The Price is Everything of Yours - Chapter 69

“Neris, is that really not true?”

Isabel passionately defended Neris. Though it wasn’t her intention, if the culprit of today’s chicken blood incident turned out to be Neris, she would be the first to face the consequences, so she had no choice.

“No, young lady. It’s impossible. I was watching her the whole time. She didn’t even glance at the first-year classroom, and when she briefly left her seat, I followed her.”

Hearing this, Valentine fell into thought. After a moment, her eyes blazed.

“Then the culprit is obvious. Megara, you nasty girl, is this because I said a few words to you? Unbelievable.”

Delma, who had been trying to pin the blame on Neris, was disappointed, while Isabel was relieved. Valentine, applying rose-scented oil to her hands, sank into deep contemplation.

How should she retaliate?

No immediate method to surprise Megara came to mind. So Valentine decided to shift her focus slightly. After all, revenge didn’t have to be carried out in the same manner.

“Isn’t there a party for upper nobility this weekend?”

A party for lower-grade students, inviting only those from families deemed ‘sufficiently noble’ among those of count rank and above, was soon to be held. Megara would surely attend.

Delma nodded.

“Yes, young lady.”

“Contact the host. Tell them I won’t attend if Megara comes.”

Both Delma and Isabel gaped.

In social circles, those words were tantamount to declaring a public feud.

The two girls could fight. However, displaying it in front of people from other families was a different matter. Delma quickly tried to pacify her mistress.

“Young lady, the party is just days away. How can we adjust now? If you really can’t stand to see her, why don’t you make an excuse and not attend?”

“Delma, how can you say such a thing to me? Even you should be on my side.”

Valentine expressed her disappointment at Delma’s attempt to prevent an immediate confrontation.

Seeing that displeased face, Delma quickly retracted her words. After all, her power stemmed entirely from Valentine.

“Young lady, of course I’m always on your side. Yes, I’ll do as you say.”

Delma began to consider how to explain this situation to the Duke and Duchess, her direct employers. Valentine, lifting her chin arrogantly, said:

“If the host says they can’t do it, tell them we’ll soon hold a party at our house and they can handle it. I’ll throw the most lavish and refined party that no one in this school has ever hosted, inviting only those who are qualified. Tell them if they want to be invited then, they should watch and behave properly!”

“Yes, young lady. That’s a great idea.”

With such bait thrown, even the host would have no choice. Delma praised her young lady several times for being so clever. Valentine’s eyes turned to Isabel.

“This works out perfectly. We can kill two birds with one stone. Isabel, I’ll send out invitations in a few days, so make sure to deliver one to that Neris girl. Ensure she attends.”

“An invitation?”

Hadn’t she just said it was a party inviting only ‘qualified’ people?

Isabel couldn’t help but ask, feeling averse to the idea of Neris being invited to such a place. Valentine curled her lips confidently.

“A fake invitation. She wouldn’t know what my personal seal looks like, right? Since I’m in a bad mood, I should tease her a bit.”

News that Valentine Elandria was meticulously preparing for a party soon spread throughout the school.

Although invitations were sent only a week in advance, contrary to custom, and preparations were just beginning, no one doubted that the party would be splendid.

Rumor had it that a fabric shop in downtown Katen had stopped taking other orders and was busy making curtains for the party. Footmen had even ridden horses to the neighboring city because sufficient high-quality ingredients couldn’t be found near Katen.

Amidst the hubbub, children who received invitations were secretly proud, while those who didn’t were disappointed. As the list of invited children grew longer, the selection criteria became more apparent, intensifying these feelings.

High nobility. Among them, children from the wealthiest and most historically prestigious families.

Therefore, when Isabel presented Valentine’s invitation to Neris, she didn’t need to verify its authenticity. It was obviously fake.

“Young lady, Lady Valentine earnestly requested that Lady Neris attend. She said that although you live separately, you’re still part of the Elandria family, so it would be nice if you could help greet the guests together.”

If Valentine had really said such things, it would be a sign of the world’s end. However, appreciating the effort, Neris opened the invitation to look at it.

As expected. Below the beautifully written invitation text was an image that looked similar to Valentine’s personal seal at first glance, but upon closer inspection was clearly different.

High nobles of the Bista Empire created personal seals around the time they entered school. They would then imitate adults by stamping these on letters they sent.

Unlike family crests, using a personal seal required at least a small fief of one’s own, making such personal seals objects of envy.

Of course, Neris knew Valentine’s personal seal. It was such a trivial trick that it was almost cute.

She probably wants to gleefully turn me away at the entrance, saying this is a fake invitation when I try to attend the party excited.

In her previous life, Neris had experienced incomparably worse humiliations than being turned away from a party several times. There were countless ways to make even successful party attendees feel terrible.

Smiling, Neris folded the invitation again. Then she said to Isabel:

“It’s kind of Valentine to think of me like that. In that case, I must attend.”

Got it. Isabel inwardly smiled with satisfaction.

As expected, no matter how clever this little girl was, she wouldn’t know the personal seal of a duke’s daughter. Even if she did, there was no reason to scrutinize an invitation personally delivered by Isabel.

“Then I’ll go back to the tasks the young lady assigned me.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

Neris had been giving Isabel appropriate tasks to keep her away for a while, to avoid getting involved when Megara struck back at Valentine. She was just a nuisance anyway.

Diane watched Isabel’s retreating figure with an overtly displeased expression.

“Now, now, don’t worry about it too much.”

Neris said with a smile. Diane furrowed her brow and grumbled.

“It’s strange, Liz. Everyone else invited is from families over two hundred years old, or at least has a maternal line from a marquis family or higher. Why invite us?”

Diane had already received Valentine’s invitation. She was keeping it a secret as Neris had instructed.

Neris spoke gently:

“Your family’s influence in the empire is by no means small, Diane. It’s just that fools are trying hard to ignore that fact.”

The hyenas that gathered at the McKinnon house in winter. What does it matter how many generations ago their family became nobility?

Without money, they’d have to beg to be received as guests even in the houses they so despise.

However, understanding didn’t dawn on Diane’s face.

“Hmm… Still, your cousin sister shouldn’t need our family.”

That was true. In fact, there were few families that the Elandria family absolutely had to cater to. And Valentine was exceptionally arrogant even within that family.

“Inviting you is logical.”

Neris thought Valentine’s purpose was clearly one of two things. Either she planned to steal Diane from Neris, or she intended to enjoy turning them both away at the party entrance.

However, Diane didn’t need to know that. After all, there was a way to end the whole situation before Valentine could even make a move.

“I’m heading to Kartak Circle from here. Have a good class, Diane.”

The two girls parted ways at the fork in the road to their next classes. Diane waved, looking a bit disappointed, and Neris raised her hand in return.

Neris’s eyes darkened as she crossed the wide courtyard of Kartak Circle.

In her previous life, Neris really hated social gatherings. Angarad’s petty behavior with the invitation was nothing compared to what came later.

As she grew older, all sorts of things happened. Especially because of Megara.

Even in her past life, Megara always reigned like a queen among her peers. Her power was so absolute that even when she hurled abuse right in front of them, the Megara in the children’s minds remained noble and kind beyond words.

That image, hard as a diamond, was bizarre. No matter what mischief she directly did, ordered, or fabricated, everyone except Neris never found any moral flaws in this little queen.

That devotion, bordering on faith, resulted in a distorted sense of morality in children as they grew a bit older.

A classroom where no one refuted arguments like ‘Megara wasn’t wrong. Because Megara can’t be wrong.’ was the same place as a classroom where no one refuted claims like ‘Neris is wrong. Because Neris can’t be right.’

The blatant double standard progressed to other children doing everything Megara did, but more intensely.

It was one day, Neris remembered, probably when she was about fifteen or sixteen. Strangely, an invitation to a tea party arrived for Neris.

By then she knew that no one invited her out of goodwill, but unable to refuse due to the fearsome name on the invitation, she reluctantly attended.

And soon regretted it.

Megara’s tea party by the lake on a beautiful spring day was perfect beyond measure. The round table was laden with colorful finger foods and porcelain painted with roses.

Children in their best dresses and jeweled accessories were served fragrant tea. On the surface, there was no problem.

Yes, except for Neris’s seat.

When Neris arrived at the invited location, she wasn’t surprised at first to find there was no chair for her to sit on. In fact, this wasn’t the first or second time such a thing had happened.

But she was surprised when Megara pretended to notice this fact.

“Neris, don’t stand in the corner. Is it because you don’t have a chair?”

“Yes.”

Neris nodded cautiously. Megara, by then already blossomed into a radiant beauty like a rose, said nonchalantly:

“Your place is over there. Heinman, bring the young lady over.”

While Neris was shocked to see the coffin placed in front of the lake, Heinman, Megara’s servant, hoisted her up.

No matter how much she screamed to be put down, it was of no use. He resolutely threw Neris’s small, thin body into the coffin. And before Neris could escape, he pushed the coffin into the lake.

To be fair, the coffin was quite sturdily made. It was probably even waterproofed. It safely carried the petrified fifteen-year-old girl, white as a sheet, quite far as it floated.

Neris’s failure to quickly jump out was due to fear. When the coffin first bobbed up on the water, Megara pointed out languidly:

“You, you’re dead. You shouldn’t move.”

The classmates were busy giggling at that moment.

Neris remembered well. At that time, Valentine was sitting next to Megara.

The two often invited each other to their social gatherings because they were similar in age and among the top high nobility children. How much Valentine enjoyed it then.

So trivial tricks like now meant nothing.

Moreover, that day, Neris, who had barely crawled ashore soaked in lake water, was served a dead rat as a tea food and forced to eat it.

After that, she found even the sound of rats crawling on the ceiling terrifying.

Anyway, Valentine wouldn’t bring rats to ‘her’ party venue, would she?

Lost in thought, Neris’s feet had stopped in front of the upper-class students’ classroom. Her next class was ‘International Resources and Trade’. The direction Nelrysion had walked out during Valentine’s last visit was…

“Neris.”

A very welcoming, familiar voice. At that voice, Neris turned her head with a pleased expression.

Nelrysion was standing there, smiling as always.

“Are you here for class?”