Chapter 46.2
Chapter 46.2
“Regardless of my feelings, what does it matter? You could search the entire empire for a man who would suit you best and satisfy you, and I can assure you, there is no one like me. I can give your family, your father, and your two brothers the necessary allies, which is why the Grand Duke allowed me to marry you in the first place.”
No way.
“You said you love me.”
The crispness of his voice sent a gentle shiver down Jasmine’s spine. Blinking a few times, she stared up at him, and Richard smiled, smooth as a gentleman at a social event.
However, like a dead crocodile in a stubborn and eerie river, his blue eyes glowed intensely and eerily from within.
“If you love me, choose me first. Think wisely. What’s more advantageous.”
“Richard.”
“Anyway, I am an assh0le who has fallen deeply for you. I’ll be useful if you tame me well. We have plenty of time, so I will do everything you want in the future. By then, I might…”
When this da!mned impatience subsided, when he regained a bit of composure, when things were sorted out, he could tell her he loved her as much as she wanted.
The calm and rational madness that returned to his mind abruptly stopped. Richard stood there, staring blankly, looking at Jasmine, who was now crying like a lost child. Her face betrayed how much she was hurt.
Ah. Richard sighed and tried to wipe her drenched cheeks like a fool trying to catch water that had already been spilled. His hand was slapped away. It tingled. Among the many wounds he received, this one stung the most.
While his mind was at a standstill and he stood there, Jasmine murmured, “At first, I thought it would be nice if our fates intertwined.”
Once the angry thorns receded, only the vulnerability of not wanting to be hurt remained.
“I know it was a stupid idea, but I thought I could just sleep with you once when I was drunk, and then I’d be able to put it behind me. I guess I was wrong.”
“Jasmine. I…”
“What part of me do you like?”
Though Richard desperately tried to say something, Jasmine paid him no attention. The blurred violet eyes seemed to stare somewhere other than him, and Richard became anxious. Impatience gnawed at his heart like a swarm of ants; something very important was slipping out of his grasp.
“It doesn’t matter how we started, physically or otherwise. I didn’t expect you to like me as much as I liked you from the beginning, anyway. We could have slowly gotten to know each other like everyone else. It was just that. You have no idea how hard I tried not to be greedy.”
He didn’t think she had such thoughts. She’d always been bright, playful, and confident. But she wasn’t always as bright as she seemed.
“I wish you didn’t treat me well.”
Ah.
Richard felt like he was being strangled by her voice full of resentment.
When he finally couldn’t stand it and reached out to embrace her, her eyes stared straight at him.
“As you said, many people will be happy if we live well. I know that it would be foolish to refuse such a noble marriage contract.”
The word “marriage contract ” just now turned their private conversation into a public one. And they both felt the difference. Also, the weight of the proposal he had made.
“But, I will never do it. Do you know why?”
Sparks flew from Jasmine’s eyes.
“Whether you’re a noble or a beggar, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t love me, everything becomes meaningless.”
It was a confession tinged with bitterness. The original pink hue was now clouded with a mix of anger.
“If it were in the past, I might have accepted it. But now? You’ve liked me better, but I ended up loving you even more. Da!mn it! Do you even know what it’s like to feel this way?”
‘Why is love important? Are you kidding?’
“For me, that’s everything! I love you so much that it doesn’t matter if you’re the emperor, a duke, or even a lowly slave in this country! Do you know how it feels to be on a roller coaster of emotions for seven years? I tried to give up but ended up liking you even more. All because you’re so da!mn good at pretending to care about things that don’t matter to you,” Jasmine continued. “How can I not? I’m a woman and a human being! But you’re so crazy that you’ll propose to someone without even loving them? Does that make sense to you?”
Richard was frozen like ice, unable to intervene. He stared at her, watching her scream as if tearing out her heart. She looked like a flower of fire burning brightly.
Immense affection, accompanied by anger, disappointment, and hatred. Until now, he had never experienced or embraced such large emotions. It felt like diving headfirst into the dazzling and vivid flames. However, the irrational thought that it was alright, even if he burned to ashes, passed through his mind.
And before he could reach out to the flames himself, all the flames went out in an instant. In the profound silence, Jasmine bowed her head.
“…Please.”
Did he hear it wrong?
“Stop it.”
An awesome story 💖💖
Thank you for the translation 💜
You are welcome, Israella!