Chapter 47
After leaving the lab, Alfeo cast a meaningful smile at Len, who was walking beside him.
Because he lost their last bet, Alfeo now owed Len one wish.
Naturally, Alfeo had assumed Len would use it to ask him to give up on Professor Jacqueline. He’d long known Len was highly interested in her.
But Len’s wish turned out to be something completely unexpected.
“If Professor Jacqueline offers you a spot in her lab, join.”
“But make it a condition that we both join together.”
It was a clever and entertaining wish—more creative than Alfeo had anticipated.
“How did you even know I’d get an offer?”
“Course request forms.”
At those words, Alfeo immediately realized it.
It was none other than Len who had collected and submitted the course preference forms.
That meant he had predicted all this by observing how the course schedule aligned with those preferences.
He read mine in that short time?
Alfeo was well aware of how illegible his handwriting was.
Clearly, Len wasn’t just anyone.
That’s what made this whole situation even more entertaining.
Good thing I made that bet.
Just as Clemens had predicted, Alfeo was addicted to dopamine. Especially when it came to watching other people’s love lives.
Romance, drama—wasn’t that the most fun?
Who knew when you’d die in a world like this? Better to spend time on something exciting than suffer through politics.
That’s when his eyes fell on Len, a commoner.
Though Len seemed to maintain decent relationships with others, he had a subtle but firm emotional wall.
Yet that solid wall always cracked whenever he saw Lady Jacqueline.
“So the wish has been used up now, right?”
“No.”
“What? Isn’t joining the lab the end of it?”
“You have to help me stay in the lab, too.”
Len’s face was completely calm as he said that.
Alfeo stared at him in disbelief.
Making absurd demands even to a prince—wasn’t this guy absolutely insane?
“So, you’re not planning to get back with Melin?”
Len ignored the question like it wasn’t worth answering.
Which only made Alfeo more eager to provoke him. He continued, unbothered.
“Hm, I thought you two were back together.”
But Len’s face, which had been indifferent until now, froze as Alfeo added:
“Oh, did you switch to the professor instead? You can be honest with me~ I’m open-minded about that stuff.”
“…Haah.”
With an expression of pure disbelief, Len pushed back his hair and gave a cold smirk.
“What kind of dogshit are you spouting?”
Look at that intense reaction.
He was genuinely angry.
Just as I thought.
Only Clemens could bring out this kind of reaction from him—Alfeo had proven it himself.
Suddenly, Len stepped closer and asked in a chilling tone,
“You didn’t say that in front of Jacqueline-sunbae, did you?”
“And what if I did?”
Len plucked the head off a flower from the garden and handed it to Alfeo.
“Guess what would happen?”
The meaning was clear: he’d snap his neck like that flower.
Alfeo flinched, easily picking up on the threat.
It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of danger from someone—excluding his wild older brothers.
What was even scarier was how natural Len looked while making a threat more fitting for the criminal underworld.
So all that nice-guy act until now was just pretending…
That gave him chills.
“Sometimes, it’s better not to know certain things, ha ha…”
Alfeo forced an awkward laugh.
“But… Lady Jacqueline might already know.”
“What?”
“I heard someone mentioned you and Melin were dating, right in front of her.”
“Who was it.”
“No clue. Wasn’t me, though. I swear.”
At Alfeo’s explanation, Len immediately walked off.
Watching him go, Alfeo shouted,
“Len! Where are you going?!”
No answer came, but Alfeo knew instinctively.
This was today’s grand finale.
I can’t miss this drama!
He eagerly chased after him.
It had been a week since Alfeo and Len joined the lab.
My desk was piled high with paperwork.
That’s because a flood of students had suddenly started sending in requests to join the lab.
Was this lab ever such a popular destination before?
No doubt it was because of Alfeo and Len, but either way, it was a good thing.
I couldn’t help but smile as I looked through the applications.
Hehehe, once I gather these talents and send them over to Tara Transport for—no, not kidnapping—recruitment, it’ll be a gold mine…
But surprisingly, Alfeo wasn’t showing up, while Len was showing up every single day.
As usual, Len entered the lab today looking neat and well-put-together.
“Good morning, Professor.”
Our eyes met, and his pleasant smile made my day.
It felt like a refreshing cleanse just seeing him.
“Hmm…”
Most students hated being summoned by professors.
But the bigger issue was… I didn’t mind his visits anymore.
“That’s because I thought you’d like this, Professor.”
This was the problem. Today, too, he brought one of his dangerous offerings!
I glanced at the box he placed on my desk.
The tulip-patterned box looked familiar. With practiced hands, Len opened it and began placing the dessert on a plate.
When I saw the pink cream topping the muffin-shaped dessert, I commented,
“…I haven’t seen that one before.”
The dessert looked so tempting it was almost dazzling.
“It’s called strawberry Mont Blanc.”
He placed the plate in front of me.
“…Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
The Tricia Dessert Shop was a long way from the academy.
The fact that he brought sweets from there every day without fail was seriously melting my heart.
Maybe Len’s no longer a future villain but just a kind, reformed student now?
After eating it alone for a week, I felt bad. So I scooped a small bite and offered it to him.
“…Want the first bite?”
He stared at my fork.
As he looked at it silently, I tried to recall the original story.
Did Len like sweets, or did he hate them?
“Oh, you must not like sweet things.”
I figured most male leads in stories didn’t like sugary treats.
“No.”
Just as I was about to pull the fork away in embarrassment, he gently grabbed my hand and took the bite.
As he slowly chewed, his eyes softened into a slight smile.
“It’s delicious.”
It was a small change, but it felt like flowers were blooming in the background.
Is this… what it means to be the main character?
I stared, transfixed, and gulped.
Then I realized I’d been staring too long and awkwardly spoke.
“…Then, do you want the rest?”
“No, I’ve already had breakfast.”
He politely declined and got up to make coffee.
Even that made him look like a model in a magazine shoot.
Wait… what just happened?
Did Len just smile because something tasted good?
Even just a slight smile from the protagonist is blindingly beautiful.
It was the first time I’d seen his eyes crinkle like that up close—and I couldn’t get the image out of my head.
With that face, world domination wouldn’t be impossible.
Life really was unfair.
I took a bite of the dessert without thinking and was shocked for a different reason.
This is insane…!
The sweet and tangy strawberry cream melted in my mouth.
This is it! The kind of taste that makes you smile without realizing it!
Now I understood Len’s smile completely.
As I was savoring the heavenly flavor, the soft aroma of coffee spread through the lab.
Len skillfully placed a cup of coffee in front of me.
Why do I feel like a baby bird being fed?
And honestly… it wasn’t a bad feeling.
It even made me wonder if I might want to just settle down in this lab forever…
No! Bad thoughts!
I shook my head clear and finally opened my mouth.
