In those clear eyes appeared confusion, anger, and finally, acceptance. The reason Nerys could read that last emotion was solely because she had already suspected its existence.

“I don’t think my words have stronger evidential power than other circumstances. Your Lordship would have multiple ways to determine whether what Morie is saying is true or not. So calling me here on purpose was to test me, wasn’t it?”

She was right.
Joyce lost her words and looked down at the girl before her. She thought of her younger sister, who used to lie in her crib and fidget—were they really the same age?

It was difficult to tell due to her intense gaze, but Joyce felt an inexplicable sentiment that behind those eyes were hidden depths of grim sorrow and cynicism. But what reason could there be for a mere twelve-year-old to harbor such emotions?

Nerys chuckled and puffed out her chest proudly.

“I won’t waste time repeating explanations to someone who already knows. Just make sure to keep an eye on Morie; it could be dangerous. You can do that, can’t you?”

For a moment, Joyce just stared at Nerys. Then, after about three breaths, she clenched her fist and assured her.

“…I will.”

“Damn it all! How well have I treated you!”
Even as he was being seized and expelled by the servants of the McKinnon family, Nualan’s mouth didn’t stop. The maids, seeing vulgar words coming from the mouth of the usually mournful cousin for the first time, lowered their heads, and the hands of the servants holding him tightened.

Sibna cried out with tear-filled eyes.

“Brother! Brother, it’s all a misunderstanding! Sister-in-law! You know how much I cherish Diane!”

Joyce, who had expected this very scene and had confined them in the basement until the end of the holiday, wore a cold expression.
The Earl and Countess of McKinnon also acted as if they hadn’t heard. They simply gave Diane a tender kiss in front of the carriage.

Behind Diane, the escorts and attendants who were to accompany her to school were diligently loading her newly tailored dress, books, and toys into the new carriage.

“Di, if anything happens, immediately write to your brother. I’ll come running.”

“My daughter, what will I do, missing you once you’re gone?”

“If our baby finds life inconvenient, just run back to Daddy, and we’ll buy whatever new things you need.”

Diane had been somewhat irritated when called ‘baby’ in front of her friends, but her eyes were also slightly reddened.

Starting from the day after the holiday, guests of the family began to leave one by one, and by today, the only outsider remaining was Neris.
Neris watched with keen interest as Sivna and his son were seized by the servants, bound, and loaded onto a luggage carriage, making no attempt to look away.

Each fiefdom had its own way of enforcing the lord’s banishment decree, and it seemed that in this region, the old method of literally dragging the person out of the territory remained.

Nuallan’s struggling eyes suddenly stopped on Neris’s face. She indifferently shrugged off his contempt mixed with resentment.

Seeing this, Joyce naturally stepped between Nuallan and Neris, shielding her.

“Lady Neris.”

Beneath the winter sky, as clear and blue as expensive glass, Joyce sparkled her eyes and bowed.

“Thank you.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

Neris responded in an elegant and monotonous manner. Her voice was devoid of any emotion, not even the self-satisfaction or pride one might typically feel in such a situation.
Joyce looked down at her and, surprisingly, smiled.

“Nobility is a fine virtue, but sometimes you need to reveal your own merits.”

Nobility? If one were to pick the most malicious person here, it would be Neris Trued. Furthermore, who was saying such a thing to whom?

Baffled by the words of Joyce, a man who outwardly valued weakness and prioritized trust, Neris raised an eyebrow.

She gave a sarcastic smile and responded just audibly enough for Joyce to catch the nuance.

“Thanks for the advice.”

“If you ever need help, feel free to contact the McKinnon family. We’ll assist you however we can, however modest our means.”

There was no need to decline; the McKinnon family could grow stronger by capitalizing on this situation. Neris lifted the hem of her garment in acknowledgment.

“Even just for saying so, thank you.”
The carriage carrying Mr. Sivna had already gone far away. Next to be brought out was Mr. and Mrs. Angelo. Hearing Angelo make similar protests, Joyce scowled.

“My Lord! Oh, my Countess! My Lady Countess! I’ve been wronged! I’ve been deceived! How could someone as powerless as me defy the orders of the Count’s sibling!”

“Silence!”

Based on Joan’s testimony, Angelo was to face punishment for embezzlement and the attempted murder of the Count’s grace. A significant number of his wrongdoings had come to light, and further investigations were ongoing for other offenses.

Knowing all of these circumstances, the servants of the McKinnon family did not hesitate to gag him tightly.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

However, unlike Mr. Sivna, who was a relative of the nobility, Angelo was a commoner. Naturally, the punishment awaiting him was more than just banishment, and the gate he had to pass through was not the main gate but the back gate.
Joyce briskly headed toward where Mr. and Mrs. Angelo were to convey something along those lines to the servants, and Neris briefly glanced at Heder.

Although Heder had not committed any criminal offenses, her father had fallen into disgrace, so she would likely never set foot in this mansion again. She, too, looked awful from being locked underground for several days.

Standing beside her father, Heder nervously glanced from Joyce to Neris and then to Diane.

Diane was also looking at Heder. Neris moved next to Diane, becoming a wall between the two girls.

Since Diane was taller than Neris, she couldn’t completely block Heder’s gaze, but Diane smiled a relaxed smile. It seemed that Diane was now completely uninterested in Heder.

“It was fun walking around the lake together, wasn’t it?”
Despite the uproar during the festival, Diane and Neris managed to enjoy the remaining holidays quite a bit. They rode horses near the lake—Joyce held the reins—and also ventured into the forest to pick up pine cones. They spent all day reading books in the lavish library of the McKinnon mansion.

Neris didn’t mind those moments at all. Walking gave her ample time to think about future plans, and she gained a lot of information about the current national situation from the library. She nodded her head.

“Yes.”

“Let’s come again next year!”

Heder followed her father, who was being led toward the back door, sobbing pitifully. As Heder completely disappeared from sight, Earl McKinnon spoke.

“You’re always welcome, Neris.”