To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 17

Unlike Ian’s clear blue eyes, Prince Jared’s green eyes shimmered with a mysterious light. Aisha, startled, quickly lowered her head. But the gaze she felt didn’t disappear, so she bowed even deeper.

As she looked down, she saw the Emperor and Empress’s shoes. Then came the Crown Prince and Princess’s shoes passing beside her, and next…

Polished shoes stopped right next to her, below the dark navy pants of a formal evening suit. Aisha didn’t know what to do when the shoes halted exactly beside her. Even without looking, she could clearly feel someone staring at the back of her head.

When Prince Jared stopped, a small stir spread through the crowd. A few sharp-eyed guests glanced at the prince and exchanged looks. Even the Crown Prince turned around to see the commotion starting just behind him. Then, Princess Catherine, who stood next to Jared, let out a sharp voice.

“What are you doing?”

A white finger poked Jared in the side. The prince, who had been standing still, finally came to his senses and began to move again when his sister urged him. She muttered something else, but it was in a whisper, so no one but Jared could hear it.

As Jared and the princess walked away, their long robes disappearing, Aisha let out a breath she had been holding. Her hands under the gloves were damp from the unexpected tension.

Soon after the royal family passed Aisha, they stepped onto a low platform at the front of the hall. The Emperor and Empress stood before the throne, and their children took places near them.

“Everyone, be at ease.”

The Emperor, now seated on the throne, looked around at the guests and spoke in a firm voice. The people bowed deeply and then straightened up, turning their full attention to the Emperor.

“It’s too hot today for a long speech, so I’ll keep it short. But tradition must be honored. Steward.”

As the Emperor looked to his side under the guests’ gaze, the Empress clapped her hands and called the steward in a bright voice. The steward, waiting in the back, ran up and unrolled a long scroll with the Emperor’s speech written on it.

“By the grace of the great Caesar Empire, His Majesty the benevolent Emperor…”

The steward began reciting the speech in a clear voice, and it would continue for several minutes. With some time to breathe, Aisha held her pounding heart, still shaken, and turned her head to find Ian.

Ian was much closer to her than before. He had crossed the red carpet walked by the royal family and was now near her, his face more clearly visible.

But strangely, he looked more upset than before. His brows were faintly furrowed as he glared at the front where the royals stood, then slightly turned his head toward Aisha, as if noticing her gaze.

‘Follow me when I give the signal.’

He spoke again without words. The unspoken command felt impossible to refuse, and Aisha hesitated before giving a small nod. Ian smirked slightly at her obedient response, then quickly erased the smile.

“In honor of Their Majesties’ efforts today…”

The steward’s speech continued, but no matter how fine the words were, they didn’t reach Aisha’s ears. She kept glancing at Ian, lost in thought. And Ian, whose eyes stayed on her, clenched his fists without even realizing it.

The royal orchestra played flawlessly. Guests moved in smooth circles with their partners to the beautiful melodies.

Aisha danced with Daniel while stealing glances at Ian in the distance. Each time she turned, she caught a glimpse of his face. Unlike her anxious expression, his face was emotionless.

“Hey! Are you going to keep staring at that guy?”

Daniel scolded her when she didn’t focus on the dance. He had quickly figured out who his sister was looking at. He thought he was being discreet, but Aisha blushed, as if he’d exposed her secret, and muttered weakly.

“I wasn’t looking.”

“Oh please. It’s way too obvious, don’t even try to deny it.”

“You’ve got your handsome brother right in front of you, and your eyes still wander to that jerk? Honestly, you must be sick. Seriously sick.”

At his teasing voice, Aisha rolled her eyes. That was too harsh. Annoyed, she stepped on Daniel’s foot on purpose.

“Ugh!”

“Stop jumping to conclusions. I just couldn’t focus. And stop calling him a je—… Seriously, watch your words. What if someone hears you?”

“Huh? There you go, defending him again. What should I call him then if not a jerk? And you’re not worried someone might hear it’s just that you don’t like hearing me call him that.”

Aisha shut her mouth, knowing the more she responded, the longer it would go on. Daniel frowned as he openly stared at Ian, then smirked as if a thought came to him.

“Yeah, maybe it’s just my imagination, like you said. Huh? What’s Ian doing now? Using dancing as an excuse to stick that close to his partner? Isn’t he embarrassed, doing that in public?”

Aisha turned her head without realizing it. But unlike Daniel’s words, Ian kept a proper distance from his partner neither too close nor too far. His posture was perfect, and the space between them actually seemed cold. Realizing she’d been tricked, Aisha glared at Daniel.

“Dummy. Still think it’s just my imagination?”

Daniel met her eyes and didn’t bother hiding his smirk. Aisha bit her lip and looked away. Compared to a moment ago, when she was flustered, she now looked distant and cold. Daniel, noticing the change, finally stopped teasing.

“Hey! Are you really mad? Over that? Hey! Aisha.”

“It was just a joke… I mean, none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t been staring at Ian.”

With the dance almost over, Daniel kept trying to talk, but Aisha didn’t respond. She stayed silent until the music ended. Daniel sighed deeply at her stubbornness.

“What’s with the mood here?”

“Your sister’s really sulking. I leave her in your hands, Arthur.”

As Arthur approached, Daniel looked once more at Aisha’s face and ran off, quickly blending in with the other knights. Arthur, glancing at him, asked Aisha:

“Want to take a break this round?”

“No. Mother said I should dance at least five times today. If I have to do it, better with my brother than strangers.”

Countess Parden had told Aisha exactly how many times to dance before the event. Aisha rarely attended parties without Ian, and even when she did, she only danced once or twice with family. Her mother meant to change that habit with subtle pressure.

“Then at least smile while we dance. People will think I’m threatening you. And I’m the one being used here.”

Arthur led her gently. As they began to dance, Aisha looked for Ian again without realizing it.

Ian, now much closer, was dancing with his younger sister, Sophia. Surprised by how close he was, Aisha flinched slightly. Sophia’s sharp glare made her quickly turn her head.

Clap clap.

With light applause, the third piece of music began. Unlike the graceful, slow melodies before, this tune was more cheerful. Moving quickly to the faster rhythm, Aisha finally spoke after a while in a subdued voice.

“Arthur, you still talk with Ian sometimes, right? Daniel and Edward used to get along with him when they were kids. But now, they all act like strangers…”

“Of course.”

“Huh?”

Arthur looked surprised by the question. His unexpected response made Aisha miss a step.

“How can we still be friendly when Ian treats you like that?”

He smoothly guided her through the misstep and looked toward Ian and Sophia, who were dancing perfectly. Their golden hair sparkled under the chandelier. Arthur turned his gaze away and continued.

“Based on Ian’s behavior in the past few years. Honestly, the way the others react is pretty mild. I get angry just thinking about it. But it’s your business, and since you don’t seem to see it as a problem, I’m staying out of it.”

Aisha fell silent at Arthur’s calm words. She had known her family was worried about her because of Ian. But hearing it directly from her quiet third brother hit her harder than she expected.

Arthur also stayed quiet as his sister looked serious and didn’t speak. The two continued to dance in silence.

The fast music made the third dance end quicker than the first two. As Aisha bowed to her brother out of habit, she glanced toward Ian and froze. For some reason, Ian was walking straight toward her, his eyes locked on hers.

With a bright smile under his golden hair, he looked so dazzling that Aisha couldn’t even blink. Just looking into his blue eyes, clear like the sky, made her feel frozen and breathless, her heart racing like crazy.

Arthur, noticing his sister’s state, sighed deeply. Having watched her since childhood, he knew that Aisha’s feelings wouldn’t disappear easily. Unless Ian outright declared he would marry someone else, his foolish little sister would never give up.

‘This is a hassle, but I can’t leave her like this. If I don’t stop him, the older brothers or mother won’t let it go.’

Arthur pulled Aisha toward him. Though Aisha wasn’t sure what was happening, Arthur was convinced Ian was trying to approach her. Sure enough, when he began to lead her away, Ian’s blue eyes turned cold.

‘With that look, it’s clear Ian does have feelings for her. Then why…?’

As Arthur turned to lead Aisha away, ignoring Ian’s gaze, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of them. A man they hadn’t expected reached out his hand to Aisha.

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