Young and Rich, Tall and Handsome(3)
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“Prin…”
The moment Hamill’s soft mutter rang out, Aristine’s head spun away.
And she began to walk quickly.
Seeing her getting farther in the blink of an eye, Hamill unconsciously followed after her.
He gently grabbed Aristine’s wrist.
Aristine didn’t turn to face him. The golden rays of the fall sun cascaded over her head.
“Princess Consort.”
As if responding to that title, Aristine harshly turned around.
Right, he would rather she was angry. He wanted her vivid emotions to hit him like a wave.
However, Aristine’s voice was flat, without any inflection.
“Prince Hamill.”
Her purple eyes were rigid. A wall so firm that it was impenetrable.
Aristine gave a slight nod before turning around again.
Her attitude was as if she simply couldn’t ignore the prince’s greeting, so she acknowledged him before going on her away.
If he was a friend, she would have ignored him.
‘So I’m a complete stranger to you now.’
An existence who couldn’t even make a ripple.
However, he couldn’t let go of Aristine’s hand like this.
“Are you not going to call me Lu?”
Aristine looked up at him. Her expression was riddled with disdain.
But even that contemptful gaze was better than being ignored.
“Do you think you can say that after deceiving me?”
Her tone was formal.
Strangely, it felt like being stabbed in the chest.
Hamill gave a pleasant smile, “It wasn’t deception.”
“Even though you talked to me about Prince Hamill as if it wasn’t yourself?”
“If you found out…”
His deep-blue eyes stared at Aristine like they were bound. The look in his eyes was almost desperate.
“I knew you’d react like this if you found out.”
“No.”
Aristine immediately refuted him. Her voice was calm but clear.
“If you had told me yourself, my reaction would have been different.”
Directing someone to a false conclusion with half-truths was the same as lying. Using that to claim that you aren’t lying and have been sincere is simply deception.
Hamill read the clear rejection in Aristine’s eyes.
It was on a different level from the iron wall he had faced when they first met and she thought he was a gold digger.
He couldn’t help but realize that he had been completely pushed out of Aristine’s life.
Hamill has never been attached to anything in his life. He had never been obsessed with anything either.
He had been perfect from birth, and there were no obstacles in his path.
Even when Tarkan’s influence grew stronger, he never once felt pressured.
Everything was in the palm of his hand before he could reach for it, and even when he opened his palm, nothing ever escaped.
However.
“We are friends, aren’t we?”
Hamill tightened his grip on Aristine’s hand.
Even though he was holding her so tightly, she was slipping through his fingers; he could see it so clearly.
No, even though he was holding her, she had already left his grasp.
For the first time ever, there was something he didn’t want to let go of. He only realized it after there was nothing left in his hand.
“You said background isn’t necessary to become friends.”
Hamill’s heartrending gaze flitted across Aristine’s face. Anyone who saw him right now would be surprised.
Because even Hamill didn’t realize what kind of face he was making.
That was how desperate he was.
He knew.
He knew how cowardly he was acting towards Aristine, who missed the warmth of people after being locked up for a long time. He knew how special the word ‘friend’ was to her.
Despite that, he didn’t care.
If Aristine could treat him even slightly like before…
However, Aristine was unmoved, “That was before you deceived me.”
“As a friend, can’t we forgive each other’s faults? I can acknowledge my mistake, sincerely apologize, and ask for forgiveness. And you can consider it again.”
“As a friend?”
“Yes, as a friend.”
“Prince Hamill,” Aristine grinned and looked up at him, “Yes, you’re right. I haven’t had a friend for very long. And I don’t even have that many. So, I don’t know much about friendship.”
Somehow, Hamill’s heart sank at that smile.
“But I do know this,” Aristine looked him straight in the eye, “Friends do not deceive one another.”
At the same time, Aristine roughly shook off his hand.
The sight of her turning away could not be any colder.
“…To think you can cut me off so easily. I suppose you never really considered me a friend.”
Aristine, who was walking away, abruptly stopped at those words.
The betrayal she felt was because she considered him a friend. That was why she was hurt.
If she didn’t think of him as a friend, she would have felt nothing.
Ha, Aristine let out a choked breath.
The day she found out who ‘Lu’ was, she was able to push it to a corner with the thought of saving Nephther.
As she handled such a huge matter, time passed, and she realized that Hamill’s betrayal was just something that could happen in life.
Perhaps, if she hadn’t been confined, she would have experienced such a thing when she was younger.
That was also part of the process in the free life that Aristine longed for.
As she organized it in her mind, she was able to think of it as one of the countless things in the past that served to strengthen her current self.
But imagine how shocked her own self must have been when she didn’t know anything.
Aristine was startled by the look on her face in the future that the Monarch’s Sight showed her.
“I considered us friends,” Aristine uttered in a low voice, “Just not anymore.”
Her gaze on Hamill was not cold at all. It was placid, like she was looking at a complete stranger.
That made it even colder than any icy glare.
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Somehow, I felt sorry for him.
En. But he reaps what he sows. He had many chances to tell the truth but he didn’t and used the fact that Aristine didn’t know him as Prince Hamill to get even closer to her.
And to be honest, he did it the first time around because he was curious and liked her reactions and not that he wanted to really be friends with her. He treated her like one would treat an object, and when he started seeing her as more than just interesting, he wanted to see her be in a pickle so he can swoop down like some savior knight. That’s not what friends do. He’s nothing more than a massive lying jerk of a prince who is so entitled he thinks he can simply grasp everything he wants. He’s seen her more as entertainment than a friend, imo.
And even now, he’s playing the ‘sad boy’ card and even had the audacity to call out Aristine as if she was the one who broke their friendship first when he was the one who betrayed her trust first.
Exactly! I’ve noticed some strange comments saying that they feel bad for Hamill, even support him and Aristine being together if she wasn’t married.
And considering what is show to us through Hamill’s actions and how he was raised, yeah no, Aristine would find herself in an unhealthy relationship unlike with the one she has with Tarkan. It’s not perfect, but they have a more grounded and real relationship that was built up over the course of the story.
His family will always seek to harm her no matter what Hamill wants, which would lead to a rather turbulent relationship.
🥔🥔🥔
Its better cut It as soon as possible
I hate “sad Bois” who played innocent the most. All your statement are facts! Legits!
Damn, this chapter brought waves of emotion. Poor Hamill. But good job, Aristine. I like this type of fl, not a pushover. Also, thanksies Rubyy.
i miss tarkan.. great chapter ruby hopefully this ends this annoying 2nd male lead
Poor baby Aris. A betrayal of someone you thought of as a friend truly hurts. When your naive innocence and trust is shattered, it is so painful
Thank you so much for the many updates !
You know Hamill and Aristine’s relationship would’ve developed as more than friends if it was in another novel and that’s if Tarkan wasn’t in the picture. It would’ve been the Enemies to Friends to Lovers trope and it would’ve ended up the both of them pushing the Queen down from her throne, but alas Aristine isn’t meant to be for him.
LUCKILY OUR PRECIOUS TARKAN IS HERE FOR ARISTINE SO TOO BAD FOR YOU HAMILL.
Oh my oh my oh my.
The author is really pulling the strings to give Hamil a solid sad second male lead place. I am loyal to Tarkan and Aristine but someone give my boy Hamil a hug cause he might never get a friend like Rineh again.
Thanks you for the new chapter. I kindda feel pity for Hermil.
His first love was already out off reached before he even realized himself. He lived his life surrounded by fake love. Having a selfish mother and a father who loved your stepbrother more than you, well he will be twisted like that.
First…… yey~~~~
Thak you soooo soooooo soooooooo much miss ruby,
Love u…….(as a fan)
Ooops i failed to be the first one again 🥴🥴🥴🥴
i felt bad for hamill but at deception by a person u considered friend hurts like shit so id say dsurvvv 🙄
Thanks for the chapter.
I should deceive less to my friend now (finger cross)
Thanks for the tranlation Ruby nim…
Good job rineh..
Feel sorry ham, but sorry hamill… I am still Tarkan side,
Tarkan nim fighting
Well, looking at ari background. Trust would be as rare as that diamond unlike hamil who has been served with gold platers. You broke it once you broke it forever. Granted… hamil doesnt know who she is, what her history is and thats his fault. Tarkan is lucky to make approach to study ari’s life. If he doesnt… there is no romance then.
Tarkan wasn’t lucky. He’s just a kind person, he was kind to Aristine even before knowing anything about her. He rescued her from his family and treated her like a human being from the beginning. He found out about her past later, but it didn’t change how he treated her.
So proud of our rineh for putting the trash in it’s place 💅, but I’m sad that rineh really felt betrayed 💔, damn hamill, she believed in you!!! Hope your heart is squishing pretty hard right now cuz you’ll never have place in rineh’s life again 😒😒👎
Every week I wait anxiously your post, this novel is the best of my weeks, thank you so much Miss ruby 🖤🖤
The page don’t let me post xD, I’m really start thinking the page hate me xD
He could told her about his identity before the dinner, ha had the time for it, but he choose not do it… He deserved it.
Thanks for the update 💜
why no one is pointing out that he is coveting his brother’s wife like it’s normal💀
I don’t like Hamill as a 2nd male lead. Just now he tried to manipulated her to forgive him through the friendship talk. He doesn’t deserve her at all.
Me neither, I contemplated leaving a comment on the chapter they became “friends” talking about how I thought that Hamill was being manipulative but gave up in end bc I thought no one would agree lol
Pathetic until the end. Still desperate to get her to react and doesn’t care what provocative blaming bullshit he pulls out of his ass. I have no sympathy for him. He doesn’t know the first thing about taking accountability and immediately resorts to guilt-tripping and manipulation again — “you said background isn’t necessary to become friends,” “To cut me off so easily, I suppose you never even considered me a friend”, “It wasn’t deception.” How are you supposed to read as genuine if you continually evade responsibility like a politician would? Who would want to be friends with someone who can’t plainly admit it when they hurt them? Lying by omission is incredibly selfish by definition.
Him saying the situation would be the same if he had revealed his identity from the beginning proves he really doesn’t get what he did wrong. It’s all me, me, me for him. He’s someone who’s never had to strain for anything and as a result clearly never bothered to learn how to truly appreciate people. His benevolent public persona is a total sham — he’s comfortable taking everything and everyone around him for granted. He doesn’t care that he took advantage of Rineh’s innocent desire for a friend. He’s never bothered to maintain appropriate boundaries with her, physically or emotionally. Don’t grab her wrist, dude. And you don’t get to dictate whether someone forgives you and future recourse. He said all of this bullshit without even saying a simple “I’m sorry.” Pretty much every action of his in the chapter was a solid no.
I really hate it when a FL notes a glaring character deficit and chooses to take the guy under her wing and teach him humanity in spite of a personal betrayal since “he just doesn’t know any better”, so I’m glad Rineh mustered up the strength to firmly reject him. He can work on himself, by himself and without sharing any relationship with her (Not that he seems to care enough to). He doesn’t think anything’s wrong with being calculative and deceptive, he just resents the consequences of his actions. You reap what you sow.
I was contemplating leaving a comment but after reading your comment, I have nothing else to say. Well said, you phrased it perfectly! I also want to add how he had been ‘friend’ with her long enough to have those outings where he could learn more about her and judging from her personality, he should have known the person that she was. But instead of approaching her with the pure intention of being a friend and giving her genuine affection between friends, he was just thinking about satisfying his curiosity and taking her as an anomaly in his life, testing if his ‘charm’ could once again work on this peculiar person. Right from the start, it was only Aristine who actually treated this friendship as something precious. For him, it was just another person who he should have by default, and because of that, he failed to understand her as a human being and as a person. No wonder even his way of seeking forgiveness was just blaming the situation and never taken responsibility for his own misdeed.
Thanks miss Ruby 💗💗 for updating
Thank you so much for the many updates !
Tarkan pasti akan bahagia karna dia sengaja tidak mengungkap siapa lu yang sebenarnya saat mereka bertiga bertemu
Malangnya kamu lu
Knp kmrin km bohong.
deserved~
Thank you for updating !
I feel sorry for Hamill despite knowing everything that people have said about him taking advantage of her friendship and being it in for himself. I am enjoying that Rineh can draw clear boundaries despite her naivety about a lot of things. I’m so proud of how she’s grown. 🙂
I’m noticing that some of the readers haven’t noticed what Hamill has done wrong. Even Aristine pointed out what the issue is along with the story.
I won’t force anyone to change their minds, but it’s just so weird for some to sympathize with Hamill when he’s the one in the wrong in the first place for deceiving Aristine as well as how he really treated her as entertainment; not to mention tried to play savoir when she (without him knowing) can already take care of herself as we’ve seen throughout the story.
I get it, Hamill has charm! I almost fell for it too. No offense at all! But, that’s why we gotta be mindful of how people act either in real life or fiction.
Im proud of her.
I don really like Hamill
Flirt with your brother’s wife from the beginning is a no-no
Doesnt matter how lovely she is
yep. indifference is the worst.
thanks for the chapter.