The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 43

Episode 43

Rose turned her head back with a puzzled look, but there was nothing particularly unusual. Theo also had an unaffected expression, so Rose put aside her confusion and handed a note to Theo.

“This is related to the turbo design… Did I make a mistake in my calculations?” 

“Well, let me take a look.”

Theo took Rose’s notes and began to explain step by step. As he switched to simpler words and provided examples, Rose quickly grasped the concept.

Before she knew it, Rose was completely absorbed in Theo’s words, losing track of time.

* * *

‘It’s late!’

Rose exclaimed as she hurriedly climbed the stairs to the annex, wearing a worried expression.

‘Is Jasper going to be angry?’

For a while now, Rose had been receiving private tutoring from Theo. She had to check the time in the middle of it, but it had already been about 20 minutes past the scheduled tutoring time when she finally snapped out of it. She couldn’t keep Jasper waiting. Even if Jasper was going to be upset, she had no choice.

‘I got too carried away…’

Rose hadn’t met anyone among her engineering peers of the same age as smart as Theo Lixton. It had been a long time since she had engaged in such in-depth academic discussions. They had been talking about engineering non-stop for nearly an hour. It felt like a long-buried desire had been fulfilled.

‘But I still need to get my act together!’

Rose muttered to herself as she ran toward the lab where Jasper was supposed to be.

The hallway was, as always, dimly lit. Today, she had forgotten her portable lantern, so she had to fumble her way through the darkness. Under normal circumstances, she would have been trembling with fear.

However, right now, her mind was so filled with the thought of being late that she wasn’t even scared. She was not the type to be late regularly, which made it even more unsettling.

As she arrived in front of the lab where the light was spilling out, Rose immediately opened the door.

“I’m late! I’m sorry!”

Rose apologized as soon as she stepped inside. Jasper was sitting on the lab sofa, looking somewhat indifferent. His cold gaze turned toward Rose.

‘…He must be angry.’

Jasper had always given off a stern impression, but now there was an even colder air around him. Rose approached Jasper with a nervous look on her face.

“Sorry for being late… Were you waiting long?”

“You…”

Rose was bracing herself for the sharp words Jasper might say. She thought it was only natural for him to be angry since she was clearly in the wrong. Jasper had his responsibilities, and wasting time must have been frustrating for him.

But Jasper’s next words were unexpected.

“…You were with Theo Lixton.”

Jasper’s voice lacked its usual force. Rather than sounding angry, it seemed almost defeated.

“How did you know?”

“I saw you as I was passing by.”

His tone was not as sharp as usual. As Jasper continued speaking, Rose felt even more apologetic. She looked at Jasper, unsure of what to say.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to ask Senior something I didn’t know…”

“It seems like you enjoyed it.”

Jasper said with an unusually soft tone, then patted the spot next to him on the sofa.

“Sit down for now.”

“…Okay.”

Rose sat slightly apart from Jasper and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Jasper, without turning his head to Rose, muttered to himself, staring somewhere into the empty air.

“I understand. Talking to that guy must be more fun.”

“Jasper… Are you mad by any chance?”

“It’s not even an hour late; do I have a reason to be mad? Why? Do I look mad?”

“No… you look upset.”

Only then did Jasper turn to Rose. Rose held her breath, waiting for Jasper to continue.

“Is Theo Lixton affectionate?”

Rose was taken aback by the unexpected question. 

“Affectionate? Why do you ask?”

“You seem to interact with him very comfortably. …while with me, you’re terrified.”

Jasper’s subdued voice somehow sounded mournful. Jasper Conway appeared vulnerable… Rose thought it was such a strange thing to say as soon as she recalled that sentence in her mind.

But her heart felt that way when she faced Jasper. Jasper, who had everything, looked sullen now.

‘Did I hurt you a lot?’

Rose Bell tended to yield easily to the weak. It was a habit she had developed while taking care of her siblings.

As she looked at Jasper, her heart inexplicably fluttered. Rose tilted her upper body slightly towards Jasper and spoke casually.

“Why would I be afraid of you…?”

“But it seems that way to me.”

Jasper’s eyes carefully scanned Rose’s face in front of him.

“Of course, at first, there were moments when I was a little… very slightly, scared. But not anymore.”

“You don’t smile comfortably in front of me.” 

“…Me?”

Jasper suddenly grabbed Rose’s wrist. Rose was startled by the warm touch on her skin, but she couldn’t bring herself to push Jasper away.

“Rose Bell.”

Jasper’s tone was slow.

“I don’t keep a lot of people close. You know that, right?” 

“Yes…”

“For me, Rose Bell, you’re one of the very few…” 

Jasper swallowed dryly and continued.

 “..friends.”

“Jasper, I also think of you as a good friend. No, to me, you’re more than just a friend.”

“Then don’t be afraid of me from now on.” 

“….”

“Because it hurts.”

Had Jasper ever revealed his feelings so calmly? When Rose heard Jasper’s voice, filled with what seemed like many emotions, her heart sank.

Jasper didn’t seem like someone who would easily get hurt, especially not by the emotions she thought she could evoke in him.

Jasper, when you got to know him, was also an eighteen-year-old boy. Perhaps she had treated him too differently because of the Conway surname. It might have made Jasper uncomfortable, instead.

Rose’s lips drooped downward. Jasper’s grip on her wrist was getting stronger, but Rose was lost in thought and didn’t feel any pain. She didn’t even notice the intense scrutiny.

Jasper let out a long sigh.

“I wasn’t mad on Sunday either.” 

“Oh…”

Rose looked at Jasper for a moment in a daze. Sunday was the day she had asked him, misunderstanding his feelings.

“I thought you were upset.”

“I was just surprised.”

“Yeah, that’s possible too. It must have been unexpected. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Jasper’s face, which had emitted a strangely gentle aura, hardened at once.

“…Let’s just drop this topic.”

Rose murmured, shaking her head. Jasper finally released her wrist, and with an embarrassed sigh, he swept his hair back.

Jasper licked his lower lip and asked. 

“How about Rebecca Sherman?”

“She still seems a bit flustered because of Caleb.”

“Where are we having Club activities this week?”

“There’s no confirmation yet… I’ll have to ask Bry.”

“When the location is decided, let me know. I’ll take Caleb there.”

“Oh, you plan to make Rebecca run into him by chance?”

Rose’s voice had a hint of concern. Even if she forced Rebecca and Caleb to meet, it wouldn’t make a difference if Caleb continued to avoid speaking his true feelings.

However, Jasper responded as if to say, ‘What’s the problem?’

“We need to find a way to make them have a serious conversation, even if we have to lock them up.”

“Lock them up? How?”

“Well, if we think about it for a few days, we’ll come up with something, right? There are three of us, plus Briley.”

Jasper made a dissatisfied face, briefly stuck out his tongue, and continued.

“Caleb is a coward. We need to corner him to get him to speak the truth.”

Rose sighed deeply. Because of the customs of strategic marriages between noble families, Rebecca and Caleb’s relationship had become even more tangled.

One good thing about not being nobility was escaping the suffocating customs of strategic marriage. The procedures were so complex. It was more like a business contract than a marriage.

In a weary voice, Rose mumbled.

“Strategic marriages are exhausting.”

Upon hearing Rose’s words, Jasper tilted his head and looked at her intently. Then, in a low, thoughtful voice, he asked.

“If you had to go through an unwanted strategic marriage… could you accept it?”

“Hmm… well,”

Rose scratched her cheek with her fingertip before continuing. 

“It’s a tough question. I feel fortunate to be a commoner. Still… if it’s an arranged marriage between noble families, there might not be a choice, right?”

“Are you saying you would just go along with it?”

“Living as a noble is like that. It comes with many responsibilities. …Well, I’m not sure. It just seems like that when I imagine it.”

“What if you had someone you loved?”

“Oh…”

Rose rolled her eyes in different directions. It was a painful thought even to contemplate. 

An unwanted arranged marriage and true love. It was a recurring theme in many romance novels, but it seemed terrifying to think of herself as the protagonist. Most novels had the protagonist escape from an arranged marriage to find true love.

But would reality be the same? Unlike the world in books, reality was not always so straightforward. Rose Bell had painfully learned that over her lifetime.

After pondering for a moment, Rose answered Jasper.

“Because you can’t live on love alone.”

“So, you’d choose the arranged marriage?”

Rose awkwardly lifted the corner of her lips. 

“I don’t know if love is that great. Maybe I haven’t experienced it yet?”

“You’ve never liked someone before?” 

“Well, not really…”

“…Well, me neither.”

“I thought you’d be good at this sort of thing.” 

“I’m not interested.”

Jasper casually turned his gaze away as he spoke. Rose looked at Jasper’s profile, and without realizing it, she mentioned something she had seen during the day.

“You and Adela Bluewood were a good match.”

Rose was surprised at herself for bringing up such a topic, and she couldn’t quite explain why she had done so.