Chapter 117
Alteo was looking around nervously with an awkward smile. Students passing through the hallway glanced at us as they walked by. Some even stopped to watch with interest, so it definitely seemed necessary to move elsewhere as he suggested.
‘Ah, so that’s why he’s embarrassed.’
He hadn’t forgotten his role as the remorseful perpetrator.
For a moment, I felt a visceral self-loathing. I was no better, putting on a pleasant smile while diligently wearing the mask of country Norman.
“All right,” I said.
Click- Alteo entered the council room first, checked inside, then came back and locked the door. Then he loosened his tie and collapsed onto the sofa.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Other students might come. Wouldn’t it be better for you to speak comfortably too?”
“That’s true.”
I sat across from the chairman and crossed my legs.
“What did you want to tell me that was important enough to grab me in a crowded place?”
“…Would you like some tea?”
Alteo hesitated and noticeably changed the subject.
“Who knows what you’ve put in it.”
“Ah, I don’t do that kind of thing to you anymore.”
“That implies you still do it to others.”
“I will if it’s necessary for success.”
As always, he remained unrepentant. There’s no need to be so consistent in this regard.
“You don’t have to look at me like I’m trash. I know what I did was wrong. But I still want to succeed, by any means necessary.”
“As long as you don’t mess with my people, it’s none of my business. So stop with the boring talk and get to the point.”
A cold smirk appeared on Alteo’s face.
“See? You’re also the type who doesn’t care what happens to people unrelated to you. Don’t pretend to be a saint.”
“The point.”
“Ha, really…”
Alteo scratched his head with one hand. He looked like he had something difficult to say, which made me slightly curious. I’d thought he would never humble himself to me.
“You actually… kept your promise properly…”
He opened his mouth with difficulty, mumbling. It was absurd, but from just this introduction, I could tell why he called me. Thanks for securing the welcome ceremony representative position he wanted… wait, this guy?
‘Did I misunderstand?’
Even if he did say thank you, I expected it would just be building up to something else that served his purposes, so I unconsciously looked at him with suspicious eyes.
“Hey. I do have some minimal conscience. I got disciplinary action, remember? Even though I kept my position as chairman, I have a punishment on my record, so technically I shouldn’t be the representative.”
Still suspicious, I just nodded.
“But you… persuaded them. I heard you calmly explained why I was suited for the representative position.”
That’s true. When the student council members didn’t give up on me and again offered me the welcome ceremony representative position, I firmly refused, saying I didn’t want it. Then I meticulously laid out reasons why Alteo should be the representative instead.
As a result, Alteo became the representative as I wanted… but that was already a week ago. Wasn’t it too late to express gratitude now? Surely he had some other purpose.
“I wanted to thank you for that. If it were me, I would have just made the promise without keeping it, so it feels strange.”
Really? This bastard actually called me here to thank me?
“That’s the difference between you and me, Chairman.”
I scratched at him a bit because I couldn’t quite believe it, but he glared at me, then shook his head and chuckled. What? What’s with this reaction?
“I have to acknowledge what’s true. You’re right. You weren’t the person I thought you were.”
His straightforward admission left me speechless. I think Alteo might be the first person to silence me like this. I didn’t know how to respond, and my expression faltered.
“Feel like you’ve bitten into a bug? Is it that strange?”
“Yes. I don’t understand why you’re suddenly doing this now, and I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, Luwen always… no, never mind.”
Alteo shuddered and continued.
“You don’t need to say anything special. I’m going to the imperial palace. So later, when you need my help, just ask. I’ll help you once without calculating profit and loss.”
That was quite a bold offer. Setting aside its sincerity, becoming a representative didn’t guarantee employment at the imperial palace, so I wondered what gave Alteo such confidence.
“Are you confident you’ll become an imperial physician?”
“Yes. With my skills, of course. Who else would they choose but me?”
“The First Prince…”
I started to speak but then stopped, realizing my mistake. This guy was being unnecessarily honest, and I almost revealed the First Prince’s true nature.
But Alteo didn’t seem curious about what I was about to say; instead, he had a strange smile, as if he knew what I was going to say.
“What, did you think I wouldn’t know?”
“You didn’t know when we were trapped in the valley.”
“That’s true. But after combining a few pieces of information, I figured it out. All the other department representatives were pretty looking. The student council was particularly obsessed with you. And your advice about the First Prince’s preferences was only about paying attention to appearance.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
Alteo shrugged.
“What matters is how I appeal to him. If I get invited to his bedroom, that’s even better. It’ll be an opportunity to impress him.”
Looking at his mischievous smile, I let out a dry laugh.
“…You know what happens if you get caught?”
“I’m confident, so it doesn’t matter. Oh, wait. You’re not going to use this as leverage against me, are you? Tsk, am I crazy? Why am I confessing all this to you?”
“I wonder that myself. You would have been better off not telling me.”
Alteo just admitted he planned to harm a member of the imperial family. He intended to create a medical situation in the Crown Prince’s bed and then treat him to gain favor. He had remarkable boldness.
‘Hmm. This guy… I could use him more.’
Suddenly, a way to utilize the “favor” the chairman offered came to mind. If it succeeded properly, I would have a card up my sleeve that nobody knew about. Even he wouldn’t know, so there was no worry about information leaking, and no suspicion.
Even if the plan was discovered and caused trouble, it wasn’t something I ordered. I could just watch the results and benefit if things went well. If they didn’t, I’d just be disappointed and move on.
“What are you planning to do?”
I asked, thinking I would just walk away if his plan was too stupid. Alteo, who had been puzzled, smirked. Don’t tell me he thinks I’m going to help him?
‘Huh.’
How favorably does he view country Norman?
“Well, I’ve already said this much, so it doesn’t matter. He’ll probably have resistance to most poisons, and since I’m not trying to assassinate him, I’ll use Dwean.”
That makes sense. Dwean only causes diarrhea with abdominal pain but isn’t classified as a poisonous herb. Even then, it’s only toxic when both the leaves and roots are used separately. It wasn’t a bad choice. A mild stomachache wouldn’t raise assassination suspicions, and if he could quickly make a remedy to alleviate the symptoms, he could also prove his skills.
“He’ll only ingest a small amount from my skin, so the symptoms will be mild. Just enough to be annoying. But since I’m from the medical department, it would be appropriate for me to notice.”
I nodded at his explanation with a smile.
He didn’t seem to be aiming to impress the First Prince and immediately enter the palace, but rather to demonstrate his usefulness and get a casual word of recommendation. Even without sincerity, the words of a royal family member carried weight. How to elicit that was up to Alteo’s ability.
“If you’re just aiming for a simple acknowledgment of your skills, that seems sufficient.”
“I really don’t like you. You see through other people’s minds like the palm of your hand.”
“I don’t like you either, Chairman. So, shall we write a contract?”
Alteo frowned.
“What contract?”
“A contract for mutual confidentiality and keeping promises.”
I smiled brightly, paused a moment to ensure Alteo was focused on me, then spoke.
“In exchange, if we write a proper contract, I’ll advise you on how to get invited to the First Prince’s bedroom.”
Alteo looked skeptical as he thought hard. He was considering what would benefit him. In any case, if he couldn’t catch the First Prince’s eye, everything would be for nothing, so my offer must seem quite attractive.
“Last time, all you advised was to show off my appearance.”
“But that was the key, wasn’t it? Did I also need to help you figure out how to refine your appearance?”
“…”
Well, in the cave, I did explain the First Prince’s preferences in detail and made it sound like I would help. I was preoccupied with my own troubles, so I neglected it. But now I needed to be confident.
“If you don’t like it, that’s fine. I have nothing to lose, so I’ll be going now.”
As I stood up, showing no attachment whatsoever, Alteo grabbed my arm. I had expected him to catch me just before I left the student council room, but I didn’t expect him to react so quickly.
“Will you really help properly this time?”
“Yes. I just now developed a desire for you to become an imperial physician.”
“Really?”
Since he’s such a twisted person, he’s also quite suspicious. If our positions were reversed, I would have been the same, so I couldn’t quite blame him.
“Ye-es. If you can’t trust me, then let’s just not make a contract.”
“I’ll review it after you write the content first.”
Alteo sat me back down on the sofa and brought paper and a pen. I wrote out the terms and then handed him the contract.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Fei and Alteo’s relationship is so funny to me, like Alteo still annoys me but I can understand where he’s coming from. I don’t justify him tho, he is in the wrong and doesn’t see how and why he is in the wrong, Fei understands his character and eventhough before the guy didn’t seem useful to him now he needs to tolerate the president lol , but I know having someone close by the 1st prince in the future will come in handy.