Chapter 88
Old noble families were bound to possess secret poisons or concoctions unknown to outsiders.
If a family had old lands, they would naturally develop ways to utilize the unique creatures and plants that grew under the particular climate of their region.
The Imperial Family had several such things. Near the end of her previous life, when Valentin had visited Nerys in prison, she had fed her a drug received from Camille—one of those secret poisons.
Given Maindulante’s closed-off nature, it wouldn’t be surprising if they had developed various unknown poisons.
At Nerys’s suspicious gaze, Cledwyn let out a low chuckle.
“Would you have accepted it if I gave it to you?”
“You wouldn’t have given it to her directly.”
Surely Valentin hadn’t personally sprinkled lice into Megara’s hair. Judging by the fact that Megara had slapped Delma, it seemed Delma, who had been moving in and out of the banquet hall under the pretense of answering her mistress’s call, had acted.
“It just so happened that what they needed matched what my subordinate had.”
His tone said it all.
Not knowing how to react, Nerys ended up laughing.
She found it childish to laugh at such a situation, but the laughter escaped her nonetheless.
Diane watched Nerys and Cledwyn whispering with a meaningful gleam in her eyes. When a slow dance began to play, Diane slowly rose and said to Bran,
“Since Megara went back to the dormitory, she won’t become queen. Maybe I have a chance. Right, Bran?”
“Uh? Yeah, sure, Diane.”
Bran, being an honest person, couldn’t bring himself to flatter Diane by saying she would outshine all the graduating seniors at the ball.
And Nerys, who did think Diane was the most splendid young lady here, could still understand the layers hidden behind Diane’s words.
‘Do you think I’ll become queen?’
Diane was truly adorable. Nerys sincerely said in a soft voice,
“It’d be wonderful if you did, Di.”
From that calm tone, Diane understood that Nerys meant, ‘It would be nice if anyone else became queen, but certainly not me.’
Normally, Diane might have been upset, but this time, she chuckled.
Nerys hadn’t yet approached the ballot box and was unaware of the situation.
The magical scoreboard showing the interim voting results had Megara in first place, but now she would be removed. Valentin, who had been next, would likely drop in the ranks because of her impulsive actions.
Since the votes were magically tallied, revoting was allowed.
Thus, the third-place candidate—someone who had quietly gathered votes without relying on family or status—might now become queen.
The young lady who, by anyone’s eyes today, was the most beautiful and splendid—the one who truly deserved the title of ‘ruler.’
As she headed toward the dance floor, Diane glanced at the magical scoreboard. Though it was too far to see clearly, she could tell for sure that the rankings had shifted.
‘In that case.’
There was no need to hurry back. Nerys could endure just a little longer.
—
Diane MacKinnon was clever. Probably the cleverest among her family.
Thinking that, Cledwyn smiled faintly behind his crystal glass. The clear golden liquid emitted a rich fragrance.
The ball was nearing its end, and now only graduating couples clung to each other on the dance floor.
Probably half of them would marry someone else entirely after graduation, depending on their family’s interests.
Family. Glory. Prosperity passed down through generations.
Trivial words. Through these arranged marriages, their parents would believe they gained what they wanted.
But was what they truly desired really waiting for them down that path?
Beside Cledwyn, Nerys was half-asleep.
He had seen her doze off before, but she had been very young back then.
Thus, though her sleepy face was similar, it now gave off a completely different feeling.
‘I should put her to bed soon.’
The magical lights had been dimmed, leaving only the soft flicker of candles in the ballroom.
Cledwyn lowered his eyes and called out quietly,
“Nerys.”
The name tingled on his tongue. It didn’t feel like calling a mere person’s name.
It was as if he were invoking some ancient, mysterious existence.
A being so special that merely uttering her name could bring eternal blessings or curses.
“Yes?”
Nerys opened her eyes wide in reply. Cledwyn gave a wry smile.
“At this rate, how will you even wear the queen’s tiara properly?”
“Why would I wear that? Did you do something?”
“If you’re asking whether I pulled some trick to make you queen, then no.”
Because there was no need to.
Whether she understood his words or not, Nerys absently began counting the petals of the centerpiece flowers.
The final dance began, and with it, the last round of voting.
Megara Lykeandros had returned to her dormitory. Valentin Elandria, who had looked momentarily pleased, grew more and more distorted as the results became clear.
She had probably dreamed of wearing the ball’s crown.
The king and queen of the ball were given crowns so gaudy they seemed almost childish.
The boy’s crown was little more than a toy with a hint of gold, but the girl’s crown was adorned with real jewels, thanks to the diligent efforts of the graduation ball committee each year.
No matter how childish the object, it didn’t matter.
There was no reason for any crown to be placed on anyone else’s head but hers.
He wasn’t particularly interested in some children’s ball.
But Nerys was still a student, and she had come with the intent to participate.
Moreover, it was her first debut into society.
That alone was enough reason for this ball to become the best experience possible for Nerys Truydd.
Wherever she attended, she deserved to be treated properly.
The final dance gradually came to an end.
The music faded away.
The students with tables returned to them, while those without stepped back to the walls or communal tables, preparing for the final act of the ball.
Bran and Diane whispered to each other at their table. Cledwyn found this peace delightful.
Yes, Nerys deserved more time like this. And so did he.
Time where he could be with her, even just a little longer.
The graduating students stepped onto a stage at one side of the banquet hall to give their thanks.
Then they exchanged silly awards created within their class, like Most Entertaining Student or Best Singer. Cledwyn listened to it all without much interest.
Finally, the time came to announce the king and queen of the ball.
“We will now announce the king of this year’s graduation ball.”
The announcer was the boy who had earlier come to fetch Nerys on the terrace. He read the card containing the voting results.
“Uh… His Highness the Grand Duke of Maindulante.”
The announcer’s face briefly showed a conflicted expression, as if he wasn’t sure he should be saying such a thing.
Was it appropriate to bestow a school ball’s title on a Grand Duke? Direct members of the Imperial Family weren’t given the titles ‘king’ or ‘queen’ because those ranks were too low—should a Grand Duke be treated the same?
But the results were the results. The students politely clapped. Nerys, half amused, offered her congratulations.
“That’s good. Everyone clearly has good taste.”
Though the rumors around him weren’t great, Cledwyn was undeniably the most handsome man here.
In fact, male or female, there was no one more beautiful than him.
Other likely candidates for king had been Eustace Grünehals and Colin Ganielo, both heirs to dukedoms, but they were hardly comparable.
Still, a Grand Duke being crowned ‘king’ at a children’s ball—it was ridiculous. In response to Nerys’s teasing remark, Cledwyn replied lazily,
“Better treatment than when I was actually a student.”
He might have said it without much thought, but the words made Nerys suddenly feel a little sorrowful.
Indeed. Back when he was still enrolled, Abelus had gone out of his way to crush him.
She knew he had never attended a graduation ball himself.
Even if he had, it would have been impossible for the students to openly crown him king under Abelus’s watchful eyes.
The king was supposed to come forward, give a short speech, and receive the crown.
However, even as the students gave him subtle cues, Cledwyn remained seated, showing no intention of moving.
The hall was briefly thrown into confusion.
Still, what did it matter if a high-ranking noble didn’t care about a student’s award?
Rumor had it he was a terrifying tyrant—better that he didn’t cause trouble.
“Uh, well, the crown will be delivered to you. There’s no need for you to come forward.”
The announcer quickly smoothed things over.
Since the king wasn’t a graduating student anyway, there was no need to make a big show of it.
Of course, being a dashing Grand Duke, his vote count had been overwhelming.
“Next, the highlight of the night. The glory of the evening… goes to Miss Nerys Truydd!”
Nerys went blank.
Queen? Who?
“Please give her a round of applause!”
Unlike Cledwyn Maindulante, who had already graduated, Nerys Truydd was still a student.
And she was graduating this year.
Though she was in a different class than the other graduating students, the picture wasn’t bad.
The announcer, sensing this, tried to liven up the mood. The graduating students clapped thunderously.
Swept along by the atmosphere, Nerys started to rise—but Cledwyn subtly gestured to her.
“There’s no need to go up. They’ll bring it to you.”
“Really?”
But the student council members seemed to be beckoning her forward… and hadn’t the other award recipients gone up too?
Nerys was confused.
Still, having never received an award that wasn’t an academic honor before, she couldn’t fully trust her judgment here.
Before she could formulate a satisfactory hypothesis in her head, the announcer hastily wrapped up the situation.
“We will deliver the crowns to the recipients’ table.”
Alright… Nerys decided to accept it.
A servant tasked with delivering the crowns approached Cledwyn and Nerys’s table, offering the box respectfully.
In a voice so low it sounded almost like a bow, the servant whispered,
“As you instructed, it’s done.”
“I saw. Good job.”
Cledwyn replied quietly, recognizing his subordinate disguised as a servant.
Cledwyn had quickly noticed how Nerys had been preoccupied with Megara since earlier.
He didn’t know why something so trivial had bothered her so much, but what did it matter?
If Nerys disliked Megara and someone happened to have the right tools to humiliate her, it wasn’t hard to sell them a little help.
And while selling the tool, it wasn’t difficult to leave just a faint trace pointing back to the true instigator.
Petty and childish? Perhaps.
But Cledwyn had never thought of himself as particularly mature or composed.
He had always been someone who couldn’t stand things that irritated him.
Whether Nerys realized it or not, the queen’s crown she had now received was not the goal of this “handling.”
‘That was just a side effect.’
She, simply by existing, had already captivated every gaze in the room.
The box containing both the king and queen’s crowns was decorated quite elegantly, as one would expect of a memento meant to be kept for a lifetime.
Cledwyn took out only the queen’s crown and gently placed it atop Nerys’s head.
Nerys blinked awkwardly.
Seeing those violet eyes, bewildered and unsure, Cledwyn whispered sweetly,
“Congratulations, my queen. I offer you my crown as well.”
