Episode 94

Jasper stared down at George, who lay sprawled on the ground, babbling incoherently. His blue eyes grew increasingly cold.

As Jasper exerted more pressure on George’s knees, George shivered. The excruciating pain made his mind foggy, and he blurted out words without thinking.

“Young master, I’m so… so sorry!”

Jasper spoke in a low voice.

“That’s not it.”

“Y-Yes?”

George, with a tear-stained face, looked up at Jasper like a child. Jasper showed no reaction even as George sobbed and writhed in agony. He spoke in a calmer voice.

“Why are you apologizing to me? Can’t you understand the situation?”

George had no idea what he had done wrong. All he knew for sure was that Jasper’s threats were very real. One wrong move and he might truly become half-broken and handed over to the gang.

Jasper, clenching one hand tightly, struggled to maintain control. From the moment Rose Bell’s name had come out of George’s mouth, his judgment had become increasingly clouded.

‘…Has Rose Bell been living under this man’s mistreatment all this time?’

Should he just kill him? After all, George was a man who deserved to die. Sweet whispers echoed in Jasper’s mind.

Jasper wasn’t someone who derived pleasure from violence, but that didn’t mean he hesitated to use it when necessary. He had spent his entire life mastering the skills of violence as a means of survival.

The sole reason Jasper was holding onto his reason with great difficulty was Rose Bell.

If George died, the debt tied to his name would fall heavily upon his children.

‘Would anyone notice if he disappeared?’

If he could somehow settle the debt, and not let anyone know of George’s death.…

Although Jasper knew that killing civilians would result in punishment, he genuinely thought that this plan was a good one for the time being.

His expression remained cool on the outside, but inside, Jasper was seething with intense anger and had lost control of his reason.

“Please, forgive me… I don’t know what I did wrong…”

George mumbled apologetically, and, unintentionally, he wet himself. The stench filled the room, and Jasper grimaced.

“Apologize.”

“Yes, I’m sorry…”

“Stay focused. I mean, apologize to Rose Bell.”

“What?”

George had a shocked expression. He seemed utterly incapable of understanding the situation. 

Jasper sneered.

“You think Rose Belle will help you? No, she won’t, and you’ll never see her again until the day you die.”

“What kind of relationship could you have with my daughter…”

Jasper opened and closed his lips, furrowing his brow. It wasn’t any kind of relationship, yet.

He needed to establish a special connection with Rose Bell as soon as possible. A relationship that no one could deny or intrude upon. Jasper had grown impatient.

He grimaced as he once again applied pressure to George’s knees. George writhed in pain and confusion.

“Nobody will know. You will disappear forever from Rose Bell’s life. I will ensure that.”

“I… I was a terrible father…”

“You can’t even call yourself a father.”

“Yes… I can’t call myself a father…”

“Should I kill you, or should I let you live?”

“You… You mean me?”

“There’s no one else here.”

George’s pants were soaked with urine again. George now had a better understanding of his situation and desperately spoke.

“I promise I will never appear in front of Rose again… Yes, I did everything wrong. I was blinded by gambling…”

Jasper cast a disgusted gaze at George, whose attitude had changed so abruptly.

“Should never have spoken to Rose that way, but I lost my mind.”

“Lost?” 

Jasper raised an eyebrow.

“No, no, we’re entirely different people. Yes, yes, she’s truly hardworking and kind… I harassed her. I won’t do it anymore…”

“Harassed her?”

Jasper’s eyebrows shot up sharply.

“No, no, I meant that in a different context. I mean, I’m trying to say that I was a bad father to her. Now, I won’t be like that…”

Jasper stared at George as he continued to mumble, and he withdrew his foot, which had been pressing on George’s knee.

George gasped for breath and clutched his injured knee with both hands. While his bones might not have broken, it seemed that at least his ligaments were injured or his bones were bruised.

Jasper cast an emotionless gaze over the trembling George and pondered the words he had just heard.

‘Hardworking and kind… Rose Bell.’

There was no doubt that this was true. Rose was the kind of person who wouldn’t kill her father, no matter how much she despised him.

‘That’s why I should…’

However, if Rose were to discover the truth in the future, she would undoubtedly be shocked.

‘She might even be afraid of me.’

Jasper recalled the unique expression Rose would make when she was scared. 

As he continued to envision Rose’s face, his emotions gradually began to return.

“…First, it’s probably right to let you live.” 

Jasper muttered to himself. George groaned in pain, and at Jasper’s words, he flushed with anger. But he quickly screamed again, crying out in pain.

“Ah!”

This time, Jasper used his right hand to strike with a kick, not George’s knee. There was a clear sound of finger bones breaking.

George twisted his weakened body in agony, but in the end, he couldn’t overcome the pain and passed out. Jasper turned his eyes upside down and kicked the unconscious George with his toe.

Caleb, who had gone to contact Redmark, returned. Caleb, who had opened the hotel room door and entered, was momentarily speechless at the scene in front of him.

“Jasper, what have you done?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Not doing anything? That guy is covered in bruises, even urine!”

Caleb felt a sense of revulsion. Previously, when Rose was taken to the inn, Jasper had lost his mind in anger. However, it seemed that the level of anger was much higher now.

Caleb shook his head with a disgusted expression.

“It’s terrible. If Rose were here, she would be terrified.”

Jasper bit his lower lip at Caleb’s comment.

“…You’re right.”

“Does Rose know you’re like this?”

“She shouldn’t know. Don’t… don’t say anything to Rose Bell.”

Caleb looked at the restless Jasper with a worried look and let out a bitter laugh. Then he muttered to himself.

“First love can be quite tumultuous, huh.”

* * *

Weeks passed, and now the vacation was more than half over. The smell of the sea in the port city of Valloch had grown stronger, and the Imperial capital was at its greenest.

Rose Bell often walked through the academy corridors with several books in her arms. She was on her way to return the books she had borrowed from the library a few days ago.

There was only one librarian in the library, and she was dozing off. Even during the vacation, the number of students coming to read books regularly was rare.

These days, not only the library but the entire academy was quiet. The dormitory rooms that used to echo with the joyful voices of students were now incredibly silent.

Rose gently whispered as she placed the books in front of the librarian.

“I’d like to return these.”

The dozing librarian woke up with a start, shivering. She blinked slowly and then warmly greeted Rose.

“Oh… it’s Miss Rose. You’re diligent as always. Is your research going well? The contest submission deadline is approaching, isn’t it?”

Rose smiled softly and nodded her head.

“Yes, I’m in the final stages.”

“I hope you achieve good results.”

“Thank you.”

Rose politely bid farewell and left the library.

What had initially seemed overwhelming in her contest preparations had now reached the final stages. At this moment, she was testing the functionality of the band brakes she had designed by installing them on an actual car.

She had thought her design was perfect, but when applied in reality, several shortcomings became apparent. The size didn’t match with some car models, causing a gap, and the braking power was insufficient when driving downhill.

Rose kept herself busy by gradually addressing the issues she had discovered. Now, she finally had a moment to take a breather.

With no urgent matters at hand, Rose was about to head straight back to the lab, a habit of hers.

‘Oh, right. I decided to take a break from my research today.’

Theo had an external engagement, and Rose had planned to take a day off. She stood still in the middle of the courtyard and sighed.

“It’s hot.”

Rose mumbled to herself and then stepped into the shade of a tree. Leaning against a tree trunk to escape the sun’s rays, various thoughts naturally crossed her mind.

‘I wonder what the kids are doing.’

She had received letters from Briley and Rebecca not too long ago, sharing their recent updates.

‘…Is Jasper okay?’

However, for several weeks, there had been no news from Jasper. Rose’s lower lip slightly protruded.

‘I hope he hasn’t been injured during military training. It must be tough to be with unfamiliar people. Jasper is more delicate than he seems, and he has a subtly sensitive side…’

Thoughts related to Jasper continued to fill her mind endlessly. Whenever she had a moment outside the lab, it was like this. Before going to sleep, she would quietly open the drawer and reread the letters Jasper had sent.

Instead of sorting out her feelings during the vacation, she found herself thinking about Jasper every day. If she could at least get in touch, her anxious curiosity would be eased, but not knowing his whereabouts or well-being made her even more anxious.

Rose let out a long sigh as she absentmindedly tapped the ground with the tip of her shoe.

‘Where on earth is Jasper and what is he doing…?’