Episode 14

Briley alternated her gaze between Rose and Jasper. Her long, cat-like eyelashes and curious, twinkling eyes hinted at her intrigue.

“What’s going on here? What’s the story?” 

Briley’s laughter seemed suspicious as her eyes sparkled mischievously. She confidently looked Jasper up and down before turning her attention to Rose.

Rose’s head spun like a hurricane in response to Briley’s sudden appearance. Jasper’s expression became uncomfortable, and it felt as if the air around them had momentarily frozen.

Rose cleared her throat and began to speak. 

“Um… Jasper is also taking the mineralogy class.”

Clap. Briley clapped her hands lightly. 

“Oh, really? Unexpected.”

Jasper remained silent, gazing at Briley with an inscrutable expression. His face was starting to flush with a sudden surge of fatigue.

Undeterred by Jasper’s silence, Briley simply opened her eyes wider with a playful smile. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Briley Lawrence. And you’re Jasper Conway, right?”

Jasper nodded his head with a nonchalant twitch. His face began to flush even more dramatically, reflecting his growing discomfort.

Briley didn’t seem to mind Jasper’s silence. On the contrary, she playfully opened her eyes wider and flashed a confident smile. 

“I’ll be relying on you from now on. We’ll be seeing each other often.”

Jasper’s expression remained as stoic as ever. Eventually, he spoke in a monotone voice. 

“Me and you? Why?”

“I want to get to know you better.”

“I’m not interested.”

Jasper was emitting an openly negative aura. He seemed comfortable with being confrontational, even if it meant coming across as impolite.

Watching the two, Rose’s complexion gradually turned paler. 

‘He was perfectly fine until just now!’

When they had been discussing the swordsmanship competition, Jasper had seemed like an ordinary person. But now, he had returned to being prickly and venomous in his words, like a snake.

While Jasper had never seemed to like humans in general, his attitude toward Briley was particularly hostile. Rose couldn’t fathom why he was acting this way.

As Rose debated whether to intervene and ease the tension, Briley chuckled nonchalantly. 

“Oh, Jasper, saying that only makes me more curious.”

“…What?”

Jasper’s face contorted in disbelief.

“Yeah, let’s become close friends from now on! Otherwise, it’s not fun. You don’t want to be friends? That’ll just make it more exciting.”

Briley chuckled playfully. At times, it almost seemed like she was imitating Jasper’s manner of speaking. His energy seemed to intensify with a more ferocious edge.

“Ha. So the youngest Lawrence troublemaker is as rumored. Seems like the gossip was true.”

“Oh, yeah. I tend to stir up trouble. It’s not just a couple of guys in the Republic who’ve caught a fever because of me.”

Briley remained unfazed by Jasper’s aggressive words. She tugged Rose closer, linked their arms, and maintained a serene smile.

“Alright, then. Can I take Rose away now?”

An intense standoff between the two young adults began to unfold.

Rose stood awkwardly in the middle of this tense situation. Such situations were unfamiliar to her. All she wanted was to escape from the palpable tension surrounding them.

‘Briley is no pushover, it seems.’

Briley wasn’t the docile person she had previously appeared to be. No matter what Jasper said, it didn’t seem like she would be fazed. People who didn’t bow down to Jasper’s will were few and far between.

‘Maybe the two of them are fated…’

A hot-tempered handsome man and a beautiful woman who was the only one who could control his temper—when looked at this way, they seemed like a destined couple.

Briley clung to Rose and hummed playfully. 

“Rose, I’m hungry. Let’s go grab a bite.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Jasper stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Rose. His sharp gaze, which had been directed at Briley earlier, was now locked onto Rose Bell.

But then, without a word, he passed by both of them with brisk strides. He exuded annoyance in every step he took.

Rose looked at Jasper’s retreating figure with a bewildered expression. Should she say bye? While she hesitated, Jasper had already distanced himself.

* * *

The academy restaurant was open from 11 in the morning until 8 in the evening. It offered a buffet-style selection of dishes with various regional specialties.

Rose filled her plate and sat across from Briley. Briley’s face was lit up with a bright smile.

As Rose picked up a forkful of salad, she hesitated and spoke. 

“By the way, Briley.”

“Yeah?”

“Why was Jasper acting like that earlier?”

“Why? Wasn’t it nothing?”

“The atmosphere felt a bit tense…”

“We were just disagreeing. Besides, he talks so rudely that I don’t have a reason to be polite, right? I can’t live being constantly defeated.”

Rose had always been averse to conflict and had often chosen the path of least resistance.

But Briley’s approach seemed valid too. Jasper’s attitude had been strange earlier. It wasn’t easy to dismiss someone who had expressed a desire to become friends.

“He acted a bit prickly.”

“Why does he do that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is he usually like this?”

“Um… He’s not a bad person…”

“He’s just putting on airs because he’s good-looking. Well, that’s fine. I like things that are high value!”

Briley laughed with a self-assured expression on her face.

Crunch. Rose took a bite of the lettuce and chewed thoughtfully. It was fascinating how she didn’t feel at all discouraged by Jasper’s cold attitude. Her interest in Jasper had not waned either.

“But I thought you weren’t friends. You have classes together. Aren’t you two close?!”

“The classes just happened to overlap.”

“Is it just a coincidence?”

Briley gave Rose a sly smile and gently tapped the back of her hand. 

“No. Anyway, you’re going to be closer to him now, aren’t you?”

“I think so. More so than last year.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

Rose popped a cranberry into her mouth and nodded.

‘If I become friends with Jasper, maybe I can help Briley more.’ 

She might be able to prevent situations like the tense one they experienced earlier. She wondered if Jasper had any odd misconceptions or ill feelings towards Briley.

‘I should ask later.’

Rose was a peacemaker. She wanted to avoid situations like today, where she found herself sandwiched between Jasper and Briley under the sun.

If they did end up dating, the academy’s attention would surely shift towards them. Just being the friend of the protagonist was a role Rose could handle. Being hidden in the shadows of the main characters might make her life more comfortable. Who would be interested in the trivial past of a side character?

‘I don’t know what Briley’s up to, but…’

Last night, she had heard that Briley had experienced romantic relationships multiple times during her time studying abroad in the Republic. Dating was kind of Briley Lawrence’s field of expertise.

Briley, who had been looking at Rose with a bright smile, suddenly spoke up.

“But, Rose!”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not planning to end with just this, are you? Did you put everything on your plate?”

“I did, but… why?”

“Oh, come on. How can you live just eating like this? There are only leaves in your bowl! You’re not trying to lose weight, are you? Where would you even lose it?”

Rose looked down at her plate in confusion. Compared to Briley’s plate, hers did seem like less food.

“Eating too much at lunch makes you sleepy during afternoon classes…”

“Ugh. I can’t eat without meat! If you only eat this, you’ll collapse.”

“It’s not like that.”

Rose absentmindedly laughed at Briley’s concerned expression. For a moment, it reminded her of her grandmother in Quilts.

“Dear, eat more quickly. Your mouth is too small, so what can you do?”

“Well, I ate a lot.”

“At least have some more soup.”

“Yes…”

Ever since she was young, Rose Bell had been consistently struggling with a chronic state of malnutrition. She grew up in an environment where she couldn’t enjoy food freely. At some point, she became adept at avoiding eating. It seemed her body was pushing away food to match her living conditions.

Rose’s grandmother always felt sorry for her. Even after their circumstances improved due to starting a livestock business, Rose’s portion sizes remained the same. Whenever her grandmother forced her to take another bite, she would pat her on the head. The warmth of her grandmother’s touch vividly came to Rose’s mind.

Briley put some meat on her plate and said.

“Oh my. But I’ve never seen you smile like that.”

“How did I just smile…?”

Rose awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“You opened your mouth wide and smiled. It was cute!”

Briley imitated Rose’s smile, displaying a refreshing and cheerful expression.

Rose couldn’t believe that she had made such an expression. Perhaps Briley had exaggerated it a little.

“You’re prettier with a big smile. You have dimples here. You know?”

Briley unabashedly reached out and poked Rose’s right cheek. Rose could only give an awkward smile, embarrassed and shy.

The restaurant was starting to fill up with students. Everywhere Rose looked, there were gorgeous individuals.

‘Briley seems to compliment me more than my grandmother does… How does she manage that?’

She didn’t mind. While chewing on the piece of duck that Briley had given her, Rose gave a little push to her toes.

It hadn’t been that long since she had received affectionate words constantly. Even when she was busy with her studies, she sent letters to Quilts regularly. Those letters were the only way to exchange such affection.

As Rose continued her warm conversation with Briley, the attention of the students suddenly shifted to one side.

Jasper was entering the restaurant.

“Oh my. Isn’t that Jasper?”

“Yeah… I didn’t see him eat here before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he seemed to usually eat alone. He might have food delivered to his place…”

“Hmm. I wonder what’s up with the high-ranking noble today.”

Everyone turned their heads towards Jasper with curiosity, and a hushed murmur spread through the crowd.

Berkley Restaurant was famous for its excellent taste. Despite that, Jasper was always known for bringing his food. There were rumors about the remarkable skill of Berkley’s chef, but Jasper seemed to have a refined taste that wouldn’t easily be satisfied.

Jasper walked into the restaurant without paying any attention to the gazes directed at him. He walked steadily towards the buffet and began filling his plate without a care in the world.

While pretending to eat, everyone’s attention was subtly focused on Jasper. 

Where would Jasper Conway choose to sit?

It didn’t take long for Jasper to find a seat.

“Oh my.”

Briley muttered softly.

Jasper was walking towards Rose and Briley. Then, without saying a word, he sat down two seats next to Rose.