Episode 32

“Jasper, let’s go over there. It looks like the internal structure of an engine!”

“Sure.”

Jasper replied briefly and followed Rose silently. Outwardly, he seemed like someone who couldn’t care less, but deep inside, Jasper’s heart was racing.

‘…Adorable.’

Now, Jasper found Rose Bell cute and beautiful without any resistance. To him, it was an objective fact that no one could deny—Rose Bell was cute and pretty.

Ever since he first saw Rose Bell in front of the exhibition hall, something had changed in his mind. The muscles in his face seemed to have a mind of their own.

Jasper had arrived at the exhibition hall and had been waiting for Rose for quite some time. With each carriage that pulled in, he strained his eyes to find her. He had felt anxious while waiting.

Would Rose Bell notice that he had put effort into his attire and hair? Besides her expertise in magic engineering, she was generally indifferent, so maybe she wouldn’t pick up on it. Or perhaps he had gone too far? Was it too much? Was he being ridiculous?

Amidst all these worries, Rose Bell finally arrived. As he spotted her getting off the carriage in the distance, Jasper felt his heart skip a beat.

Her hair was neatly arranged, her skirt flowed smoothly, and her lace collar partially covered her neck. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Rose Bell must have also been conscious of their meeting today. He had felt excitement and nervousness, but when he heard that Briley had lent her the dress, his mood had cooled down. He felt upset at the suggestion that she had dressed up because of Briley’s advice.

In the end, it wasn’t Rose Bell’s intention that had led to her dressing up. Jasper had been excited when he thought about it. He had been irritated with himself, but when he saw Rose Bell’s slightly sulky expression, he didn’t know how to react.

‘Idiot.’

Lately, Jasper felt like he had become a fool. Especially when he was with Rose Bell, his emotions fluctuated constantly.

Seeing Rose so excited as they entered the exhibition hall, Jasper found that his feelings of resentment no longer mattered.

‘If she’s happy, that’s enough.’

After all, he knew he couldn’t compete with magic engineering.

Rose was bustling around more energetically than ever before. Jasper followed her every step of the way, silently thinking about various things.

‘Why am I so concerned about Rose Bell?’

He wanted to keep looking at her. He always wanted Rose Bell to be in his sight. This was the strongest feeling he had.

But another desire had silently crept up within him now.

He wished Rose Bell would notice him.

However, he had no idea how to make that happen. Jasper had never made any effort to gain someone’s favor before. He didn’t have to; people naturally came to him.

Jasper glanced at the distance between himself and Rose. It was only a step away. Yet, despite being so close, Rose Bell felt distant, as if she were far away.

‘She didn’t even react to the compliment…’

Jasper had mustered the courage to say it, but the response had been quite unimpressive.

He can’t make Rose Bell feel anything significant. But she can make him feel a lot.

He felt this temperature difference constantly and it made him feel uncomfortable. Whenever this happened, he felt overwhelmed and anxious.

“…sper, Jasper!”

Jasper, who had been lost in thought for a while, was jolted as Rose poked his shoulder. He looked at her in surprise, his gaze captured by her vivid green eyes that were looking straight at him.

“What’s the most interesting exhibit? I think it would be a good idea to write a report on it.”

“Well…”

Jasper swallowed hard. The most interesting exhibit? He hadn’t paid attention to anything else. He had been watching Rose Bell the entire time.

Even now, after hearing the question, all he could think about was what earrings would suit Rose Bell best.

“But if you had to choose one?”

“Me? Um… There were so many that it was hard to choose…”

“But pick one anyway.”

Jasper redirected the question back to Rose, trying to escape. She rolled her eyes before answering.

“The quad-car was the most impressive. It seemed like it would be unmatched in terms of convenience and speed compared to carriages.”

Jasper glanced over at the quad car. In reality, he wasn’t particularly fond of automobiles. It was tied to unpleasant memories for him.

“But it still lacks stability. Will it become commercialized?”

“It might be difficult. There have been frequent accidents.”

Jasper responded with a slightly subdued voice. Just then, they heard someone calling out to Rose from behind.

“Rose?”

A man called Rose Bell with a soft baritone voice. Jasper turned around with a stern face.

“Senior Theo?”

When Rose joyfully uttered his name, Jasper felt a sudden chill throughout his body.

Jasper quickly scanned the unfamiliar man from head to toe. Black hair, black eyes. He didn’t appear to be someone who would use dark magic. He had a lean physique, a friendly face, and a warm smile.

‘Who’s that guy?’

Rose called him “senior,” so he must be one of the Berkley graduates. Did Rose Bell have close friends among the seniors?

Jasper managed to recall the name “Theo Lixton” after some quick thinking.

‘A commoner scholar.’

He had heard his name during his freshman year. At that time, Theo Lixton was a senior. Since there was only one scholar student per cohort, their names became widely known.

Theo Lixton was one of the most famous among them. He was the first graduate to secure a diploma after the introduction of the Commoner Scholar program. There were rumors that Rose Bell would be the second.

Jasper vaguely remembered seeing Rose Bell and Theo Lixton talking during their freshman year.

‘Were they in the same circle?’

Regardless, he was a person who had graduated three years ago. Yet Theo approached Rose with such a familiar attitude.

“How did we meet here? It’s been a while, Rose.”

“I didn’t expect to see you here either, Senior…”

Jasper sneaked a glance at Rose. She looked more relaxed and comfortable compared to when she was dealing with him.

It felt like his heart had dropped to the ground. It was as if all of his internal organs were sinking lower in his body, leaving an empty feeling behind.

Jasper swallowed hard. His mind was racing, but his body felt cold and rigid.

* * *

When Jasper was engulfed in intense emotions, Rose was purely fascinated by coincidence. She had heard the story that Theo would be participating as a temporary assistant in Professor Margaret’s class from next week. She was already looking forward to it, but she didn’t know they would meet today.

The first emotion Rose felt when she saw Theo was joy and wonder. To Rose, Theo was a great role model as a senior. They were both scholarship students, and their majors coincided with magic engineering. Despite being only three years apart in the academy, the age difference felt significant.

After hearing the news that Theo had joined the research lab of some company, Rose hadn’t heard anything about his recent whereabouts. Today, she noticed he had changed quite a bit from their academy days.

The black hair, dark eyes, fair skin, neat attire, and friendly smile were still there. However, unlike their academy days, there was no hint of youthfulness. He looked like a respectable professional.

Theo smiled.

“Rose, you’ve grown taller, haven’t you? But who’s this next to you…”

Rose quickly introduced the two to each other. 

“He’s a friend from the academy. Jasper, this is Senior Theo Lixton. He was three years ahead of us. Senior, this is…”

In the middle of it, Theo interjected with a soft voice. 

“Jasper Conway, right? Nice to meet you.”

Jasper replied with a furrowed brow. 

“I do know who you are, but were we close?”

Jasper didn’t treat Theo as a senior. Moreover, this was outside the academy, and Theo wasn’t a current student, so there was no obligation to be respectful. In terms of social class, Jasper was far above Theo. There was a huge gap between the son of a duke and a commoner.

Theo Lixton was skilled in social etiquette and quick to pick up on cues. Seeing Jasper’s attitude, he immediately changed his tone and slightly nodded.

“I’m impressed that you remember who I am, even though we’ve never spoken.”

Rose alternated her gaze between the two men. The awkwardness of her admired senior using formal language with Jasper felt strange. Jasper, who naturally accepted Theo’s formality, also felt unfamiliar.

‘We get along comfortably…’ 

Lately, Rose hadn’t been aware of it, but watching Theo and Jasper’s conversation, she realized it again. They might be friends within the academy, but the moment they stepped into society, she and Jasper were completely different people.

Ouch. Suddenly, Rose felt a slight pain in her chest. 

‘Even though it’s not something I didn’t know.’

However, understanding something intellectually and feeling it in your heart was different. She tried hard to ignore the emotional signals her body was sending.

Jasper seemed to have no intention of hiding his discomfort. However, Theo not only appeared unfazed but continued the conversation smoothly with a smile.

“Are you enjoying the expo? I was invited here by a friend who used to work together, and it’s even more impressive than I imagined. There are so many interesting things.”

Theo had not lost his gentleness in his demeanor. It was precisely because of this that Rose had always liked Theo as a person.

Theo Lixton was always adaptable. He never seemed to lose his composure in any situation. If someone tried to bend him, he would yield gracefully but not break.

If Jasper Conway was a person who always maintained firmness like steel, Theo was the opposite. Rose had always thought that being flexible like Theo was better for surviving at Berkley Academy.