Chapter 33

The Resurrection Festival was one of the grandest celebrations of the year, and the sheer volume of goods passing through the MacKinnon estate was beyond counting.

Food supplies, gifts, and even the daily necessities provided to the guests were overwhelming in quantity.

With such high demand, the mansion’s back entrance never saw a moment of rest. Among the many crates entering the estate, a significant number bore the elegant insignia of Railing.

Joan Morier, who had been overseeing the delivery of Railing Trading Company’s goods, lifted her weary gaze.

Like a candle lighting up a dark hallway, platinum blonde hair shone brightly. Those well-shaped amber eyes, indicative of noble lineage, were staring directly at her.

By now, there was no one in the estate who didn’t recognize the friend brought by the MacKinnon Count’s beloved daughter.

Joan blinked before cautiously asking,

“Are you lost, my lady? This passage is for the servants.”

“I know. I just happened to pass by and saw you working, so I came over.”

The girl’s explanation was delivered in a tone far too composed for someone her age.

“She means me?”

Joan felt a flicker of unease.

She was well aware of her employer Angelo’s sentiments toward Nerys Truydd.

She had heard the rumors—about how the girl was arrogant and difficult. If something had displeased her, Joan wasn’t sure how she should handle it.

But Nerys merely smiled.

“Yes, earlier, I saw a crate that had already been inspected and accepted by a MacKinnon servant being discarded among the waste. But then, that same crate was carried back in—this time marked as a Railing Trading Company delivery.”

The ledger in Joan’s hands slipped and fell to the floor.

Nerys had spoken as if casually suggesting a walk, but her eyes were sharp, far beyond her years.

Joan felt the weight of that gaze.

The girl’s demeanor was bright, as if she had no idea what her words implied. But if she were truly so naïve, she wouldn’t have been able to provoke Heather Railing so easily.

At some point, the nearby servants had vanished. Joan didn’t even have time to register how unsettling that was before a shiver ran through her.

She hesitated, struggling internally, before finally letting out a deep sigh.

“Have you told the adults?”

“Not yet. Why, would you try to silence me if I haven’t?”

For a split second, the thought did cross her mind.

But that was just a fleeting, foolish fantasy.

Even if it were possible, Joan was not the kind of person who could harm an innocent child to cover up her own wrongdoing.

Knowing that about herself, she lowered her head in resignation.

So this is how it ends.

To say she felt no relief would be a lie.

“That’s a terrible thing to suggest. I have no desire to become that kind of person.”

“Interesting.”

A faint crease appeared between the girl’s delicate brows.

Both of them knew that it wasn’t actual amusement that caused her to react this way.

“Embezzling goods after payment has been made is fine, but taking action to silence a witness is terrible?”

What a clever child.

There was no better way to describe the situation.

Joan took a long moment before speaking again.

“…I committed a crime, and now that it’s been discovered, I must face the consequences. That’s all there is to it.”

There was no intention of making excuses. Her resolve was clear.

Nerys studied her somber expression before smiling.

Before returning, she had helped Angelo ruin Joan as part of a deal to bring him into Elandria’s fold.

Back then, she had thought Joan had simply been an upstart merchant who had irritated Angelo. But now, it was clear—Angelo hadn’t just cut off her escape; he had burned the bridge entirely.

“Wasn’t this Angelo’s doing? Why should you bear the cost alone?”

Joan’s head snapped up.

The storm in her eyes slowly settled as she met Nerys’ composed expression.

She couldn’t believe it.

Having worked for Angelo for years, Joan had dealt with plenty of minor noblewomen.

Yet this was the first time she had seen this kind of expression on one of their faces—a perfectly poised, elegant smile.

Most nobles would at least show a trace of their condescension in moments like these.

And this situation was far from normal.

“…Why do you think that?”

“Would someone stealing for their own gain look as miserable as you do?”

Miserable.

Had it really been that obvious?

Joan unconsciously touched her own cheek.

A few years ago, she had been cheerful, full of life. But working under Railing Trading Company had gradually stripped away her ability to smile.

At first, Angelo had treated her as an errand girl, giving her only menial tasks.

But once he realized she was meticulous, resourceful, and had a knack for understanding shifting situations, all the filthiest jobs in the company had landed in her hands.

She had gained a stable job—but no matter how unfairly she was treated, she couldn’t leave.

She had five younger siblings back home.

On the surface, her position within the company had improved, and her wages had increased. But Joan saw herself as nothing more than a well-paid slave.

A slave bought with copper coins, worked to death.

And did slaves have the right to joy?

It was strange.

This little noble girl knew nothing about Joan’s circumstances.

Yet she gazed at her with unwavering certainty, as if she knew she was right.

And even stranger—Joan felt an overwhelming urge to cry, just from hearing those words.

She had done dirty work. She had taken bribes to keep her mouth shut.

She had no right to cry.

Joan told herself this, forcing herself to remain composed.

Nerys watched her struggle and smirked inwardly.

A person without loyalty is not to be trusted.

But in the past, the Elandria family had chosen Angelo anyway.

Because from the start, they never intended to trust anyone.

Nerys didn’t know the exact details, but Angelo must have been deeply entangled with the Elandria family.

People like him were simple. Once they got what they needed, the only question left was who would betray the other first?

The quicker hand won; the loser died. It was a despicable game, and it never lasted long.

At least for now, Nerys didn’t have the power to use such methods—she didn’t have anything of immediate value to offer her opponents.

That meant she needed to gather trustworthy people. People who would never forget the debts they owed, people for whom betrayal was simply not in their nature.

Joan was worth pulling in. The questions Nerys had asked earlier were simply a test—to see if she was the right fit.

“Angelo Railing is not a man you can trust. That is the most important thing for you to understand.”

Just as Nerys had anticipated, Joan’s face stiffened like someone whose deepest fear had been exposed.

Despite all the hardship she had endured under Angelo, Joan had been building the skills to run a successful trading company—one that, in the previous life, had eventually gained recognition.

Last time, Nerys had been the tool used to destroy her.

This time, if left alone, Joan would surely be dealt with by Angelo in one way or another.

She must have already known that Angelo wasn’t the kind of man to build a relationship based on trust.

Joan’s eyes flickered with hesitation.

“My lady… there are things that adults cannot undo.”

“There’s no such thing as something that can’t be undone.”

Even death itself had been reversed.

Joan didn’t look like she believed Nerys, but there was something undeniable about her expression.

She wanted to believe.

Nerys’ lips curled into a small smile.

She had confidence that Joan had never done anything truly irredeemable—certainly not something like murder. If she had, Angelo would have used it against her back then when he’d ruined her.

And now that Nerys had seen even more of Joan’s character, there was no need to hesitate.

Recruiting people—this was something she had done often in her past life.

She no longer had the same power she once did, but experience was still an invaluable asset.

“What a person needs most is courage. The courage to let go of what makes them suffer. At least… until they die.”

“My lady…”

Joan’s expression became tense.

It was clear that Nerys had struck something deep inside her.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because you can help me, and I, in turn, can help you. Even if only a little.”

“Is this about Lady Heather?”

“There’s something much bigger than that.”

Joan suddenly realized that no one had passed through this area in a long time.

The estate’s back entrance was constantly busy—so why had it been empty all this time?

From the beginning, this girl had come here with a purpose. She had made sure no servants would be around to hear what needed to be said.

And Joan already knew exactly what Nerys wanted to hear.

After hesitating for a moment, she bent down, scanning their surroundings before whispering rapidly into Nerys’ ear.

—

After listening to everything, Nerys showed no surprise—just nodded.

“I understand. Thank you for telling me. For now, you should leave. Go to the laundry room—my person there will tell you what to do next.”

The woman Nerys had arranged beforehand was an older, intelligent servant. She would know how to handle the situation and get Joan out quietly.

Joan bowed deeply before quickly making her exit.

Now alone in the dimly lit hallway, Nerys stood still by the estate’s back entrance.

Before long, she heard footsteps approaching from behind.

They weren’t the soft, weightless steps of a child, nor the heavy tread of an adult.

These steps were filled with presence—light, yet brimming with restrained fury.

“This is what you wanted?”

Nerys turned to see Heather glaring at her.

She had been hiding behind a corner all this time.

The expensive pink taffeta dress she wore accentuated her delicate beauty, but the sneering expression on her face ruined the effect.

Heather lifted her chin as she strode toward Nerys.

If anyone who knew her saw her like this, they would have been shocked by how bold she appeared.

“My father isn’t an idiot. It doesn’t matter what that woman says—there’s no proof. Did you really think the Count and Countess would listen to the ramblings of a lowly employee? That’s hilarious. What are you going to do now? Go running to Diane and tattle? Ha, without her, you’re nothing in this house.”

Heather had expected Nerys to be shocked, to be at a loss for words.

But Nerys simply smiled.

“And with Diane, you’re still nothing. Did you follow me because you were curious about what I was doing?”

Heather faltered for a brief moment.

She stared at Nerys, eyes burning with hostility, as if she wanted to tear her apart. Then, through gritted teeth, she spat out,

“You. Will. Never. Come. Back. Here.”

“You’re free to think that. Whether it happens or not… that’s up to me. Unfortunately for you.”

Heather had been underestimating her just moments ago, but as soon as Nerys finished speaking, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

Why was she so confident?

Did she have something else up her sleeve?

And that look in her eyes—

It was the kind of look that said: You and I are fundamentally different.

Like no matter what happened here, it could never touch the real sorrow inside her.

A mixture of fury and something else—something she didn’t want to acknowledge—rose in Heather’s chest.

Fear.

No child should have eyes like that.

A child shouldn’t have desperate survival instincts, shouldn’t have known true grief.

Heather had seen plenty of people ruined by her father.

And yet, not even they had ever looked like this.

Not even the people who had lost everything.