The Price Is Your Everything - Chapter 12: The Real Thief

“Nell, Diane. Thanks for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting us.”

Nerys and Diane greeted Angharad and handed her small gifts. It was customary among the empire’s nobility to bring token gifts to express gratitude for invitations to such events.

Angharad, dressed adorably in a cream-colored dress to suit the occasion, smiled in delight. Nerys’ gift was a jar of delicious-looking blueberry jam, while Diane’s was a box of high-end luxury chocolates.

“The jam looks so tasty, Nell. And Diane, the chocolates are so pretty. I’ll enjoy them.”

Diane raised an eyebrow at Angharad’s continued use of “Nell” for Nerys, especially after the recent bag incident, but refrained from commenting since they were guests at the party.

Angharad spoke with a voice that carried the confidence of a host. The cream-colored satin ribbon tied prettily in her hair fluttered lightly.

“Megara and Aidalia were invited to a high-ranking noble gathering. But everyone else is here, so go ahead and mingle.”

Although the students shared the same classroom and addressed one another casually during their time at the academy, the reality was that the two marquess daughters were in a league of their own.

One grand duchy, three duchies, and five marquessates.

Members of the nine families recognized as the empire’s high nobility were so exalted that they hardly distinguished between commoners and lower nobles.

Aidalia from the Kendal marquessate tended to stick close to Megara. However, despite being the daughter of the more influential Lykeandros marquessate, Megara maintained a fair and amiable attitude toward other students. This was one of the reasons for her overwhelming popularity.

‘But if there’s a high-ranking noble gathering, there’s no reason for them to decline and attend Angharad’s party instead.’

It was just as well. If Megara were involved in today’s events and started scheming, things would undoubtedly become complicated.

Nerys took Diane’s hand, and the two moved further into the party venue. Unlike Diane, Angharad didn’t have a dorm room large enough to host the entire class, so today’s party was held in one of the historic banquet halls attached to the academy.

“This place feels old,” Diane commented, her gaze taking in the rows of old-fashioned arch columns lining the hall. Nerys chuckled.

“It’s an old building. They used to hold theology department masses here.”

“That explains it,” Diane’s wide, charming eyes sparkled.

“The theology department moved to a newly built facility, so this place is now used as a banquet hall, huh?”

“Yes. This building itself used to be a temple. If you wander into a corner, you’ll probably find plenty of spiders.”

Nerys’s comment, as though she were giving a guided tour, amused Diane.

“Riz, you really know a lot. Anyway, I need to use the bathroom now. The walk from the dormitory to here was so long.”

“I’ll go with you. The bathroom is upstairs.”

Diane wasn’t one to ask for unnecessary help, but this time she nodded.

If it were a more lavish party, they could have relied on the assistance of servants, but Angharad only had one maid rushing between the kitchen and the banquet hall.

“Alright, thank you.”

“I’m thirsty, so I’ll grab a drink quickly and join you.”

“Okay.”

Nerys left Diane to chat with a peer and walked over to the table where drinks and food were laid out. After pouring herself a glass of peach punch and taking a sip, she returned to Diane.

“Let’s go.”

The lower noble child Diane had been speaking with turned to Nerys as well.

“Next month, Angharad, Hardy, and I are planning a casual gathering. Would you like to join us? It’s a gathering of lower nobles, and some second- and third-year seniors will also be there.”

At the academy, there were gatherings for high-ranking nobles, like the one Megara and Aidalia were attending today, but there were also frequent gatherings for lower nobles. These events were useful for exploring potential marriage matches among peers and fostering mutual connections for future benefits. The academy offered endless opportunities for such gatherings.

In her previous life, Angharad had quickly taken on the role of distributing invitations to class events shortly after enrolling. Nerys, however, had never been included in the invite list.

Being the poorest and lowest-ranking among her peers, Nerys was openly ostracized without objection from anyone.

“Sure. Send me a card later.”

“Got it, thanks.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Nerys and Diane left the banquet hall and headed upstairs to the restroom. Diane quickly finished her business and washed her hands with cold water from the marble basin. Nerys helped Diane wash her hands more comfortably before doing the same for herself.

As the two descended back to the banquet hall, the sound of loud voices reached them even from the staircase.

It sounded like someone was shouting in anger. Meanwhile, the cheerful party noise that had softly echoed before they went upstairs had completely disappeared.

“Is this yours or not?!”

Diane and Nerys widened their eyes simultaneously. Their steps grew cautious as they finally descended the stairs and hurried toward the banquet hall.

The hall doors remained open since the party was still ongoing, and the commotion spilled into the corridor, filling the building with echoes.

“Look properly!”

A shrill voice rang out again. The two girls stepped cautiously into the banquet hall.

Everyone at the party had gathered in a circle at the center of the hall. Nerys and Diane stood on tiptoe to see who was in the middle of the crowd—Angharad and Alecto.

Angharad’s face was flushed, her hair disheveled, while Alecto was huffing angrily, glaring at her.

“Please, young ladies, don’t fight,” Angharad’s maid pleaded.

“Miss, you mustn’t act so roughly,” Alecto’s attendant added, struggling to calm her mistress.

Angharad’s hair was in complete disarray as the tension escalated between the two.

Seeing the cream-colored ribbon clutched in Alecto’s hand, Diane covered her mouth, and Nerys raised an eyebrow.

Alecto shook the ribbon fiercely in front of Angharad’s face.

“You thief! Do you have nothing to say for yourself? Why’d you steal someone else’s belongings? And then shamelessly wear it to host a party? What kind of party is this, full of bugs?”

“What’s going on? Why is Angharad being called a thief?” Diane whispered to a nearby child who had been watching the situation with amusement. The child answered without bothering to lower their voice.

“Angharad Nine stole Alecto’s ribbon.”

Diane frowned.

“Why? Doesn’t she already have her own ribbon?”

“Her old one got soaked in a drink last time.”

“She could’ve just washed it.”

“Maybe the stain didn’t come out. Anyway, Alecto embroidered her initials on her ribbon, and apparently, the one Angharad was wearing had them.”

The child turned their gaze to Nerys and asked, “Weren’t you close with Angharad Nine when you were younger?”

“I don’t remember,” Nerys replied indifferently.

—

– “When were we ever close? Don’t talk to me. People might misunderstand. What if they think I’m a thief too?”

The voices of the young Angharad and the older Angharad overlapped in Nerys’ mind.

Back when Nerys was truly a freshman, there had been an incident at a party where a child lost a gold coin. It wasn’t unusual for kids to lose things while playing, but the problem arose when some of them accused Nerys of being the thief.

Angharad had been among them.

The entire class had gathered and turned out Nerys’ bag. Inside, they found a gold coin.

No one could confirm if it was the same coin lost at the party, but no one cared to question it. Someone even claimed they’d “seen” Nerys take it, so of course, it must be the same coin.

Nerys’ sincere explanation—she had no idea why the coin was in her bag—had done nothing to help her.

That incident became the catalyst that brought the subtle ostracism Nerys had faced to the surface.

From then on, her belongings, her hair, and even her clothes frequently ended up with bugs or leaves in them. One year, it became a popular game among freshmen to see who could throw more pebbles or caterpillars into Nerys Truydd’s “dull, lifeless” hair.

Angharad, pretending to stay uninvolved, actively distanced herself from Nerys in a humorous and blatant way that others found entertaining and began to mimic.

Whenever she got the chance, Angharad built camaraderie with others by morally condemning Nerys’ behavior and ensuring no one forgot the theft incident.

Even as an adult, Angharad spread rumors in high society that tied back to that event.

At the time, Nerys had been sad and indignant, but she couldn’t identify the real culprit. She had stolen nothing and had no idea what Angharad claimed to have seen.

But now, with a clear mind unclouded by distress…

‘The only one who could have accessed my bag back then was Angharad’

At the academy, students rarely left their bags unattended except for brief moments, such as bathroom breaks, during which a seatmate might watch over them.

Back then, Angharad had been the closest thing Nerys had to a friend.

And…

‘It was around that time Angharad started hosting class gatherings.’

That had always seemed odd.

Unlike the strictly defined elite nobility of the nine great families, the criteria for lower nobility were vague. As the daughter of a rural, impoverished baron with no significant ties to the imperial capital, Angharad was considered a lower noble by most.

Yet she had been hosting class parties throughout her school years, even ones attended by the children of the elite nobility. While not the sole host, her prominent role had always stood out.

Being the one to send out invitations was a position of considerable influence in the empire’s social culture.

There was no way Angharad, with her weak status, had fought her way into such a position. Someone—someone whose influence would be unquestionable—must have granted her that role in exchange for something significant.

And Nerys had a good idea who that someone was.

A child who, though belonging to the high nobility, had unexpectedly started attending class gatherings. A child who wouldn’t have been questioned even if they had only joined elite gatherings.

– “I had so much fun yesterday, Angharad. You’re the one sending invitations for the next class gathering too, right?”

– “Thank you for always coming, Megara. I—I’d love to handle the invitations again for the next one!”

Whether as a child or an adult, Angharad may have acted out of a sense of survival. But Nerys no longer cared to understand or excuse her actions.

Because Angharad had chosen the easier, more cowardly path.

—

“Angharad seems to think we were really close, but… I guess it’d be rude to say anything bad in this situation.”

“Why would it be rude? Did you tell her to steal a ribbon or something?” the child asked with a laugh, while Diane inquired patiently.

“What’s all this about bugs?”

“Oh, right. You two didn’t drink the peach punch, did you? A spider came out of it.”

“Ew.” Diane and Nerys both grimaced simultaneously, and the child shrugged.

“Well, the building is so old, it’s not surprising that spiders are around.”

“That means there could be spiders anywhere,” Diane muttered.

“Exactly. That’s why everyone’s leaving.”

Indeed, attendants were starting to guide their masters away. Angharad wailed through her tears.

“No! I didn’t steal it! That’s the ribbon my maid Martha washed for me!”