TFUL Ch 5

The fresh, light green leaves of spring had deepened into a rich, mature green. While bright and warm sunlight still poured over the ground during the day, the air grew noticeably chilly after sundown, filling the campus. It was unmistakably autumn now.

Ever since Lucy Keenan had come to his dormitory to retrieve the book, Felix had crossed paths with her several times in the hallways or around the campus. Each time, he walked past her without so much as a glance.

There was no longer any need to pretend to be Adrian in front of her or to scrutinize her reactions and expressions.

Well, since I’ve already found the answer I was curious about, it’s only natural to lose interest. Felix mused with a nonchalant expression.

Few female students at the academy could resist the charm of the Berg twins, and there were plenty of polite and studious girls who secretly admired Adrian.

It wasn’t particularly surprising to Felix if any girl liked his twin brother.

Time to stop caring.

As Felix walked across the campus, resolving to let the matter drop, he was suddenly brought back to reality by the sound of hushed whispers and stifled giggles nearby.

Groups of female students, gathered in threes and fives, were passing by, whispering conspiratorially or letting out subdued laughter. Their glances frequently darted toward Felix and Adrian.

“What’s going on?” Felix murmured, puzzled.

Jarvis, the male student walking alongside him, answered, “Probably because of ‘Literary Night.’”

“Last year’s ‘battle for the Berg twins’ was quite the spectacle,” Alec chimed in.

“Ah,” Felix nodded, his expression one of understanding.

Literary Night.

An annual autumn event hosted by Zenomium Academy’s book club. A small gathering where participants recited poetry or performed musical pieces.

Since it was held in a small hall attached to the library building, rather than the grand hall, only a limited number of people were invited.

Including the performers, fewer than fifty people could enter, each needing an invitation distributed by the book club.

Competition for these invitations was fierce, especially after Adrian joined the book club. Female students, in particular, became relentless in their pursuit of invitations.

Even Felix, who wasn’t part of the book club, had been approached by several female students who boldly asked him to “get them an invitation” or accompany them to the event.

However, Felix had no interest in Literary Night—or Literary Morning, for that matter—and turned down every girl without hesitation.

When it became clear that Adrian would be the only Berg twin attending, the competition around him intensified.

The victor of last autumn’s competition had been Claire Hamilton.

With her elegant demeanor and serene personality, Claire, the daughter of Marquis Hamilton, was also a member of the student council, just like Adrian.

That night, Felix, left alone in the dormitory, had stood by the window and witnessed Adrian escorting Claire away.

Everyone around them had stared in awe, mesmerized by the sight of the handsome couple.

Even Felix, who had little interest in his brother’s romantic affairs, had to admit they looked like a perfectly matched pair.

“Are you going with Claire Hamilton again this time?” Felix asked Adrian. Adrian shook his head lightly.

“Then who?” Alec asked curiously, surprised by Adrian’s unexpected answer. “Aside from Claire Hamilton, is there even another girl you’d consider going with?”

Adrian only smiled in response to Alec’s question, prompting Felix to casually toss out a suggestion.

“What about Rosé Millard?”

Rosé Millard was a third-year student with striking red hair and bold features. Early on, she had openly expressed her interest in Felix, claiming to admire how someone of his status as a Berg prince wasn’t bound by rigid etiquette and traditions.

However, after Felix made it clear multiple times that he wasn’t interested, she stopped pursuing him.

Afterward, Rosé had shifted her attention to Adrian instead.

“Rosé?” Adrian tilted his head at the unexpected name.

“She seems to like you,” Felix remarked.

Adrian responded with nothing but a leisurely smile. Watching his brother’s easygoing demeanor, Felix spoke again.

“Well then…”

How about Lucy Keenan?

“She seems to like you too.”

But Felix barely managed to swallow the words that had risen to the tip of his tongue.

An unexpected surge of irritation washed over him. He couldn’t understand why he had even considered saying such a thing.

“Is it you who’s interested in her?”

“What?”

Felix stopped abruptly in the middle of the path, startled by Adrian’s sudden question.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, frowning.

Why would I be interested in Lucy Keenan?

“Why are you overreacting?”

Adrian looked at his older brother with a puzzled expression, noting Felix’s sharper-than-expected response.

“Really? So, you secretly liked Rosé all along?”

Ah, Rosé.

Felix let out a long sigh, followed by a dry chuckle.

“No, nothing like that,” he said as he resumed walking, leaving Adrian and their friends’ doubtful gazes behind him.

Lucy Keenan?

Felix suppressed a bitter laugh.

What a ridiculous thought.

𓍢ִ໋☕️✧

After finishing lunch, Felix and Adrian headed to the library. They settled in a small rest area tucked into one corner of the library.

Even during their break, Adrian was busy poring over a piece of paper labeled “Literary Night Performer List,” spread out on the table. As the head of the book club, it was Adrian’s responsibility to review the list of performers and their submissions in advance.

Meanwhile, Felix, who had no connection to the book club, leaned back and relaxed, gazing out the window at the clear blue sky.

It was then that Lucy Keenan appeared, rounding the corner a short distance away. She was pushing a book cart, busily returning books to their original shelves.

Felix deliberately avoided looking in her direction, focusing instead on the cloudless expanse outside.

But the persistent sound of the cart’s wheels grated on his ears. Worse still, the noise grew closer instead of fading away.

Before long, Felix noticed that Lucy wasn’t leaving the area. Instead, she lingered nearby, pretending to tidy the shelves by taking out books and putting them back repeatedly, her actions devoid of purpose.

It didn’t take long for Felix’s gaze to fall on the edge of an invitation sticking out of the pocket of Lucy’s uniform jacket.

Could it be?

Felix narrowed his eyes at the sight of the Literary Night invitation.

Was she planning to ask Adrian to go with her?

Watching her hover hesitantly nearby, it seemed likely.

Adrian, however, was completely oblivious to her actions, absorbed in reading through the poetry submissions from the performers.

Occasionally, Lucy would dart anxious glances at Felix, who was seated across from Adrian, as though he made her uneasy.

Ah.

So, I’m the obstacle here.

Felix chuckled bitterly, irritated at the thought that he had unwittingly become a hindrance to Lucy Keenan’s attempt to ask Adrian to be her partner.

Hah. If you think I’ll move out of your way, forget it.

Felix leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

Just then, the library doors burst open, and a female student strode in with fiery red hair trailing behind her.

It was Rosé Millard, her rose-like beauty and lithe figure commanding attention.

She swept her gaze across the library before spotting Felix and Adrian seated by the window. Without hesitation, she marched straight toward them and came to a halt before the twins.

Looking between the two, she frowned, clearly struggling to tell them apart.

“This is a library. Could you make a quieter entrance?” Felix drawled, leaning lazily against his chair.

Only then did Rosé’s expression shift as she turned decisively toward Adrian.

“Adrian Berg,” she declared, completely ignoring Felix’s comment and raising her voice only slightly.

“So I heard you rejected Claire’s proposal to be your partner?”

Adrian frowned slightly at her brazen words.

“I’d prefer it if you said I politely declined,” he replied.

“Then your spot’s open, isn’t it?”

Rosé disregarded Adrian’s correction entirely, cutting straight to the point.

“Go with me to Literary Night.”

As expected, the proposal rolled off Rosé’s tongue without hesitation.

Felix’s eyes flicked toward Lucy.

Her back was turned, so he couldn’t see her face, but her hands, which had been busy a moment ago, were now gripping the cart’s handle tightly, unmoving.

It was obvious she was listening to Rosé and Adrian’s conversation.

“Thank you for asking, but…”

Adrian looked slightly flustered by Rosé’s bold proposal as he opened his mouth to respond.

“This time, I plan to focus entirely on my role as the host without a partner,” he said, politely implying his refusal.

“It’s the last book club event I’ll be overseeing, after all.”

But Rosé didn’t back down.

“I don’t intend to interfere with your responsibilities,” she said confidently. “You don’t have to go out of your way for me just because I’m your partner. All I need is for you to escort me when we enter and leave—nothing more, right?”

Felix, however, could already predict that her demands wouldn’t end there.

Rosé loved being the center of attention and was known for dazzling everyone with her exceptional dancing skills at every event she attended. There was no way she would settle for something as simple as being escorted.

The conversation continued, a persistent tug-of-war between Rosé’s unrelenting persuasion and Adrian’s increasingly awkward refusals.

As time passed, Felix noticed Lucy Keenan’s shoulders drooping lower and lower. While he couldn’t see her face to read her expression, the back of her head seemed dejected, almost crestfallen.

You idiot.

A wave of inexplicable irritation surged within Felix.

How frustrating.

Not long ago, Felix had found it amusing that Lucy Keenan—a girl he once thought unassuming—had dared to entertain the idea of asking Adrian Berg, a popular senior, to be her partner.

But now, seeing her slouching, on the verge of losing her chance to someone else, sparked a strange anger in him.

Why was that?

Felix couldn’t understand why he felt so stifled and annoyed over Lucy Keenan, who was nothing more than a stranger to him.

Then Adrian’s earlier words echoed in his mind like a nagging refrain.

“Isn’t it you who’s interested in her?”

Felix shook his head vigorously.

Me, interested in Lucy Keenan? That’s ridiculous.

“Why don’t you go with me instead, Rosé?”

The impulsive words spilled out of Felix’s mouth before he even realized it.