Episode 101

“Will you marry me?”

They had just exchanged words of affection, and now he was talking about marriage. There seemed to be something missing in the middle. It felt like they were skipping many steps.

Rose, who was momentarily lost in a situation, spoke.

“Marriage? What’s all this talk about marriage all of a sudden, Jasper?”

“You said you like me too. Let’s get married after we graduate.”

“Just a moment.”

Rose tried to withdraw her hand from Jasper, but he wouldn’t let go. Jasper’s intense gaze was piercing.

Realizing that Jasper was serious, Rose exclaimed in a bewildered voice.

“We’re still underage, and we haven’t even graduated yet.”

“I was born in January, so I’ll be an adult in a few months.”

“That’s not what’s important right now…”

“Let’s make a promise in advance. We can proceed right after graduation. It’s better to have a child a little later. Do you like kids? If you don’t want to, I…ugh.”

Rose, unable to stand it any longer, used her free hand to cover Jasper’s lips. 

Her face was flushed, as if it would explode if touched.

“Calm down! You’re moving too fast, Jasper!”

Jasper simply stared at Rose while his lips were sealed. Rose swallowed hard and calmly tried to receive Jasper’s intense gaze.

She said with a trembling voice.

“Marriage isn’t a joke. Most importantly, our families will oppose it, so what are we going to do about that?”

Jasper spoke with Rose’s palm still covering his lips.

“That…”.

Rose was startled and quickly removed her hand. It was because she could vividly feel Jasper’s breath and the movement of his lips.

Jasper spoke with a slightly disappointed expression.

“I’ll handle it on my own.”

“Handle it…?”

“Don’t worry about what our families say.”

Rose pressed her trembling forehead with her hand. During their separation, she had momentarily forgotten, but Jasper was always unpredictable.

In truth, Rose had not seriously considered marriage. Simply being in a relationship with Jasper was a big decision in itself.

For Rose, marriage was still a distant prospect. Above all, she had no intention of marrying until she achieved social success and had stable finances.

If she became a widely renowned magic engineer, the Conway family might even permit them to marry. Although that seemed like a slim possibility.

‘At the very least, it won’t work in our current state.’

Furthermore, getting caught in any fraudulent activity would be a disaster. They couldn’t even afford to pay the bail right now, which meant they would end up in jail.

Seeing Rose in a state of confusion, Jasper spoke cautiously after a long silence.

“I’m okay with just getting engaged in advance.”

Jasper slowly leaned towards Rose as he spoke.

Rose desperately tried to push Jasper away while taking a deep breath. Inadvertently, she touched Jasper’s shoulder, and he reflexively emitted a soft groan.

“S-Sorry! Did I hurt you? Lie down quickly. Don’t get up.”

Jasper lay back on the bed and looked at Rose.

“You’re really worried about me.”

“Of course, I’m worried.”

“You seem to like me quite a bit. I guess you should marry me.”

“Jasper…”

Amidst Jasper’s disheveled clothes, traces of a gunshot wound briefly appeared. Rose sighed deeply and muttered.

“How can I marry a guy who won’t even tell me how he got so injured?”

“Oh, right.”

“Can you marry someone who lies to you…?”

“I’ll tell you the truth. I received a secret mission from the Emperor.”

“What? Wait, hold on.”

Rose reached out her hand desperately. She had a feeling that something she shouldn’t hear was coming.

Jasper, who had always casually brushed aside conversations about the gunshot wound, suddenly dropped a bombshell this time. His expression remained composed.

“Is it okay to tell me about it?”

“Because you don’t like guys who lie.”

“I didn’t know it had to do with the Emperor…”

For Rose, this was a development she had never even imagined. 

Jasper whispered as he lowered his voice slightly.

“I’m only telling you, Rose. Caleb and the family don’t know. If it’s revealed that I disclosed classified information, the Emperor won’t be pleased.”

“I won’t ask any further…”

The Emperor had felt like a distant, shadowy figure to Rose. She had never seen her face up close, and the idea of receiving direct orders from the Emperor was beyond her imagination.

But Jasper had dealt with the Emperor and given orders. It was almost taken for granted that Jasper would become an officer after graduation.

Rose couldn’t quite grasp why Jasper had been chosen for this mission, even though she thought there must have been some exchange with the Emperor. It seemed strange that it was Jasper, who was still a civilian and hadn’t graduated from the academy, and not a member of the Imperial Guard.

The question raised uncomfortable doubts, but it didn’t seem like something she should delve into further.

Rose swallowed hard and spoke.

“So, is the mission now complete?”

“Yeah.”

“And the gunshot wound… was it during the mission?”

Jasper nodded.

“It was a risky mission, but you couldn’t refuse?”

“It was for the Empire, and I wanted to impress the Emperor.”

Jasper let out a subtle laugh. Rose gazed at Jasper’s slightly crooked shoulder with a worried expression.

“Dealing with these things will become common in the future, Rose.”

“That’s unbelievable…”

“Soldiers should be prepared to sacrifice their lives for their homeland.”

“Don’t say that. Life is precious.”

“If there’s someone genuinely concerned about me by my side, I’ll do my best not to get hurt. Like a wife, for example.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Even if I’m not there, you should still try not to get hurt.”

“That sounds like you want to be my wife.”

Rose pursed her lips in realization.

“You keep talking about marriage, and I can’t help but… Why do you want to get married so badly?”

Jasper replied with a voice devoid of laughter.

“It makes it easier for me to protect you.”

Rose didn’t quite understand Jasper’s words. She felt more feverish and dizzy than she had a moment ago. Amid her blurry vision, she felt Jasper’s hand on hers again.

“I want you to be mine. I want to be yours too.”

“Talking about this is premature… We haven’t even dated.”

“Oh, right. Then let’s start dating before we get married.”

Rose was taken aback and held her breath for a moment. She hadn’t expected to have this kind of conversation with Jasper so soon after they reunited. 

They had confirmed their feelings for each other, so transitioning to dating didn’t seem too strange.

Even though it was undoubtedly a natural progression, Rose felt awkward about everything. Her joints felt creaky, and even her breathing felt strange.

With trembling lips, Rose spoke in a faint voice.

“It’s too sudden, Jasper…”

“But you like me too.”

“That’s true, but…”

Jasper, who had been lying down, slowly raised his upper body and then pressed his lips firmly against the back of Rose’s hand before pulling away.

“Love me, Rose.”

As his deep voice reached her ears, Rose felt a surge of heat throughout her body. The energy radiating from his blue eyes felt particularly intense. The area where Jasper’s lips had touched tingled and burned.

“I, I…”

Rose stuttered as her lower lip quivered. She hadn’t slept properly for days, and her body couldn’t handle the overwhelming sensation.

Soon, her head spun, and a ringing noise filled her ears. After receiving the confession accompanied by a kiss on the back of her hand, Rose fainted.

* * *

Jasper looked down at the deeply sleeping Rose and furrowed his brow.

‘Kissing her hand might have been too much.’

However, he hadn’t expected her to faint. He was so surprised when her petite body went limp.

Jasper immediately contacted the doctor who had treated his shoulder. The doctor came to disinfect the wound but found himself having to examine an unfamiliar woman.

“She’s just asleep right now. It seems she was sleep-deprived. She also has a slight fever. Otherwise, she’s fine. But, sir, you should take care of yourself first…”

Jasper didn’t listen to the doctor’s lecture that followed. The most important thing was that Rose was safe.

He quickly reserved another hotel room and moved Rose there. If the doctor had seen him carrying Rose, he would have scolded him again.

Before long, Briley arrived and took turns with Jasper to care for Rose. She slept for the better part of the day.

‘It’s time for her to wake up soon.’

Jasper sat by the bedside, quietly watching over Rose as she breathed rhythmically. He was lost in thought.

Rose’s words about hating liars kept replaying in his mind. He had no choice but to lie, considering the circumstances. He had told several lies to Rose.

First and foremost, the mission being over was a lie. Edwin hadn’t been found at the scene where Jasper had collapsed. He had either fled on his own or someone had taken him away. 

Based on the report the Emperor had received, the latter was more likely.

Jasper had felt a needle prick his skin, although it might not have been a lethal dose, there was certainly some poison injected.

“A small amount of poison can be deadly. It wouldn’t have been easy for him to escape without receiving the antidote.”

He didn’t know who had helped Edwin, who they were, or why they had assisted him.