The next day, the weather was clear enough to hold a party by the water.

Even in the middle of winter, the daytime was quite warm. The calm lake shimmered brilliantly.

Today, Neris once again yielded to Diane’s insistence and borrowed clothes to wear. Diane was wearing a chestnut-colored velvet dress with a cute dark green coat, but she seemed more satisfied with the black dress Neris was wearing than her own outfit.

It was a dress with small wing-shaped black frills on the shoulders and a red tiered skirt that spread out like a bell below the waist.

In reality, Neris wearing that dress drew the attention of those around her. Of course, Diane received the most blatant interest and flattery, but objectively, the person who stood out among the children was Neris.

“Who is that little lady? The one with the purple eyes.”

“I heard she’s Lady Diane’s academy friend.”

“She does seem quite noble. She must be from an excellent family, but why haven’t we seen her before?”

“Indeed. Is this your first time seeing her too, madam?”

Every time a good word about Neris was heard, Diane’s face grew happier, while Muriel, who was also attending the party, became increasingly displeased. Heather, who was next to Muriel, looked more and more anxious.

“Lady McKinnon, who is that young lady?”

“Count, it seems Lady Diane has made a good friend. Why haven’t we seen her at previous parties?”

Neris’s family was also inquired about a few times to Diane’s parents.

The McKinnon Count and Countess, who had taken a liking to Neris when introduced the day before, smiled and gave vague answers. Some guests who thought the McKinnon family was trying to hide an important connection became unnecessarily excited.

Angelo Railing was one of them. Being of foreign origin, he wanted to know about all the important figures in Vista.

However, he had a faster and more reliable source of information than overstepping his bounds by speaking to the McKinnon Count and Countess.

“Heather.”

Heather, who was next to Muriel, raised her head at her father’s call. The father and daughter whispered to each other once. Angelo’s expression changed as if he understood.

“What did you talk about?”

Because the voices of the father and daughter were low and the surroundings were noisy, Muriel couldn’t properly hear what Heather and Angelo had discussed. Heather shook her head and answered Muriel.

“It was nothing, Miss Muriel. Father asked about Miss Neris, and I answered with what I knew.”

Muriel snorted.

“Miss? From what I’ve heard, she’s not of a status to be called that. She’s barely above being a commoner, what’s so great about her? Honestly, isn’t it laughable that a knight’s daughter is attending the academy so presumptuously?”

As Muriel spoke without lowering her voice, Heather fidgeted with her fingers, looking uncomfortable. A man nearby who had been whispering with Angelo glanced sideways at Neris with a strange expression.

Muriel continued arrogantly.

“She doesn’t even have clothes to wear, so she borrowed someone else’s to come out. What excellent family? I’ve never even heard of the Trude family. Well, I guess that’s why she’s hanging out with Diane, right?”

Muriel’s last words had crossed the line. Heather quickly cautioned her.

“Miss.”

“What? …Fine.”

Although her arrogant appearance didn’t make it seem like she would listen to others, Muriel trusted Heather in her own way. Grumbling, Muriel closed her mouth and dragged Heather away, saying they should go get drinks.

Neris was vaguely aware of what was happening around her. There was a clear trend of fewer people approaching her with smiling faces. Some people were also whispering about her clothes.

She didn’t care because she had no intention of hiding anyway. She knew more so because they couldn’t openly ostracize her when the host couple was favorable.

Neris and Diane were sitting on a snow-white bench closer to the building than the lake, talking about school, when Joyce and Nolan approached. Their relationship seemed certainly better than that of Diane and Muriel.

“D. Lady Neris.”

“Our dear ladies.”

Joyce greeted with an expressionless face, while Nolan greeted with a smile. Diane and Neris received the greetings rather indifferently.

“Welcome.”

“Gentlemen.”

“Diane has certainly become a lady.”

Nolan burst into laughter. Neris raised one eyebrow.

“Why? How was she before?”

“Before, she would just stare blankly no matter who greeted her. Seeing this, uncle really made the right decision sending her to the academy.”

“But Diane is a noble, so she had to go anyway, right?”

At Neris’s straightforward reply, Nolan shrugged.

“But if she said it was really uncomfortable to attend due to health reasons, it wouldn’t have been impossible to skip it, right? Honestly, we were quite worried.”

“Why?”

Neris asked with a smile on her lips. However, there was no hint of laughter in her eyes.

Nolan pretended to think seriously for a moment, then sat down on the bench. He then spoke to Neris in a whisper.

“Our Diane may seem temperamental, but she has a delicate heart. She’s always been raised with just love, you see. What if she goes somewhere without family protection and gets hurt? Joyce and I were really worried.”

Neris was still smiling, and when Nolan finished speaking, she blinked. Nolan straightened his shoulders and smiled amiably.

“I’m glad she’s made a friend like you, little lady Neris. Since you’re so sharp, you’ll be able to protect Diane.”

“I’m not a baby, you know?”

Diane finally complained. She had tried to hold back, thinking yesterday’s quarrel with her cousin was enough, but in the end, she couldn’t bear it. Joyce casually kissed the back of Diane’s hand and said.

“You’ll always be a baby in our eyes. …Are you having fun? Want to dance with your elder brothers?”

They wondered why they had come when there was an age gap of over ten years, but their purpose was to check if Diane was having enough fun at her first adult party.

Diane had a wavering expression. Neris readily accepted.

“We’d love to. Diane, you said you’d show me the steps you learned.”

The words “to whom” were omitted, but Diane understood. Seeing that cute face suddenly burning with enthusiasm, Neris asked Nolan.

“Who’s the better dancer?”

“Why?”

“I’ll give the better dancer a chance to take Diane. Diane dances so well that her partner needs to be skilled enough to keep up.”

“Is that so?”

Nolan smiled brightly. His expression, sparkling with anticipation, was truly reassuring. According to Diane, he was already working in the trading company with almost equal shares as his father.

“What should I do? If I say I dance better, I can’t dance with Neris, and if I say Joyce dances better, I can’t dance with Diane. It’s a shame to say which one, as both young ladies are such wonderful ladies.”

“Then elder brother Nolan should dance with Diane. I think you’ll dance better.”

In fact, Nolan, with his sociable personality, often danced at parties, while Joyce made excuses and spent time only with men. Knowing this, Diane was impressed by Neris’s insight.

Joyce furrowed his brow but didn’t deny it.

The four of them went out to the dance floor set up in a corner of the outdoor area. Diane soon started giggling at something Nolan said, but Joyce’s movement as he took Neris’s hand was stiff. He lowered his waist and said.

“Please step on my feet.”

“Alright.”

Neris stepped on both of Joyce’s feet without a word.

The band started playing a lively tune. Zuzujeung! Joyce slowly moved his feet, carefully leading the dance. Despite the big height difference, thanks to his slow movements and the foothold, there was no strain at all on Neris’s arms or waist.

When they had turned about half a circle on the floor, Joyce spoke up.

“Are you not experiencing any inconveniences?”

“Thanks to your consideration.”

It was just the timing to take a spinning step, so Neris paused for a beat. Then, after gracefully and lightly spinning once, she looked straight into Joyce’s face and finished her answer.

“I’m very comfortable.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Seen up close, Joyce was quite handsome, though he always wore a stiff expression. His long, auburn eyelashes casting shadows were particularly impressive.

Rich and handsome, it seemed like many people would like him, but Neris couldn’t remember hearing any rumors about him in social circles. Moreover, the McKinnon Count and Countess were not the people Neris remembered.

A dozen or so years is quite long. It was enough time for people to get used to the changed head of the family and more. Neris thought she understood the situation roughly, but she was still observing as she didn’t have enough evidence yet.

“Were you on your way back from an outing yesterday? Or were you out to greet your younger sister?”

“I was on my way back from some business in a nearby village.”

“Oh my.”

Neris chuckled at the light answer.

“I thought it would be the latter.”

“It wasn’t.”

Joyce cut off more than necessary.

“You’re the type to lose out. I know you ran from afar, wondering if it might be your sister’s carriage, even though you knew carriages carrying guests were constantly arriving.”

Her words were true. Joyce didn’t know how to respond and silently looked at Neris. A piece of white cloud was reflected in her amethyst eyes filled with laughter.

Although she was clearly the same age as his sister, this unusual little lady exhibited a composure that was no less than Joyce’s own.

He had heard that she didn’t have a separate maid, so was that why she grew up so independently? But her dancing posture was skillful, and her elegant attitude at the party surpassed any lady present.

Joyce didn’t know how to take this unusual friend. After a while of his silence, Neris gently spoke again.

“You resemble Diane a lot. Especially in the way you think that doing anything for someone you like is not a big deal. But I think it would be better to be a bit more suspicious of your surroundings.”

“What do you mean?”

Doubt flashed in Joyce’s eyes. Neris explained with a calm and sharp gaze.

“The mean things elder sister Muriel says to Diane are certainly meaningless. She just blurts them out according to her mood. But that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt the person hearing them, right?”

“Lady Neris.”

Joyce replied with a face showing doubt.

“Your words are correct. But why do you use the expression ‘suspicious’? Everyone knows that Muriel often quarrels with Diane, so there’s no need for separate suspicion.”

It was then.

“Ah!”

Diane let out a short scream. It wasn’t a loud sound, but Joyce turned pale in an instant. Neris let go of Joyce’s hand and stepped off his feet to approach Diane.

The gazes of the dancing people were directed at Diane, who had fallen on the floor. Nolan, with an extremely apologetic face, quickly helped Diane up. Joyce growled at Nolan.

“What happened?”

“I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

Nolan quickly explained with a crestfallen face.

“When turning, I couldn’t hold Diane properly, so she fell.”

“No, I fell on my own.”

Diane, her lips protruding sharply perhaps from embarrassment, patted her skirt and spoke as if nothing had happened. Betty quickly ran over and cleaned Diane’s skirt again.

“Diane, that’s why I told you not to do things like dancing, didn’t I?”

Muriel, who had seen the situation from somewhere despite it not being much of a commotion, approached and spoke in a pretend worried tone.

Diane closed her mouth with a hurt look in her eyes. In fact, she herself had been thinking the same thing. Joyce got angry at Muriel.

“It’s Nolan’s fault for letting her fall, why are you saying anything to D? If he had held her hand properly, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Yes, it’s my fault. Joyce is right.”

Muriel was about to open her mouth with an aggrieved face as her elder brother was being blamed, but Nolan spoke first. Heather said in a worried voice.

“Miss, the dance tune is too fast. Why don’t you sit down for a while and dance when a slower song comes on?”

That sounded reasonable. Neris held Diane’s arm and said.

“Diane, let’s go sit over there with me for a while.”

As Neris said this, her eyes sparkled for a moment. Heather chimed in with a pure smile.

“Then I’ll sit with you too. I haven’t seen Miss Diane in a while, and I’d love to hear about the academy.”

Diane looked reluctant but agreed.