The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 41

Episode 41

Jasper fell into silence with a displeased expression, lost in thought for a moment. It would be rational to give up early if it were an unreachable opponent. However, just the thought of withdrawing his feelings from Rose Bell ignited a fire in his chest.

‘Ah… I hate it.’

Jasper clenched his fist tightly. As Caleb said, there were plenty of women in the world. But there was only one Rose Bell. Even if he was surrounded by noble young ladies who met Ethan Conway’s standards, he was not pleased at all. It was an unwanted attraction.

‘…And Rose Bell doesn’t want me.’

Jasper let out a bitter laugh. He had been rejected by someone he felt attracted to for the first time. It was even before he had the chance to confess his feelings. Jasper had very little experience with rejection from anyone. He had always easily won everyone’s favor. He didn’t know how to approach someone first, as he had never needed to.

What was this feeling that burned in his chest? Was it a result of wounded pride and a desire to conquer? Would time eventually diminish this emotion? He couldn’t be certain of anything.

He couldn’t.

* * *

Monday, the first class. Rose entered the mineralogy classroom slightly nervous and went to her usual seat. Jasper hadn’t arrived yet.

‘When will he come…’

It was their first encounter with Jasper since their honest conversation about their feelings yesterday. When the conversation ended, she remembered how Jasper had hastily left with a stern face, and her heart felt uneasy.

‘I don’t want things to be awkward.’

Rose sighed softly as she unfolded her notebook and aimlessly doodled on the paper with her pen. She had almost been thrown off balance because of what Briley had said that morning.

“Jasper Conway doesn’t like you? That’s absurd! There’s no way… “

Briley acted as if she couldn’t believe her conjecture. She kept repeating it and checking, but at some point, she got heated.

“No, seriously, who does he think he is not to like you? It’s annoying! And he said he felt bad? Ridiculous!”

“Well, from Jasper’s perspective, it might be uncomfortable…”

“If I were Jasper, I would have started dating you right away. What’s so, uh, special about him?”

He was quite remarkable, after all. The son of a duke, handsome, and a swordfighting genius… To calm down the excited Briley, Rose chose to keep her thoughts to herself.

‘Briley sees me in such a good light.’

Briley’s misunderstanding had an unreasonable reason. After all, Rose wasn’t from a noble family, and it was quite unconventional for the son of Duke Conway to like a commoner. It seemed like a plot straight out of a romance novel.

Briley seemed unable to accept it until the end, but Rose was more at ease. As long as things didn’t become awkward between her and Jasper in the future, everything should work out fine.

Jasper entered the classroom just before the class started. His stride seemed as usual. Jasper stopped and stood next to Rose.

“Hello, Jasper.”

Rose looked up at Jasper, trying her best to smile naturally. Jasper nodded and casually took a seat next to her.

“You came early.”

There was no sign of awkwardness on Jasper’s face as he tilted his head slightly. Rose completely relaxed and smiled at Jasper.

“Yeah. But did you bring the assignment?”

“Assignment?”

“Today is the day we have to turn in the mineralogy assignment.”

“Oh, I forgot.”

Jasper furrowed his brow slightly and clicked his tongue.

“I had a feeling that would happen.”

“What’s with that reaction? I do my assignments, too, you know?”

“Submit it next class. I’ll help you tomorrow.”

Jasper, who had seemed a bit reluctant, just nodded. His response was so typical of Jasper Conway that Rose felt relieved.

‘Phew, I can get through this like before.’

No one had brought up their conversation from yesterday. It was as if nothing had happened.

After all, Jasper was used to being confessed to or misunderstood by girls. Yesterday’s brief incident was probably nothing special.

It seemed like a good idea to ask Jasper directly. If she had kept her thoughts and concerns to herself, it would have been much more uncomfortable than it is now.

Rose felt her heart pounding anxiously until Jasper arrived. Thanks to that, she was able to fully concentrate on the mineralogy class. Even as they walked together after the class, there was no strange tension between them.

Everything was peaceful, at least in their relationship. However, not long after, the tranquility disappeared throughout the academy. A significant event occurred that made everyone noisy.

Adela Bluewood had come directly to the 4th-year classroom. She was there to talk to Jasper Conway.

* * *

It was the afternoon after the common subject class had ended. The students were leaving the classroom one by one, but a crowd had gathered in the corridor, causing a buzz of excitement.

Rose, along with Briley and Rebecca, was leaving the classroom when they were surprised to see the commotion. Briley, the tallest among them, was the first to assess the situation.

“…What’s going on? Isn’t that Jasper Conway?”

Briley stepped forward and pushed through the crowd, with Rebecca and Rose following behind. Soon, Rose understood why the students had gathered.

In the middle of the corridor, Jasper Conway was facing off with a certain girl. Rebecca, who recognized the girl immediately, whispered to the others.

“Oh my, it’s Adela Bluewood. Why would a freshman be here…?”

Adela’s uniform had the school emblem indicating she was a first-year student. This place was quite far from the freshman classrooms.

Even if Adela had been alone, she would have drawn attention, but now, with Jasper Conway in the picture, all eyes were naturally on them.

Rose stared blankly at Adela. 

‘Bluewood…’

She remembered passing by Lady Bluewood last Saturday.

‘I wonder if Adela knows about Lord Verden?’ 

Lady Bluewood might have told her.

Unconsciously, Rose clenched her fist, and her palm became sweaty. Confronting someone who might know about her past was distressing.

Rose had seen Adela once before at the same event where she first met Jasper. It had been a birthday celebration for Adela, and she had been the center of attention. 

She had been a child back then, but the Adela in front of her now seemed like a poised young lady. She was a striking beauty that would leave anyone in awe at first sight.

The platinum blonde hair that cascaded, and the sharp, deep purple eyes were striking. Despite the tidiness of her appearance, a noticeable diamond-studded hair accessory caught the eye.

Standing upright in a school uniform exuded grace. It was a noble young lady as if orphaned by someone who saw it. 

Rebecca lowered her voice and asked with a curious tone. 

“…What’s the relationship between them?”

Adela and Jasper were facing each other. It felt as if a different air flowed only where the two of them were. The flowing luster of the blonde hair and the sharp yet dignified eyes were similar. They made a perfect pair. If someone had to stand next to Jasper Conway, it had to be Adela Bluewood.

People couldn’t easily leave this strange atmosphere between Adela and Jasper. Adela spoke, putting strength in her slender neck.

“We agreed to greet each other, but you seemed completely unreachable.”

Adela’s voice was pure, and her pronunciation was perfect. Jasper frowned and looked down at Adela.

“Did we make such a promise?”

“Oh, Mother told me that.”

If she mentioned Mother, she must have meant the Countess Bluewood. It was easy to guess what had been said among the family members.

The union of the Bluewood and the Conway. It was a natural event, without any surprise.

However, Jasper replied with a stiff voice.

“Go away.”

In Jasper’s cold tone, some onlookers seemed surprised and held their breath. Adela, on the other hand, paid no attention to her conversation partner.

Adela continued to gaze at Jasper without changing her expression as she spoke.

“That might be difficult, senior. Retreating alone from here… would be too damaging to my pride.”

Even though there was supposed to be equality within the academy, one couldn’t ignore the significance of the “Bluewood” surname attached to Adela. Moreover, rejecting the girl who had come first seemed like an ungentlemanly action.

If discussions had already taken place among the elders of the families, leaving Adela like this could be considered an insult to the Bluewoods.

With a calm but unwavering tone, Adela pushed Jasper.

“I hope we could have a conversation for a moment. There are no more classes, right?”

“Hah.” 

Jasper sneered and turned his head aside. At that moment, it seemed as if Rose and Jasper’s eyes met.

His irritated gaze lingered briefly in the direction where Rose was standing. Rose thought she should avoid those icy blue eyes. She wasn’t sure why she found this situation unsettling, and it was possible that Jasper hadn’t looked at her at all.

Rose discreetly positioned herself behind Briley. Briley turned her head slightly and whispered.

“Rose, are you okay?”

“Huh? What could be not okay?”

Unlike usual, there was no trace of a smile on Briley’s face. She moved a step to the side to shield Rose a bit more.

Before long, Jasper’s cold voice was heard from upfront.

“Alright, I understand. Let’s not do this here, just go.”

“Okay. Shall we go to the garden?”

“Fine.”

Adela and Jasper disappeared together. As soon as their figures were completely out of sight, murmurs and discussions began to grow from all around.