The Villain’s Aide Has Run Away - Chapter 61.1
“You can use the regional administrative structure to encourage cooperation among nearby territories.”
The professor’s eyes lit up.
“For example?”
“In the short term, the central authority could step in to create a shared grain reserve and facilitate exchanges between territories. In the long term, it could establish a foundation for self-sufficiency by improving irrigation facilities and dispatching agricultural educators.”
For a moment, the lecture hall fell silent. Some students looked surprised, while others snorted as if the suggestion was ridiculous.
But the professor nodded with interest.
“Good. That is a concise and practical analysis. I will have that suggestion compiled separately and use it as reference for our next class discussion.”
Leslun could feel some of the students’ gazes toward him change with the professor’s response. It was the first time everyone realized that the Crown Prince’s aide was not just a doll dragged there against his will.
“Tch, annoying…”
Cal Byweiner muttered under his breath, his teeth clenched, upset that the attention had been stolen away from him.
***
After class ended, Leslun packed away his books. Those who passed by kept glancing back at him, but Leslun quietly focused on his own task.
“Bold of you to just walk around like that.”
Someone spoke with open mockery. Leslun raised his head to see who it was.
Cal Byweiner stood there, his nose wrinkled in disdain. Leslun tried to figure out what made him start a conversation.
Was it because the professor said his answer would be used as reference for the next discussion?
Or because they had exchanged greetings at the banquet?
While Leslun was thinking, Cal snorted as his gaze landed on Leslun’s belongings.
“Looks like you’re getting plenty of the Crown Prince’s favor.”
He was referring to the high-quality stationery that Kailos had recently ordered Robin to prepare.
To Leslun, this had felt like Kailos truly regarded him as someone special—like how one
might prepare carefully for a child’s first entrance into an academy. Leslun had been grateful.
Although he later tried to refuse such gifts, the Crown Prince would not allow it.
‘He’s just making an investment now so he can make use of me later.’
Since Kailos had even taken Leslun’s hand and placed the items in it himself, Leslun could no longer refuse. Instead, he treated each one with care.
Lost in this memory, he missed his chance to reply to Cal.
Cal, about to lash out at Leslun for deliberately ignoring him, held back. Instead, he forced a smile.
“You got lucky this time, but will you next time?”
He left a sharp warning before walking off.
Although it left Leslun with the uneasy feeling that they were bound to clash again, the satisfaction outweighed the anxiety—because this was all a result of his decision to take this class.
It had been even better than he expected.
When he read books on his own, he needed to organize and reorganize them before he could see a clear flow of ideas. The professor, however, was someone who had already mastered the field. The way he explained things neatly, as if arranging them in order, made it easy to understand and stick in Leslun’s mind.
He might have lived his entire life never knowing something like this, which made the opportunity all the more precious.
Leslun left the lecture hall, holding his books with a calm expression. There was still time before his next class, but he planned to go early to read.
As he briskly crossed the space between buildings, he spotted a familiar face and came to a stop.
‘Prince Tarensiu.’
Though he was an international student, he had no attendant following him and wore a plain outfit. Still, his sheer presence made him stand out even from a distance.
Leslun considered walking up to greet him but, after a moment, stayed still and simply watched.
The prince seemed to be looking intently at something.
Soon, two others approached Prince Tarensiu: a tall young man and a very young boy. They were none other than Viscount Brian and Prince Cassian.
Although Prince Cassian was technically too young to attend Wisley Academy, he had been granted special permission to sit in on classes. Brian seemed to have taken it upon himself to act as the boy’s guardian.
Seeing this unexpected meeting, Leslun let out a quiet breath.
The encounter between those two was nothing new. In the original story, Cassian, the protagonist, would one day be exiled to another country after Kailos became Emperor. It was there that he was meant to meet the Crown Prince of another nation.
“Fate…”
Was it inevitable, that those who were meant to meet would do so no matter what?
A meeting that should have taken place ten years in the future had been brought forward. Leslun did not know how to take this.
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