Chapter 166

As usual, Nerys had just finished another fruitless tug-of-war with the imperial investigators when Joseph came to meet her.

In the early days of the investigation, Nellusion would wait for Nerys and accompany her back. But that couldn’t go on forever—he couldn’t personally keep watch every time.

So Nerys tried to board the carriage without a word. That’s when someone approached her.

“Lady Truydd.”

It was the matron’s butler.

Not a footman, but the butler who should’ve been attending to the matron directly. It seemed the matron, upon hearing the news, had sent the fastest person she could. The matron’s household had few servants, all busy with their own duties.

She already knew things had gone well—Dora had reported it to her. Nerys smiled inwardly and offered a seasonal greeting. After all, the new year had just begun a few days ago.

“Happy New Year. Now, do you have business with me?”

“The matron wishes to see you. It concerns the investigation.”

Joseph, who had been watching warily, looked satisfied. Nellusion had been wondering why things hadn’t yet concluded, especially since the matron had promised her help.

So Joseph offered politely, “Lady Truydd, I’ll follow behind. Please speak freely, I’ll wait nearby until you’re done.”

“Is that so? Then I’ll trouble you for that, Sir Joseph.”

Nerys smiled innocently and followed the butler.

The butler had brought the finest carriage from the matron’s estate. After helping Nerys board, he moved to sit beside the coachman. But Nerys spoke amiably.

“It’s cold. Come sit inside.”

“My station requires I sit outside.”

The stiff butler declined politely, but Nerys smiled and insisted.

“You’re always by the matron’s side, responsible for her well-being. I’d hate for you to catch a cold on my account. It would trouble my conscience, so come in. And if it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me what the matron likes? Since you’ve been so considerate, I’d like to offer at least a small token of thanks.”

The butler glanced toward Joseph. Then slowly, reluctantly, he entered the carriage.

“Hyah!”

The carriage began moving. Amid the vibrations of the wheels, Nerys quietly observed the butler.

At last, he sighed.

“The thanks should come from the matron. And from me as well.”

“Did you catch the person who killed Miss Monica?”

“A witness came forward. The culprit is from House Wells.”

“So they haven’t been apprehended yet.”

“It’s only a matter of time.”

The butler ground his teeth discreetly. But Nerys understood his feelings.

News of a loved one’s sudden, tragic death. And she’d been a bright, kind young woman who was well liked by all.

She had died far too young. And with no witnesses, how devastated must her family have been?

In the butler’s case, they had believed the culprit had been caught, only to discover it wasn’t the real one. That must have been even more infuriating. Fortunately, this time, they had found the true murderer.

“I heard bits of it from Miss Moriér. But she’s a commoner and didn’t know what happened after the festival. Would you mind telling me what you know?”

The butler looked at Nerys with a curious expression. Thankfully, he didn’t seem offended.

“Is that why you asked me to ride inside?”

“No, I truly want to know what the matron likes. I hesitated, worried it might seem like a bribe, but now that the matron knows I’m close with Miss Moriér, I wonder if I could gift her some of the Moriér Merchant Group’s medicinal products.”

“The matron has already decided to fully support the Moriér Merchant Group’s business in Tropur. Many lives could have been lost, but thanks to your group’s quick action, the crisis was averted.”

“Still, I’d like to pay for the gift myself. It’s unrelated. If the matron is open to it, I’d also like to send a physician who specializes in medicinal herbs. He could train her current doctor in using the new herbs developed by the merchant group.”

Nobles rarely accepted or introduced physicians lightly, due to the risk of assassination. But the matron, better than anyone, knew Nerys had no reason to harm her.

The butler responded cautiously, but with goodwill.

“I’ll relay your offer.”

“Thank you.”

The physician Nerys had in mind was the very one who, in her previous life, discovered that wedgepouch grew better when cultivated alongside halograss.

In this life, she had taken away his chance at fame but helped him escape his abusive father much earlier than planned. She had also arranged for him to study under a renowned doctor.

The physician didn’t know Nerys’s role. He thought someone high up in the Moriér Merchant Group had taken a liking to him and referred him to a good position. Recently, he had started working for the group.

Even if he was unaware, Nerys hadn’t forgotten how much she’d gained from his knowledge. With his diligence, if he made a good impression on the matron, he could attain the wealth and reputation any doctor would dream of.

‘I’ve repaid one more debt.’

Nerys thought idly as she looked out the window. So many bonds, both good and bad, from her previous life—it was overwhelming at times.

The carriage rolled slowly toward the matron’s estate.

❖ ❖ ❖

“A New Year’s gift.”

The matron pointed bluntly to the envelope on the table.

The servants at the estate were especially polite today. Though working here already meant they had top-tier training, today they were treating Nerys as though welcoming an emperor.

From their behavior, Nerys could tell the matron was truly pleased. She opened the envelope without hesitation.

Her lips softly read the heading on the top document.

“Certificate of toll exemption and private land purchase authorization in the Tropur region…”

Such documents usually ran only a few pages. But this one was thick. Nerys flipped through it and quickly saw why.

Toll exemptions and permissions in the Embil region, in Hartshire, in the Atlania Archipelago… Every domain she knew the matron to own was covered. And every one granted the maximum rights allowed to non-residents.

What’s more, the matron herself had signed them. Almost no one in the Empire could challenge the holder of these certificates.

Even the recipient’s name wasn’t specified—meaning they were freely transferable.

This kind of document would make a large merchant group willing to pay the price of multiple great estates. Even Nerys hadn’t expected such a generous gesture.

When she looked up, the matron gave a small cough.

“Don’t you know how to say thank you? I thought you had manners.”

“Thank you.”

Judging by the nature of the gift—something most useful in the hands of a merchant—the matron had likely guessed at her connection with the Moriér Merchant Group. Nerys bowed deeply.

Though the matron had scolded her, she didn’t seem displeased. In fact, it seemed more like she was shy about showing how pleased she really was. Nerys, who had known her well in her past life, could see that.

“You were right. All the ones who accused Rafure of murder were in on it. Turns out, he was framed by those scoundrels because of a grudge.”

“I heard he had the potential to become a unifying figure among the Redeng people.”

“Yes, that’s what they said. All twelve murder charges supposedly backed by evidence? Each was committed by someone different. And most of them had ties to the second son of House Wells.”

The matron’s expression darkened. A cold glint of murderous intent flickered in her eyes.

“Lord Wells has the audacity to deny the charges… but the truth is clear. My Monica, that sweet child, died from a single blow to the back of the head. I won’t repay it the same way. Like you said, I’ll make him beg for death.”

Apparently, when Monica’s body was found, there was a clear mark on the back of her head as if she’d been struck by a large hammer. The investigation had stalled since no weapon was found.

But who could have had such a weapon? If a knight from House Wells had hidden it, that explained the missing evidence. No one could just search an old noble house from top to bottom over a maid’s death.

Rafure had been framed due to one of those twelve cases showing similar injuries. But on the night before the festival, during the unrest, a knight from House Wells had been spotted wielding a massive hammer.

With proof now public that House Wells had plotted maliciously against the Redeng people, all related issues were resolved. Even the lord of Tropur would be replaced. Nerys smiled.

“As you should.”

“It doesn’t concern you?”

“What concern would it be of mine?”

“Then that’s good.”

The matron smiled faintly. That smile itself was rare and valuable.

‘What a strange girl.’

She had called Nellusion Elandria a viper without hesitation and inflicted irreparable damage on the Elandria duchess’s family.

House Wells was a wealthy high noble family, but when the imperial elders decided to punish them with clear evidence, there was no escape.

The Marquis of Wells—Duke Elandria’s father-in-law—would suffer financially, but even more so from the fact that his younger son was being investigated for treason and deceit against the Empire. Their entire business would fall into disarray.

As a result, Duke Elandria, who’d been relying on financial help from his in-laws, would see his ventures falter at just the right time.

That was why the matron had asked if it concerned her. Fortunately, it seemed Nerys truly disliked the Elandria family, with whom she was currently staying.

The matron, who understood the relationships between her nephews Camille and Adrian and the Elandria family, understood Nerys’s stance. Hadn’t she been framed for murder?

‘Still, she had no reason to strike at House Elandria this hard.’

A Ja’an in her gemstone eyes. Young, beautiful, healthy. Not clearly affiliated with any faction. Smart and well-educated.

Even if she were a duke, the matron would have taken her in and treated her favorably. Common sense dictated that anyone in Nerys’s shoes would’ve sought adoption into House Elandria to use their influence. The bigger the backing, the better.

And yet, she had chosen to become their enemy. That meant she had something else in mind.

The matron recalled the rumored confrontation in the imperial palace hallway—how the three most eligible bachelors of the Empire had argued over a single girl. It had already become gossip in high society.

That well-known northern noble she’d seen once or twice from afar.

If those two young men had joined forces, what kind of storm would follow? It certainly wouldn’t be peaceful, and the matron didn’t dislike the thought.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Nerys Truydd had always felt strangely familiar. She didn’t seem afraid of her.

And the matron didn’t mind that either.