Chapter 30

As soon as Diane was seated on a nearby bench, Nualan and Joyce left to entertain the trade guests. Nerys also stood up, saying she needed to visit the restroom.

Diane didn’t want to be left alone with Heather, but she couldn’t exactly ask Nerys to stay, so she sat quietly.

“Diane, the mansion felt so empty without you.”

Heather hesitated when Diane remained silent, staring at the lake, before speaking in a gentle voice. Diane frowned.

“You must’ve been at my house a lot while I was gone.”

“A few times. My father is deeply indebted to the Count.”

Heather’s voice was genuinely humble and unassuming. Diane stared at her before turning her gaze away again.

When Diane didn’t respond, Heather spoke again after a brief pause.

“How is the academy? Have you made many friends?”

“You saw my friend.”

“Aside from Lady Nerys?”

“I’m closest to Riz.”

Probably. Diane recalled how Nerys had introduced her as a friend the previous day and smiled faintly. Heather hesitated with an awkward expression.

“Lady Diane… I mean no disrespect, but when the Count sent you to the academy, wasn’t it with the hope that you’d make many friends of equal standing? Lady Nerys is, of course, very intelligent, but, well…”

“What?”

Diane sharply turned her head to glare at Heather.

Heather’s delicate face trembled as if frightened. It was a pitiful expression that might have evoked sympathy from anyone else, but Diane did not soften her gaze. Just then, three noblewomen passing nearby noticed the exchange and approached.

“Oh dear, what’s going on?”

“Who do we have here? Isn’t that Railing’s daughter? Why have you upset Diane?”

As the noblewomen made a fuss, more eyes turned toward them. Diane felt uneasy, while Heather, blushing in embarrassment, hurried to explain.

“I… I spoke out of turn about Lady Diane’s friend, and it upset her. It was my fault.”

The noblewoman who had first spoken let out a knowing laugh.

“Heather and Diane have been close since childhood, so it’s natural for her to be concerned.”

“Diane, you might not realize it yet, but you must be careful when choosing friends.”

Diane’s eyes widened. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Why did they think Nerys needed to be scrutinized? What did they even know about her?

She blinked a few times, her lips trembling with anger before she finally spoke.

“My friend is smarter and more refined than anyone at the academy. I have chosen my friends wisely.”

“Oh my, is that so…”

The noblewomen exchanged glances and smiled knowingly. Diane was about to argue further when Nerys returned.

“Diane.”

“Riz!”

Though she had been waiting for her, Diane first checked Nerys’ face. Had she overheard anything?

Nerys’ expression remained as composed as ever. The noblewomen, covering their mouths with their hands, stole glances at her. Nerys lifted the hem of her dress politely and greeted them.

“Madams.”

That level of poise wasn’t something one could pick up from a few etiquette classes at the academy.

The noblewomen had just heard the rumor that this girl—who wasn’t even of noble blood—had cunningly attached herself to naive Diane, planning to leech off her wealth. But this didn’t match what they were seeing.

“Why do you look so upset, Diane? You seem worse than before I left.”

“It’s nothing.”

The observation was accurate, but Diane didn’t want to explain something that might hurt Nerys. The noblewomen soon left, leaving the three girls alone on the bench.

“How’s your ankle? Does it hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

She hadn’t fallen badly. As Diane dismissed the concern, Heather spoke again with a worried expression.

“Lady Diane, the academy has dance classes, doesn’t it? How are you managing? You fell today, so I can’t help but worry.”

“It’s fine.”

Diane muttered irritably. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.

Heather had always been like this. She would say things that soured the mood, then make a pitiful face like before, acting as if she had done nothing wrong.

She would emphasize how trivial her words were and add something like I’m sorry if I offended you, making Diane look unreasonable.

Why did adults trust Heather so much? Did she not make such comments when they were around?

As Diane puzzled over it, Heather turned to Nerys with a friendly smile.

“Lady Nerys, does Lady Diane participate in her classes often?”

“Of course.”

Nerys smiled. Her piercing gaze made Heather blink several times before forcing a matching smile.

“You seem so capable, Lady Nerys. Lady Diane spoke highly of you, saying you were intelligent and refined.”

“Did she? Diane tends to see me in a better light than I deserve. She’s spoken about you too. You two have known each other since childhood, haven’t you? How old are you?”

“I’m sixteen, the same age as Lady Muriel.”

“That makes sense. No wonder Muriel keeps you close. You must see each other often and naturally get along.”

“Oh, not at all. How could I, with my status, dare to presume to be her friend?”

“Is that so? You understand well.”

Nerys’ final remark was delivered in the same calm tone as the rest of their conversation. Heather blinked, momentarily unsure if she had heard correctly.

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing, just admiration. I’ve heard you’re quite sharp. Diane certainly knows how to pick people well.”

Nerys covered her mouth as she chuckled.

Heather’s face turned red. Diane blinked, glancing between them. A moment later, Heather’s eyes welled up with tears.

“I… My lady… I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did wrong, but…”

“What do you mean wrong? I was just admiring you.”

There weren’t many people at the party who didn’t know Heather. Even those who hadn’t been familiar with her before the event had seen her trailing after Muriel, a relative of the hosting family. By now, most guests had at least recognized her face.

So when Heather suddenly burst into tears in front of Diane, it naturally drew attention—perhaps even more so than before, considering how much notice they had already attracted.

“Why are you crying all of a sudden?”

Has she lost her mind? Diane asked in sheer disbelief. Nerys quickly signaled her to stop talking.

“Agh, my dear!”

A man pushed through the crowd. Though his bald scalp gleamed under the light, the hair he had left was elegantly tied back, and he wore luxurious clothes.

He hurried to Heather and cradled her hands in his own.

“My dear, why are you crying? What happened?”

Nerys recognized him—he was about twelve years younger than she remembered.

Angelo Railing.

His real name was Angelo Railini, but when he moved to Bistor in his youth and started his business, he had changed it to fit the local style.

A man who would use any means to achieve his goals, who treated betrayal like a casual meal.

Loyalty and fairness didn’t exist in Angelo’s world. Only cunning did. He devoured those who had supported him with kindness and trust, consuming them with ruthless greed.

If, at this point in time, Angelo was trying to maintain a close relationship with the MacKinnon family, there was only one reason.

His next target was the MacKinnon trade network.

Nerys had expected Angelo to appear if Heather was pushed even slightly. He adored his only daughter, after all.

Curious about how Heather would respond, she watched with interest.

“Father, it’s nothing… I just…”

Heather wiped her tears quickly, her shoulders trembling, and forced a composed smile.

Diane’s jaw dropped in horror. Nerys observed Heather with an amused smile.

Just as she had suspected—Heather saw them as fools. She had already painted herself as a kind girl who was constantly victimized and had likely assumed that Nerys was now marked as a bad influence on Diane.

She must have thought that with just one gentle push, she could ensure Nerys would never be welcomed into the MacKinnon estate again.

Unfortunately for Heather, Nerys had dealt with far more cunning manipulators for much longer. Compared to Megara, a woman who had effortlessly bewitched the crown prince, Heather was just an amateur still struggling to control her own emotions.

“I was simply complimenting her after she praised me. She suddenly started crying. Maybe some dust got into her eyes? You should check properly instead of just holding her hands.”

The people who had arrived late, only witnessing Heather smiling through her tears, quickly lost interest after hearing Nerys’ words. (T/N: Damn girl!)

Heather glanced at Nerys, who remained completely unfazed. Realizing she had no choice, she hesitantly nodded.

Had Nerys or Diane exaggerated the situation by questioning Heather’s behavior further, Heather could have played the victim right then and there. But that path was now blocked. Complaining now would only ruin her carefully crafted sweet and innocent image.

Frustration flickered across her face as she dabbed at her tears, subtly signaling her father with a look.

Angelo, momentarily thrown off, quickly caught on and raised his voice.

“My dear, who cries this much over a bit of dust? If something is upsetting you, tell me! I’ll fix everything for you!”

The commotion had drawn so much attention that even the MacKinnon Count and Countess finally pushed through the crowd.

The Countess gasped upon seeing Diane at the center of everyone’s focus.

“Di, what happened? Did you and Heather have a fight?”

A fight between the MacKinnon count’s daughter and the daughter of a foreign merchant? The imbalance in power was too obvious. Noticing the judgmental looks being cast toward Diane, Nerys inwardly clicked her tongue.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Joan Morier watching the scene from a distance.

“It’s nothing. Nerys was just complimenting Heather, and she suddenly started crying. I think her eyes hurt.”

Diane didn’t fully understand her closest friend’s tactics but trusted her anyway.

Repeating Nerys’ words verbatim, Diane immediately reassured the MacKinnon couple. They completely believed her—after all, their daughter wasn’t the type to lie about something like this. And she wasn’t lying.

Angelo also quickly read their reaction.

He knew his daughter. There was no way sweet, gentle Heather had suffered enough to cry in front of Diane, of all people.

“Heather was kind enough to tell Diane to rest after she fell during the dance. It’s such a shame she’s being treated this way.”

“Di, you fell?”

The Countess looked shocked, her round eyes mirroring Diane’s. Diane lifted her chin.

“It was just a small mistake. I’m not hurt.”

“She was dancing with Nualan and tripped while spinning. But she didn’t cry, so she’s very mature.” Nerys said.

Everyone’s focus instantly shifted to Diane.

Heather’s face turned bright red with anger and humiliation.

Never before had someone so blatantly disrupted her carefully planned scheme.

Dust in her eyes? They knew perfectly well that wasn’t true, yet they said it anyway.

The MacKinnon Count and Countess insisted on taking Diane inside to check her knees. Nerys stood up, saying she would accompany them.

Before leaving, she leaned toward Heather, who now looked utterly lost, and spoke lightly.

“Let’s have a proper talk later.”

Both Heather and Angelo immediately understood the underlying meaning.

Once Nerys was out of sight, Angelo turned to his daughter and whispered.

“What happened?”

With the crowd dispersing, Heather no longer bothered to hide her expression. Her face twisted with fury as she spat through clenched teeth.

“That girl is insufferable. She’s not even a real noble! She had the audacity to tell me that I couldn’t be friends with Muriel because of my status—how ridiculous!”

“Lower your voice.”

Angelo hissed, startled. Heather’s reputation in social circles was only intact because of the goodwill she had built with the MacKinnon family. If she lost that, things would become very difficult.

Heather clamped her mouth shut but continued glaring in the direction where Nerys had disappeared.

From a distance, Joan Morier watched the scene with quiet interest.