The imperial capital of Vista, commonly known as Pelena.

If a foreigner were to ask whose mansion is the most splendid in Pelena, everyone would name a different family.

However, if someone were to ask which street the most splendid mansion is on, there would be only one answer.

Royce Street.

The street where the most prestigious families live clustered together, a noble ‘street’ that in scale would surpass dozens of what commoners call ‘streets’.

Today, one of the grand mansions on Royce Street was presenting a rare sight.

The mansion, with its gabled roof and majestic yet delicate columns extending down to adorn the facade, was quite an eye-catching presence in the area.

The steel fence, engraved with rose vine patterns in the center and blade shapes at the top, stretched endlessly, so much that it would be tiring just to walk around it once.

To enter that mansion, even after passing through the main gate, one had to ride in a carriage for a while.

The front yard—which noble families sometimes use as an auxiliary training ground—stretched out for a distance that would require ten four-horse carriages lined up end to end.

At the end of the front yard, where the living area of the mansion’s residents began, a fountain large enough for several four-horse carriages to circle around it spouted water droplets as clear as glass.

And various parts of the front yard were landscaped with such delicate sculptures that ordinary people might mistake them for living beings, allowing for strolls even in the middle of winter.

The reason it was called a front yard was because there was a back yard.

In fact, the back yard of this grand mansion was larger than the front yard.

Even though high nobles who live in the Royce area usually stay in their own territories outside the social season, the land already occupied was enough for dozens of people to live on.

Today, one-third of the already spectacular front yard was covered with luggage carts. Dozens of servants, seemingly enough to have brought all the mansion’s staff, were no exception.

“More! Faster!”

“Stack them carefully so they don’t collapse!”

They carried countless boxes, and carried, and carried again.

Standing in front of the fountain, directing them, was a woman with a small girl by her side. The girl had just turned twelve a few months ago, but her youthful appearance often made people think she was younger.

With dazzling silver hair braided down with jeweled chains and sky-blue eyes shining, a pleasant smile adorned the child’s face.

Her smile was beautiful, befitting her pretty and lovely face, but the servants didn’t dare even look at that smile.

For the silver-haired girl, Valentine Elandria, was a strict mistress to the servants.

“Delma, did you pack my red dress? The one with the embroidered rose pattern.”

“Of course, young lady. I packed everything you like.”

The woman in her 40s, who had been shouting at the servants with an impatient face about which box should go where, transformed into a beaming smile at Valentine’s question.

Valentine nodded arrogantly and with satisfaction at that gentle response.

“As you should. Elder brother says there aren’t even proper dress shops there, right? It’s absurd that we can’t bring Madame Feuillet, isn’t it?”

Valentine’s words were complaints, but if one listened carefully, there was undisguised excitement in her voice. Delma nodded her head several times.

Madame Feuillet was the owner of a dress shop favored by the Elandria family and was much beloved by Valentine.

“Indeed, young lady. But you’ll be able to see Madame Feuillet again during the holidays.”

“It’s too long to wait, how strange!”

Valentine grumbled again. At that moment, her elder brother Nelrysion came out to the front yard. His trusted knight, Joseph, who had been in serious conversation with him, was also present.

He asked his sister with an incredulous look. Standing side by side, their silver hair and sky-blue eyes looked even more alike.

“Valen, didn’t I tell you yesterday? All that won’t fit in the dormitory.”

“Then we should move to a bigger house!”

“There’s no such dormitory. And there’s no need. You should only pack what you need to study at school, why are you packing so much?”

The dormitory where Nelrysion was residing in Carten was, of course, a splendid mansion like those of other high noble students.

However, it wasn’t of a scale to accommodate all the miscellaneous items Valentine was cramming into over a dozen carriages.

“This is the dignity of a duke’s daughter!”

Valentine said, pretending to know something of value. In fact, most of what she knew how to say was of this nature.

Joseph secretly smiled, finding her cute, while Delma looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

“Oh my, such an excellent awareness of her status at such a young age.”

“Don’t encourage her, Delma. Valen, I’ve told you clearly. It’s not allowed.”

Valentine tried to protest. But Nelrysion now wore only a calm expression instead of an incredulous face. While sending a firm and stern gaze to his lovely sister.

After staring at that face for a while, Valentine pouted her lips.

“…I understand.”

“Delma.”

Nelrysion called Delma’s name in a voice without the slightest change in pitch. Delma quickly raised her hand to stop the servants.

“Stop! Unload all the boxes! We need to reorganize!”

The servants were miserable, but they couldn’t show any displeasure to Valentine, the little tyrant of this mansion, or to Delma, her beloved nanny who had her full favor.

If they did, they would be thrown out immediately without even a letter of recommendation.

Eventually, the clothes, jewels, dolls, picture books… such items that had been packed full into the luggage carts were unloaded onto the front yard. Each was contained in sturdy and expensive boxes.

Nelrysion had no doubt that things would go according to his will. He was about to turn back to enter the mansion when his gaze fell on one servant. It was a lower-ranking maid whose name even Nelrysion knew.

“Isabel.”

Usually, maids were not mobilized for tasks like moving luggage. However, due to the shortage of hands, Isabel, who had been sweating in this summer day, quickly stopped her movements.

“Yes, young master.”

“Come with me this time. There’s a child I want to assign you to.”

A child? Isabel was confused whether this meant she was being fired and sent to another house.

Reading the thoughts on her face, Nelrysion smiled gently. It was a handsome smile that would make anyone’s heart flutter.

“Your salary will continue to be paid by our family. It’s a child from a branch family, and I think they’ll need someone to serve them. I want you to look after that child and let me know if anything happens. I’m worried about a young child living alone. Can you do that?”

Who would dare say they couldn’t? The servants liked and respected Nelrysion.

Unlike Valentine, who treated servants as less than insects, he was kind to everyone. Moreover, the content of those considerate words. Who would send a maid even to a distant relative?

Isabel blushed, inevitably feeling her heart flutter despite knowing her status that could never dare to look up to Nelrysion. And she nodded.

“Yes, young master. I’ll do my best.”

“Good.”

Nelrysion turned back satisfactorily and re-entered the mansion. Joseph, following behind him, quietly asked.

“Do you mean Miss Trude?”

“That’s right. From now on, it would be good for her to appear to be receiving some care from the family in others’ eyes.”

In Nelrysion’s common sense as a duke’s heir, a precious young lady should naturally be accompanied by attendants. If Neris hadn’t seemed as useful as she did now, he might have kept more distance.

Joseph hesitantly brought up the subject.

“About that matter from last time…”

“I know, Joseph. I think Neris needs a maid, including for that matter. We need someone to watch whether she might be doing anything she shouldn’t. Although I think, surely not from such a young child, but being young, she could also be easily taken advantage of.”

Nelrysion’s eyes flashed for a moment. Joseph was relieved.

After missing the golden opportunity to kill Cledwin last time, Joseph had replayed the events of that night in his mind several times.

Where did we miss it? How did they escape? Alone? Or with someone’s help?

No matter how much he thought about it, he was bothered by Neris’s behavior that night. She knew his name without ever having greeted him separately, and she appeared in exactly that place.

Moreover, at the time, she spoke to Joseph as if her classmates were about to rush to that place, but later it turned out that classes were in the next building.

But there were no gaps in Neris’s explanation.

She said she had mistaken the building and someone else had actually shown her the new way. And since Nelrysion and Joseph were often together at the Academy, it wasn’t strange that Neris had seen them.

Even so, it was still suspicious. That’s why Joseph was worried that his lord, Nelrysion, who was usually flawless, was judging that Neris Trude too softly.

Fortunately, it seemed that wasn’t the case now.

In the front yard where Nelrysion had disappeared, Valentine watched her luggage being packed for the Academy in a much worse mood than before.

She had dreamed of her Academy life starting this autumn for many nights. She had planned every detail of what clothes to wear on which days, and it was a pity.

Delma smiled with her eyes to soothe the young lady’s mood.

“Young lady, you can still take all your favorites with you. I’m sure Master Nelrysion doesn’t want you to go without any toys.”

“That’s not the problem.”

Valentine furrowed her brows. An vicious expression unsuited to her lovely features appeared on her face.

“You heard what Megara said.”

Megara Likeandros was a year older than Valentine and very pretty.

Valentine liked that fact and often hung out with her when people from the Likeandros family were around. When playing with Megara, she didn’t get scolded by adults.

However, Valentine casually called her name in her absence because of Megara’s lower status.

Delma quickly recalled the various things Megara had said when she visited this mansion a few days ago.

There were only a few things that could have upset Valentine’s mood. Most of what Megara talked about was her school life.

Before Delma could open her mouth, Valentine grumbled.

“She dares to call our elder brother by a nickname, and acts arrogantly saying she’s part of our family! I’ve been upset since I first saw it. An uncouth, provincial girl. How dare she mention the family name when I, the legitimate heir of the main family, am here?”

There was certainly such content. Delma carefully soothed Valentine.

“Indeed, how incredibly arrogant. Does that make any sense? When she doesn’t even share our surname.”

“Exactly.”

Valentine’s eyes blazed. Knowing Valentine’s temperament, which rarely cooled once ignited, Delma just looked at her lovingly.

Delma also remembered Neris. A little over a year ago, a woman from a branch family and her daughter who came to borrow tuition fees.

They said she was a daughter of a low-ranking knight, and she was truly incomparably shabby compared to Valentine.

The mother, though educated enough to have precise pronunciation, was clumsy in etiquette. And the daughter was so provincial it was unbearable to look at. It was almost scary to let her face the precious Valentine for fear it might be contagious.

After Megara’s visit, Valentine had asked Nelrysion about Neris. What Nelrysion said then was this:

“Maintain a moderately good relationship with her as there might be use for her.”

What use indeed, Valentine snorted inwardly.

Ugly sprouts should be pulled out early. To prevent them from stealing what should go to good sprouts. Human relationships operated on the same principle.

To prevent the lowly from daring to raise their heads, they must be stepped on in advance.

Valentine declared arrogantly:

“I won’t let this slide. I’ll make her tremble at the mere mention of my name.”