“Shut up.”

The voice inside the pillar burst into laughter. Cledwin asked coldly.

“What about what I told you to look into?”

“What?”

Cledwin raised an eyebrow. A strange smile appeared on his handsome, youthful face.

“So you’re saying it was a coincidence that place was discovered?”

When his father died, he had just entered the academy as a freshman.

The Emperor must have rejoiced. If the young heir to the Grand Duke’s family were to ‘accidentally’ die, it would be like a pumpkin rolling in with its vine attached.

It must have seemed like the troublesome Maindlant was turning into an easily obtainable treasure.

But even after a few years, Cledwin Maindlant was still alive. Putting an end to numerous ‘accidental’ threats with his skills.

When he realized someone was at the place where he and his subordinates exchanged codes, Cledwin naturally thought they had been discovered by the Emperor’s spy.

So he deliberately drew his sword and threatened. He thought a spy would react within the expected range.

But the culprit was different from his expectations in many ways. It was unexpected that there were no signs of training, and the culprit seemed more surprised that Cledwin had appeared there.

However, those eyes soon coldly glared at him and never averted their gaze.

Those eyes.

The calm purple eyes were more like those of an adult who had weathered life’s storms than those of a twelve-year-old child. Cledwin carefully recalled his conversation with the child. And he found himself smiling without realizing it.

An interesting element had been added to this school.

***

As the first week of mutual exploration came to an end, the freshmen cautiously began to throw parties.

There were broadly two types of parties at the Noble Academy: those held by the student council, and those held by the students themselves.

The former were official events that all students could freely attend within the range set by the student council, but the latter were closer to social gatherings. Only those desired by the host received invitations with their family names written on them, attending as representatives of their houses.

Children from wealthy and high-ranking families were invited to most parties, while those from poor or low-ranking families were invited to fewer.

The freshmen soon found enjoyment in critiquing like adults whose party was impressively high-class and whose had mistakes.

In that regard, Diane McKinnon’s pajama party was flawless.

Since it was a kind of gathering unbound by formalities, the children forgot their intention to evaluate and became absorbed in toys, or giggled while having pillow fights.

As Diane’s dormitory, the party venue, was an entire mansion, there was no need to worry about disturbing the sleep of people in adjacent rooms as in typical pajama parties.

However, those with a keen eye remembered that all the pillows and bedding Diane had prepared for this day were top-quality imported linen, that the servants attending to the students were exceptionally polite, and that expensive ingredients had been lavishly used in the snacks prepared for when the children got hungry.

“This is wonderful, Diane. Thank you for inviting me.”

Alecto Islani, who had already made a name for herself as a witty child, said with an admiring face.

“Thank you for coming. If there’s anything uncomfortable about the party, please tell Betty.”

Diane, wearing a sky-blue silk robe with lots of frills over her snow-white linen pajamas, sat like an adult as she replied. Almost all the freshmen were attending today’s party, and Diane’s pajamas stood out as particularly expensive among them.

Even Betty, the maid, was wearing clothes made of good material, looking like a knight’s wife from somewhere. As maids usually received clothes from their master’s household, the children couldn’t hide their envy as they guessed at the wealth of the McKinnon family.

Neris sat next to Diane, silently observing the atmosphere of the party.

She felt very strange. In her previous life, after becoming an adopted daughter of the Elandria family, she had been invited to various parties but was never truly welcomed.

Even at the graduation ball that everyone looked forward to, she only had terrible memories, but today Diane had earnestly asked Neris to come ‘early’ and stay ‘right next to me’.

When Alecto left to join her friends, Diane immediately turned her head and asked Neris in a sweet voice.

“Liz, is there anything you want to eat? I asked them to make lots of things you can’t get in the school cafeteria. What do you like? There are cookies with rose jam, and almonds dipped in chocolate. Should I have them bring warm milk with honey?”

The food from the school cafeteria was quite good, but it had its limitations. Neris didn’t particularly discriminate against food, as she had often gone hungry due to her husband’s whims even as a crown princess in her previous life, but children who were used to eating only food tailored to their tastes at home had many complaints.

However, even the pickiest child would find it hard to say that the food provided by the McKinnon family’s daughter today was lacking.

“I’ve eaten a lot. Thank you for your consideration.”

Neris greeted her according to etiquette. This time, Angarad Nine, who had been constantly looking this way from nearby, approached with a shy face.

“Um, thank you for inviting me to the party, Diane. Nel, um, your hair looks really pretty today.”

Angarad kept shortening Neris’s name to Nel. It was part of her attempt to appear close to Neris in her own way.

Neris’s platinum blonde hair was reputed to have an angelic sheen even without any servants to care for it. In addition, today she had a particularly lovely half-up hairstyle, so Angarad’s compliment was not empty words.

“Thank you, your hair is pretty too.”

Neris replied in a fluent and beautiful manner that unconsciously captivated listeners.

Angarad was wearing a cream-colored satin ribbon that was currently fashionable in social circles. In her previous life, during her original school days, Neris had heard Angarad boasting about her ribbon.

It was an expensive item that Baron Nine had bought as a gift for Angarad from a famous dress shop in the imperial capital, just in case his daughter might feel inferior at the academy.

‘What’s with her?’

Meanwhile, Diane, who had received thanks for the invitation, didn’t look very pleased.

Diane knew that Neris disliked being called ‘Nel’, but Angarad was acting as if she was very close to Neris while not knowing even that.

When Diane and Neris showed no particular interest in her, Angarad dejectedly went to mingle with other children.

The lower nobility had already had a couple of gatherings among themselves, and Angarad had made a few friendly acquaintances thanks to her quite cute appearance.

As soon as Angarad left, Diane completely changed her attitude and said kindly to Neris.

“I have a card game I like. Let’s play together, okay?”

“Sure. How many people does it take?”

“Just the two of us!”

The McKinnon family’s servants, who had advised their young mistress to invite half of the class and had put in great effort for today’s party, exchanged awkward smiles among themselves.

It was proper manners for a party host to pay equal attention to all attendees. That ‘Neris’ young lady was dignified and intelligent, likely to be a desirable friend who would have a good influence on Miss Diane, but it was better to have broader social relationships.

At that moment, a servant carrying drinks with lavender collided with a party attendee who was running around recklessly.

Even though it was a twelve-year-old, the full-force collision almost made the servant lose his balance with an “Oh!” Fortunately, he didn’t fall, but a few of the drink glasses he was holding spilled.

The child who bumped into the servant screamed as she suddenly received a shower of cold, sticky drink.

“Ah! It’s cold!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, young miss!”

“Haha! Joanna is all wet!”

Laughter erupted from around. The completely soaked child was quickly changed by her personal maid who rushed over.

Although not as bad as that child, there were a few people who were affected by the splashing drink nearby, but children with less wet areas just continued to enjoy the party as they were.

Neris’s eyes sparkled as she caught a glimpse of Angarad’s ribbon being half-soaked.

***

As Neris put her hand into her bag, she suddenly paused.

A rustling sound, something thin and light yet stiffly dried. It wasn’t the first time, so she could quickly tell what that sensation was.

“What’s wrong?”

Diane, who was taking things out of her bag in the next seat, tilted her head looking at Neris. Neris spoke nonchalantly.

“It’s nothing.”

There was nothing to be upset about. In her previous life, this was a prank she experienced every few days.

In fact, this ‘dry thing’ was better. Better than something like a dead mouse, right? Much better than a live mouse.

But regardless of the lesser discomfort, it still felt strange.

Who could have put dead spiders in her bag? And it seemed to be more than just one or two.

There were already several people among this year’s freshmen who would want to do such a thing. Especially Megara and her followers.

But there were few people who were both active enough and had a strong enough stomach to personally procure ‘disgusting’ insects.

Neris counted a few names in her mind. Was the direct perpetrator a boy?

Young boys often enjoy seeing others’ surprised faces without any particular grudge. Neris, who had often been a target, greatly disliked such unconscionable behavior, but she couldn’t do anything about it in the past. Because she had no power.

Now… she could use a better method than crying and complaining about the unfairness. Fortunately.

The freshmen were chattering to each other in bright voices about the enjoyable weekend parties while waiting for the teacher. Then, a cautious voice spoke to Neris from the next seat.

“Nel, why did you stop when you put your hand in your bag earlier?”

Angarad Nine. Seeing that face speaking to her again without any tact, Diane lost her patience.

‘She came and sat next to us again.’

If it weren’t for the incident where Angarad’s ribbon got soaked with a drink at Diane’s party last weekend, she would have given a curt reply. Asking what business it was of hers.

However, Diane still remembered that the lavender scent and drink stains would require separate washing to remove.

Diane’s hesitation gave Neris enough time to observe Angarad. Neris gave Angarad a brighter smile than usual.

“Why do you ask?”

Angarad’s round eyes always made her look harmless and innocent. But Neris could roughly guess who the culprit was who had done this to her bag.

As she glanced aside to check, she saw that Megara was also looking this way. Neris smiled at Megara too, who flinched slightly when their eyes met. Then she waited for Angarad’s answer.