If Neris were to say she wanted to work in the palace, Ijette would surely question why she was going to a nameless family as a private tutor when such favorable conditions awaited her. She might also think that there could be a side effect of Cladwyn making Neris suspicious.
And if Neris were to say she had no intention of working in the palace, Ijette would doubt that there must be a clear reason for her to firmly reject such a good opportunity.
Just one more month of waiting. After that, it didn't matter if Neris's agreement with Cladwyn was revealed or not.
She was only hiding the agreement with him to ensure the safety of her journey north.
To prevent Nelucian from following her, to prevent Abelus from erupting in anger over anything related to Cladwyn, to prevent Tiphian from disregarding family ties, and to prevent anyone from taking an interest in her.
So, the way to escape the trap was simple.
"Palace... Your Highness? I..."
Neris hesitated, glancing briefly at Valentine, who had an unpleasant expression. Valentine coldly rebuffed Neris and then haughtily turned away.
The high-ranking nobles, worn out by human relationships, somewhat understood why Neris would refuse the honor of a job in the palace compared to her lineage.
Fairly—according to their thoughts—even at school, everyone knew that Valentine disliked Neris. In the completely interconnected society of the court, making a young relative sink would be child's play for Valentine.
Their understanding was not entirely correct. Valentine refrained from directly touching Neris not because the school system was fair, but because of Nelucian's orders.
However, yes, events in the court were more secretive than those at school. That was a fact.
If Neris were to enter the court as a maid, Valentine could dispose of her before her brother even noticed.
Ijette knew a bit more about the Valentine siblings than others. Even she believed that Valentine was the reason Neris didn't want to work in the palace.
Soon, with a disinterested expression, Ijette said, "If you don't want to, then don't. Just tried it out. ...You've greeted, now you may leave."
Upon that, Neris and Cladwyn each showed respect for the nobility and withdrew.
Feeling sufficiently distant from the platform, Neris asked Cladwyn, "Have you had a private conversation?"
It seemed the most plausible explanation. Cladwyn's eyebrows raised.
"Why do you think that?"
"You're generally uninterested in others, but you seem oddly friendly with him. Your status suits him."
Cladwyn's face, which had been slightly embarrassed, stiffened at Neris's last words. Confused by his sudden change from smiling to a serious expression, Neris furrowed her brow.
"Why? I didn't ask you to marry. I was just asking."
Cladwyn's face, which had stiffened, regained its usual composure. He affirmed as if there was nothing more to say.
"It's not a good match."
A match that would be more suitable for the daughter of the royal family than a high noble.
However, for some reason, Neris also didn't want to think deeply about that point.
So she just decided to accept it.
"Understood."
***
After dancing to their heart's content, the students gathered around tables or strolled along the edges of the ballroom, engaging in conversations.
The most popular topic was who would be crowned as the king and queen of this year's ball.
"Megara Liceandros."
As the participants whispered to each other while looking at the magically calculated intermediate rankings.
Being chosen as the king and queen of the ball was not just a simple school pastime. Especially for the graduating students, it was more than just an impressive debut into high society.
An impressive debut into high society would bring better matches, influence, and eventually power to the family.
Some students were discontent with the fact that someone who wasn't even part of the graduating class seemed to be taking such a prestigious position. However, most accepted this situation.
The beautiful heiress had captured everyone's attention.
The expression 'most accepted' implied that there were those who didn't agree with the others.
Although this was her first participation in the ball, Valentine, who attracted attention with her lively table selection and a very expensive-looking silver-gray dress, had a subtle expression on her face.
Like any noble lady, she had been eagerly anticipating the day of her graduation ball since she was young.
In her room, she had a small notebook where she had already planned out what color dress to wear, what jewelry to accessorize with, and even how many dances to participate in at the graduation ball.
Although the notes were written when she was young and had many childish designs, the dress she wore today was more refined and beautiful.
Named the 'Graduation Ball Notebook,' it had been added to many times over the years, but the final entry was always the same.
To be chosen as the queen of the ball every year.
After all, who could surpass her? With her pretty face, noble demeanor, and distinguished family background, who could compete with her?
There were no clear criteria for selecting the ball's king and queen. If you were a participant, you simply voted for the student who stood out the most that day.
But wasn't that a declaration based on the 'virtues important to the nobility'?
Valentine knew that many students liked Megara. It was a frustrating fact, but she could understand that her arrogant demeanor masked her true feelings.
However, it was absurd for Valentine to be the most noticeable even in a gathering where she dared to attend.
If Princess Ijette were to be chosen as the queen, that couldn't be helped. According to Valentine's standards, Ijette wasn't a beauty, but it was only natural for all the glory to go to the royal family.
Unfortunately, direct royal descendants couldn't be called 'queen' or 'king,' so they couldn't be selected as the ball's king or queen.
But what about Megara Liceandros?
"Hah."
A laugh escaped her. Valentine arrogantly gestured to a passing servant.
At seventeen, Valentine was as beautiful as a cluster of jasmine flowers, but to the lower-class individuals, she was a figure of terror.
Knowing her reputation for always retaliating against disliked servants, the servant who approached her was inwardly fearful.
"Bring my maid."
Fortunately, her cold voice only issued a simple command. The servant quickly went to the servant's lounge next to the ballroom and brought Delma, Valentine's attendant maid.
As the young lady no longer needed a nursemaid at her age, Delma, who had been employed for life as a personal maid, approached the reserved table for Valentine with the same arrogant expression as her mistress, Nelucian.
"Our lady, is there anything you need?"
Delma's high-nosed face melted sweetly in front of Valentine. With a face shining with anger, Valentine gestured.
"Bow your head for a moment."
Valentine's partner was Eustace Grunehalts, the son of the Grunehalts Duke. Normally uninterested in others' affairs, he turned away when he saw Valentine seemingly about to have a secret conversation with her maid and struck up a conversation with a peer at the adjacent table.
Valentine whispered something annoying in Delma's ear. Delma nodded, listening to her mistress's words, and then whispered something back as if she had suddenly remembered something.
A satisfied smile appeared on Valentine's face a moment later.
***
Neris and Cladwyn, along with Diane and Bran, sat around a table after dancing to their heart's content, engaging in conversation.
Perhaps due to the opportunity to hear about the lesser-known culture of Maindlandt, Diane awkwardly but eagerly asked various questions.
How large was the Maindlandt Grand Duchy, where were good places to visit, what were the family relationships like, how many servants were in the castle, were the attendants of old lineage?
Some of Diane's questions seemed sensitive to Neris, but Cladwyn calmly answered without any change in expression.
Thanks to him, Neris learned that Cladwyn didn't have any close relatives with the same surname, and if one had to compare, the Tiphian Viscount was the closest in bloodline.
Cladwyn's life in the Grand Duchy was taken care of by the housekeeper and butler, and from Cladwyn's expression, it seemed he valued them dearly, or so it appeared.
The Maindlandt Grand Duchy had a myriad of environments, from the harsh tundra to the hot coast in summer, small deserts, and vast plains.
After a satisfying conversation with Cladwyn, Diane seemed pleased. To Neris, her expression seemed to say, 'It's okay for my friend's partner.'
Feeling embarrassed by her friend's hint, Neris blushed and glanced at Diane, who Cladwyn wasn't looking at.
As the evening approached, Neris felt slightly drowsy from fatigue.
Neris, who usually appeared perfect in front of others, couldn't hide her awkwardness, and Diane felt a slight sense of guilt. She knew that Neris had been staying up late for days due to graduation preparations.
Should she have just woken up early? Was it a mistake to insist on coming to the party?
Diane wanted to create memories with Neris, not make her uncomfortable.
'Should I wake up reasonably early?'
While Diane pondered, Neris ordered an herbal tea that had a wakeful effect and drank it slowly.
With her golden eyelashes lowered like morning sunlight and sipping her drink silently with her small lips, she looked incredibly elegant, but different from her usual flawless demeanor.
If one had to describe it, she looked cute. Like watching a small, fluffy baby bird.
Seeing a senior who had rejected her as a partner staring blankly at her, Diane tried to divert his attention.
She knows she's pretty. She was rejected because she was lacking, and if she's already with someone else, shouldn't she focus on that person? It's understandable for smart Neris to reject someone who behaves in a way that offends both sides...
As Diane was thinking up to that point, the senior's face suddenly turned pale blue with courtesy.
He quickly turned his head and awkwardly struck up a conversation with his partner. The unfamiliar senior, whom Diane didn't know well, responded with a rather uninterested expression, seeming to realize that his partner wasn't paying attention.
As Diane was about to turn back to Neris with a smile, her gaze suddenly brushed past Cladwyn.
'What's that...'
It seemed like he was looking at the same place as me.
Diane's eyes narrowed for a moment. However, without pretending to know separately, she affectionately asked Neris,
"Should we go vote? Before we forget."
Although the voting for the selection of the ball's king and queen was supposed to be open until quite late, by this time, midway through, the results were almost certain.
The suggestion to vote before forgetting was just a pretext, and in fact, Diane meant, "Let's go see who will be the queen because I'm curious."
Once they confirmed, there was no need to stay for the awards ceremony, so they could just go back to the dormitory.
Understanding the meaning well, Neris nodded slightly.
"You go ahead. I'll go later."
"Okay."
Even if one or two votes went to someone else, it was obvious who would be the queen. Therefore, Diane didn't force Neris and stood up with Bran.
Watching Diane head towards the voting booth, Neris thought absentmindedly. There was no need to stay for the results.