The second year magic class was held in the same classroom as the first year.

And most sat in the same seats as last year, with only the difference being that Megara’s seat next to her was now occupied by a child other than Idalia.

Diane, who noticed Neris coming in, brightened up and waved.

“Liz!”

“Hello, Diane.”

The two girls greeted each other with a hug. Neris sat down next to Diane and scanned the class.

Many children had grown taller over the summer vacation. The children who enjoyed the long break were chattering away, looking noticeably healthier and happier than before.

Megara’s appearance stood out among them. Megara had turned her head to talk to Albert Rishel sitting on her left, and happened to make eye contact with Neris.

Megara smiled a fantastic smile as if very glad to see her. Neris smiled back.

‘What are you smiling at?’

Neris’s smile looked cheerful. Megara keenly noticed that she had gained a little weight over the break and her cheeks had a healthy glow, and that fact irked her.

‘How dare she?’

Yes, how dare Neris Trude have a ‘good’ summer vacation?

Because of the exam paper theft incident last semester, Megara had to give up a very useful horse. Although she got away with it well, she herself did not end without any punishment.

Though she did not directly participate in the theft, a notice was sent home stating that she falsely accused another student to cover up the real culprit.

Marquis Likeandros was not usually one to interfere with his daughter’s actions. However, receiving a letter of protest from the student council was a serious matter.

What was the student council anyway? Wasn’t it a gathering of noble boys and girls who would lead the empire in the future? How could her daughter get married if she received an assessment of being immoral from such a place?

Compared to that, even the friction with Marquis Kendal was nothing. Because there was a clear difference in rank between the two families.

Thanks to this, Megara had to spend a not-so-pleasant vacation. Marquis Likeandros, who wanted to appear to those around him as if he was giving his daughter good home education, banned her from going out for a month.

And even the outings he barely allowed were limited to within the Royce family. She missed out on all the parties at the numerous mansions in the outskirts of the imperial capital, and the gatherings of peers in the forests or by the rivers.

But to think that the culprit enjoyed a leisurely holiday, this was unacceptable.

Megara inwardly snorted. Of course, Neris’s leisurely days would not last much longer. Because Valentine had entered the school.

Valentine Elandria.

That girl, who wasn’t very smart herself, was persistent and after all, a duke’s daughter. Having appropriately scratched her pride, she would certainly not leave Neris alone.

Expecting to hear rumors of Neris Trude being at a loss, Megara turned her eyes to the teacher.

“It’s Isabel, young lady.”

While greeting politely, Isabel’s eyes did not leave the sight of the shabby dormitory room. Neris, who received the greeting while sitting in a chair, lazily pointed out.

“What are you looking at?”

“I apologize, young lady.”

Having worked in the duke’s house for a long time, Isabel certainly knew the etiquette of addressing her master. It was definitely rude behavior to be scanning the room while coming to greet the master.

However, she was a little surprised because she didn’t think this little girl would speak of manners.

The life of a knight’s daughter, not even a baronet, was not much better than that of a commoner in terms of living standards.

At best, being on the fringe of nobility in status, she could only get certain types of jobs from employers who wanted even their servants to have dignified status.

Especially since being a lady’s maid was a popular occupation, Isabel met many daughters of low-ranking knights like herself at work. And among them, those who had received proper etiquette education could be counted on one hand.

Even to have such… what should I call it, natural authority? It was rather more than even the duchess…

Isabel startled as she unconsciously thought of words fitting for this child she would have to serve from today.

That couldn’t be. For a child who grew up poor in the countryside.

Before coming here, Isabel had been thoroughly educated by Delma. How insignificant Neris’s background was, how shamelessly she walked around with her head held high despite being born from a collateral line that was embarrassing to even call relatives.

It would just be nitpicking for someone uneducated to mention manners. If this side intimidated her enough, she wouldn’t even make arrogant remarks.

How could that country bumpkin compare to Isabel, who had been trained for years to serve superiors in the duke’s house? Actually, if this side acted strongly, it was obvious she would be clumsy.

Having thought that far, Isabel regained her confidence and held her head high. And as soon as she did so, she was surprised for the second time by Neris’s eyes that met hers.

She had heard rumors, but they really were vivid purple eyes. Exactly like the portrait of the first duke, ‘Honest Elandria’, hanging in the Elandria family mansion.

“It seems you haven’t been properly educated before coming here.”

Neris smiled faintly, wielding those purple eyes that seemed to have come out of a painting.

That smile was exactly like that of the high-blooded guests who were treated very preciously even in the duke’s house, which Isabel could barely glimpse from the corner of her eye.

Captivated by that smile, Isabel answered blankly a beat late.

“Pardon?”

“‘Pardon?’ It seems the head maid who taught you didn’t do her job properly. My elder brother wished for me to live comfortably and sent you, but it seems you won’t be able to fulfill your duties. Go back.”

Saying so, Neris turned her body.

Isabel was bewildered and at a loss at both the firm attitude and the scathing words. Of course, Isabel couldn’t go back now. Because she knew what result would await if she disappointed both Nelrysion and Valentine.

At minimum, being sent back to the mansion. In the worst case, she could be kicked out without a letter of introduction. Never to be hired by any noble family again.

That absolutely couldn’t happen. Isabel wanted to rise to a higher position than now.

And now wasn’t this an opportunity to please both the young lady and young master?

“I’m sorry, young lady! I will fix my shortcomings immediately. Please allow me to serve you! I will do my best to never inconvenience you.”

Therefore, Isabel began to kneel awkwardly and beg.

Neris turned her body again to look down at such an Isabel and narrowed her brows in boredom.

Even if someone like Isabel banged her head on the floor, it wouldn’t have impressed Neris. Because such things weren’t even considered punishment in the imperial family.

Knees that can be bent and straightened again as many times as needed.

“Get up. As you’ve just seen, this room is very small. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do.”

Isabel quickly got up, barely able to breathe properly. Neris looked at Isabel with unreadable eyes and then naturally gestured with her chin.

“It’s been a while since I came to the dormitory, so there’s a lot of laundry to do. Bring the bed sheets right away, wash them and hang them up. I need to sleep on clean sheets tonight.”

It was nonsense. It was already close to evening. If she washed the bed sheets now, they would have to sleep on damp sheets all night.

Seeing Isabel’s questioning expression, Neris tilted her head.

“Don’t you know how to iron?”

So, it meant to wash them right now and dry them quickly with an iron. Isabel felt a little more wronged than before.

Laundry and ironing were both hard labor, and in the duke’s mansion, only the most junior maids did such work.

“Young lady.”

Thinking that this one apparently didn’t know what a ‘lady’s maid’ does, Isabel held her neck stiffly. Well, what would someone of her status know about employing servants?

“Why are you calling me?”

“I am a lady’s maid of the duke’s family, not a maid of a common household. I haven’t learned and am not good at the kind of work you mentioned. My role is to follow and serve so that the young lady can live with dignity.”

Isabel’s contemptuous tone showed no trace of the appearance of begging ‘I will fix my shortcomings’ just a moment ago.

Neris laughed inwardly. Then and now, Isabel was persistent. Although she seemed to bow her head in front of others, she was always preoccupied with wanting to be superior to others in her heart.

“Then I don’t need you. As you can see, what this room needs is a maid who can do anything on her own, not a lady’s maid who just follows around someone who isn’t even a child anymore.”

Neris’s attitude was much more resolute than Isabel had thought. Isabel rolled her eyes for a moment, unable to judge how she should act.

The blonde child spoke softly.

“Kneel again. It hurts my neck to look up at you.”

Isabel knelt again. And belatedly she was surprised at the fact that she had not hesitated for even a moment.

Although the voice was clearly soft as if suggesting, every word of Neris was in the imperative form. And that command had the power to make even the adult Isabel obey without question.

“Since you say so, you’d better go back now. I don’t need a subordinate who doesn’t know their job. A servant who doesn’t listen to the master is more useless than a servant who can’t do the work. …Right, and earlier you said you would fix your shortcomings?”

That wasn’t the end. Neris lowered her eyes and continued speaking.

“How can you fix stupidity? Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem likely that elder brother Nelrysion would have sent me a child who hadn’t received proper education. So it’s probably not that you didn’t learn enough from the head maid, but that you’re too stupid to learn even if taught, isn’t it?”

Isabel almost screamed out of indignation and anger for a moment. But her last bit of reason barely prevented such a catastrophe. I just protested a little! How can you insult someone like this?

All the impressions Isabel had received of Neris Trude so far were wrong. This child had a dirty temperament befitting her origins. She was a very bad girl.

It would be great if she got a good scolding from Lady Valentine and disappeared!

Neris could see into Isabel’s mind as if looking into it while she was thinking such thoughts. People show their true colors when dealing with someone inferior to them, yet who has something they want.

And when Neris was adopted into the duke’s family, she saw Isabel’s true colors frequently.

Neris looked back at Isabel and sighed elegantly.

“Do you have no mouth? Say it yourself, Isabel. Are you stupid, or should I tell elder brother Nelrysion that it seems the maids of the Elandria family, from the head maid to the lowest, don’t do their jobs properly? The kind of lady’s maid who follows behind maintaining the master’s dignity is an upper-class maid. If he wanted to assign such a job, elder brother would have sent a maid of better birth than you, with a maid to take care of that child as well.”

Goodness, this child knew well about the hierarchy of servants! Isabel turned pale and prostrated herself on the floor. And she begged earnestly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, young lady! I was wrong. I was inadequate and ended up making you uncomfortable! I’ll do well, I’ll really do well! Please…!”

Neris sighed once again, quite like an adult. Even that sound felt sharp as a needle to Isabel.

She was anxious, her heart pounding, wondering if this young one would really run to the young master and say bad things.

After a while, Isabel heard a voice that sounded like salvation.

“I’ll let it go this time. Not because I think you’ll be useful, but out of consideration for elder brother and Valentine’s faces. Don’t misunderstand and work diligently.”

“Yes, young lady! Thank you, thank you…!”

“Now can you do the laundry?”

“I’ll do as you say, young lady.”

Having said that, Isabel added a word with relief.

“Um, how about you go have a meal in the meantime?”

“A meal?”

Neris raised her thin, dark eyebrows, openly showing an attitude of ‘How dare you comment on my schedule?’ Isabel lowered her eyes and said obsequiously.

“Lady Valentine said she wanted to have dinner together with Lady Neris by the lake today. She said to meet at the white pavilion by the lake.”

“Is that so?”

Neris smiled faintly. Isabel, who roughly knew what Valentine had prepared for today, barely suppressed the desire to look triumphant in front of that face.

Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts! It would be great if that annoying brat just fainted! No, it would be better if she caught a cold and died!