To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 3

“How can you be so clueless?”

There wasn’t even a simple greeting. As soon as Sophia saw Aisha, she snapped sharply. Aisha quietly stared back at Sophia. Unlike when she faced Ian, her eyes were calm and composed.

“It’s been a while, Sophia.”

Aisha greeted Sophia first. Her eyes were clearly red, yet her voice sounded like nothing had happened. Surprised by Aisha’s calm attitude, Sophia bit her lip and narrowed her eyes even more.

“Is this really the time for polite greetings?”

“I don’t understand why you’re so angry, Sophia.”

Despite Sophia’s sharp words, Aisha didn’t react. She sat up straight and spoke slowly, prompting Sophia to fold her arms and lift her chin. The red dress matched her dazzling blond hair and made her natural arrogance even more obvious.

“Ha! This is the problem with people who are nobles only in name. They don’t know manners or consideration.”

At Sophia’s words, Aisha’s face slightly hardened. “Noble in name only.” It was an insult nobles used to belittle families with a short history.

Unlike the Marquis Lloyd family, to which Ian and Sophia belonged and which had existed since the founding of the Caesar Empire, Aisha’s family, the Parden Earldom, had only been listed in the noble registry for just over 100 years. In the capital, where many central nobles had long histories, a century was considered very short and was often looked down upon.

However, the Parden family was one of the ten wealthiest families in the Caesar Empire and currently held important political influence. Aisha’s father, Graham Parden, was an official in the imperial treasury and a respected member of the Central Nobles Council. His eldest son, Edward, was the Crown Prince William’s aide, while his second son, Daniel, was so competent that people already considered him a strong candidate for knight commander at just 24 years old. And what about Aisha’s twin brother, Arthur? He was a promising scholar, one of the most wanted students by the capital’s academy professors.

So even if their history was short, no one dared insult the Parden family to their faces. It was a family clearly destined for greatness why make enemies with them?

But Sophia was different. Her family, the Marquis Lloyd, had supported the imperial family since the very beginning. Although the previous marquis and his wife died in a tragic accident, the family was still one of the most prestigious in the empire. Sophia, raised with pride and admiration from others, had immense pride in her lineage.

That pride was exactly why she was furious at Aisha. At this party, the focus should have been on her and Ian from the noble Marquis Lloyd family. But because the Parden family had donated the most money to the charity event, attention shifted to them.

That irritated Sophia. To lose attention to a family only 100 years old over a few coins? It was an insult to her pride. To get back at Aisha, she brought up Ian.

“This is the first banquet Ian and I are attending since returning from our trip. And then you and your Parden family show up? It splits the attention!”

As expected, at the mention of Ian, a crack appeared on Aisha’s calm face. Sophia, seeing this, pressed even harder.

“On top of that, Ian brought a different partner. If you show up too, people will start criticizing him morally.”

“Don’t take this personally. It’s not like you and Ian are engaged. Sure, the topic has come up a few times, but it’s never been official, right? So you showing up and causing unnecessary gossip is a burden on Ian and on the Marquis Lloyd family.”

Sophia knew exactly how much her words would hurt Aisha, especially since she knew about the situation between Aisha and Ian. But she didn’t feel a hint of guilt.

“She’s not even a real noble. And she dares to dream of becoming someone’s wife? Hmph.”

Sophia had disliked Aisha since they were children. Their families had encouraged them to be friendly, but Sophia couldn’t stand her. After Aisha’s parents died and she moved into the Parden household, it only got worse. Once she was old enough, Sophia didn’t hesitate to bully her.

“Fine. I admit I was careless.”

It was then, while Sophia was basking in her superiority, that Aisha quietly spoke. Convinced of her victory, Sophia planned to completely crush Aisha.

“That’s it?”

“If you know you were wrong, you should apologize properly. Bow your head and say you’re sorry. Say you made a mistake sincerely. Standing there with your head up like that is just embarrassing. Do I have to teach you even this?”

Sophia wanted to restore her pride, which had been wounded at the charity party, by seeing Aisha bow to her. But after admitting she had been careless, Aisha simply looked at her. When things didn’t go as planned, Sophia, drunk on her sense of victory, burst out in anger.

“It’s already bad enough being connected to your family… Our noble Lloyd family shouldn’t be associating with a lineage that doesn’t even have proper history. Honestly, both the Parden family and its people are just low-class.”

“I didn’t do anything that needs apologizing, Sophia.”

The more Sophia insulted her, the calmer Aisha’s face became. Her pale blue eyes, with hands folded in front of her, showed a quiet anger. Her firm tone made Sophia raise her voice.

“What? You just said yourself that you were wrong!”

“I regret unintentionally making things uncomfortable. But I don’t think I owe you an apology. I didn’t do anything wrong. And stop insulting the Parden family. It’s unpleasant to keep listening to.”

As Aisha stood her ground, Sophia’s green eyes flared with rage. Flustered, she bit her lip and dragged out another weak spot.

“Would you say that even if Ian said the same thing?”

“Of course. The Parden family contributed a lot to this charity event. So we, including myself, had every right to attend.”

She hesitated for a moment but then nodded. Ian had hurt her more than Sophia ever could, especially in recent years. But at least he had never insulted her family in front of her. Still, that brief pause was just what Sophia needed.

Sophia folded her arms and sneered.

“You’re such a joke. You can’t even breathe properly in front of Ian.”

“I wonder if Ian knows this? That the girl who begs him for an engagement with tears in her eyes acts so rude to me, his only sister and the only daughter of the Lloyd family?”

“Aisha, you better remember this clearly. I will never accept you as my brother’s wife or the mistress of the Lloyd house. If this were a hundred years ago, someone like you wouldn’t even be good enough to fetch my wash water, let alone be my maid.”

Aisha stayed silent. It wasn’t worth replying to. But the mention of begging for an engagement did sting a little. The engagement matter had gone nowhere for three years now and she was the only one who still cared about it.

As sadness crept onto Aisha’s face, a thrill lit up in Sophia’s green eyes. She opened her mouth to say something more just as two men entered the lounge.

“What’s going on? Why so loud?”

It was Daniel and Arthur. At the sight of the Parden men, Sophia flinched and quickly composed herself. Unlike with Aisha, whom she looked down on, she feared the Parden brothers especially Daniel.

Daniel, who deeply loved his sister, had often taken direct revenge on Sophia for bothering Aisha. When they were younger, Sophia once pushed Aisha into a puddle and ended up getting shoved in herself by Daniel. She landed flat on her bottom, covered in mud, in front of everyone. It was mortifying, and Daniel was so intimidating that she couldn’t even cry.

“Long time no see, gentlemen of the Parden family.”

Trying to hide her fear behind pride, Sophia lifted her chin and greeted them. But Daniel didn’t return the greeting. Leaning lazily to one side, he looked Sophia up and down with a clear expression of disapproval.

Flushed with embarrassment at the blatant snub, Sophia’s face turned red. Then Arthur stepped forward from behind Daniel and gave a polite bow.

“Lady Sophia. It’s been a while.”

Daniel gave his brother a displeased look, but whatever his expression, Sophia had barely saved her pride and nodded slightly in return. Their eyes briefly met.

“I should leave now so your family can be alone. Let’s meet again next time. Aisha, see you soon.”

Unlike her fiery entrance, Sophia’s exit was polite and elegant. Aisha gave her a small nod in response. Whatever that gesture meant to Sophia, she twisted her face, scoffed haughtily, and walked away.

“What did she say to you?”

Daniel, who had been watching carefully until Sophia left, came over and asked. Aisha looked up at her brother’s face and shook her head. Then she answered in a tired voice.

“Daniel. I’m sorry, but can we go home now? I just want to rest.”

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