‘I want to finish quickly and get away.’

Lianon’s sneering glance at Angarad was of course seen by the three people in the same group. Angarad narrowed her eyes and shut her mouth tight, and Diane brought up the main topic as she was not interested in Lianon’s attitude.

“Who wants to go first?”

“How about Neris goes first?”

Lianon said coldly.

“Neris is always praised by Sheridan. I’m not sure, so show me an example.”

By the way, Lianon’s dislike for Neris was also related to her background.

When Lianon thought about it, the most important virtue in social circles was ‘naturalness.’

The natural dignity that springs from origin, the natural reputation stemming from dignity.

If the origin was humble, one should only aspire to a matching reputation, but Neris Trued was too arrogant. What was it if she could freely use a few languages, even though she was poor and couldn’t marry into a good house?

She should have just gone to seminary.

Despite the sharp tone of Lianon’s words, Neris smiled. That attitude made Lianon even angrier, but there was no excuse to pick a fight, so Lianon just glared at Neris’s movements.

“Then I’ll start. Since you asked me to show you an example, I’ll treat you as my first guest, Lianon. Thank you for coming to my party. I hope you have a good time. There’s your seat, sit down.”

There was nothing to criticize in Neris’s gentle voice and elegant hand movements.

Lianon’s mood worsened. Fortunately, there was something to point out besides her voice and hand movements, so she did not hold back this time.

“I don’t see anything special even though you’re praised all the time. You don’t even know where the seat of honor is? The first guest to be entertained should be seated at the most honorable seat.”

The chair pointed to by Neris was near the entrance to the pavilion. Of course, the seat of honor would be the place furthest from the entrance. Even Lianon, who was not originally versed in etiquette, knew that.

“There’s the seat of honor.”

Neris, whom she thought would be flustered by the pointing, spoke leisurely. Lianon scoffed.

“It’s close to the door.”

“In a closed room, the seat of honor is the farthest from the door. Yes. But in a place with something to see, the seat of honor is where the view is best. At a tea party by the lake, the best seat is the one with the view of the lake.”

Indeed, the spot Neris pointed to was the best place to see the lake from that table. Diane arrogantly nodded in agreement.

“Liz is right. When we have a party in our garden, we also seat the most distinguished guests where the blooming flowers are best seen.”
“That’s your family…….”

“What should we ask the teacher?”

Though better than the McKinnon household, it was not an ancient one. Having heard adults speak ill of the McKinnon family as mere peasants, Lianel tried to sneer, but stopped at Neris’s last word.

Neris raised her hand without waiting for Lianel’s answer.

“Lord Sheridan, may I have a moment?”

“Neris, my little lady, what’s the matter? You need my help too?”

Lord Sheridan approached the table with Neris and Lianel, grinning broadly. Lianel quickly lowered his head.

“It’s nothing, sir. We were just joking.”

“Really?”

Lord Sheridan looked at Neris as if to confirm, and soon left the place when Neris only smiled quietly.

“You’re funny. You’re going to tell the teacher again?”

Public disgrace was what Lianel feared most. It was ‘unnatural.’ Lianel gritted his teeth and spat, and Diane laughed.

If there was something as familiar to Diane as people approaching for money, it was contempt. Some people ignored the McKinnon family, and Diane herself, for all sorts of absurd reasons.

Though Lianel was known to have good interpersonal relationships, the children who got along with Lianel were obvious to Diane. So Diane sharply countered.

“You’re the funny one. Why, you don’t want to admit you’re wrong, and you don’t have the confidence to ask the teacher?”

Lianel now disliked Diane and Neris even more.

Diane was originally an uncultured child who only believed in money, and Neris, although polite and quiet on the outside, undoubtedly had a bad personality.

Indeed, a popular child like Megara had disliked Neris from the first day, so there must have been a reason.

Without further words, Neris offered a chair to Diane as Lianel quieted down.

“Diane, thank you for coming to my party. Your brooch is as red and beautiful as that pinned rose.”

“Thank you, Neris. Thanks for inviting me to this wonderful place.”

Diane sat in the seat Neris offered, answering sweetly. Seeing them get along so well, Lianel raised an eyebrow. Neris also invited Angarad to the last remaining seat.

“Angarad, nice to see you here. Diane and Lianel are already here. I’m so thankful you’ve come to brighten the place.”

Angarad slightly lifted his head to look at Neris. Even as his eyes trembled darkly, Neris was unshaken.

After standing still for a moment, Angarad sat in the place Neris invited him to. As Neris was about to sit in the last remaining seat, he asked in a low voice.

“…You?”

“What?”

Neris sat upright, elegantly, and asked nonchalantly. Flames of resentment sparked in Angarad’s eyes.

“The bracelet in my bag was placed by you, right?”

“What?”

Regardless of the sentiment against Neris, Lianel found these words to be utter nonsense.

Lianel laughed. The emerald bracelet was jingling on her wrist even today.

“That’s funny, why would she steal my bracelet and put it in your bag?”

“Exactly.”

Neris’s voice of agreement was as light as chiffon. Angarad looked at Lianel resentfully.

“I… I have clothes and school supplies bought by my father. But Neris is poor, isn’t she? Always wearing similar clothes and having no servants. If something is stolen, of course, Neris would be the one to steal it, right?”

Diane looked at Neris. Neris was only smiling the same smile as before.

Lianel snorted and retorted. Perhaps because of today’s humiliation, words came fluently.

“But the bracelet was found in your bag, idiot. You should have said that before you were caught. There’s evidence, so where do you get off? You’re really funny, just shut up if you don’t want to be disgraced here.”
Lianon was not one to speak well, but her eyes were deep and dark, so those who were drawn to her were strangely overwhelmed. Neris saw Angarad flinch and close her mouth, smiling a little deeper inside.

Lianon really was, just as Neris remembered her from when she was young.