To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 41

He moved a little closer to Helen as he noticed the people whispering nearby. How would Aisha react if word got out that he was standing close to this woman? Would she cry and come looking for him, as she always did? Or would she pretend not to care but still look hurt?

“Oh my, what’s gotten into you all of a sudden? My partner, who used to treat me like a stone.”

Helen rolled her eyes at Ian’s sudden action. But Ian ignored it and changed the subject.

“Who are you planning to start a fight with today? I’ll help you up to the greeting part, as agreed in the contract, and then I’ll leave.”

“Wait a little. I don’t think he’s arrived yet.”

At Ian’s response, Helen looked toward the banquet hall entrance. Although the banquet had already started some time ago, many people were still arriving. After watching the newcomers for a while, Helen finally spoke.

“I came here today to meet my brother. Prince Jared, I mean. There were rumors he would be here today, right?”

Ian looked at her in disbelief. Who was she calling her brother so casually? Did she even understand her own situation? But Helen, still watching the entrance, didn’t notice Ian’s reaction. He barely held back a sigh and said,

“His Highness is not someone I can help you approach.”

“It’s fine. Your name was on the invitation, Ian. That’s all that matters.”

Helen shrugged like it didn’t concern her and turned her head. Only then did she notice Ian’s expression. Her face stiffened briefly, but she quickly hid it and forced a confident tone.

“Don’t look at me like that. No matter what anyone says, His Highness is my brother. My mother told me so. Unlike Crown Prince William, she said Prince Jared once greeted me. Of course, I don’t remember since I was so young…”

“I also heard that Prince Jared is very kind to Princess Catherine. Even if he’s cold to others, he treats his little sister well. So I’m sure he’ll at least say hello to me, even if we haven’t seen each other in over twenty years.”

Helen was speaking faster than usual. Ian turned his eyes away as he saw the eager look on her face. Whatever foolish illusion this woman had, it wasn’t his concern. After tonight, he wouldn’t even need to act as her partner at such events anymore Ian thought about asking if she truly believed what she was saying, but he kept his mouth shut.

“You’ll see. I will…”

Helen bit her lip and was about to say something more, but at that moment, the crowd began murmuring. Everyone turned their eyes toward the entrance. Ian and Helen naturally turned their heads too. And the moment they saw who was there, both their eyes widened at the same time.

“Oh my. What’s going on?”

“Isn’t that the Marquess Lloyd and Lady Aisha? Weren’t they supposed to get engaged? Then why are they both?”

“Oh! Doesn’t anyone remember? At the last imperial banquet, His Highness danced with Lady Aisha. There was a strange atmosphere even back then.”

Aisha noticed that everyone was staring at her. She bit the inside of her cheek. Ever since she sent that reply, she’d regretted it, but now that she was here, she truly realized what she had done. Her engagement was less than a month away, yet she had shown up with another man. She felt not only terrified but also overwhelmed with guilt.

“Just greet the Marquess, then go to where your brothers are. It will be more comfortable.”

Perhaps sensing her trembling, Jared whispered beside her. Only then did Aisha remember his presence. She nodded with an apologetic expression. As a royal, she should respond with proper etiquette, but her mouth wouldn’t move due to her nerves.

Jared gently escorted Aisha. The Marquess, seeing the prince, quickly bowed.

“Your Highness. It is an honor to have you visit my home.”

“It’s only natural, Marquess. I couldn’t refuse the invitation of a hero of the Caesar Empire. I should be the one thanking you for inviting me. And congratulations, Sir Damian. I’ll be seeing you often starting next week. I’m a demanding superior, so I hope you’ll work as hard as you did during the exams.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Oh, and this is Lady Aisha, my partner for today. As you know, she’s the noble daughter of the Parden Count family. Lady Aisha, this is Marquess Littman and his son, Sir Damian.”

“Marquess, thank you for hosting such a wonderful banquet. Sir Damian, congratulations.”

“Thank you for coming, Lady.”

As Jared spoke, Aisha quickly offered her greeting. Though he must have heard the murmurs, Marquess Litman kept his expression steady and greeted her back. But his son Damian said nothing.

“Ahem!”

“Ah… Yes. La-Lady Aisha. Thank you for coming.”

The Marquess nudged his son’s side. Only then did Damian snap out of it and bow deeply. His face turned red as he stammered, not knowing what to do. Seeing this, Jared narrowed his eyes and quickly pulled Aisha away.

“We’ll be going now. Congratulations again!”

“Your Highness, Damian could escort you”

The Marquess tried to attach Damian to Jared. After all, not only was Jared of higher status, but he was also Damian’s direct superior. But having already seen Damian’s expression, Jared clearly had no intention of bringing him along.

“No need. The host should continue greeting guests. Farewell.”

Before the Marquess could say anything more, Jared led Aisha away. Aisha, caught off guard, followed his gentle but firm lead.

‘I should’ve listened to Brother Daniel This is no better. It only makes me just as bad.’

As they moved away from the entrance, the stares grew even sharper. Aisha lowered her head and hunched her shoulders. Just because Ian acted that way didn’t mean she should too. The thought that this might reach him made her feel more guilty than vengeful.

Jared noticed her discomfort and frowned. He understood why she was drowning in guilt. While Aisha’s gaze stayed on the floor, Jared had already spotted someone. He leaned toward her and spoke quietly.

“Lift your head. You did nothing wrong. You have every right to be confident.”

Aisha looked up at Jared’s sudden words. He motioned with a bitter look toward somewhere in the room. Slowly, Aisha followed his gaze. And in her soft sky-blue eyes, she saw the same pair as that day at the Count Garrot’s estate.

It felt like lightning had struck above Ian’s head. Caught completely off guard, he stood frozen in shock, unable to move even a finger.

Aisha had come with another man someone who wasn’t family or himself as her partner. Something that had never happened before. Ian felt like the blood drained from his fingertips.

He stood stiff, staring at Aisha, until his eyes met Jared’s. The prince looked at him with disdain, then leaned slightly and whispered something to Aisha. Her lowered head lifted, and her blue eyes like watered-down paint turned to him.

Aisha looked surprised. But her tightly pressed lips showed no guilt or shame. Ian felt his shock turn into rage as he looked at her.

‘How dare you.’

Ian’s blue eyes flashed as if he might rush at her at any moment. Aisha quickly looked away. That fleeting glance made Ian clench his fists.

“So that’s the fiancée?”

Helen quickly realized who Aisha was, judging by Ian’s reaction. Any man would wear that face when he believed his woman had been taken. Most didn’t bother hiding their anger, regardless of status.

“She’s pretty enough. But that’s all.”

Helen looked Aisha up and down with displeasure. Though not as intense as Ian’s, her eyes also carried a strange look.

“They say the Parden family is just nouveau riche, barely fit to be called nobles. How did that girl manage to snag the prince as her partner?”

Helen took great pride in the fact that imperial blood ran in her veins. So she tended to look down on anyone outside a few old noble families. To her, the new noble class including the Parden family was no better than commoners. Seeing a girl from such a background show up with her half-brother, whom she hadn’t even greeted yet, filled her with both jealousy and irritation.

“Do they have some personal connection? Say something.”

She asked Ian again, clearly annoyed, but he didn’t answer. Helen was about to snap at him for ignoring her, but then a thought came to her, and she smiled slyly.

‘I’ll just go first, then. He wouldn’t turn me away in public, right? And if needed, I can use what Mother told me.’

While Ian locked eyes with Aisha, Helen exchanged glances with Jared. But unlike her hopes, even though her half-brother seemed to recognize her, he showed no signs of greeting her first.

“That girl is your fiancée, right? Then at least introduce me.”

Helen lightly grabbed Ian’s arm. She pretended to want to greet Aisha but actually intended to speak to Jared.

Finally, Ian turned to look at Helen as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She smiled sweetly and shifted her gaze toward Aisha and Jared, as if to show him.

“You think I don’t know? I’ve heard all the rumors about us. I don’t care, but your fiancée looks like the kind of noble girl who would cry over such things, right? She must’ve been hurt by the rumors. Wouldn’t it be better if I personally cleared up the misunderstanding?”

“Or are you afraid to face your fiancée? Well, it’s different for men and women, isn’t it?”

“Honestly, it feels awful, right? When a man has other women around, people might laugh but still pity the fiancée. But when a fiancée is seen with another man, it brings great shame to the fiancé. There’s no pity just mockery for not keeping his woman.”

As Helen kept talking, Ian’s eyes turned cold as ice. Seeing that her provocation was working, Helen pushed even harder.

“But don’t feel too bad. If her partner is my brother, people will understand. Don’t you think?”

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