Episode 106

The CEO spoke his mind and then left the room, leaving Edwin behind. 

Edwin, in a state of bewilderment and anger, stared at the closed door and cursed. But he couldn’t muster more anger. 

As his mind slowly cleared, Edwin could assess his physical condition, and he felt a profound numbness below his pelvis. Anxiety welled up as his back tightened.

‘I hope it’s not paralysis of the lower half. Damn it, Jasper that bastard.’

His only advantage was his strong body, but if that became useless… he would be nothing more than a pawn in the CEO’s chess game. 

While he couldn’t be certain of the CEO’s plans, he had a rough idea. Edwin was a shrewd and cunning man, despite his narrow and sordid nature, thanks to his upbringing in the royal family.

‘It seems like they lost the market to the Weir Company.’

Since he couldn’t compete on a technical level, it seemed the CEO was trying to use political means. 

The son of the former Crown Prince, whom everyone had thought was dead! 

It was an excellent propaganda tool to rally people. Even though the Crown Prince had lost his life due to a rebellion, Edwin’s claim to the throne was not extinguished.

The current Emperor was already in her late fifties. It was time to designate a proper successor. However, the two children of the Emperor were still too young.

‘Is he planning to put me on the political stage and attract supporters?’

If the Emperor was at odds with the conservative nobility, aligning with the underworld could lead to taking control of the Empire’s market. It might be impossible as long as the current Emperor remained in power, but…

‘What if the Emperor changes?’

Edwin lay down, chewing on his lips. Upon careful consideration, the CEO’s proposal didn’t seem that bad.

‘He’s an unlucky man… but once I become Emperor and dispose of him, that’s it.’

Now he lived in a world where he could create value out of nothing. Even a throne could be bought with money. 

If he carried Dom Industries and his supporters on his back, he could become the most noble figure in the Empire. Edwin’s heart began to race; the dream he had vaguely imagined seemed to be within reach.

‘I can eliminate everything I dislike.’

He imagined removing everything he disliked one by one. In that fantasy, Jasper Conway naturally existed.

* * *

Rose and her companions arrived in the capital two days before the end of the summer vacation. 

Despite being away from the capital for only about two weeks, Rose was overjoyed to be back at Berkley Academy. 

Unlike Valloch, the atmosphere here was serene, which put her at ease.

Jasper was also recovering rapidly, which was fortunate. He already had remarkable resilience and was well on his way to resuming normal daily life. 

It might take a bit more time for him to wield a sword and engage in combat.

It was when Rose, accompanied by Briley, stepped into the dormitory that she saw a familiar and welcoming face approaching.

“Rebecca!”

Rebecca, who had spent the summer at her family’s villa, appeared before them. In the two months, Rebecca’s skin had tanned slightly. It seemed like she had been doing well in a nice place; her face had gained a healthy glow.

Rebecca stood before them, smiling broadly. 

“It’s been a while!”

Briley opened her arms wide and pulled both Rose and Rebecca into a warm embrace. Rose found herself squeezed in between them, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable or unhappy.

After Rose had deposited her luggage in her dorm room, she, along with her friends, made their way to the school’s garden. There was much to catch up on, having been apart for a while.

Rebecca was most curious about the rumors surrounding Jasper, and it was the first thing she brought up. The rumors about the Conway family’s second son having a shootout with hoodlums in an alley in Valloch.

“I returned to the capital a few days ago, and it was all everyone was talking about. The gossip columns didn’t mention any names, but they made it quite obvious that it was Jasper. The Conways haven’t officially confirmed or denied it.”

As Rose listened to Rebecca, her head began to pound. It seemed that the high society was abuzz with talk about Jasper.

‘Jasper was just on a mission for the Emperor…!’

Since it was a secret mission, Jasper couldn’t come forward to explain. She felt frustrated because of those people who were talking about Jasper as if they knew nothing. 

‘How frustrating this must be.’

As soon as they arrived in the capital, Jasper had to go straight to the townhouse. Someone had been sent by Ethan to pick him up at the train station, and it was clear that if he didn’t go home right away, Ethan would be hopping mad.

Given Ethan’s personality, Rose expected him to be more critical of Jasper than comforting. Regardless of the actual situation, Jasper had done something that could tarnish the Conway family’s reputation. 

Rose was too preoccupied with her concern for Jasper to say anything.

Rebecca took turns looking at Rose and Briley and then asked.

“What exactly happened? Why were you in Valloch?”

With a complex expression, Rose remained silent, and it was Briley who explained the situation in Valloch. 

Of course, Briley was also unaware of the details of Jasper’s injury.

Rebecca listened with wide eyes. She put her hand over her mouth when Briley mentioned that Rose had come to Valloch as soon as she received the news.

So, having heard the whole story, Rebecca raised an eyebrow and asked.

“So, it’s true that there was a fight with some hoodlums in the alley? What happened to the people he fought with?”

“They must have run away.”

Rose, who had been standing next to them, looked even darker than before, and her eyebrows furrowed.

Jasper hadn’t been caught up in a pointless fight. He had undertaken some task for the Emperor, and although she didn’t know what exactly it was, it was clearly for the Empire’s benefit. The words that she couldn’t bring herself to say were lingering in her throat.

It was a matter she couldn’t even share with her friends, and it left her feeling choked. She couldn’t take on the role of defending Jasper, even with her friends.

Eventually, Rose timidly interjected.

“Certainly, the other party was at fault.”

Rebecca, who seemed to favor Jasper, looked at Rose with interest and spoke.

“I don’t think Jasper got into a lowly street brawl, as the gossip implies. He’s not a bad guy; he’s just a bit unlucky.”

Rose nodded vigorously.

“Exactly. Jasper isn’t a bad guy.” 

Rebecca said with a soft laugh before poking Rose with her elbow. 

“You’re passionately defending Jasper. Are you two dating? Did something happen in Valloch?”

Rebecca’s playful words left Rose feeling stiff. She responded with an awkward expression.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that.”

Her voice quivered like a young goat’s. After a moment of silence, both Briley and Rebecca burst into laughter and said simultaneously.

“Oh, I see. Definitely not, Rose!”

“Relax, we’ll pretend we didn’t ask. I guess I shouldn’t have asked such a silly question. You look like you’re about to explode.”

Rose, with a beet-red face, was preoccupied with worry. She had anticipated that it would be difficult to keep it a secret from her friends and had planned to reveal it at the right time.

‘But to get caught like this…!’

Would it be possible to keep their relationship a secret at this rate? Just the mention of Jasper made her body tense, and her heart race.

Rose had already started to fear the upcoming fall semester.

* * *

On the first day of the fall semester, Rose walked with a slightly excited stride toward the mineralogy classroom. She knew that she would soon meet Jasper there.

Since arriving in the capital, she hadn’t seen Jasper yet. After going to the townhouse, Jasper hadn’t returned to the dormitory, and Rose could easily guess that he had received quite a scolding from Ethan.

Rose wanted to meet Jasper as soon as possible to offer comfort and assurance, no matter what people said about him. She wanted to let him know that she believed in him and that he could take courage from that.

However, when she came face to face with Jasper in front of the mineralogy classroom, he appeared perfectly fine.

“Hello, Rose.”

“Oh, hi, Jasper.”

She had expected Jasper to feel a little down because of the negative comments surrounding him, but his smooth face expressed nothing but joy and warmth.

As Rose approached him, she asked.

“Are you okay?”

“Not really.”

Perhaps he appeared fine on the outside, but his inner state might be more challenging than she had imagined. Just as Rose was about to offer words of comfort to Jasper, he unexpectedly whispered sweetly in her ear.

“Did two days without seeing me make you worry?”

Rose was taken aback, and she almost choked on her breath. 

“N-No! Not that. Jasper, there have been stories about you in the gossip columns…”

Blushing on both cheeks, Rose stammered. Surprisingly, the person who had just uttered an embarrassing comment appeared completely unembarrassed.

‘Jasper seems to have become… even more… daring.’

Jasper had always been kind to occasionally say and do things that could make one’s heart skip a beat, but it seemed that he had become even more blatant after their relationship was confirmed.

Perhaps exchanging such words and actions was natural for lovers, but Rose felt that it would take quite a while to adapt.

Jasper nonchalantly replied.

“Gossip columns? I’ve seen them too, but I’d rather they describe me as a ruffian in a back alley.”

“You saw them too, huh? But why do you think that’s okay? What if people start disliking you…”

“In that case, the annoying little admirers will stop bothering me. Because I’m a Conway, everyone thinks too highly of me. It’s a nuisance.”

Rose was left speechless, her lips barely moving. 

This was a thought process she hadn’t considered at all. It was as if he didn’t take offense at all, which left her wondering if she should be relieved.

Jasper lowered his head slightly towards Rose and whispered again.

“I just want to focus on you.”

With a sigh, Rose quickly shook her head from side to side.

She had inhaled deeply and was worried she might faint right in front of the classroom door.