Chapter 34.2

Chapter 34.2

They walked side by side along the forest path.

Lost in their thoughts, it was a quiet stroll.

Jasmine was busy trying to decipher the significance and implications of Richard’s words and his official intentions while Richard himself was too tangled in his thoughts to speak.

He furrowed his even brows and occasionally glanced at Jasmine’s face or gazed at her intently. It seemed as if he was intoxicated by the scent of the flowers she held in her arms.

Finally, when Jasmine called out to him, Richard stiffened involuntarily.

“Richard, are you really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

In response to her direct question, Jasmine sighed and lightly tapped his cheek.

“Perhaps people will start linking us from today and making all sorts of speculations. You know how fast gossip spreads in high society. By tomorrow, the news might have already reached the capital.”

“Let them talk.”

Richard responded promptly as if he wasn’t concerned at all. Jasmine blinked for a moment.

He doesn’t care as expected. However, she found it somewhat surprising.

Considering how meticulously he had guarded his privacy to the point where there wasn’t a single rumor about his personal life, he was now openly making their relationship public.

What had changed between his youth as a flying adolescent and now that he was an adult and the Duke?

Jasmine broached the topic more indirectly.

“But we’ve had previous engagement discussions, so this is not just a simple romance rumor.”

Walking side by side, matching her pace, Richard suddenly lowered his gaze to look at Jasmine’s forehead.

“I know.”

“Aren’t you still burdened by the marriage rumors? Last time…”

“Jasmine.”

“Yes?”

Richard had come to a complete stop now, scrutinizing Jasmine’s eyes intensely, piercingly.

His expression remained as calm as usual, but at times like this, Jasmine couldn’t help but feel a bit small.

Was it because of the height difference? Jasmine unconsciously took a step back, and Richard’s eyes flickered below his eyes.

“Burden? No, it’s not because of that, Jasmine. You’re not the one feeling burdened, are you?”

Surprise filled Jasmine’s purple eyes. Richard’s stunning face was reflected in them as he approached her with a half step.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her slightly closer, bringing them closer, almost embracing her.

Jasmine gazed up at him, her eyes slightly dazed. Even at this moment, she found him incredibly beautiful, but mixed with that feeling was a slight confusion and tension.

He smiled so sweetly and softly, but she wondered if it was genuine.

“I want to take it slow…”

Richard mumbled slowly. “It’s true, and I understand, but…”

Really? You understand? Richard brushed aside the sharp question in his inner thoughts. However, his next words were sincere.

“I’m sorry if you feel like you need some distance from me.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Jasmine quickly shook her head, but Richard gently brushed away the faint wrinkles forming around her eyes as if to say more.

“If I was too hasty, I apologize. I thought assuring you would allow us to focus more on our relationship. I didn’t know my approach would differ from what Jasmine wanted.”

With a slightly softened expression, Jasmine, whose lips parted slightly, was momentarily lost in a whirlwind of emotions.

A touch of sentiment, regret, bitterness, embarrassment, and a complex mixture of unsettled feelings. She struggled to find the right words in her mind.

One thing was sure: her joy and affection were stronger.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry if it upset you,” she said.

She quickly extended her hand, gently caressing Richard’s cheek and patting his cheek with affection.

It was a touch that resembled how one would treat a loved one, filled with warmth and sincerity. The tender touch, full of affection and honesty, made Richard sigh in delight.

It’s a bad habit to acquire, but it feels so good. The soft and caring touch of a warm and loving woman’s hand, a touch he had occasionally received from his mother in his childhood, felt as if it were gently comforting his heart.

He restrained the urge to nestle his head against her hand and cheek, much like a purring cat, as he felt his thirst was becoming a childish desire.

And Richard, who had been a man for most of his adult life, felt somewhat bewildered. Why am I like this? Am I going crazy?

For a moment, he froze, but when Jasmine continued to embrace him and gently stroke his back, he didn’t know what to do and hesitantly accepted her touch.

It felt as if warm honey had poured over him from his forehead to his very being.