Chapter 809: Just Doing You... Me A Favor
Chapter 809: Just Doing You... Me A Favor
Liam and Edith moved toward the empty table and sat across from each other, setting their trays down. The dining hall continued roaring around them, but the side table gave them just enough distance from the nearest groups to speak without being easily overheard.Edith sat with her back straight, one hand resting near the edge of her tray, her attention fixed on Liam rather than the food. Liam looked no more tense than usual, though she noticed he had chosen a seat that allowed him to see most of the hall.
That did not surprise her.
"What did you want to talk about?" Edith asked.
Liam picked up his cup, took a sip, and set it down. "Nothing too serious."
Edith’s brows lifted faintly. "That does not make me less suspicious."
"I want to know how you feel about Sheila’s position as ranked one and leader right now."
Edith stared at him.
The question was not what she expected. In fact, it was strange enough that for a moment she did not answer at all. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied him across the table, trying to understand why Liam would ask something like that out of nowhere. It was not a casual topic. Sheila’s leadership had become one of the more important changes among the second-years since Nalim, and while most students had opinions about it, not many asked for them directly unless they had a stake in the answer.
’Is he salty about dropping from rank one?’ Edith thought.
The idea appeared quickly, then almost immediately collapsed under its own weakness.
No. That did not fit Liam. Edith had been in two group assessments with him, had seen enough of his behavior to know he was not the type to cling emotionally to titles just because others cared about them. If anything, Liam had seemed more relieved than offended when attention shifted away from him. He did not like being placed at the center of people’s expectations.
’Then why ask?’ she thought.
The question lingered too strongly to ignore.
So she asked it aloud.
"Why are you asking?"
Liam’s answer came without hesitation. "I just want to know."
Edith looked at him for a long moment.
That was not an answer.
It was the shape of an answer, dressed in Liam’s voice, but it revealed nothing. After being in two group tests with him, Edith had learned there was usually more behind what Liam said than he allowed on the surface. He did not lie often in casual matters, but he omitted with ruthless convenience.
If he said he "just wanted to know," then either the reason was not something he intended to explain yet, or he believed the explanation would distract from the answer he wanted.
Her best option was to answer honestly and see where the conversation moved.