From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 274: Chapter 274

Joshua murmured, "It's alive."
"What's alive?" Jolin didn't understand what Joshua meant and leaned in to look at the chessboard.
Joshua didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the board.
Seeing that his brother no longer seemed aggressive, Jolin hesitated before slowly loosening his grip. "Joshua, are you okay now?"
Joshua completely ignored Jolin. Once freed, he sat down at the stone table, staring intently at the chessboard without blinking.
He muttered to himself, words too soft to decipher.
Jolin stood beside him, looking at Joshua with deep sorrow. "Joshua wasn't like this before. He was an outstanding student, the pride of our family."
Paisley recalled the last family dinner when Christopher mentioned that Joshua's mental issues stemmed from his studies.
She had already noticed signs of Joshua's psychological struggles back then but hadn't expected them to be this severe.
"From birth, Joshua was labeled a genius. Whether in academics, exams, or competitions, he was always the one standing at the top.
"Maybe it was the excessive attention from the outside world, or maybe it was our family's relentless praise and high expectations. Over time, the title of 'genius' stopped being an honor and became a burden. Some people even used it to mock him."
As Jolin spoke, she couldn't help but recall that night many years ago.
Christopher had gathered a group of reckless, privileged second-generation heirs around him, mocking Joshua.
"Oh, look who we have here! Our great genius!"
"What genius? He's just a bookworm."
"Even I have played with bookworms before. Come on, let me give you a kiss!"
"What genius? Just an empty title. If I were born into the Godard family, I'd be a genius too."
Joshua was surrounded by Christopher and his gang, their relentless taunts and jeers aimed directly at him.
They wouldn't let Joshua leave and even made crude jokes at his expense.
Thinking about the past, Jolin couldn't hide the sorrow in her eyes. "My dad was rarely home, and my mom was too weak to stand up to the second branch. My uncle and Max did try to protect us, but they were too busy to watch over us all the time.
"As for my grandmother, she only cared about keeping the family in harmony. As long as Christopher didn't go too far, she wouldn't punish him harshly."
Paisley, remembering how Anna always tried to please everyone, completely understood Jolin's words.
"Back then, I was still in school myself—skinny and weak, unable to protect Joshua at all. In the end, it was Cole who called my aunt over. Christopher didn't dare to act out in front of her, so he finally backed off and left Joshua alone.
"But that incident still left a lasting impact on Joshua. The next day, he underperformed at the national competition, ultimately placing only tenth."
For an average person, ranking tenth in a national competition was already an incredible achievement.
But for Joshua, who had always been hailed as a genius, it was as if a deity had fallen from the heavens—a devastating blow.
The worst part was that Joshua had the ability to take first place. His failure was entirely due to his shaken mindset. Paisley completely understood why Joshua had broken down.
"After that loss, Joshua never recovered. He shut himself off from the world, refusing to let anyone near him or acknowledge anyone at all." Even now, whenever Jolin talked about it, the pain in his heart was unbearable.
"And Christopher? This all started because of him, didn't it?" Paisley asked.
Jolin let out a cold laugh. "He never admitted any fault. He just said they were joking around with Joshua, and that Joshua was being too sensitive, unable to take a joke. He even claimed that Joshua's poor mentality was the reason he lost the competition—that it had nothing to do with him.
"The irony? The person who won first place in that competition was the younger brother of the woman who harassed Joshua that night, the one who said she wanted to kiss him."
"In the end, my grandmother only made Christopher apologize to Joshua. My uncle tried to make up for it by sending Joshua a bunch of supplements and books.
"And just like that, with my grandmother's decision, the matter was settled. By the time my elder uncle found out, it was already too late to do anything."
"And what about Logan? Did he ever say anything about it?" Paisley asked, puzzled.
After all, Joshua was his own son—his outstanding, talented son. Logan, as a father, cared about him.
Jolin scoffed again, "My dad spent too much time in the military. He always tried to raise us using military discipline. So he thought Christopher was right. In his eyes, Joshua was simply too weak mentally—he failed because he couldn't handle pressure, and no one else was to blame."
Paisley was at a loss for words.
Seeing her expression, Jolin sighed, "Paisley, you think it's ridiculous too, don't you? Everyone on the outside assumes that being born into the Godard family is like winning the lottery, the ultimate blessing.
"But sometimes, I wonder—if Joshua weren't a Godard, if he hadn't been burdened with all those expectations and attention, would he have been able to live a much easier, freer life?"
Paisley didn't need to answer—the truth was obvious.
"I blame myself for not protecting Joshua. That's why I later applied to the police academy and became a cop. Maybe it's because of my position that Christopher finally learned to restrain himself."
As Jolin spoke, she gently stroked Joshua's hair. "Of course, I also truly love being a police officer. It was my dream since childhood."
Talking about his profession, Jolin got excited. If she didn't genuinely love this honorable job, she wouldn't be standing on the front lines of solving cases, unafraid of life and death.
Paisley looked at Joshua. She could heal many ailments, but mental illness was her weakness.
She thought about it and decided that the only thing she could do was prescribe Joshua some calming and mind-clearing medicine. Maybe it would help him a little.
Another gust of wind blew past, making the air even colder.
Standing still for so long, Paisley started to feel the chill creeping into her body.
"Joshua, it's late. Let's go back and rest," Jolin coaxed.
Joshua ignored him completely. Instead, he lifted his head and looked directly at Paisley, his gaze burning. "One more game."
He used the simplest words to express his intent. He wanted to play another game of chess with Paisley.
"Joshua, it's really late. I need to rest. You should rest too," Jolin patiently tried to persuade him.
Joshua remained unresponsive, his gaze unwavering as he continued to stare at Paisley. "One more game. Just one."
Then, as if afraid Paisley would refuse, Joshua hesitated for a moment before struggling to call out to her, "Cousin."