For Your Failed Unrequited Love

He patted Lucy on the shoulder and winked in one eye. He also explained that he started the sponsorship business because he was impressed by the Berg family’s sponsorship business. It seemed to be a great honor to be sponsored by the Duke of Berg.

Wayne Millard’s praise of the Berg’s continued without knowing the end. When he finally finished talking, Lucy realized that it had become difficult for her to say that she didn’t want to be sponsored by the duke.

Wayne Millard took his hat, greeted the duke, and tried to leave the office so that Lucy and the Duke could talk. But before that, he whispered lightly to Lucy.

“Miss Keenan, I’ve given up the opportunity to sponsor you, but you’re always welcome to attend the ‘Meeting Celebrities’ events that I organize.”

Then he bowed lightly to Lucy and left the office.

In the quiet office of the duke there was one person who wanted to leave the place quickly and one person who was hard to read.

When the flowing silence started to feel suffocating, The Duke slowly rose from his seat and laid down a piece of paper on the table. It was a sponsorship contract. Lucy looked down at the paper with uncomfortable eyes.

She doesn’t know what to do.

“I want to say it once again, don’t feel pressured.”

The duke said, as if he had seen through Lucy’s mind.

In fact, there was no reason for Lucy to refuse this sponsorship contract. If she had to pick one, it was the strained relationship between the duke and Felix, but neither of them was a reason to refuse sponsorship.

Rather, it was a great opportunity for Lucy that people would think she’s foolish if she missed the sponsorship deal.

In addition, Wayne Millard seemed to want her to sign a sponsorship deal with the duke, and she was not sure if she could find another sponsor at the banquet.

“I don’t know what you’re hesitating about.”

Looking at Lucy, who is staring at the contract with a serious look, the duke said.

“Is there any other reason why you won’t get my sponsorship?”

He slowly raised his body against the sofa and stared at Lucy.

“……is it my son, for example?”

Lucy, who was looking at the duke’s face with a puzzled face at the subtle question, immediately came to her senses. She shook her head.

“No, Duke,”

“Then there’s no reason to hesitate.”

The duke looked at the pen on the table. It was a silent compulsion. He looked like he was going to hold Lucy until she signed it.

Eventually Lucy hesitated and reached for the pen. Soon she signed her name under the duke’s name.

“Congratulations on becoming the ward of the Berg family.”

When she put down the pen, the duke spoke in a low voice. Lucy, sitting nervously, held a copy of the sponsorship contract in her hand.

“I hope that the patronage of the Berg’s will be a good stepping stone for you to become a great person of the empire.”

After finishing his insincere words, the duke nodded his head. It means it’s okay to go out. Lucy left the duke’s office with a blank face and a sponsorship contract.

As she was walking enraptured by an unexpected sponsorship contract, someone suddenly pulled her from behind. It was Felix. He took Lucy to a corner covered by a partition, and he checked if there was no one around and asked.

“Did you sign it?”

Lucy’s face flushed red at that question. In her ears, it sounded like, ‘Did you unilaterally break your promise to study with me, and then get support from my family?’

“It’s….”

While Lucy was hesitating, Felix, who saw the contract she was holding, dropped his head and scrambled his hair. He heaved his shoulders wide and breathed a sigh. Lucy’s heart dropped to the floor when she saw it.

I must have been seen as a shameless person…….

Lucy regretted her decision to accept his patronage. Her head fell helplessly.

I should have just turned it down until the end.

“What else did father say?”

Felix’s voice flew into Lucy’s ear. Lucy looked up. Now, his blue eyes, which made his heart ache just by facing him, were looking down right in front of her.

“Nothing…….”

Her voice soon faded into the air. Felix raised his hand and gently over tucked a strand of hair that was hanging over Lucy’s forehead. The warmth of his fingers crossed her ear.

Lucy opened her eyes wide as if surprised by his unexpected behavior. Felix was looking at Lucy with friendly and affectionate eyes.

“… Are you sick?”

Another question that had nothing to do with the previous question fell. Then, the finger that was sweeping behind her ear came up on her cheek this time.

“You’ve gotten slimmer.”

His index finger slowly swept Lucy’s cheek.

Is it my cheek that’s hot, or is it sunbae’s finger?

Lucy blinked her eyes slowly, feeling the touch of his fingers. It was such a soft touch that she forgot about her relationship with him for a while. The urge to rub her cheek against her large hand arose.

Then Lucy came to her senses. She took a step back, dodging Felix’s hand. He lowered his hand with an expression of regret.

“……I’d better go down now.”

He turned his head and said,

“If you go down, you’ll see the book club members. Don’t come up here again.”

After saying that, Felix stepped aside to let Lucy pass. After a moment’s hesitation, Lucy slipped out of the corner and walked down the stairs to the first floor. When she looked back for a moment, Felix was still standing there with an anxious look on his face

And it wasn’t until she came down all the stairs that Lucy realized. She gave him a birthday present twice, but she never said happy birthday to him.

“Lucy! Where have you been?”

Upon returning to the banquet hall, Colin recognized her from a distance and ran.

“Who’s your sponsor? Have you met Rosé’s uncle?”

“It’s….”

Lucy told Colin what happened. After hearing the story, Colin opened his eyes wide and said,

“Wow! Did you get the support of the Berg family?”

Again, Colin, like Wayne Millard, was busy congratulating Lucy. It was an expression of ‘a family like Berg deserves to support Lucy instead of the Connor family’. 

“Lucy!”

Then, another person came up with a quick step. Adrian seemed to have wondered if Lucy had found a sponsor safely even though he was busy entertaining guests. Colin stepped up before he could explain the situation.

“Lucy has been sponsored by the Duke of Berg!”

At the words, Adrian’s face flashed with surprise and confusion. He squinted back.

“My father is supporting you?”

While agonizing over something with a serious face, Adrian quickly gave a congratulatory remark with a bright look on his face.

“Congratulations, Lucy. You deserve it.”

But after greeting Lucy, Adrian’s expression on his way back to the table was not good.

* * *

The day after returning from the banquet was a weekend. There was a quiet silence in the dormitory until morning. The students, who were exhausted from the exam period, were all oversleeping.

Of course, some people woke up early in the morning and started their usual routine. Lucy slowly got out of bed and sat down as the bright morning sun came through the window.

It was the only delay she allowed herself to wake up a little late at night, flogging herself hard during the exam period, delaying her waking up a little early in the morning.

Jemima was sleeping frantically on the bed. Her blanket came up over her head and covered her face. A small snoring came out from under the blanket. Lucy fixed her blanket and opened the window to let in the fresh air.

When the sun rose a little higher, someone knocked on the door. Lucy, who was reading on the sofa, looked up.

“Who is it….”

Jemima, who was stuttering on the bed, also murmured in a half-asleep voice.

“Well, is it Rita?”

Lucy got up from her seat and went to the door. Rita is the only one who comes to their room at this time. However, when she opened the door, she saw a group of women. They weren’t academy students. They bowed politely as soon as they saw Lucy. Lucy also greeted them.

“W, who are you?”

“Hello, Lucy Keenan. How are you?”

The woman at the front asked Lucy in a quiet and clear voice.

“My name is Mary, and I work in Berg’s mansion. I’m here to tell you something about the duke’s sponsorship, Miss Keenan.”

Jemima was heard scrambling out of bed. Hearing the name “Berg,” she quickly ran to the door and hid behind Lucy’s back and peeked out her head. Curious eyes glazed over the woman standing at the door.

“Oh…….”

Surprised by the sudden visit, Lucy stood blankly and hurriedly stepped back from the door. Because Mary and other women were holding heavy-looking boxes in their arms. One of them even held a flower basket large enough to cover her upper body.