Chapter 45
Melin had summoned Len privately to tell him something.
“Let’s start eating separately from today!”
Lennox looked confused at her sudden statement but quickly nodded.
“Okay.”
“And if possible, let’s pretend we don’t know each other. I can’t let my sister find out about our relationship!”
Again, Lennox nodded.
He understood why Melin had to do this. Though he felt a bit disappointed.
‘I was planning to use my friendship with Melin to get closer to her sister…’
Right now, Melin and Lennox were in a mutually beneficial relationship, so it couldn’t be helped.
“So, for a while, you don’t have to lend me your notes!”
At those words, Lennox’s green eyes turned toward Melin.
“…But then.”
“Hm?”
Lennox thought about the group that had been bullying Melin. He had been by her side to stop them, but now that they had to pretend to be strangers, there would be limits to how much he could intervene.
There was another problem, too.
“Will you be able to avoid flunking?”
“…I don’t know.”
Melin’s expression instantly dropped.
“My sister wants to see a smart, high-achieving Melin… sigh.”
Hearing her, something flickered in Lennox’s eyes for a moment before fading.
“A top student, huh…”
He hesitated.
“I’m already ranked number one.”
How am I supposed to show improvement from here?
Melin shouted at his muttering.
“Ugh! I’m so jealous!”
Lennox looked at her like she made no sense.
“Then just study.”
Sometimes, honesty cuts the deepest.
Melin flinched hard at his blunt advice.
“If I could do that easily, I would’ve done it already!”
It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried.
But every time she studied, she felt strangely anxious—
Like someone was squeezing her heart and wouldn’t let go.
Sometimes she even broke out in a cold sweat.
‘Ugh, I didn’t used to be like this…’
It started happening at some point. The memory was blurry now.
She actually felt more comfortable during swordsmanship classes or the occasional farming activities they did as field trips.
Lennox silently stared at her.
“Len! You were just thinking I’m pathetic, weren’t you?”
“No, I was doubting whether you’re really her biological sister.”
“Ugh! That’s the same thing!”
But Melin’s anger didn’t last long.
“Sigh… Honestly, I think so too…”
She went from angry to gloomy in a flash—her emotions all over the place.
Eventually, she earnestly pleaded with him.
“So let’s make sure my sister doesn’t find out… Let’s pretend we don’t know each other, okay?”
Lennox reassured her with another nod, and only then did Melin leave with some peace of mind.
‘I absolutely can’t let my sister discover this secret…’
Yet a trace of unease still lingered on Melin’s face like leftover debris.
The next day, after the second class, I was sitting in Professor Logen’s office, waiting.
‘I wonder how many will come.’
Before leaving the lecture hall, I told the students:
“If you have any questions about today’s class, come to Professor Logen’s office.”
Most likely, no one would show up. Most of the academy’s students were nobles.
Due to the prejudice that work was for commoners, nobles believed that building businesses or making money personally was beneath them.
‘It’s fine. I only need one person to come.’
That had been my exact intention with the lesson.
Even Alfeo had shown an intrigued expression throughout the class, as if he found it strange that it was going exactly the way he wanted.
So I held on to hope.
Not long after, someone walked in. Seeing who it was, I clenched my fist. Yes!
“Welcome, Alfeo.”
Alfeo sat down casually and grinned.
“You said people are driven by scarcity, right? That’s why I came.”
He looked prideful at first glance, but his smiling face was downright foxy. That smile could charm anyone.
“Scarcity is an essential part of market logic.”
“Which means—”
His red eyes gleamed.
“—seizing scarcity is how you make big money, right?”
“You understood perfectly.”
“Then I have a question.”
His eyes sparkled.
“How rare do you think I am?”
“People aren’t objects.”
“Hmmm. Do you really believe that?”
Alfeo asked with a light chuckle.
He didn’t look like he believed me at all.
With someone like this, sugarcoating would get me nowhere. He’d just pretend not to understand and move on.
“If I had to say, you’re rare enough that anyone would want to snatch you up.”
“Really? I’m that valuable?”
“Why play dumb? You clearly live for how amazing you think you are.”
“Hmm. Do I really come off like that? I thought I did a good job acting humble.”
Even his face screamed ‘I’m the best’.
“But why do you want money?”
Was the royal family not giving him an allowance?
I had to ask.
“Because with lots of money, I can do lots of fun things.”
“Like what?”
“That’s a secret…”
He gave me a coy, apologetic smile.
Of course, calling it a secret only made me more curious. I stared at him intently, and he acted like he was doing me a favor.
“Considering I’m already bored with life even with this much money, I probably need a lot more.”
I mentally added another note about Alfeo.
‘Dopamine addict.’
He clearly hated being bored and constantly chased excitement.
“If you join my lab, you’ll get to work on some fun research.”
Alfeo leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.
“That’s what professors usually say to lure people in.”
Oof. Not wrong, and it stings a little.
“But this research will make you so much money that normal people couldn’t even imagine it. So it’s a win-win.”
I didn’t back down.
Alfeo tilted his head, as if he didn’t quite get it.
“A professor who’s leaving the academy in a year wants me to join her lab—and claims I’ll be making loads of money? That doesn’t quite add up. So there’s only one logical conclusion.”
He raised one finger.
“You want to recruit me to Tara Transport, right?”
Smart kid.
“That’s right.”
Alfeo let out a short laugh.
“Seriously? Wow…”
He looked at me like I was crazy.
“Aren’t you afraid of your father? If he finds out…”
He mimed slicing his neck.
“Of course I’m afraid.”
“But you still want to take me?”
“Not as a prince, but as an engineer.”
“Oh, so you’ll give me a new identity?”
I nodded.
I hadn’t planned to reveal my intentions this soon, but I was curious how he’d react.
And his next words had me nearly jumping for joy—but I held it in.
“Sure. Well, I’m not sure about joining Tara Transport yet.”
‘That’s good enough.’
I could persuade him step by step.
But Alfeo wasn’t finished.
“On one condition.”
“What condition?”
I was willing to agree to anything, but I kept my poker face.
‘No need to look desperate already.’
What kind of condition was making him smile like that?
Slightly anxious, I waited for him to speak.
“I want to bring a friend. They seem really interested in you too.”
Interested in me?
“Well, the more research assistants, the better.”
A friend of a genius? Even better.
‘Now I’m really curious.’
Who could it be?
“I’ll bring them next time.”
With a wide, sly smile, Alfeo left without revealing who it was.
That afternoon, after finishing class…
‘Ugh, I’m so tired of preparing lectures…’
I was dragging myself through the hallway when I overheard two third-year students talking.
“Hey, I haven’t seen her and Len hanging out much lately.”
The mention of Lennox perked my ears.
‘Who’s her?’
The male student’s words were followed by the girl’s realization.
“Oh, you mean Melin Jacqueline?”
