It was the season when the vegetation in the schoolyard had dried to a sandy color and cold winds blew fiercely.

Red flowers commemorating the Resurrection Festival hung on the bare tree branches, and students talked excitedly about their vacation plans.

“What should I wear for the festival?”

The winter break given before and after the Resurrection Festival was short, but long enough for most children to visit home. Diane begged Neris to spend the winter break at her house, and after refusing a few times, Neris finally gave in.

She had no plans to return to her hometown this winter anyway, so it was a good opportunity to scout out high society in advance.

“I only have one dress nice enough to wear for the festival.”

“Then let’s get a new one made! The festival parties will last a week. You can’t wear the same clothes every day, right?”

But whenever Diane said such things while looking forward to the festival period during winter break, Neris found it amusing.

As the crown princess, Neris had used expensive items to the point of boredom. So she didn’t even feel greedy for most things that children used, which was fortunate now that she only had a few coins to spend.

But Diane had been wealthy from birth and was at an age full of curiosity, so she bought all sorts of things including clothes.

“I don’t have money for that.”

Neris just directly pointed out the issue. Diane’s expression didn’t change.

“Then how about borrowing my clothes when you go to parties? I can lend clothes to a guest at my house as a gesture of hospitality.”

It was a suggestion that some might find offensive, to borrow clothes from a friend of the same age, but Neris didn’t mind much. She thought for a moment and said:

“I have my own clothes, so I can wear those. It’s not like I have to attend parties every day for a week, and I don’t think it matters much if I wear the same outfit. But thank you for the offer.”

Hearing that answer, Diane looked a bit deflated. She seemed to have realized how her words could have sounded.

“I didn’t mean wearing the same clothes was bad. I’m sorry, Liz. I just wanted to see you wear lots of cute clothes. You’re pretty, so I thought you’d look cute in anything.”

“I see. Thank you.”

It was a strange thing to say. What was so good about dressing up someone else, not even herself?

Neris was familiar with nobles buying expensive clothes and changing outfits at every opportunity to establish authority in high society, but she couldn’t understand Diane’s desire and just gave an odd smirk.

‘Even this child.’

Could even a child like this casually torment others?

In Neris’s faint childhood memories, there was no one who had been kind to her, no, no one who hadn’t looked down on her. So Diane was probably one of the targets for revenge. And yet.

‘Why does this child.’

Still not remember?

Neris was inherently uninterested in others, so her classmates didn’t feature prominently in her memories from before her mid-teens, when bullying completely changed her personality. Only her bitter connections with children who left strong impressions, like Angarad or Rhiannon, remained clear.

But even so, she should have at least a vague impression of students in the same year after taking classes together for several years, yet why couldn’t she remember anything about Diane no matter how hard she tried?

Did she transfer to a different department soon? Why?

Or did something change when she returned to the past?

It was unknowable and uncomfortable. Because it was difficult to direct the hostility she naturally felt towards other children in the class at Diane.

“Hey, Liz. What’s your favorite food? I’ll send a letter home to have it prepared. We make lots of food for the festival at our house, so let’s eat lots of delicious things! Oh, and I’ll have them prepare bedding in your favorite color. Do you have a preferred fabric?”

With complicated eyes, Neris replied:

“I sleep well anywhere and eat anything well.”

As crown princess, Neris had slept in a pigsty on Abelus’s orders, and during her school days, Megara had fed Neris things that were unspeakable. She had no intention of being picky about food and lodging now.

What expression would Diane make if she knew what and where Neris had to eat before returning to her childhood?

What attitude would she show?

“We’re home!”

Diane let out a joyful scream as she pointed to the beautiful mansion visible in the distance.

Neris, sitting across from Diane, raised an eyebrow. She knew the McKinnon family was wealthy, but that ‘mansion’ was impressively large even when seen from the carriage at this distance.

The road they were currently passing through was quite a large orchard path, and seeing the family crest painted on stakes at various points along the fence, it seemed the land directly belonging to the McKinnon mansion was immeasurable.

The main building visible in the distance had majestic ancient-style columns stretching below the gabled roof, and it gleamed white and long on both sides.

Behind it, three large buildings showed off their grandeur surrounding a lake created by drawing in river water.

There was one large detached building a bit farther away that looked like it would house the servants, and nearby were stables, cowsheds, sheep pens, and pig pens, each with their own ample space.

That area was all fields. The McKinnons probably had countless sheep and cattle as well.

“How long has your family lived on this land?”

To Neris’s question, Diane replied with a face that was trying not to look smug:

“Probably 50 years ago? My great-grandfather bought up the land around here and built the house where the gamekeeper’s hut used to be.”

“That’s impressive. Your house is very beautiful.”

This time Diane showed a slightly prouder look, but after a moment her expression stiffened slightly.

Neris narrowed her eyes at this face rarely seen on the always confident Diane. Did she have something to say?

Lowering her eyes slightly, Diane asked in a small voice:

“Um, Liz. Is it vulgar for a family with such a short history to boast about an expensive house?”

Neris’s tension had been for nothing. She gave a calm smile.

Even the members of the most historically prestigious families in this country couldn’t match half the backbone Diane usually showed.

“What does the length of a family’s history have to do with the aesthetic value of their main residence? Your house is truly magnificent. I think you can be proud of it.”

At those words, Diane grinned broadly. Her eyes sparkled clear as a lake, so refreshing and beautiful like the scenery of the McKinnon mansion that Neris turned her gaze to the window for a moment.

The bright and pure peers of her current age sometimes dazzled her eyes like this.

“Actually, I really love our house. You know, the first floor of the main building is always decorated with red flower-embroidered silk for the Resurrection Festival. When snow piles up on the windowsills, it’s so pretty at dinner time with the snowflakes and embroidery all sparkling in the candlelight.”

“Do you have festival dinners just with family?”

“No, many guests come. Actually, I’m not supposed to join the adults’ dinner, but I sneak down to watch.”

Saying that, Diane gave a mischievous grin. Betty, who had been diligently attending to the two girls during the long journey, gave a wry smile.

“When you’re older, you’ll have to entertain guests at festival dinners whether you like it or not.”

“That’s then, being stuck in the playroom was no fun.”

The nobles of Bista didn’t start attending formal dinner parties until they were at least sixteen or seventeen, when their family considered them adults.

Until then, they were treated as children who would disturb the adults and had to be quietly confined to the playroom, going to sleep early as the nanny instructed.

Neris remembered being surprised by this custom when she was first adopted into the Elandria family, and agreed half with Betty and half with Diane.

“It would be good practice if you could attend social gatherings before your debut. That’s why the academy is cooperative with students hosting parties.”

“Yeah, the pajama party was fun.”

On the day Diane held a splendid pajama party, Neris had to play card games alone with Diane until quite late. Betty shuddered at the memory of how nervous she had been that day.

“Right. It was fun.”

For different reasons than Diane, Neris was grateful for that party. If the servant hadn’t spilled a drink on Angarad’s ribbon, she would have had to move much more precariously in various ways.

Unaware of such circumstances, Betty was touched by Neris’s words. As expected, Miss Neris is so mature, accepting her friend’s thoughtless behavior generously. If only our young lady would learn a bit from her.

“On days when it’s not snowing, you might enjoy riding horses around the area, Miss Neris.”

“That’s right. I like horseback riding too.”

As the excited mistress and servant spoke, Neris was debating whether to ask a potentially uncomfortable question when Diane quickly added:

“I can’t ride alone, but my elder brother takes me. Or if the stable master leads the horse, I can go slowly.”

Diane had a much older brother. Like Diane herself, Neris had no memory of meeting him in her previous life.

Neris imagined Diane dressed in fine outdoor clothes, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sitting in front of a faceless someone riding a horse. It seemed like it would make quite a picture.

‘Since he’s Diane’s brother, I guess he has a similar innocent but opinionated personality…?’

In any case, since he was already an adult who had graduated from the academy, he would probably be too busy greeting guests to expect him to go horseback riding together.

Neris stopped her speculation about Diane’s brother there. Diane was already busy listing other activities she wanted to do with Neris.

“We have a ‘Dog and Jackal’ set, so we must play that, and let’s go out to draw too. During the day, we’ll have tea parties and dance parties with the kids who come as guests. Ha, Heather Railing won’t be able to say a word when she sees you dance. I must tell her the steps she taught me were wrong!”

“Heather Railing?”

Neris furrowed her brow at the suddenly familiar name. Diane snorted.

“She’s a guest coming from the Railing merchant group. She’s Angelo Railing’s daughter, and she keeps picking fights with me. Does being a few years older make that much difference?”

Angelo Railing. At that name, Neris’s eyes darkened.

He was one of the people she had drawn in for the Elandria family in her previous life. Of course, she knew his character. Arrogant beyond measure and willing to betray others for his own gain.

Since both Angelo and Earl McKinnon were merchants, it wasn’t strange for Angelo to be invited as a guest to the McKinnon family’s festival party.

Moreover, this would have been before Angelo had grown significantly. It wasn’t unusual for him to bring his only daughter along to introduce her here and there, hoping for potential connections.

“She picks fights with you?”

But the Railing family were not nobles. It seemed strange that Heather, who was no match for Diane in status or wealth, would pick fights?

It felt odd. Neris frowned.

Betty shook her head.

“Young miss, you’re thinking too badly of Miss Heather.”

“No, I’m not! You heard what she said to me before, Betty.”

“I heard, that’s why I’m saying this. If I didn’t know the situation, I’d want to take your side unconditionally, but everyone saw and heard what happened with the rocking horse last time.”

Neris didn’t unfurrow her brow. She knew Diane could be quite sharp at times.

Just then, the faint sound of hoofbeats could be heard from outside. Diane turned away from Betty as if upset, and Betty tried to distract her mistress.

“It seems a guest is arriving. They’re riding quite hurriedly.”

Indeed, the sound of hoofbeats grew louder at a rapid pace. Neris calmly looked out the window.

The rider slowed down near the carriage. Suddenly, Diane called out with a bright face:

“Elder brother!”

The carriage stopped and the door opened.

The person who peered into the carriage along with the transparent winter sunlight was a young man with a solemn face and long auburn hair tied back.

His expression was as cold as ice, but there was easily discernible affection in his eyes as he looked at Diane.

“Di.”

The young man lifted Diane’s right hand and kissed the back of it. The gesture followed etiquette extremely faithfully and precisely. Betty greeted him.

“It’s been a while, Young Master Joyce.”

“Betty, thank you for taking care of my sister.”

Joyce McKinnon’s gaze finally turned to Neris. His eyes sharply examined her.

Neris recalled something from his face. She waited until he nodded slightly first before introducing herself.

“Hello. I’m Neris Trude.”