The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 49

Episode 49

‘Why is Adela looking for me?’

Rose stared at Adela for a few seconds, seemingly dazed. It felt surreal that Adela was even mentioning her name.

‘Do you know me?’

Adela was impeccably dressed in her school uniform, without a single hair out of place. Her platinum blonde hair, usually flowing freely, was neatly tied today.

Despite her modest attire and lack of extravagant accessories, Adela exuded an inherent elegance.

“May I speak with you for a moment?”

Adela addressed Rose respectfully as a junior in the academy. Rose, flustered, closed the book she had been reading and stood up.

“Miss Adela, what’s going on… should we go outside?”

“You can speak freely, senior.”

No matter how different their backgrounds were, within the confines of the academy, senior-junior relationships were to be respected. The strict adherence to these rules had been upheld for generations to ensure students could focus solely on their studies.

Though the empire had a rather rigid caste system, there were no complaints about the academy’s traditions.

Rose spoke with a slightly awkward expression.

“Alright.”

The two female students headed outside the library. Rose followed Adela a step behind, her mind filled with countless speculations.

‘What’s going on? Why did she call me?’

She had two guesses. Jasper Conway and the Countess of Bluewood, if they overlapped with Adela.

‘Did Lady Bluewood tell her something…’

Suddenly, her heart raced. Lady Bluewood had turned a blind eye to her friend’s antics for a long time, but there was no guarantee that Adela Bluewood would do the same.

The two of them didn’t speak a word to each other until they reached a bench near the library. It was only when they sat down side by side that Adela spoke up.

“I have something I want to ask you, senior.”

“…Me?”

“I apologize for summoning you while you were studying. It’s better to be direct.”

There was a societal stereotype that nobility often beat around the bush when speaking, but Adela Bluewood was far from conforming to such norms.

Adela looked directly at Rose. While there was no hostility in her gaze, Rose couldn’t help but feel tense given the circumstances. Finally, Adela spoke in a soft tone.

“Are you in a relationship with Jasper, senior?”

“…With Jasper?”

“I saw the two of you together at the Royal Blooming Tea Room last Saturday.”

“Oh.”

“You were sitting in the garden together. I didn’t want to approach since it seemed like a chance encounter, and I didn’t want to make things awkward.”

Rose recalled the moment in the garden with Jasper. It definitely could have been misunderstood. When a man and a woman went to a tearoom together, it was often seen as a sign of them being romantically involved.

Adela cautiously added.

“And… you seemed quite close.”

“We’re not in that kind of relationship at all. There were some circumstances that day. It wasn’t just the two of us. It was… part of our club activities.”

“Club activities?”

Rose tried her best to explain, leaving out any details about Rebecca. She emphasized that Jasper was a member of a walking club and talked about the purpose of the club, and so on.

She also stressed that on that day, Rebecca had briefly left their table, leaving them alone for a while. 

Adela listened quietly and nodded in understanding.

“I must have misunderstood.”

“Jasper and I are just friends.”

It was hard to fathom how the two could be friends, but Adela didn’t inquire further about their relationship. Instead, she straightforwardly made a request.

“Could I join that club as well, even as a guest member? I know the official recruitment period is over, but…”

“Our club?”

“I’m a bit embarrassed, but since you’re close to him, I thought I’d ask directly. Senior Jasper avoids me. Maybe if I join the same club, we can become somewhat closer.”

Adela’s facial expression didn’t change much. She had a cool and composed demeanor, but contrary to the atmosphere, she openly revealed her feelings.

Rose was caught in a state of confusion and embarrassment.

‘It seems like Jasper didn’t have any intention of getting engaged to Adela… Adela is the one making an effort, not him.’

Despite the likelihood of getting her heart broken by Jasper’s rejection, Adela seemed determined to reach out to him. She may have looked like a haughty noble lady, but she was surprisingly proactive and didn’t seem to have an inflated ego.

“He doesn’t have feelings for me.”

“Well, that’s… it’s not so much that he doesn’t like you, but Jasper doesn’t like following the demands of the household.”

“Uh-huh. He mentioned something like that as well. He said he doesn’t care about whatever discussions are happening within the family. I initially thought the same way. However…”

Adela, who had been sitting upright the entire time, lowered her head slightly as she continued.

“…I have developed a personal liking for him. Can you help me, senior?”

Rose took a moment to catch her breath. Her mind felt empty for a moment. Adela’s earnest expression as she spoke was quite serious.

Just as Rose had finished dealing with Rebecca’s situation, it seemed she was about to be entangled in another romantic affair.

‘Oh… why does this keep happening?’

In her heart, Rose wished she could cover her face with her hands and let out a deep sigh. However, in front of Adela, she made an effort to maintain her composure.

“I’m indeed friends with Jasper, but… I’m not sure if I can help. Jasper is quite stubborn and does things his way.”

“Yes, it seems that way. But… could you please consider letting me into that walking club?”

“Well… uh, there’s no reason to prevent a student from joining the club.”

There was no particular reason to refuse a student from joining the club, especially since Briley and Rebecca were hoping for more members to expedite the establishment of a club room.

If Adela Bluewood was to join the club, there would be a total of five members, meeting the minimum requirement for applying for a club room.

Rose scratched her cheek with a puzzled expression.

“It’s your choice to join the club, but honestly, I don’t know if Jasper will be receptive.”

“I’m prepared for that.”

Rose was slightly surprised by Adela’s resolute words. She’s quite courageous, she thought. Approaching a man who had rejected her so directly was not an easy task.

With a composed face, Adela shared her somewhat troubling story.

“I know he doesn’t fancy the idea of a strategic engagement. I felt the same way initially. However, it’s an inevitable situation. Besides, if the other party is him…”

Jasper might have talked as if he could easily break off a strategic engagement, but listening to Adela’s story, it didn’t seem like it would be so simple.

Rose blinked slowly, gazing blankly at Adela. There was a hint of sadness in her beautiful face, like a fairy who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

“In the end, I have to be engaged to him. Living with a cold partner is painful, so I want to win his heart.”

Falling in love with a strategic engagement partner was probably as imperfect as it could get. 

‘Will Jasper open up to Adela?’

While Rose was deep in thought, she suddenly felt a pulsing sensation somewhere in her heart. Unconsciously, she placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath.

Adela, after watching Rose for a moment, spoke up.

“I’m glad that you, Senior Rose, are just friends with him.”

“Don’t worry about that part.”

Rose replied calmly, but a corner of her heart stung. It seemed like she hadn’t been able to adjust the distance between herself and Jasper as they became closer.

‘It’s better not to engage in any actions that could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.’

It wasn’t just because of Adela Bluewood; there was no need to invite unwarranted suspicions.

“I was worried about what might happen if the two of you had feelings for each other. I wanted to get along with you, Senior, whenever possible.”

“With me?”

“You’re famous as a genius in magic engineering. There probably isn’t a student interested in this field who doesn’t know you. I also… want to major in magic engineering.”

“Oh, really?”

This was unexpected. Magic engineering was an unpopular major within the academy, especially among well-established noble families who typically favored humanities or martial arts as their majors.

However, Adela Bluewood’s interest in magic engineering was surprising.

A faint trace of enthusiasm crept onto Adela’s usually composed face. 

“I’ve been interested in magic engineering since I was young.”

“That’s fascinating. I felt the same way.”

“But my parents opposed it…”

“Why?”

“They said it would be better for me, as a lady, to acquire knowledge in the humanities. Besides, even if I majored in magic engineering, I wouldn’t be involved in related work.”

Adela spoke quietly. Yet, there was something melancholic in her voice.

‘…Adela probably wants to work in the field, but she can’t.’

Married noblewomen were often regarded as virtuous for engaging in social activities while managing their households. Rose’s mother, Anna, had never worked outside the home before becoming a commoner. Now, she skillfully managed the household through agriculture.

Adela spoke with a slightly defeated tone.

“Even if it becomes useless later on, I want to study magic engineering at the academy.”

Due to her submissive attitude, Adela seemed more mature than her age, but at this moment, she looked like a typical sixteen-year-old freshman.

Rose gazed quietly at Adela’s profile. She knew all too well the feeling of not being able to do what you wanted. Despite their reasons being opposites, she empathized with Adela’s emotions.

“If you ever have questions about magic engineering, feel free to ask.”

“Thank you. I’ll be in your debt in many ways, Senior.”

Despite her cold appearance, Adela behaved straightforwardly and without any arrogance toward Rose.

‘She seems like a good kid… Why doesn’t Jasper like Adela?’