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Chapter 16
“Really, how rude.”
“My point exactly. Whether she agrees or not is up to Lucia. Acting like that just because she refused—it’s laughable.”
Christine and Bianca clicked their tongues at the rude behavior of the girls earlier.
“Haha, well, it can’t be helped. It happens all the time.”
“Lucia, this isn’t something to laugh about. You always smile and let it slide, that’s why those girls think you’re an easy target.”
“She’s right, Lucia. At times like this, it’s better to speak your mind than stay silent.”
“Hahaha……”
No matter how much they nagged, Lucia only chuckled awkwardly, making the two sigh.
“Herwin must be having a hard time too. If people bother you this much, imagine how bad it must be for him.”
“Isn’t it actually the opposite? Honestly, Herwin isn’t someone easy to approach. That’s why so many people ask Lucia to introduce them.”
“You think so? Well, I guess you’re right. I also found Herwin intimidating at first. He was fascinating as a famous figure, but more than that, he was… difficult.”
Bianca let out her trademark cheerful laugh.
“But Lucia, I want to ask you something.”
“Mm? What is it?”
“Have you ever once liked Herwin?”
Lucia’s heart skipped. She worried that her reaction might have given her away, but she quickly shook her head.
“No. Why are you suddenly asking me that?”
“No reason. It’s just… Herwin is so outstanding. I thought maybe you liked him at least once.”
“Bianca, if Lucia liked Herwin, do you think she’d be acting like this now?”
Christine scolded Bianca lightly.
“Even today, three different girls already asked Lucia to pass on messages to him. No one in love would just sit by while other girls approached the one they like.”
“And that’s why she keeps refusing, isn’t it?”
“Refusing is only natural. But Lucia has never once snapped or shown irritation at anyone’s request.”
It was true. In situations like the one earlier, Lucia had never gotten annoyed or angry.
Usually, when she declined politely, most people backed off without complaint. But there were always a few who grumbled, like those girls just now.
Even then, Lucia’s attitude never wavered.
“Hm… Then if you don’t like Herwin, why not accept at least one of their requests? Just once wouldn’t hurt.”
“Because Herwin doesn’t like it. And honestly, if they’re truly serious about getting close to him, they should have the courage to approach him themselves.”
When Lucia explained calmly, Bianca nodded.
“…That’s true.”
It was an excuse, but not a lie. That was, in fact, the reason she had always refused.
If someone is trying to approach the person you like, and they expect you to play matchmaker, anyone would hate that.
Lucia never showed it outwardly, but every time someone asked, it bothered her.
She tried to keep her emotions in check and face them objectively.
Sometimes, jealousy would stir when she saw girls approaching him—she even wanted to block them.
But she held back, because that was exactly the kind of behavior Herwin despised.
So when girls asked her and she refused, yet still went to him directly, she stayed quiet.
She knew Herwin wasn’t someone who easily accepted such approaches. And even if he did, then it meant he was genuinely interested in them—something she had no right to interfere with.
After all, she could barely control her own heart, let alone anyone else’s.
‘Of course, if that happened… it would hurt.’
Luckily, it hadn’t happened yet. But if it ever did…
She didn’t want to think about it further.
Bang!
A loud boom made the three girls snap their heads up.
At the practice arena ahead, a cloud of dust was rising.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m pretty sure Herwin was over there.”
“Ah! I can see now!”
Bianca pointed to the swirling dust, where two silhouettes emerged.
One was tall, nearly 180 cm, the other smaller and slender, about mid-160s.
“Woooaaah!”
The students surrounding the arena roared in excitement.
Whoosh—
With a slicing sound, the dust suddenly split in two.
Clang!
Two swords clashed, scattering the remaining dust outward and revealing the fighters.
“Wow, Lady Lydia is amazing.”
“She’s actually holding her own against Herwin. That’s incredible.”
Within the first-year swordsmanship class, the top two students were none other than Herwin and Lady Lydia Arista.
Both were astonishingly close to reaching the rank of Sword Expert.
“Kh!”
That moment, the match was decided.
Herwin struck first at her weakness—victory was his.
As the intense duel ended, the watching students applauded.
The two caught their breath, bowed to each other, and exchanged words.
It seemed like they were giving feedback, but judging from their smiles, they were enjoying themselves.
“They look like such a perfect pair. Don’t they suit each other so well?”
“They’re both so amazing, I can’t even be jealous. It’s like destiny.”
“Actually, don’t you think Lord Peneus and Lady Lydia are a better match? Compared to Lady Agnes, the difference is huge.”
Other students nearby, also watching the match, began making comments that subtly belittled Lucia, pairing Herwin and Arista together.
She wasn’t far enough to avoid hearing them; though the crowd was noisy, she caught their words alone.
Of course, it hurt. But strangely, she didn’t feel uneasy about people linking Herwin with Arista.
‘If anything, it’s only natural to feel jealous.’
She could feel envy toward the scheming girls who approached him with ulterior motives, but not toward Arista.
“Haah, that duel made me thirsty.”
“So hot! I need something cold to drink.”
The group finished class and started walking toward where Lucia and her friends stood.
Brian and Ethan approached first.
“Did we keep you waiting long?”
Brian wiped his sweat with a towel and smiled gently.
He was nearly as handsome as Herwin, which earned small squeals from nearby girls.
“Not really, we didn’t wait long.”
“You did well out there.”
Bianca and Christine greeted them warmly.
“Ah, what a shame to keep such lovely ladies waiting in this heat.”
“Ugh, go use those cheesy lines on someone else.”
“……”
At Brian’s flirty remark, Bianca shivered, brushing her arms, while Christine shot him a rare look of disdain.
He was, after all, the type who liked women, acting on instinct to charm them. Even when he’d caught Lucia on the first day to stop her from falling, his overly suave behavior had been of the same nature.
Still, apart from those early days, he hadn’t behaved that way toward their group again. Maybe he realized his flirting didn’t work, or maybe he simply decided friendship was enough.
Though at times, his habits slipped out unconsciously.
This time, it was only a harmless joke—he laughed and shrugged it off.
“You both worked hard today.”
Lucia finally stepped forward to greet them. Brian, still wiping sweat, glanced down at her. She held a water bottle.
“Mind if I drink that?”
“This? But I already drank from it.”
“Of course it’s fine. I’m dying of thirst.”
“Well, you must be thirsty. Here.”
Lucia handed it over without hesitation.
“Don’t drink it all, save some for me!”
Ethan, panting from the heat, clung to Brian.
“Yeah, yeah, just wait a second.”
Brian opened the bottle, about to drink—
“Ah!”
Someone suddenly snatched it away.
It was Herwin, who had appeared out of nowhere.
Without hesitation, he gulped the water down in big swigs.
Brian and Ethan stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Ahh, that hits the spot.”
“What the hell was that?”
“You drank it all?!”
Ignoring their glares, Herwin handed the now-empty bottle back to Lucia with a toss.
“Finders keepers.”
“What a total jerk.”
“You bastard! How could you drink all of it when there was only one bottle?”
Herwin brushed off their raw complaints as if they were nothing.
“Herwin, that was wrong of you. Here, you can drink this instead.”
Arista appeared, holding her own bottle. Ethan lit up.
“See? This is why Arista’s the best! Unlike that petty guy.”
“Thanks, Arista.”
While Ethan gulped the water gratefully, Brian flashed Arista a charming smile.
She chuckled, tapping him lightly as if to say “don’t.” Then, fixing her gaze on Herwin, her eyes gleamed with competitiveness.
“I may have lost today, but next time I’ll definitely win.”
“Try as hard as you want. You still won’t beat me.”
Herwin smirked, provoking her. For someone normally so blunt, the fact he joked like this showed how close they were.
Arista Lydia.
Though in the same class, Lucia had barely spoken with her. The boys grew close through swordsmanship practice, but the three girls did not. For Lucia, Arista was just a classmate she greeted in passing.
But watching her now, Lucia could understand why she was popular with both boys and girls.
She was beautiful, intelligent, athletic, and easygoing—perfect in every way.
As Lucia watched absentmindedly, their eyes met.
Lucia flinched. Those soft violet eyes, like lilacs, had a way of drawing her in.
Usually, when eyes met, people looked away or smiled awkwardly. But Arista always held her gaze, unwavering.
This time was no different. Unable to bear it, Lucia finally asked:
“Um… Do I have something on my face?”
“Hm?”
“Well, you keep staring, so I thought maybe…”
Lucia laughed awkwardly, but Arista just looked at her silently, making the air feel even more uncomfortable.
“…Actually, I’ve felt this since the first day of school.”
Arista finally spoke, leaning closer.
“You really resemble someone I know.”
“Someone you know? Who…?”
“Well, I don’t actually know their name. I only met them once. But somehow… you look a lot like them. Especially your eyes.”
Arista’s hand moved toward Lucia’s face.
As the beauty leaned closer, Lucia shrank back instinctively. Those violet eyes felt as though they pierced right through her.
“Every time I see them, I think… your eyes are beautiful. Like a clear lake.”
“T-thank you……”
Her words—and that radiant smile—made Lucia blush deeply.
“Arista! Let’s go already!”
A voice called from afar.
“Ah, I should get going. Let’s talk again later.”
With a wave, Arista left to rejoin her group.
