Chapter 429
After listening to Rose’s story, Edward didn’t know how to respond. His heart felt heavy.
In the end, he didn’t say much. He stood up, drew a tissue, and crouched beside her. He gently wiped away her tears. His touch was delicate and caring, as if afraid of hurting her again. “I’m sorry. Actually, you don’t have to answer if you don’t
want to.”
Seeing Edward’s regretful expression, Rose’s brows furrowed together.
Rose smiled and comforted him. “It’s alright. Looking back, I realize I was quite foolish at that time. I’m sure I made our cool and composed Grace sad. She doesn’t talk much. Even when upset or sad, she never shows it on her face. She keeps her unhappiness and sorrow to herself. Unlike me, who used to act out and even attempt suicide when unhappy. In hindsight, I really had both courage and foolishness.”
After the foolish suicide attempt, she mustered the courage to get through that difficult period.
Now, she wanted to give her past self an award of courage.
While feeling guilty toward Grace, Rose also laughed at herself. Finally, she let out a sigh. She fanned her hands to push the tears away. “Let’s continue. Tonight, let’s talk freely and be open. There’s nothing we can’t say.”
“Edward, do you mind that I attempted suicide before? Do you think I’m mentally unstable?”
Rose asked cautiously. At this moment, she had taken off the mask of cheerfulness, revealing her softest and most fragile side to Edward
Edward grabbed another tissue and continued to crouch beside her, wiping her tears. He gently placed a hand on her neck and comforted her with his gaze. “No, not at all. Everyone makes mistakes. People at 17 or 18 don’t have the perspective of someone who’s 30, nor do they have the ability to think beyond their age range. There aren’t so many geniuses in the world. and there aren’t people who can foresee the future. Many mistakes are unavoidable. This is a necessary path to mature thinking, a part of the growing process. Without the accumulation of years, without experiencing things, neither you nor I would have our current mindset.”
Edward always explained things in a gentle manner, taking others‘ feelings into consideration. “Want to continue playing?”
“Of course, let’s keep going.”
Rose enthusiastically replied, and Edward, seeing her return to her usual state, returned to his seat and picked up the cards again to play another round.
Once again, Edward won this round. To avoid touching on anything that might make Rose upset, he carefully thought of a question and settled on something related to her childhood. “What’s the thing you regret the most from your childhood?” Before she even answered the question, Rose burst into laughter. Her laughter had a mix of silliness and excitement. Just a moment ago, she was in a gloomy mood, and now she seemed almost manic.
Seeing her reaction, Edward couldn’t help but smile as well, amused by how he struggled to keep up with her rhythm and
tone.
Laughing heartily, Rose regained her composure, but her lips were still twitching with a smile. With one hand supporting the corner of her mouth to maintain her calm, she said, “Hahaha. You can’t laugh if I tell you.”
Edward quipped, “But you’re laughing at yourself.”
“Alright, I’ll start,” she said with a composed smile.
Rose continued to chuckle for a while, then straightened up and said seriously, “The thing I regret the most from my childhood is not being able to pee while standing up like my brother.”
Edward went speechless.
He was caught off guard and did not know how to respond. But fortunately, the question he came up with hit the right mark. making Rose very happy.
Seeing Edward’s utterly confused expression, Rose knew he didn’t believe her. So, she said, “I’m telling you the truth. Both my brother and I weren’t those kinds of high–society kids from Athana, you know, those who don’t let their ten fingers touch sunlight.”
Rose continued to explain why she had this peculiar thought. “Grace and William were always busy. When we were kids, my brother was the one who played with me. We always had a lot of bodyguards around us. My brother had a habit. When he needed to pee, he would find a random place, and I would keep watch for him. But when I needed to go, we had to look for a restroom. So, my brother was annoyed by my restroom issues.”
That was why Rose wanted to be able to pee standing up, so she wouldn’t have to look for restrooms.
Edward thought, “Is this something I should know? Did Frank pee anywhere and everywhere?”
In the end. Edward couldn’t hold back his laughter. He laughed out loud. Rose saw him laughing but didn’t stop him.
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Chapter 429
Instead, she joined in with her hearty laughter.
Edward was laughing at Rose’s eccentric regret and the potential blackmail material about Frank.
On the other hand, Rose was laughing at the joy of her brother playing with her when they were kids. For a moment, the room was filled with their shared laughter, and the sound was pleasant.
They chatted for a long time, recounting stories from childhood to adulthood. Rose shared all the funny and embarrassing stories. Edward’s childhood, on the other hand, seemed relatively uneventful.
Whether in childhood or adulthood, he always followed his meticulously planned schedule. Even when he was young, he would have a timetable for when to study and when to do exercises. He was extremely disciplined.
However, Rose was different. She would play with Frank until it was dark, then rush through her homework at the last minute. If she couldn’t finish it, she would pout and make Frank help her while she would fall asleep.
In one night, Edward had successfully gotten a rough understanding of Rose’s life from childhood to adulthood. He also realized a deeper truth. Rose had a vulnerable side hidden deep within her heart. She always showed everyone her happiest side, and only when discussing her saddest moments would she shed tears.
Even when she did cry, she would act like she was fine, giving off the impression that she was strong and happy.
It made Edward feel sorry for her. At least he felt that way. He wanted to protect her.
It was already 10:30 p.m. after the card game ended.
Edward glanced at his wristwatch, deciding it was time for Rose to get a good night’s sleep and relax. He began to tidy up the cards on the couch. “Rose, I’ll collect these.”
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