The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 133

Episode 133

Even though there was no one else in the clothing store, the tailor spoke in a lowered voice than before, more confidentially.

“How famous Miss Rose is in society these days.”

It seems that the news of who Jasper Conway’s lover is has spread throughout high society. 

She had suspected that it would come to this eventually, but hearing it directly made Rose feel uneasy.

“The ladies are talking about Miss Rose all the time. Understandably, they would be interested. There were quite a few ladies even before who had their eyes on Conway’s younger son.”

“Yes, that’s true…”

“But I support Miss Rose.”

The tailor suddenly grabbed Rose’s hand and her eyes sparkled. Rose nodded in surprise at her enthusiasm.

“Show us that fairy tale stories can come true. Let’s press down the competition from other ladies during the ball. I’ll make sure you look your most beautiful.”

“Is that possible?”

“Of course. Miss Rose is a gem. The more you polish it, the more it will shine. Don’t underestimate your beauty!”

“Yes… Thank you.”

Rose replied awkwardly. It was extremely uncomfortable to receive such blatant compliments on her appearance.

Even with the help of the tailor, can she stand out at the graduation ball? The Berkley graduating students were all preparing as if their lives depended on it.

If it had been Rose from last year, she wouldn’t have even considered attending the ball. Even now, the thought of going to the ball made her nervous and uncomfortable. Probably, such a situation would never become comfortable for her.

Nevertheless, the reason Rose is paying attention to this year’s ball is solely because of Jasper Conway. He asked her to go to the ball with him. As Jasper’s partner, she wanted to show everyone that she was not lacking.

Everyone will be on edge and eagerly awaiting the ball, but now that it has come to this, she doesn’t want to run away. Rose decided to face people’s curiosity and judgment head-on.

A peaceful and quiet life had been long gone. 

Every aspect of Rose’s life was not typical. 

A commoner scholarship student, a brilliant female engineer, and Jasper Conway’s lover… 

Rose pondered the Emperor’s advice once again. Living against the current, hardships would naturally follow. However, Rose had resolved to bear it all. 

She would not give up on living as a magic engineer in the Empire, nor would she give up her position as Jasper Conway’s lover.

* * *

While the capital was buzzing with talk, Atwood’s estate was dry and silent. 

It was the northernmost part of the country, and early winter weather had already arrived.

It had been almost a fortnight since Ethan Conway arrived in this land known as Atwood Estate. 

Ethan was staying alone in a small house arranged for him by the family.

It seemed like Charlotte was genuinely determined to divorce.

“Ha…”

Ethan sighed while sitting on a stiff couch. 

He had postponed several tasks to come all the way here. Naturally, he thought Charlotte would have a change of heart. He assumed that their brief separation would end with some minor incident, and they would ride back to the capital together in a golden carriage.

However, Charlotte hadn’t shown her face at all so far. It was as if she was holed up somewhere in the estate. She hasn’t been seen, and all talk of a divorce has been funneled through the estate. 

Charlotte’s father, Lord Atwood, had not changed his position of respecting his daughter’s wishes.

When Ethan heard the suggestion that he should propose a divorce settlement amount, he couldn’t contain his anger. Lord Atwood pointed out that Charlotte had unilaterally requested the divorce, so Ethan should state the amount he was willing to receive.

That was what Charlotte wanted, even if it meant paying the settlement. She seemed to have no intention of changing her mind.

‘Why?’

Had their marriage life been that dreadful? Ethan had thought that he had taken care of Charlotte in his way. He knew that it had not been enough to satisfy her.

‘So you say it will change now.’

Yet, Charlotte’s heart remained firmly closed.

At this point, negotiating with the Atwoods for the highest possible divorce settlement and returning to the capital would have been reasonable. If it were the usual Ethan, he would have done it without hesitation.

“Damn it.”

But strangely, he couldn’t leave Charlotte behind. If he returned to the capital alone now, it would truly be the end. They would no longer be a married couple, and he might never see Charlotte again in his lifetime.

Charlotte could become another man’s wife.

Suddenly, Ethan felt a choking sensation in his throat. His mind heated up. Charlotte was still young, and the idea of remarriage was not out of the question.

‘No, maybe she’s already thinking about remarriage.’

So, is that why she’s so adamant about getting a divorce? Because there’s another man? It wasn’t an implausible idea.

Ethan pressed his throbbing forehead with his hand and stood up from his seat.

“That’s not how it’s going to be.”

If he were to make a rational decision, going back to the capital right now would have been the right choice. There was a lot to handle. The regular council had little time left, and it seemed like Jasper had done something outrageous.

Even in the northernmost region of the Empire, news from the capital had arrived rather quickly. When Ethan first saw the article about Jasper, he wasn’t particularly upset because it seemed absurd.

If he had been in the capital, he would have intervened in some way or another, but here, all he could do was quietly listen to the news that arrived a step late.

Furthermore, if he were to take action to separate Jasper and Rose, Charlotte would probably disapprove. Amidst her resentment, she wouldn’t want him to do anything so obviously detrimental.

‘My father doesn’t seem to care about our affairs.’

Duke Conway had handed over all the responsibilities to Ethan and was enjoying a leisurely retirement in their territory. After passing on the reins, his message was clear: whether it’s divorce or marriage, you two handle it on your own.

‘It seems like I’m the only one who cares about the family.’

Everything had gone awry. His plans had fallen apart, and the path forward was unclear.

At this point, the best course of action seemed to be consistently sending letters to Charlotte, apologizing and trying to win her back. Ethan resumed writing the letter he had momentarily set aside due to his headache.

[Please, let’s meet in person. I admit I was negligent towards you. I promise to change. If you can’t trust my words, we can put it in writing. Tell me what you want. I heard city life was uncomfortable for you. Please tell me everything that troubled you. If anyone from the family disrespected you, just let me know, and I’ll handle it. Please, Charlotte, you’re a Conway. You can have anything you want. You’ve endured discomfort for so long. I just can’t understand…]

At that moment, a servant entered Ethan’s room. Ethan looked up from his letter-writing to see the servant.

“Has there been any communication from the Atwood side?”

“Well…”

“Did Charlotte send a reply?”

Ethan had been consistently sending letters to Charlotte, even though he received no responses. It was the only way he could think of at the moment.

The servant was briefly flustered by Ethan’s rapid-fire questions but finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, there haven’t been any messages from the lady. But there’s someone who wishes to see you.”

“Here? Who is it?” 

“They said it’s someone who works at Dom Industries. They heard the news that you were here and asked to meet while passing by.”

“People from that industry are here?” 

It was quite unusual. Being in the northernmost region of the Empire and an autonomous territory, it wasn’t common for businesspeople to visit. 

Ethan felt uneasy about what Dom Industries might be up to lately.

Ethan furrowed his brow and replied.

“Fine, let them know I’ll make time this afternoon.”

As the servant left, his doubts about Dom Industries quickly faded. 

Regardless of what they were up to, his top priority was to finish the letter he intended to send to Charlotte.

With a deeply furrowed face, Ethan immersed himself in the task of filling out the letter once again.

* * *

It was the evening after classes had ended. 

Rose headed to the laboratory where she had first started her secret tutoring sessions with Jasper. In the morning, Jasper had suddenly suggested they meet here.

In the past, she might have been nervous about being caught by someone while meeting Jasper, but now, she no longer had to worry about the gaze of others when seeing him. Instead, she had to deal with the countless curious looks of students.

However, no one directly approached her to inquire about her relationship with Jasper. Perhaps it was the influence of Jasper’s reputation as the student who had defeated a fellow student in the duel. Students were hesitant to approach Rose.

There was a general sense of caution within the academy that if you touched Rose’s bell, you might get into big trouble. Everyone seemed to realize that Jasper was an unpredictable and fiery individual.

‘Is this something to be thankful for…?’

With mixed feelings, Rose arrived at the laboratory. Jasper had arrived long before her and was leaning back on the sofa, sound asleep. His eyes were closed, and he appeared more relaxed than usual.

To avoid waking Jasper, Rose approached him quietly. She stood next to the sofa and admired Jasper’s face for a moment.

‘Wow… he’s handsome.’

The line from his forehead to his nose was perfect. 

Amid her admiration, Jasper’s hand suddenly reached out. Rose was pulled towards him in an instant, and she almost fell over him.

Only then did Jasper slowly open his eyes and smile at Rose. 

“Did you enjoy looking at my face?”

“Uh… you weren’t sleeping?”

“I’ve been awake since you walked in.”