I hope this letter finds you in good health and your household in peace.

I am attaching the information about the real estate you requested as follows.

Sedona Agricultural Cooperative] [To Your Excellency, my great employer,

I understood that writing to this address means it will be delivered to you. Sedona is next to Katen, isn’t it? Thank you for not only finding what matches my desired conditions but also detailing the state of the house and land.

I have many questions about the letter’s tone, but it would be troublesome if this letter falls into someone else’s hands, so I’ll ask you in person when the new semester starts.

Can I move in right away? Looking at the report on the field, it says I need to start managing it now to plant something next year.

Neris Trude] [To the even greater Miss Trude,

The first letter wasn’t sent by me, but by my subordinate. What was the tone like? No, I’ll ask him myself.

I arranged it so you could move in immediately, as I thought you’d want that. Halograss is a Rantville specialty, but it’s not an expensive item. What are you planning to use it for, asking for a field? Is that why you asked for a house, field, and even people to grow it?

I’m looking forward to seeing another interesting sight. If you have any more small errands, just let me know anytime.

Your Employer] [To Lord Maindlant, who should be greater than me as my employer,

Judging by the tone of the second letter, it seems the route through which the letters are delivered is safe.

I thought it was sent that way for security reasons. I believe you’ve already figured out the answer regarding the tone of the first letter.

It probably won’t be such an interesting sight. But you’re free to expect what you will.

By now, the person to work should have arrived at the house you found for me. Since you mentioned small errands, could you send the enclosed money to the person who entered that house? But not in a way that makes it seem like it’s from Parishier.

I need to pay wages, but it would be too obvious if sent from Parishier.

Neris Trude] [To Miss Trude, who is doing many things her employer doesn’t know about,

I chose an appropriate one among my vassals and had it delivered.

How many nobles are there in Parishier? Even if you write the name of your room in Parishier, no one would think you’re employing him and sending wages.

The wages you’re paying to the fellow working your field seem low. Shall I pay in advance? It can be deducted from your future salary.

Cledwin Maindlant] [To Lord Maindlant, who’s making unnecessary meddling,

Why would you pay the wages of the person I hired? That’s strange. And the amount can’t be helped.

That’s the amount of wages I can consistently pay. When I become rich later by selling lots of halograss, I’ll give him enough compensation, so it’s fine for now.

And your standards are too high. The wages I’ve set are appropriate by general standards.

Neris Trude] [To Miss Trude, whose standards of strangeness are strange,

From your tone, it doesn’t seem like you’re just growing halograss to sell. I get it. You’re telling me not to try to find out more about your business item, right?

It seems our standards for what’s strange and what’s not are quite different.

You’re saying it’s okay to buy a house in advance, but not okay to pay an employee’s wages in advance? Even the wages of my subordinate’s subordinate come from my coffers.

Cledwin Maindlant] [To Lord Maindlant, who seems to be bored,

Your subordinate’s subordinate was hired to better carry out your orders, so of course you’d pay their wages.

But my worker was hired purely for my personal purposes.

As for the house and land? Since I, your subordinate, might live there later, it’s not strange to consider it as an advance payment of my wages.

There was a strange incident at the castle recently. Tommy Hillison is Angarad’s sixth cousin.

That vile little brat seemed to be trying to do something to the Viscountess of Parishier’s clothes that my mother manages, but when I checked, everything was intact. Did you perhaps resolve this?

When I probed, it seemed Lord and Lady Hillison knew nothing, and Tommy had received some letters and cheap toys from Angarad.

Even before I could scold him to never do it again, Tommy was already terrified. Thank you for now.

Neris Trude] [To Miss Trude, who has her own views on her employer’s cost management,

Angarad Nine was scolded by her father for behaving shamefully among relatives.

This should keep her in check for a while. Speaking of Baron Nine, it’s peculiar that he doesn’t hint to Wilmot about your family’s presence being uncomfortable.

Even though his precious daughter, who he’d rush to school to officially protest for, wants it. I suppose that’s his pride.

Did you agree to return to Rohez so readily because you knew about his values?

There are many sly ones here, so your innate insight will be useful in many ways.

I wish you’d grow up quickly, Miss Trude. I can’t ask a child to deal with the elders of the Grand Duke’s family.

Cledwin Maindlant] [To Lord Maindlant, who seems to be handling things well on his own,

I couldn’t send letters for the past few days because the McKinnon family people came. Diane keeps calling me to her room from morning till night, I don’t even have time to read or write letters.

Even now, I’ve snuck out while everyone’s asleep and am writing this letter in a place with light.

If I get accused of being a thief, I won’t know what to do. It’s clear that someone among your subordinates is watching me, so I guess that person will handle it.

I don’t have innate insight. That’s something you or Diane have. I just try my best.

I don’t know what kind of people the elders of the Grand Duke’s family are, but I’m sure you could handle them well. I know it.

Neris Trude] [To Your Excellency, my employer who hasn’t replied,

Did my previous letter perhaps get lost?

Neris Trude] [Dear Miss Trude,

I presume you’re wondering about the long gap between your last letter and this one. I’m conveying news on behalf of my lord.

Currently, our lord is dealing with matters difficult to express in writing.

Concerned that you might be affected as well, we request that you refrain from sending correspondence for a while.

Sedona Agricultural Cooperative] [Neris,

Are you staying healthy? Is the Viscountess of Parishier treating you well?

You told me that deciding to stay at school this summer vacation was a good choice, but really, only the most boring clerics remain at school during this time.

It might sound funny coming from a theology student, but it’s true. In fact, even theology students dislike boredom. We’re human after all, aren’t we?

I told you before that my servant Dogon went missing on his way to our uncle’s place.

So for a while, Father Adams and Father Birk took care of my affairs, but recently Father Birk was dismissed. He was a kind person, it’s unfortunate what happened.

I’ve never been to Parishier, but a guy in my year visited two years ago.

It seems to be a well-known resort among Vista nobles. If it’s such a place, I’m glad you’re probably spending a cool summer.

About that guy from before, from the rumors I’ve heard, it seems to be quite a dangerous situation.

There seem to be many rebellious vassals who grumble that they can’t accept an ignorant child inheriting the title. Two of them apparently joined hands and started a rebellion.

Usually, news of what happens within the Grand Duchy doesn’t spread outside, so this is something I barely managed to hear. I’m telling you just in case.

Don’t contact that guy under any circumstances. You’re unnecessarily kind, so I’m worried you might get involved in strange affairs.

I know you have a tendency to help those who seem pitiful to you, even at your own risk.

But the guys you reach out to, including me, aren’t really pitiful. We all have our ways to survive! You must never put yourself in danger out of sympathy, understand?

Especially that guy, I saw that day he was still alive despite losing enough blood to have died. I was surprised while treating him.

I’d heard rumors that he was someone who wouldn’t die even if killed, and it was true. He’ll probably resolve this situation on his own too.

Ah, the bell is ringing again. I signed up for Bible reading out of boredom this summer, but I’m regretting it. It’s so annoying. I hope your summer is more enjoyable than this.

You’re still a kid, so have fun and eat lots of delicious food.

That’s all for now.

Ren]

Neris tilted her head, unable to understand what image of her Ren had in his mind.

She didn’t know how to reply either. Yes, I’ll eat lots of delicious food before I go? You should have fun too since you’re still young?

Ren, who worried that kind Neris might get caught up in an unfortunate accident, was really having unnecessary thoughts.

Neris wasn’t a saint who indiscriminately reached out to people who seemed pitiful. Rather, she was such a villain that Ren would be shocked if he knew her true nature.

So even when she helped others, she did so calculatedly and wisely.

If anything, Cledwin was the strangely meddlesome one.

Unlike Abelus’s assessment that he was a cruel monster incapable of caring for his own people, wasn’t he even helping Neris’s mother who was living peacefully far away?

He clearly had subordinates who dared to exercise considerable creativity in the letters sent by their master, so Cledwin was rather lenient with his own people.

Well, he even congratulated a first-year kid on their birthday, so how much more so?

It had been about a month since the letters with Cledwin, which were exchanged so frequently that it was incomprehensible how they were going back and forth, had stopped.

Judging by the content of the last letter from that side, it seemed like no ordinary matter, and combining it with Ren’s warning, it appeared to be a truly serious situation.

Neris wasn’t too worried about Cledwin. In her past life, he had lived well until he became an adult.

But since minor details could have changed due to Neris’s intervention, she was a little concerned.

Just a little.

Because it would be troublesome if he died.

Neris’s fingers tapped a few times on the desk where she had placed Ren’s letter.

After pondering, she first tore up Ren’s letter. Then she shredded it and put it in the water glass she had originally brought to drink when thirsty.

The paper slowly sank into the water. The writing soon became indistinguishable as it blurred.

In winter, she could have just thrown such a letter into the fireplace, but in summer she had to dispose of it in this difficult way. She couldn’t waste firewood unnecessarily.

“Lady Neris.”

The voice of the housekeeper of this castle calling for Neris was heard from outside. Neris responded in a kind voice that revealed no emotion.

“Yes.”

“Your mother is calling for you.”

The housekeeper of this castle was a commoner but was a high-ranking employee who had been close to the viscount couple since childhood, so she had quite some status.

As someone who needed to be treated differently from nouveau riche like Angelo, Neris deliberately used honorifics with her, as she was indebted to this castle.

“I understand.”

Neris poured the water down the wall outside the window and roughly squeezed the paper before throwing it in the trash. Then she left the room with the peaceful expression she had always shown since coming to Parishier.