[Chapter 94] Blatantly Suspicious

"Are you the new advisor?"

As expected, a man asked her before she took her seat. It wasn't the person sitting closest to the head seat but a middle-aged man sitting midway at the table.

Dora whispered, "He is Lord Hilbrin, the esteemed lord of a subordinate territory in Mainland. His status has decreased significantly since His Highness's ascension, but many venerate him."

That's why he would have approached her so boldly, as if he were the representative of this place.

The white-haired man sitting closest to the head seat showed a slight but awkward expression.

"Is the etiquette in Mainland different from what I know?"

Neris's voice rang coldly.

Most of those sitting in the meeting room flinched. Although they came from different backgrounds and held different positions, everyone present here had confidence in their abilities and strong self-esteem.

After the late Duke's death, Mainland was on the brink of ruin.

The elders of the families sought profit and colluded with enemies. Honest individuals were falsely accused of treason and executed.

Cledwyn Mainland, the current Duke and their master, had cleaned up that hellish situation and recruited talents based solely on merit, without considering anything else.

Naturally, those present in the castle had deep trust in Cledwyn. They were surprised to hear that he had appointed a girl fresh out of the academy to the long-vacant position of advisor, but they believed there must have been a reason for it.

However, there was still a slight unease. A person from the 'South,' an outsider from Mainland, was here.

Although they were part of the same empire, there was hardly any interaction between Mainland and the South.

Hilbrin, proud of Mainland, stepped forward to represent that unease. He was hot-tempered and arrogant, disliking bowing to the Duke's officials.

Nevertheless, a lord loyal to the Duke, he was a noble with land from his own family, and the Duke's officials were merely those who served the Duke.

His bold approach in such a formal setting, speaking without introducing himself to the direct advisor to the Duke, was due to his nature. But...

"...I apologize."

Her words about the breach of etiquette were correct. And not only that, the inexplicable firmness in her voice unsettled them.

Surrounded by older and unfamiliar individuals, she remained composed without any signs of faltering.

Although her face was hidden behind a veil, they believed there was no hint of hesitation in her expression. Her mere presence...

She dominated the space as if she held it in her grasp.

While the subordinate lords were nobles, they were not considered nobility in the strict sense as they had not sworn direct allegiance to the Emperor. Therefore, they were not classified as nobles in the narrow sense. Hence, they had no obligation to send their children to the Noble Academy.

The castle's officials added to this. While there were cases of nobles becoming officials, the status of an official was still that of the middle class.

Therefore, no one present had seen Neris before or heard rumors about her. They had only heard about her appointment as an advisor and hurriedly investigated her.

The investigation conducted by them did not include an item stating that she had such a... 'atmosphere.'

Neris sat naturally in the vacant head seat. An elderly man sitting right next to the head seat nodded respectfully.

"What is your name?"

Who had the authority to speak first in this place, and who could be the first to mention their name.

To ensure everyone knew their rank clearly, she asked distinctly. The old man politely replied,

"I am Rex Bronson."

"And you?"

"I am Latiman O'Connor, the Treasurer."

"And you?"

From the closest to the head seat to the farthest, each person took turns introducing themselves. When it was Hilbrin's turn to pass, he blushed with a shocked expression.

"I am Karl Sidney. Pleased to meet you."

Finally, when even the lowest-ranking official had mentioned their name, Neris smiled lightly. As her lips, revealed under the veil, formed a gentle curve without a hint of distortion, those who had been tense moments ago cautiously smiled back.

Older individuals? Strangers? In a place where she was a foreigner?

Such things did not instill any fear in Neris. In her previous life, she had lived surrounded by those who were hostile to her, so why would she feel nervous around mere strangers on a first meeting?

So she spoke calmly,

"Let's start by discussing the agenda for today's meeting."

One of the managers sitting farthest from the head seat stood up as soon as she finished speaking. With a puzzled expression, he began explaining each agenda item one by one.

There was no confusion on the faces of those closer to the head seat.

They all knew that the leadership had completely shifted to this new advisor.

Even in an overwhelmingly dominant manner.

***

"You seem unique, the new advisor."

In response to the sudden comment, Karl Sidney smiled.

"You seem capable? A bit early to judge, Hugh."

The first meeting led by Neris Trude, the new advisor to Mainland, came to an end.

Karl and Hugh were the lowest-ranking officials among those attending the meeting. They had seen many superiors, and some of them were clearly incompetent.

Fortunately, the new advisor remained composed and seemed adept at handling subordinates. This was one of the important qualities of a superior, so many people at the meeting were likely relieved.

"Capable? It's too early to evaluate that way."

Hugh cynically retorted. He was particularly critical in all evaluations, even among the lower-ranking officials in the castle.

On the other hand, Karl, who was easygoing and sociable, even friendly with senior officials, just chuckled.

As the managers and subordinate lords drifted away while conversing, Neris was lost in thought.

'A remarkable person.'

Perhaps a bit crazy.

Just by attending one meeting, she understood. They had gathered only the most intelligent and strong-willed individuals.

And despite the Lord's absence, the entire land was being managed systematically and actively.

Neris still didn't know the specifics of Mainland's situation after the late Duke's death. But even without knowing, it must have been quite a sight to behold, reviving it after several years.

If she didn't know the man named Cledwyn Mainland, she might have suspected that there were different circumstances than she knew.

"You are amazing."

Dora exclaimed in admiration to Neris, who was lost in thought while sitting in the empty meeting room.

Coincidentally, her thoughts about Cledwyn were similar to what Dora was saying, causing Neris to startle unknowingly. She hesitated for a moment on how to respond to the praise before asking,

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier. Lord Hilbrin is an extremely rigid person, yet he didn't say a word in front of you. If he behaves that way, there won't be anyone who dares to speak arrogantly in front of you in the future."

"I doubt it. I haven't done anything remarkable."

"I have never seen nobles and officials behave so meekly in front of anyone other than His Highness in the way they did in front of you."

Neris still seemed skeptical, but Dora was sincere.

The Mainlanders had strong pride, and Cledwyn's people were exceptional even among them. The nobles and members of noble families under the Duke's command were no exception.

An outsider, a recent academy graduate with no experience, and a young age.

There were several factors about Neris that the people who had filled the meeting room until now found objectionable. Even if they trusted Cledwyn, they couldn't help but feel some resistance towards Neris herself.

Dora's earlier advice to Neris before entering the meeting room was based on anticipating such a situation.

However, the high-nosed individuals politely introduced themselves to Neris and explained their duties thoroughly. It seemed that Dora's concerns were unfounded.

And Dora understood them.

To this lady... there was a unique power. While she spoke the truth, even if she said something wrong, she had a way of making others believe she had a reason behind it, making them want to follow her.

Innate charisma.

'Indeed, His Highness. Indeed, Lady Trude.'

Dora thought of the two people she genuinely admired. Where did they find and nurture such individuals?

Neris had no idea what Dora thought of her.

In her previous life, successfully leading a meeting was not a remarkable feat but rather a natural one. Just a meeting?

She could handle difficult tasks that others disliked and still receive praise. If she managed to accomplish what seemed impossible using her talents, and if it helped the royal family, she would pretend to know a little about it.

The power dynamics in the palace were incredibly complex, and as the Prince's wife, Neris had to handle those who attacked her, those who attacked the Elendria Marquis, and those who were dissatisfied with the royal family appropriately. So, shutting up someone who was picking a petty fight like earlier was nothing at all.

Therefore, instead of feeling proud, she focused on what she needed to do next.

Namely, she decided to investigate the strange observation she had made during the previous meeting.

"I noticed earlier that the subordinate lords filled half of the meeting room. Is it common in Mainland for subordinate lords, not from the ruling family, to visit the Lord's castle?"

"The elders were all executed, and with Cledwyn having no relatives, the Mainland family had only a steward and a housekeeper left to be considered as elders, and the elder 'family' was no more.

Subordinate lords often had no personal relationship with the ruling nobles. They simply owed allegiance due to their family's territory being derived from the ruling family.

By the time they reached the level of a subordinate lord of a grand noble family, there were many who managed territories far from the nature of the nobles they served. Among the numerous subordinate lords of the Elendria Marquis, there were even cases where they visited the Marquis only once in their lifetime.

"Yes. It wasn't like this before, but it has been this way since His Highness ascended the throne."

"Why?"

"It's because the authority held by the castle's management has increased compared to before. I heard this story not long after I arrived in the 'Central.'"

'Central' was a term used by the people here to refer to Penmwick Castle beyond its geographical significance. Neris had heard this expression several times during the meeting.

The 'South' referred to the entire land of the continent excluding Mainland, while the 'Central' was this place, Penmwick, the center of Mainland... The use of these terms was already unfamiliar.

Neris understood the situation.

"Ah, I see."

The 'lords' and 'managers' seated on either side of the long table in the meeting room.

The 'lord' who rudely approached the advisor at the pinnacle of the 'managers.'

Perhaps the lords thought that the privileges they had enjoyed for generations until the late Duke's time might not be as natural under the new Duke. So, they might be checking if there were any important decisions being made among the managers without their knowledge by lingering in the Central.

From the Lord's perspective, it was an ideal situation. Both sides would naturally check each other, trying to impress the Lord in any way they could.

'If they get so caught up in fighting each other that they can't get any work done, it could be troublesome.'

Preventing such a situation is what a competent superior does.

She roughly understood the atmosphere. Neris stood up and approached the window in the meeting room.

The sunlight outside was dazzlingly bright with the summer sun. Several people were bustling in the courtyard between the grand mansion and the East Wing.

However, there was one person hiding in the shadow of the building, looking in this direction.

Hugh.

The man with a cynical and sharp gaze furrowed his brows momentarily when he seemed to catch Neris looking in his direction. However, she was wearing a veil and the distance was a bit far, so he wasn't sure if their eyes met.

He was an intriguing individual. So blatantly suspicious. Neris gave him a sly smile and turned away.

"Let's go, Dora. I need to look around where I'll be working in the future."