The Price is Everything of Yours - Chapter 21

“So… Just keep that in mind.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Neris inwardly sneered coldly as she looked into what Nelrysion was thinking.

Acting innocent, kind, and like she knew nothing of filth was a life lesson that the adult Nelrysion himself had taught her. He said that if she was also precise in etiquette, she could receive affection without disillusionment in noble society.

It was a method that would never work among high nobles themselves, but people in social circles held a strange fantasy about a low-ranking noble girl born in the countryside. That she would be pure, they thought.

‘They sure like purity.’

Even if a child was born and raised without want, being among peers much wealthier than oneself would inevitably lead to thoughts about money. The competition for survival conditions was an animal instinct after all.

How much more so for a young girl of the poorest background in the school, barely managing tuition through loans – could she really be so nonchalant even at the mention of the imperial family?

In Neris’s opinion, if one had a brain, that’s the first thing they should have doubted. But he was still young and held a biased perception of Neris.

She would be able to avoid suspicion for a while by taking advantage of that fact.

“Um, senior. Then what exactly is my job?”

Nelrysion, who had been staring at Neris for a while, flinched at her calm voice. He blinked a couple of times before composing his voice.

“Ah, right. Sorry. You can refer to what I just gave you to first organize the student records given by the teachers by grade, and then by name. Right now they’re organized by subject, you see?”

It wasn’t difficult, but it was a time-consuming task, so it was an appropriate punishment for making inappropriate comments during class time. Indeed, it was something Lord Voltaire would approve of as punishment. Neris smiled.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”

“No, thank you for helping.”

Nelrysion flashed a killer smile at Neris. Neris met his gaze steadily and counted two beats internally. Then, pretending to be shy, she raised the corners of her mouth and lowered her gaze.

Spreading out the mid-term student attendance records for the first semester, which revealed the personalities of each teacher, Neris slowly sorted the papers. Nelrysion lingered nearby, subtly observing the amount of work Neris was doing, and asked kindly:

“Neris, why are you starting with the upper grade classes?”

Neris answered in a diligent voice:

“The upper grade classes have shorter lists, don’t they?”

Nelrysion smiled. While most freshmen took similar classes, upper grades were spread across various difficulty levels according to individual achievement, so Neris’s words were true. But that also made the work more complex.

To look at the thickness first, it seemed that no matter how good her math test scores were, she was still a young child without experience.

“It would be easier to start with the lower grade classes since you need to classify by grade first. You’re taking Berlene 3 too, right?”

“Oh, you’re right.”

Neris hesitated for a moment before looking at Nelrysion and bursting into an innocent smile once again.

To Nelrysion, that smile seemed even more dazzling than before. His own sister Valentine was a very pretty child, but she was cunning and arrogant, with no hint of freshness.

He thought it would have been nice to have a sister like this. Being a commoner, it would also help the family’s prestige.

“I was inexperienced. But since I’ve already started, I’d like to continue this way. If not, I feel like I might get confused about which class attendance records I’ve finished. Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Nelrysion nodded.

“It’s your work, so it’s up to you. I just thought it might be difficult for you.”

“Thank you for teaching me, Senior Nelrysion.”

“Call me elder brother Nel. We’re relatives, aren’t we? Our names being similar makes me feel even closer.”

Neris had heard almost exactly the same words in her previous life.

At that time, she had already become the adopted daughter of the Elandria family, and Valentine and the duchess openly disliked Neris. So Nelrysion’s kind attitude had given her great courage.

But Nelrysion’s kindness was mere pretense.

When the duchess starved Neris for making a mistake in etiquette and bringing shame to the family, he didn’t stop her.

When the maid didn’t properly serve her, he didn’t reprimand them. Even when she was falsely accused of stealing the duchess’s jewelry and had her hair cut off, he made no intervention.

At the time, Neris thought that Nelrysion didn’t know about these incidents, and when she received an apologetic expression and words of apology afterwards, she blamed herself for not hiding her wounds.

But thinking about it now, there’s no way Nelrysion didn’t know. He knew but didn’t care.

It probably didn’t matter to him. As long as he appeared to be a good person.

“Call me elder brother Nel. We’re siblings now, aren’t we? Our names being similar makes me feel even closer.”

That hollow phrase echoed in her head, stabbing heavily into Neris’s stomach like a sword blade. She inwardly smiled bitterly, but outwardly pretended to be unable to hide her joy as she spoke.

“I will, elder brother Nel.”

“Good. Then what should I call you?”

Nelrysion was acting overly friendly. Was it because Neris was standing out this time compared to her dazed past life?

The friendly attitude that would have delighted her in her past life now only felt disgusting to her.

Neris spoke with an innocent expression. She didn’t want to be on guard with Nelrysion yet, but she had no desire to be close to him either.

“I’m sorry, elder brother Nel. I’m just Neris. Mother usually called me ‘our baby’. But I’m not a baby, so it would be strange if someone else called me a baby, wouldn’t it?”

The corners of Nelrysion’s mouth turned up contentedly. He began to look at her so kindly that anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they had a very warm and affectionate relationship.

“You’re right. Then I’ll just call you Neris. As much as I’d like to make a name only I could call you, it would harm your reputation if a cousin who’s not even your fiancé acted too familiar.”

“That’s a shame.”

Neris said words without any sincerity, feeling as cold as ice.

Nelrysion was already planning to sell her on the marriage market to raise the status of the Elandria family, so he was concerned about Neris’s reputation. It was not at all for her happiness, and it was disgusting to see him act as if he deserved credit.

Unaware of her thoughts, Nelrysion believed Neris was truly disappointed and happily imagined the benefits her existence would bring.

He had been really troubled lately by the losses Rhiannon Berta had brought.

He knew Rhiannon was being subtly bullied under Idalia Kendal’s leadership, but far from feeling sorry, he felt relieved. The blind emotions of young children were only precious to him when they benefited him.

And if Neris’s emotions were directed towards him, it would be really, really good.

Click. At that moment, the door of the student council room opened without warning. Nelrysion raised his head faster than he thought he would, while Neris raised hers slower than she thought she would.

“What’s this?”

Abelus, standing alone at the door, looked dumbfounded.

He had absentmindedly left the card game that Nelrysion had casually called together today and habitually dropped by the student council room, not really expecting anyone to be there, so he was rather taken aback.

Seeing Nelrysion standing affectionately close to Neris, even Abelus’s not-so-bright mind grasped the outline of the situation. Abelus laughed weakly.

“What’s this, Nelrysion? When I was with Tasi, you said not to use the student council room as a meeting place?”

Nelrysion was also flustered, but he soon showed an awkward bitter smile as if it was absurd.

“What meeting, Your Highness? As a student council member, I’m supervising the punishment.”

“Right, of course. Alone with the prettiest freshman.”

Abelus only glanced at Neris once, but of course he recognized who she was.

Neris felt bitter that Abelus used such words. They had lived as a married couple for several years, but Abelus always grumbled that Neris was ugly.

Of course, there’s no way she could be the prettiest among the freshmen even if the world turned upside down, so his current words were just nonsense to tease Nelrysion.

From Neris’s perspective, Abelus wasn’t as much an object of love and hate as Nelrysion. They both knew from the beginning that they married for the benefit between families and she was mistreated until she had no expectations.

The memory of being hit by Abelus as soon as he heard the news that the Elandria family had taken the crown, saying it was because of her, wasn’t even special to Neris.

She should pay him back as much as she suffered, but it wasn’t time yet. Neris quietly lowered her eyes, feeling as if something like a fireball was gently burning in her chest, postponing it for later.

Meanwhile, Abelus had really just said anything to tease Nelrysion, but soon he found himself scrutinizing Neris without realizing it.

A genius? It was a word he had used to describe Neris before, but he knew what a genius was.

Geniuses were guys like Cledwin Maindlant. Monsters who wouldn’t die no matter how much you tried to kill them, who you’d only end up looking up at from the bottom no matter how much you tried to surpass them.

Compared to that, Neris was a lower class not worth worrying about, and language talent was only useful for interpreters.

It seemed Nelrysion had the mind to use Neris as a card, but after all, the symbol held by a commoner was just a symbol.

She has some use. But not a big enough hand for him, the crown prince, to pay special attention to. If you want to see which family the Elandria family will form a marriage alliance with, it’s more efficient to keep an eye on Valentine, the only daughter of the main family, rather than a distant relative.

“It’s just work.”

Nelrysion knew almost exactly what Abelus was thinking, so he wasn’t very nervous.

He raised the corners of his mouth a little more than before and approached the student council president’s seat. Then, pulling out the chair, he asked:

“Would you like to sit? If you have something to do, we’ll be here for a few hours, so please join us.”

“No, I’m good.”

Abelus had really just moved his feet for a walk and had no business in the student council room. Most of the student council’s work was being handled by Nelrysion anyway.

He should stop leaving everything to him like before.

In fact, even the documents in the secret drawer from before weren’t that impressive to Abelus. He was angry that Nelrysion had other schemes right under his nose with a benevolent face, but as his anger from that time subsided, it wasn’t like he didn’t expect Nelrysion to do such things.

Anyway, the Elandria family was a traditional servant of the imperial family. Not a loyal dog, but a vile hyena that could bare its teeth at any time.

Abelus lost interest and turned around.

“I’ll join the next game. Good luck.”

Neris didn’t know what next game Abelus was talking about, but Nelrysion understood that the crown prince was planning to return to the card-playing group.

In the student council room that became quiet again, Nelrysion smiled reassuringly at Neris.

“Let’s continue working. Don’t mind it. His Highness the Crown Prince was just joking.”

No one would know that fact better than Neris. After all, there would be few people less attractive as a woman to Abelus than Neris. She smiled innocently.

“Yes, elder brother Nel.”