It was only after he was criticized by the principal that Eric finally calmed down.
Not only did he stop talking about not being able to go to the royal luncheon, but he also didn’t tell Lucy any nonsense about locking him up.
However, she felt a reluctant gaze in the classroom and library from somewhere, when she turned her head, Eric was looking at her with suspicious eyes. It made her feel uncomfortable.
If you have something to say, come and say it!
Lucy clenched her molar and shouted to herself.
At the time Eric claimed to be trapped in the old building, Lucy was taking a class, it was the same with Colin. There was no solid evidence that she had been near the old building during that time.
If you say that to me again, I won’t stay still!
Lucy stood upright as if she were confident of dealing with Eric’s nonsense at any time.
She already accepted the fact that she got a lower rank than Eric in the midterm, but other things left Lucy feeling uncomfortable.
The stolen necklace, Eric’s vague punishment for it, and his oath at the entrance ceremony going way back.
You’re not the only one who feels wronged, Eric Roman.
Lucy thought, staring at the blackboard with a disapproving stare.
* * *
“Why does he look at you so bad these days?”
Soon, Jemima and Rita noticed Eric’s gloomy eyes. They immediately approached Lucy after class and whispered;
“I thought there was a hole in the back of your head.”
“Ha.”
Lucy, who is sick of his gaze, sighed.
It’s already been two days since he didn’t directly argue with her, but just glanced like that. She thought he’d quit soon, but Eric’s determined behavior was more persistent than she thought.
Moreover, not many people knew that Eric had been punished for stealing.
Lucy and the Berg twins were not the type to come forward and make rumors, and Noel was also silent because it was his own brother’s work.
Therefore, it was natural for Jemima and Rita, who did not know this situation, to not understand Eric’s behavior.
“What did you do to him?”
Despite Jemima’s subsequent question, Lucy just shook her head. Now she has no energy left to tell the long story.
“Let’s just go.”
Avoiding Eric’s eyes following her, Lucy told her friends.
“Oh? Is that Adrian-sunbae?”
While leaving the main building, Rita said, pointing to a boy who was moving towards the main gate. There was a man in his outwear, Prince Berg, walking towards the carriage waiting at the front gate.
“Is he going home?”
This year, Adrian often returned to his duke’s residence on weekdays at the call of Duke Berg. Each time he didn’t go to school for one to four days at most.
“But he always tells us when he is going away. He must be in a hurry this time.”
“Ah!”
Suddenly, Jemima jumped from her seat.
“Then Alan-sunbae will come today? If so, I won’t go to the library.”
Lucy and Rita frowned at her remarks.
Alan Gross, a senior in the book club, was a person who was not liked by anyone because he annoys his juniors every time he comes to the library.
After he became a third year, he didn’t come to the library much saying studying is more important. Although the number of workers was reduced by one man, no one complained that he was not doing any side work.
Of course, no one wants him to direct the library work instead of Adrian.
“I should ask.”
Jemima hurried down the stairs and ran to Adrian. Adrian, who looked back at the sound of Jemima’s call, talked to her for a moment.
The next moment, Jemima turned quickly and began to run again. Somehow her face looked perplexed.
Jemima, who ran up the stairs at once, breathed heavily on her knees. Then Straighten up again and said.
“Oh My goodness! It wasn’t Adrian-sunbae, it was Felix-sunbae.”
Felix, who looked blankly at Jemima, who was moving away from him as if she were running away, was still standing there. His eyes were now on the stairs. To be exact, to Lucy.
He soon began to walk back the way he came. As he climbed up the stairs and approached Lucy, Jemima and Rita moved back, exchanging glances.
Jemima poked Rita as Felix approached Lucy.
“We’ll go first, Lucy.”
They rushed down the stairs in a hurry for Lucy to catch them and disappeared to go to the library in an instant.
“Lucy.”
Felix called her.
Neatly combed blonde hair, neatly dressed with no mess.
Seeing him up close, he had a more noble and gentle feeling than usual.
Lucy was surprised. The west coast was quite far from the academy.
“Why would you go there?”
“There’s something my father made me do. It’ll take about four days.”
Somehow he hesitated for a moment and asked.
“Have you ever been to the sea?”
“No, not yet.”
“I’ve only been there once when I was a kid. It was such a beautiful place…….”
But for someone who was going to a beautiful place, he didn’t seem to be looking forward to it or excited. Rather, it seemed obvious that he didn’t want to go.
“What’s wrong with your face?”
He laughed bitterly at Lucy’s question.
“I didn’t know I’d go back for this kind of thing.”
This kind of thing?
Lucy looked curious, but Felix didn’t explain it.
At that time, a horse standing at the front gate in the distance made a purr. Felix glanced toward the carriage and soon looked at Lucy with a regretful face.
“I’ve got to go. Then I’ll… I’ll be back.”
He spoke solemnly as if he were the head of a family who would leave his family for a long time. Lucy nodded unconsciously at the sight.
“Yes, go ahead….?”
Felix smiled cheerfully at her unexpected reply. Soon he turned and began to go down the stairs. Flapping the hem of his coat, he edged away toward the front door.
After seeing off something fondly, Lucy hurriedly came to her senses. It was a good thing that there were no students passing by. She hurried back to the library.
The day seemed to end smoothly. Until someone pulls Lucy out of the library behind the wall.
Tak!
As soon as she identified who was dragging her, Lucy slapped his hand roughly.
“Eric!”
She rubbed her wrist and glared at Eric who was standing at the opposite side. Eric said mumblingly, giving her a look of displeasure.
“Ha, I knew it. It’s you, isn’t it?”
Now Lucy was no longer embarrassed. Whatever he said, she was going to take it back with confidence. Eric took a step back with a slightly intimidated look but he continued with a face full of dissatisfaction.
“You locked me up, didn’t you? Don’t make excuses.”
“Are you still talking about that?”
“It’s not Colin. It’s Felix sunbae. I saw it all. You and that senior talking..… like that.”
“Can you say that in front of Felix-sunbae?”
Eric shut up hurriedly at Lucy’s words. His eyes trembled nervously. But the next moment, he changed his attitude and pushed Lucy.
“I, I certainly apologized to you! I returned the necklace first! But why are you doing this to me?”
“Did you really apologize to me?”
Lucy clearly remembered the day Eric returned the necklace to her. That day, he hid behind Noel with a pale face and hesitated for a long time. Eventually, Adrian and Noel persuaded him to confess all his faults and apologize.
At that time, Lucy felt sorry for him when she saw him shaking. In addition, she sighed even more when she heard that the reason for the theft was none other than pressure on the test.
She knew better than anyone how hard the pressure was.
But the person standing in front of her now was completely different from that person, he was now a shameful and disgraceful person.
“Did you mean it? Or did you force yourself to apologize because of Noel and Adrian-sunbae?”
Eric faltered when his brother’s name came out.
“Noel tried so hard for you. Why are you so twisted?”
“Don’t compare me to Noel!”
Suddenly Eric burst into a roar.
“Noel, noel, noel! Everyone, Noel! I’m so sick of it! He can be so naive because he has nothing to carry on his shoulders!”
His face was red.
“Oh, he doesn’t know how much pressure it is to lead a family. Of course you don’t know! No one knows how I feel.”
He vented his anger with a face of injustice.
“J, just be honest with me……. I honestly told you that I stole the necklace, too. You did it, didn’t you? It’s true that you had someone else lock me up. I won’t tell the principal. I just want to know the truth…….”
Suddenly Eric stopped talking. Because there was a sign of someone behind the wall.
Soon someone showed up around the corner.
It was Adrian. He was staring at Eric with a cold face she had never seen before.