At the same time as she spoke, what Stella took out was a communication stone. Inside the small, intricately carved diamond-shaped stone was Noah’s communication stone code clearly written.

Stella whispered to Nigel in the same sweet voice she had used when handing the flower to Noah.

“If you ask Noah, and just looking at your reaction now, Nigel, you two aren’t anything to each other, right? But strangely, Noah keeps refusing my flower and only asking for time to think. So after pondering, I came to ask you for one favor.”

Stella showed her cute dimples on both cheeks as she smiled shyly and continued.

“Tell Noah directly through the communication stone that you have no feelings for him. Even if you say it has no effect, I think it might increase the possibility of Noah accepting my partner request, even if just a little. What’s the use of being good classmates? Please, I’m begging you, Nigel!”

Into Nigel’s empty hands, which had been fidgeting helplessly, Stella’s light blue communication stone was surreptitiously placed.

“Stella!”

At that moment, Charlotte approached with quick steps that didn’t lose their elegance and called out the name as if admonishing.

“I was going to stay quiet since it’s not my business, but I can’t stand it anymore. What are you doing so rudely right now?”

“Charlotte, why are you suddenly getting heated? What did I do wrong? It’s not like I’m trying to steal someone else’s man, I’m just politely asking for his intentions.”

Stella shrugged her shoulders sulkily. Charlotte let out a sigh close to a chuckle and opened her mouth.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? You have a fiancé. Aren’t you ashamed in front of him?”

The moment she heard those words, Nigel’s eyes widened. And at Stella’s following words, Nigel’s eyes grew even larger.

“What’s wrong, Charlotte? Noah also said he was going to get engaged to Lady Dien since childhood, but in the end, he didn’t, right? Everyone knows. Engagement is just a shallow promise that can be broken anytime as long as you have the money to pay alimony.

It’s not like I’m trying to become the fiancée of the Beselion family, I’m just trying to be his partner for the academy ball? Well, honestly, if this becomes an opportunity, I’d welcome it.”

Stella looked straight at Nigel with a friendly eye smile.

“And. Nigel, put your hand on your heart and ask yourself honestly. Since the first semester, you’ve been noticeably hanging out with only male students at the academy. And not just any guys, but Allen Evans and Noah Beselion, whom everyone wants to get close to. Can there be such a coincidence?”

Snicker. A small laugh that only Nigel could hear was heard.

“Because of Sid Cromwell’s rudeness, it was quickly buried, but at that time, there was a quiet rumor going around that you were targeting men. I won’t tell anyone, so be honest with me. After spending all this time with Noah, honestly, haven’t you ever had those kinds of feelings? If I were in your position, I think it would be hard not to be tempted.”

Stella whispered in Nigel’s ear and quickly moved away.

“Well, since we’re academy classmates, I was wondering whether to keep talking to you or not, but when I heard the rumor that you became partners with Ashton, I felt relieved enough to speak up.

Thinking that going after Noah, who’s involved with Lady Dien of the Duke’s family, would be too much to handle, you’re aiming for Ashton, the eldest son of an equal marquis family. Nigel, I think you’re quicker in calculation and more practical than I thought.”

No wonder you’re the top student, Stella sneered, crossing her arms.

Hearing the burst of laughter from the female students, Nigel’s burning mind quickly cooled down.

Being surrounded by favorable people until now, she had forgotten a fact that was all too obvious. That the people at the academy couldn’t be like Allen or Ashton.

As Widrun had done, Stella, whom she thought was a pretty child who received a lot of love, could easily think that she, a penniless orphan, had entered the academy with the presumptuous aim of targeting high nobility.

However, it should have stopped there. She shouldn’t have involved others – Allen, Noah, and Meriel – in disparaging others.

She shouldn’t have tainted someone’s warm goodwill for her own greed, and even that greed shouldn’t have been spread by oppressing others.

The more Nigel thought about it, the clearer her conclusion became.

Although her unpredictable heart still didn’t know its name, she couldn’t watch this lovely yet greedy girl become Noah’s partner, or further, his fiancée.

Swish.

Nigel immediately grasped Stella’s communication stone in her hand tightly and then opened it. The quiet communication stone began to glow.

“Nigel……!”

“Nigel……?”

Her name was called with different meanings.

Soon, the communication stone flashed several times, emitting a pretty sky-blue color.

-……Stella.

As in the morning, a weak voice of a young man was heard. Nigel waited for Noah’s next words without any response.

-I will… seriously consider Stella’s proposal.

Just as Stella’s face brightened up and she was about to reply to Noah,

“Noah, come to the first-year lounge right now. I have something to say.”

After finishing her words, Nigel immediately withdrew her magic and cut off the communication stone’s connection. Then she returned the communication stone to Stella’s hand, whose face had turned completely red.

“Shouldn’t you ask for a ball partner directly without someone else’s help?”

Nigel smirked, recalling Stella’s sneer. However Stella interpreted that meaning, she regained her smile as well.

Click!

In less than a minute, the lounge door opened.

Instead of even breaths as if nothing had happened, Noah’s completely flipped-back robe hood and disheveled silver-blue hair spoke of his state of mind.

Step, step.

Nigel approached Noah, who was looking only at her. There was no hesitation in those quick steps.

Instead of the splendid flowers that are hard to get as they bloom only a few days a year, she took a single red rose, the most common flower in the lounge’s vase. And held it out to Noah.

Then, just as Ashton had done to her, she pulled Noah’s hand and lightly kissed the back of it.

It was the same situation as this morning. However, unlike with Ashton, Nigel’s heart started beating wildly.

“Noah Beselion, will you be my ball partner?”

Ignoring her heart that was moving roughly as if about to burst out, Nigel slowly raised her head.

Then she looked straight at Noah, whose thoughts were unreadable, and smiled gently. And waited for an answer.

……Nod.

Noah’s silver-blue hair swayed up and down as his head slowly nodded. Unlike his usual self who wouldn’t allow even the slightest dishevelment, his hair was messy, but to Nigel’s eyes, the hair shining under the sunlight was just beautiful.

Following that, rough fingers with calluses accepted Nigel’s flower.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart beat pleasantly. It was an overwhelming pleasure, as if her whole body was tingling. At the same time, she felt her face heating up.

The name of this emotion was clearly……?

Bang!

Nigel quickly exited through the open door.

Love?

Love, you say?

Her inner thoughts burst out between the echoing heartbeats.

She wanted to deny it. But just as all the pieces fell into place when she inserted the piece called Meriel into Noah’s actions, everything made sense when she inserted the piece called Noah into her own actions.

Opposite to before, her heart understood and accepted, but her head denied. And it set out to find evidence that this emotion was not love.

But the more she thought about it, the clearer the result became. Both the descriptions in psychology books and the psychological portrayals in famous novels all matched Nigel’s feelings exactly.

Then why? Why do I like him?

Nigel’s mind quickly moved on to the next topic.

‘Out of all the countless men in the world, why Noah Beselion of all people? It would be more understandable if I fell in love with Senior Oliver or Allen….’

No. Feeling that was going too far, Nigel quickly came to her senses and shook her head.

As her mind calmed down, she began to recall her past actions.

‘……Why on earth did I do that?’

From offering a flower from the vase, making a poor person look even poorer, to kissing the back of his hand. All actions that would make one cringe even if they appeared in a third-rate romance novel.

This was all due to the influence of Ashton and romance novels.

When she came to her senses, she found her black hair disheveled.

That’s when it happened.

There was a presence beyond the door, and then a few strands of silver-blue hair greeted through the gap in the door.

As soon as Nigel saw the silver-blue hair, she instinctively put her hand in her pocket without time to think.

“Teleport, dormitory.”

With a faint light shining on the fabric, Nigel’s figure disappeared in an instant.

Meanwhile, in the first-year lounge where a commotion had just passed.

Noah’s face, which had been staring blankly at the rose in his hand as if in a dream for a while, belatedly turned red. Noah quickly raised his hand to hide his reddened face, then rushed out of the lounge following Nigel.

And silence continued for a long time.

Then Stella, who had been frozen in place, slowly blinked her eyes and then burst into a chuckle.

“……Our year’s top student is different in everything. Even her skill in dropping a fully baked bread into the ashes is exceptional.”