Episode 17

In the dimly lit corridor, a tall man stood at the end. The faint moonlight filtering through the window cast shadows on the floor.

“J-Jasper?”

In an instant, all the tension drained from Rose’s body. She almost lost her balance and almost fell backward.

Jasper, who had come closer without her realizing, reached out and caught Rose’s arm, swiftly pulling her up in one fluid motion.

Rose stumbled but quickly regained her balance. She took a moment to steady her racing heart and then looked at Jasper.

Even in the darkness, Jasper’s features were distinct. His presence was clear despite the surroundings being enveloped in darkness.

Jasper was wearing an expression she had never seen before. His usually calm and slightly aloof eyes now seemed puzzled. The hand that held Rose’s arm was warm.

Rose almost choked on her breath, inhaling sharply. Thump-thump. Her heart rate, which had surged to its peak, gradually slowed down. The initial excitement subsided, and she started to see the situation rationally. Embarrassment soon began to wash over her.

‘I feel so embarrassed…’

Avoiding Jasper’s gaze, Rose said in a small voice. Jasper was looking at her so intently that his gaze seemed to pierce right through her. He spoke.

“Why did you scream?”

“That… Well, here, the lights are all… off.”

Rose’s voice grew quieter as she spoke.

‘Embarrassing! I’m not a child.’

She closed and opened her eyes in frustration. She tried to twist her arm out of Jasper’s grasp, but his grip was firm.

Jasper let out a light sigh and said, 

“Were you scared?”

“…”

“You were scared because the hallway was dark.”

“That… no… not exactly….”

Rose’s head tilted down little by little as she felt a surge of embarrassment.

Jasper chuckled softly, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

Rose’s head hung even lower. She felt a mixture of embarrassment and a slight sense of injustice.

Initially, she had arrived much earlier than planned. She hadn’t expected anyone else to be here at this time. So, when she heard that noise suddenly, she couldn’t help but be surprised.

As Rose glanced up at Jasper again, he was still gazing intently at her. He spoke with a half-smile.

“Did it scare you?”

Rose bit her lip and looked down again. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink she couldn’t control. Her arm was still trapped in Jasper’s grip.

She had been tense enough to let out a scream. But now, in the presence of Jasper, who seemed unflinching and composed, she felt both embarrassed and self-conscious.

“Let’s go to the lab.”

Jasper said, releasing her arm and leading the way. Rose followed, glancing at his back.

As they entered the lab, Jasper turned on the lights, illuminating the room. The previously dim space was suddenly bathed in light.

Jasper turned around to face Rose.

“You’re more easily scared than I thought.”

His voice was low, and Rose slowly raised her head. Her face was flushed.

Even her right ear, which was partially visible due to her hairpin, was turning red.

“I didn’t think you’d already be here… With all the lights off…”

“I was sleeping.”

“Ah…”

“What’s with that surprised look?”

Jasper’s voice held a mixture of casualness and playfulness. Rose coughed awkwardly and instinctively gripped the handle of her bag tightly.

“W-Well, anyone could be surprised. If someone suddenly pops out…”

She rambled and then pretended to quickly take out her tutoring materials from her bag.

Jasper settled down on the sofa in a corner of the lab, observing Rose with an intrigued gaze.

“Already studying? It’s not even eight yet.”

“Since we’re both here early, I thought I’d finish quickly and leave…”

“I don’t want to. I want to rest for a bit.”

“…”

“More importantly, your face is about to explode. Could you calm down first?”

Rose abruptly halted her actions and bit her lower lip slightly. Jasper’s words had an underlying hint of amusement. His usual aloof demeanor, oddly enough, seemed more comforting.

Rose chose a desk in the lab that was farthest from Jasper. She cleared her throat and fanned herself with her hand. For a moment, silence settled in the lab.

‘Are we going to stay like this until eight?’

The awkwardness was palpable. Just as she was contemplating whether to read a book, Jasper broke the silence with a subdued voice.

“There’s a strange rumor going around. Have you heard?”

“A… rumor?”

“About you, me, and Briley Lawrence.”

“Ah. Oh…”

Rose nodded her head slightly.

“I’ve heard.”

“What do you think about it?”

“What?”

Rose looked at Jasper with confusion. Jasper raised an eyebrow.

‘He’s curious about my opinion?’

After hesitating for a moment, Rose continued.

“I think… it fits well.”

“…”

“Between you and Briley.”

Jasper stared at Rose without any visible reaction. There was a prolonged silence as Jasper continued to observe her. When the silence stretched on and Rose started to feel frustrated, Jasper finally spoke.

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Bother me? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“What aspect?”

Suddenly, Jasper stood up from the sofa, brought a chair over to Rose, and sat down in front of her. He looked at her directly, his expression perfectly neutral. The long, unchanging line of his eyes showed no hint of emotion.

Rose swallowed dryly as she met Jasper’s piercing blue eyes. His gaze had a way of making people feel unnerved.

She felt like she was being interrogated. She almost felt like she should apologize out of the blue. Subconsciously, Rose pulled her chair slightly back, trying to create a bit more distance between herself and Jasper.

Jasper looked at Rose retreating and spoke in a relentless tone, devoid of any fluctuations.

“You dislike getting involved with me, don’t you?”

“I’ve told you before, it’s not that I dislike it, but…”

“So, you thought I’d be upset about it. Isn’t that right?”

“If I answered that way… would it bother you?”

A small amount of pressure was applied around Jasper’s mouth.

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

“If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know… your feelings are your own, how could I…”

The conversation was going around in circles. Rose’s pupils trembled.

‘Is he angry? Really? Why?’

Jasper remained seated for a moment, his lips tightly pressed together. His breathing was uneven. His chest rose with intensity and then fell.

He turned his head slightly and then spoke irritably.

“Ugh, why am I getting annoyed like this?”

Rose blinked rapidly at Jasper’s muttering.

‘Exactly. Why are you getting annoyed? Just tell me…!’

She wanted to shout out loud. But she held back. She couldn’t just act recklessly toward Jasper. After all, there was an agreement between them. In a way, they had a contractual relationship.

Jasper frowned and seemed confused with himself. He ran a hand through his hair several times and sighed.

After a while, he spoke with a voice mixed with his breath.

“My pride is hurt.”

Rose’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“Your pride is hurt?”

“Because you don’t like the scandal about you and me?”

Jasper answered with a raised eyebrow.

“Probably.”

“Wow, that’s ridiculous.”

“What?”

Rose inadvertently blurted out her inner thoughts. She immediately shrugged her shoulders in response to Jasper’s intimidating gaze.

“Ja-Jasper. You’re handsome and cool, I know that.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I mean, someone might not want to date you…”

“Who? Me? I don’t understand.”

“Well…”

Rose was momentarily at a loss for words. She wondered why he was upset. It turned out to be a reason she couldn’t have imagined.

‘Does he think he’s the most amazing person in the world? Well, to some extent, that might be true.’

It wasn’t hard to understand when she looked at the face right in front of her. There probably wouldn’t be a girl who had rejected that face so far.

Rose’s forehead throbbed. What if, just what if… if she was still Rosalie Verden?

She contemplated this thought.

If her Father hadn’t been a gambler.

And if he hadn’t had a secret to hide from aristocratic society.

‘Would I have liked Jasper?’

She might have. If she’s a teenage girl, she’s probably held him in her heart at least once and then let him go. Besides, she had spent time with Jasper. Only once, though.

If she had remained in the aristocracy, she might have maintained a friendship because of that.

But anyway, such assumptions were meaningless. What mattered was the present.

Jasper Conway was not a suitable object of affection. Absolutely not.

When Rose fell silent and stared at him, Jasper spoke with a puzzled expression.

“Rose Bell. You’re really… strange.”

“I hear that a lot.”

“Annoying.”

“You’re… oh, never mind.”

“You’re not interested in me, are you?”

“I am interested. How can I help you improve your marks…?”

“I’m not asking about that.”

Rose fidgeted and clutched her knees with her hands. The hem of her skirt crumpled in her palm.

Being interrogated by Jasper in this way was embarrassing. It wasn’t wrong to not look at him with adoration, to not put on a fake smile to impress him.

‘My interest isn’t such a big deal….’

As soon as they left this lab, dazzling admirers were waiting in line to meet Jasper.

Rose bit her lip and then protested in a small voice.

“Why, why only me? Jasper, you’re just as heartless, aren’t you? Right?”

“Of course.”

Jasper said with a wrinkled forehead, then stopped. The muscles in his face twitched slightly.

“Of course, I don’t have any… feelings for you. Why would I?”

The last sentence had an unusually sharp edge, but Rose wasn’t hurt. It was a matter of course.

Jasper Conway couldn’t like Rose Bell. Logically, that was the right thing. Speaking the truth wasn’t wrong.

Rose nodded her head indifferently and said,

“That’s fortunate. Then it’s settled.”

“….”

“Do you want to continue with the tutoring? Or do you want to chat more?”

“Yeah, let’s study.”

Jasper replied nervously, his face contorted in an uncomfortable expression. His posture was also awkward.

Rose let out a long sigh and said,

“Okay, let’s get started.”

“….”

“Today was the first introductory class for magic engineering, right? How far did you progress?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? That’s not good… Can I see your textbook?”

The challenging first tutoring session had begun.

* * *

‘This doesn’t make sense.’

Rose clenched her pen tightly. Jasper sat next to her, leaning on the chair with his arms crossed.

“…Should I explain it again?”

“Haah. Let’s call it a day.”

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best.”

It was getting close to curfew time in the dormitory.

Rose awkwardly smiled and pressed her temple with her fingertips. She tried to keep her composure, but it wasn’t easy.

Jasper Conway was beyond her imagination.

Incredibly, he was worse at math than she had ever expected.

It wasn’t that his mind was bad, but rather, he had no interest in math to begin with. Jasper behaved like a person whose soul had left his body whenever he encountered mana calculation formulas.