Chapter 7.2
Chapter 7.2
“Do you know how painful it is to be a flower trampled under your indifferent feet? You don’t know how much that flower adores you.”
In truth, there were probably few who could fully understand what she was saying.
“I know.”
Richard met her violet eyes, filled with both remorse and pity.
“I’m sorry.”
He had already apologized to her several times before, but those apologies had felt more like formalities. This time, Richard went beyond guilt or responsibility and deeply empathized with her feelings, offering a genuine apology. How could he not have understood?
He felt the same way.
Their vacant gaze and transparent blue eyes locked onto each other.
The next moment, Jasmine’s face contorted as if she were about to cry.
“You really don’t get it, do you?”
She leaned her chin on his broad shoulder and smiled mischievously, her coldly raised lips, hazy eyes from the alcohol, and disheveled golden hair not quite matching the situation, yet still incredibly alluring.
Richard, instinctively taken aback, saw Jasmine open her red lips to deliver a sharp retort.
“Your apologies, they just annoy the listener so much. You manage to elegantly make the other person feel miserable and annoyed without feeling like you’re missing out or suffering any loss. Have you ever heard someone say that?”
Unfortunately, he couldn’t argue.
Muttering and dropping his gaze to her forehead, Richard pondered. He gazed at her small face, marked by her stubbornness. It was a face that would turn red and throb when he looked at it—perhaps it was a form of hostility and agitation.
In truth, he had often witnessed this emotion before. He had always excelled, which led him to develop caution and guardedness against resentment. According to Nysa, the young boy from his childhood, who had been simple and innocent, had initially been hurt by baseless malice.
Unfortunately, as the heir to the Duke and the Emperor’s cousin, along with his inflexible disposition, Richard was not naturally adept at handling flexibility.
Not that he ever claimed to be superior or desired to belittle others.
But they all said the same thing.
Unlucky.
“That’s true, how would he understand us? He’s too good for us.”
“What makes you too good? You think you’re always right?”
“How can I put it, I feel like I’m talking to a statue rather than a person.”
Even Nysa had once commented, “Hey. Sometimes, even if you disagree, you should just stay silent.”
“Or should you rectify it? Isn’t staying silent when something’s wrong a form of cowardice?” He used to ask.
“Technically, yes, but you need to learn how to read the room while you do it.”
She mumbled as she looked frustrated trying to explain it. You’re so…
“Of course, how would someone like you who grew up with everything understand.”
“….”
It wasn’t something Nysa could say as a princess. Of course, because she was a child of a concubine, her childhood wasn’t all that great.
The relationship between the Emperor and the Empress wasn’t all that strong and her relationship with the crown prince Jilian was quite rigid. But it wasn’t like she understood it completely.
“Even Lily. I know you weren’t feeling all too good, but you didn’t look like it. In a way, I understand why she doesn’t understand you.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you were genuinely desperate, you would cry or at least confide in me, or something along those lines. Even losing some sleep or appetite would show it. I understand it might sound a bit naive to say this because everyone has their own way of expressing emotions… But, let me put it this way: there’s a distinction between intentionally giving up a little earlier and giving up out of consideration.”
“How?”
“You look like someone who knows this will just be a fling. Like you know that it’s not something you can get deep into? So, you give up.”
At that time, Richard just paid half attention to it, but he felt like his heart was becoming a little tight. Did all those people who dealt with him feel like this?
There was a friend that he wanted to become close to but ended up didn’t. That friend who used to hang around with him out of sincerity slowly distanced himself, and in the end, he looked like he had enough.
Coincidentally, the lady he didn’t love but dated for a short period also had the same opinion about him.
“You’re such a good person.”
“But it just makes me miserable.” Jasmine drunkenly said.
“Isn’t it always just me who ends up miserable?”
“And yet, you can’t even understand these petty emotions. You don’t even sincerely apologize. Instead, you bring it up so casually without really understanding why I’m acting this way.”
“I’d rather you were a mean person.”
“You should be mean to the end or ignore me completely.”
“Richard, it’s not your fault. It’s just… I feel like I’m not good enough.”
“Do you know what’s even more frustrating? If we were to judge who’s at fault, it’s just that I’m the one who is just not good enough. It makes me feel really awful.”
Jasmine’s ramblings and words from the past intersected and echoed. Richard found himself freezing, standing there dumbfounded. It felt like he had been hit in the head. Despite hearing advice and blame countless times, something he had been trying to grasp vaguely began to take shape and scratch at his insides.
“Do you think everyone is as good and strong as you?”
An awesome story 💖💖
Thank you for the translation 💜
You are welcome, Israella!