Chapter 9: [Chapter 9] A Despicable Type
Mahradi's eyes widened. He quickly glanced at Megara, and when she gave him a sidelong glance, he looked dejected.
The few upperclassmen who knew the meaning of the words looked at Nellis with different eyes. Volter took the wand back from Nellis and said to Megara.
"My class only proceeds with students who can keep up. You entered this class with Hoffman's recommendation, didn't you?"
"...Yes."
"I'll give you a simple Berlene test after class, so don't go to your next class yet. I'll give you a card explaining the situation, so you don't have to worry about being late."
Megara's face turned pale.
"What about Nellis? Will she take the test too?"
"Nellis Truede's skills have already been proven, I think."
At the word "skills," Megara's eyes narrowed. She asked in a thin, cautious voice.
"Teacher, what if... I don't pass the test?"
"You'll have to go to a class that suits your level. The Academy places great importance on suitable learning difficulty. You can't expect your neighbor to teach you the answers every time, can you? If your partner doesn't know the answer, you'll get it wrong too."
Megara and Mahradi's faces turned pale. Volter knew that Mahradi had been teaching Megara the answers.
Nellis watched them with a satisfied expression.
***
The rumor that Megara Rikeandros was kicked out of the advanced elective language class due to her lack of skills spread quickly.
Megara's followers attacked Volter and Nellis, saying there was something strange about the situation, but not all new students joined in. Nellis was used to being criticized no matter what, so it was surprising that not everyone was attacking her.
Especially Diane's reaction was surprisingly favorable towards Nellis.
"She's really weird. She followed you because she was jealous that you were first. Why is she insulting you when she's the one who got kicked out for lack of skills?"
The phrase "jealous" made Nellis look at Diane with surprise. It was amusing that Diane's expression was so accurate, despite not knowing Megara well.
Nellis also felt a bit of regret. Was it that obvious?
When she was younger, Nellis had genuinely believed that Megara paid attention to her because she was that unusual and unpleasant to others.
In reality, people had found Nellis's presence unpleasant not only in school but also in social circles. The usual complaints were:
She's ugly and skinny, yet she thinks someone will like her, which is shameless.
She's not even that talented, yet she shows off, which is unbearable.
Her usual expression is gloomy, and when she smiles, it's shocking and disgusting.
Nellis had thought that these criticisms were justified, but now she realized that they were just excuses for Megara's jealousy.
"It's all true, though."
When Nellis first heard those words, she didn't quite understand. Since she had never been interested in others' appearances, she had never evaluated her own looks as pretty or ugly.
In fact, when she was very young, she had heard people say she was pretty.
However, after hearing many complaints about her unpleasantness, Nellis would glance at her reflection in the mirror and quickly look away, surprised by how unattractive she found her own face.
When she became the crown princess, the portrait painted by the artist had beautified her features, making her look pretty, but still, her facial characteristics were evident, and she felt uncomfortable when looking in the mirror, just like before.
She became even more cautious not to smile carelessly.
However, thinking back now, Nellis realized that not everyone who was "ugly," "gloomy," and "showy" like her received such blatant bullying.
In fact, everyone else had friends.
There must have been a reason why Megara started disliking Nellis in the first place, and now Nellis had a rough idea of what that reason was.
Besides her good grades, there was another factor that might have triggered Megara's reaction.
The Elantria family's Purple Eye had not appeared in over a century, but children with purple eyes were occasionally born in various families.
People in the social circle believed that any purple eyes revealed the owner's Elantria heritage, and being related to such an old and noble family was something to boast about.
The royal family and the Elantria family knew what a true Purple Eye looked like, but they didn't bother to inform other families. After all, the main family wasn't producing any Purple Eye heirs.
Later, when Nellis developed her Jewel Eye, it became clear that the only true Purple Eye was hers, but the old habit of cherishing purple eyes didn't change.
Megara, who took pride in her own appearance, must have been bothered by Nellis's looks.
"Right."
Angard, who had been coldly rejected before and was now sitting nearby, enthusiastically agreed with Nellis, as if he had found an excuse to talk to her.
Nellis only spoke to Angard when necessary and never acted friendly, but Diane was on Nellis's side even in her cold behavior.
To Diane, Angard seemed like a despicable type who was trying to ingratiate himself with the other kids. He wasn't particularly smart or from a high social status, but he was trying to cling to Nellis, who he thought was vulnerable.
Diane, who had grown up in a wealthy family and was loved, knew about the behavior of people who tried to curry favor. They would flatter you to your face, but if there was nothing to gain, they would ignore you like a stranger.
To Diane, Angard seemed like a despicable type who was trying to ingratiate himself with the other kids. He wasn't particularly smart or from a high social status, but he was trying to cling to Nellis, who he thought was vulnerable.
Diane, who had grown up in a wealthy family and was loved, knew about the behavior of people who tried to curry favor. They would flatter you to your face, but if there was nothing to gain, they would ignore you like a stranger.
Diane thought that Angard was exactly that kind of person and was worthy of contempt. On the other hand, she felt that Nellis, who had won her heart, was wise not to give in to such flattery.
"It's even more ridiculous that they think Nellis is vulnerable."
Nellis was far superior to children from wealthy families who had received strict education in every way. Her clothes were plain, but she had never been seen in disheveled attire.
Diane found herself liking Nellis more and more. Her pre-enrollment worries about not being able to make friends with her peers seemed foolish now. With a friend like Nellis, she felt grateful.
"But Nellis doesn't seem to like me very much."
As soon as Diane thought that, she felt dejected. Why didn't Nellis like her? Nellis had never done anything to dislike.
Was it because Nellis was shy? Or did they just need to spend more time together?
Diane thought that the latter might be the correct answer.
Nellis was too smart, and there were only a few classes that she and Diane shared. Moreover, their dormitories were far apart - Nellis's room was in a shared house with many stairs, which was not even a consideration for Diane.
"I should host a party next time."
Diane made up her mind. She could invite Nellis alone or invite other peers as well. Since she had already received party invitations from a few people, she felt the need to host a return party.
They would have fun together. Definitely.
On the other hand, Nellis just thought Diane was strange.
Nellis didn't have any grudges against Diane, but she didn't trust her either, so she didn't go out of her way to be friendly. But why did Diane keep sitting next to her and acting like they were friends?
Who would like Nellis?
Anyway, Diane's current kindness wasn't unwelcome. Since Nellis had rarely sat with someone in the school cafeteria, she felt a refreshing atmosphere.
It didn't matter if Diane would eventually turn against her and join in the bullying. Nellis was determined to become stronger, no matter what.
***
"There's a rumor that one of the new students is exceptional."
Prince Abellus smiled at Nellucius's words.
His kind and intelligent smile had a great effect on the female members of the student council, and sometimes even on the male members.
"Yes, there are a few."
"It's good that there are many talented students. I hope they grow up to be great adults who will bring prosperity to the royal family."
Abellus said proudly. A girl with ginger hair and a cute face approached him.
Abellus smiled at her.
"Tashi."
Natalia, the ginger-haired girl, was the most noticeable beauty not only in her grade but also among all the students who had attended the academy in recent years.
Moreover, as the daughter of Duke Grunehals, it was only natural that she joined the student council and became close to Abellus. Unless something unexpected happened, Natalia Grunehals would be the closest person to the future crown princess.
But we'll see about that. Nellucius, who was watching the two of them, thought coldly behind his kind face.
The Elantria family had ambitions. Before those ambitions were fulfilled, it didn't matter who Abellus associated with, but when everything was over, the future crown princess would be Nellucius's sister, Valentine. That was a matter decided by the family.
"Your Highness, I brought the test papers of the new students."
Natalia handed Abellus a bundle of papers with a sweet voice. Nellucius showed interest. Was Abellus interested in the new students' tests?
"What's so special about the tests, Your Highness?"
"Thanks, cute Tashi. Nellucius, take a look too. The blonde girl your family is sponsoring got a perfect score, didn't she?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The student council had already been stirred up about that issue. Abellus untied the string that bound the papers and quickly flipped through the pages.
"Let's see, Rianon Berta, Alekto Islani... Ah, here it is, Megara Rikeandros... She got embarrassed after begging Hoffman for a favor... Ah, found it."
Abellus pulled out several papers with the name "Nellis Truede" and set them aside. Nellucius, who was also interested, pulled out the last paper and examined it.
His face soon showed confusion.
"Is this really the handwriting of a new student?"
"All the other papers are the same. The teachers who taught her said she writes like an adult. Even her handwriting on the blackboard is beautiful. Nellucius, did your family teach her?"
"No, we only recently found out that Nellis was born in our family."
There was no reason for the main family to check on the life of a distant relative, especially one who had married a low-ranking knight and been expelled from the family.
If a child with the Purple Eye hadn't been born, they would have continued to cut off contact.
Nellucius recalled Nellis's face. Her clothes were plain, but her features were delicate and pretty. And she had the Purple Eye.
That child would be useful. His instincts had been saying that since he first saw Nellis.
"But how did she write so well? Could you have written answers like this in your first year?"
Abellus handed Nellucius a paper with the Imperial history test.
Nellucius was amazed that all the answers were clear, concise, and full of valuable information. If he hadn't known the situation, he would have thought a teacher had written it.
Wait, a teacher? Nellucius's face suddenly became cautious. Abellus smiled mischievously.
"Mahradi Onim raised an issue. He said that the new student's ability evaluation test is not the kind of test where someone can get a perfect score, and that it's clear that the questions were leaked or cheated. Either way, it seems like there's a problem with the teacher, so he asked us to investigate."
"If someone had given her the answers to cheat, it would be impressive that she could memorize this much content, but..."
"I think so too. Anyway, since we received a complaint, we called in the teacher. We asked Volter for his opinion, and he said..."
"What did he say?"
"Apparently, she speaks Berlene like a native, and her Sacred Language skills are quite high. She even had a free conversation with Ren Payel."
Abellus looked at Nellucius's face with amusement, enjoying the surprise that was written all over it. It seemed that even the usually stoic Nellucius could show such an expression.
"So, let's ask. Did she grow up in a temple when she was young?"
"Not as the child of a priest, no. We sent someone to investigate her hometown, and it seems that her mother married her father in front of the lord and lived there until recently. There's no suspicion about the timing of Nellis's birth either."
"Really? Then she's a genius?"
Abellus burst out laughing, but there was something unsettling about his laughter.
"A genius, in the classical sense."
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