101-22

Chapter 22

“What on earth is going on with you? Tell me already.”

“It’s just… really, it’s nothing…”

Lucia hesitated, but eventually confessed her unstable state of mind.

Over the past two weeks, the uneasiness that began as a faint sense of wrongness had steadily grown, until it twisted into jealousy. It was a feeling wholly different from anything she had ever experienced before.

Whenever Arista and Herwin talked, even if their conversation was trivial, Lucia couldn’t help but suspect there was some hidden meaning behind it. Seeing them together became unbearable, and in the end, even just Arista’s presence tormented her.

This was her first time experiencing such emotions, and in her current fragile state, she found it impossible to endure.

“Arista is Herwin’s savior… I know I shouldn’t feel this way. But… I don’t want to see her.”

As Lucia silently suffered, Bianca wrapped her arms tightly around her shoulders.

Her expression hardened, as though she understood exactly how Lucia felt.

“It’s okay. It’s natural. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”

“Do you really think this is natural? Maybe I’m just awful…”

“Oh, come on. Awful? You? Look at yourself—you’re torturing yourself just because you dislike one person. You’re too kind by nature. People can dislike others, they can even hate them. That’s just life.”

“But Arista hasn’t done anything wrong to me. In fact, she’s always been kind and looked out for me…”

Because Lucia knew how good of a person Arista was, and how well she had treated her, hating her now felt unbearably painful.

“Still, there must be a reason you dislike Lady Lydia. For example…”

That Herwin might be interested in her.

Lucia’s face hardened at Bianca’s words. She had guessed correctly.

The sole reason she hated and resented Arista was because Herwin seemed to care about her.

“But you said before that you’d be fine no matter who Herwin liked…”

Bianca sighed, recalling a conversation they’d had a few weeks earlier.

Lucia realized only now how naïve she had been.

Reality was different. Watching the one you loved fall for someone else wasn’t something you could simply smile through.

“Bianca… what should I do now?”

Even though her head told her Arista had done nothing wrong, her heart still rejected her. Acting like everything was normal was impossible.

“What do you mean, ‘what should you do’? Just follow your heart.”

“Follow my heart… You mean, stay away from Arista?”

“If that’s the only way you’ll feel at ease. But remember, this isn’t just between you and Lady Lydia—Herwin is involved too. Just avoiding her won’t solve everything.”

“You’re right…”

As Lucia’s shoulders slumped again, Bianca quickly added,

“Just do what feels right to you. If you want to avoid her, avoid her. If you want to stay close, then do that. But remember one thing.”

Their eyes met—Bianca’s deep brown gaze was serious.

“You worry about other people too much. It’s good to care for others, but take care of your own heart first. Otherwise, one day you’ll run out of strength to look after yourself at all.”

Lucia’s tendency to put others first was both her greatest strength and her biggest weakness.

Quietly, she repeated Bianca’s words in her mind.

After speaking with Bianca, Lucia decided to distance herself from Arista.

Bianca had urged her to be bold, even to get angry if she needed to, but that didn’t sit right with her. In the end, the best she could do was put distance between them.

But she couldn’t avoid Arista forever.

She found excuses to avoid being alone with her, but when she was with their group of friends, or with Herwin and Arista together, there was no way to leave.

Still, Arista, who had always approached her warmly, must have noticed something. In recent days, she too began acting awkward around Lucia.

Lucia could tell Arista wanted to make amends, to restore their friendship—but she forced herself to ignore it.

Even though her dislike for Arista was strong, pushing her away hurt just as much. After all, the only reason was that Herwin might like her.

Lucia felt wretched and cowardly, but she couldn’t bring herself to let Arista close.

Before long, her strange behavior became obvious to their friends.

No matter how hard she tried to hide it, she was a terrible liar—her emotions showed clearly on her face.

That day, as they were chatting, Arista walked up to them.

Lucia grew visibly anxious the moment she saw her, and quickly stood with Bianca.

“Um, sorry guys, I need to use the restroom for a bit.”

“…Alright, go ahead.”

Before Arista even reached them, Lucia hurried off with Bianca, almost like she was being chased.

Herwin, Christine, and the others watched her leave.

After a brief silence, Brian turned to Arista.

“Did you do something to upset Lucia?”

Arista’s face stiffened as she shook her head.

“I wish I knew. I don’t understand why she’s acting this way toward me.”

“You sure you didn’t hurt her somehow? Lucia isn’t the type to hate people easily.”

“I hardly ever talked with her in the first place! Just small greetings and silly things… nothing serious.”

“Still, she has been acting strange lately.”

“Bianca seems to know something, but… Christine, did you hear anything?”

Christine shook her head.

No one here knew what was going on with Lucia.

It would be easier if they at least knew her reasons, but the uncertainty was only frustrating.

Arista, who was most troubled by this, sighed heavily and turned to Herwin.

“Herwin, don’t you know anything?”

“I don’t.”

“You’re supposed to be her childhood friend! How can you not know? Go find out right now!”

Arista snapped at him in frustration.

“I really don’t want to grow distant from Lucia. We just got close! I wish she’d at least tell me what I did wrong.”

She looked on the verge of tears.

From the very first day of school, Arista had wanted to be Lucia’s friend. But apart from being in the same class, they hadn’t had many chances to connect.

Only recently, through Herwin, Ethan, and Brian, had she gotten closer. And saving Herwin had made her believe they’d truly become friends. So where had things gone wrong?

“Herwin, please do something. I really don’t want to lose her.”

She clasped her hands, pleading with him. Herwin avoided her slightly, but when he saw her tight-lipped expression, he chuckled softly.

“Alright. I’ll ask her.”

“Yes! You have to, promise me. And if I really did something wrong, tell me so I can fix it.”

“I got it. Now stop shoving your face so close.”

Herwin pulled back, noticing her face had crept nearer. Arista pouted but stepped back.

Clunk—

The door opened.

Lucia and Bianca had returned.

Bianca whispered something to Lucia, who looked more and more distressed by the second.

“Lucia! You’re back from the restroom?”

Trying to mend their relationship, Arista greeted her brightly.

But Lucia’s face twisted, and she left the classroom again.

Her expression was on the verge of tears, leaving everyone stunned.

“Did I… do something wrong again?”

Arista glanced around, but everyone just shook their heads.

“Herwin, what do you think?”

“…I’ll go talk to her.”

Herwin stood up, his face serious, and hurried after Lucia. Arista awkwardly followed him to the door.

As Herwin brushed past, Bianca shot him a quick look, then turned to glare sharply at Arista.

“Fox.”

The word was quiet, but clear enough for Arista to hear.

Arista frowned, wondering if she’d misheard. But when she turned, Bianca was smirking coldly at her—before instantly switching back to a warm smile as she rejoined the others.

The change was so quick no one but Arista noticed.

“…What the hell?”

Arista scowled, her mood souring.

Ever since she’d grown closer to Lucia’s group, Bianca had subtly antagonized her, doing little things to provoke her when no one else was watching.

Arista had thought of snapping back at her, but Bianca was one of Lucia’s closest friends. Starting a fight with her would only drive Lucia further away.

So she swallowed her irritation and went back inside.

Lucia, meanwhile, hurried away from the classroom, barely holding back her tears.

Just now, Herwin and Arista had looked like lovers. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, they suited each other perfectly.

Her heart sank just from seeing it—but when they leaned in close, almost like they might kiss, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“They’re doing it on purpose, for you to see. Look—they’re laughing at you.”

Bianca’s words echoed in her head. She wished they were lies, but the way Arista had smiled at her looked far too much like mockery.

Herwin… do you really like Arista?

She burned to ask, but the words stuck in her throat.

If he truly did like her, if her fears were correct…

What am I supposed to do…?

“Lucia.”

A strong hand caught her from behind, forcing her to stop.

Standing before her was the last person she wanted to face right now.

“…Are you crying?”

Herwin’s voice was full of alarm. He had followed her because of her strange behavior these past days—but now she was on the verge of tears.

Her blue eyes shimmered with water, ready to spill at the slightest touch.

Herwin’s face darkened.

“Who is it?”

“Huh?”

“Who made you cry?!”

He was angry—genuinely angry. It had been a long time since he’d shown such fury.

Her tears dried instantly at his outburst. Even so, his chest heaved with unspent rage.

“Tell me right now. Who the hell made you cry?”

“…Does it bother you that I’m crying?”

“Of course it does! What kind of person wouldn’t care when their only childhood friend is crying?”

His concern, fierce enough to make him angry, sent a thrill through her heart. And yet… it also hurt, because it reminded her he still only saw her as a childhood friend.

Lucia’s face twisted again. Herwin, frustrated, raked his fingers through his hair.

Lucia wasn’t the type to cry easily, no matter how kind or gentle she was.

Not knowing the reason behind her tears was driving him mad.

Forcing himself to calm down, Herwin grabbed her shoulders and met her eyes.

“It’s okay. Just tell me. What happened?”

Lucia’s lips parted, but she didn’t know if she could truly confess the emotions tearing her apart.

“Lucia.”

Herwin called her name again.

Finally, she met his gaze. His red eyes were steady, earnest—so much that it tugged at her heart, making the tears threaten to fall all over again.