To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 33

Aisha changed her expression for the first time, not knowing what Ian was imagining.
The gentle smile that had been on her face disappeared, and visible sadness appeared.
At the sound of her bitter voice, Ian let go of Aisha’s face.

“It was an engagement I wanted, just like you said I even heard people saying it was strange for a noble lady to pursue an engagement herself but now, I’m not so sure anymore.”

Thump . At her words, Ian felt like his heart sank. As if the ground below had collapsed, he looked down without realizing it. The floor under him was solid, but for some reason, he still felt uneasy.

“Ian.”

Aisha called out to Ian, who had looked away from her. The moment he heard his name, Ian quickly looked up at her. Aisha reached out with both hands and touched his face.
Normally, he would’ve pushed her hands away, but for some reason, he didn’t.
He let her touch his face.

“Won’t you apologize to me?”

Looking into Ian’s blue eyes, Aisha asked in a soft voice. Ian frowned and brushed her hand away, clearly annoyed. But then something suddenly came back to him he clenched his fist.

“That bet Maybe it was fun for you, but it hurt me a lot. You did something you should never have done.”

Just as he expected. As soon as Aisha mentioned the disgusting bet he had made, Ian felt his face flush with shame.

“My family doesn’t know about it. But you know what? You’re worse than Sophia.
If we were talking about who was right or wrong, you should’ve knelt next to her.”

“I liked you and even if your feelings are different from mine, you shouldn’t have humiliated me like that.”

But the more Aisha spoke, the more rebellious Ian felt inside. He knew what he did was wrong and shameful but he didn’t want to admit it.

‘Even if no one else does, I can treat you like that. Because you…’

Ian shut his mouth tightly, pushing the words back down. Not yet. There was still no solid proof.
Trying to stay calm, he looked at Aisha again.

“I was really hurt back then. Maybe that’s why I’m so confused now.”

While Ian was trying to manage his complicated feelings, Aisha began to lose her calm.
Her voice trembled as she no longer tried to hide her pain.

“I would’ve been happy to be engaged to you. But when I see how uncertain I feel now. I guess I must’ve started to hate you a lot because of that day.”

A tear finally fell from Aisha’s eye. When Ian saw her cry and show her emotions, oddly enough, he felt relieved. Nothing had changed, after all. Aisha Parden still liked him and couldn’t hide it.
He raised his hand and gently wiped the tear from under her eye. The familiar wetness clung to his fingertip.

“Aisha, what do you want to say? Go ahead.”

His voice was soft, but arrogant.
Aisha slightly trembled at the familiar tone and grabbed the front of Ian’s shirt.

“Ian, just apologize to me once. Please? You know you were wrong.”

Her voice was like someone clinging to him. Ian placed his hand on her head.

“That day”

Ian frowned slightly. He was about to make an excuse but stopped himself.
There was no excuse. He took a small breath and finally apologized in a calm voice.

“I’m sorry. What I did was wrong.”

It was a sincere apology, at least partly. No matter the reason, Ian knew what he did was terrible. As soon as he apologized, Aisha let go of his clothes and took a step back. Her steps carried more disappointment than relief.

Ian could read her feelings. He hesitated, then pulled her back into his arms. It was a brief moment, but he felt like she was running away from him.

“If it helps about the vineyard I didn’t even take it.”

“And those guys who were there that day? I shut them all up. So you don’t need to worry. I promise.”

Now that her body was in his arms, his irritation faded. He felt that everything would return to its place again. The woman in his arms had always been like this unable to resist him, going wherever he led her. She would stay that way, a harmless piece in his plan.

With one hand on her slender waist, Ian looked down at her neat forehead, where soft brown hair had fallen. Her trembling eyelashes made him want to touch her.

He held back the urge to tell her to look at him and instead kissed her gently on the forehead.
At the sudden contact, Aisha looked up at him.

Ian froze for a second as he saw her face. Pale cheeks, tearful eyes, slightly parted lips, and eyes that only looked at him none of that had changed. Yet something felt off. The familiar feeling was gone, and unease crept back in. He let go of Aisha and took a step back.

“We still have to talk about the engagement. I’m thinking of going to see your uncle now
Is there anything else you want to say?”

Aisha opened her lips but then stayed silent. She looked like she was struggling, but Ian wanted to leave, so he continued, pretending not to notice.

“I’ll tell him you agreed to the engagement. That’s okay, right?”

As if it were obvious, he asked. Aisha pressed her lips together and gave a small nod. Her conflicted face made Ian frown slightly, but he forced a polite bow, like saying goodbye to a stranger.

“Alright then, see you next time.”

Having said his piece, Ian turned as if everything was settled. Aisha slightly lifted her hand toward his back but then let it drop and just stared at him as he walked away.

“I still have something I want to ask”

After Ian disappeared past the drawing room, Aisha whispered. She had always wanted to ask.
Was this engagement really just because of the Sophia incident? Or maybe… just maybe…

“Do you have feelings for me?”

She really wanted to know if he had any feelings for her.

• Marchioness of Lloyd involved in scandal. Who is the other party?
• Complete transfer of Lloyd family business.
• Tragic death of Lloyd marquis couple in carriage accident. Many questions remain.
• Transfer of ownership contract for the Revent Mine, owned by the Lloyd family.

The engagement was finalized. Ian, looking tired, held a cigar in his mouth and glanced over dozens of papers spread out in front of him. The name “Lloyd” was written on all of them ranging from gossip to important contracts.

• Only survivor of carriage crash: the coachman is missing. Last seen…

Ian picked up one document and read it slowly. The investigator had written it in detail, filling the report with suspicions and speculations.

“The Marchioness had a skull fracture deemed fatal, but for the Marquis, the cause of death is unclear. There were clear marks of restraint on his arms and legs, and signs of strangulation.
Further investigation is needed.”

Midway through the file was the cause of death of Ian’s parents the former Marquis and Marchioness of Lloyd. Ian couldn’t bear to read anymore and dropped the paper.

“Damn it.”

Grinding the cigar into the ashtray, he cursed under his breath. He ran his hand through his hair and slammed the desk.

“Once I uncover the truth…”

A blue fire of revenge burned in Ian’s eyes. Once he found solid proof, he would make them suffer the same way. Their children would lose their parents, and their parents would see their children left with nothing. And on top of that interest. Every way imaginable.

“Ian.”

Just as his rage reached its peak, a familiar voice rang in his ears. Like a breeze on a spring day, the soft tone made Ian stop thinking for a moment.

But then he looked at something in his drawer and clenched his teeth. The half-open third drawer was stuffed with more documents than his desk. Ian muttered to himself, as if making a vow.

“You too. No, you more than your brothers. Because you’re the one who blinded me back then.”

The weather was extremely hot. Even older, conservative nobles had changed into lighter clothing under the blazing sun.

Aisha, though going out for the first time in a while, also dressed lightly. Wearing a thin sky-blue dress that revealed her neck and shoulders, she only covered them with a sheer lace shawl.

Luckily, today’s meeting place was cool. The luxurious social club, half-sunken underground, was a popular summer spot among wealthy nobles.

“It must be terribly hot outside by now, right?”

“Of course! Even in the morning before the sun was fully up—ugh. I thought I was going to roast inside the carriage.”

“We’re lucky this place exists. If not, where would we have even met?”

The young noblewomen who often spent time with Aisha also loved this venue.
It was expensive to rent even one room here, and many nobles found it a burden.
But not Aisha or the women she met today.

“Try changing the fabric on your fan. I added some cloth from the Luanna Principality this time it worked great.”

“Oh, that’s a warm country! I heard fabrics from there are perfect for summer.”

“Not just fabrics. They have so many interesting things for summer. Our family’s merchants brought a moving fan it was so cool”

All six of the noblewomen here, including Aisha, came from wealthy, newly risen noble families.
So they had no trouble spending money.

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