章節 21: [Chapter 21] Call Me Nell Brother
"So, just keep that in mind."
"Yes, thank you."
Neris looked at Nellucian with a hint of mockery, knowing what he was thinking.
Pretending to be innocent, kind, and pure was a tactic that Nellucian himself had taught her as a way to gain affection in the noble society. As long as she followed the rules of etiquette, she would be able to gain the admiration of the nobles.
This tactic might not work among high-ranking nobles, but the people in the social circle had a certain fantasy about a young, innocent girl from a lower-ranking noble family.
"You like innocence, don't you?"
Even if someone was born and raised with every advantage, they couldn't help but think about money when surrounded by peers who were much wealthier. The competition for survival was a natural instinct.
And what about a young girl from the poorest background in school, who could barely afford tuition? Could she really be indifferent to the mention of the royal family?
Neris thought that if someone had a brain, they should be suspicious of her. But Nellucian was still young and had a biased perception of her.
She could use this to her advantage and avoid suspicion for a while.
"Excuse me, senior. What exactly do I need to do?"
Nellucian, who had been staring at Neris, flinched at her calm voice. He blinked a few times and composed himself.
"Ah, sorry. I'll explain. Please organize the student records by grade and then by name. They're currently organized by subject."
It was a task that wasn't difficult but time-consuming, making it a suitable punishment for her inappropriate comment during class. Neris smiled.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for explaining."
"No, thank you for helping me."
Nellucian flashed Neris a charming smile. Neris met his gaze, counted to two in her head, and then looked down with a shy smile.
As she sorted the papers, Nellucian hovered around her, occasionally checking on her work. He asked kindly.
"Neris, why are you starting with the upperclassmen's records?"
Neris replied in a diligent tone.
"Because the upperclassmen's records are shorter."
Nellucian smiled. It was true that the new students mostly had similar classes, but the upperclassmen had more diverse classes based on their individual achievements, making the task more complicated.
Neris was still a young and inexperienced girl, despite her good grades in math.
"It would be easier to start with the lowerclassmen's records, since you're doing it by grade. You're taking Berlen 3, right?"
"Yes."
Neris hesitated for a moment before smiling innocently at Nellucian again.
Nellucian found her smile even more dazzling than before. His younger brother, Valentin, was a pretty boy, but he was also cunning and arrogant, lacking a youthful charm.
Nellucian thought that it would be nice to have a younger sister like Neris. It would also be beneficial to the family's reputation.
"I was clumsy. But since I've already started, I'd like to continue this way. If I switch now, I might get the records mixed up. Is that okay?"
"Okay."
Nellucian nodded.
"It's up to you, since you're doing it. I was just worried you might find it difficult."
"Thank you for teaching me, Nellucian senior."
"Call me Nell brother. We're relatives, after all. Our names are similar, so it feels more familiar."
Neris had heard almost the same words from Nellucian in her past life.
At that time, she was already an adopted daughter of the Elantria family, and Valentin and the duchess openly disliked her. Nellucian's kindness had given her a lot of courage.
But Nellucian's kindness was just a facade.
Nellucian didn't intervene when the duchess starved Neris for not following etiquette and bringing shame to the family. He didn't scold the maid for not taking good care of her, and he didn't do anything when Neris was falsely accused of stealing the duchess's jewels and had her hair cut off.
At the time, Neris thought that Nellucian probably didn't know about these incidents, but now she realized that he simply didn't care. It would have been better for him if he appeared to be a good person.
Nellucian's insincere words echoed in Neris's mind, making her feel heavy-hearted. She replied with a sweet smile, but inside, she was wary of him. She didn't want to be close to him, but she also didn't want to be rude.
Nellucian said, "Call me Nell brother. We're siblings now, and our names are similar, so it feels more familiar."
Neris's heart felt like it was being pierced by a sharp knife as she heard his words. She smiled sweetly, but inside, she was seething.
"I'll do that, Nell brother," she said.
Nellucian asked, "What should I call you?"
Neris replied, "I'm sorry, Nell brother. I prefer to be called Neris. My mom used to call me 'our child,' but I'm not a baby, so it feels weird when other people call me that."
Nellucian's lips curled up in a gentle smile, as if he were looking at a precious treasure. He decided to call her Neris, as he didn't want to be too familiar with her, since they weren't engaged.
Nellucian was relieved that Neris didn't seem to be interested in him, as he had a plan to marry her off to improve the Elantria family's status. He didn't care about her happiness, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable either.
Neris said, "I'm sorry, Nell brother. I'm just Neris. My mom used to call me 'our child,' but I'm not a baby, so it feels weird when other people call me that."
Nellucian's expression turned gentle, as if he were looking at a precious treasure. He said, "You're right. I'll just call you Neris. I'd like to create a special name just for you, but as your older brother, I don't want to be too familiar and tarnish your reputation."
Neris felt a chill run down her spine as she heard his words. She replied, "That's a shame."
Nellucian thought that Neris was genuinely disappointed, and he was pleased with the potential benefits she could bring to the Elantria family. He didn't care about her happiness, but he was happy to use her for his own gain.
Just then, the door to the student council room opened, and Abellus walked in. He was surprised to see Nellucian and Neris together, and he teased Nellucian about using the student council room as a secret meeting place with the prettiest new student.
Nellucian was taken aback but quickly recovered with a strained smile. Abellus glanced at Neris and recognized her. Neris felt uncomfortable, as Abellus had always told her that she wasn't pretty.
Abellus said, "What's going on, Nellucian? I told you not to use the student council room as a secret meeting place, especially with the prettiest new student."
Nellucian replied, "It's not a secret meeting, Your Highness. I'm just supervising her punishment as a student council member."
Abellus raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? You're really taking your responsibilities seriously, aren't you?"
Nellucian smiled wryly. "Of course, Your Highness."
Abellus glanced at Neris again, and his expression turned thoughtful. He said, "I see. Well, I'll leave you two alone then."
As Abellus left, Nellucian let out a sigh of relief. Neris, on the other hand, felt a sense of unease. She didn't know what Nellucian's true intentions were, but she was determined to be cautious around him.
And if Neris's feelings were directed towards him, it would be truly wonderful.
Just then, the door to the student council room opened without warning. Nellucian looked up faster than he expected, while Neris looked up slower than she expected.
"What's going on?"
Abellus stood alone in front of the door, looking bewildered.
He had carelessly wandered into the student council room after leaving Nellucian's secret card game, not expecting anyone to be there. He was slightly taken aback.
When he saw Nellucian standing next to Neris, Abellus's not-so-bright mind began to grasp the situation. He chuckled awkwardly.
"What's going on, Nellucian? I told you not to use the student council room as a secret meeting place, especially with the prettiest new student."
Nellucian was also taken aback, but he quickly recovered with a strained smile.
"It's not a secret meeting, Your Highness. I'm just supervising her punishment as a student council member."
Abellus raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? You're really taking your responsibilities seriously, aren't you?"
Nellucian smiled wryly. "Of course, Your Highness."
Abellus glanced at Neris again, and his expression turned thoughtful. He said, "I see. Well, I'll leave you two alone then."
As Abellus left, Nellucian let out a sigh of relief. Neris, on the other hand, felt a sense of unease. She didn't know what Nellucian's true intentions were, but she was determined to be cautious around him.
Abellus's words had been a joke, but he couldn't help but take another look at Neris. He had previously described her as a genius, but he knew what a true genius was.
A genius was someone like Kledwin Maindlandt - someone who couldn't be killed, no matter how hard you tried, and someone who always managed to stay on top.
Neris, on the other hand, was a nobody, and her language skills were only useful for a translator. It seemed that Nellucian was planning to use her as a card, but even if he did, the symbol of the Elantria family was just that - a symbol.
Neris's position was not something to be taken seriously, and Abellus's interest in her was fleeting. He had always belittled her, saying she was ugly, and Neris had never expected anything from him.
In fact, she had been beaten by Abellus as soon as she heard the news that the Elantria family had taken the throne. But that was not a special memory for her.
She would have to pay him back for what she had suffered, but not yet. Neris quietly lowered her eyes, her heart burning with a fierce determination.
On the other hand, Abellus couldn't help but take another look at Neris, despite himself.
She was useful, but not enough to warrant the prince's attention. It would be more efficient to keep an eye on Valentin, the only daughter of the main house, rather than a distant relative like Neris, when it came to forming a marriage alliance with another family.
"It's just work," Nellucian said, not too concerned about Abellus's thoughts.
He walked over to the student council president's chair, his smile a bit wider than before. He pulled out a chair and asked.
"Would you like to sit down? If you have business to attend to, you can stay with us for a few hours."
"No, it's fine," Abellus replied.
He had only stopped by the student council room on a whim, and he didn't really have any business to attend to. Most of the student council's work was handled by Nellucian anyway.
But that wouldn't be the case from now on.
In fact, the documents that had been in the secret drawer earlier weren't that significant to Abellus. He was angry that Nellucian had been hiding something from him, but now that his anger had subsided, he realized that he shouldn't have been surprised.
After all, the Elantria family was a traditional and loyal subject of the royal family. They were like a hyena, always ready to bare their teeth.
Abellus lost interest and turned to leave.
"I'll join in on the next round. Good luck."
Neris didn't know what Abellus meant by "the next round," but Nellucian understood that the prince would be returning to his card game.
As the student council room fell silent once again, Nellucian smiled reassuringly at Neris.
"Let's get back to work. Don't mind him. The prince was just joking."
No one knew that better than Neris. Abellus didn't think much of her as a woman, and she was probably one of the least attractive people to him. She smiled innocently.
"Yes, Nell brother."
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