The Price is Everything of Yours - Chapter 53

“Where did you hear the news about the thief last night?”

Surrounded by all the student council members, Megara felt like she was about to burst.

She couldn’t understand how it had come to this. It was just a light trap set to catch Neris Trude.

But how did that annoying Neris slip away, while the daughter of Marquis Likeandros was being interrogated in the student council room for such a trivial reason?

“Didn’t you hear? Where did you hear about the thief?”

When Megara didn’t immediately answer a student council member’s question, Natasha asked coldly.

Megara tried to stay calm as she spoke.

“One of my servants happens to be friends with a servant who cleans the teachers’ offices, so I heard the news as soon as this morning. It’s not a small matter. I thought I should let you know quickly in case my innocent friends might be in trouble too, and the culprit might do something bad, but it hurts my feelings when you speak to me like that.”

Natasha found Megara’s words amusing. Who did she think she was to dare inform the student council?

Given the influence of Marquis Likeandros, Megara would probably join the student council in a few years, but for now, she was just a tiny first-year student.

‘Because she’s of high status too.’

The words that child had said last night in the garden tickled Natasha’s mind.

It was ridiculous. A mere marquis’s daughter!

But Megara’s behavior had been bothering her since earlier.

Yes, Natasha was not picking on a child for no reason. She just had to… teach a lesson to a noble young lady who didn’t know her place. It was her duty as a senior, whether as an upperclassman or as a duke’s daughter.

So she brought up a flaw in Megara’s story that others hadn’t pointed out.

“What bad things? How did you know specifically that the exam papers were missing? The servant who discovered the office lock was open reported it directly to Sheriff Sheridan. He didn’t know what was missing.”

Abelus’s eyebrow twitched. Nelrysion smiled inwardly.

The two men had of course known from the start that Megara’s behavior was strange.

Certainly, as Megara said, it wasn’t impossible for a high-ranking noble child with many servants to hear school news quickly.

But even so, the timing of her rushing in with the suspect’s name as if she’d been waiting for it was too early.

Until now, they hadn’t pointed it out out of respect for Marquis Likeandros’s face, and because it seemed unlikely that a child would boldly steal exam papers just to frame someone else.

Megara may have been able to gain absolute support among her peers, but she had no experience in perfectly hiding her true feelings in front of seniors far more experienced than herself.

At least Natasha and Nelrysion didn’t miss the momentary bewilderment that flashed across her face.

Disappointment flickered in Abelus’s eyes.

He didn’t dislike petty conspiracies. No, he rather liked them. But he disliked fools who were so easily caught.

What use were they?

Unable to read his mind but chilled by the atmosphere around her, Megara said with a cute face, deeply regretting her own haste. She clenched her fist invisibly.

“Well, it’s obvious what would be stolen from a teacher’s office, isn’t it? We can’t even go ask teachers questions freely at this time! Of course there would be exam papers in the office. Isn’t that what Neris stole?”

Nelrysion inwardly smiled a bit more deeply than before.

There was nothing logically wrong with Megara’s words. But it contrasted thoroughly with what Neris had said earlier.

‘Those evaluation materials’ and ‘exam papers’… The specificity was completely different, wasn’t it?

Idalia continued to stand helplessly beside Megara. Her face grew paler and paler.

Things were not going as Megara had said when she had half-commanded, half-begged to borrow Simon yesterday evening.

She had said that no matter how Neris tried to explain, she would be expelled instantly once evidence was found, and we wouldn’t be questioned at all.

But who could have known that the damned evidence would disappear in an instant?

With that thought, Idalia opened her mouth. If she didn’t do at least that much, it didn’t seem like she could escape this terrible situation.

“It’s strange that Neris… always gets first place. She’s never been wrong on a test… Even if there are no exam papers in her room, she’s really good at memorizing… Maybe she memorized all the questions and threw away the papers?”

You idiot. Megara cursed Idalia inwardly. She went too far. Rambling on with excuses like someone who’s clearly guilty!

With that, Abelus, Natasha, and Nelrysion had almost figured out the situation.

Nelrysion lamented that he wasn’t sure if the innocent and kind Neris would be able to safely attend school until he could fully utilize her, given this.

While Neris was just quietly attending school, how many people were already trying to pin strange crimes on her?

Natasha snorted.

“If she’s smart enough to memorize all the questions overnight, she would have just studied for the test. You two, does the student council look ridiculous to you? Did you think the seniors would believe everything you made up? We should take these ones to the reflection room, Your Highness!”

Idalia, in a panic, tried to say she wasn’t the culprit, but Megara grabbed her hand tightly to stop her. Saying that now would be a complete confession.

Abelus was utterly tired of it all.

Unlike Neris, Megara wasn’t someone who could be casually threatened. The general outline of the situation had emerged, but there was no evidence… Wait.

“Nelrysion, then where are the exam papers?”

Ignoring the people in front of him as if they didn’t exist, Abelus asked what he was curious about. It was simply out of habit, as Nelrysion had usually provided answers to things he didn’t know.

Nelrysion answered politely, trying not to show that he had been waiting for that question. In fact, he was already guessing that the exam papers no longer existed in this world.

As a son of the main family, he couldn’t just stand by while those two made the student council thoroughly search an Elandria family member’s room. It would happen again if he did.

In fact, Nelrysion’s thinking wasn’t entirely objective. After all, nobles were all relatives, distant or close, if you traced their family trees.

Everyone would laugh if he claimed that Neris, with a different surname, should be respected as an Elandria family member. It was a fact that Nelrysion himself was well aware of usually.

But he felt good when he thought of Neris as ‘an Elandria family member’. So he unconsciously pushed that atmosphere of noble society to the back of his mind.

“How about searching Miss Likeandros and Miss Kendal’s dormitory rooms first, Your Highness?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

As soon as Abelus nodded, the attendant who had searched Neris’s room earlier left the student council room.

Idalia knew there was no way the exam papers would be in her or Megara’s dormitory, so she wasn’t more flustered by that fact than she had been until now. But the treatment was insulting all the same.

“Maggie…”

Megara was utterly irritated by Idalia’s pleading look. Like Abelus, Megara was also completely tired of the current situation. Just when she thought she could see something interesting for once, what was all this?

Earlier, Neris had told Idalia, ‘Thanks to your concern, everything has been resolved.’

She didn’t know what kind of trick this stupid Idalia had fallen for, but… if that’s what she wanted. There was no choice but to give her the ending she must have expected from the moment she lent her servant.

Megara’s face suddenly became serene as she looked at Idalia’s face.

Idalia stared at that face, blinking her large eyes. A face that had suddenly become unfamiliar, soft yet unreadable.

After a moment, Megara opened her mouth.

“There’s no need to search, Your Highness. It won’t be anywhere… Actually, I dare say I have something to tell you.”

The student council members, who had been whispering to each other about how to clean up this incident as the atmosphere slowly relaxed, closed their mouths. All eyes turned to Megara once again.

Megara looked up at Abelus with a pitiful gaze that would break anyone’s heart who saw it.

Seeing that innocent and utterly pitiful face, Abelus suddenly became confused. Could someone who looked so kind and obviously well-raised do such a thing?

“What is it?”

Naturally, his voice softened. Natasha lit up with anger, and Nelrysion clicked his tongue inaudibly. Of course, Nelrysion knew Natasha’s temper well.

‘She’s got guts.’

Well, even if that was the case, if Megara couldn’t escape this situation now, her reputation would be ruined regardless of Natasha’s ill temper.

“Actually… It wasn’t a coincidence that Idalia and I were together last night. Dali was so scared that I stayed with her.”

What?

The timid Idalia couldn’t even speak her mind. While she was at a loss for words, Megara spoke as if confessing.

“I knew it was the exam papers that were missing because I had enough time to guess. Yes, I made a big mistake. Dali studies really hard, but her grades don’t come out as well as she wants… So she was upset. Last night when class ended, Sheriff Sheridan said he was going straight to the faculty residence. I saw Dali send a servant after hearing that.”

This girl, how dare she lie so shamelessly. Natasha’s face twisted with such sentiments. Megara finally looked up at Abelus with tears in her eyes.

The student council members felt sympathy at that pitiful sight. Her natural and pitiful attitude made it difficult to doubt.

After all, she’s just a first-year student. And to tell the truth like this, knowing she might be hated by her friend.

If Neris had been here, she would have scoffed at this ridiculous atmosphere. Weren’t they interested in another first-year student who was wrongly accused of being a thief without a single friend?

But at least for now, this moment belonged to Megara.

Idalia finally opened her mouth.

“When did I ever!”

But Idalia was too flustered to coherently defend herself. Megara continued regretfully.

“Even though it was for a friend, I dared to lie to you, seniors. I’m really, really sorry. I’ll accept any punishment.”

“Hmm.”

Megara’s words sounded reasonable and explained all the situations.

Of course, even if what Megara was saying now was true, she wasn’t innocent. She had actively falsely accused another friend to protect her friend.

However, in the noble society where alliances were more important than truth, it wasn’t an unforgivable major crime.

Abelus stared at the two girls and said as if testing them.

“Both of you, tell me in detail what happened from last night.”

“I absolutely… The truth is, Megara!”

Idalia, feeling like those words were her last lifeline, opened her mouth with tears in her eyes. At that moment, Megara squeezed Idalia’s hand tightly again. So tightly that Idalia was startled by the pain.

Megara smiled at Idalia as she turned to look. The meaning of that smile, which would have looked like a kind encouragement to others, was conveyed only to Idalia in this room.

What would happen if she spoke carelessly.

Even if not as much as Marquis Likeandros, Marquis Kendal was also a great noble. Whatever happens.

Idalia hesitated for a moment but finally insisted on her innocence without giving in.

“It wasn’t me! Really! Yesterday, Maggie asked to borrow my servant, and told them to find out where Neris’s dormitory was! It was Megara! Megara had the exam papers placed in Neris’s dormitory!”

Those with slightly quicker tempers rolled their eyes, while more cautious people inwardly sighed. It was unsightly to see young ladies from prestigious families accusing each other, and judging by her attitude, Idalia seemed to have much more to hide.

Seeing the gazes gathering on her, Idalia made a tearful face.