Joyce McKinnon. Neris was momentarily confused by the memories that surfaced upon seeing his face.

Fortunately, as he focused on Diane and continued to ask about school life, Neris was given more time to think about the past.

“Are you uncomfortable? Was elder brother right in saying you should bring more attendants?”

“He wasn’t right? I’m completely comfortable and having a good time?”

“Still. Do you want to take Fioni?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If I take Fioni, the head chef, what will the kitchen do?”

“We can bring in a new head chef.”

“No. I feel bad for Fioni.”

“Do you know how worried everyone was that our baby, who had been eating delicious food made by Fioni every day, went far away to the academy and might not like the ingredients? Are you eating well? You’re not getting thin, are you?”

“Don’t call me baby!”

“Okay, if our angel says not to, I won’t. My sister, do you know what happened while you were gone? Uncle Sib told me about a person named Lemartrer…”

Despite his solemn face, Joyce often used expressions like our baby, our angel, and our prettiest sister in the world to Diane.

Every time such expressions came out, Diane would glance at Neris and blush bright red.

Neris smiled faintly, finding her embarrassed look cute and feeling like she was seeing the background in which Diane’s bright personality was formed.

Following his sister’s gaze, Joyce also glanced at Neris. This time, with a cold and awkward attitude befitting his expression, he said to Neris,

“I heard that my immature sister has been relying on you a lot.”

“No, sir. It is I who am relying on her.”

Neris looked at him and answered with a strange feeling.

Joyce fell into thought for a moment at Neris’ flawless pronunciation and intonation, despite being from a remote countryside.

From the first letter sent by his young sister as soon as she left for the academy far away, the name Neris Trude appeared without fail. Knowing his sister’s personality of having no limits once she starts liking something, he only believed the praise contained in the letter to a reasonable extent.

But actually seeing her, there was not a single lie in the contents of the letters Diane sent. Despite being the daughter of a low-ranking knight, her etiquette was more precise and elegant than that of a decent noblewoman in the Imperial Capital’s social circles.

Does that make sense? Should he not be wary? He silently looked at the friend his sister brought for the first time, whom she liked very much. Diane didn’t like her elder brother’s gaze.

“Elder brother, don’t glare at my friend.”

“I didn’t glare.”

Neris knew that Joyce didn’t like her, but she didn’t particularly care about that fact itself. However, looking into his calmly lowered green eyes, her heart kept fluttering.

He, Joyce McKinnon, was.

If her memory was not wrong, in her previous life, he was the one who accused Angelo and was driven out of Vista by the Duke of Elandria.

It was strange. The McKinnon family was influential enough in Vista even when Neris was the crown princess.

Although she, who was mainly in charge of diplomacy, had no reason to be close to the McKinnon family members involved in domestic commerce, she at least knew the faces of the Marquis and Marchioness McKinnon.

If he was the grown-up heir, they should have been acquainted with each other beyond the accusation. They would have encountered each other at any party.

But why did she have no memory of seeing him other than that?

And if he had lost the case and was driven out, why did the McKinnon family remain?

Right, come to think of it, she definitely heard his name at that time. But Neris naturally thought he would be from a branch family…

‘Why did I think that?’

Joyce had turned his head long ago, but Neris’ face was not so peaceful. Diane said with an apologetic look,

“I’m sorry, Liz. Everyone says our elder brother looks scary at first sight. But our elder brother is kind.”

Seeing how he treated his sister, it was understandable that Diane would think he was kind from her perspective. Neris quickly took her eyes off Joyce and spoke calmly to Diane,

“He’s not scary. Diane, you said you only have one elder brother?”

“Yes. But I have many elder female and male cousins. I have two uncles and one aunt. Originally, my youngest uncle’s daughter Muriel was the youngest, but then I was born.”

Joyce interjected,

“Everyone was happy when the angel was born.”

“Ah, elder brother!”

Are you crazy, even with a friend here! Like a baby! Diane was disgusted.

Neris gave a faint bitter smile and soon returned to a calm, expressionless face.

It seemed like a good idea to find out as much as possible about what had happened in the McKinnon family during the holiday period.

“Welcome, young lady.”

The servants of the McKinnon family, who saw the approaching carriage, were already gathered in front of the main building by the time Diane got off.

The way they all welcomed her with happy faces revealed how precious Diane was to everyone in this family.

“I’m here! Has everyone been well?”

Diane greeted enthusiastically as Joyce hugged her and helped her off the carriage.

Neris was surprised when Joyce extended his right hand to her as well, but gratefully accepted the courtesy. The appropriate escort that made every movement of getting off the carriage comfortable was admirable.

“Young lady!”

From the side of the main building, a plump woman in a large apron came running with tears. Her face was as moved as if she were reuniting with a soldier who had survived a war. Diane waved to the woman,

“Fioni!”

“Oh my, look how thin our young lady has become!”

Fioni, probably the head chef of the main building, hugged Diane and spun around and around. Next, a man in a butler’s uniform hugged Diane. And then an older maid…

“Let’s go in now. Di, are you tired? It would be good for both of you to go in, take a bath, and rest.”

As Diane was busy embracing her close servants one by one, Joyce stepped in. The servants chuckled and led Diane and Neris into the main building.

There were red decorations everywhere because of the holiday.

Especially in the large hall that visitors encountered as soon as they entered, a tapestry of a height that would require the combined height of about three or four people was hung, depicting the resurrection of the god Timaios and the sacred tree that was said to be beside him at the time of his resurrection.

The red flowers in full bloom on the sacred tree were embroidered using silk thread, gold thread, and seven-colored twisted thread, making them extremely vivid and beautiful. The walls and stairs were also decorated with sufficiently luxurious silk flowers, in front of which the light paled.

The tapestry was hung on the wall from the edge of the space connecting the 1st and 2nd floors by partially opening the ceiling, that is, from the 2nd floor railing to the 1st floor.

Several people just came down the stairs next to it.

“Oh my, Diane!”

“Diane is here.”

The people who came down the stairs were men and women who seemed to be in their early twenties or a few years younger or older.

Neris saw that two of them had the same copper-colored hair as Diane’s siblings, and another had the same green eyes as Joyce, and guessed their identities.

“Long time no see.”

Diane greeted her elder cousins smartly.

They burst into laughter. Neris kept her eyes down, pretending to be meek, but closely observed their attitudes.

Even if the McKinnon family was not governed by strict family customs, Diane was clearly a marquis’ daughter, and their fathers were second sons or lower, so they were sirs. If they were not addressing each other respectfully, it was right for them to use honorifics and for Diane to speak casually.

But seeing how confidently they acted, it seemed they were quite accustomed to treating Diane as a child.

Or did this family value the informality of family more than legal status?

“Isn’t our Diane cute?”

“Was school okay? No one bullied you? I was so worried about you.”

“School is fun. I’m learning a lot.”

Diane replied with a proud look on her face. The youngest-looking bright brown-haired girl among Diane’s cousins glanced at Neris.

“Who’s that? Your new maid?”

The way she asked as if she didn’t know, even though everyone in the family already knew that Diane was bringing a friend, was quite mean-spirited. Neris stepped forward with a smile,

“Nice to meet you. I’m Neris Trude. Diane’s friend.”

Diane was about to get angry at her elder cousin’s rude attitude, but she made a bright expression when she heard the word Neris used. Neris called her a friend first!

“Ah, I think I’ve heard of you.”

Diane’s elder cousin raised her eyebrows arrogantly. And she slowly frowned and looked Neris up and down.

That gaze lingered on Neris’ features for a moment but soon went down to her attire and stayed there for a long time.

“I heard you attend the academy, but it seems that famous class is nothing special. Didn’t they teach you not to casually join the conversations of nobles?”

Joyce frowned imperceptibly to others, and Diane was about to get fired up this time. However, as soon as the cousin finished speaking, Neris retorted,

“What kind of nobles?”

“What?”

Diane’s elder cousin had a face that didn’t understand the question.

Betty laughed inwardly. It was refreshing to see someone else going through what she had experienced. Moreover, Muriel McKinnon had been jealous of Diane since childhood and always picked on her, so it served her right.

“I asked what kind of nobles. Nobles in a broad sense, or nobles in a narrow sense? Vista’s “Law on the Registry of Nobles and the Composition of the Council” limited the definition of nobles in a narrow sense to ‘viscounts and their direct families who have ruled a domain for at least three generations, or those of higher status.’ It seems that the only ones who fit that definition here are Diane and Sir Joyce.”

And if it’s nobles in a broad sense – ‘children of a sir or above,’ then of course Neris is included in that range as well.

The surroundings became quiet. Muriel began to tremble, and Diane grinned broadly.

Neris stared at Muriel with calm eyes. Muriel, who was about to say something, suddenly felt a chill down her spine at that gaze and felt even more humiliated.

The green-eyed man standing next to Muriel laughed and settled the situation,

“Your friend is right. Mu, she’s a friend who attends the academy, so of course she’s smart. You just lost face for nothing by being mean.”

The people who had laughed at Diane’s greeting earlier laughed again just like before.

Neris had a rough idea of how the atmosphere was going. She glanced up at Joyce and sighed inwardly, feeling relieved that he seemed reassured.

Although Muriel McKinnon was mean-spirited, she didn’t seem like she would harbor malice and plot something. But the green-eyed man gave a bad feeling.

It was even more concerning that his impression was relatively blurry.

“I’m Nuallan McKinnon. Diane’s friend, are you staying for the entire vacation?”

“Yes.”

Nuallan. It meant noble, an excessive name for the son of a ‘sir.’ Neris looked at Nuallan and answered. He waved his hand with a sloppy smile,

“Judging from your eyes and the way you speak, it seems you come from a lineage far superior to our family. Have a good time during your short stay, and let’s be close.”

‘Have a good time’? It wasn’t something to say in front of the host’s relative.

But Neris didn’t argue and only showed a smile. Seeing that chilly yet transparent gaze, Nuallan felt uneasy rather than treating her like a child.

At that moment, a procession of people appeared next to the tapestry. Judging by the attire of the people who appeared, it seemed they had taken the wrong path when they were originally supposed to go somewhere else.

Neris’ gaze was momentarily captured by the energetic woman at the head of the procession, who was wearing clothes suitable for work and carrying a lot of luggage.

“Ms. Moriae! This is not the way. This is the hall.”

Indeed, a man in a servant’s uniform ran over and shouted at the woman. Neris felt satisfied that her eyes were correct, but also felt perplexed. How did the people from her past gather here like this?

The name of the energetic woman was Joan Moriae. In the past, she was the head of the influential merchant group that Neris had brought down while bringing Angelo into the Elandria family.