The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 47

Episode 47

Jasper had a painful expression on his face as if a headache had suddenly struck him. Rose looked at him with surprise.

‘These days, you seem to be getting sick quite often.’

Even during their tutoring sessions, Jasper would occasionally complain of fatigue. He needed to cover a lot of material, but he kept asking for breaks.

Whenever Jasper did that, Rose couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. She would precisely time the breaks, and as soon as the 10-minute rest was over, she would sit Jasper back at his desk, even though reluctantly.

During his breaks, he didn’t even take a short nap; he would lie sideways on the couch and engage in casual conversation, making Rose wonder if he was just pretending to be unwell. But now it seemed like he was genuinely tired.

Rose reached the first-floor hallway while examining Jasper. Briley, who had been walking ahead, turned around to look at the two of them and said with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“Oh, I completely forgot I have to pick up the custom-made dress today.”

“Do you need to go right now?”

“I’ll just go pick up the dress and be back. Wait for me. It’s a dress I need today!”

“Is that so? Alright.”

Rose nodded in confusion. There was no mention of this in the morning.

‘It seems like Briley is scatterbrained today.’

Briley disappeared in an instant. Rose and Jasper were left alone, and they headed for the Royal Blooming Tea Room’s garden. The first-floor hall was too crowded, making it difficult to sit for long.

The tea room’s garden, though not very large, was romantically and charmingly decorated. Flower buds were blooming one by one in the flowerbeds on either side of the walking path, filling the air with a subtle floral scent.

‘It must be nice for couples to come here…’

Rose whispered in admiration while looking around. The garden’s openness made it even more serene and relaxing.

‘But when will Rebecca and Caleb finish their conversation?’

She hesitated to go back to the academy without Rebecca. She didn’t want to leave her hanging after their conversation, as it might be tough for Rebecca.

For now, she decided to take a leisurely walk around the garden while waiting for time to pass. It seemed like it would be a suitable Saturday for a stroll.

Jasper, who had been walking slowly beside Rose, spoke up.

“What are you doing tomorrow? Will you be at the library?” 

Rose looked at Jasper in response to the sudden question. 

“Uh, no.”

“You won’t be at the library?”

“Why? Do you have something to ask? Do you want me to study with you today?”

Tension crept into Jasper’s lips as he replied with a slightly stiff expression.

“Never mind… What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I decided to participate in the invention contest organized by the royal family. I think I’ll have to meet with my team member every Sunday.”

“Team member? What contest are you participating in? Tell me more.”

Jasper, who was walking slowly, suddenly stopped completely. He stood tall in the middle of the garden and looked down at Rose intently.

Rose explained the invention contest to Jasper, along with the fact that Theo Lixton had given her a good proposal and the opportunity to participate.

Jasper remained silent and expressionless, just listening quietly. But as soon as Rose finished speaking, he spoke in a trembling voice.

“…Wait, let’s sit for a moment.”

Jasper’s complexion was even worse than when he was in the tea room. He looked paler than ever.

‘Just now, he said he had a headache. Is the pain severe?’

Rose had a momentary illusion that Jasper, who was solid and of large build, might collapse at any moment. Startled, Rose looked around.

“Let’s go to that bench over there.” 

“Oh…”

As Rose walked towards the bench, she continued to support Jasper. His steps were noticeably weaker than before. Even his usually haughty gaze seemed to have softened.

With concern in her voice, Rose asked.

“Jasper, are you in a lot of pain?”

“…”

“Jasper? First, sit down here.” 

Rose pointed to the bench, and Jasper sat down without saying a word. Rose also took a seat beside him and examined his complexion more closely. Now that she looked closely, it seemed like there was sweat forming on his forehead.

“Did you catch a fever? Are you feeling hot?”

Jasper slowly turned his head towards Rose as if grumbling. 

“…I am in pain.”

“Jasper, you should go back to the dormitory.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“No, you look like you’re in pain. …Let’s see if you have a fever.”

Murmuring, Jasper tilted his head towards Rose. Rose, who had been quite a distance away, was suddenly taken aback as Jasper’s face approached her eye level.

Seeing him up close, it was clear that he looked far from his usual self. 

‘He looks like he’s been through a lot lately.’ 

Jasper urged Rose with his eyes while keeping his face close to hers as if urging her to check for a fever. 

“Check if I have a fever.”

“Uh… okay.”

Rose wiped her hands on her knees and then gently brought her hand to Jasper’s forehead.

Jasper closed his eyes and remained still. His forehead felt the touch of Rose’s soft, blond hair.

‘Even when he’s in pain, he still looks so handsome… wow…’ 

Rose briefly got lost in Jasper’s features, which filled her field of vision, before regaining her composure. This was just a simple act of measuring his body temperature.

Rose briefly shook her head and focused on Jasper’s forehead where her palm touched.

“Hmm.”

It didn’t seem like he had a high fever. Based on her previous experience of holding Jasper’s hand, his body temperature was usually quite high.

‘But now… it feels cooler than usual.’

Rose chuckled softly and lightly brushed her hand over Jasper’s forehead a couple more times. However, Jasper’s body temperature was either completely normal or even slightly lower than usual.

“You don’t have a fever.”

Rose removed her hand from Jasper’s forehead. He remained still for a few seconds and then slowly opened his eyes, revealing unwavering blue irises.

Without pulling his head away from Rose, Jasper spoke.

“Then I should stay here.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“…But will you be spending more time with Theo Lixton tomorrow?”

“I’m not exactly sure. I hope the proposal will be ready soon, but…”

“You seem busy.”

Rose smiled faintly.

“I have to work hard. Thanks to you, I can continue attending the academy. I want to do my best for a year.”

Rose rolled her large pupils slowly. While she hadn’t thought much when measuring his temperature, the closer she got to Jasper’s face, the more she felt like it was too close. She was confused about where to direct her gaze.

‘It’s a face that makes people nervous…’

Even someone who didn’t have any affection for Jasper would likely feel tense in his presence. Everything about him was excessively perfect. His facial features were symmetrical, and his overall proportions seemed to follow a flawless equation.

Rose cleared her throat unnecessarily and adjusted her collar. Eventually, she shifted her position slightly to the side. Jasper, as if nailed to his original spot, continued to gaze at Rose. After a while, his voice came out softly.

“You get along well with Theo Lixton, right? You must have good communication since you share the same major.”

“We do have the same major, so there’s a lot to learn from each other.”

“…Have you had conversations with him other than discussions related to magic engineering?”

“Well, why do you ask?”

“Just curious.”

“About Theo, you mean?”

Jasper nodded briefly. Rose thought for a moment, recalling the conversations she had with Theo, and then replied.

“It seems like we mostly talk about our studies.”

“I guess it’s more comfortable when you’re both well-versed in magic engineering.”

“Yeah, probably. Since we share the same interests.”

“Got it.”

Jasper replied briefly and only after a long pause did he turn his gaze away from Rose.

‘What does he mean by ‘got it’?’

While talking to Jasper, Rose sometimes felt like their conversations had abrupt interruptions in the middle. She couldn’t quite understand why that feeling persisted.

‘Is it because I make Jasper uncomfortable, as he mentioned?’

Rose had been trying not to feel resentful after their previous encounter. She had come to realize that Jasper, like everyone else, could feel hurt. Over the past few days, Rose thought that Jasper’s tone had become somewhat softer. Of course, by general standards, he remained quite sharp.

It was clear to Rose that Jasper was subtly changing. He seemed to be becoming more like the Jasper she had known from their childhood. Back then, he was tough and sharp but not cold-hearted.

As they spent more time together, it seemed that some of the thorns around Jasper were gradually disappearing.

‘One of the few friends…’

Rose thought back to what Jasper had said to her not too long ago and glanced at Jasper absentmindedly. His complexion seemed better than before.

“Jasper, by the way, why did you suggest we meet tomorrow?”

“I didn’t suggest a meeting. I just asked what you were going to do.”

“I see…”

As Rose was about to smile casually, Jasper added in a blunt but not hostile tone.

“I thought if we had time, we could meet, but since it’s not possible, forget it.”

“So, there’s no particular reason?”

“Do we need a reason to meet?”

Jasper stared intently at Rose with his deep-set eyes. Rose involuntarily swallowed and lowered her head.

“No, we’re… friends.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Jasper’s lips twitched, but he didn’t continue the conversation on the same topic.

* * *

Surprisingly, Rebecca and Caleb’s conversation ended quite quickly. While Rose was spending time with Jasper in the garden, she heard Rebecca’s sharp voice in the distance.

“You should take responsibility for your words!”

“Rebecca…”

After exchanging a wordless glance with Jasper, Rose headed toward the direction where the voices were coming from. Some of the people around them seemed startled, as Rebecca and Caleb were in a heated argument. The most surprising thing was that there were tears in Caleb’s eyes.

‘…Did he cry?’

Oddly enough, Rebecca, who had cried her heart out just yesterday, had perfectly dry eyes.