[Chapter 63] Where were you?

As the sun had completely set and the noble lady's figure was nowhere to be seen, the Elantria siblings' mansion was in an uproar.

Although it was a dormitory, it was a large mansion where the children of the duke's family stayed, with around ten servants. They were all frantically searching for Valentine's whereabouts.

And then, Delma brought back Valentine, who had been found, with her clothes dirty and her face red.

"Brother!"

Nellucian, who had been sitting seriously in the living room, waiting for his sister's return, stood up as soon as he saw her. Valentine ran to him, crying again, and hugged him tightly.

"Val."

Katen was a safe city, but Valentine was young and a special case as the duke's daughter. In the worst-case scenario, she could have been kidnapped by an enemy.

Nellucian was relieved that his sister had returned safely and hugged her back.

"Where did you go? Delma said you were in your room."

It was clear that this was a lie, since Delma had brought her back from outside. Delma's pale face turned even whiter as she apologized under Nellucian's sharp gaze.

"I'm sorry, young master."

"What do you think the safety of the young lady means? You let my precious sister go out alone? And you're the nanny of the Elantria family?"

The temperature in the living room dropped by about 20 degrees under Nellucian's scathing criticism. Delma didn't say a word, thinking it was better that way. Instead, Valentine looked up at her brother with fiery eyes.

"Brother, this isn't the time for that. Bring that girl Neris here quickly. Beat her until her legs break and lock her in the basement! She tricked me and locked me in a dirty storage room!"

"What?"

Beating someone until their legs break and locking them in the basement was a punishment reserved for servants who had committed serious crimes. But why was Valentine saying this, and why was Neris's name coming up here?

Nellucian was bewildered. His hand, which had been patting Valentine's back, stopped moving.

Valentine deliberately buried her face in her brother's chest and continued to cry.

"I even called her 'sister' and everything, but how could she do this to me? She told me to sneak out with her, saying she wanted to be friends! I was annoyed, but I went along with it, and this is how she repays me!"

Nellucian's hand dropped from Valentine's back, but Valentine, still immersed in her act, didn't notice.

"But then she suddenly locked me in a dark place! And we don't owe her family anything! How could she be so shameless? Doesn't she know what gratitude means?"

Delma covered her mouth.

She was the one who had planned the details of this incident.

As someone who had taken care of Valentine's various "impudent" actions, she had also prepared a way to cover up the incident in case it was discovered.

Originally, Valentine was supposed to sneak out in the evening, lock Neris in the storage room by the lake, and then return quickly to have dinner with Nellucian.

Meanwhile, Delma was supposed to cover up Valentine's absence.

If Delma wasn't around, Nellucian would naturally suspect Valentine's absence. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let the noble lady wander around the countryside alone.

The plan fell apart when Valentine didn't return until late.

Even if something went wrong, Nellucian discovering the plan was the biggest obstacle Valentine had anticipated.

In that case, she was supposed to insist that she was really trying to build a friendship with Neris. Nellucian would probably let it slide if his only sister was being affectionate.

However, Valentine was too angry about the unexpected turn of events and ended up saying too much.

Nellucian sensed something was off, and it was to an extent that he couldn't ignore.

"Neris said that?"

"Yes!"

Nellucian grabbed his sister's shoulder. Valentine tried to hug her brother's waist again, but she couldn't withstand the force of the older boy's push.

"Valentine Elantria."

Nellucian's voice was sharp, like walking on thin ice, as he looked at his sister's face.

"Neris tricked you into going outside and locked you up suddenly?"

"Yes!"

Valentine answered quickly, and only then did she realize that her brother's eyes were cold.

"Where were you?"

It was only after seeing Nellucian's stern expression that Valentine realized something was wrong.

With a frightened look, she glanced at Delma. Before Delma could intervene, Nellucian's voice sank, urging her to continue.

"Val, I'm asking you now. Don't look at Delma."

Valentine hesitated to answer, and her eyes darted around. Nellucian's expression turned stern, and he frowned.

Delma was immediately subjected to a severe interrogation.

"Delma, tell me the truth. Where did you find Valentine? Did you know where she was?"

Delma swallowed hard. She was much older than Nellucian, but she had never been able to treat him lightly.

Despite being the object of Valentine's absolute favoritism, Delma was still just a servant in the household that Nellucian would eventually inherit.

"Young master, the young lady is still young, so it's obvious where she would go. I searched a few places and brought her back."

"That's right!"

Valentine gained confidence from Delma's words and spoke up.

"I, I was at the house by the lake. It was the empty house near the pavilion where you took me last time, brother. Delma came to the lake and heard my voice, and then she brought me out."

"The lake?"

Nellucian's eyes gleamed coldly.

"Neris, who's a new student, thought you'd know the lake and called you there, and you believed her and went there without Delma during dinner time? You were trying to have a good time, but Neris suddenly found an empty house by the lake and locked you up there?"

As Nellucian's words trailed off, Valentine's excited mind began to see the flaws in her story.

"Val, do you think I'm a fool?"

Valentine's lips were sealed by Nellucian's icy question, and Delma was at a loss for words.

"I-I'm sorry, young master..."

"Shut up, Delma. If Valentine didn't favor you so much, you'd already be fired."

Everyone in the room knew that Nellucian was speaking from the heart. Delma's shoulders slumped under his piercing gaze.

Valentine's anger suddenly flared up.

"Brother, am I more important or is she? I'm your sister, and I've just been unfairly locked up in a dirty and dark place. Are you going to take her side?"

"Valentine Elantria, you're my sister, and I'll always protect you. That's an undeniable fact."

Valentine was about to express her anger further, but Nellucian's icy expression made her swallow her words. Nellucian looked down at his sister with cold eyes and warned her.

"If you can't get along with Neris, I won't force you. You're not good at pretending, after all. But Neris has value. Don't touch her."

That statement could be interpreted as "You're stupid, so just shut up," but Valentine didn't retort and instead closed her mouth.

Nellucian's gaze, which conveyed his determination to not end the situation until he got a response, poured down on Valentine. In the end, she had no choice but to give an unwilling answer.

"...Okay."

"Good."

Nellucian responded satisfactorily, and his usual gentle smile returned to his face.

"You must have had a tough day, Val. Go wash up and eat something. Or you can wash up and go straight to bed. You have classes tomorrow morning, so you shouldn't be too tired, okay?"

Valentine nodded obediently. As Nellucian left the living room, Delma quickly approached him and fawned over him.

"Oh my, young lady. You must have been so upset. And the young master too. Our lady, who was raised with such care, had to go through this."

"Hmph."

Valentine sat stiffly on the living room sofa, her face twisted in anger, as Delma bustled about, ordering the maid to bring hot water and towels.

"That wicked girl, she played me! Just you wait, I'll make her show her true colors in front of my brother!"

***

In the morning, Neris woke up and went to the window to enjoy the clear sunlight. She opened the small window to let in some air and to illuminate the room, and checked the room.

Since the owner had arrived just before the semester started, the room was still a bit disorganized, but now it was spotless. It was clear that Isabel had cleaned, dusted, and vacuumed the room the night before.

Last night, when Neris returned after locking Valentine in the storage room, Isabel was shocked to see her, as if she had seen a ghost.

Thanks to this, Neris was certain that Isabel knew about Valentine's plan.

Neris hadn't expected much in terms of moral principles from this servant anyway. Neris had also tasked Isabel with cleaning the room, and Isabel had only been able to leave the building after midnight.

So, it was likely that the news of Valentine's plan failing had been reported quite late.

It was just when Valentine was locked up. If Isabel had reported Neris's quick return to Delma, saying it was suspicious, the rescue would have been carried out sooner, which would have been no fun.

Neris wasn't afraid of Nellucian's interrogation. He would soon realize that his sister was the cause of all this, and at a time when he was trying to be nice to Neris, he would likely scold Valentine instead.

Neris's gaze suddenly stopped in front of the visitor's entrance. During her stay at the parish, she eventually didn't receive any more letters from Cledwin. So, she wondered if there wouldn't be any more letters coming to school.

If he hadn't returned by the start of the semester, it would have become a topic of conversation, and she must have attended yesterday's class.

"It's not like we're close or anything."

Neris objectively evaluated the situation. They didn't have a close relationship with Cledwin, and there was no reason to exchange letters when they were busy.

"There's... business..."

But it was slowly happening.

Neris murmured to herself seriously.

She had already received news through Betty's letter that Rob, Betty's younger brother, had safely arrived at the land Cledwin gave her and was taking care of the farm.

However, since Betty only knew Neris as an "introducer," she didn't provide any specific details.

The land needed to be cultivated starting from next year, so Neris needed to check the situation directly. Therefore, she planned to visit Sedona this weekend.

But if a young girl like her visited alone, Rob would be suspicious.

Rob and Betty, as well as the people of Sedona, knew that the person who bought the land and hired workers was a noble from Maindland.

"There will be... many people."

If it were Cledwin, he would probably be able to accompany Neris to the place and take care of the surroundings. Neris thought that far and felt a bit annoyed.

This childish body. There was a lot to do, but she still had a few years before becoming an adult.

Of course, thanks to that, she could prepare everything slowly.

"When I become an adult..."

When she becomes an adult. At that moment, Neris would no longer have the opportunity to prepare slowly like now. It would be a time when she would have to clash with her enemies with all her might, and one of them would die.

And Neris had no intention of playing the role of the loser.

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Neris woke up from her thoughts at the sound of the clock. She let out a sigh and poured water from the pitcher on the dormitory table.

Izabel had filled the water container in the room to the brim last night. She must have cursed Neris inwardly.

Still, she had filled the water, which was the best treatment Neris had received from Izabel in both her past and current lives.

After pouring the water that had cooled down overnight onto her face and wiping it off with a towel, Neris's mind gradually cleared up. She thought deeply, her bright eyes sparkling on her rosy cheeks.

She decided that if she didn't send a letter first, she would just go and meet him.