Angarad was really angry at that time, but gradually realized while living school life. She had to endure even if she disliked it. Making enemies was something only fools did.

She had to become friends with popular kids, smart kids, and wealthy kids. So when she gained influence, everyone would defer to her then.

They would try to curry favor wanting to receive an invitation from Angarad Nine.

But who would have known it would turn out like this now.

“Th-that’s something Rhiannon cherishes. She always wears it, how could I.”

“She takes it off during magic class.”

Megara explained smoothly and calmly as if she had already arranged everything.

Her appearance sitting in the red-painted chair carved from juniper wood was adorable, though slightly awkward due to the chair being too big. Megara, feeling Angarad’s blank stare, pushed out her chest a bit more.

However, shortly after, seeing the expression that naturally appeared on this timid classmate’s face, she ended up getting annoyed.

Trude would have looked at this chair with that same face too.

That thought kept coming to her. Neris Trude didn’t look awkward at all when using adult items. Even though she was short. It was as if she always knew how to look dignified from every angle.

That was an impossible thing. The Likeandros marquis family was among the high nobility and was a prestigious house superior even to other marquis families. Megara had been raised to be a perfect lady since childhood. By countless expensive tutors stationed permanently.

Megara, who grew up having even her hand gestures refined, knew well. There was no etiquette that was naturally learned without being taught. All norms arose as the result of endless history and consensus in high society.

And yet to dare.

To go around with such a calm face as if all that glory meant nothing to her.

Moreover, thinking of the embarrassment suffered during Berlenese class, she felt like killing Neris right away wouldn’t be enough.

But since she was already attracting attention, even Megara couldn’t act recklessly. If she carelessly did something and got caught at school, what kind of disgrace would that be. Once lost, reputation could not be recovered.

And death was too easy.

“The only class we have with Neris where we take our bags off our sight is magic class. The next magic class happens to be a practical. The classroom will be empty, so take out Rhiannon’s bracelet and put it in Neris’s bag. You know better what happens when someone steals.”

Angarad had a dark look. Her originally innocent and pure impression that used to easily make people like her had been constantly changing lately.

Megara read the hesitation in Angarad’s eyes and smiled gently.

“It’s good for you too, Nine. When Rhiannon says her bracelet is missing, the kids will suspect you first.”

That was true. Angarad’s face turned pale. She hated the kids’ stares. She hated them more and more every day. Those cruel things filled with contempt and disgust.

How could they do that? How could they so cruelly curse and accuse someone of being a thief when they hadn’t even seen it themselves, when the person was saying it wasn’t them?

Megara smiled as if reading Angarad’s mind.

“But when it’s revealed that you didn’t actually do it? I’ll say a few good words. The ribbon incident was probably a mistake too, it seems too harsh to keep suspecting her of deliberately stealing things. If you receive that reward, can you do it?”

“Really?”

Angarad’s face brightened after a moment, knowing well that Megara’s words were accepted like law by a significant number of kids. Megara smiled a flower-like pretty smile.

“Of course.”

If she could finally make Neris Trude grovel in a way befitting her origins, that much was nothing.

“When you have something you desperately want, come find me. I’ll treat you according to your worth.”

Cledwin left soon that day, but for several days after, Neris vividly recalled his words as if hearing them right next to her ear.

It was clear that Cledwin Maindlant had power. Even as Elandria became an independent kingdom and several electors fought for factions, Maindlant alone remained intact and prosperous. If she entered under him, there was a possibility of living a life free from the Elandria family or the imperial family.

But Cledwin didn’t know about Neris’s eyes yet.

When she turned eighteen and the Elandria family’s gem eyes finally appeared to the world, her value would be incomparable to now. What guarantee was there that Cledwin wouldn’t betray her then?

No, someone as cold as him might just sell her off as is. Wasn’t he someone who even killed his own retainers he’d known since childhood?

She had to think hard. She had to weigh it carefully. She couldn’t choose based on feelings alone. Neris lowered her eyes with a troubled expression, resting her chin on her hand.

That appearance, with her fingers naturally curved and touching her unblemished cheek, was both cute and dignified. Several lower noble girls looked at Neris with admiring eyes.

In etiquette class, Sheridan had praised that every move Neris made was imbued with elegant dignity, and even on days like today when she wore rough practice clothes over her uniform, she stood out.

The class Neris took today with other new students was basic magic.

Traditionally, nobles considered magic an important accomplishment. In the age of the three heroes it had been as natural as air, but in the current era it had almost disappeared and become a kind of very expensive skill, so there was added admiration for its rarity.

To be recognized as a refined noble in high society, it was enough to use a few basic theoretical terms, but occasionally talented people would claim to be distant descendants of the three heroes themselves.

In other words, this meant that an individual’s magical talent, which seemed like an objective measure at first glance, could be used politically in any number of ways.

So the school did not provide opportunities for young students to skip grades in basic magic, and only allowed study beyond that after carefully measuring talent over 3 years.

Anyway, lower grade magic classes were simple things like learning how to use existing magical tools by putting in a little of the magic power everyone has, but even that level of education was too much for many children to keep up with.

Neris had higher than average magic power reserves and excellent application skills. It was probably related to her gem eyes, but there was no way to know for sure.

Just, she was sick of having to take classes that had already been too easy for her for 3 more years with people who hated them.

Fortunately, there was something to see today.

“My bracelet is gone.”

It was when everyone was taking off their practice clothes after finishing basic magic practice and putting back on the accessories they had taken off before class. Rhiannon said with a pale face. Megara frowned.

“Bracelet?”

“My emerald bracelet!”

Rhiannon’s emerald bracelet was made using top quality emeralds that looked like flames flickering inside, and was too expensive an accessory for a child to wear.

She cherished that bracelet, which she said her wealthy aunt had brought as part of her dowry when she married in, and there wasn’t a single classmate who hadn’t envied the bracelet at least once.

At Rhiannon’s scream-like voice, the attention of the whole class was drawn. Diane, who was taking off her practice clothes with Neris’s simple help, raised both eyebrows.

“Your bracelet is gone?”

“Look carefully.”

Megara advised with a shocked face. Rhiannon turned pale and carefully felt around the surrounding desks and even the inside seams of the practice clothes she had taken off. Alecto approached and began to help search the surroundings.

“It’s not here!”

Finally accepting the situation, Rhiannon covered her mouth with both hands. Alecto looked around fiercely.

At the end of that gaze was Angarad. Angarad turned as pale as Rhiannon, then her face flushed bright red.

“What’s going on?”

Mrs. Graham, the basic magic teacher, had returned to the classroom a little later than the children because she had been cleaning up the practice room. She asked, sensing the strange atmosphere among the students.

Rhiannon, who was already on the verge of tears, said:

“Teacher, I can’t find my bracelet anywhere…”

Mrs. Graham was more of a resourceful teacher than an outstanding magician. After all, taking care of lower grades was more like childcare than academic instruction. She asked carefully.

“What does it look like?”

“It’s a gold bracelet with one oval emerald this big, sob, and three small… small diamonds on each side…”

The size of the emerald that Rhiannon indicated with her fingers as “this big” was not something that could be dismissed as a child’s possession.

Mrs. Graham’s face hardened. Her voice became kinder than before.

“Are you sure you wore the bracelet today? Sweetie, is it possible you didn’t wear it today and just can’t see it?”

“I saw Rhiannon take off her bracelet just before class started. And I think she put it in her drawer.”

Megara said with a regretful expression. Suddenly the classroom became terribly quiet.

“Let’s look for it first. Children, look around you. It might have fallen on the floor.”

The children silently checked their surroundings. Rhiannon’s face was covered in tears.

Megara and Alecto comforted Rhiannon and checked every nook and cranny of Rhiannon’s desk, clothes, body, and bag once again. When the bracelet didn’t turn up anywhere, the children fell into a chilling silence.

“Teacher.”

Alecto said quietly.

“I think someone took it.”

It was impossible to know who was the first to give Angarad a look again. Receiving the sharp gazes of the whole class, Angarad lay face down on her desk.

“Why are you lying down?”

Alecto asked sharply. Angarad didn’t get up. Her back, visible to the other children, trembled finely as if she had burst into tears. Alecto approached in big strides like a powerful animal and asked Angarad again.

“Why, are you, lying down?”

“Alecto Islani!”

Mrs. Graham quickly cautioned. Alecto widened her eyes.

“What did I say, teacher? I just asked a question. Angarad suddenly lay down by herself.”

“Anyone would be scared if you talk to a friend like that. Hurry back to your seat.”

Alecto had been trying to eat Angarad alive every time she saw her since the ribbon incident. Diane looked at Angarad’s back with a strange face and whispered to Neris.

“What’s suddenly going on here?”

“I know, right.”

Neris answered brightly. At that indifferent voice, Diane slightly raised her eyebrows.

“Aren’t you curious about what happened?”

“I am curious. It’s a precious item. An emerald of that size would be hard to find something similar.”

Neris’s voice was slightly louder when saying the last sentence, so all the children in the class heard it. Angarad’s back flinched greatly.

“Teacher.”

Rhiannon said quietly.

“At my grandfather’s house, when jewelry or gold coins go missing, they open the pockets of people likely to be the culprit.”

It was clear that Rhiannon, having lost her bracelet, was very angry and anxious. Mrs. Graham sighed with a troubled face.

“A dignified person never carelessly suspects others, Rhiannon. However, yes, someone could have taken the bracelet by mistake. When many people are gathered, really unbelievable mistakes can happen. If someone made such a mistake, why don’t we take time to check ourselves so we can quickly realize and correct it, and anyone who remembers something can tell the teacher?”

It was nonsense. There’s no way someone could mistakenly take something put in a drawer.

None of the children laughed, and Mrs. Graham immediately realized that fact. Megara raised her hand.

“Teacher, I don’t think we need to check everyone. We all moved together when going into practice and when coming back to the classroom. Wouldn’t the culprit be someone who left their seat during practice?”

“Then we know for sure who it is! Angarad Nine went out and came back earlier!”

Someone shouted in a cynical voice.

Neris smiled bitterly. It was certainly true. Lately, as more kids refused to pair up with her, Angarad frequently left her seat during class with the excuse of having a headache. It was an obvious lie, but as no one pointed it out or worried, the frequency increased.

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Megara said calmly.

“Neris left her seat too. Right, Neris? It feels a bit strange for me to point this out in this situation, but I’m saying it because we ‘absolutely’ can’t have an innocent person come out. I hope you don’t misunderstand me.”