The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 65
Episode 65
With a whimper, the strength slipped from Jasper’s hand as he held Rose all along. Rose gently caressed her warm forearm, perhaps permeated by Jasper’s body temperature, and glanced at Jasper with a fleeting look.
Jasper’s face remained unmoved, fixed solely on Ethan, as he spoke firmly.
“Yeah, just friends.”
Ethan’s lips twisted subtly. Jasper spoke decisively as if driving a wedge.
“There was nothing between Rose and me. I have no idea why my brother made such an absurd fuss.”
As Rose listened to Jasper’s story, expressed with an unwavering tone, her fingertips suddenly trembled. She clenched her fist and hid her hand behind her back, feeling an inexplicable sensation that tightened the center of her chest.
Despite Jasper’s presence, everything seemed to be falling into place.
Jasper confronted Ethan without giving Rose any attention. Ethan silently listened to Jasper’s explanation and then spoke.
“Was it all just my misunderstanding?”
“Did you plant someone in the Academy? Cut that person off. They fed us nothing but strange information.”
“I didn’t exactly plant an informant. I just heard some rumors. You occasionally disappear somewhere together in the evenings.”
Ethan’s sharp gaze narrowed as he stared at Jasper.
Upon hearing Ethan’s words, Rose immediately sensed that it was the secret tutoring story. She tried to be cautious not to get caught, but it seemed that someone’s gaze had caught her.
‘Since we met at the annex every week.…’
It’s not surprising that at least one person has seen him with Jasper. The sight of the two of them together might have looked suspicious. No one would have expected that a young man and a young woman meeting alone would be just for tutoring.
Rose felt extremely anxious, but surprisingly, Jasper responded calmly as if it were nothing serious.
“I’m being tutored by Rose Bell.”
Ethan’s eyebrows twitched.
“What?”
“It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“What kind of tutoring are you receiving from her? What’s so special about her?”
When Ethan gestured toward Rose, Jasper’s face hardened. Jasper spoke with a serious tone.
“What’s it to you? Rose Bell is a genius who comes out maybe once every few years.”
“Well, she’s still a student, isn’t she? If you had asked me, I could have found a better teacher for you.”
“In the field of Magic Engineering, there’s no one who can match Rose Bell.”
“That’s nonsense…”
Rose gave Jasper a worried sidelong glance. Jasper was staunchly defending Rose in front of Ethan, but Rose thought that Ethan’s words were not entirely wrong.
No matter how much praise Rose received as a genius, a professional teacher would probably be better than a regular student. Ethan seemed incredulous, but Rose couldn’t help but feel her spirits sink.
However, despite understanding this logically, her mood sank. She could vividly sense that beneath Ethan’s expressions and tone, there was an undercurrent of condescension. Ethan had no intention of hiding his disregard for Rose.
‘I want to get out of here as soon as possible…’
Rose thought to herself, looking down with a darkened face.
Soon after, Ethan’s sharp voice continued to pierce her ears.
“No, but you are receiving tutoring in Magic Engineering? Why would you take that in your graduation year?”
“I failed the introductory course in my first year.”
“Huh.”
Ethan scoffed as if he couldn’t believe it, and then he confronted Jasper with a sharp tone.
“Are you out of your mind? You fail the introductory course? And now, in your graduation year, you’re retaking it and getting tutoring from a common girl? Do you have any shame?”
An infuriated Ethan even stood up from his seat.
“You said you wanted to be a swordsman… Fine, I said that. But I’ve been concerned since you were a child about whether you’d become a musclehead to the point where even your brain is filled with muscles. Do you know how many private tutors I arranged for you? You, you idiot.”
Rose flinched at the sharp words that kept coming without pause. However, Jasper remained unperturbed. He didn’t show any emotion in response to Ethan’s words and spoke softly at one point.
“Since you keep nagging like this, that’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“What, this kid?”
“There’s an age gap, so I know I look like a kid to you. But Father didn’t talk to me like this.”
“I’m all saying it for your good. Don’t you get that?”
“I don’t.”
Ethan’s throat tightened with frustration. Rose was on edge, fearing that Ethan might physically confront Jasper at any moment.
‘Do siblings normally fight like this?’
Jasper continued to speak with an underlying tone of irritation, and Ethan responded even more forcefully.
Rose recalled her younger siblings at Quilts. When her younger siblings would engage in risky pranks, Rose sometimes had to scold them in place of their mother, Anna. However, this atmosphere was not as severe; it was closer to a quarrel.
Jasper, who had been looking at Rose with an alarmed expression, finally spoke.
“Let Rose Bell go.”
Ethan, whose face had become contorted with anger, exhaled heavily and directed his gaze toward Rose. As if he had forgotten that Rose was here, he spoke with a slightly calmer voice.
“Stop the tutoring.”
Before Rose could reply, Jasper interjected.
“I refuse.”
“I’ll find another teacher for you. It’s not good to be so close to that girl, no matter how well she teaches.”
“Is it because you don’t like her, big brother?”
“Don’t you think about Adela?”
“Why should I think about her?”
Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, pressed his forehead with his hand, and shouted.
“Because she’s the woman you’re getting engaged to!”
Ethan’s shout reverberated through the room. Rose involuntarily swallowed a dry gulp, and Jasper’s face contorted into a grimace.
In a subdued voice, Jasper spoke.
“If we’re going to continue this filthy argument, then let Rose Bell leave first.”
“She has to hear this too. She should know that she shamelessly interfered in this relationship. Where does a Conway family member…?”
Without a word, Jasper strode aggressively toward Ethan. Rose, witnessing Jasper clench his fist tightly, spoke hastily.
“I know. I already… know.”
She intervened to prevent Jasper from striking Ethan. Jasper abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned around.
As Rose and Jasper locked eyes, Rose held her breath.
Jasper’s expression was shattered as if he might crumble at any moment. His usually sharp eyes lost their vitality and wavered, and his lower lip trembled slightly. Overwhelmed by intense emotions, he stood frozen, motionless.
“Oh…”
Rose let out a sigh, almost involuntarily. She had tried to mediate to prevent the fight from escalating, but it seemed that the situation had become more complicated.
‘Why…?’
Rose didn’t care about Ethan’s dismissive words towards her. She had endured plenty of such disdain until it had become like water off a duck’s back. She knew she didn’t quite fit in alongside Jasper.
So, she thought Jasper didn’t need to get angry at Ethan. It was more appropriate to humor an arrogant noble like Ethan from the start.
‘Even though Ethan attacked me…’
Rose wondered why Jasper was so deeply hurt. Ethan took a step closer to Rose and spoke.
“You seem to know your place well, Miss Rose.”
Only after Ethan spoke to Rose did Jasper finally move his stiffened body. Facing his brother, Jasper spoke with a growl in his voice.
“That’s enough.”
“Enough of what?”
“As the heir to the Conway Dukedom, maintain some dignity. Don’t bring her here and torment her.”
Jasper took a deep breath and then gestured towards Rose.
“We have no feelings for each other.”
Rose felt a strange tingling in her chest for a moment, but she nodded in agreement with Jasper.
Ethan chuckled softly.
“I wonder if other people think the same?”
“At least Adela Bluewood sees nothing wrong with our relationship. She’s friends with Rose too.”
A subtle smile crossed Ethan’s face, which had been sensitive just a moment ago. After some brief contemplation, Ethan opened his mouth again.
“Well, I must have misunderstood.”
Ethan, who had seemed inflexible and unyielding just moments ago, suddenly acquiesced. Even his tone and demeanor toward Rose had become gentle and gentlemanly.
“Miss Rose, you’re free to leave now. The coachman will take you to the Academy’s main gate, so you can go back. Jasper will stay.”
Rose hesitated before deciding whether she should willingly leave this space. She was uncertain because Jasper appeared to be standing awkwardly in the middle, and Ethan’s abrupt change in attitude left her suspicious.
Unable to respond easily, Rose hesitated, but Jasper nodded and spoke.
“Go ahead. I think I need to talk with my brother a bit more.”
“Ah… Alright. Lord Conway, I’ll take my leave then. You don’t need to worry…”
She fumbled for words and then added.
“Jasper hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s doing well in Magic Engineering now. The more I see, the more I think Jasper is incredibly smart.”
It might have been off-topic, but Rose wanted to say it. She felt concerned all along as Ethan seemed to belittle Jasper without reason.
‘Not at all.’
Surprisingly, Ethan simply nodded without much reaction. Rose briefly locked eyes with Jasper and then left the study.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Rose let out a long sigh. Her body felt drained in an instant, and her legs wobbled.
‘…Is Jasper going to be okay?’
Her gaze dropped down. With a tearful face, she stared at the closed door for a while.