Chapter 51
The door to the student council room slowly opened.
Every student council member had at least heard of the ‘relative of the Elandria family’ or had seen her in passing. After all, she was the most eye-catching among this year’s freshmen.
However, only Abelus and the two dukes’ children had actually spoken with or seen Nerys Truydd up close.
So when the dazzlingly bright platinum blonde girl with Ja’an features walked into the student council room, the members were visibly taken aback.
The sound of the door closing behind her, as the lower-ranked student council member who had escorted her stepped out, went completely unnoticed.
Nerys Truydd’s presence was overwhelmingly intense—so much so that once someone laid eyes on her, it was difficult to look away.
“Good day, seniors.”
After greeting them, Nerys walked to the mahogany desk at the farthest end of the room and stopped.
That desk belonged to Abelus, and it was where Megara had brazenly locked eyes with him just moments ago. However, unlike Megara, Nerys maintained a respectful distance, stopping three steps away from the desk.
Whereas Megara had angled herself to be seen only by Abelus, Nerys stood in a position where every student council member could observe her equally.
A straight posture, shoulders set at a textbook-perfect angle, hands neatly clasped—her graceful and composed demeanor left an impression on everyone.
She really is a Ja’an. The students who had only heard rumors about Nerys exchanged glances, silently mouthing the words: The Elandria family’s Ja’an.
No wonder Nellusion senior is paying attention to her. She’s from a branch family, but how does she exhibit the family’s traits so distinctly? Could she actually be closer to the main house than we thought?
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been educated so flawlessly. No way, by bloodline alone…
Their silent discussion grew more heated, but Abelus simply stared at Nerys’ face.
His indifferent eyes scrutinized her with an intensity that could be counted among the rarest moments across both her past and present lives.
Nerys held her ground against the crown prince’s probing gaze, maintaining a calm and dignified expression.
At this, a glimmer of intrigue flickered in Abelus’ eyes.
He gave a slight nod toward Megara and Aidalia, who were seated to his right.
“You’re in the same year, correct? She is the witness.”
“A witness to what?”
Aidalia, who had been utterly silent since entering the room and had been sneaking glances at Nellusion, froze at Nerys’ composed response.
Nellusion spoke gently.
“Nerys, His Highness called you here because he has something to ask. There’s a matter that needs to be clarified, and we want to ensure there are no misunderstandings. Just be honest; there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Misunderstanding, my foot. Megara scoffed inwardly.
She had been watching Nerys’ expression ever since she entered the room, and there wasn’t a single trace of fear in her eyes.
It was clear that Nellusion was trying to protect his kin, but it was futile.
Right now, the person Abelus had sent was likely uncovering the stolen test papers in Nerys’ room.
When Megara found out last night that Nerys had skipped the social studies exam rehearsal, she had assumed that the girl had decided to use her time on something more ‘important’ than a mere first-year class.
It had infuriated her—so much effort wasted.
But then, after hearing Mahradi Ennyn’s words, what had seemed like a ‘wasted effort’ transformed into a ‘heaven-sent opportunity.’
If Joseph Caron’s testimony was true, then Nerys Truydd had definitely come near the classroom. However, she never actually entered.
That could only mean something had happened.
What exactly that was didn’t matter to Megara. The only thing that mattered was that even the person sent to check Nerys’ dormitory had reported that the room was empty.
Between last night and this morning, Megara had acted swiftly. She had stolen the test papers from Sir Sheridan’s office and had them planted in Nerys’ room.
She wasn’t concerned about the possibility of Nerys returning to her dorm. The curfew had already passed, and if Nerys had urgent business elsewhere, she would have spent the night there.
No student—especially not a first-year from an unremarkable noble family—would risk running into a student council member by sneaking around the dorms past curfew.
The very idea of a low-ranking noble having ‘urgent business’ at night was ridiculous. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Megara had found the perfect opportunity.
The execution of the plan was handled by Aidalia’s attendant. Aidalia had shown reluctance when Megara asked to borrow her servant, but in the end, she hadn’t refused.
Megara had benefited from Aidalia’s timid nature—it prevented betrayal, and if needed, suspicions could easily be redirected toward her.
Nerys was sharp. If even one detail had gone awry, the entire plan could have collapsed. So Megara ensured everything went smoothly—she even had Aidalia sleep over in her dorm to keep her under control.
Then, at dawn, Megara set things in motion, confirming through the right channels that the scandal had reached the student council’s ears.
Feigning ignorance, she pretended to overhear the commotion and ‘just so happened’ to visit the student council room.
Everything had gone exactly as planned.
Nerys had been summoned—straight from her dormitory, no less.
Perfect.
The only two things that slightly irritated Megara were, first, Aidalia’s uselessness. She had insisted on coming because Nellusion was here, but once inside, she did nothing but sit there, completely ineffective.
And second—Nerys’ expression.
But that’ll change soon enough.
Expecting to see Nerys’ face twist in panic, Megara maintained her doll-like, perfect smile.
After observing her long enough, Abelus finally spoke.
“Where were you last night?”
“In my room.”
Got her!
Megara’s eyes briefly sparkled with triumph.
Aidalia grabbed Megara’s sleeve.
Megara shot her a sharp look, warning her to stay silent.
She’s probably going to say something like, ‘But they said I wasn’t in my room.’
But did it even matter whether Nerys Truydd had been in her room last night or not? The fact that she was lying now meant that whatever she had been doing was something she couldn’t easily reveal.
Which meant she wouldn’t have an alibi. Could this situation be any more perfect?
“What time exactly?”
“Around nine, I suppose. I was in my room all night until morning, Your Highness. Where else would I have gone?”
Her response was defiant, but her expression was so composed that no one fixated on her tone. Natasha frowned and pressed further.
“Didn’t you say you were going to social studies class last night?”
“Yes, I ran into you on my way there. But then I suddenly got a headache and returned to my room.”
The more simple-minded members of the student council shot Nerys looks of disgust. That was her excuse?
Meanwhile, Abelus and Nellusion exchanged sharp glances.
Both of them realized, at that moment, that they had missed a golden opportunity last night.
Hoodis Tipian, that cunning and ruthless old man, had been willing to offer up his own grandchild as a sacrifice to the imperial family. Abelus hadn’t hesitated to accept the deal.
If it meant eliminating that monster, Cledwyn, and finally securing Maindulante, what did it matter if the Marquis of Tipian received a little land in return?
But just when they had Cledwyn cornered and gravely injured, the rat had vanished into thin air.
What made it even more infuriating was that Abelus and Nellusion had sent their most trusted knights to track him down.
Did that beast learn to fly?
They had received reports confirming multiple deep wounds—on his thigh, stomach, and more—so how had he managed to disappear?
Abelus had been so frustrated that even Ralph’s report—about running into a Ja’an girl from the Elandria family during the search at the Remnant Hall—had only made his temper worse.
Who cared if a first-year happened to witness the conflict between the imperial family and the grand ducal house? They should have searched every inch of that place!
Of course, Ralph knew that if the girl had actually discovered the truth, there would have been dire consequences. That’s why he had spent the entire night combing through the area and still hadn’t returned.
The more Abelus thought about it, the more he regretted the possibility that they had lost Cledwyn at the Remnant Hall.
But what if Cledwyn hadn’t escaped on his own?
What if this little girl had helped him?
The same suspicion struck both Abelus and Nellusion at once. Nellusion, for once, tensed. Abelus shot him a sharp glare.
If Nerys had aided Cledwyn, she likely hadn’t acted alone. There was no reason for a young girl to help a blood-soaked upperclassman unless she had an ally. And unless Nellusion had betrayed them.
Abelus decided to test her.
“Can anyone verify your alibi?”
“No.”
Nerys shook her head without hesitation.
Megara watched this exchange with barely contained glee. The anticipation made her heart race—soon, she would get to see Nerys break down, to watch her cry in frustration.
Or better yet, maybe this was the moment she could finally erase Nerys from her sight forever.
“Nerys Truydd, we are looking for a criminal.”
Abelus deliberately chose words that would intimidate a child. Nerys’ clear violet eyes flickered with confusion.
“A criminal?”
“Yes. There was a break-in at a professor’s office last night. If you don’t ‘truthfully’ explain where you were, we will assume you’re the culprit. That means expulsion.”
Given the astronomical tuition fees at the academy, Abelus was certain that Nerys would do anything to avoid expulsion.
He felt he had sufficiently cornered the child. He expected to see the distress begin to creep onto her face.
He was convinced she would crack soon—whether about the stolen test papers or about Cledwyn.
But if he wanted the truth, the other students would get in the way. The imperial family couldn’t afford for rumors to spread about a noble house being wiped out under their orders.
Abelus motioned for the others to leave.
The student council members quickly exited the room, while the two attendants who had accompanied Aidalia and Megara stepped inside to collect their mistresses.
Aidalia was already regretting coming along. She had followed Megara in the hopes of catching Nellusion’s attention, but he hadn’t spared her a single glance.
Exhausted from a sleepless night caused by Megara’s scheme, Aidalia wobbled slightly. Her attendant quickly caught her.
“I’m fine, Simon. Let’s go.”
Simon, Aidalia’s attendant, was the very person who had broken into Nerys’ dorm twice the previous night—first to confirm she was gone, and second to plant the stolen test papers inside.
Since he hadn’t run into Nerys at any point, and since he had completed the task before the first-year curfew was lifted, there was no reason for her to recognize him.
Even so, something felt off.
Aidalia, timid as she was, found herself glancing at Nerys.
And then she saw it—Nerys’ eyes widening ever so slightly.
Aidalia flinched.
Why is she looking at me like that?
But Nerys’ expression quickly returned to its usual calm.
Aidalia blinked in confusion but soon reassured herself.
No, there’s nothing she can do now.
That was precisely why Aidalia had lent her attendant to Megara in the first place.
Nerys Truydd was the most unnatural, most misplaced thing in this academy.
Aidalia liked to think of herself as a good person. At first, Megara’s request had sounded wrong to her.
But maybe… just maybe, it was okay to bend the rules a little to correct a mistake.
Yes. As long as the problem disappeared…
She could go back to being a good person. She could go to the temple, pray sincerely, and repent.
The door clicked shut behind her.
