"It's really strange. I thought it was just a common weed all over the place."
"Sometimes even weeds are medicine."
Lucy ended her description of the flower with those words. Then he smiled embarrassedly, perhaps embarrassed by himself for talking too much.
"Oh, come to think of it, there is a grass I know."
Felix found a grass with broad leaves around it and picked it up without hesitation.
"This is the grass called Mogana. Chew it like this."
He put the leaf in his mouth and chewed it a few times. After that, the spitted leaves were placed on the forearm.
"If you put it on an itchy area like this, you will feel inflamed and less itchy."
He said, 'Is that right?' He looked at Lucy with a smirk.
"I have allergies, so I can only remember the efficacy of this herb… … . I don't know about anything else."
"that's right. You remember it well. Besides, mogana grass is easy to see around, so it's good to tear it up and use it anytime."
Lucy smiled and praised Felix.
Seeing Lucy smiling at him, Felix felt his heart pound once more.
How can you be so happy with just one smile?
Felix himself felt like an idiot.
Yes, this is fine for now.
If only I could be with you like this... … .
"Felix!"
The peace of the vacant lot was disrupted by the sound of someone calling out to him.
The sound of running footsteps followed. Felix looked back. It was my friend Alec.
He crossed the garden at once and arrived in front of Felix, gasping for breath.
"Felix, you have to go back to the academy now!"
"what's the matter?"
"The Duke of Berg is here. now… … He's waiting for you in the principal's office."
"Father?"
A dark shade fell on Felix's face. It was unexpected for the Duke to visit the Academy.
What about the opening ceremony?
It must have been said that today was the day of the opening ceremony of the Port of Libourg. As it was an important event, it was natural for the duke to be there as well.
"Senior Felix."
Lucy called him. She, too, seemed surprised by the sudden visit of the Duke. An indescribable embarrassment flashed across his face.
"Come on."
"Lucy."
Felix bit his lip. The happy moment until just now disappeared in an instant as if someone had ripped it out.
"… … okay. sorry. Let's study together later."
At his words, Lucy quietly nodded her head.
Felix took a step forward. As he left the garden, he unintentionally looked back. Lucy was still standing there, staring at her.
Felix's heart was as heavy as a rock because of the fact that he had not kept his promise to Lucy more than his father's visit.
* * *
in front of the principal's office. Felix knocked on the door.
"come in."
The voice that answered was not that of the principal. When Felix opened the door and entered, the Duke of Berg was standing with his back turned. He was standing in front of a large window, looking out over the wide campus landscape.
In the presence of Felix, the duke slowly turned around.
Like all the men in the Berg family, he had dazzling blonde hair and a large stature, looking towards Felix.
His expression was so hard that I couldn't even think of it as the expression he was making in front of his son whom he had not seen in a long time.
But it wasn't his father's expression that caught Felix's eyes. It was his face, which had become so emaciated that he couldn't even recognize it.
The cheekbones protruding over the cheekbones, the wide eyes, and the dark shadows under the eyes. His face, which had been leaner in just a few months due to heavy work, looked more sensitive and creepy.
When the Duke looked at him and said nothing, Felix opened his mouth first.
"How did you come to the opening ceremony? Isn't it something that your father must attend?"
Then the duke answered with a tone that was as dry as his expression.
"Don't worry. Confucius Berg is present at the opening ceremony instead of me."
At that, Felix raised an eyebrow.
"You mean Adrian is there?"
Until now, he only knew that his younger brother had gone to the duke's house to see his mother. Adrian also never said that he would attend the opening ceremony.
The duke laughed at his question.
"It's Adrian… … . Well, officially, Prince Felix Berg is in attendance."
Felix's face slowly contorted.
"You mean you made Adrian pretend to be me at the opening ceremony?"
"You unilaterally notified me of your absence, so you should send Adrian too. You have the same face anyway, so who will recognize you?"
The peacock nodded harshly.
Felix clenched his fists. Anger surged at the fact that his younger brother had been used as a substitute for him. That I was not aware of that fact until now.
But what made him angry was the duke's carefree face. He had no qualms about treating his son as someone else's substitute.
"Why do you have an angry face?"
The duke looked at him and asked.
"You unilaterally notified me of your absence, and you didn't expect this result, right?"
"I told you. It's because of exam preparation."
"Oh yeah. exam preparation. Hopefully preparation doesn't mean the stupid thing I did last time."
The Duke made a sarcasm by alluding to Felix's behavior, which had paid off in all tests.
"Well, if you made up your mind to work diligently in your studies, I would be happy too… … ."
The peacock continued.
"Even if you come here and come to your senses, I wonder if anything will change significantly. It's not like the grades go up in such a short period of time. So I also want to give you one piece of advice. I'll show you a sure way to get to the top at once."
A smile crept onto the peacock's face. It was never a smile that made viewers feel good.
"For this exam, try to change the names of Adrian and the answer sheet."
"father."
Felix frowned at once and looked at the Duke.
"Are you crazy?"
match!
Felix's head turned. The beaten cheek tingled.
"Be careful."
The duke calmly lowered his hand and warned.
"Isn't this because you are showing yourself worse than your younger brother by your humble behavior?"
Felix bit his lip.
"Don't use Adrian."
he said growling.
"I have no intention of obeying my father. I will also write my name on the test paper and submit it."
"okay?"
The peacock snorted.
"But what? Adrian has already decided to do that."
The Duke looked at his son's angry face and sarcastically.
"The principal must be very upset. Felix Berg's test, but it's only two chapters."
"father!"
Felix exclaimed in indignation. But in the next moment, the Duke revealed it to Felix with a formidable anger on his face.
"It's all because you didn't listen to me! How dare you neglect the family business and inform me at will?"
A face as pale as his corpse flashed in front of Felix's eyes.
"All this time, I've been ignoring your insincere and selfish behavior, but I can't tolerate this!"
When the duke had finished speaking, he stepped back. As if to calm his excitement, he stood in front of the window for a moment and looked at the scenery of the campus.
"Hopefully nothing like today will ever happen again, Felix."
After a while, he lowered his voice and muttered a warning.
"From now on, every time you don't listen to me, Adrian will take care of what you've done. just like today Where are you going to let me know once again?"
Felix stood still and clenched his fists. He gripped it so tightly that his fingernails dug into the flesh.
Anxiety that Adrian might be used for his sake and a sense of helplessness filled his heart.
"The day you succeed me, you will manage all the business and land of the family. Even if we work hard for that time, it will not be enough, but it is unacceptable to be selfish in this way."
The peacock said still looking out the window.
"I cannot tolerate using Adrian either. Adrian is the same father and son as me. He deserves an equal share of his father's fortune. It's not like he's going to be taken advantage of that way."
The peacock turned slowly.
"It is his fate. Just because we were born at the same time on the same day doesn't mean our fate is the same. The second son's role is not to covet the heir position, but to help the older brother while he leads the family. There is nothing he can get for anything other than that role."
The peacock added, with his eyes shining sharply.
"The legacy of Berg cannot be broken under any circumstances."
* * *
It was well past midnight when Adrian returned to the dormitory. As he quietly entered the darkened room, he stopped in surprise when he saw Inyoung sitting quietly on the bed.
He recognized his brother's face in the faint moonlight and opened his mouth carefully.
"… … Felix. Why aren't you sleeping?"
Felix got up without answering and lit the candle. In the brightly lit room, two identical faces flickered in the light.
Felix looked at his brother's face without saying a word. Adrian's face looked very tired after going back and forth from the Academy to Libourg for two days and nights.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Felix's face, who finally asked the question, was filled with regret and anger at the same time. Adrian took off his coat, avoiding his gaze.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier. If I said I was going to the opening ceremony, I did it because I thought you wouldn't be able to sit still."
"Of course not! Why the hell are you acting like your father's puppet?"
"Felix."
"And what about changing the name of the test paper? Did you really tell your father you would?"
"Yeah, I did."
"What the hell are you… … ."
Felix could not continue to speak at Adrian's answer without hesitation.
"What did your father do to you?"