To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 100

“Stop sighing and get to work, William. Complaining won’t change anything it just wastes time.”

Jared, who had been silently listening to William’s endless grumbling, finally snapped. It already annoyed him to see William just polishing his sword instead of working, but being lectured pushed William over the edge.

“Hey! You’re not doing anything either!”

“Because it’s not my job. I’m not going to be the emperor. I just need to do my duty as a knight.”

He wasn’t wrong. Jared was a prince, not the crown prince. It was wise of him to act like he didn’t know or care about matters of the imperial court.

“Then why is our dear little brother, who’s apparently done with his duties, even here?”

William knew that too. But he couldn’t help the sarcastic tone in his voice.

“I have something to ask.”

Jared frowned and looked at his older brother, who was overreacting with a shrug. After a moment, he finally spoke. William stopped his fidgeting when he saw how serious Jared looked, even putting down the sword he was polishing.

“You think I have time to answer your questions right now Forget it, go ahead.”

“There are a lot of rumors about that illegitimate girl.”

“You started them, didn’t you?”

William closed his smirking mouth. Helen. She was surrounded by dangerous rumors, all spreading fast.

“I heard His Majesty has been calling for Miss Helen often. There have already been seven official visits!”

“Exactly. And each time, she stays for at least three hours.”

It started with whispers that the emperor often called for Helen. Her value shot up overnight. She was no longer just an illegitimate daughter people started treating her like the emperor’s real daughter, bowing and flattering her.

“Did you see the ruby necklace Helen wears? I heard His Majesty gave it to her. She even said it herself…”

That’s where the problem began. With all the people flattering her, Helen became more arrogant by the day.

“I even heard His Majesty wants her to marry Marquis Lloyd.”

“Oh my, the Marquis? Well, there were always rumors about those two. But then what about Lady Aisha?”

“Helen says Aisha will be tossed aside. She even claimed she’ll soon be recognized as a princess.”

“No way. The Empress is still around…”

“People say Their Majesties haven’t been getting along lately. And guess what Helen was the first to say that too…”

Helen’s arrogance grew wildly out of control, and under the influence of too much alcohol at a banquet, she started exaggerating everything. She said the emperor had approved things he hadn’t, acting like her wishes were already reality. She even talked about the emperor and empress’s relationship.

The rumors were scandalous enough to spread quickly even Jared, who usually stayed out of these things, heard them. He was shocked at first, but soon realized something strange. Even if she was drunk, Helen had said too much. Jared secretly investigated and discovered people around her who were encouraging her.

“Really? His Majesty treasures you that much? That’s amazing, Miss Helen.”

“Exactly. I’m so jealous. But if you become a princess, don’t forget about me!”

They flattered her and played along with her fantasies. Jared realized those people were under his brother’s command.

“Why would you do that?”

“I swear I didn’t. All I did was collect news about that illegitimate girl.”

“That’s not true. I know the people standing around her at the banquet They’re all your people.”

“She needs to fall from high up to know her place. Then she’ll understand where she really stands. Isn’t that fair?”

William had been pretending for a while, but finally spoke honestly when Jared stared at him. He didn’t want to gently destroy Helen. To him, she was a filthy illegitimate girl who hurt his mother and sister. He wanted her to suffer and learn her place, as painfully as possible.

William’s golden eyes gleamed with cruelty. Jared sighed and spoke with a conflicted look on his face.

“Do whatever else you want. But don’t drag Lady Aisha into this.”

“What?”

“I’m talking about that illegitimate girl mentioning the Marquis and me together Don’t encourage that.”

William listened quietly, then looked at Jared in disbelief. All this drama, and his little brother was only worried about some girl not being hurt? Realizing his brother’s one-sided love was still going strong, William clicked his tongue and revealed something surprising.

“I haven’t told you this before, but Father really did say that.”

“What?”

“He might’ve changed his mind now… but our great Emperor did once try to pair up that illegitimate girl with the Marquis. Actually, if the Marquis agreed, he might still go through with it.”

Jared’s face went pale as he realized Helen’s words hadn’t been just drunken dreams. He stammered, his calmness gone.

“Th-then what about Lady Aisha? What’s going to happen to her?”

“Do you think Father wouldn’t consider her? There’s Count Parden to think about. If he gets offended because of this, it would be a big problem.”

“Then…”

“Father planned to give her someone even better than the Marquis.”

Jared’s face twisted even more at William’s words. Aisha liked the Marquis. But now she might lose her place beside him to an illegitimate girl and be forced to marry someone else by imperial order.

“Where does Father want her to go? It’s not someone way older or someone far from the capital, is it?”

“You gave up, huh? Now you’re curious where her new place is?”

William looked at Jared with both pity and frustration. He answered after a pause.

“By your side.”

“What?”

“He wanted to give her to you.”

“What are you talking about”

“The Marquis is one of the best matches in the empire. If we’re going to take him from her, then giving her to you is the only way Count Parden wouldn’t feel insulted.”

Jared froze, eyes wide. His expression changed from worry to a flicker of hope. William noticed the tiny tremble in his brother’s eyes and let out a small laugh.

“What? You want things to go that way? Want me to help?”

Jared blushed, startled like he had been caught. But soon, he looked down and sighed bitterly.

“How could I dare?”

“I’m the one who brought that girl to Father. And Lady Aisha is suffering because of that.”

“What? The rumors between the Marquis and that illegitimate girl started because of the Marquis himself. If he hadn’t acted carelessly, would rumors about a man engaged to someone else have spread like this?”

William raised his voice in frustration, but Jared shook his head. He clenched and opened his fists, speaking in a low, self-blaming voice.

“No. If I hadn’t brought her to Father, you wouldn’t have interfered, and none of this would’ve gotten this big.”

“I can’t even face her anymore. No matter what I meant, I hurt her. How could I stand in front of her again?”

“You sound like a fool If it were me, I’d take this as a chance.”

“People aren’t objects. If you force them to stay with you, it’ll go wrong eventually.”

He was right, but it made William feel choked. He couldn’t hold back and started unbuttoning his collar as he muttered in a tired voice.

“I really did raise you too gently. That’s not bad, I guess but sometimes I worry. If I suddenly died and you became emperor, what would happen to this country?”

A banquet was being held in the Ruby Hall of the palace to welcome the delegation from the Kingdom of Astar. Though it wasn’t as big as the Central Hall used for the founding festival, the crowd made the atmosphere more lively.

“Over there, that’s Miss Helen.”

“Oh, the one from the rumors”

“That red hair really stands out.”

Whenever people gathered, they gossiped mostly about Helen, the emperor’s illegitimate daughter. Sometimes, names like Ian and Aisha were also mentioned.

“See? No one can ignore me now.”

Helen enjoyed the attention, surrounded by her new followers. Dressed in flashy clothes covered in jewels, she held her head high as she walked through the hall.

“What kind of behavior is that An illegitimate girl walking around like this when the princes and princesses are here?”

Those who hated her frowned and clicked their tongues. Some even warned their children and grandchildren not to go near her.

Countess Deehan, Viscountess Eden Marchioness Neuer.

Helen memorized the faces of those who looked at her with clear disgust. When she became a princess, they’d be the first she kicked out of the palace or better yet, exiled from the capital completely. Imagining them falling by her father’s command, Helen strutted like the star of the banquet.

But her moment in the spotlight didn’t last long. A servant announced someone’s arrival, and all eyes turned to the entrance.

The delegation and the royal family haven’t entered yet Then who is it?

Helen, annoyed that the attention had shifted away from her, pushed through the crowd with her fan hiding her frown. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened in shock.

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