For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Felix grabbed his throbbing ankle and bit his lip. She kicked him so hard that he even shed tears. When he rolled up the hem of his pants, Rosé’s shoe mark were clearly visible. Fortunately, though, Rosé didn’t know about Lucy Keenan until the end. He sighed and rubbed his chest.

Felix, who came to the campus to avoid the unfortunate incident of running into Rosé again, sat down on a nearby bench. He thought it would be better not to be noticed by Rosé for a while.

After enjoying the tranquility that returned under the blue autumn sky for a while, he grimaced as he could feel his allergy coming. He had been wandering around all day and left without taking his medicine.

“Oh, seriously.” Maram vines were growing all over the bench, which seemed to be more leafy than last week. He was too lazy to go back to his dorm room, but he couldn’t help it.

“Sunbae!” The moment he was about to get up, someone sprinted toward him, calling him in a cheerful voice. A youthful gait that looks like a dwarf at first glance. It was Colin Connor, a face that he was not very happy to see.

“Hello, sunbae! By the way… Are you Felix-sunbae?” Colin squinted his eyes and asked, thinking about which Prince of Berg was in front of him.

“Yes, why?” 

“Do you remember me? We met briefly at Literature Night yesterday! My name is Colin Connor! Lucy Keenan’s friend!” Colin poured out his words nonstop, looking overly energetic.

“What’s going on?” Felix asked, looking at him with distasteful eyes. He remembered him dancing with Lucy last night.

“I want to apologize for what happened yesterday! Actually, Lucy was my partner, and it was only natural for me to escort her until we got back to the dorm… Thank you for taking Lucy home instead!”

Felix strangely found his words annoying, but he hid his expression and responded briefly. “It’s fine. Go.”

“I’m really sorry! I apologize again!”

“I said it’s fine.” Felix replied, disgruntled.

However, Colin, who was tactless, did not leave his position and chatted endlessly. “Lucy also feels sorry after she learned that sunbae was the one who took her home. She didn’t look good all morning.”

“Her?” Felix asked back as if he had heard something interesting.

“Yes, But sunbae.” Suddenly, Colin approached Felix and carefully looked at the tip of his nose.

“What’s wrong with you?” He pushed Colin away.

“Are you allergic to maram vines?” Colin asked.

“So?” 

“Actually, I know a good medicine! It’s a golden round pill made of golden butterfly grass!” 

A golden round pill. It was the allergy medicine that Adrian received and shared with him.

“How do you know that medicine?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow.

 “What? Ah yes! Because Lucy makes that medicine!”

“… Lucy made that medicine?” Felix’s eyes widened. He sat upright and asked again. “Lucy Keenan?”

“Yes, she makes it every fall, saying that there are people around her who suffer from the allergy.” Colin explained, his voice raised slightly; happy that Felix showed interest in the drug. “Do you want me to ask Lucy to make it for you? I’m on my way to see her.”

“… Then please do that,” Felix replied, pretending to be calm. He was surprised from learning something new about Lucy.

“Yes, sir! Just leave it to me!” Colin bowed politely to him and turned around.

Colin Connor walked toward the library with a cheerful gait to carry out the task assigned to him. Then he heard footsteps following him. Looking back, it was Felix, walking with his hand in his pocket. Colin halted.

“Well…” Colin looked at Felix with a look that said, ‘Do you have anything more to say, sunbae?’

Felix furrowed his eyebrows and urged him. “What are you doing? Let’s go to Lucy Keenan right now.”

“Oh, yes!” Colin hurriedly turned towards the library, his speed accelerated.

* * *

While heading to the library, Colin Connor told him about how much Lucy devoted herself in making the allergy medicine. According to him, Lucy is growing her own golden butterfly grass, the key ingredient in allergy medicine.

The library’s backyard was a barren land. There was nothing there but an abandoned garden. Colin said that was where Lucy grew the golden butterfly grass. In addition, he informed Felix that Lucy was also growing several other herbs that she had brought from her hometown.

That’s a lot of effort.

Listening to Colin’s story, Felix grumbled inwardly.

Maram allergy medicine is a complex medicine. First of all, Golden Butterfly grass was a difficult herb to grow. He could tell how complicated the manufacturing process was, and how much effort was put into making it over a long period of time, without seeing it in person.

When he first received the medicine from Adrian, he wondered for a moment who made such a sincere medicine and gave it to him.

But it was Lucy Keenan?

Felix laughed secretly.

Well, she was so into a man that even their parents can’t recognize, but she can with just one glance, so it’s not surprising at all. Rather, he was unaware that Lucy Keenan had made the medicine.

While he was deep in thought, they arrived at the backyard of the library. In the corner of the backyard, there was indeed a garden, as Colin described, in front of it, a girl with light brown hair in a back braid was seen squatting down and tending her crops.

Felix was surprised the moment he saw the garden. It was a very small field, but there were dozens of different herbs growing at the same time.

Wouldn’t this be a big deal if they got caught?

He was even worried about that.

“Lucy, I got the honey you mentioned at the restaurant.” Colin said, taking a small bottle out of his bag. “Phew, the new Lady Linda is quite arrogant.  She just gave it to me without asking.” he grumbled.

Lucy burst out laughing at him without even looking behind her. “Thank you for saving me. Can you put it on the stone wall?”

“But I couldn’t even ask her to share the roots. I really thought Lady Linda would come after me with a broom…”

“I can’t help it. I’ll go out to the town and buy it over the weekend.” A sigh came from over Lucy’s shoulder.

“Oh, but the roots to make it are expensive. Can you get it with the money you have?”

Lucy, who had been muttering in a worried voice, immediately got up with a grunt. “I think the time has come to open the piggy bank…” She turned around, a worried expression on her face, she stood still. Her eyes widened as soon as she saw Felix. 

Her surprise and embarrassment were passed on to Felix. That’s understandable. It was last night that she was drunk and got carried to the dormitory on Felix’s back.

Does she remember?

Felix remembered the feeling of her fingers ripping through his hair. The drunken confession she mumbled because she mistook him for someone else.

“Lucy! Felix sunbae-nim wants to get the allergy medicine you made!” Colin explained the reason Felix was there belatedly. “I think your sunbae is also allergic to maram vines.”

“Oh…” a single sound left Lucy’s lips, she stood still. She had never imagined that Felix would come to find her. 

“Are you the one who gave Adrian the allergy medicine?” Felix asked.

“Yes.” Lucy nodded slowly.

“What is this, Lucy!” Colin intervened again, “Is Adrian-sunbae-nim the reason you are making the medicine?” 

“That… While talking to Adrian-sunbae, I heard that he had a maram allergy… since I happen to know how to make that medicine…” Lucy’s words drifted through the air

“Then you should’ve told me earlier! If you had, I would have begged Lady Linda to give me some ingredients even if she beat me with a broom,” Colin said cheerfully. He then turned to Felix and gave him a sudden thumbs up. “Lucy’s medicine has the best efficacy! You can trust me! I guarantee it!” Colin said, pounding his chest. He had a confident expression on his face, as if he had made the drug herself. “Lucy’s grandmother runs a pharmacy. She knows a lot of folk remedies!”

Who is this guy pretending to know about Lucy Keenan’s family?

Felix gave a sardonic look at Colin, who was flapping his lips to boast about Lucy. The more he looked at him, the more disgusted he became.

“As for the efficacy of the medicine, I know it very well,” he grumbled back. “I used it because Adrian gave it to me. In fact, it works so much better than the medicine prescribed by Berg’s doctor.” 

The Berg’s family doctor had been suspicious of the efficacy of the drug, saying it was an unproven folk remedy. But ultimately, had no choice but to admit that the medicine Lucy made worked better than the one made at the capital’s best pharmacy.

“So I have a favor to ask of you.” Felix carefully spoke his words.

“Can you make that medicine for me too?”