I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 160
Mirabel took a deep breath. Gripping Charles’ handkerchief tightly, she looked down at Ricardo.
“That’s no excuse. No, it can’t be.”
“I’m not trying to make excuses.”
“Do you think I could forgive you for saying you’d kill this child? For treating me like that, do you think all of it can be forgotten?”
Ricardo closed his mouth tightly at Mirabel’s reprimand. She stared at him as he lowered his gaze and knelt, and then she sighed.
“Enough.”
Mirabel spoke in a cold tone. Hearing Ricardo’s confession didn’t stir any strong emotions in her. The secret of the Grand Ducal family was shocking, but that was all.
‘It’s time to end this.’
She quietly looked down at Ricardo. He was frozen, waiting for what she would say next.
He was the kind of man who could swing between heaven and hell with just one word from her.
But that fact didn’t evoke any feeling in Mirabel.
Kneeling and confessing tragic family history wouldn’t erase the things Ricardo had done in the past.
It was Ricardo who had mistreated her, ignored her pleas, and imprisoned her.
To be honest, when Mirabel had first decided to go to the Empire, she hated him, but she still loved him. She had even quietly hoped for a reunion with him, expecting a change in him. But now, she had to reinforce her hatred all over again.
But not anymore.
Mirabel had seen and learned too much.
She had come to the Imperial Palace and had seen the woman Ricardo was going to marry. And she now knew that their marriage was ongoing.
It didn’t matter if it wasn’t Ricardo.
The truth was, Ricardo’s actions stirred her heart, but it was a fact that he could never fill the hole he had made in her heart.
‘Let’s end this here.’
So Mirabel decided to let go of Ricardo’s hand, in an effort to ease her pain.
It was a decision she could make because she no longer loved him.
If it had been Armilla, it might have been different. She was foolish and blind after all.
But Mirabel, not being Armilla, couldn’t love him enough to even embrace his faults.
From now on, Ricardo would never meet anyone who loved him the way Armilla did.
That was the punishment left for him.
“Get up now.”
“Mirabel…?”
At the tired voice, Ricardo looked up quickly. Mirabel met his anxious violet eyes and continued.
“I’m tired. I don’t want to hate you or love you anymore. Let’s end this.”
“Don’t say that.”
Ricardo’s face looked as if the sky had fallen at Mirabel’s words.
With trembling shoulders, Ricardo crawled toward Mirabel and grabbed the hem of her dress.
“You don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to. Just stay by my side. That’s all, that’s all I need.”
Ricardo pleaded with her, being so shocked. Mirabel watched him cling to her and chewed on her lip.
Ricardo was pitiful and helpless.
He had grown up not knowing what affection was, not knowing how to give affection or trust others.
But that was all.
She didn’t want to suffer from it anymore.
How many times had she cried, loving him and hating him?
The nights filled with tears had exhausted her. Just as Ricardo had changed, so had she.
“I love you, Mirabel.”
Ricardo wept. Mirabel listened to his declaration of love with numbness.
Even hearing his confession didn’t make her heart flutter. There wasn’t a single ripple in her calm heart.
Mirabel smiled faintly.
What an incredibly cruel timing.
Only after she no longer loved him did he tell her he loved her.
Only after his love had become a burden to her.
“I’m sorry.”
Mirabel spoke calmly. Ricardo flinched as if shocked by the apology that came in response to his confession. Mirabel continued calmly.
“There is love at the end of affection, but there is no love at the end of hatred. Let’s end this twisted fate here.”
“No, Mirabel. Please, think about it again. Please.”
Ricardo clung desperately to Mirabel like a helpless young animal cast aside by its mother. He hurriedly hugged her legs and spoke.
“All I need is you. I just need you. I’ll give you everything. If you ask for it, I’ll give you my heart. So please, love me again. No, no. Hate me.”
“The more you do this, the more I get exhausted.”
“Huuh, Mirabel… please…”
Ricardo’s tears soaked into the hem of her dress. The large man curled up, his sobs breaking through.
It wasn’t just silent tears. His body trembled with despair and his sobs echoed loudly. Mirabel looked at him with a bewildered expression.
“Hhuh, Mirabel. Just, hhuh, hate me…”
Ricardo’s thick arms tightened around her legs with his veins bulging. In his despair of being abandoned, he was almost losing his mind.
He couldn’t even beg her to love him anymore. Instead, he pleaded to be hated.
Mirabel sighed and placed a hand on Ricardo’s shoulder. Her delicate hand rested softly on his solid shoulder, and his body stiffened at her touch.
Unable to make a sound, Ricardo held his breath, waiting for the words to come from Mirabel’s lips.
“Will you keep being selfish until the very end?”
“…!”
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