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Chapter 39
“To me?”
His sudden question made me frown without realizing it.
“Why the expression?”
“It looked very surprised.”
“More like you hated it, though.”
“You’ve misunderstood.”
Hurriedly, I smoothed my expression and forced a small smile.
He seemed a little suspicious, but fortunately, Liam let it go.
“You’re quite close with the first-year students, right?”
“If I had to say, I’m closest with the kids in my own class.”
I hadn’t really had many chances to get close to students from other classes.
At best, maybe Lucas from Class S?
Hearing my answer, Liam stroked his chin, looking like he was deep in thought.
I waited quietly for his next words.
“You said your class gets along well, right?”
“Yes, everyone gets along without any friction.”
“Hmm, good. Do you know about other classes?”
“Other classes? I’m not sure.”
I tilted my head, unsure of what he wanted to ask.
Does a crown prince have the duty to know the social ties of every student in the academy?
He bit his lower lip, still clearly pondering.
“Then… may I ask a favor?”
“Go ahead.”
I couldn’t promise I would do it.
It might be beyond my abilities, and honestly, I hadn’t really planned on agreeing to Liam’s requests.
“Could you… find a first-year student who’s having a hard time?”
“A student having a hard time?”
“Yes. For example, with friendships or… something like that.”
He didn’t offer another example, stopping there.
“Are there any students without difficulties?”
Even I was struggling with issues, like what to do about my sister’s fiancé.
“But I want someone who’s clearly having a really hard time.”
“Isn’t that right in front of you?”
“At least with friendships, you don’t seem to have any problems.”
“That’s true.”
Thanks to my ordinary appearance and ordinary life, no one was excluding me.
But what if another student had problems with friends?
As Liam said, it could be a rather difficult and painful life.
“Why are you looking for such a student?”
“I’m the crown prince. I need to care about my subjects’ difficulties.”
“Oh, I see.”
I didn’t know why he suddenly brought up the crown prince’s duties, but it seemed, in the end, that he wanted to help others.
He probably wants to earn some merit from it, right?
It’s not related to my sister, is it?
“Then why should I help a senior like you?”
“Kongkong, don’t you want to help students in need?”
“I do, but I don’t think I want to help a crown prince in need.”
“Think of it as helping students, not me.”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“Think about it. If I go myself, who would speak honestly?”
That made sense. It would be hard to suddenly tell a long story in front of the crown prince.
Plus, someone might be watching, so they might not speak honestly.
Also, if I quietly moved among the first-years, any rumors would get buried under Liam’s visit anyway.
“Well, I guess I’m the perfect candidate.”
I could naturally blend in with the first-years.
Honestly, I knew this wouldn’t benefit me in any way.
But since Liam brought up students in need, I couldn’t refuse.
It felt like a sense of justice I didn’t even know I had was boiling inside me.
My plans to find my sister’s fiancé had been temporarily stalled, and my future felt blank.
If I joined this task, I could save a student and satisfy my conscience—two birds with one stone.
“Right? You think so too, don’t you?”
Liam’s face brightened.
I had no intention of helping him, but still, I nodded obediently.
“What exactly should I do?”
“Find first-year students who are struggling with friendships or social relationships.”
“Got it.”
“Without making it too obvious.”
“There’s no one better than me at being invisible.”
Being born as an extra had trained me to erase my presence among others perfectly.
Liam seemed like he wanted to add something, but he sighed and just nodded.
“Good. I trust you.”
“But what do I get out of helping you?”
“What? Isn’t it about helping students in need?”
“Yes, but I thought if there’s a concrete goal I can see, it will give me extra motivation to move faster.”
I made a circle with my fingers and held it in front of him.
Liam stared at me for a moment, then paused, startled as he put his hand into his pocket.
“Handling this with money wouldn’t look good.”
“Really?”
“Well, midterms are coming up. Since I’m taking your time, I suppose it’s fair to give some reward.”
“A reward for midterms?”
Was he offering to fix my test scores?
I was ready to politely decline, but Liam spoke first.
“Complete summary guides for all subjects.”
Dun dun.
“Along with targeted tutoring.”
“Honestly, just the summary guide would be enough.”
“The true summary guide must have explanations.”
Even though I had hesitated, he meant he would personally tutor me.
“Do you not need to study for midterms yourself?”
“Don’t worry about me.”
I could tell I needed to keep quiet.
I wouldn’t get first rank in the year because of Emma, so I had to endure saying nothing.
“Then, is the deal settled?”
“It’s not a deal. Let’s just say we’re colleagues working on a great task together.”
“Acting like a big shot while being such a materialistic person.”
Grumbling, Liam carefully rubbed my head as if praising me.
I didn’t like my hair getting messed up, but since it was a positive signal, I didn’t complain.
“Oh, one thing I need you to promise.”
“What is it?”
“Never tell Emma that I asked you for this favor.”
“Why?”
Curious, I asked, and Liam looked slightly embarrassed.
“Midterms are near. Do you think she’d let me off if she knew I had you doing something else?”
“Oh, that’s true.”
I could already imagine my sister furious if she knew I agreed to do something else right before midterms.
“Also, keep this secret from your senior.”
“Don’t worry about me, worry about yourself.”
Watching Liam smile quietly, I spoke my honest thoughts.
“Senior…”
“Yes?”
“You, as the crown prince, aren’t so bad. You actually want to help students.”
Liam’s expression became complex at my words.
“Not ‘good,’ it’s just my destiny.”
“Does becoming the crown prince mean you have a royal decree to help others?”
“Something like that.”
“The royal world is really hard to understand.”
“Do you really need to understand it?”
“True.”
Since Liam had been excluded as a potential fiancé for my sister, the chance of him getting involved with her was low. Therefore, the chance of me getting involved with the royal family was also minimal.
So I didn’t need to know his personal circumstances in detail.
Still, for some reason, his situation felt more pitiful than the students’.
The word “destiny” seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders.
“Don’t worry. I’ll serve the crown prince faithfully as a loyal subject.”
“Hmm, an admirable subject indeed.”
Liam patted my shoulder like he was praising a soldier.
Feeling trusted made me quietly proud.
Finally, Liam reminded me once more to keep this a secret from my sister, then returned to his classroom.
Hmm… how should I handle the task he left me with?
Should I go around each class and gauge the atmosphere?
“The crown prince came again?”
“Yes.”
“He really comes to see you often.”
“He comes when he’s bored.”
“Hmm.”
Siana looked at me with a strange expression, but I was too deep in thought to respond.
“Is something wrong?”
“Hmm…”
I remembered that Liam had only told me to keep this secret from my sister, not from friends.
And the person in front of me was none other than Siana Kaibe.
“Siana, could you help me?”
