Kapitel 131: [Chapter 131] It's okay to cut ties with me
"Lady Neris."
"Joyce Marquis."
Joyce and Neris had been acquainted until last winter. The McKinnon family's revival celebration would now feel empty without Neris.
They had met even in the summer two years ago. The Diane family had invited Neris on a family trip to a resort.
From the winter two years ago, three years ago in the summer... going back further seemed endless. In reality, Joyce had watched Neris grow just as she had watched Diane grow. Considering the favors the McKinnon family had bestowed upon Neris, it wouldn't be surprising if she were treated as a daughter. Joyce had always thought of Neris as her own younger sister.
However, the passage of time seemed to have vanished somewhere. Neris's gaze towards Joyce was equally cold.
Without even looking back at her sister standing behind her, Joyce glanced at Neris and quickly came to a conclusion.
"It's serious."
When had they become so cold towards each other? At least since that winter celebration twelve years ago when she first met twelve-year-old Neris, Joyce couldn't imagine their relationship deteriorating.
Regardless of the recipient's affection, the lobby of this finest hotel in Dreycum was well-decorated. It conveyed the intention to courteously welcome the McKinnon family from Maindlandt.
Therefore, Joyce decided to publicly accept the moment when the representatives of the McKinnon family and Maindlandt met. In other words, she decided to behave politely towards Neris, setting aside personal feelings as if they were meeting for business.
"Thank you for welcoming me here."
A unique radiance that cannot be seen with ordinary eyes. Brilliant reflections of countless colors.
"So the rumors about the Jewel Anima were true."
The rumors of the Jewel Anima's owner appearing, the Elendria family's advisor being in Maindlandt, and her working there not as a junior manager but as an advisor... all the seemingly unbelievable news turned out to be real.
And whether it was a good thing for Diane remained to be seen.
"Did you have a safe journey here?"
"Yes, it was very pleasant. It was cooler here than in the south, making the trip enjoyable."
Joyce naturally used the term 'south' like the locals here. Realizing this fact, Neris understood that he had invested more effort in the northern direction than she had initially thought.
As the practical owner of Mori's top, Neris could cancel the deal with the McKinnon top at any time. This deal was initially subtly hinted at by Joan to the McKinnon top for collaboration, intending to discuss it with Neris privately. However, they ended up asking directly, leaving no room for withdrawal. In essence, there was no reason not to cancel it.
However, the reasons for not doing so were, firstly, that Diane's northern venture seemed likely to proceed regardless of the deal, and secondly, because this deal would benefit Maindlandt.
Ultimately, she was serious about handling this deal and Joyce's attitude was welcoming, which was appreciated.
But mere 'courtesy' was not enough.
"As you know, the journey here is difficult and the roads are heavy. I am grateful for your willingness to come here willingly."
"Mori's top invited the McKinnon top, but the authority to host guests was in the hands of the Maindlandt Ducal Residence. The visit was related to the items Mori's top had been supplying to the Maindlandt Ducal Residence, and the McKinnon siblings were not only the successors to the top but also high-ranking nobles.
Joyce thought that Neris had come out to greet her here instead of Joan to firmly establish that power dynamic. The formalities would be taken care of on their end, but practical discussions would be handled by Joan.
However, when she heard the significant words Neris spoke, she began to reconsider her judgment.
"Does Lady Neris have that much influence over Mori's top? Or how proactive is the McKinnon top as Maindlandt's manager in this matter?"
Regardless of which side it was, Joyce had already decided what she needed to say. With a shrewd glint in her eye, she spoke carefully.
"Traders go where there is profit. If there is sufficient value, such matters are not an issue."
His confident attitude, not overly boasting of his accomplishments or diminishing his efforts, truly reflected the demeanor of an heir to one of the Empire's top three.
Neris got the impression that he had thoroughly investigated the current situation in Maindlandt. Not just from the vocabulary he used, but from his calm demeanor.
The journey from McKinnon Viscounty to Maindlandt passed through the lands of several nobles. Viscount Tifian's top would have demanded tolls, as well as others. They would have consciously or unconsciously revealed how they viewed Maindlandt.
The position of the north as a thorn in the side of the royal family and as a target of envy from other nobles.
Despite knowing all this, she had come this far. Neris felt a slight discomfort for a moment.
"I hope your sister is also comfortable."
According to etiquette, the next person Neris had to address was Diane. Joyce glanced at her sister.
Diane took a step forward and stood next to her brother. She politely greeted, holding the hem of her dress.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Diane McKinnon."
Everyone who knew the situation suddenly started to act as if they knew nothing.
The only ones who seemed unaffected were Neris and Diane. Neris, as if meeting someone for the first time, held out the hem of her dress.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Diane McKinnon. I'm Neris Trued."
It was a cold and unfamiliar greeting. Joyce thought Diane might cry. But as always, his smart and tough younger sister was braver than he thought.
"I'm pleased to meet you too. Thank you for the hospitality."
Her eyes, trying not to cry, welled up with tears.
After the formal event where Neris and her group welcomed the McKinnon top delegation, people went to their assigned rooms to prepare for rest.
The reaction Joyce saw from her sister during the welcoming ceremony concerned her, so she went to her room to comfort her. It didn't have much effect.
When Diane barely held back tears while pretending not to know her, she now looked more angry with a flushed face. Joyce found her sister's expression so cute that she almost forgot where she was.
"If something upsets you, you should resolve it quickly. Even after making up with a friend, hard feelings can linger."
"It's not a fight! Don't call me a baby!"
When Diane felt like she was being treated like a child by her brother, as always, she grimaced in disgust. She leaned on Joyce's arm and covered her face.
A despondent voice flowed out.
"...Liz seemed fine, didn't she? It's okay to cut ties with me."
"That's not true."
"Why wouldn't it be? Just because I like Liz doesn't mean Liz likes me back."
Joyce recalled the previous winter when, contrary to usual, they didn't spend the celebration at home but went on a family trip as Diane had insisted.
She remembered her sister's excited face when Neris had set up a pretext for a long-awaited reunion near the address given by the 'Lady Kellen' correspondence exchanged before graduation. Her innocent and stubbornly bright demeanor was now bewildered by the truth she had discovered at the actual destination.
Even the McKinnon family members couldn't understand. The person known as Lady Kellen acted as if she had never heard of Neris Trued, who had been handling the work and receiving wages all this time.
Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was kidnapping. The McKinnon family members saw the intelligent and beautiful Neris, the owner of the Jewel Anima, as a target for bad people. Wasn't it a perfect target?
After days of crying, worrying, and attempting to escape the academy to search for her, Diane was thrown into another turmoil upon hearing the recent rumors.
A rumor had spread that the owner of the purple Jewel Anima had appeared in Maindlandt.
Initially, this rumor was as unreliable as rumors of dragons or spirits appearing. After all, a purple Jewel Anima? Wasn't the Jewel Anima something exclusive to the royal family? The Jewel Anima was a symbol of the Elendria family...
However, when people in Maindlandt, who were bustling for business, started spreading stories about a young blonde female advisor, the social circles couldn't help but believe it to some extent. They talked about a distant relative of the Elendria family and Neris Trued, who was well-known for her good grades at the Noble Academy, being in Maindlandt.
"And perhaps the Jewel Anima bloomed.
Diane was one of the quick believers in Neris's rumors. She had heard that the Maindlandt Duke had attended last year's graduation ball as Neris's partner, so Diane was familiar with their connection.
Since then, Diane had been at a loss every day. She was angry, bewildered, upset, and above all, worried. She couldn't understand why Neris had lied to her, and sometimes she cried uncontrollably as if having a fit.
Joyce had come up to Maindlandt with Diane as soon as she welcomed the vacation. She couldn't leave her sister alone. She was worried about Neris herself.
Of course, the main purpose was business, but if it was truly just for work, there were plenty of representatives at the top.
"Brother."
Diane, who had been sobbing, spoke in a defeated voice. Joyce patted her sister's back and replied.
"Yes, my angel."
"Don't call me an angel! ...Oh, you know, earlier, was I behaving embarrassingly?"
"When, during the welcome ceremony?"
"Yeah."
"No, you behaved confidently and politely."
Joyce's words were sincere. Despite sniffling tears, Diane displayed an elegant demeanor befitting the Viscount's daughter. However, Diane looked at Joyce as if she couldn't believe her.
"Really? You always say I did everything well."
"No, really. Neris will treat you as before soon. Just explain well."
They had met Neris every year. Joyce also knew her quite well."
"If she really lost interest in Diane, she wouldn't have acted that way."
She had always been so stubborn since she was young. Didn't she even reply to Diane's angry letter with a response essentially saying 'don't come'? She could have just left it alone.
Although there had been misunderstandings a few years ago, Joyce was also the heir to one of the Empire's top families. She had enough information to know that the Imperial Family, especially the Crown Prince, disliked Maindlandt. She had heard such sentiments from several nobles on the way.
Perhaps she was being more distant to draw a line. Don't interfere for no reason.
"We're not going to be completely estranged though."
Although the atmosphere seemed quite different to others, Joyce and Diane were siblings after all. And especially when it came to stubbornness, they were very much alike.
Just because the Imperial Family 'disliked' Maindlandt, Joyce had no intention of distancing herself from Neris. And what was even more important was...
"The fact that the McKinnon family is closer to merchants than nobles."
Even well-mannered nobles and cunning traders ultimately acted based on self-interest as humans. However, traders were less concerned with appearances.
For example, even if Maindlandt was disliked by the royal family and they worked together for money, as a trader, they wouldn't be condemned. They would be praised if successful.
There were no major southern tops currently engaging in significant trade with Maindlandt. While Mori's top had been active since last year, Joan Mori still had much to learn, and given the size of their top, they couldn't compete even if they wanted to. So, wasn't it a request for collaboration with the McKinnon top to maintain a good relationship?
Therefore, Joyce's response to Neris's probing words earlier was an unvarnished truth. She truly believed that the visit to Maindlandt would have a positive impact on the top."
"It would be good if they realized that this benefits both parties. Joyce thought of a smile on his stern face that people often found intimidating. Earlier, she had seen Neris exerting significant influence here, so if they could come to an agreement, this northern venture would be fruitful in many ways.
Diane stood up with a slightly improved expression, as if her brother's comfort had sunk in. Then, she pinched her cheeks with her own hands to snap out of it.
With round, determined eyes, Diane put determination into her voice.
"I'll go talk to Liz!"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein