For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Kalchak!

How long has it been? Felix raised his head at the sudden sound of a bird flying from the tree.

Only then did he realize that he had been leaning on Lucy’s shoulder, who was much smaller than him, for a long time. They must have looked weird in other people’s eyes.

It was fortunate that it was dark and difficult to see the surroundings.

“Are you done crying now?”

“…… I didn’t cry.”

In the hopes that Lucy’s eyes wouldn’t be able to see his wet face clearly, Felix lied.

But the next moment, Felix became even more embarrassed, as she did not ask anything and pretended to know nothing. A belated sense of embarrassment turned his face red.

“Why were you walking around the campus alone at night?”

Felix asked to change the subject, although it was not for him to say.

“I’m just frustrated.”

It has been three days since Lucy received correspondence from her family in Brom. She hasn’t heard any news since then.

Of course, expecting constant news from people in turmoil as a result of the war was unreasonable.

Felix sent a person to Brom on behalf of Lucy, who has no way of receiving news immediately. He doesn’t know when the news of her family’s safety will come, but it’s better than doing nothing. 

Meanwhile, news spread throughout the capital that some Imperial Knights had departed east to support the Knights already in battle. Nobody knows what the situation is like, but people were relieved by the news.

“We have to… get in now.”

Lucy said quietly as she looked around the campus, filled with silence. The occasionally passing students’ hazy shadows are now totally invisible.

“After the curfew, Flora will never open the door.”

It’s the same with the male dormitory manager, Lauren. 

After taking a few steps, Lucy spoke as if she had just remembered something.

“Oh, please check out Colin when the sun comes up tomorrow. I haven’t seen his face since he was holed up in his room.”

“Yeah, I see. I’ll go tomorrow morning. It probably won’t be a big deal.” 

“That’s a relief, but…….”

He was actually thinking about checking Colin’s condition. He hasn’t seen him in the dormitory for two days. He was very worried about his quietness since he was a troublemaker who always stirred around and made noise around him. 

“I’ll check Colin out, so you take care of yourself.”

“Thank you.”

Although he was embarrassed, Felix’s heart calmed down after he buried his face in Lucy’s shoulder and shed tears. He took Lucy to the front of the dormitory and returned to his room.

What should I say when I meet Adrian?

He stood at the door and pondered for a while, but it was a useless worry. As he entered the dark room, he could see Adrian’s dim figure lying on the bed.

While there were signs of him coming in, he did not move. It’s probably not the time to talk to Adrian.

It wasn’t because he was asleep, but because he felt like he was pretending to be asleep.

*****

Felix, however, discovered Adrian’s bed empty when he awoke the following morning. He left the room in the early morning.

At that moment, he had an ominous feeling, so he opened Adrian’s closet and checked it. Fortunately, the luggage he packed remained in its position.

Felix left the room with a sigh of relief.

But the next second, instead of Adrian, he saw someone else fussing over his luggage.

When he came to Collin’s room to check on him as promised with Lucy the day before, Colin Connor was screaming with a bag as big as he was. And a boy, who appeared to be his roommate, was screaming, holding onto Colin’s bag with an absurd face.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Let go of me!”

Felix looked at the figure with a puzzled face and asked.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going back to Brom!”

Colin, who found Felix by the door, replied with a grim look.

“No way! I can’t send my father to war!”

Colin is preparing to carry out a risky scheme to fight in the war on Baron Connor’s behalf.

Felix laughed in a deflated voice because Colin doesn’t know how to fight. 

“Do you know how to swing a sword?”

“I’m better than my father!”

Felix had never seen Baron Connor, but he took the bag, thinking that he would still be better than Colin.

“Give it back!”

Colin jumped up and tried to take the bag from him, but Felix handed over the bag to Colin’s roommate, standing next to him, and snatched Colin from the back.

“Colin, you’re the only child of Baron Connor.”

Colin was the only heir to Baron Connor unless he had another son during this time. When Felix reminded him of that fact, Colin became teary and stopped trying to shake Felix’s hand.

“Yes, but…”

He was tearing his hair out.

“I can’t help it! There’s no news from my family……!”

“Just because you join the Knights doesn’t mean you can fight for your hometown right away.”

Felix said roundly. To be more precise, it was right to say that he couldn’t fight.

Colin’s physique was smaller than most girls’. In fact, it was questionable whether there was any armor that could fit him. If he says he will fight with a sword, people may laugh at him.

Colin slumped on the floor with a frustrated face, perhaps reading Felix’s acrimonious thoughts.

“Would the Baron give you permission in the first place?”

He recalled Adrian’s face as he asked Colin a question.

Absolutely not. I would rather go out instead.

At Felix’s words, Colin seemed to have regained some sanity. He murmured a melancholy reply.

“Okay, I’ll find another way.”

“What other way?”

Felix asked, frowning at the uncomfortable answer but Colin started organizing his messy room without answering.

Leaving Colin behind with a ferocious look, Felix rushed to the library searching for Adrian. He didn’t think he could leave him alone after what he had heard the day before.

The library was quiet. Fewer students were sitting down and studying leisurely, filling the tables.

Only students from families who had nothing to do with the East, who had no son to send to the battlefield, and foreign students were reading books leisurely.

At the return table, Mrs. Erin, the librarian, was working alone. None of the book club members were seen. The same was true of Adrian.

Felix, who was just leaving the library, found light-brown hair sticking out behind the bookcase and approached it.

Sure enough, Lucy was crouching behind it.

“Lucy?”

She lifted her head at the sudden sound of Felix’s voice.

“Oh, I was waiting for Mrs. Erin to come.”

“She’s already here.”

“Oh.”

Lucy looked back at Mrs. Erin sitting at the return table.

“I didn’t even notice she came, I was thinking about something else.”

Lucy stretched her knees and her arms, then asked as if she had suddenly remembered.

“By the way, what about Colin?”

“……staying quiet in his room.”

He didn’t mention anything about the disturbance a while ago, he was afraid she’d be worried.

“That’s a relief. He must be more heartbroken than I am. Colin is the next Lord to inherit Brom.”

He was so heartbroken that he tried to do something reckless.

Felix swallowed the words and reassured Lucy.

“Don’t worry. I told him not to act rashly.”

Then a man walked into the library. He walked straight up to the librarian and asked him something. Then Mrs. Erin, who was looking around the library, answered by pointing to Lucy.

The man turned in the direction she pointed and took something out of his pocket.

Felix blocked it reflexively, but the man approached politely, bowed his head, and passed by him. Then he held out what he had taken out of his pocket to Lucy.

“A letter to Miss Lucy Keenan.”

Lucy jumped up from her seat as soon as she heard it. Did her family in Brom finally respond to her after all this time?

But Felix raised his eyebrows.

Already?

He dispatched a messenger, but it was too early for a response.

Lucy quickly received the letter from the man. She tore the envelope with an impatient touch and quickly opened the folded letter. However, Lucy’s face became strangely stiff as she was reading the letter.

Felix’s heart sank.

Did she receive bad news from her hometown?

After a while, Lucy raised her head and stared at Felix with nervous eyes. Slowly, she handed him the letter.

The letter contained only three lines. In addition, it was familiar handwriting.

“Sunbae…”

Felix, who read the contents of the letter while listening to Lucy’s voice, frowned.

[To Lucy Keenan]

I look forward to seeing you again and would like to invite you to the mansion.

[From Duke Arthur Berg]

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