For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Darkness slowly sank around the carriage as it ran vigorously. Outside the window, black trees flicked past like ghosts with their hands up.

The carriage, which arrived at the duke’s mansion, slowed down slowly. Like Colin, who poked his head out of the window, Lucy peeped out.

While everything sank into the autumn night, the Duke of Berg’s mansion in front of them was bright with countless lights.

“Wow! Lucy, look over there! How beautiful!”

Colin pointed to the mansion and exclaimed. But even if he didn’t speak so loudly, Lucy was already unable to shut her mouth when she saw the magnificent sight.

The Berg’s mansion was the second most majestic and magnificent building after the imperial palace she had seen in her lifetime. The appearance that showed off its large size, made Lucy’s shoulders shrink as if it were going to swallow the carriage carrying her in one bite.

Many carriages had already arrived in front of the main gate. Each of them was luxurious and colorful, and the seals of famous families were engraved so the people would know which family they are from. 

Whenever the door opened, people dressed up in extremely expensive clothes appeared. Soon, Lucy’s carriage arrived in front of the main gate. A waitress opened the door straight away.

Lucy’s face was filled with tension as she got out of the carriage and looked up at the mansion standing like a huge mountain. Dozens of lit windows seemed to be looking down at Lucy like the eyes of a monster.

I need to get a sponsor here…….

Lucy swallowed her saliva. Before coming, she was full of hope, but when she saw the size of the mansion and the aristocrats walking proudly, she felt worried.

There was a pretty long line in front of the main gate. It was a line to check the invitation before entering. They checked whether the invitation was real or not with meticulous eyes.

Rosé looked at the scene leisurely without blinking. Colin finally asked, unable to stand his curiosity.

“Rosé-sunbae, I think they’re checking the invitations. How do you intend to get in?”

Then Rosé shrugged her shoulders and called another servant waiting around. As the servant approached, Rosé delivered a note from her bosom and said,

“Give it to Felix Berg right now. He’ll know when you say Rosé Millard sent it.”

The servant, who received the note unexpectedly, looked at Rose with a puzzled face. He looked suspicious as to why a con artist was trying to enter the mansion. But Rosé’s dress was so luxurious, and her arrogant expression and gestures were also natural aristocratic attitudes.

In the end, the servant turned to the main gate to deliver the note while looking suspiciously.

“Run! Run!”

Rosé roared slowly toward the back of the servant as he walked in. The servant disappeared quickly into the house in astonishment.

Then, Rosé waited for him to reappear with a relaxed face. After a while, unlike when the servant, who had disappeared into the mansion, returned to Rosé with a hurried step.

“Oh, come inside.”

To their surprise, he led Rosé into the main gate without asking any questions. Lucy and Colin, who were with Rosé, were also able to go inside without lining up.

“What did you write on the note?”

“Oh.”

Rosé covered her face with a fan and burst into laughter as if she couldn’t stand it. Her high, scrawny laughter spread high above the night sky.

“I just wrote that I’m going to dance with him the Eveloza dance if he doesn’t let me in.”

On the way to the entrance of the mansion, wonderful landscaping trees and white statues stood tall, adding dignity.

“Wow, the garden is wonderful!”

Lucy looked around and admired.

“I don’t think it’s the garden. It’s just a front yard.” Rosé replied.

“Maybe the real garden is over there.”

She pointed the fan to the back of the mansion.

What do you mean it’s not a garden when it’s this big? It’s just a yard!

Lucy couldn’t close her open mouth.

The three entered the great central hall under constant guidance. A large chandelier, decorated with hundreds of crystals on a high ceiling open to the second floor, was shining in the light.

The luxurious ceiling paintings depicting the gods of the earth and the fairies were also enough to attract people’s attention. Lucy looked at the ceiling with her head bent backward and almost missed the guidance.

They passed the hall and headed to a large banquet hall. The nobles who entered in advance were seen gathering at each table to greet each other.

In that spacious and brilliant space, there was a group that Lucy had never mixed in before. Forgetting to stay out of Felix’s sight, she gazed at the splendid and unfamiliar landscape.

The nobles, each with a glass in their hands or covering their faces with a fan, looked relaxed and natural.

Unlike them, Lucy’s eyes stopped at one person as she stood stiffly and looked around the banquet hall.

Beautiful and familiar blonde.

Lucy hid behind Colin without realizing it. She took a breath for a moment and calmed herself down, and just poked out her face and looked at the golden hair.

There, stood Felix Berg.

Adrian was with him. The princes were dressed in black and white tailors, respectively.

Adrian, in his white tailcoat, was giving a short greeting to those approaching him, with a soft smile around his mouth.

On the other hand, Felix, dressed in a black, had a grim look on his face; he didn’t look like someone celebrating his birthday. Perhaps because of that, people only glanced at him, but could not approach him easily.

Occasionally, some of the older-looking aristocrats seemed to offer congratulations, and Felix responded brusquely, twisting his stiff neck.

Soon Lucy’s gaze shifted to a lady standing between the two princes. She stood gawking in her dark navy dress. Lucy recognized at a glance that the slender woman was the Duchess of Berg.

The Duchess, who is covered with lace wraps under her chin and long sleeves that covers the back of her hands, looked pale as the chandelier lit up. There were some people talking to her, but she never smiled at all when she was indifferent.

The Ghost of the Terrace…….

It wasn’t much different from what she saw on the streets of Evergreen eight years ago.

“Oh, there you are.”

Other members of the book club who came in after confirming the invitation appeared at the banquet hall. Everyone seemed surprised at the splendid and grand scale of the banquet. In particular, Jemima opened her eyes wide enough to pop out and murmured.

“Wow, even if His Majesty the Emperor visits their family, we will not be able to hold such a banquet.”

At that time, Adrian, who found the book club members in the distance, raised his hand to greet them. The first bright smile hung over his face.

Felix, who was standing next to him, saw his younger brother waving somewhere, he turned his eyes to look. Soon his eyes moved around as if he were looking for someone when he found the book club members.

His wandering gaze stopped only after he found Lucy. Lucy turned her head quickly and averted his gaze. Her face burned up. It was proof that she never wanted to be caught by Felix in his own birthday banquet.

“Lucy, let’s put a present over there.”

Fortunately, Colin led her elsewhere and saved her from Felix’s gaze.

Where Colin took her, was the most spectacular and eye-catching scenery in the banquet hall.

Gifts brought by visitors were piled high to celebrate the birthdays of the Princes of Berg. The gifts continued to pile up as Lucy opened her mouth and looked at the luxurious gift tower.

It was easy to recognize at a glance who sent the gifts, all wrapped in luxury, because the seals of the noble families were clearly stamped on the surface as if they were showing off.

The book club members also began to put their own gifts on it. They were also aristocrats, so it was clear that they were expensive gifts without having to open them.

In the gap, Lucy opened the small bag she was holding and took out the gift she had prepared. Wrapped in plain colored paper wrappers and tied with ribbons, she made them herself, for Felix and Adrian.

He gave Felix a present in advance, but…….

Lucy recalled the constellation necklace she had given him before.

It wasn’t a happy birthday at all.

Lucy placed her ointment on top of other gifts and looked at it with a shrunken look. Among the boxes stamped with the writings of the prestigious people, her gift package seemed endlessly shabby. It’s like someone put it there for a while to tie a shoelace, and then forgot and left it.