was unrelated to the amount of magic power. It couldn’t be avoided even by someone like Rest.

“Oh, I was just running a little race… I wonder if anyone else has made it back here before me?”

“Yes, no one else should have. I’ve been tending to the flowers since noon, and neither Father nor the other magicians have returned yet.”

“Ah, I see… That’s a relief.”

It seemed he had indeed arrived first.

With only thirty minutes passing since Rest’s departure, he had expected as much.

(Now I can proudly assert that I’m worthy of the two of them…)

“By the way… Primula, are you done with work already?”

While Rest had accompanied Albert to exterminate monsters, Primula and Viola should have been working on estate management tasks at the mansion.

Originally the work of the Marquis and his wife… As future heirs to the estate, they were already working on tasks as part of their studies.

“I finished work in the morning. It’s break time now, so I’m tending to the flowers. Sister went shopping in town.”

“I see…”

Rest looked around the spacious garden.

This was the Marquis Rosemary’s estate, their ancestral home.

The garden here was much larger and had many more types of flowers than the one in the capital.

Primula, surrounded by such colorful flowers, looked as delicate as a fairy.

“…So beautiful.”

“Oh, yes. It’s beautiful, right? The roses are in full bloom right now.”

“Well, not just the roses… But that’s fine.”

Rest diverted his gaze slightly away from the roses and looked to the side.

In the adjacent flower bed bloomed white lilies. They were flowers for a slightly later season, but perhaps these were early bloomers.

“Roses are nice, but lilies are beautiful too, aren’t they?”

Roses somehow reminded one of Viola.

With their showy blooms, vivid colors, and strong fragrance, they inevitably attracted attention.

In contrast, lilies brought Primula to mind.

Graceful, modest, quietly residing in the corner of one’s heart… They were such delicate flowers.

“The beauty of roses is undeniable, but lilies are just as stunning. I love them both.” 

“Well, I love both as well.” 

Primula said with a smile like a flower, though she might not have grasped Rest’s intention.

“By the way, Rest-sama, do you know about ‘flower language’?” 

“No, I don’t… Would you mind telling me about it?” 

“Of course. Let me start with the language of lilies. It signifies ‘purity’ and ‘innocence.’ As for roses, their meanings vary depending on their colors. For instance, red roses symbolize ‘love’ and ‘passion,’ while white ones…” 

Rest and Primula continued their pleasant conversation surrounded by the flowers in the garden, enjoying the elegant and tranquil afternoon. 

Meanwhile, the boys and young men who had been competing with Rest arrived at the mansion more than three hours later. They had been thrown off pace by Rest’s initial burst of speed, exhausting their magic and stamina. 

By the time they arrived, having taken much longer than usual, Rest had completely forgotten about them, engrossed in afternoon tea with Primula.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter