The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Side Story 4

Side Story 4

Ethan rushed to Charlotte in a panic. 

“Charlotte, what are you doing here?”

Jasper, dressed in a suit as if he had just finished work, approached as Rose, pleased to see him, stood up with a wide smile. 

“Jasper, the work is done…”

However, the conversation between the engaged couple was drowned out by Ethan’s astonished exclamation. 

“No, what if you collapse like this?”

Ethan, having heard the situation from the butler, was more likely to faint himself. In a hurry, he supported Charlotte and tried to take her to the room.

Charlotte sighed softly. 

“Overprotective, aren’t you?”

“Okay, just be careful getting up. How about eating?”

“I just don’t have much of an appetite.”

Rose watched in fascination as Ethan, with his arm around Charlotte, spoke in a manner she had never seen when he was with her. 

“By the way, I bought tomatoes because you said you wanted them. Different varieties. Anything else besides tomatoes?”

“Just tomatoes will do. But I haven’t finished talking with Rose yet…”

“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Haven’t you been sitting for too long? Let’s go inside.”

Ethan, with a worried tone, looked at Rose as if blaming her for Charlotte’s condition. As if implying that it was because of Rose that Charlotte was pushing herself.

Then, Jasper stepped forward, blocking the way in front of Rose and confronting him. 

“What are you looking at?”

“What kind of bad habit is that to your elder brother? Soon you’ll have children to marry. Act like an adult.”

“You’re the one who should act like an adult. Why are you giving an annoying attitude to Rose?”

Rose, rolling her big eyes, hesitated on what to say and finally spoke softly. 

“I’m sorry…”

However, Jasper immediately cut off Rose’s voice. 

“Don’t apologize.”

There was a tense atmosphere between the brothers. Charlotte, holding Ethan’s elbow gently, spoke to soothe the situation. 

“I offered to help first. There’s a lot to do to prepare for the wedding. How can she do it alone?”

“Jasper will help with that.”

“There are limits, you know. Does Jasper know about the trendy wedding dresses these days? As the lady of Conway Duchy, how can I not help with this?”

“Charlotte, I’m worried about you!”

“The doctor said I’m fine now. You’re being too overprotective.”

“Overprotective?”

From a moment in a brotherly fight, it seemed to transition into a couple’s fight. 

Rose, exchanging glances with Jasper, wore an awkward expression.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

Although it seemed like Charlotte and Ethan’s relationship had completely recovered, they still engaged in occasional verbal sparring.

Since Rose had never witnessed a heated argument between Jasper and her, the scene between Charlotte and Ethan was fascinating and perplexing.

Ethan said with a pained expression.

“You know I worry about you. Why say it like that?”

“I’m just trying to calm you down, you’re making me want to lift a finger.”

“I was just trying not to create a stressful situation.”

“That’s excessive.”

“Is my love excessive?”

“Why are you so defensive? But, what about today’s gathering?”

“I’m worried about you. I said I would prioritize taking care of you. Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

“No… Why are people so extreme? I meant not to disregard me completely, not to focus only on me and abandon everything else.”

“So, my feelings are excessive. Feeling burdened? I said I’d open up. When will you open up? Is it my fault that I can’t think of anything else but you? What should I do with my love!”

Ethan’s voice trembled, soaked with emotion. 

Rose felt like she was witnessing a scene she shouldn’t be watching. Jasper tilted his head toward Rose and whispered.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah… that’s a good idea.”

The two discreetly left the room, passing the emotionally charged couple. The couple seemed oblivious to the fact that they had left.

As soon as they were out of the scene of the argument, Rose took a deep breath she had been holding.

“Wow…”

Just looking at them made her feel overwhelmed. Rose muttered absentmindedly.

“The two are really… fascinating.”

Jasper responded nonchalantly as if it were something he was accustomed to. 

“It happens.”

“Do you see this every day?”

“In the past. It’s become rare lately. Anyway, are you okay?”

“Yeah. Apart from feeling a bit overwhelmed…”

“I’ll prepare some tea.”

Rose sat on the living room sofa, took a few sips of tea, and finally felt completely calm. It had been a truly busy day from morning.

After the chaos in her mind settled down, a forgotten question came to Rose’s mind, and she asked Jasper.

“By the way, why didn’t you mention that your brother’s wife is pregnant?”

“Ah.”

Jasper, who had been silently observing Rose from across the table, blinked his eyebrows slowly.

“I forgot.”

“No, there’s no room for forgetting…”

As expected, it was just as Rose anticipated. She looked at Jasper in disbelief. Suddenly, Jasper’s expression became serious, and he spoke in a solemn voice.

“Rose, I think it might be better for us not to have a child.”

“What?”

Rose was taken aback by the abrupt topic. She never expected such words to come from Jasper Conway, who had asked her how many children she wanted shortly after they started dating.

“From what I’ve observed… pregnancy is too challenging. I don’t think your body can handle it.”

“Oh, no. I want to give birth…”

“Is there even enough space in that small body of yours for a child? No matter how you think about it, it doesn’t make sense physically.”

“That’s not true. It’s entirely possible physically, Jasper. If you took a biology class, you would know.”

“But what if you suffer?”

Jasper’s expression was already anxious. 

Suddenly, Rose saw the face of Ethan upstairs overlapping with Jasper’s. Indeed, brothers were brothers.

“It’s going to hurt. Giving birth is a painful process.”

“Right. It’ll be painful. Let’s not have a child.”

“But even if not right now, I want to have at least one. It would be cute, a baby that looks like you.”

“It won’t be that cute.”

Jasper showed no enthusiasm at all.

“Well…”

Rose pondered for a moment on how to persuade Jasper. Over time spent together, she had gained several insights on how to handle Jasper.

‘Maybe this will convince him.’

Rose spoke with half-confidence.

“Do you dislike the idea of a baby that looks like me?”

Jasper, who had been grumbling with a worried expression, was taken aback.

“…A baby that looks like you?”

“Yeah. A baby with red curly hair.”

“….”

“It would be cute.”

“….”

“Not bad, right?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Rose smiled as she put down the teacup. 

Seeing Jasper’s eyes wandering, it was clear that her persuasion had worked.

* * *

It seemed like the fight between Ethan and his wife ultimately ended in a drawn-out confrontation. 

To ease Charlotte’s burden, Ethan actively participated in the wedding preparations, giving a boost to the progress of tasks. Thanks to this, there was a bit of spare time to spend weekends like a vacation. 

On Saturday evening, Rose went to the theater with Jasper. 

It was when they showed the invitation ticket to the usher and entered the theater lobby.

“Rose!”

A familiar voice resonated loudly from the side. It was Briley Lawrence, whom it had been difficult to see lately.

“Briley!”

Rose quickly approached Briley, and Jasper followed with an uncomfortable expression. 

Briley lightly embraced Rose.

“It feels like it’s been too long. Oh my, you’ve become even more beautiful in the meantime.”

Briley had been actively involved in various businesses since graduating, relying on the financial strength of the Lawrence family. With a penchant for traveling, she often explored various parts of the world, so her presence in the capital was rare.

Briley’s skin, encountered after a long time, was slightly more tanned than before, indicating her busy schedule of traveling around. Recently, she mentioned being in charge of a luxury cruise business and was planning its first voyage within a few months.

“Briley, how long will you be in the capital this time?”

“I’ll be here until your wedding. We should have a party with Rebecca before the ceremony. Let’s also invite Adela!”

Rose nodded with a smile at the welcoming names. 

Unlike the busy businesswoman Briley, Rebecca maintained social connections in the capital. Since last year, Count Manel had been courting Rebecca, and they were maintaining a good relationship, nearing engagement.

Adela had recently graduated from the Berkley Academy and reached adulthood. Although there were rumors of engagement coming from various sources, nothing official had been announced by the Bluewood family.

Personally, Rose hoped that Adela, with her exceptional talent in magic engineering, would find a way to utilize her abilities. While she might not become a researcher like Rose, living as a professional in a noble family was uncommon.

Briley looked around and asked.

“By the way, is Rebecca coming today? Rose, have you heard anything? You often see Rebecca.”

“Well… when I asked last time, she wasn’t sure.”

“What the hell did Caleb think he was doing extending an invitation to Rebecca?”

Briley expressed her suspicion with a frowning face. 

The play they were attending today was produced by a theater company run by Caleb Sidoor. Since relinquishing their estate’s succession rights and handing them over to his cousin, Caleb had lived even more freely.

Already having frequent interactions with figures in the arts, he gradually built recognition in the industry as a critic. Eventually, he took on the role of a theater director last year. 

Thanks to the significant success of the play he presented last year, he now had the opportunity to showcase his next work to the public in the capital’s grand theater.

‘But still, giving an invitation to Rebecca…’

Rebecca and Caleb had drifted apart completely since graduating from the academy. 

While Caleb mainly operated overseas, he occasionally kept in touch and met with other classmates. However, it seemed that there was no exchange of greetings or updates between Rebecca and Caleb. Even if they had briefly met when they were young, considering they were former lovers, it was somewhat expected.

The two had been living separately for three years, seemingly indifferent to each other. 

Yet, Caleb had suddenly called Rebecca today.