The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 53

Episode 53

“Why this…?” 

Rose exclaimed in surprise as she held the lamp music box in her hand. Its appearance, with occasional blemishes, was identical to what she had seen in the antique shop.

She couldn’t fathom why Jasper had sent this to her; his intentions remained a mystery. Suddenly, she recalled a conversation they had casually shared in the antique shop.

“It looks like you like this.”

“Oh, um, yes. It’s lovely.”

“Do you want it?”

It was just a passing thought from the past, but Jasper seemed to have misunderstood. 

‘Besides, I said I didn’t need it.’

As if she wouldn’t accept it if he gave it to her face-to-face. Rose felt a bit flustered by the unexpected, thoughtful gift, along with the brief note.

“It is quite lovely.”

Rose murmured as she gently caressed the music box. Inside the music box, there would be an endless, magical gemstone engine.

‘Will it work?’

Rose hesitated for a moment and then pressed the button at the bottom, causing the lamp music box to move. The lamp music box lit up brightly.

‘How did the sound go?’

Rose, now completely focused on the music box, looked around it. The seam of the protruding part at the top was different from the rest.

When she held and turned it, the decorations inside the lamp started moving in a circle, and soon, the music began to play. The distinctive and crisp sound of the music box resonated in Rose’s ears. Vivid memories of hearing this music came flooding back.

‘I remember listening to it with Jasper.’ 

Despite it being a memory from a very young age, it filled her mind as if it had happened yesterday.

‘Why did Jasper give this to me?’

Rose stood in the middle of the room, lost in thought for a moment.

‘Did Jasper recognize this music box too? No, it probably doesn’t mean much.’

Rose bit her lower lip. 

‘If he had noticed something, wouldn’t he have given some hint in the shop? Maybe he just thought I’d like it and gave it as a gift.’

Rose blinked rapidly, feeling like she was missing something.

‘…But why…a gift to me? Why?’

It must have been quite an expensive antique. Of course, to Jasper, the price probably meant nothing. Rose wondered if it was a bit excessive for friends to exchange such a gift. It wasn’t just a music box; it was something mixed with memories, making her emotions even more complicated.

As the music box’s performance came to an end, Briley emerged from the bathroom and remarked.

“What’s this? The Love Waltz?”

Rose, still holding the lamp, looked at Briley with a start, her shoulders trembling slightly.

“…Huh?”

“The title of the song playing on the music box. The Love Waltz. But where did this come from? It’s so beautiful, and the sound is romantic!”

“Oh, well, um…”

The words “Jasper sent it in a package” didn’t immediately escape Rose’s lips. For some reason, she couldn’t answer right away and just pursed her lips.

Briley approached Rose with curious eyes. 

“Did you buy it at the antique shop on Saturday?”

“No… I didn’t buy it then.”

Rose stammered in embarrassment, and a hint of suspicion appeared in Briley’s eyes.

Rose was not skilled at lying. She disliked lying and rarely did it.

If it were a well-rehearsed lie, like the ones she had in her head for her father’s misdeeds, it might have been easier. But right now, Rose was in a state of confusion because she didn’t understand Jasper’s intentions. 

Various emotions played across her small face – embarrassment, surprise, concern, tension, and a slight tremor…

Briley raised an eyebrow and approached Rose closely.

“Was it given by someone else?”

“Yeah.”

“Who?”

Rose answered Briley in a hushed tone due to the chill. 

“It’s Jasper…”

A glimmer briefly appeared in Briley’s eyes. Normally, Briley would have been more curious and asked various questions, but her reaction was different this time.

Briley muttered with a subtle expression.

“Why would he send this?”

“Well…”

Rose was also curious about Jasper’s intentions. Was it a simple gift or an unspoken sign that he knew Rosalie Verden?

Despite the confusion and inner turmoil, the lamp music box, now bathed in light, was undeniably beautiful. Rose unconsciously touched the lamp part lightly.

Briley quickly relaxed her previously tense expression and patted Rose’s shoulder. A cheerful laugh escaped Briley’s lips.

“Haha! Jasper seems to take good care of his friends more than I thought. He is a kind-hearted aristocrat!”

“Um…”

Rose thought it over and nodded. 

“It seems that way.”

Perhaps she was reading too much into this one gift. After all, Jasper probably had enough money to buy hundreds of music boxes.

Then, suddenly, Rose remembered something Jasper had said before.

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

He had said it in a rather serious tone. Jasper wasn’t someone who kept people around him easily, so the title of “friend” was probably quite special to him.

‘I feel the same way.’

She had spent most of her time alone at the academy until she met Briley, and now she had also become close to Rebecca. She felt attached to her current friends. Perhaps Jasper felt the same.

‘Yeah, there aren’t many friends. So he could give a gift.’

Upon reflection, it didn’t seem like a big deal compared to Briley, who was constantly eager to give her clothes and jewelry. Rose gathered and arranged various relational information in her mind. As she began to understand Jasper’s actions somewhat logically, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart.

Jasper should just be a friend. She thought it was the right direction. The strange wave of emotions she felt when receiving the music box seemed to have been pushed to the back of her consciousness.

‘I should thank Jasper when I see him.’

Rose pressed the button again to turn off the lamp, then carefully placed the lamp music box on her desk.

* * *

The opportunity to express gratitude came quickly. It was because Monday morning classes were mineralogy, which Rose took with Jasper.

As soon as Jasper sat down next to Rose, she spoke up.

“Jasper, you sent the package, right?”

Jasper placed his bag down with a slightly louder noise than usual. 

“Yeah.”

Jasper replied nonchalantly as if it were nothing. Rose looked rather relieved at the sideways look on Jasper’s face, as indifferent and cold as ever.

“Thank you. I received it well. But why did you give it to me?”

Jasper turned his head slightly and looked at Rose with a hint of a smile. 

“You said it was pretty. You seemed interested in that music box, didn’t you? No?”

“Yeah, you’re right. But you didn’t have to send it as a package. I feel like I’m taking too much from you.”

“It’s fine. Just tell me if you like it or not.”

“I like it.”

Jasper seemed quite satisfied with Rose’s immediate response. The corners of his usually stiff mouth lifted slightly.

“As long as you like it.”

“Jasper, you’re really…”

For a moment, several complex emotions that Rose had felt when receiving the package passed through her mind. Finally, Rose breathed a sigh of relief and continued speaking.

“…you’re kind to your friends.”

“….”

“How did you remember what we talked about in the store and even gave it as a gift?”

“Rose Bell, that’s you.”

Just as Jasper was about to speak with a frown on his face, Professor Luis rushed into the classroom in a hurry. Rose gestured to Jasper and whispered to him.

“Why?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Jasper kept his mouth shut until the end of the class.

* * *

It was during lunch when academy students gathered in groups of three or five to eat. 

Rose, who had recently always been with her friends, was walking alone in the hallway today. Her destination was the assistant’s office where Theo Lixton was stationed. 

It was a well-equipped place for various administrative tasks and even simple experiments. The benefits for academy staff were incomparable to anywhere else for researchers like Rose.

Rose arrived at Theo’s office and knocked on the door. 

“Senior. It’s me, Rose.”

Writing the contest proposal was proving to be more difficult and demanding than expected. They had to submit the proposal quickly to be eligible for funding from the academy. So, they decided to meet whenever they had spare time this week to solidify their plans.

Rose left a disappointed Briley behind and headed to Theo’s office. Inside the room, she heard Theo’s soft voice. 

“Yes, come in.”

Rose cautiously opened the door. Theo seemed busy, buried under numerous papers. 

“Senior, are you okay?”

“Oh, the assistant’s job has more paperwork than I thought. Administrative work and such.”

Theo let out a heavy sigh and stood up from his seat. His expression seemed darker than usual. 

Margaret, the professor in charge of Theo, was known for her meticulous nature, so she probably didn’t leave the assistant’s duties loosely assigned.

‘When I was a lab assistant too…’

Rose could understand Theo’s exhaustion. Theo stretched and approached Rose.

“Ugh, I feel stiff. I selected the items from yesterday’s discussion that have realistic potential.”

Theo handed Rose a document with a list of potential inventions. On the paper were several plans, as well as the estimated cost of the experiments that would be required to create them.

“Wow….”

The cost of the experiment was something Rose didn’t know much about. It would undoubtedly be a critical factor to consider when applying for support from the academy.

Theo, who had worked in magic engineering-related jobs in society, had a sense for this field as well. 

‘I’m lucky to be entering the contest with a senior.’ 

While she might have applied for the contest on her own when the announcement came out, having Theo by her side made her feel much more confident. If they continued like this, winning the contest didn’t seem like an unattainable dream.