Episode 26

“You… You talked to Caleb this morning.”

“Yeah?” 

Rose raised her eyebrows in surprise. She couldn’t fathom why Jasper would urgently summon her just because she had a conversation with Caleb. She couldn’t come up with any reasonable explanation for his anxiety.

“Caleb said you were worried about me.”

“Oh…”

“He said you were on the verge of tears.”

“Tears? I wasn’t… like that…”

Jasper maintained an indifferent expression throughout but then let out a sardonic laugh.

“Well, I expected as much. Caleb, that guy, is a master of exaggeration. There’s no way you’d cry because of me.”

The last sentence carried a hint of sarcasm.

“I was worried, though.”

“…You were?”

“Yeah. You missed your afternoon classes, so I was wondering if something was wrong.”

Jasper tightened his lips and fell silent for a moment, giving Rose an odd, intense look.

It was as if he was observing her intently, trying to convey authority, or perhaps there was something hidden beneath his gaze. Regardless of his intentions, it was an unsettling stare that made it difficult to maintain eye contact.

Feeling awkward, Rose cleared her throat and spoke softly, trying to break the heavy silence.

“I mean, if a friend is unwell… it’s only natural to worry.”

Jasper’s facial muscles still hadn’t relaxed. Rose rolled her eyes in annoyance. After she’d spoken the words, she wished she hadn’t.

‘Was that presumptuous?’

She felt she might have overstepped by referring to Jasper as a friend so casually. Unconsciously, she had placed him in the friend category.

She carefully added.

“Even if we’re friends… is it okay?”

Jasper finally spoke, his expression still cool but his tone milder.

“Do as you please.”

While his demeanor remained frosty, it wasn’t a flat-out rejection. Given Jasper’s personality, it was as close to acquiescence as one could expect.

Jasper turned his head slightly, looking at Rose out of the corner of his eye, his lips parted.

“So, did you really worry about me?”

Rose nodded and asked.

“Yeah. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. Just, you know…”

Jasper mumbled at the end of his words. His listless gaze seemed to have no intention of facing frontward.

“It’s not like you’re going to skip class over something so insignificant.”

“Because I’m not a nerd like you?”

Jasper tried to avoid showing his right cheek to Rose.

Sensing something was amiss, Rose swiftly moved to the side, allowing her to face Jasper head-on. 

Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Who… did you fight with?”

The right corner of Jasper’s mouth was split open, and now Rose could see the injuries that had been hidden from her view. His right cheek was slightly swollen as if he had been punched.

“You got hit?!”

Jasper coughed and turned his head abruptly.

“It’s not a big deal.”

“No, how can this not be a big deal…”

“By tomorrow, the swelling will be gone. Conway’s special ointment works wonders.”

Jasper’s tone had a touch of sarcasm. Rose’s large pupils continued to shake.

Rose couldn’t believe that Jasper Conway had been punched by someone. It was even more unbelievable that someone had hit Jasper in the face.

Jasper stated matter-of-factly.

“I skipped class just to avoid making a fuss. That’s all.”

Jasper’s calm response made Rose feel like she should be the one getting angry.

“But who did this? Did someone slap you? That… that jerk…”

Rose rarely used strong language or criticized others. As she struggled to find her words and became unexpectedly agitated, Jasper intervened.

“It was my brother.”

“Oh. It might be really… bad or not… Yeah, it was your brother.”

As Rose tried to change her tone and mumble, Jasper let out a low chuckle.

“I didn’t listen to him.”

“But… even so, how could he hit you like that?”

In a family as honor-conscious as the Conway’s, you’d think they’d refrain from gossipy behavior, but it looked like the siblings’ fight had been pretty serious.

Jasper casually shrugged his shoulders.

“I hit him back, just the same.”

“…Oh.”

“He probably got hurt more. Serves him right.”

“Did you… fight with your brother often?”

“Well, occasionally.”

Jasper didn’t elaborate further. Since it wasn’t polite to pry into family matters, Rose left her curiosity aside and changed the topic.

“But why did you call me urgently?”

“Oh.”

Jasper turned his head and stared at Rose for a moment. Rose met his puzzled gaze.

“You mentioned I had a conversation with Caleb.”

“Yeah, I mentioned it earlier…”

There must be another reason for his urgent call.

“Caleb is dangerous.”

However, after throwing this cryptic warning, Jasper sealed his lips.

‘What’s that supposed to mean? Sending an express letter just to say that?’

Rose was bewildered.

“I thought you two were close.”

“It’s been a while. Caleb has always been strange.”

“But, Jasper.”

“What?”

“Is this the only reason you called me?”

“Of course…”

Jasper awkwardly cleared his throat and added.

“No. I have a magic engineering assignment due by Wednesday.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I didn’t have time on the weekend, and as you can see, I had a little issue.”

Jasper pointed to his cheek with his fingertips.

“So, you want help with your assignment. What kind of assignment is it?”

“Well… they want me to solve some practice problems, but there are too many and I don’t feel like doing it.”

Jasper rummaged through his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper.

“It’s one of the problems. Take a look.”

Rose took the paper from Jasper and unfolded it. After scanning through it, she realized it was a problem that required some applied solving.

“Oh, this looks a bit challenging.”

“Doesn’t it? I thought my head was going to explode. Can you help me with this?”

Although Jasper seemed irritated and was passing it off as a burden, there were traces of him attempting to solve the problem in one corner of the paper.

The writing was rough, with various mathematical expressions and a few question marks scattered about. A faint smile played on Rose’s lips.

‘But you’ve still put in some effort.’

Jasper stared at Rose for a moment and then asked gruffly.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. How many problems do you need to solve?”

“Five or six, I think.”

“That should be manageable. Why didn’t you tell me last Friday?”

“I forgot.”

“…Hmm, maybe we should reschedule the tutoring session for Tuesday this week? We can work on it together tomorrow. Is that time okay for you?”

Jasper gave a slight nod.

“Sure. That’s why I called you. I wanted to change the tutoring day for this week.”

“Oh… you could have told me tomorrow.”

“Well, if I told you later and you had other plans, what would we do? The assignment is due on Wednesday.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“If we don’t decide quickly, I’ll get annoyed. It’s frustrating.”

Rose nodded in agreement.

‘He’s quite impatient.’

Even if she had other plans, she would prioritize Jasper’s request. She owed him so much, that it was only right to accommodate him.

‘Sending express mail for this…’

Of course, the cost of express mail was probably a negligible expense for Jasper.

“All right, is everything settled then? Can I leave now?”

Rose asked, and Jasper’s lips curled slightly.

“Well, we still have a little time left.”

“Right, there’s still some time.”

“I’ve been cooped up in my room all day. It’s suffocating.”

“I can imagine.”

“I went outside for the first time today.”

“It must have been tough.”

“I almost died.”

Jasper stuck out his lower lip slightly, his expression reminiscent of a pouting child.

Rose was taken aback by Jasper’s unfamiliar expression. Without realizing it, she had adopted the tone she used when dealing with her younger siblings.

“Well… do you want to take a walk and then come inside?”

“Yeah.”

Jasper replied quickly and then added hastily.

“With you.”

“Oh, with me?”

“Because it’s boring to walk alone.”

“Is that so?”

“If you don’t want to, just say it. Is it cold?”

Jasper made a move as if he was about to take off his jacket. Rose quickly raised both hands to stop him.

“Not at all!”

Jasper’s hand hesitated in mid-air. Rose awkwardly added.

“Going for a walk is nice.”

Jasper, who had been standing a short distance away, followed Rose after a moment. She composed herself, masking her surprise.

‘He’s going to take off his jacket.’

Everything he’s been saying is absurd. Even though it might be a secluded place, if they happen to run into someone, rumors will circulate. At night, on a secluded path, just the two of them, with Rose Bell wearing Jasper Conway’s jacket. Each word in that story is provocative. Rose huddled her rounded shoulders. Walking together would be fine, but this… no.

Whatever the truth was, people liked stimulating speculations. Even if she denied it, no one would believe her. 

‘Moreover… if it were another girl, she would have misunderstood Jasper’s intentions.’

It was fortunate that they had firmly established their lack of interest in each other earlier.

‘He tends to take care of other people in his own way.’

That’s why many female students had crushed on Jasper. In his nonchalant and gruff demeanor, the occasional glimpses of tenderness could be deceiving.

Thud, thud. For a while, only the sound of footsteps echoed through the secluded path. The two walked slightly apart from each other, one in front and one behind.

Rose suddenly felt warmth on the back of her head. She sensed Jasper’s gaze from behind. Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, she turned to face him.

“I mean, Jasper.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Jasper stopped abruptly and just nodded.

“About Caleb. Does he have a girlfriend right now?”

The person involved had been evasive in their conversation, so Rose had no choice but to inquire directly.

“What?”

However, Jasper’s face contorted in an instant. He clenched his lower lip and spoke in a heated tone.

“Did you even listen to what I said earlier? Caleb? Caleb Sidoor? It’s a crazy idea. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t care, but that guy… never!”

“No, Jasper! It seems like you might be misunderstanding…”

“Misunderstanding what? Do you have feelings for Caleb? Tell me the truth, Rose Bell.”