Chapter 273: She Thought I was Pretty, But She Was Prettier

"Grandma, is she really your granddaughter?"

Isobel asked with a teasing smile as she wrapped both arms around Sharon’s arm.

Sharon immediately sighed.

"Don’t say anything else. Yes, she is my granddaughter. She doesn’t look anything like me, but she’s still my only granddaughter."

Her tone was so aggrieved that Isobel burst into laughter.

"You should be proud, Grandma."

Isobel turned her attention to Kristal, her eyes sparkling with genuine admiration.

"Kristal has such beautiful auburn hair. And her eyes..." She leaned closer, studying them. "They’re like emeralds."

Kristal was dressed in a forest-green top that made her eyes appear even brighter.

A faint smile appeared on Kristal’s lips.

"Thank you."

"Did you get the chance to visit the tourist spots in Novare or Aldea?" Isobel asked.

"Richard showed me some of the famous bars in the city."

Isobel’s smile disappeared.

"Bars?"

There was something about the way she repeated the word that made Richard’s brows lift.

"Just chilling out," Kristal quickly explained.

Her voice rose slightly, as though she suddenly felt the need to defend herself.

Isobel glanced at Richard.

Her expression became faintly displeased.

"Why did you take her to bars? There are so many beautiful places to see in Novare."

Richard almost laughed.

Was she jealous?

The thought sent an inexplicable warmth through his chest.

"I was planning to take her around tomorrow," he said casually. "Why don’t you come with us?"

Isobel’s gaze shifted from Richard to Kristal.

For a moment, she studied them together.

They actually looked good side by side.

Richard had the dark hair common among Ambrussians, but his eyes were a lighter shade of brown. His fair complexion and tall, lean frame gave him an effortlessly striking appearance.

And Kristal...

She was elegant, beautiful, and sophisticated... an iconic beauty amidst dark-haired women.

They looked like they belonged together.

Isobel suddenly felt like she would be intruding if she joined them.

Besides, she had always wanted to ask Richard whether he had a girlfriend.

But that was his private business.

She had never found the courage—or the excuse—to ask.

"We’ll still be at the beach tomorrow," she finally said. "We’ll probably return late in the evening."

Richard’s expression darkened for the briefest moment. But he quickly concealed it behind a teasing smile.

He reached out and lightly patted her head.

"You’re always busy."

His tone became deliberately aggrieved.

"No more time for me, huh?"

Isobel laughed.

"Don’t be dramatic, Richie. You’re busier than me."

Kristal lowered her gaze.

Something inside her chest tightened.

The sight of Richard casually touching Isobel’s head shouldn’t have affected her.

But it did.

There was an ease between them that she couldn’t quite understand.

It was the kind of familiarity that could only come from years of knowing someone.

Isobel didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.

"Nah. Just show Kristal around. Don’t let her leave Novare with a bad impression."

She turned toward Kristal.

"She probably hasn’t seen half the beautiful places here."

Kristal looked at her carefully. She had expected something else.

Jealousy. Possessiveness. Perhaps even hostility.

Instead, all she found in Isobel’s eyes was sincere admiration.

There wasn’t a trace of malice. If anything, Isobel looked genuinely fascinated by her.

"Hey..."

Kristal finally couldn’t help asking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Isobel blinked.

"Because you’re so pretty."

Kristal was caught off guard.

"Pretty?"

"Yes!"

Isobel’s eyes lit up.

"Can I take a selfie with you?"

Kristal hesitated.

She had expected many things from this meeting.

A selfie with Isobel had certainly not been one of them.

But there was something so innocent about Isobel’s request that refusing felt unnecessarily petty.

"Sure."

Kristal stepped closer.

Isobel immediately moved beside her, pressing her cheek lightly against Kristal’s.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Isobel checked the pictures on her phone.

A satisfied smile spread across her face.

"Wow..."

She turned the screen toward Kristal.

"Look at us!"

Kristal glanced at the photo.

The two women looked completely different.

Isobel had a classic, delicate beauty—soft features, clear skin, and an effortless elegance that didn’t need elaborate makeup.

Kristal’s beauty was more striking.

Auburn hair.

Emerald eyes.

Sharp, elegant features.

Yet somehow, the picture made them look surprisingly harmonious together.

Isobel suddenly looked toward Richard.

"Richie, come join us!"

Richard approached.

For some reason, he instinctively moved toward Isobel, intending to stand between the two women.

But Isobel immediately stopped him.

"You stand beside Kristal."

She grabbed his arm and pushed him gently toward Kristal.

Richard had no choice but to obey.

"Now smile!"

Click!

Isobel looked at the screen. Her brows immediately furrowed.

"Richie, you’re not even looking at the camera!"

Richard glanced at the phone.

He had been looking at Isobel instead.

"One more."

Isobel raised the phone again.

"Smile this time."

Click!

This time, Richard deliberately looked at the camera.

When Isobel checked the photo, she finally smiled in satisfaction.

"Perfect."

She showed the picture to both of them.

Then she turned to Kristal.

"Your hair is really beautiful. And your eyes are gorgeous. I actually envy you."

Kristal stared at her. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

Then an unexpected thought surfaced in her mind.

Does Richard think the same?

Does he think I’m beautiful?

Does he notice my eyes?

Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Richard.

He was looking at the picture.

But then his eyes shifted. Not toward her. Toward Isobel.

Kristal’s heart sank slightly.

She quickly looked away.

What Isobel didn’t know was that Kristal had been admiring her, too.

Isobel’s beauty wasn’t the kind that demanded attention.

It was quieter than that.

Timeless.

Her features were perfectly balanced, her face almost impossibly symmetrical, and there was a natural softness in her expression that made her more beautiful the longer one looked at her.

She didn’t need auburn hair. She didn’t need emerald eyes.

She didn’t even need to try.

And that was what made Kristal feel strangely unsettled.

She looked at Isobel again.

The woman was completely unaware of the effect she had on people.

She was simply smiling at the photograph, delighted by how everyone looked.

Kristal’s fingers curled slightly.

She had thought Isobel was pretty.

But she was very pretty.

But now, standing beside her, Kristal couldn’t help thinking—

How could she possibly be prettier than Isobel?