My older sister is a villainous rich girl

He sat back down on the other side, looking disgusted as he wrinkled his nose and glanced at Wayne every now and then.

It was obvious at a glance that she strongly disagreed with Richard's opinion.

The crowd in the activity room, who had been waiting to see a good show, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

In everyone's eyes, Wayne's personality has always seemed rather unconventional. However, he has many friends, so generally no one pays special attention to such small details.

After Richard finished speaking, before going on stage, Wayne gave him a fist bump as a gesture of friendship.

Not only was Ge Li dissatisfied, but even Wayne thought that what he had just said could not be considered a flaw at all.

That way, I won't be able to criticize him too harshly later.

"First of all, thank you for Richard's comments." Wayne expressed his gratitude for everyone's kindness.

"Well... to say that I was completely indifferent to those things, I think I'm being unfairly accused."

He clarified the matter in a relaxed tone.

"I may not care that much, but that's because I have a lot of support behind me." He had to emphasize this point.

"It is precisely because I know that I have the confidence to be unconventional that I have the love and care of so many people."

In other words, this is called being fearless because of one's own power.

Actually, he felt a little ashamed.

"However, this subconscious tendency can sometimes give some people a bad feeling, and I will pay more attention to improving it in the future."

After humbly summarizing everything, it was finally my turn to give Richard my evaluation.

Before getting to the main topic, Wayne looked up and glanced around the event room.

Chris, Goethe, Lawrence, Raphael... everyone was staring intently at him.

"Richard is seen by everyone as a perfect prince, and it is probably difficult to find any flaws in him."

However, it truly exists.

Chapter 522 The Piano That Will Never Be Played Again

There is no such thing as a truly perfect person.

Wayne lived by this belief.

Things that seem perfect often have some regrettable flaws hidden in the background.

He used to harbor some unrealistic fantasies, only to be repeatedly taught a lesson by reality. Now, he has successfully accepted this theorem.

As a result, he also became one of those so-called "smart people who know how to live".

This didn't make his life any easier, but it did provide him with some kind of solace.

—Flaws are inherent in everyone, and I don't make demands on others because of them, so others shouldn't make demands on me because of them either.

"Actually, I don't usually care that the people around me have some harmless flaws. In my opinion, these are part of their personality."

Wayne's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear.

"I'm willing to be friends with someone as long as I think they're trustworthy."

"When I first heard about Richard, this 'perfect prince,' from snippets of conversation from others, I thought..."

—I'm thinking, maybe he and I are the same kind of people.

"He and I are completely opposite in personality."

Wayne smiled.

If someone pretends for too long, they may actually start to believe that they are naturally that way.

“Maintaining perseverance over many years is definitely a very difficult thing.” He seemed to be speaking directly to Richard, yet also as if he were speaking to someone unrelated. “Especially with unrealistic expectations like ‘perfection’.”

Yes. Just like one's own "innocence, kindness, and harmlessness," these are merely settings imposed by humans.

No matter how dazzling the halo above his head may be, the body named Richard still contains a human soul.

He experiences joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and naturally, he will experience corresponding psychological fluctuations due to external stimuli.

So he would envy another life that seemed different from his own, he would be troubled by why he couldn't get along with his twin brother, and he would subconsciously resent the pain caused by his parents' discord... These thoughts kept running rampant in his mind, but he couldn't tell anyone about them.

He cannot reveal it.

Because once he reveals it, he is no longer "perfect".

A perfect prince would never want to escape his current identity at any moment, nor would he be able to handle his relationship with his own brother, let alone mediate the conflict between the king and queen, ultimately damaging the reputation of the entire royal family.

The helpless reality was in complete conflict with his ideal state.

So he could only pretend that it wasn't a problem at all.

They act strong, as if everything is under control and they don't care about these trivial matters at all.

Yes, how could these messy and distracting thoughts possibly shake His Highness's resolute heart?

Richard chose to bury all these vivid emotions deep within the sea of ​​his consciousness.

And then, there came to be that prince who was so "perfect" that he seemed unreal.

"...Perhaps only an extremely strong belief could provide him with such powerful motivation."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wayne looked intently into Richard's eyes from below the stage.

“Richard, although it may seem like I shouldn’t be reminding you of these things… I still want to say that the goal that you’ve been pursuing all this time, the one you’re determined to achieve no matter what, is what’s truly important to you.”

"Don't get lost in the pursuit of 'perfection' and forget your true self."

……

"What kind of person do you want to be when you grow up, brother?" A childish question rang in my ears.

Richard stopped fiddling with the building blocks he was playing with.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I want to become a very, very good person, someone that everyone can rely on."

The younger of the twins was delighted to hear this answer.

"Really? Then can I always rely on my brother from now on?"

"Yes, of course!"

The prince, who was adored by everyone and received different praise almost every day, answered without hesitation.

At that time, they could not understand the profound meaning of "commitment".

"They are clearly brothers, so why is the other one so mediocre?"

One day later, I heard such comments from my close maids.

No.

Richard instantly realized who they were talking about. He wanted to rush up and argue loudly, but... he couldn't.

Because he is a good child who is praised every day, and he doesn't know how to throw a tantrum.

Before they could even think of how to react, the maids casually dispersed as if they hadn't said anything and went back to their own tasks.

Perhaps it was just an unintentional mistake on their part...

Although he convinced himself that he didn't need to do anything more and was able to quietly turn away, preserving his image, Richard felt lost as he heard similar "slips of the tongue" from different people more and more often, and as his younger brother seemed to become increasingly silent.

Did Lawrence also hear those sarcastic remarks?

What should I do to make him stop caring about these things?

"Brother, the teacher praised you again in front of Father today," he said casually, just like before.

“Really…” Richard tried not to make him feel that the result of this comparison was important. “Those don’t matter.”

It doesn't matter at all, there's no need to feel disappointed about it.

Lawrence nodded, though it was unclear whether he had understood his words of advice.

"The piano is so interesting! It's like I'm listening to it talk." He stretched out his little hand and hovered it in mid-air, imitating playing the piano.

"Really? Lawrence is very talented in this area. I don't seem to be very suited to it."

"How could that be?" Lawrence looked at him with a surprised expression.

"Perhaps the piano prefers Lawrence to me... I don't even feel like it's talking to me."

Children's emotions come and go quickly.

Lawrence quickly cheered up again, "Then, I'll play it for you after I've learned how to use it to speak."

“Okay.” Richard smiled faintly. “Then it’s settled.”

……

To this day, Richard no longer knows why he still remembers these old stories so vividly.

Before the promise could be fulfilled, an unexpected separation shattered the fragile lie between the two children.

The hostage, adrift in a foreign land, had no one to rely on.

The piano that was placed in the palace was never played again.

Chapter 523 Am I too bad?

"Wayne... is there some kind of soul-searching deal between you and Prince Richard that I don't know about?" Chris asked with a suspicious look.

Wayne: ? ? ?

Seeing his wide-eyed, stunned expression, Chris snorted: "Then why did Richard look so deeply moved and still feel touched to this day after you only said a few nonsensical words during the last election?"

It's been a while since the election for the official president of the Lily Society.

In the end, Wayne won by one vote.

However, despite the close race for the votes, Richard was the first to congratulate him when the results were announced.

"—As expected, I am still slightly inferior."

This appears to be the first time Richard has openly and frankly admitted that he is inferior to others in some aspects.

But what bothered Chris the most wasn't that, but rather... Richard's attitude towards Wayne suddenly became much closer after that. Several times, he even openly came to her house and kidnapped Wayne to go out with her, even when Wayne was with her.

This was unbearable for her, as she felt her status as Wayne's "official girlfriend" was being challenged.

Sensing her subtle mood, Wayne couldn't help but laugh and cry: "You know, Richard actually really wants to improve his relationship with Lawrence."

However, he didn't understand how to do it, and he couldn't completely let go of his brother's authority.

On the other hand, Lawrence also longed for care from others, but when facing Richard, she always kept his concern at arm's length.

They are not real enemies.

It's just that the things that happened in the past were so hurtful that neither of them could let go of the past.

"My words to him were related to this. Perhaps he felt that he could change his situation with my help, which is why he kept asking me to go out with him."

Moreover, Richard had specifically reminded him when he took him to the horse farm in the suburbs last time: next time, you can invite more friends.

Isn't this a blatant suggestion that he should invite Lawrence along?

As a mutual friend, Wayne is not opposed to creating opportunities for them to reconcile.

“I’ll invite Lawrence over again tomorrow. Once the two brothers have cleared up their differences, I shouldn’t need to act as a go-between anymore,” Wayne said.

Chris took two steps forward, cupped Wayne's face in her hands, and forced him to look up at her.

“I’m going too,” she said, emphasizing each word.

"..." Wayne instinctively wanted to refuse.

But seeing the determination in her eyes, he finally gave in.

"Then remember to wear clothes that are easy to move in. I'll teach you how to ride a horse."

With Chris present, she could find an excuse to leave some space for Richard and Lawrence.

The reason why Wayne was reluctant to go with Chris was that, strictly speaking, mingling at the horse farm was not something that noble ladies should do. The only way women were allowed to ride horses was the very awkward "side riding," which originated from the invention of a queen decades ago.

Not only was the experience uncomfortable, but if Mrs. Ashville found out about this, she would probably nag Chris again.