Chapter 40

“How did it go?”

By the time Nerys returned from what had been more of an interrogation than an inquiry, the first-year students were attending their social etiquette class.

Just before the class ended, Diane approached her with a worried expression.

Nerys glanced briefly at Alecto, who had gone to sit beside Aidalia, and whispered so only Diane could hear.

“Three days of detention in the reflection room after school.”

Since even Nellusion had shown up, it was clear that everyone had already heard that Angharad Nine’s father had arrived and accused Alecto and Nerys of orchestrating her social exclusion.

Although Nerys resented having to accept Nellusion’s help, she knew that without him, things wouldn’t have ended this lightly.

“What about Angharad?”

“No idea. She left somewhere with her father.”

At that moment, class ended.

The students rose from their seats, chatting amongst themselves as they made their way toward the dining hall.

It was the same familiar scene as always, and the absence of one Angharad Nine didn’t leave any noticeable gap.

Especially not when Alecto’s voice rang loudly through the hallway, drawing the silent attention of everyone nearby.

“This is ridiculous. What, am I supposed to be afraid to say anything now? She brought this on herself! When I brought up the ribbon, she completely denied knowing anything about it!”

“That’s awful.”

A boy listening to Alecto’s rant played along with a theatrical tone, expressing his agreement.

Aidalia, though in the same group, kept her mouth shut, looking uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting.

Still, the faint disgust on her face made it clear where her sympathies lay.

Taking advantage of the moment, Nerys quickly explained the situation to Diane in brief.

Diane nodded knowingly when she heard that Nellusion had appeared.

“Well, of course he did. He’s your relative. That’s what good older brothers do.”

But in her previous life, no matter how many times Nerys had been dragged into that counseling room, Nellusion had never once shown interest in her troubles.

There was no point in bringing that up now, though, so she let it slide.

“…Anyway, that’s how it turned out. I have to go to the reflection room after dinner.”

“Do you have to be with Alecto?”

“No, separately.”

The experienced teachers had ensured that multiple reflection rooms existed.

The rooms were small, empty spaces, designed so students would have nothing to do but ‘focus’ on writing their apologies.

Not having to spend time with Alecto was a relief.

Of course, it was still a waste of time—time that could be better spent reading and planning for the future rather than writing apologies for supposedly ostracizing Angharad.

Diane nodded solemnly.

“Good. If you were stuck with her, it’d be unbearably loud.”

Her blunt honesty made Nerys smile slightly.

Even at the dining hall, Alecto continued her complaints.

Nerys and Diane, who had gotten their meals around the same time, chose to sit at a nearby table.

The student cafeteria was divided into several sections, but for lower-year students, the most convenient option was the Potsheimer Hall—the one they had just entered.

This hall had once been a chapel, so the vaulted ceilings gave it an open, grand appearance.

On normal days, the school even boasted about the architecture to visitors.

But in such a high-ceilinged space, any voice spoken without careful restraint would echo.

As Nerys slowly ate her soup and potatoes, she quietly discussed their next class with Diane.

Meanwhile, Alecto grew more heated, her voice ringing across the room.

“I mean, seriously! Am I supposed to be scared to speak now? I called a thief a thief, and somehow I’m the bad guy?! Oh, and it’s my fault she has no friends? If someone’s being excluded, there’s always a reason for it!”

Alecto’s anger only escalated as she repeated her words for emphasis.

Diane cast a sharp glare in their direction, visibly annoyed at the misfortune of having chosen this particular spot to eat.

Nerys didn’t bother looking their way but continued to listen quietly.

A barely perceptible bitter smile touched her lips.

‘Nothing ever changes.’

Consistency is generally considered a virtue.

But could anything good be said about the unchanging nature of these people?

– “If someone’s being excluded, there’s always a reason. You seriously don’t know what you did wrong?”

—

Unlike Rhiannon, who was good at reading the room, Alecto had always wanted to stand out since her first year.

And, to be fair, she had reasons to want that.

Alecto had decent grades, a strong sense of pride, and a competitive nature.

She was the middle child of Count Isalani—caught between an adorable, charming younger sister and a brilliant, accomplished older sister.

From an early age, she had understood that if she wanted to be noticed, she had to be loud.

And perhaps, before enrolling at the academy, Alecto had genuinely believed that she could stand out based on her own strengths.

But the academy was already filled with beautiful, intelligent, high-ranking students.

For a count’s daughter from a family without significant power, simply existing quietly would mean fading into obscurity.

Alecto wasn’t stupid.

She was quick to understand the thoughts of those around her and took on the role of voicing what others wanted to say but didn’t dare to.

Because she had a sharp tongue, she was good at it, too.

And as always, in a society governed by cruelty, wit came hand-in-hand with violence.

– “Look! I balanced a cup of spoiled milk on Truydd’s head!
– Who wants to bet on who can knock it off by throwing a rock?
– Be careful, though! That’s Madam Alix’s teacup!
– You better not drop it, Nerys! Got it?
– Oops, you broke it!
– Wow, that smell!
– No wonder everyone hates you!”

—

– “I’ve seen her smile before. It’s disgusting.
– Honestly, she’d be better off never smiling.
– Here, let me show you—Truydd impression!
– Yuna, are you seriously going to laugh that loud?”

—

– “Oh? Were you talking to me?
– Ew, why’d you do that?
– Now my ears are rotting!
– Right, Benny?”

—

– “Oh, so you’re apologizing for answering the question first?
– Too late.
– I told you to stop talking, didn’t I?
– Instead of wasting time on that—
– You should just die.
– Thanks to you, Aisling was too embarrassed to answer, wasn’t she?”

—

Cruel mockery, malicious violence, and exaggeratedly crude gestures—Alecto’s strategy had been a success.

In her previous life, the harsher Alecto’s words against Nerys became, the more the class laughed. And the more they laughed, the worse the bullying became.

In a way, Alecto had been the vanguard—one who not only led the charge but knew precisely where to strike.

Back then, Nerys had believed Alecto’s words.

If the entire class agreed that Alecto’s judgment was ‘correct’, then how could it be wrong?

Of course, even as a child, she had known that things like “your voice rots my ears” were exaggerations.

But everything else—

She had accepted that her words and actions must have justified her ostracization.

And so, she changed.

She stopped smiling as much as possible.
She stopped initiating conversations.
She stopped picking up things that others dropped.
She stopped holding doors open for people behind her.
She ate in silence.
Even when called on in class, she stopped answering—even when she knew the answer.

Yet, strangely—

The more she followed Alecto’s instructions and corrected her ‘problematic behavior’—
The more they hated her.

Even Alecto herself continued to contradict her own demands.

– “Why do you look so miserable? It’s creepy.”
– “Why aren’t you saying anything? Everyone’s talking except you.”
– “Why didn’t you pick that up? What, you think you’re better than us?”
– “Why’d you let the door slam? So rude.”
– “God, you’re so weird. This is why people hate you.”

Young Nerys was confused.

She tried doing the opposite of everything Alecto said.
Then she tried following her exactly.
She even tried mimicking Alecto’s behavior for a while.

But it never worked.

Even when she copied Alecto’s exact words, the class laughed at her instead.

By the time graduation came, the only relief Nerys felt was that she would no longer have to enter the classroom each morning wondering what new ‘flaw’ Alecto would find to entertain herself.

But the greatest shock came later—

After Nerys became the crown princess.

—

– “Wow, it’s really you. Nerys! Do you remember me?”

She did remember.

At one of the many banquets she attended as the crown princess, she had stepped away, seeking a moment of peace.

That was when Alecto—her face almost identical to how it had been in childhood, only now adorned with elaborate noblewoman’s accessories—spoke to her as if they were old friends.

She spoke in the same casual tone as back at the academy.

How could Nerys forget her?

Suppressing the old terror clawing at her, Nerys straightened her posture and greeted Alecto gracefully, befitting her status.

Alecto’s eyes lit up with delight, and she continued speaking in a friendly tone.

—

– “It’s been so long. How have you been? I was worried about you, you know.”

—

Worried?

Worried?

The word caught Nerys off guard—it was the last thing she would have expected from Alecto.

For a fleeting moment, like a fool, she wondered if there had been even the slightest friendliness between them.

After all—among all her classmates, Alecto had been the only one who ever ‘bothered’ to talk to her.

But that idiotic thought was shattered in the next instant—by Alecto’s casual laughter and her next words.

—

– “Back then, everyone really hated you, huh? But hey, you turned out fine. Can you believe it? One of my old classmates became the crown princess! Isn’t that amazing?”

—

After that day, Nerys sometimes wondered.

Had Alecto changed her attitude because she wanted to befriend the crown princess?

Or had she truly believed that they had been friends—and that only the other students had been cruel?

Most likely, it was both.

The perpetrator forgets easily.

The victim, however, trembles in the face of that forgetfulness.

And if that was the case—

—

‘Then I’ll make sure they never forget.’

—

Nerys clearly remembered the news that was about to break tonight.

In her previous life, it hadn’t changed her circumstances much—
But it had been widely discussed among their classmates.

Some had even called it ‘lucky’.

Screech.

The sound of a chair dragging across the floor.

Nerys kept her gaze lowered, remaining still.

The light footsteps of a child approached.

“If people hate you, you should think about what you did wrong and change. Nobody gets hated for no reason! And look at her, running to her dad to complain because she has no friends!
What does she want from us? Are we supposed to be friends with her just because her dad is scary?”

Laughter followed Alecto’s prideful outburst.

Diane, now thoroughly irritated by the noise, glared at her.

Then—

Diane’s eyes widened as something unexpected entered her field of vision.

A small figure stepped forward—blocking her view.

And then—

Crash.

A clatter of dishes hitting the floor.

Chunks of mushroom soup, pieces of buttered roast chicken, and a spilled egg custard pudding all splattered onto the ground.

Not just the floor—

Alecto’s vivid red hair,
Her round glasses,
Her freckled cheeks,
And her yellow rabbit-fur scarf—

All soaked and stained with food.

—

The entire room held its breath.

Even students who hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation before felt the weight of the sudden silence.

Alecto, her eyes squeezed shut from the food, slowly removed her glasses and wiped at her eyelids.

Then she looked up—

And saw Rhiannon standing before her.

—

“…Hey, Nona. Are you out of your mind?”