Chapter 18: 18

‘If it’s Bianca, it’ll be okay, right?’’

Lucia had only known her for a little over a month, but she was not the kind of person to pass on other people’s secrets.

Lucia finally decided to trust Bianca and spoke up.

“……I’m sorry I lied to you, but I like Herwin.”

Ugh.

She heard a sharp intake of breath.

She would have thought they were just childhood friends, but one of them had a crush on the other.

“You freaked out, didn’t you?”

“Huh? Uh-huh. A little surprised… No, honestly, a lot surprised, because you’ve never shown any signs of it.”

“I’ve been trying so hard not to show it.”

Bianca was speechless for a moment. No, she seemed to have a lot to say, but she didn’t know what to say.

Lucia made an annoyed noise as she continued to open her mouth.

“I’m sure you have a lot of things you want to ask me.”

“Is that okay? If it makes you uncomfortable, you can email me at …….”

“I think I’ll be fine, I can’t help it since I’ve been found out, and you’re not going to tell my story anywhere else, right?”

“Ugh, why would I tell anyone else about this!”

Bianca threw up her hands and swore that she would never tell anyone else.

When Lucia gestured for her to ask anything, Bianca finally spoke up.

“Why did you hide your crush on Herwin all this time? Just today, girls were asking you to introduce them to him, and they wouldn’t have asked if they knew you liked him.”

“Well… it’s none of their business. You know, there are a lot of people talking about me and Herwin. They talk a lot as it is, and I can’t imagine what would happen if they found out I had a crush on Herwin.”

“Oh… sure.”

“I just like him, that’s all, but I don’t like people judging me and putting me down for that reason alone, so I’ve been hiding things. I made a promise to Herwin.”

“A promise?”

Lucia thought for a moment. She wasn’t sure how far to go.

“Bianca, can you make me a promise?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Promise me that you’ll never tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”

“I’ll never tell anyone…….”

Bianca replied with a lighthearted laugh but stopped when she saw Lucia’s serious expression.

“Yeah, I’ll never tell anyone. I promise.”

Bianca’s green eyes took on a serious glow. The look of trust in her eyes eased Lucia’s worries.

Then she told her story.

She told her that she had a crush on Herwin from the age of eight to sixteen and that she’d been dumped nearly sixty times.

How they’d promised each other that they’d be best friends, not crushes.

In between, though, she didn’t mention anything personal about Herwin’s trauma.

After nearly an hour of silence, Bianca nodded with a serious expression.

“So that is what happened, haha, it’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. A lot of weird.”

Bianca said bluntly.

“How can it be, you’ve had a crush on Herwin for eight years, but you usually hide your feelings and stay friends.”

“That’s right… We’ve been together for so long that we can act differently when we’re friends and when we confess.”

“Even so, it would be weird if one of you had a crush on the other, but you’ve been together for so long?”

“That’s because he cares. Even if we stayed friends, it would only end if he avoided me, so I’m grateful that even if I confessed to him, he immediately went back to normal.”

“……but aren’t you upset that you’ve been dumped 60 times? It’s kind of annoying when you get dumped that much… Oh, I’m sorry. Anyway, I’d be sad if he didn’t accept it once.”

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t, but it’s okay, it’s better than being forced to accept.”

“What? Don’t you think it’s better to start dating someone even if you don’t like them right away, because then you might end up liking them?”

“……On the other hand, he might never like me. He has to be on the same page as me. And Herwin doesn’t just take my confessions for granted. He’s serious every time.”

“How do you know he’s taking it seriously?”

“That’s a hunch. I think he gets annoyed sometimes because I confide in him so often, but he doesn’t ignore me.”

“So you trust each other quite a bit?”

Bianca exclaimed, snapping Lucia out of her deep thoughts.

“Was that too serious? I’m sorry, it’s the first time I’ve told anyone about this.”

“It’s okay. It’s refreshing. I’ve always felt like you’ve always kept secrets, even though you seem to wear everything on your sleeve.”

“Did I…?”

“Yes. That’s why kids can get to you so easily, but they can’t treat you badly. You have an aura of untouchability if you will.”

“Oh, no. Don’t give me too much credit.”

“No, it’s not. Seriously, I’m attracted to you because of it.”

“……really?”

Lucia shuddered. An aura. She couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

“But what if he has a crush or a girlfriend?”

“……Uh, I don’t know. I mean, I’ve never seen him date anyone, and I’ve never seen him like anyone.”

“But maybe someday he’ll like someone?”

Bianca asked seriously.

She’s laughing now, but she’s right, there will be a day.

‘What will I do then?’

She doesn’t know. It’s something that’s never happened to her before, so she doesn’t know what to expect, and if he ends up liking someone else….…

“Shouldn’t I just leave him alone?”

“What, you’d have to sabotage it, that’s what you mean.”

Lucia shook her head.

“No, that’s not what I mean. Herwin would hate that. I think I’ll just stick around and keep confessing to him as usual.”

“……You’re so great, too.”

Lucia smirked, and Bianca let out an unintelligible sigh.

“I know, it’s your business, and it’s funny that I’m telling you what to do.”

Bianca shifted on her hips, leaning against the window sill.

“Well, if you ever want to talk to me about anything related to Herwin, I’m here for you. I’m sure you need to get it off your chest somewhere every once in a while.”

“Ah…….”

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“I’ll never tell anyone, so don’t worry too much.”

Lucia couldn’t help but smile at Bianca’s concern for her.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

“Okay, we should get going. Lights out in a few minutes.”

After parting ways with Bianca, Lucia entered her room and went straight to bed.

Somehow, she felt relieved.

She hadn’t expected it to be so relaxing, just to confide in someone else about her feelings.

Lucia fell asleep quietly, thinking she was lucky to be caught by Bianca this time.

* * *

From the day she told Bianca everything, Lucia shared a lot with her, confided in her, and they became closer than ever.

Bianca has been very supportive of Lucia’s love life, sometimes even fending off women who try to approach Herwin.

Sometimes Bianca could be a little too self-conscious and overbearing, but other than that, she was a dear friend who knew her secrets.

“Princess Lydia’s been suspicious lately.”

“Huh? For what?”

Christine stepped away for a moment, leaving Bianca and her alone, and Bianca glared at Arista in the distance with an inquisitive look.

Lucia was taken aback by her outburst.

“What the hell, you can’t even see that?”

Bianca thumped her chest in frustration and pointed at Arista, who was flanked by Herwin, Ethan, Brian, and the other boys.

It was the usual scene at swordsmanship class.

“They’re talking?”

“They’re not just talking, but if you look closely, they’re touching him.”

She looked again, and Arista was laughing out loud, punching Herwin and the other boys.

“I’ve been feeling it since last time, Princess Lydia must have a crush on Herwin.”

“Aww, that’s ridiculous.”

“Oh, look at her, don’t you realize that she has a crush on Herwin, and isn’t she touching him because she’s interested in him?”

Bianca lowered her voice for a moment. As she continued to speak with such conviction, Lucia began to get a little confused.

So she watched them closely again, but she couldn’t see the point of what Bianca was saying.

If someone was in love with Herwin, she couldn’t help but notice.

Even if she looks around, she can see the black hearts of the girls watching Herwin, and there is no way that Arista won’t notice it.

Arista was talking and laughing, not only with Herwin but with the other boys as well.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s not, they’re just friends. If you look, she’s not just messing with Herwin, she’s messing with Ethan and Brian.”

“Ha, that’s so frustrating. Well, I can’t help it if that’s what you think, but aren’t you nervous? Princess Lydia is popular with everyone, young and old, and what if Herwin has a crush on her?”

“Um… well.”

Lucia replied shakily. Bianca gave her an incredulous look.

“That’s the answer you’re going to come up with here?”

“I don’t think I should be so upset, I just can’t imagine Herwin liking anyone…….”

“……You do like Herwin, don’t you?”

“Regardless of what I like, Herwin isn’t the kind of person who would suddenly like someone, I can’t imagine.”

She doesn’t know whether to call this bold or naive. Bianca was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Okay, okay, okay, let’s not talk about it.”

“……Hush, are you mad?”

“I’m not angry! Why would I be angry!”

“Oh, you look angry.”

Bianca’s lips pouted as Lucia nudged her arm in her trademark patronizing way.

She glared at Lucia for a moment, then pinched her delicate shoulder.

“You think I’m going to let you get away with being cute?”

“Ouch! It hurts!”

Lucia’s face was bright despite the pain.

As the two were teasing each other, Christine returned and the swordsmanship lesson was over.

“Haha, the practical evaluation is next week.”

“I heard they’re changing the venue, but where will it be?”

“I heard from the seniors that we’re going to the wilderness, and the mission is to get to the target and back.”

After class, Herwin and his friends returned to the group and were talking about the lab assessment.

“Lab assessment? What’s going on?”

“Yeah, suddenly we have an emergency assessment next week?”

“I guess they’re going to give us a midterm grade. It’s already May, so it’s time for a midterm.”

Brian and Ethan explained.

Swordsmanship is a very hands-on subject, so they sometimes take off half a day or a whole day to teach elsewhere.

They wondered if that would be the case this time.

“Do you think there will be a change in grades this time?”

Ethan asked.

“Jeremy’s been doing a lot better lately. Don’t you think he’s going to bump up his grade?”

“Hmm, I’m just hoping for a middle-of-the-pack.”

Brian didn’t seem too interested in this assessment.

“You don’t seem to have much use for the sword, so why are you taking this class?”

“I didn’t want to, but what can I say, my dad, made me do it.”

Brian sighed heavily, and Herwin approached.

“Lucia, where are my clothes?”

“Oh, I got a little cold and I was wearing them. I’ll give them to you right now.”

Just before class, Herwin had left his uniform with Lucia.

Despite it being early May, it was still quite chilly, and Lucia briefly wrapped Herwin’s blazer around her shoulders.

When Lucia hurried to give it back, Herwin held out his hand.

“That’s okay, you keep it on. Can I get some water?”

“Sure. I already left some.”

Lucia handed him the water bottle, and Herwin gulped it down.

Their friends stared at the two of them as if they were watching a married couple of ten years.

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