Episode 9

Rose finished packing and closed her suitcase.

“Look at this. The intricate pattern…!”

“Rebecca, I’ve packed everything.”

“Oh. Right?”

Rebecca, who had been excitedly caught up in her own story, looked at Rose with a strange expression. She absentmindedly fiddled with the lace on her cuff.

“Are you leaving now?”

Rose nodded.

“Take care, Rebecca.”

As Rose dragged her much heavier suitcase out, Rebecca watched her retreating figure. Rebecca’s lips opened and closed repeatedly. It should have been a moment to congratulate her, but she felt an odd sensation.

“Well, yeah. Go! Just hurry up and go.”

Ignoring her fluttering heart, Rebecca shouted at Rose’s back. Her lower lip pouted out.

Thud. Rose closed the dorm room door and walked away with her suitcase, muttering to herself. Most of the weight of the suitcase was filled with engineering books.

Rose put some effort into her slender arms and headed down the stairs. While struggling down the stairs, she encountered a few other academy students, but no one offered to help.

Rose didn’t expect anyone’s kindness either. She walked confidently towards the newly built dormitory building. The technologically advanced building was not only elegant but also filled with interesting features.

‘…An elevator!’

As Rose entered the dormitory building lobby, she spotted the elevator and her eyes widened. It was a machine that used a magic crystal as an engine. The walls were made of reinforced glass, allowing a transparent view inside and out.

Without realizing how heavy her suitcase was, Rose quickly approached the elevator.

The girls’ dormitory was on the 3rd and 4th floors. Instead of carrying her suitcase up the stairs, she could just take the elevator.

Rose got on the elevator with about six other students.

‘Wow…!’

Rose’s green eyes twinkled as she looked around the elevator. Her face lit up with excitement.

“Whoa.”

A male student blurted out reflexively, surprised. This version of the elevator has been developed for about 2 years now. Commercialization would take more time. It was still a machine occasionally seen in municipal buildings or government offices.

‘I heard Professor Margaret was involved in the development… I should’ve asked more when I was a teaching assistant.’

The elevator moved steadily. The sound of the doors opening and closing was gentle, and it didn’t shake even once as it ascended to the 4th floor.

Rose was so excited that she unconsciously tapped her foot in excitement. Witnessing the fruits of magic engineering like this was when she felt the most exhilarated and joyful.

‘To think I can ride this elevator every day!’

Her heart raced rapidly. Rose’s face was absorbed in the enthusiastic excitement as if she were a person deeply in love.

She once again thought about how fortunate she was to be able to continue attending the academy. With that thought, Jasper Conway came to her mind naturally.

Since their encounter in the laboratory last time, she hadn’t seen Jasper again. There were only occasional rumors that he and his family had gone down south for the winter.

‘I wonder if tutoring starts right from tomorrow?’

Other than the fact that the tutoring would take place in the old laboratory, nothing else had been specified.

‘I should prepare the materials in advance.’

Still, somehow, she would see Jasper Conway tomorrow. It was the beginning of her senior year. Excitement and nervousness simultaneously squeezed Rose’s heart.

The elevator doors opened on the 4th floor. Rose headed towards the room assigned to her, Room 413. When she arrived at the door of the dorm room, she came face-to-face with an unfamiliar face.

‘…Who is this?’

During their senior year, they always assigned accommodations to classmates from the same year. So, there shouldn’t be anyone from a different class, but the girl standing in front of the door was someone Rose had never seen before. 

Her flowing hair had a subtle pink hue, and her sharp-looking eyes were brown. Her school uniform was neatly pressed as if it were brand new. The accessories in her hair and the bracelet on her wrist were made of sparkling diamonds. She was a dazzling beauty that was hard to forget after just one look.

The girl with the pink hair noticed Rose approaching and her eyes widened. 

“Oh my, are you in Room 413?”

Her high-pitched voice was full of energy. 

“Yeah, are you too?”

The girl smiled brightly and extended her hand for a handshake. 

“Hi, I’m Briley Lawrence.”

“I’m… Rose Bell.”

Rose shook Briley’s hand in surprise. Briley vigorously shook Rose’s hand up and down as she spoke. 

“You can call me Bry. Want to come in?”

Briley quickly opened the door and pulled Rose inside. Before she knew it, Rose found herself alone in the room with Briley.

‘If it’s Lawrence…’

Rose looked at Briley with curiosity. Lawrence – a familiar name. If they were from the Empire, they couldn’t not know.

The Lawrence Financial Company. Briley’s family was one of the big players in the financial industry, almost within arm’s reach of the empire. They didn’t hold a title, but no one could ignore their family crest.

A few centuries ago, the Lawrences were a household involved in pawnbroking, receiving little respect. However, with the rise of railways and increased trade, the Lawrence family’s influence grew steadily.

The establishment of the Lawrence headquarters and bank in the capital was just 20 years ago. Since then, this emerging family’s position has grown rapidly.

Money begets money. During this era of rapid growth, countless people jumped into business to get their share. The royal family was no exception. They couldn’t run multiple foundational businesses with just taxes, so they issued promissory notes through the Lawrence Company.

The notion that the emperor was the backing of their family naturally came to mind. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate. The emperor had been working tirelessly to incorporate the gentry class since his ascension. The current emperor was the empire’s first female ruler. While her power had been unstable in the early days of her reign, she solidified her authority by absorbing emerging factions.

Indeed, the Lawrences symbolized a new era. And now, a member of the Lawrence family was standing before Rose.

Briley looked at Rose intriguingly and asked, 

“First time seeing me?”

“…Are you also a senior?”

“Yeah! I transferred in, though.”

“Transferred?”

“I was originally studying abroad in the Baskirk Republic. The academy there is the most famous for the arts.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of it. But why did you suddenly come here…”

The Berkley Academy didn’t offer a separate major in arts; it was only available as part of general education.

Briley looked around and then comfortably plopped down on the couch in the center of the room. Rose looked at Briley in a daze.

“I realized I have no talent in art at all! So I decided to give up on it.”

“That, really…?”

Briley’s face showed no regret at all. She appeared so lively that offering words of comfort would seem strange.

“I didn’t know you could transfer in as a senior.”

Briley shook her head energetically. Her well-maintained hair swayed with each movement.

“For real. It was such a headache. Can you believe how much they nagged me to start over from the 1st year? Even though I’ve already studied there for 4 years? But here they wanted me to start from 1st year again. It’s ridiculous! If I didn’t pour in donations, I would’ve made a huge fuss till the end!”

“Yeah, it must have been really difficult.”

As Rose looked for a place to put down her suitcase, she unconsciously blurted out words of agreement.

Rose Bell wasn’t the type to approach others first, but she wasn’t withdrawn either. If someone approached her, she responded calmly. Her reactions were somewhat indifferent. She didn’t know how to playfully banter or act cute.

Some people looked at Rose with distrust because she didn’t flatter nobles even though she was a commoner. Many misunderstood her as a genius.

Rose didn’t step up to defend herself. The life of harboring secrets was tiring. It was easier with fewer people by her side.

Most Berkley Academy students had a sense of pride. There weren’t many who would approach Rose Bell first. That’s how Rose gradually found herself becoming isolated.

However, last year, Rebecca Sherman, being a chatterbox, had caused Rose some trouble.

‘I guess this year’s roommate won’t be someone quiet either.’

If there was one difference between Briley and Rebecca, it was that Briley was more reserved. Unlike Rebecca, who always maintained a noble lady’s posture, Briley was incredibly casual. She had ended up lying down on the couch.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

Briley glanced at Rose from the corner of her eye. Rose was thinking about how to divide the living space and make it work.

The new dormitory was much more comfortable and spacious compared to the old one. The central common area was as big as an ordinary commoner’s home, complete with tables and multiple couches. There were tall partitions on either side of the beds to offer personal space. Around the beds were plenty of storage cabinets and desks. Each room also had its private bathroom.

Though it was a two-person room, the space was ample enough that the presence of a roommate wasn’t much of a concern.

“Briley, which side of the bed do you want?”

“I don’t mind either way. You pick, Rose.”

“Is that okay?”

“What’s not okay about it?”

After some contemplation, Rose chose the bed that seemed to receive more morning light. She was unpacking.

Briley, who had been lying on the sofa, suddenly sat up and scooted closer, sitting cross-legged. As if feeling stifled, she tossed her jacket aside without reservation.

“Rose.”

“Why, what’s up?”

“Can we leave unpacking for later and chat first? I’m a transfer student, so I don’t know much about the school.”

“Oh, sure. Do you have any questions?”

Briley smiled and lowered her eyelids playfully.

“Who’s the most popular guy here?”

Rose blinked in surprise. She had expected questions about the academy’s rules or geography, so this unexpected question caught her off guard.

“Someone so popular that all the girls admire him.”

Without much thought, Rose gave her answer. It was an easy question.

“Jasper Conway.”

“Conway, huh… Oh! The duke’s son?”

“Yeah. But why…?”

“I’m asking to tease you. If you get involved with the most popular guy, everyone will start being conscious of you, right?”

It was a peculiar way of thinking for Rose. She always preferred a quiet and uneventful life.

“Rose! Are you close with Jasper?”

“Oh, no.”

Rose’s voice wavered slightly with surprise. They were involved in various situations, but she didn’t think they were friends.