To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 23

“You’re being so active for once, Arthur. It feels strange. You used to always get scolded for not caring about family matters.”

“This isn’t just a normal situation. And Aisha is my sister.”

There was strength in the word sister. Edward stared at Arthur for a moment, then gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re right. Aisha is your sister. She’s an important part of our family, more precious than anyone.”

His hand patted Arthur’s shoulder gently, filled with trust and affection for his younger brother. Arthur bit the inside of his mouth where Edward couldn’t see. The bitter taste helped him come back to his senses, and he looked around.

“Brother, there’s a professor over there I haven’t greeted yet. I’ll go say hello.”

He pointed toward an elderly man with white hair and started to walk away. Edward looked where Arthur pointed and nodded. As soon as he gave his permission, Arthur turned to leave. But before Arthur could take more than one step, Edward called out.

“Arthur.”

Arthur turned his head slightly to look at his older brother. Edward seemed to hesitate, then shook his head and motioned with his hand.

“Never mind. Go say hello. I need to go see His Highness the Crown Prince anyway.”

Arthur nodded and turned back, walking toward the old professor. Edward watched his younger brother’s back grow smaller, then quietly closed his eyes.

Aisha wandered aimlessly through the garden. The beautiful flowers and plants matched the palace’s reputation, but in her eyes, the world looked dark and empty.

Her makeup had smudged from crying, making her face look even paler. She wasn’t crying anymore, but her red eyes still showed how broken she felt.

After walking for a while, Aisha stopped. She didn’t know where she was, but it was clearly a secluded part of the garden. Though the garden was decorated with expensive glowing jewels, there was no light here except the moonlight.

She sat down on a flat rock nearby. Her dress would get wrinkled and ruined, but she didn’t have the strength to stand any longer.

I should head back first. My face is a mess. I’ll just stay in the garden a bit longer. Otherwise, people will start gossiping.

As she wiped her still-damp cheeks, she remembered Ian’s last words and lowered her hand. Even sitting in the garden like this to fix her face felt like she was doing exactly what he wanted. It left her feeling hollow.

She bowed her head and suddenly noticed something. She quickly stepped back in surprise. A small, white flower growing between the rocks had been crushed under her foot.

Though she stepped off right away, the flower was already damaged. Some petals were torn and crushed, and its stem was nearly broken.

If a royal gardener had seen it, they would have pulled it out right away, calling it a weed. But seeing it trampled like that made Aisha feel sorry for it. Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She quickly touched the corners of her eyes, wiping the tears before they could fall.

I have to go. They’re probably worried about me.

Looking at the ruined flower helped Aisha calm herself. She pressed gently around her eyes. She had been outside longer than expected, and the cool air made her shiver. By now, her family might be looking for her, worried.

Go. And smile while you walk. My brothers are sharp. If I act even a little strange, they’ll know something’s wrong.

But something felt wrong. She thought she had calmed down, but just thinking about her family made her emotions rise again. Tears started to fall, and Aisha shook her head, trying to stop them.

Because she was so focused on fighting back the tears, she didn’t notice the danger approaching until it was too late. In the corner of the quiet garden, three men saw her and came toward her quickly.

“What’s this? Crying all alone here? What a silly girl.”

“Oh? Wait, isn’t this?”

One of the drunken men, staggering toward her, recognized Aisha. His surprise soon turned into a low, cruel smile.

“Aisha Parden. Isn’t this the famous daughter of the Count Parden family?”

The man in the middle of the group was Vincent. He had been kicked out of the academy reunion after being embarrassed by Ian. He was the first to recognize her and grinned wickedly. The others nodded and looked her over slowly.

“Now that I look closely yeah, it’s her. I almost didn’t recognize you with all that crying.”

“Lady Aisha, why are you crying here all alone? It’s kinda cute.”

Aisha immediately realized they were drunk. She could smell the alcohol from a distance, and their red faces and bloodshot eyes made it clear they were not in their right minds. Feeling it was dangerous, Aisha’s face turned serious. She nodded slightly and quickly tried to walk past them.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going without saying a word? You think you can ignore us?”

Vincent, noticing her intention to leave, quickly blocked her path. The others joined him, smirking as they formed a wall in front of her.

“Please move.”

Aisha spoke clearly, trying to hide her fear. But Vincent leaned in closer, yelling in her face.

“You were just crying a minute ago, and now you’re acting all high and mighty? That arrogant face suits you just like the real Aisha Parden, huh?”

He said her name in a mocking tone, emphasizing her last name. Aisha didn’t know his name, but she understood instantly that he held a grudge against her family. Some people openly hated the Pardens.

“Right? Now I recognize her. Still, I liked her better crying. You’re no princess just a rich girl’s daughter acting all high and mighty.”

“If you understand what we’re saying, put on that cute crying face again. Shake and whimper like before, huh?”

One of the men reached out and grabbed her shoulder without permission, trying to pull her. Aisha tried to hit his hand away, but he held her tightly. She shouted sharply.

“Let go! Let me go!”

“This girl’s got some fire.”

“I said let go! Now!”

As Aisha struggled and fought back, the men laughed cruelly. Vincent walked over and tapped her forehead, smirking.

“Let go? Who do you think you are? You think we take orders from you?”

“Don’t forget your place. We’re nobles, you know. Ever heard of that?”

“She’s too stupid to understand. Just wearing noble clothes doesn’t make you one.”

Vincent and the others clearly had a deep inferiority complex toward the Parden family. They had nothing to inherit and barely kept their noble status. To them, the Pardens were a thorn in their side. They insulted Aisha, saying things they would never dare say to her male relatives.

“Stop it! If you keep acting like this, I won’t stay quiet!”

“And what if you don’t? What are you gonna do?”

“You think my family will just let this go?”

Aisha brought up her family on purpose. Men like these, who acted brave only when no one was watching, often froze in fear when facing her father or brothers. But she overlooked one thing these men were far worse than others she had met. They had no sense or reason. Their pride wounded, they clenched their teeth in anger.

“You think fake nobles like your family can do anything to me? I’m a real noble! A true one!”

There was no reasoning with him. Aisha tried to scream as Vincent grabbed her and shook her, but he noticed and quickly covered her mouth.

“Mmph!”

“I’ve had enough of this.”

Aisha twisted her head and fought with all her strength. Vincent’s face twisted with rage. Drunk and barely thinking clearly, he convinced himself she was mocking him by trusting her family name.

“Just because your father walks around the palace, you think you’re really a noble?”

“Mmph! Mm-mmmph!”

“Don’t fool yourself, you lowborn girl. No matter how much your family shows off, you’ll never be like us noble by blood—ah!”

“Vincent!”

As Aisha shook her head, Vincent’s thumb slipped into her mouth, and she bit down hard. Blood appeared. Shocked, the men froze. Aisha pushed them away and tried to run.

“Someone help—ah!”

But one of the men grabbed her again and covered her mouth. Vincent raised his hand high in anger.

“Mmph! Mmm!”

“You lowborn thing! How dare you look down on us”

“Vincent! Wait!”

Just before his hand came down, one of the men stopped him.

“What?!”

“If she ends up with any marks, she could report us. Even if we deny it, it’ll leave evidence. Remember that girl from the Panning family who filed a report just because she was slapped? It only went away because her family was weak and she was illegitimate. If she wasn’t, we’d be in real trouble.”

“Damn it!”

Vincent lowered his hand, furious but knowing the man was right. Still, his rage didn’t go away. One of the others licked his lips and grinned disgustingly.

“Still, letting her go like this? I’m pissed. You said she’s been around, right? Then maybe a little lesson wouldn’t hurt. No marks, of course but enough to make her regret messing with real nobles.”

As his eyes gleamed with malice, the others looked Aisha up and down in the same sick way.

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