Episode 29

The damn Bluewood. Jasper scowled. He was getting tired of hearing that last name.

“Don’t lecture me, too.”

Caleb shrugged in response to Jasper’s outburst.

“If my genuine concern sounds like a lecture to you, then so be it.”

Jasper had no particular fondness for Adela Bluewood. They had crossed paths a few times at social gatherings before. The age gap of three years felt significant in their teenage years, and in Jasper’s mind, Adela was nothing more or less than a child.

Jasper let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair. 

‘Rose Bell is enough to give me a headache, let alone an engagement.’

He couldn’t spare thoughts for anyone else. Even examining his feelings about Rose felt exhausting. When he was with Rose, his whole body tensed up. His face was stiffer than usual, and he couldn’t naturally express his emotions.

He found it amazing how Caleb effortlessly charmed women he liked. 

How could he do that? Jasper gave Caleb a disapproving glance.

“But by the way, I heard you’ve been dating someone lately.”

“Huh? Me?” 

Caleb pointed at himself. 

“Well, it’s not exactly dating…”

Caleb was the type to openly discuss his love life, but now he hesitated.

Jasper prodded him with a teasing remark.

“If it’s not a relationship, is there some kind of family wedding talk going on?”

Caleb cleared his throat awkwardly and chuckled. 

“I just mentioned it casually, but it seems like it was for real. Who’s the lucky lady?”

“You probably don’t know her.”

“I don’t know her? I know most of the nobility in the capital.”

Caleb poked Jasper’s shoulder with a smirk. 

“Why are you so curious all of a sudden? You used to have no interest in other people’s business.”

“You brought up the topic of women first.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll tell you… She’s the daughter of Viscount Sherman’s brother.”

“Viscount Sherman? Rebecca Sherman’s cousin?”

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

“Uh… yeah.”

“You… dated Rebecca, didn’t you?”

“For a very brief moment.”

Caleb replied, avoiding Jasper’s gaze. Jasper couldn’t help but chuckle and thought about Rose.

‘The person who asked Rose for information… Could it be Rebecca Sherman?’

Having some connection with Rose and being interested in Caleb’s dating status made Rebecca the most likely candidate. Rebecca seemed to have genuine feelings for Caleb.

In truth, Rebecca’s situation wasn’t particularly important to Jasper. He was just pissed off at the possibility that Rose had done her a favor.

‘They’re not good friends.’

Last year, Jasper had heard rumors that Rebecca Sherman had complained about not wanting to share a room with commoners. 

‘Anyway, it seems she’s smitten.’

Jasper had been confined to the dormitory all day, so he hadn’t seen Rose and Rebecca together yet. He didn’t even know they had gotten closer last Saturday.

This made him worry unnecessarily and focus on Rose even more. He began to wonder if Rebecca Sherman was trying to take advantage of her.

Jasper bit his lower lip. Suddenly, he realized that if things continued like this, people would keep gathering around Rose Bell. It was all because of Briley. Briley had been dragging Rose around, causing a commotion everywhere they went. 

‘…Aren’t all these guys just flocking to her?’

So far, Rose Bell had seemed like a sensitive, skittish creature who avoided people. 

‘At first, she treated me the same way.’

However, as they got closer, Jasper could sense Rose Bell’s warmth and affection. It was only a matter of time before others will also noticed her true nature. Then, Rose Bell would undoubtedly be surrounded by people. It was only natural. Rose Bell was not only beautiful but also had a good personality.

She was warm yet strong-willed. Despite her delicate appearance, she was not fragile. She had a clear sense of self and could be surprisingly firm when needed. Jasper suddenly remembered how Rose had adamantly refused to let him cover her with his jacket.

‘She refused something like that, but she’s willing to help others.’

Jasper thought, his eyes narrowing. Did she have to dislike him so much? Irritation welled up in him once again.

Jasper shook his head vigorously, trying to stop his thoughts about Rose. Then he spoke to Caleb, attempting to change the subject.

“By the way… even if you dated her briefly, you’ll end up marrying Rebecca’s cousin? You used to like Rebecca quite a bit.”

“…Did I? Well, it seemed like I did.”

“She must be furious.”

“What can I do? It’s been a long-standing arrangement between our families. I didn’t even know… Ugh, my head hurts.”

Caleb seemed to want to avoid thinking about it any further as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Then he flopped back on the couch and muttered.

“I didn’t know either, I didn’t…”

“Have you met the girl you’re supposed to marry?”

“Once.”

“How is she?”

“She’s pretty. She didn’t seem to know about my history with Rebecca. If she found out, would she call off the engagement?”

“You intend to go through with the marriage?”

“It seems like the adults have already discussed it from a business perspective. It would be a bit difficult to cancel the marriage.”

“If it were me, I’d call it off.”

Jasper leaned against the backrest, crossing his legs slowly. Caleb clicked his tongue.

“If I’ll do that, I’ll be fighting with Father. The eldest son has his destiny.”

“That’s true, but you should at least disclose your relationship with Rebecca.”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Being honest and forthright suits you.”

Caleb let out a resigned sigh and kicked his feet around, his unruly silver hair going in all directions. Jasper nonchalantly remarked.

“Is avoiding the issue going to solve anything? What about Rebecca?”

“What can I do? Pretend I don’t know. She’ll probably do the same. She’s got her pride. Anyway, it’s a matter that’s been agreed upon between the families for a long time. We can’t break it.”

“Did you break up with Rebecca because of this, by any chance?” 

Caleb, who had been constantly mumbling, paused for a moment. 

“No. In any case, Viscount Sherman’s daughter deserves a better man than me.”

“At least you realize you’re not a very good man.”

Caleb raised his head slightly with an indignant look, eyeing Jasper. 

“You’re not denying that your friend…”

“I’m usually quite honest.”

Caleb grumbled for a moment before letting out a sigh and relaxing. 

“I admit I’m somewhat lightweight! That’s why I hadn’t met a girl from a strict family before. Dating Rebecca was a mistake. It wasn’t like me.”

“If it was a mistake, you should correct it.”

“How can I do that?”

“That’s something you need to figure out for yourself. Anyway, the current situation doesn’t look too good.”

“I know that too! Geez, don’t lecture me.”

“You started lecturing first.”

“I won’t do it! I won’t do it, okay? Whether you meet Adela Bluewood or not, it’s not my business.”

Jasper nodded with satisfaction and stood up. Caleb’s grumbling continued to echo in the background, but Jasper ignored it as he settled into the desk chair. Then, a sense of puzzlement crossed his face for a moment.

‘Rebecca needs to meet a better man than himself? How could he say that? Even if it was sincere.’

Caleb was very different from usual when he was dating Rebecca. Even Jasper, who usually didn’t care about others, remembered it with curiosity.

Caleb was never a serious guy. He tended to chase after things more deliberately. He always thought lightly of relationships and ended them quickly.

But Caleb talking about Rebecca didn’t seem casual. They broke up shortly afterward, and he thought it was typical of Caleb, but looking at the current situation, he may have had no choice but to break up with her.

Whatever Caleb’s situation, Jasper thought he was cowardly. It seemed like he was running away from his true feelings in the end.

‘If it were me, I wouldn’t do that.’

Why should he let go of someone he likes? Moreover, wishing for their happiness with someone else as if you’re giving up. It was a thought process that Jasper couldn’t understand.

Jasper always gave his all to what he truly wanted. There were only a handful of things he liked as much in the first place. Swordsmanship, horseback riding, poker… and nothing else came to mind.

It was the reason he could maintain his indifferent attitude. He spent all his energy on the things he cared about, letting the rest go.

Oblivious to the throbbing headache, Jasper found himself thinking about his red-haired friend. A sigh escaped him without him realizing it.

‘Why is it bothering me so much?’

This was the first time he had experienced such confusion. Therefore, he had to be even more careful. Rose Bell was a complicated person. He didn’t want to take her lightly.

Amidst these thoughts, he suddenly remembered that tomorrow evening was the tutoring session with Rose. His headache instantly subsided. It was a good idea to move the tutoring session forward by a day.

‘I can’t just have tutoring sessions with her all week, can I?’

He needed to give Rose Bell time for her studies. Jasper ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and got up from his seat.

It seemed better to move his body. Jasper believed that when his mind and body were tired, exercise was the solution.

He put his hands on the floor and did push-ups with a blank expression on his face.

‘…Maybe I should tell her about Caleb tomorrow.’

After some hesitation, he decided to postpone giving Rose Bell information for a few days. He wanted to fill tomorrow evening’s conversation with their own stories, even though it would mostly revolve around magic engineering topics.

‘Maybe she’ll be nicer to me if I have what I need.’

Jasper’s breathing remained steady as he continued his workout, but his forehead wrinkled slightly. Why did he have to think about such petty things because of Rose Bell? He felt a sense of guilt, but he didn’t change his decision.

Even if he had to use various tricks, he wanted to win Rose Bell’s favor.

‘Why am I getting so worked up like this?’

Jasper’s pace of doing push-ups doubled.