130: Confession and Heart
"Ah... I apologize. If you don't mind, could you please listen to me share a few things as a friend, Miss Evelia? Some matters... have truly been buried in my heart for too long."
Jasmine gently turned a page of the book in her hands, though her soft gaze was not focused on the pages. She stared blankly at the closed cabinet before her. Even knowing this wasn't the best timing, she couldn't help but speak up with a plea.
She was pleading for Evelia to grant her request, and also pleading for someone in the room to give her a chance to explain, or perhaps to speak her true feelings.
"Of course... I can do that. But Miss Jasmine... why would you tell these things to someone you've only recently met?"
Evelia glanced surreptitiously at the cabinet. She felt that Jasmine had probably already discovered Lina's existence. Those words seemed to be addressed to her on the surface, but Jasmine's true intention was likely for Lina to hear them.
"That question... perhaps because... I genuinely feel that you are someone worth trusting, Miss Evelia? I can sense your kindness that stems from your very essence. In the entire Church... I fear you may be the only one who could patiently listen to me. To be honest, I've thought about pouring out everything in my heart to others before. But whenever I wanted to put that thought into practice, what greeted me was only false flattery and fawning..."
"The title of Saint... it seems glamorous, but in truth, only by standing in this position can one understand its bitterness. The pressure from within the Church, the weight of responsibility on one's shoulders... and even having to face all kinds of insincere praise from people with ulterior motives. This position brings not just physical exhaustion, but mental fatigue as well. Honestly... if I could, I would rather just be an ordinary nun and be done with it!"
"Then... why did you?"
"Mm... I apologize. There are some reasons I cannot share. But at that time, I had to obtain the position of Saint. Only by doing so could I protect Lina."
Protect? So it really was that Howard who had issues?
Evelia thought silently to herself. But she wasn't foolish enough to voice this question. The matter regarding Howard probably involved far more aspects than she could predict, perhaps even involving some enormous Church scandal.
After all, a Cardinal had died in such unclear circumstances and the Church hadn't even investigated. There was definitely something wrong.
"I really miss the old days... Back then, Lina still loved clinging to me. Although I liked her too, the only problem was... that child was sometimes truly a bit too enthusiastic, leaving me at a complete loss. I would end up fleeing awkwardly to the side, then hiding away to secretly snap a few photos of Lina as mementos. You saw it when you entered my room, didn't you, Miss Evelia? That whole wall is covered with Lina's photos! They were all taken back then~ Now that I think about it... it really was rather silly and cute!"
……
Our Miss Lina, hiding in the cabinet, had actually been about to explode with rage the moment she heard Jasmine say "Lina liked me a lot when she was little."
What right did this woman have to bring up the past?
Back then, she had liked her so much, yet Jasmine always kept a stern face, almost never giving her a kind look. She would even leave her behind with obvious disdain whenever she begged her to play! How could a woman like that have the nerve to mention in front of others that she had liked her when she was little?
Did she have no shame at all!?
Lina was furious. She was almost about to lose control and rush out to punch Jasmine in the face! But she knew very well she couldn't do that. Once Jasmine discovered her, she would probably have people tie her up and drag her back to the Church. Not only would she fail to find her father's legacy, she would also be separated from her dear Noren, with no telling when they could meet again.
This was something Lina absolutely could not accept.
So she held back. Besides, she wanted to see just how hypocritical this woman Jasmine could be.
But Jasmine's next words nearly made Lina lose her composure again.
Not from anger, but from a shock to her heart.
She said she had fled from her side because she didn't know how to handle the situation. Lina completely dismissed this.
Such a clumsy lie, and she had the nerve to say it out loud?
Through the crack in the cabinet, Lina could see that Jasmine's expression at this moment was very gentle, as if she were truly immersed in beautiful memories of the past. If she didn't know Jasmine's true nature so well, even Lina might have been deceived by her nearly flawless performance!
But when she heard Jasmine say "a whole wall of Lina's photos," her expression froze.
Because she heard her Sister Evelia mutter quietly behind her, "It's true. She even has a sleeping face album. Like some kind of stalker."
She also saw that Jasmine, who had clearly heard Evelia's words too, had her expression freeze slightly, appearing somewhat embarrassed.
Wait, don't tell her something this ridiculous was actually true!?
Lina couldn't believe it. In her memory, the only photo she had with Jasmine was the group photo with their father when they separated from the orphanage to go to different monasteries. And in that photo, Jasmine looked so reluctant, clearly unwilling to take a picture with her.
Someone like that, and she was telling Lina that she secretly took photos of her when she wasn't paying attention? And hung them all over her room?
Lina wouldn't believe that even if you beat her to death!
But what made Lina even more devastated was what Jasmine said afterward.
She recounted in extreme detail all sorts of anecdotes from Lina's childhood to Evelia. From fighting with other children over a lollipop, to saving up candy for a long time just to give it to Jasmine to please her, to still wetting the bed at eight years old. She told Evelia everything!
Lina's expression went from initially dismissive, to surprised that Jasmine really knew her so well, to finally so ashamed she wanted to rush out right then and find a cloth to stuff into Jasmine's mouth to stop her from continuing to share her embarrassing history.
This dead woman! Hadn't she always looked down on her? How could she remember her past so clearly!!!
There were even some things she herself didn't remember, yet Jasmine could still describe the specific details!
Lina curled up in the cabinet, her small face turning red from shame. She wanted to go out and refute, wanted to go out and argue with Jasmine, but ultimately couldn't summon that courage.
Until finally, she heard Jasmine say:
"Although I've done many things without her knowledge, no matter what, to me, Lina is my most important younger sister. For her sake, I could give up everything I have. I only wish that she could be forever happy and blessed!"
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