Chapter 48: Royal Academy

Rest returned to the Rosemarie Marquis estate after his final confrontation with Cedric. It was already evening when he arrived, but he was surprised to see two familiar faces waiting for him at the entrance.

"Rest!" 

"Rest-sama!"

"Wait... were you two waiting for me?"

Standing in front of the estate were Viola and Primula, who greeted Rest with concern. He hadn't told them his exact return time, so he wondered how long they had been waiting.

"Well... yeah. I was worried, you know? You went back to that place, after all," Viola said awkwardly. 

"We only saw the carriage return without you, so we thought something might have happened!" Primula added, her voice a little sharper, showing her worry.

The tension from the earlier fight with Cedric melted away, replaced by warmth blooming in Rest's chest. These two people cared for him, accepted him, and worried for him. He hadn't realized how much happiness that could bring him.