For Your Failed Unrequited Love

“What is this…?”

Lucy watched at the situation with a stunned face.

He was just about to kiss her, what is going on?

Felix, who had fallen and hit his head on the floor, maintained his posture as though it were something he was accustomed to doing, in contrast to the bewildered Lucy.

The middle-aged knight howled like a thunderbolt at him.

“What are you doing out here? Didn’t I tell you to keep your position?”

“Didn’t you say I’d only be escorting you until you got to the capital? Why do I have to wait and watch you attend this graduation ceremony?”

“It was you who insisted on attending this graduation!”

As Felix, who had been speaking without losing, shut his mouth, it seemed that the knight’s words were true.

“I was wondering why you’ve been going missing all this time, and now you’re here kissing your lover. Are you crazy?”

“Don’t worry, I couldn’t even touch her lips because the leader interrupted me just in time!”

“This kid keeps talking back!”

The Knight, who Felix referred to as the leader, pulled a pocket knife from his clothing. Surprised to see it, Lucy leaped out of her seat.

But the Knight didn’t care. He glared at Felix and pointed a knife at his head.

“I’ll shave your ugly head today!”

The only person who became pale at the ominous words was Lucy. She had moved in front of him before the knight had finished speaking.

“Cutting his hair? Who says?”

I have to stop him. I have to protect his hair!.

The Knight frowned at Lucy, who jumped in front of him.

“This is not a matter for the lady, is it?”

But Lucy gave the knight a menacing glare instead.

Normally, she would have just kept quiet in front of a terrifying knight, but because this was about Felix’s hair and beauty, she couldn’t just sit back and watch.

“You can’t cut your sunbae’s hair! Just leave it like this!”

“…Lu, Lucy?”

Hearing these words, Felix let out a strange voice, and the knight laughed at her shrill voice.

“Oh! You’re an interesting girl.”

The Knight put his pocket knife back in his pocket. Then he gave Felix a kick in the groin and said,

“Get up,”

Felix leapt from his seat, and the Knight exclaimed,

“You’ve seen your lover, so I think you should stop here; if you leave again without permission, I’ll punish you severely!”

The Knight warned for the last time, and then proceeded to the Great Hall.

“… by the way,”

When he was completely out of sight, Felix suddenly raised one eyebrow and looked back at Lucy.

“I didn’t know you cared so much about my hair.”

At his words, Lucy avoided his gaze with an uncomfortable look on her face.

“…just go and watch him, before he comes back again.”

Embarrassed, she said something she didn’t mean.

Felix narrowed his eyes at Lucy and pouted his lips in disappointment.

“I’ll come and see you when I’m done with my escort mission. Later at the graduation ball.”

Lucy, who had pretended to be indifferent a while ago, had hoped he wouldn’t leave but nodded quickly.

Felix promised and left in a flash. Only after he disappeared did Lucy slap herself in the face to see if it was a dream.

She felt a tingling sensation in her cheek, perhaps because she hit herself too hard. But Lucy was so overwhelmed that her eyes were burning. She felt so good even though it was painful.

At last, Felix returned.

***

The graduation ceremony was over, and Felix and she were reunited.

People gathered here and there to greet her and look at her curiously as she returned.

Not only strangers, but also Colin and her other friends, inquired as to why she abruptly jumped down from the podium.

She decided that it would be best to keep them in the dark about Felix’s return to the capital since he was still on duty.

Instead, she returned to her dorm with her friends and changed into a dress in preparation for the next day’s schedule.

The ball began in the early evening.

They all removed their uniforms and entered the Great Hall, which had been transformed into a ballroom.

Although Lucy didn’t initially enjoy balls, it was unfortunate that it would be her final memory of the academy.

“Lucy! Dance with me!”

She nearly clutched Colin’s outstretched hand.

“Oh, no. I’m fine.”

She quickly withdrew her hand from Colin’s reach and refused.

She could still clearly recall how he had dragged her around during the literature night.

“I’ll just sit here and watch,”

Colin grumbled at her passive demeanor, but when he saw Rose walking magnificently into the hall, he changed his target and left.

“Would you like to dance with me?”

Lucy turned her head and looked back at the familiar voice behind her.

Adrian smiled and held out his hand toward her.

“Ah… Adrian-sunbae,”

“You look very disappointed.”

He said this with a jealous expression on his face.

“What? It’s not like that!”

Lucy waved her hand, shaking her head.

As Adrian still did not put his hand down, Lucy, unwillingly, took his hand and stepped out into the middle of the ballroom. It was fortunate that slow and calm music was playing.

She didn’t want to show off her dance moves in front of Adrian.

“So,”

Adrian gently guided Lucy while whispering for only her to hear.

“Where is Felix right now?”

Lucy looked at him in surprise.

“…how did you know?”

“It was obvious. You ran down the podium like you’d seen a ghost, but I don’t think you have. Plus, your mouth was smiling and you were stamping your feet like you were waiting for someone.”

“Did I?”

Lucy’s face turned red with embarrassment. Adrian, who was smiling at the sight, said, as if reminiscent of the old days.

“…when we were young, we prioritized each other, but now Felix prioritizes you over me.”

Lucy rolled her eyes around because she didn’t know what to say in response to Adrian’s words. But he didn’t appear to be disappointed. He instead stated:

“I’m so glad that You appeared in front of Felix.”

Lucy responded with a shy smile and quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, how is the Duke?”

Several months ago, Lucy heard a rumor that the Duke had miraculously awoken. However, the miracle did not appear to have given the Duke complete hope.

He regained consciousness, but he was unable to speak, walk, or move a finger.

Upon hearing Lucy’s query, Adrian shrugged.

“It’s still the same, but I tell him the news every day so he doesn’t get frustrated. For example, my family withdrew from the Libourg port business and donated all profits to help the natives become self-sufficient.”

“Wow, you’ve made a big decision.”

“Well, my father must have been quite surprised. I may have been mistaken, but it seemed that one of his toes flinched.”

Adrian, who was smiling like a child, looked out the window. He pulled Lucy’s waist in suddenly as he continued to stare out the window.

“S, Sunbae.

Lucy looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Felix said something that hurt my pride a year ago. Let’s see if he can keep his cool.”

He replied cryptically, then started dancing more fervently with Lucy.

Adrian, who didn’t stop dancing until Lucy complained of dizziness, only wanted Lucy to rest after the music had stopped for a while.

Adrian suggested going out to the terrace to get some fresh air. He took Lucy to one of the empty terraces after she said yes.

Adrian, however, immediately shut the door after pushing Lucy into the terrace.

“Huh? Sunbae?”

Adrian made a brief gesture toward Lucy’s puzzled expression. He then quickly vanished into the crowd.

“Sunbae! Where are you going?”

Lucy tried to open the locked door. Then, from behind her, she heard a familiar voice.

“Did you dance with anyone else?”

“Oh, you scared me!”

Lucy jumped out of her seat at the sudden appearance of another person. Felix appeared out of nowhere and sat on the railing. He quickly sank to the floor and approached Lucy.

“You danced diligently. Dance with me, too!”

With a rambling remark, he reached out to Lucy.

Lucy took an unintentional step back as she looked down at his hand. Felix then raised his eyebrows, appearing to be speechless.

“Why are you hesitating? You danced well with Adrian!”

“No, it’s not that…….”

I didn’t want Felix-sunbae to find out about my mediocre dancing abilities.

“I’m terrible at dancing.”

“I know,”

As he calmly spoke, he guided Lucy’s hand to his shoulder. With his other hand, he gently pulled Lucy’s waist.

He began to move his feet to the calm music that flowed on the terrace. Lucy moved her feet along with his movements in an awkward manner.

“…it doesn’t seem to be as bad as I thought it would be? Have you been practicing?” said Felix, who had been watching Lucy’s footwork.

“Don’t make fun of me,”

After a while, Lucy, who had become somewhat accustomed to the movement, put her cheek to Felix’s arms.

“Sunbae, I was dying to see you.”

“…I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long. I never thought I’d keep you waiting for more than a year.”

“Everyone’s coming back…… Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t come back?”

“But I’ll never be apart from you again.”

At that word, Lucy took her face off of his arms and looked up at Felix.

“Really? …So you don’t have to go back to the East?”

“Yes, I won’t. I’ll be next to you. I’ll spend all my time on you now.”

Felix stopped dancing and held Lucy’s cheeks with his big hands. Then he looked down at her with a serious face.

“Lucy, you told me a year ago. If I want to tell you something, I have to come back safely, and when I’m ready, I’ll tell you.”

Perhaps he was nervous; his breathing seemed erratic as he spoke. Lucy’s heart skipped a beat at the sight.

“I’ll officially receive the title in the spring, and then I’m going to start my own family, but if I’m going to start…… I wish it were with you.”

A gust of wind blew from somewhere, disheveling Lucy and Felix’s hair. It was an evening breeze, but it wasn’t very cold.

Lucy looked at his blue eyes hidden in his long, fluttering blond hair with slightly red eyes.

In that gaze, Felix soon breathed out the breath he had endured.

“Marry me,”

Lucy looked blankly into his face without answering. Then Felix asked with an uneasy look at her response.

“No way.”

“Is that a rejection?”

Lucy immediately pulled Felix’s face and kissed him. Felix also hugged Lucy and responded enthusiastically.

“Sunbae,”

“…call me Felix.” he said softly, with their lips still glued together.

“Felix,”

“Hmm,”

“I love you,”

He smiled as he heard her shy confession. Small tremors have been transmitted through their lips.

Then he said,

“I love you, Lucy,”

These were words she never expected to hear from him. Words buried deep within his heart

The precious words, which felt more like a dream, struck Lucy’s heart deeply.

She drew her lips back and stared at Felix’s face.

My Felix, who finally recognized the feelings I thought were unique to me and that could never be fulfilled.

My boy, my first love, my sunbae.

Without realizing it, he had infiltrated Lucy’s life in a variety of ways, and now he will become an irreplaceable family member to her.

“Thank you for being with me.”

“I’m the one who should thank you. Thank you for trusting me and waiting for me.”

Lucy held Felix’s hand tightly and looked up at the evening sky, where the stars began to shine.

Thinking of the new days with him, she was not afraid of anything.

– For your failed unrequited love (End of Main story)