Episode 22

‘Jasper having… a girlfriend? Why would she ask me that?’

Feeling flustered, Rose took a sip of her fruit juice through a straw. After swallowing, she replied, 

“Well… I can’t even imagine it.”

“Hmm, really?”

“I mean, wouldn’t he be affectionate with someone he’s dating? Probably…?”

“I’ve never thought about it in that tone before.”

“Of course not… Your opinion matters more anyway.”

“Just curious about my friend’s opinion.”

Briley pulled a cookie out of the bag and held it in front of Rose’s lips. Rose instinctively opened her mouth, and the cookie touched the tip of her tongue.

As she savored the cookie, Rose looked at Briley. The cookie was small enough to fit in one bite and had just the right amount of sweetness.

Briley spoke with a satisfied expression.

“By the way, Rose. What’s your ideal type?”

“Me?”

“You’ve never told me your ideal type.”

“Well…”

Rose hesitated for a moment as if her mind had frozen at the mention of an “ideal type.”

“But you see, I don’t know…”

“Then think about it now! I’m curious.”

“I don’t even have the desire to date.”

“Even if not right now, who knows after graduation? I’ll remember it and introduce you to a good guy.”

Briley shot her an enthusiastic look. Rose reluctantly gave her answer.

“Well, someone with a lot of vitality?”

“Someone diligent, perhaps?”

“Yeah. And it would be even better if they were similar to me.”

“Looks?”

“I don’t think looks are that important.”

“Why?! It’s important!”

Briley jumped up from her seat.

“Is it?”

While good looks were a plus, Rose knew that a handsome face didn’t make up for a terrible personality. She had seen that firsthand with her father, George Bell, in his younger days. 

Her mother, Anna, often regretted being drawn to his good looks and warned Rose not to blindly give her heart to someone just because of their attractive appearance.

“Rose, don’t judge someone solely by their appearance.”

In addition, her sister had even warned Rose. She cautioned her not to be fooled by a dazzling and handsome face, no matter how captivating it might be, and not to give her heart away recklessly.

Briley tapped her chin with her finger while furrowing her brow.

“But I still don’t want to set you up with an ugly guy! Let’s find someone who is good-looking and has a nice personality.”

Rose smiled gently and shook her head.

“There’s no need for that. After graduation, I might even become busier than I am now.”

At that moment, the idea of love and romance felt like a luxury to Rose. Love, dating, and marriage were all distant concepts for her.

It was the first time she had engaged in such a conversation about relationships with another girl her age. It felt a bit awkward but not unpleasant. Rose found it entertaining to observe Briley’s reactions.

As their relaxed conversation continued, Briley began sharing stories about dating in the Republic. Rose listened attentively, and before they knew it, they had been chatting for a while.

Suddenly, she heard strange sounds.

Hmm. Ugh… 

At first, the sound of leaves rustling in the wind seemed inconsequential to Rose. She dismissed it without much thought.

Hmm, hmph, hmp…

However, the peculiar noise persisted, continually brushing against Rose’s ear. She looked around and said, 

“Bry. Haven’t you been hearing strange sounds since a while ago?”

“Huh? What kind of sound?”

Briley, engrossed in their conversation, didn’t seem to have heard.

Both of them sealed their lips and briefly focused on the surrounding sounds.

Hmm, hmph, hmp…

The pupils of both of them suddenly widened. Briley mumbled with pursed lips, 

“Is that crying?”

Rose nodded in agreement. It sounded like someone sobbing.

However, no matter how much they scanned the lawn, there was no sign of anyone crying. They were the only ones in the area, just like those who had come for a picnic.

Briley whispered. 

“What is it? A ghost?”

“No, it can’t be…”

Rose instinctively clung to Briley, trembling. A ghost in broad daylight like this was unthinkable.

“Should we go towards the sound?”

“Huh…?”

With a curious smile, Briley held Rose’s hand and stood up. Rose reluctantly followed, her heart pounding.

“Why?”

“I’m curious.”

Rose tried to calm her fluttering heart as she stood closely next to Briley.

The academy’s garden was divided into several charming sections. The area where they were located was the western lawn, which was much quieter and less populated than the central lawn with its fountain. Therefore, the strange sound was even more audible there.

Following the sound, the two of them walked cautiously to the right. As they turned along a wall covered with ivy, they spotted a bench tucked away in a secluded corner.

“Hu, hmph…”

They had found the source of the mysterious sobbing.

“…Rebecca?”

Rose exclaimed in surprise upon recognizing the familiar face.

Rebecca Sherman was sitting alone on the garden bench, sobbing almost uncontrollably.

Rebecca’s normally shiny brown hair, adorned with elaborate decorations, was now loosely tied without any adornments, and it was so disheveled that some strands stuck out in all directions.

“Hmp, ugh, what… what is it?”

Rebecca noticed the presence of other people and raised her tear-soaked face, which was a mess.

Briley and Rose approached Rebecca, both bewildered and sat down on either side of her. Rebecca clutched a damp handkerchief in her hand.

“Hey… why are you crying here?”

Even the usually easygoing Briley was taken aback. It was understandable, given that someone was crying as if their life depended on it right in front of them.

Rose took a handkerchief from her jacket pocket. It had a checkered pattern but was clean and crisp. She handed it to Rebecca, who used it to wipe her eyes.

“Hmph, hmph….”

Rebecca couldn’t speak coherently and swallowed back her sobs.

‘I’ve seen her cry like this before.’

Rose felt a sense of déjà vu. She remembered Rebecca crying herself to sleep on her bed after a breakup early last year.

‘Could it be… happening again?’

Briley gently patted Rebecca’s shoulder and said, 

“What’s wrong? Try to calm down.”

Rose also spoke in a soothing voice from the other side.

“Yeah, Rebecca. Your eyes are swollen. Are you okay?”

“Haah…”

Rebecca turned to Rose with her mouth agape, lips trembling downward. After sniffling and wiping her nose with a sniffle, she suddenly leaned into Rose as if seeking comfort.

“C-Caleb… Caleb Sidoo-… huff…! Huuuh…!”

Rose was momentarily taken aback by Rebecca, who was taller than her, but she hugged her in the chilling air. Rose and Briley exchanged puzzled glances over Rebecca’s shoulder.

‘It seems like my hunch was right.’

Something’s up with Caleb.

First, she needed to stop the crying. Rose patted Rebecca’s back, while Briley gently held her shoulders. Neither of them had the kind of personality to ignore a girl in distress.

“What’s with Caleb? What happened?”

“Hmp, huuuh, hmph.”

Rebecca couldn’t speak a word and continued to cry uncontrollably for a few minutes. As time passed, she gradually regained her composure.

Using her handkerchief to cover her face, Rebecca pulled away from Rose’s embrace. Her eyes and nose were all red and swollen. She struggled to stifle her sobs and finally spoke.

“This… I’ll wash it and give it back, h-heh…”

“You don’t have to worry about the handkerchief. What happened with Caleb?”

“…”

Rebecca bit her trembling lips. She seemed like she wanted to vent and share, but her pride seemed to be holding her back.

“Will you promise to keep this a secret? If you tell anyone, I might really die!”

With still-moist eyes, Rebecca said. Both Rose and Briley responded simultaneously.

“We won’t tell.”

“Of course, we’ll keep it a secret. I’m not one to blab.”

Rebecca asked with a trembling voice.

“Really? Can you promise?”

“We’ve already seen you cry like this! It’s practically the same as spilling the beans.”

Rebecca alternated her gaze between Rose and Briley while sniffling. Then she extended her pinkies to both of them.

“Promise.”

Briley firmly hooked her pinkie, and Rose did the same in the chilly air.

“Promise, and you must never break it. Understand?”

Rebecca’s words carried an edge, but her tear-soaked face didn’t make her appear threatening. Instead, she seemed vulnerable.

‘So, what did Caleb try to do…’

Was this strong-willed Rebecca Sherman wailing like this?

Rebecca didn’t seem satisfied with just the promise and spoke with a more forceful tone.

“Swear it…”

Her eyes pleaded intensely with Rose. Rose, initially taken aback, finally spoke.

“Okay… I swear.”

“On what?”

“Uh… Magic engineering?”

She mentioned magic engineering as a joke, remembering the previous instance she had made a similar promise. Surprisingly, Rebecca seemed to accept it.

“Okay. I can trust that.”

“…Really?”

While Rose had always had a deep affection for and reliance on magic engineering, she didn’t expect Rebecca to accept it so readily.

Briley raised her hand and said, 

“I’ll swear on Rose Bell.”

“Why me…”

“Fine. That works for me.”

Rebecca heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she took out a hairpin from her jacket. She tidied up her disheveled hair into a half-bun and securely pinned it in place.

With a more determined look in her eyes compared to earlier, Rebecca said, 

“Caleb Sidoor has a new girlfriend.”

Rose listened nonchalantly. Caleb moving on to a new romantic relationship wasn’t something out of the ordinary.

“His new girlfriend is my cousin.”

“…”

“They might even get married.”

“Gosh.”

Rose held her breath, and Briley made a surprised sound.