For Your Failed Unrequited Love

She picked up the ribbon and looked at Felix’s back. Before she knew it, he was staring at the blackboard with his chin in one hand.

Forgetting the fact that she had to organize the books, Lucy couldn’t take her eyes off the bored-looking back.

A person who seemed uninterested in anyone but himself; a person who seemed bored with everything.

But if there were someone in trouble, he would be the first one to notice and help.

She couldn’t tell if he was really arrogant or kind. Like seven years ago, it was still difficult to figure out what he was thinking.

Lucy took the ribbon and put it in her pocket. Then she placed the books on the bookshelf according to how Felix had arranged them.

She finished arranging the books and quietly left the classroom. No one paid her any mind, not even Felix.

I guess you helped me for no reason.

As she looked at his sullen face, Lucy closed the door feeling somewhat disappointed, as if her guess was true.

* * *

Streams of warm light poured down on the earth, and new life began to sprout on the moist and fragrant ground. The fresh breeze blew around the campus. It seemed like spring had finally come to the Academy.

A month had already passed.

Lucy took off a layer of her freshman tee and became quite relaxed.

She never got lost in the large campus and the complex academy building. No one was suddenly calling her name from behind in a classroom full of unfamiliar and awkward students. There was no reason to be shy.

Of course, being in a new environment is not without a crisis. One day, homesickness came to her.

For quite some time, the feeling of emptiness filled her heart. There were days when she couldn’t fall asleep easily at night; she kept tossing and turning until she barely fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes, she felt like she could see her grandmother’s face at any moment and could hear her mother nagging her for not getting up yet.

However, every time she woke up early in the morning, she was in a dormitory room filled with high-quality furniture that was still foreign to her.

She was swept in a wave of anxiety. “Maybe I’ll never be able to adapt to this place?”

But it was only for a while.

Lucy got herself together at one point.

It was the moment she realized that she needed to keep her top spot.

The scholarship she received from the Academy was only tuition for the first semester. If she couldn’t maintain being the top student, the scholarship for the next semester would go to someone else.

The tuition fee wasn’t her only concern; there were also problems with the dormitory and living expenses. The dormitory fees at prestigious imperial academies were surprisingly high compared to ordinary schools, and the living cost in the capital was much higher than in the province. It was quite a burden.

All these expenses—too much for Lucy’s family—were sponsored by Baron Connor.

Lucy’s grandmother said, “I have an idea,” which turned out to be the baron’s patronage. But Lucy knew very well that Baron Connor didn’t have much wealth.

Brom, a remote countryside, was a place where most of the young people lived on their own and farmed for a living. Therefore, unlike the nobles of the capital, Baron Conor could not collect as many taxes.

Sending Colin to Xenomium Academy also requires a big budget. In such a situation, sponsoring Lucy’s dormitory and living expenses might’ve been an added burden to the baron.

She made up her mind to keep the top position, for herself and those who were willing to believe in her. She never wanted to add any more financial problems to the baron and his family.

Since then, she was glued to her desk. She often studied late into the night. Colin was so concerned when he saw her tired face that he asked her to do it in moderation.

After spending most of the day studying, Lucy didn’t have many chances to make friends.

Furthermore, because she is a commoner, not many students approached her first. Nobody was being mean to her, and there didn’t seem to be anyone with whom she could have a deep and serious friendship.

So even after entering school, Lucy spent most of her time with Colin. With Colin next to her, she didn’t feel desperate to make friends. She wasn’t even enthusiastic about making any.

However, she made new friends because of the book club.

There were two girls, Jemima and Rita, who joined the club at the same time as her. They were the only students who greeted her and talked to her whenever they saw her.

Jemima was a noble young lady from the capital and had a cheerful personality. Lucy sometimes had a hard time dealing with her overflowing energy, but she was always positive and full of energy, and she loved it very much.

Rita was as quiet and gentle as Lucy. She was also not from the capital but from a far northern region, so she shared a lot of similarities with Lucy. When Lucy was feeling homesick, Rita was the first person to notice and comfort her.

They became close while being in the book club. The three of them sometimes ate lunch together and took walks on campus. Thanks to this, Lucy was able to experience something she had never experienced before with Colin: an emotional exchange between women.

In fact, her close friendship with them was because of this person: Allen Gross, a second-year student in the book club.

Allen always looked annoyed, as if his job in the club was to kick out the new members.

He even purposely made Lucy carry heavy books that she didn’t have to carry and even made her do his personal errands. Because of this, the three girls were busy secretly swearing at him whenever he was away.

Allen seemed convinced that all the girls who joined the book club had feelings for Adrian. Whenever they tried to speak to Adrian, he glared at the newcomers, his eyes filled with suspicion. He was most likely a Berg family guard who would do anything to protect Adrian.

But that was the beginning of the story. Despite the mistreatment, Lucy, Jemima, and Rita remained firmly in the book club. Contrary to Allen’s prejudice, the girls were honest, excellent at work, and quick-witted.

At last, Allen realized that it was better to keep them. At some point, the blatant persecution and the petty harassment stopped.

However, he still looked at the newcomers with a look of disapproval. The scolding did not disappear. He would scold them even though the return table was clean, for not organizing the books on time, and criticized them for not cleaning the library even though it was just cleaned.

For this reason, Adrian’s presence was a great comfort for new book club members.

The more Lucy became closer to Adrian, the more surprised she was. At first, she thought he was just an upright, sincere, and thorough school council president, but surprisingly, he showed a lot of his human side.

He helped the newcomers adapt quickly to their duty. In particular, he made a lot of effort to relieve the tension by playing light pranks and making jokes.

But it wasn’t funny because they were all jokes at the same level that Lucy’s dad used to throw.

However, after discovering Adrian’s unexpected kindness, she was able to get along with him more quickly. It somehow reminded her of his twin brother, Felix.

Felix Berg.

Since she got the ribbon back from him, they hadn’t got much contact. Sometimes she only ran into him in the hall, and each time Felix walked by, completely ignoring her. Lucy would glance at him secretly, but Felix didn’t even seem to notice that she was there.

In fact, Felix didn’t seem to take many classes, and when he didn’t have classes, it was like he had turned invisible; he couldn’t even be found in the academy building. They said that, unlike Adrian, he didn’t hang out with people, and it seemed to be true.

Lucy remembered him hiding by the lake when he was younger because he disliked being around others.

Anyway, she didn’t have any ties with him. They didn’t even have a chance to talk further. Naturally, her interest and curiosity in Felix Berg began to fade over time.

* * *

“Why is he here again?” Jemima asked, pointing at Colin. He was sitting on the sofa in the library, relaxing. He was a sight for sore eyes to Jemima, who was busy finishing her library work. “Does he want to join the book club?”

Lucy shook her head at the question. Colin often came to the library to see her. He didn’t really read or study.

“Colin is an honorary member of the book club,” Adrian chimed in. He was listening to the girls’ conversation. “It’s a little distracting, but he’s the only one who can help me with the book club when I’m short-handed,” he added, looking pleased with Colin.

“That’s true,” Jemima replied, immediately agreeing with Adrian when moments ago she was unhappy with Colin.

“He seemed to have carried more than he did the last time you organized the new books.” Even Rita, who was caught up in Jemima’s comment, praised Colin.

“I think I’ll be able to use him well in the future,” Jemima said with a wicked smile.

“What are you talking about?” Colin, lying on the sofa, stood up and approached them. The book club members, who had been gathering and whispering, quickly scattered in all directions.

“Nothing.”

He looked at Lucy with suspicion but then brought up another topic.

“It’s the end of the week, isn’t it? Uncle Keenan is coming soon!”