Joyce noticed the dark circles under Neris's eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"Did you have a bad night's sleep, Lady Neris?"
"It was more comfortable than last night, I think."
Joyce couldn't help but touch his own eyes, which were probably just as dark. He had barely slept a wink, and it was unlikely that his eyes would be bright and alert like a deer's.
Last night had been a nightmare for everyone in the household, including the McKinnon Earl and his wife, as well as their relatives.
"I apologize for calling you so early, but I have something to confirm."
Neris smiled wryly as she listened to Joyce's formal words.
Diane was still sleeping, and Neris knew that she would continue to sleep in and toss and turn. Neris left her alone and had breakfast, which Betty had brought her.
As soon as she finished getting dressed, she was summoned to Joyce's study.
Joyce's stiffness, which never forgot etiquette, was far more valuable than Nualan's friendly smile, which seemed to be plotting something.
"A woman came to visit this morning, claiming to be Lady Neris. But what she said was so shocking that..."
"What did she say?"
Neris raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. Joyce gritted his teeth for a moment before correcting himself.
"I mean, the situation that I inferred from what she said was shocking."
Joan Morie, who was standing by the door to the study, looked serious. Neris finally turned to look at her.
Joan didn't look great. She had been hiding in town for several days to avoid Angelo's eyes, so it was hard for her to take care of her appearance.
Her hair was neatly styled, but her clothes were wrinkled. However, her expression was brighter than before.
"Did Lady Neris help this woman?"
Joyce asked, looking skeptical.
Joan's eyes flickered with anxiety for a moment. She had taken a risk by requesting a private meeting with the young master so early in the morning. She had only been able to do so because she had heard about what had happened at the mansion last night.
Joan explained that the Railing company was manipulating their accounts and embezzling goods meant for the McKinnon company.
The young master had granted her a private meeting because she had said she had something urgent to discuss about Sivana McKinnon, but he had frowned throughout her story.
And at the end, he asked sharply.
"So, my uncle was involved in this?"
Because she was nervous, Joan realized that she should have started with that story.
Joan, who had nothing to lose, presented all the circumstantial evidence she had.
When she finished, Joyce quietly called for Lady Neris, and Joan stood still, holding her breath, until Neris walked into the study with her quick steps.
A twelve-year-old girl, not a business manager. Joan felt a sense of relief at Neris's youthful appearance, but she couldn't shake off the doubt about whether her own actions were rational.
The courage to let go.
What Neris had said a few days ago couldn't be dismissed as a child's words. How could a young noblewoman know so much about Joan's situation?
However, Joan had to admit that she was exhausted.
That's why she had been swayed by a few words.
She had decided to stop the situation that had been tormenting her and reveal the truth.
Neris smiled wryly at Joan and said.
"Yes, is that so?"
She poked her cheeks with her index fingers and smiled again. It was a childish action, but it was adorable, matching her small and delicate features.
Joyce looked at her with a mixture of surprise and annoyance. Joan also looked stunned. After a moment, Joyce's deep eyes sparkled behind his glasses.
"What are you doing?"
"This is the kind of behavior you expect from me."
"I've never expected this kind of behavior from you."
If a real child had seen that expression, they would have been hurt. But Neris just laughed.
Joyce was indeed clever. He believed in his own judgment, which he had formed through observation and experience. He didn't rely on vague prejudices about her age.
So, this would be better for the McKinnon family.
"You believed that Diane wouldn't know because she's young, that Nualan would be honest because he's family, and that Angelo would be reliable because he was introduced by family. But you don't believe me, even though I'm young and was introduced by family, Joyce?"
Joyce's eyes trembled.
Neris could read the confusion, anger, and acceptance in his clear eyes. She could sense the last emotion because she had already anticipated it.
"I don't think what I say has more evidentiary value than other circumstances. You must have ways to verify whether what Morie says is true or not. But you still called me here to test me, didn't you?"
That was correct.
Joyce was at a loss for words and looked down at the girl in front of him. To him, she was still the little sister who used to crawl around in her crib. Was she really the same age as his sister?
The strong light made it hard to see, but he felt like he saw a deep sadness and cynicism hidden in her eyes. But what reason could a twelve-year-old have to hide such emotions?
Neris chuckled and puffed out her chest.
"I won't waste my time repeating explanations to someone who already knows everything. Just make sure to protect Morie, okay? You can do that, right?"
Joyce stared at Neris for a while, and after taking a few deep breaths, he clenched his fist and promised.
"...I will."
***
"You ungrateful bastards! How well I treated you!"
Nualan's mouth didn't stop even as he was being dragged away by the McKinnon family's servants. The maids, who had never seen the usually polite cousin use such coarse language, shook their heads, and the servants holding him tightened their grip.
Sivana cried out, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Brother! Brother, it's all a misunderstanding! Sister-in-law! You know how much I care for Diane!"
Joyce, who had expected this reaction and had kept them locked up in the basement until the end of the holiday, had a cold expression.
The McKinnon Earl and his wife didn't even acknowledge Sivana's words. They just affectionately kissed Diane, who was standing in front of the carriage.
Behind Diane, the servants who would be accompanying her to school were busily loading her new clothes, books, and toys into the new carriage.
"Di, if anything happens, write to me right away. I'll come immediately."
"My dear, I'll miss you so much when you're gone."
"If you're uncomfortable or need anything, just send a letter to Father and he'll take care of it."
Diane had scolded her friends for calling her "aga" earlier, but now her eyes were a bit red too.
Starting from the day after the celebration, the family's guests had begun to leave one by one, and by today, the only outsider left was Neris.
Neris watched with great interest as Sivana and his wife were tied up and thrown into a carriage, without even pretending to look away.
The method of enforcing the lord's banishment order varied by region, and it seemed that this area still had the old custom of immediately dragging them out of the territory.
Nualan's eyes, which had been struggling against the servants, suddenly met Neris's face. Neris received his hateful and disdainful gaze without batting an eye.
Joyce, who had seen this, naturally stepped in between Nualan and Neris to shield her.
"Lady Neris."
Under the clear and blue winter sky, like expensive glass, Joyce bowed his head and sparkled his eyes.
"Thank you."
"There's nothing to thank me for."
Neris replied in a refined and flat tone, without any emotion, not even a sense of pride or satisfaction that one might expect in this situation.
Joyce looked at her and surprisingly smiled.
"Integrity is a great virtue, but sometimes it's necessary to reveal one's own merits."
Integrity? If anyone here was the most malicious, it would be Neris Truede. And who was Joyce to say that to her?
Neris was taken aback by Joyce's words, which seemed to come from a man who valued trust and kindness towards the weak.
She smiled wryly and replied in a somewhat sarcastic tone.
"Thank you for the advice."
"If you need any help, please don't hesitate to contact the McKinnon family. We'll do our best to assist you, even if it's just a small help."
The McKinnon family could grow stronger by using this incident as fertilizer. Neris didn't need to decline, so she curtsied.
"Thank you for the offer."
The carriage carrying Sivana and his wife was already far away. Next, Angelo and his daughter were dragged out. Joyce frowned at Angelo's commotion.
"Sir! Oh, Countess! Countess! I'm innocent! I was deceived! I mean, how could I, a weak person, refuse the orders of the Count's brother?"
"Shut up!"
Thanks to Joan's testimony, Angelo was punished for embezzlement and attempted murder of the Count's daughter. Many of his past misdeeds had been revealed, and an investigation into his other crimes was ongoing.
The McKinnon family's servants, who knew all about this, didn't hesitate to beat him and gag his mouth.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Unlike Sivana, who was a noble, Angelo was a commoner. His punishment would be more severe than banishment, and he would have to leave through the back door, not the front gate.
Joyce walked towards Angelo and his daughter, and Neris glanced at Heather.
Heather hadn't committed any crimes, but since her father had fallen, she would never set foot in this mansion again. She looked just as disheveled as her father after being locked in the basement for days.
Heather's gaze, which had been darting nervously towards Joyce while standing next to her father, met Neris's and then moved to Diane.
Diane was also looking at Heather. Neris stood between the two girls, blocking their view of each other.
Although Diane was taller than Neris, she couldn't completely block Heather's view, but Diane smiled wryly, seemingly uninterested in Heather.
"It was fun walking around the lake, wasn't it?"
Despite the chaos on the celebration day, Diane and Neris had spent the rest of the holiday period quite enjoyably. They had ridden horses around the lake - Joyce had held the reins - and even gone to the forest to pick up pinecones. They had also spent a whole day reading together in the McKinnon mansion's luxurious library.
Neris hadn't disliked those times either. She had been able to think about her future plans while walking, and in the library, she had gained a lot of information about the current state of the country. She nodded.
"Yeah."
"Let's do it again next year!"
Heather cried and followed her father, who was being dragged away towards the back door. When Heather was out of sight, the McKinnon Earl spoke up.
"You're always welcome here, Neris."