Even after a long lecture, Valentine's temper did not subside. Other noble ladies in the dressing room felt as if they had only heard the conversation between herself and Natasha. Even though Natasha had spoken softly enough, they couldn't bear the irritation.
In the end, Valentine left Madame Puyi's dressing room without buying anything. And to change his mood, he decided to visit a dressing room he had never been to before.
"Let's go to the Mori Shop."
The servant who received Valentine's command drove the carriage slowly.
Mid-Lotusga, where high-end dressing rooms are gathered. Mori Shop, which put up a new sign a few years ago, was a place frequented by young nobles these days.
Valentine liked Madame Puyi's dresses and was confident in his own taste. And he thought that constantly finding new stores was a sign of doubting his own eyes.
But honestly, the designs hanging on the shelves of the Mori Shop were so much to Valentine's taste. To the extent that it could be said that someone had seen directly into Valentine's mind and created them.
So Valentine, who had wanted to go there for a while, decided to make today an historic day.
A while later, the carriage carrying Valentine stopped at the destination. Feeling good, Valentine got off the carriage and looked impressed at another carriage parked in front of the store.
"Oh my."
Coincidentally, at that moment, a familiar face got off the carriage. Megara Lycandros, who had come to Hwando for the vacation just like Valentine.
Unlike two years ago when she had a blemish on her face at the graduation ball, Megara had unfortunately regained her original beauty after the treatment. There were even comments that she was getting prettier as she aged."
Megara looked surprised when she saw Valentine, raising her eyebrows. Valentine asked with the same expression on his face. A sharp tension flowed between the two ladies like enemies.
"Been here?"
Megara replied with a seemingly kind face to others but an attitude that Valentine, who knew her well, could sense a hint of mockery.
"Yeah. The designs here are so perfectly tailored to my taste as if someone who knows me well made them. Don't you have your usual dressing room?"
At that moment, an employee rushed out from the Mori Shop. Valentine wanted the Mori Shop staff to attend to her first to slightly deflate Megara's pride. Especially right after conceding the consultation at Madame Puyi's to Natasha.
In such situations, Valentine had only one known method. She arrogantly said to the staff, "What's the best item in this store? Bring them all to me."
Neris had a satisfied look as she received Dora's report. The letter she had sent to Cladwin mainly consisted of instructions to be passed on to Joan. Despite being a very complex task, Joan had done it well.
Revealing the dresses of the design specified by Neris at the Mori Shop's Felena branch was part of it. The highest quality lace, embroidery, and fabrics that had been sourced across the continent for years were combined according to the tastes of Megara and Valentine as seen by Neris in her past life.
The manager of the Mori Shop's Felena branch was also a character. He seemed to know how to fuel the vanity of young people who wanted to stand out more than their peers.
Dora informed that the Mori Shop had successfully completed its mission.
"Good job. Since Valentine has filled the store with furniture and snacks he likes, he will continue to visit frequently. Tell them to keep showing more expensive items. There's no need to be too obsessed with sales persuasion. Just keep fueling vanity. Valentine will spend money on his own."
"Understood."
Dora replied briskly to Neris' words. Even though she wouldn't have a clue about the situation.
Looking up at Dora like that, Neris smirked.
"Considering the variables, I will have to continue giving orders, so you will have to visit the Mori Shop frequently."
"Yes, ma'am. You just need to give the orders."
Neris remained silent for a moment at the response that seemed all too natural.
"You don't ask why I'm assigning you these tasks."
"Yes, ma'am. It must be because you deem it necessary. Like in Pechernon."
It was a pure level of trust. Despite being from a background that had to do all sorts of dirty work, Dora always saw Neris as an exceptional person.
Feeling the weight of that trust once again, Neris forced a bitter smile. She had come here alone without consulting Cladwin, assuming he wouldn't understand or would try to stop her...
How naturally the people of Mainland instilled trust.
"What about the situation in Tropeur?"
"Yes. We have obtained permission to operate in Tropeur, allowing us to hire enough workers and guards for the branch building."
"I was worried about running out of time due to the approaching festival. It's fortunate. If there are any changes, it would be good for you to contact Mori Yang every day so we can be informed immediately. It's a matter of life and death, so we need to ensure there are no issues along the way."
"Although Dora couldn't understand Neris' words at all, she faithfully replied, 'Yes.'
The Tropeur region was not particularly noteworthy among outsiders. However, as a key transportation hub, it collected considerable taxes from merchants, and it was one of the lands Neris received from the landowner in her previous life.
In particular, the second son of the Wells Marquis, the second brother of the Countess of Ellandria, had established a branch of the Wells Estate there as his base, ensuring a stable income.
Tropeur had only once garnered significant attention in Neris' previous life.
The Le Dang tribe trial.
On the eve of the winter festival this year in her previous life, one-third of the Le Dang tribe was attacked and killed by neighboring Vistain people.
Surprisingly, the next day, those arrested and tried were not the Vistain people who committed the murders but the Le Dang people who had lost their families.
The trial revealed evidence that the Le Dang tribe worshipped heresy, hated the Vistain people, and intended to poison wells and fields. The Vistain people who attacked the Le Dang tribe on the eve of the festival were acquitted on the grounds of acting in self-defense to protect themselves.
Moreover, the Le Dang people were known for their savage nature, with an image of killing and being killed by each other. The fact that several Le Dang murderers, who had suddenly been discovered dead without witnesses or evidence, were of the same tribe, was revealed. One of the victims was Monica, Lady Marayer's maid.
Neris had no intention of letting the same thing happen in this life. Therefore, she had instructed Joan Morier to establish a branch in Tropeur during the winter, but to be mindful of the surrounding environment.
Compared to the established Wells family in the region, the people of Mori Top were foreigners. When competition arose in business, the Wells family members, along with the Tropeur lord they allied with, rejected Mori Top.
'For now, that's better.'
The Lady had the justification to hire more guards as she had been openly shunned in the region under her rule, and now she had the pretext to employ more.
Neris intended to save the Le Dang tribe people because she remembered well the words she had heard in her previous life.
"What the people want is not the truth, Your Highness. It's just a story that seems plausible to them. They envy and despise the wealthy but admire those with money and power. If the prestigious Vistain family has amassed wealth, wouldn't that bring happiness to the people?"
This incident should have been called the Le Dang Massacre. The Le Dang people were not at fault. They were merely victims of the Wells Marquis, villains who killed people without a second thought.
They killed the innocent and actively manipulated evidence, ultimately taking away all the routes and wealth the Le Dang tribe had.
In her previous life, at this time, the Wells family briefly faced economic difficulties. Their wealth had come from importing sugar produced by slaves from an island in a distant southern country. However, when a volcano erupted on the island, the sugar supply suddenly stopped.
Businessmen never kept money idle. The Wells family, who had invested their earnings wherever they could make more money, found themselves at a loss when they couldn't pay off the debts they had accumulated.
Desperate to create cash flow by borrowing money from various sources, they set their sights on the Le Dang tribe's wealth. Not just a few individuals, but the entire tribe.
Monica might have been killed in advance as she could potentially convey the unsettling atmosphere of her hometown to others.
In the previous life, only the Wells family and Neris knew about these circumstances. The Countess's second brother boasted to her about the scheme he had devised, considering it a clever maneuver. Neris, who was then a princess, believed that she would keep the secret for the sake of her family.
He was right. Neris shamefully remained silent in her previous life.
"In fact, there was no choice. It was already after all the evidence had been tampered with, and all those involved had been silenced by death. At that time, given her status, her every move was being monitored by both the palace and the marquis, as well.
'But that doesn't justify me.'
The Lady and her maid, both were well acquainted with Neris. The fact that they couldn't make the real culprits who caused deep sorrow in their hearts pay for their crimes always haunted Neris with guilt like a blade, both in her previous life and now.
Was there truly no single way out? What had she protected by remaining cowardly silent, she wondered.
This time, the culprit had to be caught. It was not only necessary for her, but she also wanted to do it if she could.
As Neris looked down at the floor with a solemn expression, Dora cautiously observed her demeanor.
After a moment, Dora's gaze sharpened.
"Ma'am, someone is coming. It's not the maid named Alice."
"Is that so?"
The people allowed to enter this room were limited. Neris gathered her thoughts and looked sharply as she awaited this moment.
She had been waiting for this very moment.
"Dora, if the person coming in takes me away, do not show any sympathy towards me and guard the room. If anyone enters the room and behaves suspiciously in the meantime, handle it appropriately at your discretion."
"Understood."
As someone knocked on the door, Dora slightly hid her body in the darkness of the room. Neris calmly responded with a serene voice.
"Come in."
The person who appeared when the door opened was Delma.
Previously always cheerful, she now looked at Neris with disgust and hatred. She must have decided that she couldn't hide her anger anyway.
"Miss Neris."
Still, as the pretense of greeting when she was about to be slapped, her greeting was modest. Neris looked at Delma with a contemptuous face. Although Neris was much smaller than Delma, it was clear to both who was 'looking down' on whom.
"What's the matter? Do you have more to say?"
"Madam and our young lady wish to meet you."
Delma's eyebrows trembled with anger at the condescending attitude. Despite that, Neris confirmed Delma's prioritization of answering rather than acting arrogantly.
Valentine and Delma must have been preparing a prank.
"Her Ladyship and Valentine? Why?"
"Miss Neris wishes to discuss what you need when entering the mansion."
It was a ridiculous excuse. If there really was a need for such a discussion, it should have been done on the first day Neris entered this house.
'Perhaps I got some inspiration while choosing today's outfit.'
Neris nodded her head while not hiding her smirk. She had been waiting for this day since she slapped Delma.
If it wasn't to provoke Valentine, there was no need to spend much time with Delma.
"Well then, let's go. Lead the way."
Delma was taken aback by Neris speaking as if she had a choice. However, as she thought that Valentine and her plan were about to be executed, she felt better knowing she wouldn't have to see that arrogant face anymore.
Neris leisurely followed Delma, who had left the room blankly earlier. She then subtly signaled to Dora, who might be hiding somewhere in the room, to be at ease.
As the door closed behind her, Neris moved forward without quotation marks.