Episode 110

Jasper had been silent for a while, his eyes slightly squinted. 

Rose, who had asked about the rumor involving Adela in anger, turned her gaze away, feeling embarrassed. She had been suffocating in the awkward silence.

Even though she thought she shouldn’t have said anything, Jasper was the one who brought up Theo’s story first. Nevertheless, it was the first time Rose had openly revealed her feelings of jealousy, so her face gradually turned red.

Jasper, rolling his eyes slowly, seemed to be deep in thought as he opened his mouth.

“…When did I?”

Rose stared at Jasper in bewilderment for a moment. Rumors had spread all over the Academy about Adela and Jasper, but Jasper looked innocent as if he knew nothing.

Jasper wrinkled his brow and muttered.

“Did I talk alone with Adela?”

A perplexed Rose hesitated before speaking.

“You don’t know? It was a few days ago near the training grounds…”

“The training grounds?”

Jasper raised his eyebrows for a moment and then suddenly seemed to remember something, as his lips slightly parted.

“Oh, that. I don’t think we talked about anything like that.”

Jasper didn’t seem to remember his conversation with Adela at all. 

Rose, who had never expected this situation, was momentarily at a loss for words.

The person at the center of the commotion at the Academy couldn’t even remember. The more Rose thought about the past few days, during which the Academy and her world had been turned upside down, the more she felt unjust.

Rose blinked her eyes and mumbled slightly curtly.

“The others don’t seem to think that way.”

Her lower lip protruded slightly. Jasper gazed at Rose intently and leaned his upper body towards her.

“Were you jealous?”

His voice was discreet as if whispering a great secret.

Rose looked at Jasper, her shoulders twitching. Jasper’s face showed a hint of excitement and amusement.

Rose was taken aback for a moment. Her body felt hot, but she couldn’t bring herself to say that it wasn’t jealousy. It was so blatantly obvious that it was jealousy.

Jasper’s smile deepened. He reached out and gently tapped Rose’s trembling hand.

“You’re jealous too.”

Jasper, mumbling softly, wore a blissful expression. The sharp edge that had always lingered on his face had softened, and instead, the freshness of a boy in love shone through.

As Rose faced Jasper, it seemed like several emotions that had overwhelmed her were settling down. She had thought it would be strange to feel jealous over something so trivial, but Jasper was so happy.

Rose’s heart beat rapidly in response to this unexpected reaction. After days of heartache caused by worries and jealousy, she now felt a warm sensation.

Listening to her quickening heartbeat, Rose spoke.

“I…I feel a little jealous too.”

As soon as Rose spoke, Jasper let out a long, deep breath and held onto Rose’s hand tightly, whispering.

“Did you worry about what Adela and I might have talked about?”

“Um… Rumors are spreading, but you haven’t said anything…”

“I guess you didn’t like that.”

Rose wriggled the handheld by Jasper and lowered her head.

“I didn’t dislike it. I just thought it was weird for me to be curious…”

Jasper interrupted Rose in the middle of her words.

“No, please, be curious. It’s not weird at all. Ask me questions, and be jealous every day. It makes me feel good.”

“Really?”

“You look like you don’t understand.” 

“Isn’t it annoying?”

Jasper’s eyebrows knit together and the corners of his mouth twitched downward. 

“Rose Bell, do you find me annoying?”

Jasper’s low voice carried an almost forlorn tone. At that moment, Rose, faced with the sight of the massive young man in front of her, felt a strange illusion that he looked smaller than her.

“Why would I find you annoying?”

“Because I get jealous easily. Even when you say hi to Theo Lixton, it annoys me.”

“Ah…”

She hadn’t expected Jasper to be that jealous. As Rose looked into Jasper’s eyes, she swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue. 

Jasper continued with a sulky tone.

“Lately, I haven’t liked that we’ve had less time alone. But you seemed fine, and…”

“No, I missed it too.” 

Jasper’s slightly twisted mouth responded to Rose’s fast denial.

“Really?”

“Yeah, so, um… I guess I was more bothered by the rumors.”

“Because you thought I might have gotten close to Adela?”

Rose’s voice quivered slightly at the end of the question. Jasper let out a small, breathless laugh.

“Did it seem that way? Adela Bluewood suggested we go watch the fireworks together during the festival, and I turned her down. That’s it.”

Jasper’s explanation, mumbled and cautious, carried a certain softness in his eyes. Rose, without realizing it, let out a sigh of relief and awkwardly nodded her head.

Jasper briefly stuck out his tongue.

“I didn’t even know such rumors were going around. No one directly asked me.”

“But there was quite a commotion in Berkley about the rumor that you and Adela were dating.”

“No one asked me directly.”

There was hardly anyone besides Caleb Sidoor who could be considered a mischievous candidate to ask Jasper a teasing question, and the only person had already left the academy.

Jasper tilted his head slightly and gazed at Rose more intensely.

“Rose Bell.”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t actually believe that rumor, do you? There’s no way I’m going to go see fireworks with Adela when I have you.”

“Um… Are we going to watch fireworks?”

With a slightly surprised tone in her voice, Rose asked. Jasper’s eyebrows narrowed when he heard her question.

“Are you saying you didn’t want to watch them with me?”

Instinctively, Jasper pulled Rose’s hand towards him. Even with just a slight tug, Rose’s body lifted halfway off the couch for a moment. After taking a few deep breaths, Jasper let go of Rose.

Rose looked at Jasper with a slightly shocked expression.

‘He didn’t say anything about it… I thought he wasn’t interested in fireworks.’

Rose hid the hand that had just been held by Jasper behind her back. The sensation of their skin touching had set her skin on fire.

Jasper spoke with a somewhat displeased expression.

“Make sure to clear some time for the festival evening. I’ll find a place where we won’t be seen by anyone else, and we’re going to watch the fireworks alone. Got it?”

After staring blankly for a moment, Rose quickly nodded with an excited voice.

“Yeah, sure.”

“…I thought you might be annoyed, but it seems not.”

“No, I wanted to watch the fireworks too. Jasper, did you know that…?” 

A superstition that says love is made when you watch fireworks with the person you love. Rose was about to mention it casually but stopped herself.

In an instant, her face turned red. She felt a rush of embarrassment and excitement simultaneously. Yet, the fact that Jasper had also thought of watching them together made her feel good.

She had been quietly troubled about it for a few days, but now her worries had disappeared, leaving only pure anticipation for the festival.

Jasper furrowed his brow as Rose trailed off, asking.

“What were you going to say?”

“Oh… um, I heard the fireworks this year are going to be much bigger and prettier than last year.”

Rose awkwardly smiled and changed the subject. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about how the cheesy love superstition had excited her.

* * *

As the festival drew closer each day, Berkley Academy became more vibrant and energetic. 

Various stands and booths were being set up all over the campus, and festival banners were hung on trees and lampposts.

Not only the students but also the staff were caught up in the excitement that the festival brought. However, Theo Lixton wore a somber and tense expression, far removed from the festival’s cheer.

Theo stood in a corner of the Berkley Communications Exchange and tightly gripped the communication unit with both hands. On the other end of the receiver, a dry and stern voice was audible. 

– This is very different from the situation Mr. Lixton described the other day. Are you saying you’re coming alone, without a partner?

The man on the other end was a headhunter from Weir Company.

Theo had been boasting to the Weir Company in various ways to make himself look good for quite some time. He had not only emphasized his career but had also talked extensively about the research he was currently involved in. He had inflated the introduction of his partner for the invention contest as well.

-What we wanted was an image. As you know, Mr. Lixton, talented resources are overflowing on our side as well.

“…I’m aware.”

-But the narrative of two commoner scholarship students from Berkley teaming up is not something you see every day. And if one of them is a girl, even more so.

Weir Company had plans to actively use Rose and Theo for their corporate promotion. 

They were particularly interested in the presence of Rose Bell, a commoner female engineering student who was about to graduate from the academy. 

If Weir Company were to promote her, it was certain to generate significant publicity.

Theo had kept the detailed information from Rose, and instead, he had only conveyed that Weir Company was interested in her for their new research facility. He expected Rose to accept the proposal based on that information alone.

-If you come individually instead of as a team, Mr. Lixton, I’m sorry, but we have reservations on our side.

“Why…?”

Theo’s face froze in shock.