To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 106

‘I’ve seen him somewhere before.’

Now that she saw him up close, the man looked familiar. Aisha kept thinking as she danced, trying to figure out who he was, the answer hovering just out of reach.

While Aisha tried to recall the man’s identity, the music continued to play. His dancing was not bad at least as good as a skilled escort. Their small talk during the dance wasn’t uncomfortable either, and since the man’s voice was pleasant, Aisha thought he would be a great fit for reading speeches.

‘But something feels… a bit off.’

Even with the relaxed conversation, Aisha felt a sense of awkwardness. As the music went on, the man began to seem more and more nervous, just like when he had first asked her to dance. Although his dancing was good, Aisha realized too late that he was slowly guiding her out of place. Because the dance had wide movements and she was focused on his face, Aisha only noticed then that she had been led almost to the edge of the ballroom.

“Um…”

It was when the dancers around them felt like a wall. As Aisha tried to speak, the man flinched and looked at her. And in that moment, Aisha realized who he was.

‘This man is…’

Just as her eyes widened in shock, the music reached its peak. The women moved in big circles, their colorful dresses swirling and creating a dazzling scene. As Aisha moved along with the others, the man suddenly pushed her in a certain direction and someone who had been hiding behind a nearby column grabbed her.

“Mm!”

As Aisha looked up to see who it was, her eyes turned cold. The person who had pulled her away at the palace ball, in front of everyone, trembled slightly as soon as their eyes met despite such boldness.

“Ugh… mm!”

“Sorry.”

But that was all. The man holding her, pale and unable to look her in the eyes, led her toward the door behind the column.

The one who had taken Aisha outside was Ian. He kept his hand over her mouth until they passed through the hallway that led to the imperial garden. Held close by Ian, Aisha froze for a moment in the cold wind that hit her face. But she quickly came to her senses and began to resist. As soon as they reached the entrance of the garden and Ian let go, she shouted.

“Let go! I said let go!”

“Shh.”

Because of the cold, there weren’t many couples hiding in the garden this time. Still, there were a few, so Ian quickly covered her mouth again and kept moving.

Ian stopped at the place where he had once tricked Aisha into a kiss during another ball. A secret spot, hidden by trees and shrubs

Just like before, the place was secluded. But unlike that night, the glowing flowers were all gone, and the moon was hidden behind clouds, making everything feel darker.

Aisha’s face went pale as she remembered the place. Ian only realized his mistake after seeing her expression. He had been so focused on meeting her alone, he hadn’t thought of anything else.

‘How stupid…!’

Ian clenched his fists, remembering how Aisha had looked and cried that day. Of all the wrongs he had done, that one was the worst. Why had he done it? Why had he been so foolish? The guilt from that day returned and stabbed at his heart.

Aisha looked toward the bushes where Albert’s group had once been hiding, her face pale. Under the dim moonlight, Ian saw how pale she looked and began to stutter.

“S-sorry.”

“I didn’t bring you here on purpose. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“No.”

Aisha shook her head and stepped back from Ian, fixing the wrinkles in her dress caused by being dragged.

“If you went this far to bring me here, I guess you have something really important to say.”

Ian looked disappointed as he stared at Aisha, who kept her eyes on her dress. When he stayed silent, trying to hold back his feelings, Aisha spoke coldly without looking at him.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”

“I’m sorry for dragging you out like this. But…”

As Aisha looked like she might leave right away, Ian quickly stepped closer and started to speak. She stepped back again, but Ian followed and grabbed her shoulder.

“I had no choice. Do you know how long it’s been since you stopped talking to me?”

“I told you I didn’t want to see you. Don’t you think it’s wrong for you to force this?”

Aisha gave a dry laugh at Ian’s resentful words. Her eyes were filled with caution and coldness toward him. Ian, who had noticed this, suddenly raised his voice.

“You just keep avoiding me!”

“And if you avoid me, that’s it? Don’t you care how I feel?!”

Ian’s hand trembled as he remembered how anxious he had been. But that was all his own emotion. Aisha just found his words ridiculous. It hadn’t even been a full month. And he was acting like a victim just because she had avoided him for a little while. What about before that, when she hadn’t seen him for six whole months?

“You think you’re the one to say that?”

“What?”

“You want me to think about how you feel? Ian, don’t you think it’s ridiculous for you to say that now?”

Aisha raised her head and looked Ian in the eyes. He was startled by the look of disgust in her blue eyes and let go of her shoulder. As he remembered what he had done to her in the past, his face filled with despair.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your apology. What I want is not to see you for a while, Ian.”

Ian lowered his head and apologized. But Aisha firmly refused and made her wish clear. When she said she didn’t want to see him, Ian lifted his head and grabbed her arms with both hands, giving them a small shake.

“Aisha. Please… please, don’t do this!”

“This isn’t like you. Why are you being so cold?!”

“If you’re angry, then talk to me. Is it that hard to just sit and talk with me? Was it really so terrible to be my partner tonight?”

“What Lady Sarah said to you earlier. If you had come with me, you wouldn’t have heard any of that!”

“Don’t fool yourself, Ian.”

Aisha’s cold face returned as she saw how Ian quickly lost patience when she refused him. Come to think of it, she had never told him this clearly before.

She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth and admitted that it was her own behavior that had allowed Ian to act like this. Then she began to point out his words.

“I didn’t hear those things because I didn’t come with you tonight. It’s because of the way you’ve treated me all this time.”

“Have you ever seen anyone get talked about as much as I do just for not showing up with their fiancé? No, right? So don’t make excuses. What Sarah said tonight those rumors you can’t say you’re not partly responsible.”

“You treated me like that. Before we were engaged, you acted like you were about to propose, holding me tightly and making things hard. Do you know what I heard behind my back then? That I was pathetically clinging to you because of old feelings.”

“Fine. Maybe that part’s true. But the reason I couldn’t accept the engagement wasn’t just that. When Sophia spread that dirty rumor, saying I had been with other men and got caught by you. What did you do then? When Edward wanted her tried and punished, you said that was too much.”

Aisha’s throat felt dry. Ian kept swallowing as he listened to her calm words. But when she mentioned the rumor Sophia had started, he gasped.

‘It’s true Sophia spread lies, but she didn’t say anything that harsh. Still, asking me to take all the blame that’s too much.’

Even back when he didn’t realize he liked Aisha, Ian had felt ashamed saying that. But he never thought Aisha had heard him.

“You know what? It wasn’t just Lady Sarah earlier. Believe it or not, there are still people talking about those rumors. Why? Because no one was punished. Since there’s no one to blame, they don’t see me as a victim.”

No matter how Ian breathed or reacted, Aisha spoke steadily. Ian, scared by how calm she was, asked with a trembling voice,

“Did Edward tell you?”

“No. I heard it with my own ears.”

“I never said anything like that in front of you”

“You didn’t know but I was listening when you talked to Edward.”

Ian felt more shame than anger. The fact that Aisha had heard everything he had said his shameless words crushed him inside.

“Even then, I thought it was okay. I told myself that if we got engaged, the rumors would fade. I didn’t want them to affect you or your little sister.”

“Do you think I didn’t hate Sophia? No, Ian. I hated her so much. But because I loved you… because I didn’t want you to suffer, I did what you said. And yet, after the engagement, how did you treat me?”

Even as Ian stood there, unable to meet her eyes, Aisha didn’t stop. She had held all this in for too long. She couldn’t watch him act like a victim anymore.

“Did you treat me like your fiancée? Scandals with Helen, your unchanged attitude, even inviting her to the engagement party. After that, the two of you continued spreading rumors. I even saw you two kiss in front of me, didn’t I?”

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