For Your Failed Unrequited Love

Anger flashed in the middle-aged knight’s eyes. Intent on finding the man he was seeking and shaving his head off, he was scanning the area.

Lucy hurriedly glanced away after overhearing the conversation.

“Lucy!”

When she got to the Great Hall, Princess Clothil was in front of the door grinning brightly and waving at her.

She handed Lucy the huge bouquet of flowers she was holding as she approached. Clothil even offered her congratulations in the now-natural Beros accent.

“Congratulations on your graduation! It’s too bad that I won’t be able to see you in the new semester!”

Princess Clothil, who was accepted into the Xenomium Academy a year ago, not only learned the imperial language at an alarming rate but also faithfully carried out her library duties and successfully adjusted to academy life.

Clothil could not conceal her gratitude whenever she saw Lucy because it was all due to her assistance.

“By the way, I saw a really handsome guy over there earlier. I’ve never seen anyone like that since the entrance ceremony.”

“Handsome guy?”

“Yes! He was a handsome man with shiny blond hair, his hair looked better than mine, but he vanished in an instant. I wanted to ask his secret…….” Clotill murmured, a regretful expression on her face.

Someone else came to mind when she heard he was blond. Lucy experienced a resurgence of loneliness as she thought of the face she had sorely missed.

As Clothil’s congratulations appeared unlikely to end, Lucy managed to escape and enter the hallway.

“Lucy, you’ve arrived!”

Colin, who had arrived earlier, called her and waved. Colin was surrounded by his grandmother and mother, Adrian, as well as Noel and Rosé, who had returned to the Academy for the first time since graduation.

Everyone greeted her with congratulations as she came closer. Her grandmother, in particular, hugged Lucy with such pride that she almost burst into tears.

Fortunately, as soon as she was released from her grandmother’s arms, the tears that were about to fall out of her eyes vanished due to Noel’s antics.

“Lucy! Don’t go! From Adrian-sunbae to Lucy-sunbae…..! Please don’t leave me behind!”

Noel, who will be a third-year student this year, was unanimously elected as the new head of the book department by his juniors. He sighed bitterly, as if he didn’t have a future.

“Don’t worry,”

Adrian smiled and patted Noel on the shoulder.

“You won’t die, no matter how difficult it is.”

Lucy burst out laughing as she looked at Noel, who was pondering his words.

Adrian has undergone the most changes in the last year. He was oddly brighter than before, despite the fact that he still appeared busy and exhausted. Before she even noticed, the shadow that had been lingering in the corner of his face appeared to have vanished, and he was smiling warmly at the crowd.

I was worried, but now I’m relieved.

Lucy smiled joyfully at Adrian, who was improving day by day.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Adrian by the collar and turned him to face himself.

“Hey, boy! I was wondering what you were up to, and all you were doing was chatting here?”

A man with a rough beard on his chin gave Adrian a ferocious stare. It was the same man who had been with the knight whose foot Lucy had stepped on earlier.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Colin and Noel, caught off guard, quickly barred him. Adrian also had a bewildered expression on his face as he observed the knight. The knight who had grabbed him by the collar soon squinted his eyes and paid close attention to Adrian’s face.Then he examined Adrian’s hair and clothing. After a while, the knight let go of his collar in surprise.

“Oh, I’m so sorry; I mistook you for someone.”

After apologizing and lowering his head in humiliation, he quickly melted into the crowd.

“Hmm, it’s not a face you’re going to confuse anyone for……,” Rose murmured, tilting her head.

“If it wasn’t him…….”

Immediately after hearing it, Lucy’s mind immediately sparked with an idea. After realizing why she had been feeling strangely uneasy earlier, Lucy started to scan her surroundings.

“What’s wrong?”

Lucy dove into the crowd, ignoring Colin’s puzzled question. To see the people, she continued to walk through the crowded hallway. But she couldn’t find the face she was looking for anywhere. She spent a long time circling the crowd before stopping in one spot.

Yes, there is no way he could be here. I was in delusion because I was missing you so much.

Lucy sighed in disappointment. The anticipation she had before the graduation ceremony vanished all at once.

*

Colin next to him looked nervously at the host’s lips as the graduation ceremony began. Lucy had a general idea of his thoughts.

Perhaps he is fervently hoping that she, rather than Eric, will be the valedictorian.

She felt bad for him, but she didn’t mind if she didn’t become the valedictorian.

I will give it to Eric once more. He must be extremely disappointed to consistently come in second.

With a diploma to present to the valedictorian, the principal at last approached the podium. The hall was so quiet that Lucy could hear Colin gulping. Finally, in the midst of the silence, the host called out a name.

“Lucy Keenan,”

At the same time, all of the students sitting around Lucy were staring at her.

“Lucy, you earned valedictorian honors!”

Lucy’s seatmates Colin and Jemima shook her and grabbed her shoulder.

Lucy stood up, perplexed by the unexpected call. She received a warm round of applause from those in the room. She approached the podium with a puzzled expression, once more taken aback by the sight.

Looking up the stairs, the principal didn’t express his disapproval outright but he didn’t appear eager to welcome her. She stood in front of him, unfolding her diploma with a scowl on his face, as he began to read the contents in a monotonous voice.

“Lucy Keenan, a third-year student from the prestigious Xenomium Academy…….”

Lucy could hear the principal’s voice in her ear. But, no matter how much he despised the situation, she was unconcerned.

I’m sure my grandmother and mother are proud of me.

She shifted her gaze to the auditorium, where her family would be seated. But at that precise moment, she spotted a remarkable face close to the door.

Lucy’s eyes widened.

Uh… what?

She quickly opened her tightly closed eyes. However, the face was still visible.

“…not only for him, but for three years with excellent grades and exemplary behavior…… Huh!”

Suddenly, Lucy grabbed the diploma that the principal was holding, and the principal, who was reading her diploma, raised his head in shock.

“Give it to me!”

“Huh?”

“All right, just give it to me now!”

Lucy yanked the diploma from the confused principal’s grasp.

“Now that I have it, can I go down?”

Prior to the principal’s response, Lucy had left the podium and was off in the distance. People watched the scene with astonishment.

With no hesitation, Lucy sprinted for the door. The face she had seen had vanished somewhere.

No, don’t leave.

She heard the principal calling her in a confused tone from behind her. But Lucy ignored it and bolted out of the hallway, nearly galloping.

She then yelled while scanning the area.

“Felix-sunbae? Felix-sunbae!”

There was no response. There was silence everywhere.

Only the barren trees, which had not yet sprouted, stood and gazed at her, as if mocking her.

“Sunbae!”

With all her might, she called. However, there was still no response.

“Haha…”

Lucy laughed in vain. She soon appeared to collapse and sank to the ground. She started crying and buried her face in her lap.

I missed him so much.

Lucy threw her diploma to the ground. Her diploma means nothing to her. Being the valedictorian doesn’t matter. She simply wishes to see her sunbae.

“Hmm, why did you jump off the podium?”

Then she heard a familiar voice. A warm, large hand wrapped around Lucy’s back at the same time. If that’s the case, I can’t just watch you any longer. Lucy felt her heart racing and looked up. She was filled with tears when she saw him.

“Felix-sunbae?”

Vision?

Did I end up seeing such a vivid vision? I hope I didn’t go crazy because I missed you so much.

Felix, however, who was in front of her, even cracked a slight smile.

Carefully extending her hand, Lucy touched his face. In her hands, she could feel his warmth. He was really in front of her.

Lucy hugged Felix’s neck with a surprised look. He also embraced Lucy tightly in return.

Hard arms. Although longer than when he left, his golden hair is still soft.

“How have you been?”

and even a friendly voice.

Everything was real.

“…what’s going on? Why are you here?”

“I’ve escorted one of the distinguished guests to the capital for today’s event, which I couldn’t tell you about in advance because it was a last-minute decision.”

He slowly placed his forehead against Lucy’s.

“…I never expected to see you so close.”

And when he was about to press his lips against Lucy’s.

“Felix!”

Their ears were pierced by a loud voice.

“Sigh…”

A moment before kissing her, Felix sighed as if he was tired. When Lucy turned her head in the direction of the sound, the middle-aged knight she had previously seen stood tall and appeared to be enraged.

“What are you doing here? I told you to wait in the hall, didn’t I?”

The Knight gave Felix a terrifying look as he continued to advance without pausing. He soon gave a thunderous command.

“Get down!”

Before Lucy could comprehend this sudden situation, Felix knelt down and put his head on the ground.