Thwack! Nuallan staggered, perhaps more dramatically than the sound would imply. A few people screamed, thinking he would fall over the railing.

He barely held onto the railing and stood up.

“Don’t you trust me, Jo?”

“Then why is my sister crying!”

Joyce’s eyes flashed with anger. The Earl and Countess of McKinnon and Sibna rushed up from the first floor.

“What are you doing? Are you two fighting?”

“What’s going on, Nuallan!”

Neris had never been formally introduced to Sibna since arriving at this mansion, but she recognized him immediately.

A man whose shoulders hunched due to lack of confidence, whose eyes and demeanor displayed a conspicuous sense of defeat and defensiveness. Nuallan, at least, could deceive people with his appearance.

Despite his father’s scolding, Nuallan seemed unbothered. He rolled his eyes and tried to smile with a face that started to flush.

“There was a misunderstanding, Uncle, Aunt. Jo, let’s go downstairs for now. Let’s not argue; calm down, okay?”

Nuallan subtly shifted the blame onto Joyce, who had resorted to violence, as he took on the role of resolving the situation. His words were rather skillful.

People began to disperse. That’s when Neris sobbed loudly.

“Diane! Diane, are you okay? No bruises? I thought something terrible happened because of Brother Nuallan…!”

Thunk. The Earl and Countess’ faces hardened.

Nuallan saw their distrustful gazes shift towards him and understood why Neris had summoned people, claiming he had ‘hit’ Diane.

People like things within their realm of understanding. If Neris had suddenly claimed, “Nuallan tried to kill Diane,” few would believe her. But the word ‘hit’ was believable enough.

Even then.

Nuallan glanced towards Diane’s legs. Betty squeezed through the crowd.

Joyce instructed Betty as he handed Diane to her.

“Check if there are any injuries.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nuallan wanted to hold onto Betty, but she was already out of his reach. Sibna stepped forward.

“Nuallan, what did you do to make the child cry! Can’t you apologize to Diane?”

Neris found it amusing. Apologize? For what?

An apology for attempting to take a life can only be accepted through another life. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, as the old saying goes.

Sibna’s words didn’t sit well with others. The Countess screamed from a nearby room, holding Diane.

“Oh my, Miss! What happened!”

Those words were enough. The Earl’s face hardened, and the Countess dismissed the guests graciously.

“We apologize for the unpleasant scene on such a joyous day. Let’s move to the reception room.”

Though they were intrigued and curious, the guests could not defy the hosts.

The guests dispersed to the reception room, music room, and banquet hall. In small groups, they began speculating on the incident, enough to talk about it all night.

“Nuallan, Joyce. It’s late; both of you go to your rooms. And child, you shouldn’t be out at this hour either. Go to your room and sleep.”

“Yes….”

The ‘child’ the Count and Countess referred to, Neris, could only respond with a lifeless, shocked face. She stood next to the room into which Betty had entered.

The Count and Countess did not press further, and led the others to the reception room.

Nuallan couldn’t say anything under the scrutiny, but the look he left Neris as he left was menacing.
Neris was not afraid, even when a man much taller than her sneered at her. The worst he could do to her was cause her death.

Death is the loss of expectations. Neris had no expectations for the future. Therefore, she was not afraid of death, and consequently, not afraid of Nualan’s wrath.

It wasn’t long before Betty came out with Diane. Diane, who came out into the hallway with a gloomy face, brightened up a little when she saw Neris waiting for her.

Neris, who was about to go to her room next door after taking Diane to hers, stopped when her sleeve was caught. She then looked back at Diane, who was sitting on the bed, and spoke quietly.

“You were surprised today.”

Diane, her eyes red from crying, met Neris’s gaze and hesitated before asking,

“Can we sleep together?”

Neris was unable to understand the situation for a moment, but soon realized.

Diane was a real child and had almost been killed. It was not strange that she needed the only other person who knew about it and had primarily helped her avoid the situation.

“Of course, Miss Neris. I’ll bring anything you need,” Betty, who had come in with ointment for Diane’s legs, suggested.

Neris wouldn’t have cared even if a hundred Bettys had insisted otherwise, but there was no particular reason to decline. So she sat next to Diane.

“Alright. Your bed is wide; you won’t fall off if you roll over.”

“I have good sleeping habits!”

Diane tried to smile widely, but all that came out was a weak smile. Betty, after applying the ointment, stirred the fireplace and grumbled.

“I really couldn’t have imagined it. That Lord Nualan could be such a person! What has our lady done to deserve this? Moreover—”