[Chapter 59] Valentine's Entrance

The news of the second child of the Elrandia family enrolling in school caused a stir.

As the descendant of a legendary family, Nellusion Elrandia was already well-known, and he lived up to the family's name.

He was humble, cautious, and intelligent. The nickname "Honest Elrandia" suited him like a picture.

If one had to pick a flaw, it was that he was too rational.

The children of high-ranking nobles usually showed a clear difference in their spending habits, but Nellusion's lifestyle was dignified yet not extravagant.

So, he hadn't been very interesting to people until now.

Therefore, people were excited to hear that the Elrandia duke and duchess's beloved daughter had arrived in a luxurious carriage with several attendants.

The students were thrilled to see Valentine Elrandia's nanny, who always wore expensive clothes, and they chattered about it.

Nellis listened to these stories without any emotional response.

Only Nellusion, among the students, knew as much about Valentine's extravagant lifestyle as Nellis did.

And Nellis probably knew better than Nellusion how much Valentine allowed her nanny, Delma, to do.

When Nellis was adopted into the Elrandia family, one set of clothes Valentine wore was worth as much as twelve sets of clothes worn by other high-ranking noble daughters.

The duchess always complained about her daughter's extravagance, and Nellis believed that her adoptive mother was truly upset.

So, Nellis was content to receive only the clothes that Valentine no longer wore. Sometimes, Delma's old clothes were mixed in with them.

Either way, they were more expensive than any clothes made for Nellis Elrandia, except for the "wrapping papers" tailored for her to be presented to the royal family.

It was ironic that Valentine, who had almost killed her sister, wore the clothes of the crown princess that her sister had worn.

During the few days it took to arrive at the academy by carriage after her regression, Nellis felt her heart burning with betrayal and hatred towards Valentine.

If she had seen Valentine in front of her then, she wouldn't have been able to hold back and would have slapped her.

However, now that a year had passed since her regression, Nellis was prepared to think more rationally.

"It's not like revenge can only be achieved by directly slapping her."

The small girl sitting in the senior class with an indifferent expression looked like a child trying to act like an adult, which was quite charming to others.

The senior students, who were much taller and bigger than her, couldn't help but glance at the delicate girl with golden hair and a subtle complexion.

The Elrandia family was famous not only for Nellusion and Valentine, but also for Nellis True, a distant relative who was known for her genius-level intellect and mature demeanor, and had entered the same classroom as a second-year student.

Last year, the senior students didn't know much about Nellis. They just thought she was a lucky kid who got into the school because of her connection to the Elrandia family.

However, now, there was no one in the entire school who didn't know Nellis True's name.

Even if someone didn't know that Nellis took all the advanced classes with the senior students, excluding the first-year essential subjects, they would have at least heard the advice "The Elrandia duke's son and the McKenna count's daughter are taking care of her, so do well for your future" during the recent break.

So, one or two senior students had the courage to approach Nellis.

However, they didn't want to give off the image of sucking up to a younger student, and besides, Nellis had an aura that made it difficult to start a conversation lightly.

If Nellis could read their thoughts, she would have smiled wryly and thought, "That's right." The imperial princess of VISTA wouldn't be an easy target for just anyone to approach.

Even though she was just a fake princess, Nellis, who had sat in that position for a long time, had her own atmosphere that made it hard for 10-year-old kids to approach her casually.

The strange and dense silence that formed around Nellis was broken by the arrival of one person.

The classroom door opened, and the teacher for the "International Resources and Trade" class, Nellis's first class as a second-year student, entered.

Like many other high-grade teachers, he was an expert in his field who had been active on the front lines and had come to the academy to teach at the request of the student council.

His strict and official gaze swept over the students, pausing briefly on Nellis.

"...Did you read Lord Bolter's letter of recommendation? According to his evaluation, you're a very promising student?"

Lord Bolter's strictness was well-known among the senior students, especially those in the political department.

"I think Lord Bolter was exaggerating. I'll try not to disturb the senior students."

Nellis replied calmly, unaffected by the gazes pouring in on her.

Last semester, when she applied for this class, she had received a letter of recommendation from Lord Bolter. If she hadn't, it would have been difficult to get in.

"My class can't be followed just by effort. If I think you can't keep up, I'll send you down to the lower class immediately, so be aware of that."

Since the high-grade classes were extremely challenging, it wasn't uncommon for students who had confidently enrolled in advanced classes to raise the white flag in the middle of the semester.

Unlike Megara, who had forced her way into a class that was clearly beyond her level from the start, it wasn't shameful to re-take a lower-level class after reassessing one's abilities in a recommended class.

However, unlike the other senior students in the political department, this small second-year student had skipped the step-by-step curriculum and entered the advanced class directly.

As the class name suggested, this class would be filled with complex terms and case studies. Could this "2nd-year student" really follow along without taking the 5th or 6th-grade classes like "Introduction to International Law" or "Economics"?

The other students' gazes were filled with this question. Nellis smiled faintly.

"Yes, teacher."

As soon as the first class ended, the students poured out of the classroom like arrows released from a bow.

Their conversations, murmuring to each other, were mainly about the teacher's personality, who had thrown out difficult topics from the start and even assigned a lot of homework.

Unlike the previous class in Cartak Hall, Nellis's next class was in Aine Hall, but fortunately, there was some time until then.

Nellis waited until the classroom was empty, careful not to get pushed around by the larger senior students.

And as she slowly tried to leave the classroom.

That kid... right... Elrandia...

A few words stuck in Nellis's ears from the murmurs in the hallway. A name was whispered softly after that.

Valentine.

Nellis's body stiffened. She forced herself to move and quickly exited the classroom. Then, she slowly scanned the chaotic hallway.

The usually flowing hallway was congested and had lost its rhythm during recess.

Although the surrounding students were all taller than Nellis, it was clear that they were all staring at something.

"Hey, you."

Among the senior male students, who were awkwardly jostling Nellis around, Arthur Pendland spotted her. He gestured to those around him.

"There's a 2nd-year student here, be careful."

Arthur had taken Berlenear 3 with Nellis last year and was now a graduating senior.

This area was a section where small lecture rooms for senior students were concentrated, so Arthur's friends were also with him. They made room for Nellis to stand comfortably.

"Thank you."

Arthur's friends looked down at Nellis with a cute expression, but Nellis didn't have the mental energy to pay attention to them.

She could now see her target without being jostled around by the young men.

A lovely girl with silver hair was walking confidently down the hallway.

Her round, clear sky-blue eyes, egg-shaped face, and small, cherry-like lips under her pert nose made her look adorable.

Her satin-like silver hair flowed down, and her wide, sky-blue hairband was adorned with pearls. Her dress was a sky-blue color with frills on the sleeves and a full skirt with multiple layers of frills.

As a basic dress code for academy students, they wore clothes that allowed for some activity, preparing for a day of classes.

Especially since many students in Cartak Hall majored in martial arts or magic, they wore clothes that were easy to move around in, with fewer decorations, especially the seniors.

Among those boys, Valentine stood out as being different. Her face was as delicate and lovely as a porcelain doll painted by a skilled artisan.

However, Valentine's expression showed that she didn't care if she was different or not. It was as if she had never imagined a place where she wouldn't be welcomed.

"No, she probably never has."

Nellis changed her thoughts. Where in the world wouldn't Valentine Elrandia be welcomed? With the power of the duke and the love of the duchess, Valentine had grown up doing whatever she wanted.

The first rule Nellis learned after being adopted into the duke's family was not to cross Valentine.

Perhaps the new 1st-year students who entered this semester with Valentine would soon learn the same rule, especially from the nanny who was following Valentine with a gentle expression.

Valentine's face, full of confidence, brightened like an angel when she found the person she was looking for. Her pretty face, with a wide smile, made the people around her feel a favorable impression without realizing it.

"Brother!"

"Valen?"

Nellusion, who was chatting with Abellus after finishing his class nearby, spotted his sister. He smiled softly. Valentine approached Nellusion with a skip.

"What brings you here? Didn't you have class?"

"I did! I came to see where you were having class. Princess Valentine Elrandia greets Your Highness."

Valentine greeted Abellus with a demure and cute expression, as if she had just noticed him. Abellus responded with a generous and gentlemanly demeanor.

"It's nice to see you at school. I hope the long journey wasn't too tiring for you, Valentine."

"It seems the fatigue is already gone, thanks to Your Highness's concern!"

It was truly ridiculous. Nellis felt a twinge of discomfort as she saw Abellus smiling pleasantly at Valentine's shameless affection.

It wasn't due to jealousy. She simply felt a sense of discomfort imagining that these despicable people would interact with each other in exactly this way after her death.

How many people had to shed blood and tears to allow the royal family and the Elrandia duke's family to engage in elegant social activities and pretend to be refined?

Coincidentally, Nellusion's gaze met Nellis's face, which reflected her discomfort. Nellusion smiled brightly when their eyes met, his smile similar to his sister's.

"Nellis!"

Abellus and Valentine's gazes turned to Nellis simultaneously. In this situation, Nellis couldn't just observe. Since she would have to confront them eventually, Nellis approached them with a polite smile.

"Nell, brother."