Chapter 53
“Where did you hear about the break-in last night?”
Megara, surrounded by the entire student council, felt like she was about to explode.
How had things come to this?
It had only been a simple trap meant to bring down Nerys Truydd.
Yet, the infuriating girl had slipped through unscathed, and now the daughter of Marquis Lykeandros was the one being interrogated in the student council room over something so trivial.
“Didn’t you hear the question? Where did you learn about the theft?”
When Megara didn’t answer immediately, Natasha asked again, her tone cold.
Megara forced herself to remain calm and spoke carefully.
“One of my servants happens to be friends with a janitor who cleans the professors’ offices. So I heard about it first thing this morning. It’s not a small matter, after all. Innocent students—my friends—could be wrongfully accused, and who knows what other trouble the culprit might cause? I thought I should report it immediately, but now you’re making me feel like I did something wrong.”
Natasha found Megara’s words laughable.
Who did she think she was, deciding whether to report things to the student council or not?
Given the influence of the Lykeandros family, Megara would likely join the student council in a few years.
But for now, she was just a first-year.
“Because of her status,”
The words of that Ja’an girl from last night tickled the back of Natasha’s mind.
Ridiculous.
A marquis’ daughter is nothing!
Still, Megara’s behavior had been bothering her all morning.
Yes, Natasha wasn’t picking on a younger student without reason.
It was simply… her duty as a senior, as the daughter of a grand duke, to teach an arrogant noble girl a lesson.
So she pointed out something no one else had questioned.
“What kind of trouble? And how did you know that test papers were stolen? The janitor who found the unlocked office reported it directly to Sir Sheridan—he didn’t know what was missing.”
Abelus’ eyebrow twitched. Nellusion hid a smile.
Of course, both men had noticed something off about Megara’s actions from the beginning.
It wasn’t impossible for a high noble like her to hear school gossip early in the morning.
But to have the suspect’s name ready and to rush straight to the student council at dawn? That was too convenient.
So far, they had held back from calling her out—partly out of consideration for Marquis Lykeandros and partly because it was hard to believe that a mere first-year would go as far as stealing test papers just to frame someone else.
Megara was used to commanding absolute support among her peers.
But she had never faced upperclassmen sharp enough to see right through her.
The momentary flicker of panic on her face did not go unnoticed by Natasha and Nellusion.
A flash of disappointment crossed Abelus’ face.
He didn’t dislike scheming.
No, he enjoyed it.
But fools who got caught so easily?
Useless.
What was he supposed to do with someone like that?
Megara couldn’t read Abelus’ thoughts, but the shift in the atmosphere sent a chill down her spine.
She quickly adopted an innocent, charming expression, even as she clenched her fists unseen.
“W-well, isn’t it obvious? If someone was going to steal from a professor’s office, what else would they take? No one dares ask teachers questions this close to exams! Of course, the test papers were in there. Nerys must have stolen them!”
Nellusion’s hidden smile deepened.
Megara’s reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.
But compared to what Nerys had said earlier, her response was glaringly different.
“That assessment material” versus “the test papers.”
The level of specificity was completely different.
Aidalia, standing beside Megara, looked like she was about to crumble.
Her face was turning pale.
Last night, Megara had demanded that she lend Simon.
She had assured her that as long as there was evidence, Nerys would be expelled immediately, and they wouldn’t be questioned.
But now—
Who could have predicted that the evidence would disappear so suddenly?
Panic overwhelmed Aidalia.
She felt like she needed to say something—anything to escape this suffocating situation.
“Nerys… she’s always ranked first, isn’t that strange? She’s never made a mistake on a test… Even if the test papers aren’t in her room, she has an amazing memory… Maybe she memorized the entire exam and then threw the papers away?”
Megara cursed her internally.
You idiot.
She had gone too far.
It was obvious to everyone that she was grasping at straws.
And with that, Abelus, Natasha, and Nellusion had all pieced together what had happened.
Nellusion sighed inwardly.
If things continued like this, Nerys might not be able to stay in school long enough for him to make proper use of her.
She wasn’t even doing anything—just trying to go about her school life.
And yet, how many people were already trying to falsely accuse her of something?
Natasha scoffed.
“If she’s smart enough to memorize an entire test overnight, then why would she need to steal it in the first place? Do you two take the student council for fools? Did you think we’d believe whatever nonsense you made up? We should send them to the reflection room, Your Highness!”
Aidalia panicked and tried to protest that she wasn’t the culprit—
But Megara squeezed her hand tightly, stopping her.
Saying anything now would be the same as a confession.
Abelus was getting bored of this.
Unlike Nerys, Megara wasn’t someone he could just threaten into submission.
The situation was clear enough now, but without evidence…
Wait.
“Nellusion, where are the test papers, anyway?”
He completely ignored the two trembling girls in front of him and turned to the one person who usually had the answers.
It was a habit.
Whenever there was something he didn’t know, Nellusion was the one who provided the solution.
Nellusion, who had been waiting for this exact question, answered smoothly, showing no sign that he had anticipated it.
Though in truth, he had already figured out that those test papers likely no longer existed.
Megara and Aidalia had made the student council search the room of someone from the Elandria family. As the son of the main house, Nellusion couldn’t let that slide. If he did, something like this would happen again.
Of course, Nellusion’s reasoning wasn’t entirely objective. In the end, nobles were all distant or close relatives if one traced their lineage back far enough.
If he insisted that Nerys should be respected as a member of the Elandria family despite having a different surname, people would laugh.
Even Nellusion himself usually acknowledged that.
But for some reason, he liked thinking of Nerys as an Elandria.
So, unconsciously, he pushed aside the typical noble mindset.
“How about we search Lady Lykeandros’ and Lady Kendall’s dormitories, Your Highness?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
The moment Abelus nodded, the same attendant who had searched Nerys’ room left the student council room.
Aidalia wasn’t particularly panicked. She knew the test papers weren’t in her or Megara’s dorm, so she didn’t feel any more flustered than before. But it was still humiliating.
“Meg…,” she murmured.
Megara’s irritation flared at Aidalia’s pleading expression. Like Abelus, Megara was so done with this situation.
She had expected to enjoy a good show, yet somehow, everything had gone completely wrong.
Earlier, Nerys had told Aidalia, ‘Everything worked out thanks to your concern.’
This fool must have fallen for something, but—whatever.
She chose to lend her servant.
She should have expected how this would end.
Megara’s face suddenly became eerily serene as she gazed at Aidalia.
Aidalia blinked at her, confused.
Megara’s face was unexpectedly soft, her emotions unreadable—as if she were a stranger.
Then, after a moment, Megara spoke.
“There’s no need to search, Your Highness. It won’t be anywhere… In fact, there’s something I must confess.”
The student council members, who had begun whispering about how to handle the aftermath of the situation, fell silent.
Once again, all eyes turned to Megara.
With a pitiful gaze, she looked up at Abelus.
She looked so sincere, so heartbreakingly innocent, that Abelus hesitated.
Could such a well-bred, good-hearted girl really do something like that?
“What is it?”
His voice softened instinctively.
Natasha bristled, while Nellusion clicked his tongue silently.
She’s bold.
If Megara didn’t find a way out of this, her reputation wouldn’t just suffer because of Natasha’s temperament—she would be the problem.
“Actually… The reason I was with Aidalia last night wasn’t a coincidence. She was really anxious, so I stayed with her.”
What?
Aidalia was too stunned to protest.
Before she could process it, Megara continued as if confessing her sins.
“I knew the missing item was test papers because I had enough time to figure it out. Yes, I take full responsibility. Aidalia studies so hard, but she doesn’t always get the results she wants… She was upset. Last night, Sir Sheridan mentioned he was heading straight to his quarters after class. After hearing that, Aidalia sent her servant—I saw it myself.”
You lying—!
Natasha’s expression darkened, openly displaying her disgust.
Megara’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked up at Abelus.
The pitiful sight stirred sympathy among the student council members.
Her words had been spoken so naturally, so earnestly, that it was hard to doubt her.
After all, she was only a first-year.
And yet, even knowing she might lose a friend, she had chosen to tell the truth.
If Nerys had been here, she would have scoffed at the absurdity of it all.
Where was this sympathy when another first-year had been falsely accused and left completely alone?
But for now, this stage belonged to Megara.
Aidalia finally found her voice.
“I never—!”
But she was too overwhelmed to defend herself properly.
Megara sighed, her expression full of regret.
“I know I was wrong to lie, even for a friend. I truly am sorry, Your Highness. I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.”
“Hmm.”
Megara’s explanation made sense.
It accounted for everything.
Of course, even if she was telling the truth, she wasn’t entirely innocent.
She had actively framed someone else to protect her friend.
But in noble society, where alliances were valued more than truth, it wasn’t an unforgivable crime.
Abelus studied the two girls for a long moment before speaking.
“Tell me everything that happened last night in detail.”
“I—I didn’t…! It was Megara!”
Panicking, Aidalia grasped onto what felt like her last lifeline.
But Megara squeezed her hand—hard.
So hard that Aidalia winced in pain.
As she turned to look at Megara, she saw her smiling.
To the others, it might have seemed like an encouraging smile.
But Aidalia knew better.
Say the wrong thing, and see what happens.
She was no daughter of a marquis, but she was still the child of a grand noble house.
Even if she wasn’t as powerful as the Lykeandros family, there were limits to what could happen to her.
Right?
Aidalia hesitated.
Then—
“I swear, it wasn’t me! It was Megara! Megara asked to borrow my servant, she ordered them to check Nerys’ dorm, and she made them plant the test papers there!”
Some council members narrowed their eyes, while others sighed.
It was an unpleasant sight—two noble daughters turning on each other.
But more than that, Aidalia looked far more flustered than Megara.
The way she panicked, the way she stumbled over her words—it all made her seem guiltier.
As the weight of the student council’s gazes fell upon her, Aidalia’s face crumpled.
Tears welled in her eyes.
