Chapter 136: [Chapter 136] Nightwear Party
Although the possibility of more enemies hiding is low, the second-in-command of Maindlandt was attacked along with valuable guests. A report needed to be submitted as quickly as possible, and instructions on the next steps were necessary. It would be troublesome if such incidents occurred in other cities they visited on the way.
Therefore, Neris decided to stay in Dreycum for a few more days. She planned to write a report and send it through the courier service, then wait for instructions on what to do next.
While in Dreycum, she listened carefully to what the Lord had to say, slowly dealt with the tasks brought from the White Swan Castle, and made sure not to neglect the guests' hospitality. Time was running short, and she ended up going to bed in the early hours for several days.
"You can hardly sleep."
Dora said sympathetically, as she continued to keep an eye out for any potential further attacks. Neris smiled.
"You can rest when we get to the center. I'll take a break, so you should too."
The words came easily, but Neris wouldn't have suggested resting in a stranger's castle full of people she didn't know if she didn't truly intend to rest.
Nevertheless, using the expression 'rest' was to show a strong front to Dora. Understanding her intentions, Dora smiled softly, which was rare.
"Yes. Breakfast will be served late, so rest for now."
"Okay."
Dora left the room. Neris lay on the bed and sighed.
Not long after, someone knocked on the door.
It was considered impolite to openly station guards in someone else's castle, so there were no knights guarding Neris's room. However, there was certainly someone discreetly watching over her."
"Yayeon believed that the visitor's identity had been confirmed and asked comfortably, 'What's the matter?'
'Li-z-.'
A whispering voice came through the crack in the door. Fully awake, Neris quickly approached the door.
Upon opening the door, as expected, Diane stood there wearing a gown over her nightwear. Neris scolded her in shock.
'What are you doing? Aren't you scared? What if something happens while you're wandering alone?'
Of course, Yayeon was monitoring not only Neris's room but the entire corridor, yet shouldn't people be aware of danger?
Despite knowing the answer even when asked, Neris scolded Diane, who smiled happily.
'You have the same face as before, Liz.'
While others claimed that Neris's facial expressions rarely changed and she always remained cold, Diane knew better. She knew that Neris subtly showed a lot of emotions in her presence. Even though Diane could recognize it, others couldn't read her well.
'I can't sleep.'
'You still need to rest. How's your body? Are you feeling okay?'
'I received treatment from the priest a while ago. I'm fine.'
Although the people of Maindlandt were not very religious, there was a temple in one or two of the estates of the size they were currently staying in. While the priests dispatched to this district were usually not very capable, it was better to have them than not.
'Can't we sleep together?'
Before Neris could answer, Diane skillfully leaned into her embrace. Reflexively, Neris removed her hand from the door, allowing Diane to confidently enter the room. It was a maneuver honed over years of repeated experiences.
"Hehe."
Seeing Diane's sunny smile, it was hard to stay angry. Neris chuckled and pointed to the bed.
"Alright."
Diane dashed like a squirrel and leaped onto the bed. Neris sent a signal that it was okay for her to stay with the door still open. If the McKinnon family members came looking for Diane, Yayeon's side could inform them of her safety a few steps away.
Even with all the candles extinguished, the room was still quite bright. Neris lay on the bed, finding the current situation quite strange. The spot where Diane lay was already solid and warm.
Just a few days ago, she had planned to drive Diane away. Even if she saw her crying out of sorrow, she thought it was the right thing to do for Diane and the McKinnon family.
However, instead of that, the two of them were now lying on the same bed. Just like they had countless times during their school days.
They had even crossed the line of mere friendship.
It wasn't uncomfortable. Rather, it felt... fulfilling. Besides her duties towards her mother, Joan, and Cladwyn, having something else to care for should have made her feel burdened.
'Why is that?'
"Why is that, Liz?"
As Neris pondered the question, Diane asked.
Diane lay facing Neris, who was looking at the ceiling. Neris turned to meet her gaze in response to Diane's question.
"What is it?"
"Why did you try to kill me?"
'To hide my death behind yours.'
Neris suspected as much but couldn't bring herself to say it. She realized why Diane hadn't been able to sleep until this hour.
It wasn't that she hadn't slept, but that she couldn't sleep. Due to the large-scale attack and the betrayal of the maid who was close to her.
She must have been anxious and fearful. Especially in the current situation where details were not provided by Maindlandt.
So, she tried to explain somewhat ambiguously.
"I thought you were trying to kill me, not yourself. There have been many opportunities to kill you if that was my intention."
She understood the reason for using indirect methods like trapping her in a burning building. If someone is killed with a weapon, traces can be found even after the fire. After leaving such traces for the McKinnon siblings, it was better to rely on the fact that they were unlikely to survive any resulting problems.
Even if traces were left, Neris believed that it was more important for her to die for sure. Keimil's method of setting complex traps to distinguish between real targets and decoys was like that.
If things continued this way, Keimil would no longer be interested in the siblings. Assuming they wouldn't try to find the mastermind behind the attack. Not mentioning the culprit being 'Eunwool' was to prevent the McKinnon family members, who lived relatively far from the noble society and were inexperienced in investigating, from inadvertently facing a greater threat.
The McKinnon family members would naturally try to find the culprit in their own way, and soon they would be able to roughly guess the mastermind. However, such deductions should be based on multiple pieces of evidence when their heads were clear, rather than being informed unilaterally from this side, which would only cause confusion.
"But Nora really tried to stab me. Since when was she a spy? Could she have been sent by someone else from the upper ranks? The Wells family? They use such methods... I was careful for a reason."
Nora was the name of Diane's temporary maid. From the traces found during the body examination, it was clear that it was Eunwool.
"'She must have received an order to follow this group somehow and slipped into Betty's place.'
Neris gently stroked Diane's downcast face.
It was warm.
Feeling reassured by the warmth, Diane murmured sadly.
"Why do I have to experience a life-threatening situation twice, something most people never experience in their lifetime? Is our home so vulnerable? What are we doing differently from others?"
"It's not like that, Diane."
Neris gave a wry smile. Having interacted with them several times, Neris knew that the security measures at the top of the McKinnon family were the best they could do. In fact, they had successfully caught the schemes of other top families.
'Eunwool' had surpassed the realm of common understanding.
"Being suspicious of Nuran or Nora was more reasonable. It's very difficult to show one's true colors after being together closely for years."
"But."
"Diane, if you had done well, could Nora have prevented me from being attacked?"
"Hmm. I was very surprised that you almost died instead of me."
Just surprised? Looking at Diane's eyes rolling as she said that, it seemed like she was still concerned. Neris gave a wry smile.
"Don't blame yourself for not stopping someone who had made up their mind to do something bad."
If it hadn't been for this operation, the maid would have continued to act as a faithful maid of the McKinnon family, carefully looking after Diane. So, it was Neris who should feel sorry. The situation was too complex to explain yet.
'Keimil's best explanation would probably be that the McKinnon family is the culprit.'
"If all the targets die, there would be no one to take responsibility, creating a confusing gap for the spies to manipulate information appropriately, making it seem like they came to harm Neris from the beginning at the McKinnon family.
'Even if they calculated it that way, Keimil is still hasty compared to usual.'
Normally, Keimil would have thoroughly investigated the situation here and only moved after being confident of winning. So, if Keimil had more time, this incident probably wouldn't have happened. If there had been time to guess that Yayeon was protecting Neris.
What made her act hastily?
Diane raised her head as Neris seemed lost in thought. She pursed her lips and made a vow.
"Don't take matters into your own hands in the future. Leave it to strong people."
"I didn't have time to talk to anyone."
"I would be upset if you got hurt."
"Even if someone coming to help was late and you got hurt, would you still think that way?"
"Yeah. I would feel unjust if you died and be angry if you got hurt, but I wouldn't be less upset even if you faced the same danger."
"Dee."
Diane's eyes widened at the title Neris used. It was the first time Neris had used that nickname since they reunited.
"What?"
"I admit that my actions were foolish. But you couldn't think wisely in a situation where you might get hurt."
Tears welled up in Diane's eyes. They weren't tears of sadness. At the same time, a forced smile appeared on her lips.
Neris couldn't help but smile.
"You are more precious to me, Dee. If I could save you by sacrificing ten lives, I would do it."
"Don't say that. It makes me sad knowing how much I mean to you."
"It must be sad. But I truly feel that way. A world where I can't protect you is not worth living in."
Neris had many things she wanted to say to Diane.
I'm sorry.
Thank you.
It felt strange to be loved by someone I love. I couldn't believe it.
You know?
People need to be loved by someone.
The love given by someone who knows me well.
Even though there's no logical reason for you to love me, somehow the love from the person by my side.
With just that, I can eventually get through all the hardships in this world.
If I had just that, the me from my past life would have been completely different.
However, none of these thoughts were spoken out loud.
Diane looked at Neris lost in thought, her eyes widened, then she smiled.
She liked seeing her friend in this state.
Her eyes closed on their own. Diane's world, which had not felt sleepy at all since the near-death incident, plunged into darkness in an astonishingly short moment.
Beside her, Neris also slowly closed her eyes.
The two ladies fell asleep simultaneously as if they had made a promise.
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