For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Felix waited for Adrian to express his discontent toward him.

“I couldn’t sleep for two days and had to go back and forth to the port to take your place, and here you are frustrated because you feel pathetic!”

Felix would rather have him yell and be angry. But Adrian kept his mouth shut and turned his head away. Felix felt something heavy weighing down his heart.

“…Unfortunately, after the exam, I have to see our father. It’s better not to do anything that goes against his will,” Adrian said softly, his back facing Felix.

“After the exams? I’m not going home even after the exam.”

“Idiot, that weekend is our birthday.”

“Oh.”

Adrian glared at Felix; his eyes seemed to say, “How could you forget”?

“If you don’t want to see our father’s wrath on our birthday…” Adrian gave him a firm look, omitting his words. “Let’s just do as he says.” 

Felix covered his head with his hand as if he had a headache.

The Berg Family would always hold a banquet for the twins’ birthday. However, the banquet overflowed with only the duke’s connections rather than the Berg twins’ friends. A gorgeous and grand banquet hall, where people were looking for opportunities to talk to them, and countless gifts were sent with hidden intentions…

To make it simple, it was a very annoying party.

“Felix!” Adrian snapped his finger in front of Felix’s face when he didn’t answer. “Are you listening to me? We’re going home on the weekend after the exam. Be sure to remember that.”

Felix sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Felix eventually gave up and replied.

He didn’t like the exam or the birthday banquet, but he didn’t want to put Adrian in a difficult situation again.

* * *

That afternoon.

After finishing the last lesson, Felix strode up the stairs to the third floor with his long legs.

East of the third-story corridor, right at the end, was an unused classroom. It was originally an herbal medicine class, but now it had become a warehouse for miscellaneous items.

It was time for most of the classes to end, so the students were going down the stairs to go to the dormitory, the cafeteria, or the library. Felix, who quickly arrived on the third floor, had squeezed through the crowd like a salmon and turned around the corner.

He saw Lucy just about to enter the empty classroom where they were supposed to meet.

“Lucy!”

At the sound of him calling, Lucy turned around. “Sunbae!” 

She was holding an armful of books today. Felix smiled stiffly when he saw the huge number of books. He approached Lucy and asked carefully, “… Are those all the things I need to read?”

“No! Some are mine,” Lucy reassured him, telling him not to worry.

Felix took the book from Lucy and followed her into the classroom. A strange smell of wood and dust, along with the musky scent of herbs, wafted up his nose.

An assortment of broken desks, chairs, and other miscellaneous objects littered the classroom. Looking at the mess, it seemed like it had been a long time since the classroom had last been used.

Unlike other classrooms, the air was chilly, lacking the warmth from human activity. However, the clear autumn sunlight poured through the side of the window.

Felix and Lucy looked around the classroom, searching for desks and chairs that were clean enough for them to sit and study. On most desks, remnants of thick liquid and stains spilled while making medicine remained intact. After a while, the two found desks and chairs in good condition and sat down near the window.

Looking out the window, students in groups of three or more could be seen making their way to the library. In contrast to the bustling atmosphere outside, the empty classroom felt quieter.

With a moderate amount of sunlight, a quiet atmosphere, and no one to interrupt Felix and Lucy’s studies, Felix liked the classroom very much.

“This class is nice. It’s quiet,” Lucy said as if she had just looked into his mind. “Whenever I study at the library, I keep getting distracted, like, the return books getting piled up on the return table, or when people leave the books on the table after reading them… Mrs. Erin promised to take care of all the work until the end of the exam period, but I can’t just ignore them. When I come to my senses, I’m already organizing the books.”

“You’re just like Adrian,” Felix said casually.

Adrian also had a habit of working nonstop. No matter how much people told him to leave it be, he couldn’t stay still unless he took care of it.

“That’s right. That’s why only me and Adrian-sunbae always stayed late at the library,” Lucy said with a small smile. “I broke the dorm curfew once last year with Adrian-sunbae to fix a broken book. At that time, I was sweating profusely, begging the supervisor to let me in. It’s funny to think about it now.”

Felix suddenly felt a sting when Lucy talked as if she recalled a good memory.

Time spent with Adrian… Is it a pleasant memory for Lucy? 

An image of Lucy and Adrian sitting side by side appeared in Felix’s useless imagination almost immediately. His heart pounded.

This is… I don’t want to imagine this.

The corners of his tightly closed lips trembled slightly.

Fortunately, Lucy stopped talking about Adrian at that point and pulled a book on the desk.

“Anyway, I think this place is much better than the library. You couldn’t finish it over the weekend, so try harder today.” Lucy selected several books and handed them over to Felix. “Oh, and…” she added, her face reddened slightly, “it’s forbidden to write down words unrelated to studying in a notebook.”

It meant that he should focus on his studies and not ask random questions like last time. Felix pouted. In fact, he had been thinking a lot about the questions he wanted to ask Lucy.

“Oh, and you can’t even sleep. Okay?”

“Yes, teacher.”

Lucy blushed again at Felix’s playful remarks. She hurriedly lowered her gaze to the book. However, Felix reached out and tapped her desk.

As she raised her head, he said with a look of anticipation. “Are you not going to cheer for me today?”

“Huh?”

“You did it for me last time. ‘Sunbae, you can do it!’”

“Oh.” Lucy opened her eyes wide, surprised by his sudden request. She looked cute, like a student bewildered by the teacher’s surprise question outside the scope she had prepared.

After agonizing hard, she finally raised her fists to him and shouted. “G- get out of last place! You can do it!”

It was a cheer that was strangely not like a cheer. However, the corners of Felix’s lips rose uncontrollably.

Lucy quickly turned her eyes away from embarrassment. She rolled up her sleeves and gripped her pen tightly. Soon, Lucy’s forehead wrinkled as she read a book with her eyes wide open.

Looking at her forehead, Felix followed her lead, rolled up his sleeves, and clenched his pen. Soon he opened the book with clear intention, unlike usual.

Seeing Lucy seriously studying, he thought he shouldn’t disturb her. She’s very sincere and smart. Surely her parents must have never been upset with her.

Felix felt like he could relate to Lucy’s parents, whom he had never met, and after looking at Lucy with a proud face, he began to read the book.

For a long time, the only sound in the quiet classroom was the sound of pages turning and pen writing.

Hmm? 

Felix pricked his ears. It was clear that the atmosphere was peaceful, but he kept feeling on edge.

Is it because Lucy is in front of me?

But it also made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Amid the silence, Felix lifted his head. At his sudden action, Lucy also raised her head and looked at him with bewilderment.

“What’s wrong?”

“Shh!” He put his finger to his lips. 

Felix then got up and went to the back of the classroom, where desks and chairs were stacked high. He disappeared beyond that, but the next second, the stacked desks and chairs collapsed to the bottom with a loud bang. 

Surprised, Lucy jumped up from her desk. “Felix!” she cried, her voice hoarse. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” Felix’s voice came from below the chaotic mix of desks and chairs.

“Ouch…” Along with the moaning of someone who wasn’t Felix.

The pile of chairs shook once, and Felix rose from it. He was holding a male student by the neck. It was Noel Roman, the freshman from book club.

“Some bastard is spying on us.” Felix pushed him against the wall. 

Noel, who was strangled, grunted and struggled to get his words out. “What do you mean spying?! I was about to… leave… Ack!”