The door to the student council room slowly opened.

The student council members had heard about or seen the ‘relative of the Elandria family’ at least once. Anyway, she was the most noticeable among the new students this time.

However, only Abelus and the two dukes had spoken with Neris Trude or seen her up close.

So, when the dazzling platinum blonde and elegant girl from the Jaan family walked into the student council room, the members were once again shocked.

Although the student council member who had gone to escort her closed the door, no one paid any attention to that side.

Neris Trude’s presence was so strikingly intense that once someone had seen her, they didn’t look elsewhere.

“Hello, seniors.”

After greeting, Neris stopped in front of the mahogany desk at the innermost part of the student council room.

The desk belonged to Abelus, and earlier, Megara and he had exchanged glances naturally. However, unlike Megara, Neris kept a distance of about three steps from the end of the desk.

Unlike earlier when only Megara could see her well, Neris in that position could catch the attention of all the student council members.

Straight posture, textbook-worthy perfect angles, neatly clasped hands. Her graceful and composed appearance was etched in everyone’s eyes.

Certainly Jaan. Students who had only heard about Neris gestured to each other, conveying their thoughts with their mouths. Jaan of the Elandria family.

Right, Nellusion Senpai has a reason to be concerned. They say she’s a direct descendant; how did the family’s traits show so well… Maybe she’s quite close to the main family.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have received such good education, right? No, if you consider her bloodline…

Whether the silent debate heated up or not, Abelus stared intently at Neris’s face.

His indifferent eyes scrutinized her to the point that she could be counted on one hand, perhaps spanning both her previous and current lives.

Even with the prince’s exploratory gaze, Neris maintained a calm and dignified expression. Soon, Abelus raised his chin towards Megara and Idalia, who were sitting on his right.

“Same year? This one’s a witness.”

“A witness to what?”

Idalia, who hadn’t uttered a word since entering the student council room, stiffened at Neris’s casual question, glancing briefly at Nellusion.

Nellusion spoke gently.

“Neris, the prince called you because he has something to ask you. There’s an issue to confirm right now, so don’t be afraid, just speak honestly.”

What’s there to be afraid of? Megara, who had been silently observing Neris’s expression since she entered the student council room, sneered inwardly.

Nellusion seemed to be trying to protect her own family, but it was useless.

Right now, Abelus’s person is probably finding the exam papers missing from Neris’s room.

Megara had been angry when she heard that Neris hadn’t come to the social test rehearsal last night and had decided to spend time studying for another subject instead of the ‘boring’ first-year class.

Since all the preparation had gone in vain, it was natural.

However, upon hearing Mahradi En’s words, the ‘day of futile efforts’ had changed to the ‘day of the opportunity given by heaven.’

If Joseph Karran’s testimony is true, Neris Trude had undoubtedly come near the classroom. Yet, she didn’t enter, so there must have been some reason.

(Note: The translation provided is a literal rendering of the Korean paragraph. Some nuances may be lost, and minor adjustments may be needed for a more natural English flow in certain places.)
Of course, Megara didn’t know what the situation was. The important thing was the fact that even the person sent to check came back with the news that ‘no one was in the room.’

Between last night and early this morning, Megara quickly took action. She stole the exam papers from Sherdon Kyung’s office and placed them in Neris’s room.

She didn’t worry that Neris might return to her room in the meantime. Since the students’ curfew had passed, she thought that if Neris really had urgent business elsewhere, she would sleep there and come back.

Unless she knew the timetables of all the student council members, why would she risk encountering one of them at any time and place!

It was difficult to understand that something urgent had happened to a first-year from an insignificant family in the middle of the night, but well, so what. If it resulted in a good opportunity, it was fine.

Execution was entrusted to Idalia for contingency. Idalia showed a displeased expression when Megara asked to borrow her aid, but she couldn’t refuse until the end.

As Megara, she had seen the advantage of Idalia’s timidity. It helped prevent betrayal and cast suspicions in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Neris was quick-witted, so if anything went wrong in the middle, this incident could turn into a failure. Megara brought Idalia to her own dormitory and let her sleep there.