Chapter 41
A strange expression, neither a smile nor a frown. Diane raised an eyebrow, while Nerys calmly watched Alecto’s face, which was on the verge of exploding. Rhiannon gritted her teeth and shouted.
“What makes you so great? Do you even know why the others like you so much?”
Alecto twisted her lips into a smirk and lifted her tray, flipping it over Rhiannon’s head.
Clatter, clang—! The cup from Alecto’s tray rolled across the stone floor, producing a long, clear sound.
Rhiannon wiped away the food trickling down the side of her face with a venomous glare.
“How disgusting. I still have more friends than you.”
Diane admired Nerys’ foresight in choosing this spot. From their seat, they had a perfect view of the scene without worrying about food splattering on them.
She usually sat a bit apart from the others, so how did she manage to pick such a prime spot today?
“You, you… Hey!”
Rhiannon seemed to want to respond logically, but unfortunately, she lacked both the vocabulary and reasoning skills.
Her enraged scream echoed through the hall. Alecto sneered, her face filled with contempt.
“Are you out of your mind? What, are you happy now that I’m going to the reflection room? Do you think I’ll be too scared to say anything from now on? What a joke. Your father is just a second son, and I’m a count’s daughter. You think we let you hang around us because you’re some high noble?”
It sounded convincing to the children listening, even to Rhiannon herself.
Her father, Sir Berta, would never inherit the title of Count Berta. He was just the second son.
But Alecto’s father was already a count.
“How could you pour food on someone? I don’t understand.”
“That’s a bit much…”
The noble children knew well whose side they should take. They also considered the fact that it was Rhiannon who had provoked Alecto first.
Rhiannon, seeing the scorn in her classmates’ eyes, huffed and stormed off. Alecto’s taunting voice chased after her.
“Where are you going, Nona? You should finish your meal before leaving!”
The suggestion that she should eat the food stuck to her hair, clothes, and the floor was, of course, a joke.
The children burst into laughter, and many handed Alecto their handkerchiefs. Among them was one from a boy quite popular among the first-year girls, prompting a few to whistle.
Looking pleased with herself, Alecto selected a few handkerchiefs and wiped her face first. A staff member approached to clean the mess, and Alecto’s maid, Rina, came rushing in. Judging by the food stains on her collar, she must have been eating as well.
“Ugh, disgusting.”
Diane, disgusted by the sight of the mixed-up food, put down her fork. Nerys responded indifferently as she stood up.
“Let’s go, then. I’m done eating too.”
“Yeah! Let’s go to my room and do our homework toge—oh, wait, you need to see Madam Hoffman, right?”
“Yeah. Let’s do it together next time.”
“Alright!”
Diane cheerfully stood up, clearly entertained. As they carried their trays to the return counter, Nerys glanced back.
It was a good decision to subtly provoke Alecto’s pride on their way from the counseling office to the classroom today. It was also fortunate that Angharad’s father happened to arrive today, on the first day of school.
Just in case, she had sat close to Alecto, but there was no need for further intervention—Alecto had crossed the line all on her own.
After all, nothing fuels negative emotions like a sense of injustice.
“You’re the count’s daughter, but a baron acted high and mighty toward you? That’s too much. Your father must have been insulted.”
“You were just having fun, but now you have to spend three days in confinement? That’s a bit much. Did you really do something that bad?”
“Sure, maybe you made a small mistake. We all do. But did you deserve this punishment? She started it, didn’t she?”
Alecto looked down on Nerys, but at least she was earnest in feeling wronged. And then Rhiannon pushed her over the edge.
Even if dinner had ended peacefully, Alecto would have taken her frustration out on Rhiannon somewhere else. Both Angharad and Rhiannon were easy targets for her to vent her inferiority complex on—right now, she simply couldn’t touch Angharad.
Alecto had already started talking excitedly to the others again. Nerys briefly met Megara’s gaze from where she sat nearby and gave her a casual smile.
Then, she turned away and left the dining hall with Diane.
“Nerys.”
It was late at night.
As Nerys stepped out of the reflection room, she raised an eyebrow at the voice calling her name.
But the moment she turned toward it, her small face lit up with a pure, delighted expression.
“Nell, oppa.”
“Are you done?”
Nellusion stepped away from the tree he had been leaning against, as if he had been waiting for her all along. Nerys knew he had timed his arrival perfectly, but she played along.
“Yes. What about you, oppa? Were you waiting for someone?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“Really?”
The area near Madam Hoffman’s residence was silent at this late hour, and the sky was filled with stars. Under the moonlight, Nellusion’s silver hair shimmered beautifully. The gentle smile on his face was directed solely at Nerys.
Who wouldn’t be happy to receive such attention?
Any normal twelve-year-old would be.
Nerys lowered her gaze bashfully, then smiled sweetly and stepped closer to him.
“Are you going to walk me home?”
“Of course. Our family isn’t one to let its young ladies walk alone at this hour.”
What he said was true. And yet, it wasn’t.
Valentin would never wander around alone at this time—she would have at least a maid with her, and by now, even a personal attendant.
But Nellusion hadn’t come all this way for such a reason.
Nerys could almost grasp his thoughts.
The duchy’s traditions—how sweet those words sounded. Once those words stirred a person’s vanity, they would find it difficult to argue against Nellusion’s words, even as they endured all kinds of absurd meddling.
“Noble families have always been like this.” As if a poor girl from the countryside would know whether that was true or not.
“You’ve always been diligent when it comes to using people, even at this age.”
He really had a knack for making people uncomfortable with pointless behavior. In this new life, Nerys wanted to reduce the time she spent with Nellusion as much as possible—by even a second.
But what could she do?
“Thank you. I was scared to walk alone at night.”
If he had come to use her, she had no choice but to use him as well—as an easy source of information.
Nerys’ calm yet subtly shy smile caught Nellusion’s gaze for a moment.
It wasn’t a romantic attraction—she was still just a child. But there was something strangely captivating about her beyond her pretty face.
She seemed mature and composed, someone who could understand even difficult conversations.
Almost as if…
She already knew everything.
But that was impossible. Nellusion told himself so. There was no way a twelve-year-old could even begin to imagine the things hidden in his mind.
As they walked along the elegant brick path between the faculty residences and administrative buildings, they eventually turned onto the narrow road leading to Nerys’ dormitory.
Many buildings still glowed with light, occupied by students finishing their homework, reviewing lessons, or enjoying pajama parties with friends. The path remained bright because of them.
“Oppa, did you have a good trip home? Are the Duke and Duchess well?”
Since it was obvious Nellusion was waiting for an opportunity to talk, Nerys took the initiative.
She didn’t make any excuse to avoid walking with him because she had something she needed to hear. There was no reason to waste time.
As expected, Nellusion responded warmly with a composed expression.
“Thanks for asking. They’re both well. Do you remember Valentin, my younger sibling? You two are close in age. I had a hard time convincing them not to follow me here.”
There was no way Nerys could forget Valentin. People usually remembered the person who killed them. Of course, that was only if their mind remained intact after death.
She answered meekly.
“Of course, I remember. They must be excited to start school soon.”
“Valentin always wanted a sister to play with, but instead, they got a much older brother. Nerys, when Valentin enrolls, I hope you’ll spend time with her. She was always been lonely.”
Oh, please.
It was true that Valentin found Nerys interesting—because there was no better toy. Both before and after she was adopted into House Elandria.
Nerys wanted to scoff, but she smiled as she replied.
“That sounds wonderful. I’ve always wanted a younger sibling too.”
Nothing was more convincing than words spoken with sincerity.
Nerys had once truly wanted a younger sibling.
Despite all the humiliation, despite being used again and again, she had believed that, because they were family, she held a special place in Valentin’s heart.
That was before she died a miserable death.
Technically, Valentin had assigned her a special place in their heart.
As a target to be eliminated.
As a tool to be used.
As someone they despised.
As a mutt they would mock the moment she lost her usefulness.
But what was the point in showing that she knew?
“That’s great to hear.”
Nellusion smiled brightly. Then, recalling something he had heard earlier that evening, he carefully spoke.
“By the way, Nerys. As an upperclassman, I sometimes hear things that may be inaccurate, so I wanted to ask you directly. Is it true that Rhiannon Berta has been getting ostracized after sending me a letter?”
His voice carried the perfect tone of someone encountering a surprising piece of news.
Nerys nearly laughed.
As if he weren’t one of the first to know about school gossip.
Suppressing the impulse, she crafted a voice filled with innocent concern.
“Really? I don’t know much about Rhiannon’s friendships. But it did seem like she had a few conflicts. Even today at the dining hall… Ah, never mind.”
She deliberately trailed off, prompting Nellusion to furrow his brow in concern. He hesitated, as if he found it difficult to say what came next, before murmuring.
“Well… I was put in an awkward position back then. But if she’s struggling to get along with her classmates now, that’s unfortunate. And, as an upperclassman, it also puts me in a difficult situation. If you don’t mind, could you look out for her? If she ever seems lonely, maybe offer some company, hmm?”
There it was—the words Nerys had been waiting for.
Nellusion’s voice was wrapped in the illusion of pure concern. But there was no way he truly cared about Rhiannon.
She was certain.
By tomorrow, the final piece of the puzzle would arrive. The one that would complete Alecto’s downfall.
So even if she had to endure the disgusting time spent with Nellusion, it was worth it.
“Really? If it’s troubling you, oppa, then I suppose I have no choice. Honestly, I never thought Rhiannon was that bad.”
Nerys answered without hesitation.
Knowing that Rhiannon had often looked down on her, Nellusion chuckled and praised her.
“You’re so kind, Nerys.”
He had no idea.
No idea how long, in her past life, she had remained blindly kind to him.
No idea how thoroughly she had let herself be deceived, used, and discarded—while still believing in him.
Someday, she would tell him that story.
Nerys smiled sweetly.
“You make me feel embarrassed when you say that, oppa.”
