The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 55

Episode 55

Jasper fell silent. Normally, he might have reacted with irritation to Briley’s advice, scrunching up his face in disagreement. He had a personality that disliked others giving him advice. However, at the moment, he could only swallow his dry words, unable to speak easily.

Briley continued calmly.

“From what I’ve seen, it seems like you have a liking for Rose.”

One corner of Jasper’s mouth twitched. Was it so obvious to someone other than the party involved? 

‘Is it that obvious?’

It was both embarrassing and ridiculous, but why was Rose Bell the only one who didn’t know?

Jasper spoke up, his voice low and submerged.

“Does it seem so?”

“Can’t deny it.”

After letting out a long sigh and clenching his fist, he continued.

“At first, I hoped you two would get along. Well, objectively speaking, you’re a decent guy, aren’t you?”

“Subjectively, not so much?”

“I’m not so sure lately. You are engaged to Adela Bluewood, right?”

“Who told you that?”

“What’s my last name? Lawrence. I asked my father.”

Without further explanation, these words held everything within them. Jasper bit his lip thoughtfully. 

‘Looks like rumors are circulating.’

Mr. Lawrence was the biggest player in the financial world. Everything tended to flow towards money. If there were any secret rumors in high society, Chairman Lawrence would be privy to them.

Briley spoke with a disapproving expression.

“Why are you doing this to Rose when you have an engagement? Well, let’s call it a prospective engagement.”

Jasper swept his bangs roughly, his desire to grab Conway by the throat, wherever he was in the council, burning within him. Why was Conway causing this mess by proceeding with the engagement as he pleased?

Briley spoke in a rather cold tone.

“If you’re planning to play around with Rose while being engaged to Adela, stop it. Don’t hurt her.”

“It’s not like that.”

Jasper hesitated, struggling to find words all along, but this time, he denied it immediately without hesitation. One of Briley’s eyebrows twitched.

Jasper stated firmly.

“I don’t have casual intentions.”

“Even if it’s not you, Rose might find it tough. You know how arranged marriages work in our circles.”

“I know. I know it very well. That’s why…”

He can’t allow himself to like her freely. Jasper swallowed the rest of his thoughts. It felt like his throat was tightening.

‘If only I were Theo Lixton.’

If he were Theo Lixton, he could have approached Rose Bell without hesitation. As the son of a duke, he had enjoyed many privileges, but now, this thought suddenly surged within him.

An aristocrat’s son envying a commoner. Others wouldn’t understand it.

Rose Bell would probably still be with Theo Lixton. As Jasper contemplated this fact, he felt a bitter sensation welling up deep within him. Mulling over that feeling, Jasper inadvertently spoke with a cold voice.

“What if I break off the engagement?”

“What?”

“Would it be okay for me to like Rose Bell then?”

Briley was momentarily taken aback, her lips trembling with surprise. Bewilderment appeared on her usually composed face.

Jasper lowered his gaze and muttered as if to himself. 

“Anyway, I never intended to go through with that engagement.”

In Jasper’s mind, the faces of Theo and Rose alternated, and his imagination extended endlessly, even envisioning them getting married and conducting research together in the same lab.

He suddenly felt like he was losing his mind. Even though he knew they were not in a romantic relationship, jealousy clouded his vision. Jasper took a deep breath, and his chest swelled before settling.

Briley stared intently at Jasper’s sunken pupils.

“Breaking off the engagement is a secondary concern. What’s more important is whether Rose likes you or not.”

“….”

“If you break off the engagement, does that mean Rose has to accept you no matter what? I don’t think so.”

“Ah, right.”

Jasper responded obediently without further argument, acknowledging her point. Briley spoke with a somewhat surprised expression.

“Why’s your expression like that? Are you angry or something?”

“No, I’m not angry at all.” 

Jasper said in a very calm tone. The emotion he was feeling now was far from anger.

Thanks to his conversation with Briley, his thoughts seemed to have neatly organized themselves. It felt refreshing to have a third party’s perspective after getting tangled in various thoughts while thinking on his own.

Now he understood. He knew what he needed to do.

“Thank you.”

“….Huh? Did you eat something bad?”

Briley was shocked by Jasper’s expression of gratitude, her face freezing. Jasper left Briley bewildered and lost in thought, heading towards the dormitory.

* * *

Returning to his room, Jasper carefully reviewed the things he needed to do in his mind. While doing so, Caleb entered the room and made a groaning sound.

“I’m back…”

Jasper turned to Caleb, raising an eyebrow at his weak, limp voice. He had been deep in thought, so he was surprised by Caleb’s outburst. Caleb, noticing Jasper’s quizzical gaze, seemed slightly taken aback.

“What’s wrong with your appearance?”

“Ugh…”

Despite there being no rain, Caleb’s hair and jacket were soaked through. His lip was split as if he’d been punched, and both of his cheeks were swollen and reddened.

Caleb walked unsteadily, resembling a drenched rat, and then collapsed onto the sofa. Jasper moved closer, sitting down beside him, and asked.

“I haven’t seen you around yesterday or today. What have you been up to?”

Caleb had not returned to the dormitory the previous night, and he had seemed to be absent from morning classes today.

Caleb, covering his eyes with his hand, spoke.

“There were quite a few things, my friend. I met Hailey Sherman with my father.”

“You went to Sherman’s on the weekend?”

“Yeah. Lady Hailey stopped by the capital to see me.”

“Why did Earl Sidoor go there with you?”

“I told him I couldn’t go through with the engagement.”

Jasper raised an eyebrow, looking at Caleb with an intrigued expression. He had been curious about how things had unfolded since his conversation with Rebecca in the tearoom, and it seemed that he had decided to call off the engagement in the end.

“You told the Earl yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“You?”

“Why do you keep asking that?”

Caleb got annoyed and abruptly stood up. His eyes were red and puffy.

“You, crying?”

“I want to.”

“It seems like the first time I’ve seen you defy your family like this.”

“That’s because I got punched.”

Caleb pointed to his swollen cheek with a melancholy expression. Jasper thought of Earl Sidoor, who, despite his age, was in good shape. His punch must have been quite strong.

Caleb had been afraid of his father, Earl Sidoor, since childhood. The Sidoors were a family honored for their contributions in battles centuries ago and had been known for their stern nature.

Caleb had received strict education from his father since he was a child. But now, he was refusing an arranged marriage. There was no way Earl Sidoor would take this quietly.

With a curious and surprised look in his eyes, Jasper asked.

“Isn’t it the duty of the eldest son to go through with an arranged marriage? When did you start lecturing me, and why did you break off the engagement?”

“I don’t even know. It just felt like my mouth… moved on its own.”

Caleb explained with a dejected posture. 

When he met Rebecca in the Royal Blooming Tea Room, he said that the emotions he had been suppressing for so long resurfaced. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Rebecca had cried and clung to him like she did when they broke up, but at the tearoom, Rebecca was exceptionally cold.

“Caleb, I don’t want to see you again. I just wanted to talk, to understand why you left me. You kept ignoring me, and now you act like you can marry my cousin without a care…”

Rebecca had always been seen as a naive but charming noblewoman in Caleb’s eyes. He had known her for a long time since childhood, and Rebecca had been that kind of person.

However, the way she appeared in the tearoom was different. Caleb could never have imagined that Rebecca would wear such a cold expression.

“Did you ever love me?”

Caleb felt a sharp pang in his heart at Rebecca’s question, which he had only considered a childish remark. The walls he had carefully built came crashing down, and he found himself confessing the feelings he had tried so hard to avoid.

“I did love you, Rebecca. But I couldn’t defy my father’s words. I have to marry a Sherman.”

“If you wanted to marry into the Sherman family, it could have been me, not Hailey.”

“In your class, I can’t compete. Viscount Sherman would have opposed it, I’m sure.”

“In the end, you were scared again, weren’t you? You didn’t dare to have me, so you ran away.”

“Rebecca…”

“I understand. Go ahead and marry Hailey. From now on, I’ll pretend I don’t know you. Just one more thing before I go. You were my first love.”

“…”

“When the playboy you were confessed that you’d only look at me… I thought we could conquer everything with love. I assumed you loved me enough to be prepared for that. But I was just a naive girl. Yeah, I get it.”

“No, Rebecca, I truly…”

“Enough. I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll attend the engagement ceremony and congratulate you properly, so don’t worry.”

“…”

“Be happy with Hailey.”

Caleb had always believed that his choice to follow his family was right. It had been tough after breaking up with Rebecca, but he had started feeling better after taking a leave from school and not seeing her. Or so he thought.

However, when he saw Rebecca leave so decisively, for some reason, tears welled up in his eyes.