After Sheila had agreed to take on Liam's responsibilities in terms of leadership as the ranked one, there was little left to discuss. The matter had been settled more cleanly than either of them had likely expected, and with that, the conversation naturally came to an end.

"Well," Sheila said as she stood by her door, with Liam facing her from the hallway just outside, "I guess I'll see you at dinner."

"I'd say tomorrow instead," Liam replied calmly. "I don't think I have the social stamina to survive any more conversations with anyone today."

That earned him a confused, slightly surprised look from Sheila.

"Since when did you have a social stamina gauge?" she asked, a smile forming almost immediately.

"Since always," Liam answered simply.

Sheila studied him for a moment, then let out a light chuckle.

"If you say so," she said. "Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

Liam gave a small hum in response before turning and starting down the corridor. A moment later, Sheila closed the door and stepped back into her room.

For a second, she simply stood there in the quiet.

Then her thoughts caught up with her.

"For some reason…" she muttered softly to herself, "I feel like I've somehow gotten closer to him than before."

Sheila remained where she was, her eyes drifting slightly as she reflected on the conversation they had just had.

Between the talk of her becoming a bridge between Liam and the Crescent Kingdom, and now this, taking over the practical responsibilities of the ranked one, it felt like something between them had shifted. Not dramatically, not in any loud or obvious way, but enough for her to notice.

She understood him a little better now.

Or maybe more than a little. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

And more importantly, she felt that what she was sensing was real, especially when she considered the amount of trust Liam had placed in her, along with the honesty he had shown throughout the entire conversation.

Those weren't small things.

If anything, they were things Liam almost never gave so openly.

And yet, with her, he had.

That thought lingered.

"I wonder if I'm the first one to see this side of him," Sheila murmured as she reached up to undo her ponytail, letting her hair fall loose again over her shoulders.

She began to undress as she made her way toward the bathroom, but then paused for a brief moment, a more visible smile forming on her face as the thought settled deeper in her mind.

"…I actually wouldn't mind that," she admitted quietly to herself.

With that, she stepped into the bathroom.

Meanwhile, out in the corridor, Liam continued toward the staircase that would lead him out of the building and back toward his own dorm block. His pace remained calm and even, but his eyes moved from place to place out of habit.

Not just habit, but caution as well.

He was also making a deliberate effort not to be seen by either Charlotte or Maxwell, considering they had dorms in this same block.

He had no interest in being dragged into another conversation tonight, considering he had just walked out of Sheila.

His gaze swept the hallway once more.

There were no footsteps, no voices, and no movement.

'Looks like no one's around,' Liam thought as he noted the continued silence and the absence of any nearby presence in the corridor.

"Lucky me, I guess," he muttered under his breath.

Then, in the very next moment, he stepped closer to the wall near the staircase and his body sank into the shadow cast along it.

And just like that he disappeared from sight.

***

Back in his dorm, Liam emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room, his form materializing seamlessly as if he had simply stepped out of the darkness itself.

"Void Passage is much easier to use compared to before," he muttered to himself as he reached over and turned on the lamps. The soft glow of light spread across the room, pushing back the shadows that had just carried him.

He made his way toward the window, his steps quiet and unhurried, and looked out at the academy grounds below.

It was late, but the academy was far from still.

Students moved about in scattered groups. Some were heading toward the cafeteria earlier than usual, likely trying to beat the evening rush. Others returned from the library, books in hand, their pace slower, their conversations quieter. A few simply wandered, enjoying what little time remained before everything settled back into routine.

"So," Mabel's familiar voice sounded from behind him, near the door as always. "How did it go with Granger?"

Liam didn't turn.

"What do you think?" he replied calmly, his gaze still fixed outside.

Mabel remained silent for a moment, as if considering the answer before giving it.

"Well," she said at last, her tone even, "not that you've given me any kind of hint to work with… but I'd say you got what you wanted."

A brief pause.

"Am I right or wrong?"

"You're mostly right," Liam answered. "Sheila agreed to take on the leadership role. So now I can finally step back in peace."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Mabel said, her posture unchanged as she stood where she had appeared. "But just to point this out… just because you and Sheila came to an agreement doesn't mean it's going to play out the way you expect."

Liam's gaze shifted slightly, though he still didn't fully turn.

"You mean the Headmaster?" he asked.

"Yes," Mabel replied without hesitation. "Headmaster Thion. You said it yourself—he's had his eye on you ever since that final semester exam. And from what I can tell, that hasn't changed."

She paused briefly, letting the point settle.

"Before, you were able to avoid any real responsibility because you were ranked fourth," she continued. "Now, you're ranked first."

Her eyes remained on him.

"That changes things."

Another short pause.

"The likelihood of him personally appointing you as the leader—and Sheila as your assistant, just like he did with her and Chris—is very high."

Liam didn't respond immediately.

He simply stood there, looking out the window again, his thoughts moving quietly beneath the surface.

"You're not wrong," he said after a while. "But I don't think the Headmaster is so focused on his own interests that he'd ignore the bigger picture."

Mabel tilted her head slightly, considering his words.

"Then again," Liam continued evenly, "if he does decide to prioritize his own curiosity… and pushes me into that position just to see what happens…"

He paused.

"…then I'll just have to give him a reason to reconsider."

Mabel remained still, her expression as composed as ever as she studied him for a moment.

Then she let out a quiet scoff.

"In all my years of living," she said, "I've never met someone who dislikes leadership duties as much as you do."

Liam glanced over his shoulder slightly.

"Glad to be your first," he replied calmly, with the faintest trace of dry humor.

"Yeah," Mabel muttered, more to herself than to him. "I'm sure you are."

A calm silence followed after that as neither of them spoke for a while.

As the silence stretched on, Liam's attention had already shifted inward.

Now that I've gotten Sheila on the same page… ' His thoughts moved steadily, without distraction. 'I don't need to worry about her anymore.'

He had done what needed to be done.

Between guiding her toward reconciling with Percy and ensuring that whatever remained unspoken between them had been resolved, Sheila had regained something she had been lacking before—stability. Not just emotionally, but mentally as well.

That alone made her far more reliable than before.

'She's more than capable of handling things on her own now.'

That realization brought a subtle sense of ease.

But more than that, Sheila had accepted the leadership role.

It meant he wouldn't have to involve himself in something he had no interest in managing.

'I didn't even have to push that hard,' he thought.

Even if it had taken a careful arrangement of words; truths, slightly adjusted perspectives, and just enough framing to guide her toward the conclusion he wanted, he had still achieved what he set out to do.

And that was enough.

'With all that out of the way… ' His gaze remained fixed on the quiet movement outside. 'I can finally focus on my own growth. Hopefully with no unnecessary distractions or interruptions.'