Don't Come Near Me, I'm Just a Background Character [BL Harem]

17 - Meeting with the Crown Prince

A few months after entering the academy...

I grabbed the edge of the table and stood up abruptly. "What?" I asked, even though I had already previously heard him clearly.

"The crown prince calls for you. Please come to the student council office immediately." The butler repeated monotonously. His gravelly voice resounded around the large lecture room. The other students looked over, some with interest, some with sour envy. The professor leered at me, vexed at the butler's interruption.

"Leave. It's obvious the prince needs to interrupt my class just to meet you, so be it." A few quiet chuckles from the students from far behind made my exasperation reach its peak. I stood up aggressively and pushed my books into my handle bag.

The butler led me up three flights of stairs. We walked through several corridors before reaching our destination. Engraved on the dark wood door were the words, Student Council Office no. 2. I gritted my teeth and felt a vein pop. Of course, the second student council office. Numerous romantic and doki-doki scenes flashed through my mind as I blankly stared at the words above.

The butler knocked thrice and waited. A cold and indifferent voice responded, "Come in."

The attendant gently twisted the handle and opened the door obediently. "Please enter, Sir."

With that, he forcefully pushed me into the room and shut the door swiftly. I could hear a soft clack. He must have locked the door.

I, with a diplomatic smile plastered on my face, walked over with a steady gate and bowed. "I greet Your Royal Highness, Crown Prince Lucius del Vires." His expression became all the more apathetic as he glanced away and gestured for me to take a seat. I raised my head and sat across from him. Only a small sized tea table separated the two of us.

The prince's head rested neatly on his hand. He was turned towards the floor-to-ceiling window, his face gently illuminated by the midday sun. His bangs were neatly styled, showing a part of his white forehead. His refined features were further pronounced by his icy expression.

A silence ensued. The crown prince didn't seem to care for conversation, while I was trapped in my thoughts. Why am I here? I haven't made my debut yet, no one in society knows me. In this school, I am an ordinary student with no affiliation to the Xenith countdom. So why am I meeting personally with the crown prince?! I was having a mental seizure. No, I love my ordinary student life here more than anything in the world! What—who—made me come to this place? I racked my brain for an answer.

I had never met the crown prince face-to-face until this moment. Not his brother, the second prince, either. Zier... didn't he say that he was a distant relative of the King? Did he push me in here? Or...

"By the end of the year, I expect you to be acquainted with the crown prince and other high noble children. I'll personally see to it that you will have opportunities to introduce yourself."

I felt a pang of recollection strike me. The only deadpan thought that surfaced in my mind was, ah, of course it's Mother. My eyes were those of a dead fish as I glared absentmindedly at the innocent bite-sized desserts in front of me.

After numerous minutes of silence, I finally opened my mouth to speak. "Your Highness, why did you call me here?" I strived to leave the room as soon as possible. I dove straight into the matter at hand.

He remained still, answering passively, "The countess."

I knew it! My head swayed ever-so-slightly as I struggled to maintain an unbothered expression. "May I ask why we are meeting in this room?" I looked towards the doorway and the temptation to dash right out was close to overwhelming my senses.

"Countess Xenith said that we should forge diplomatic relations to prepare for future events. She mentioned maintaining economic stability in the instance in which the crown has lessened control over Vires' financial resources." He stated matter-of-factly. He picked up one of the macarons set on the four-tier tea stand. His eyes slightly sparkled as he threw the strawberry pastry in his mouth.

His downturned lips twitched upwards uncontrollably as the sweet dessert melted in his cheeks, his eyes slowly drooping in content joy. I choked, bending my head down to disguise the doting expression on my face. Ahhh, too cute! I can't stand this! My body quivered. I couldn't help it. I had a soft spot for him. The way he eats those treats... the way he's pretending to not care... so cute!

He frowned and his expression reverted back. "Are you alright?"

I looked up, covering my nose and mouth neatly, showing a polite expression, "Yes, Your Highness." Ahhh, his expression! He hates being interrupted when eating desserts! Keuk, my heart... My bias was showing.

I had a soft spot for cute things. Although I had never played the otome game, my previous sister did a brilliant job in luring me into it. In most cases, she spoke of that demon, Cyrus, and how he was so handsome and charming and dreamy. The only reason I had ever listened to her was because she would occasionally talk about a cute little tsundere prince. He would secretly leave medicine in Aileen's locker and pretend like he didn't while blushing. He would have an angry and bashful expression on his face when Aileen asked him if he wanted to go out to the city with her. And when Aileen offered him the treat he loved the most—strawberry macarons—he would snatch it away from her hands and run away with it in his mouth like a territorial little hamster.

"...Your Highness, would you like to schedule another meeting soon?"

His brows furrowed. "For what reason?"

"A new shipment of desserts has arrived at the port from Nyiel. Would you like to try them?"

"...what time are you available. I believe that we should get a better understanding of each other in preparation for future events."

----

The professor's gravelly voice slid past my ears. I stared blankly at the sheet of paper in front of me. The sound of pencils scribbling filled the room.

...what did I say? Just what did I say? Why did I do that? Did I just ask to meet with a capture target?

I grabbed my hair and pulled hard.

Agh, curse my bias!