To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 43

“What?”

“You said before. If there’s no answer, you should understand on your own. I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to go with you. It was that elegant rejection you talked about. That’s what I did.”

Ian looked shocked as he finally understood what Aisha was talking about. She was referring to the charity party in the spring, where he hadn’t responded to her message.

“You’re saying this is revenge for something that happened so long ago? Oh, come on.”

“Aisha, let me be clear. Back then, you and I were nothing. But now it’s different. We’re about to be engaged.”

“We haven’t had the engagement ceremony yet.”

“Is that what you’re going with now? So what? You don’t want to get engaged to me? Is that why you’re acting like this?”

Aisha’s eyes wavered at his question. Seeing that, Ian felt his anger ease a little.

Right. There’s no way Aisha Parden would hesitate to marry him. Ian, thinking he had control again, pushed forward without realizing his misunderstanding.

“I’m warning you don’t do something like this again. How does it look for a woman about to be engaged to show up with an unmarried prince as her partner?”

“And I’ve told you before. Maybe in the Parden family, they let their daughters say and do whatever they want. But I won’t allow that. I won’t tolerate my fiancée walking around holding hands with another man. So behave properly and don’t wander around carelessly”

Thud.

But Ian couldn’t finish. Something light hit the back of his head and fell to the floor. Shocked, he turned around.

There stood a red-haired prince, breathing heavily like he had run. On the floor was a white glove.

“Hard to listen to, really. Marquis.”

As soon as he saw Jared, Ian’s face turned cold. He stepped in front of Aisha, blocking her with his body.

“This is none of Your Highness’s concern.”

“It is my concern since Lady Aisha is my partner today. How dare you insult my partner?”

Jared looked ready to jump at Ian. Ian, seeing him covered in sweat, smirked and stepped on the glove that Jared had thrown.

“Insult? Who’s insulting who here? So what now, are you challenging me to a duel?”

“Don’t you have eyes? Can’t you tell from the glove on the ground? That’s right. I, Prince Jared, challenge you to a duel.”

Ian’s posture grew more crooked at the word “duel.” Despite Jared’s fame as a knight, Ian didn’t look scared at all. But behind him, Aisha stood up in shock at the mention of a duel.

“But you don’t have a sword, do you? Mind if I just punch you instead?”

Ian realized Jared only wanted to hit him. If it had been a real duel, Jared would have sent for a sword or appointed a substitute since Ian wasn’t a knight.

“Fine. I can’t cut a royal with a sword anyway.”

“So I can hit you a little?”

Ian laughed at Jared’s confident words. Knights often thought only they knew how to use fists and swords.

“Your Highness! Ian, please stop. Please. Both of you, stop! Okay?”

As the two men took off their jackets and unbuttoned their sleeves, Aisha rushed forward. But both Ian and Jared ignored her.

“Just know this—if I hit you, don’t complain. I’m in such a bad mood, once I start I don’t think I’ll stop. And I’d hate to be accused of insulting royalty.”

“No worries. Looking at your skinny body, I doubt you’ll land a single punch.”

Aisha hesitated, unsure if she should try to get between them. But the tension was too intense, and she didn’t have the courage. While she was frozen, Jared rubbed his fist.

“One last chance. You sure you won’t regret this?”

“Not at all. And Your Highness, before you hit me don’t ever cling to my future fiancée again. Last time was bad enough and today is even worse.”

“Right back at you. I find you very unpleasant.”

“Ian! Your Highness! Please… Ah!”

Aisha cried out just as the two men’s fists flew toward each other at the same time.

It might have looked childish, but the power behind two grown men fighting was no joke. Aisha shut her eyes tightly. Right after she did, there was a loud thump. She opened them again.

“Finally got to release that. Honestly, I’ve been wanting to hit your face for a while. That felt really good—ugh!”

Jared had landed the first punch. But as he tried to climb on top of the fallen Ian to punch him again, Ian hit back from below, sending him flying.

“You’re getting hit because you run your mouth so much…”

“I can talk all I want and still hit you. But you, Marquis you’d need to lock your mouth shut to get in even one more punch.”

What started as a fistfight had turned into a full-on brawl. Both Ian and Jared were determined to get in just one more hit.

“Ian! Your Highness!”

Their neat clothes were now wrinkled and dirty. Their hair, soaked with sweat, was a mess. Aisha, shocked, could only stare at the two men fighting on the floor, not knowing what to do.

Thud!

At last, blood was drawn. Drops of it stained the carpet. Aisha saw Ian spit out blood and knew she had to find another way.

“Brother Daniel… won’t work. Brother Edward!”

She ran off to find someone who could stop the fight. Her ankle twisted a little in her heels, but she couldn’t slow down. Even as she ran, the men kept fighting like boys, throwing punches and taking hits.

Several Days Later

“So that’s what happened recently. Honestly Edward. You should’ve stopped your brothers. Why are you acting like Daniel now?”

Marissa rubbed her forehead as she sat across from her eldest son. What a thing to come home to after a trip. But Edward, the one who had told her about it, only smiled lightly as he lifted his teacup.

“I let it happen on purpose. It felt good, to be honest.”

“Still, it was wrong. The Empire especially its noble society judges women much more harshly. A woman about to be engaged showing up with another man brings more gossip than if a man did the same. And to have a brawl right there How shameful.”

“But in the end, it worked out. You know Ian dated other women seven times. So people see Aisha’s action as a form of payback. And the rumors about her being mistreated are gone now.”

“That was just luck. We don’t know how this will affect the future. So be more careful from now on. Understood?”

“Yes, Mother. I’ll be more careful.”

Edward grinned and nodded. Marissa narrowed her eyes but didn’t scold him more. Even if she wouldn’t have allowed it herself, part of her agreed it had been satisfying.

“But still, Ian’s reaction was unexpected. He got into a fistfight with a prince over Aisha? With his personality?”

Marissa thought of Ian, who was likely still in bed at the Marquis’ estate. Only the Parden family and the Marquess’ family knew what happened that night both Ian and Jared had been carried out in terrible shape.

“I was surprised too. I’ve never seen Ian act like that. And maybe I shouldn’t say it, but when I saw him lying there with his face all bruised, I became certain. Ian… sigh.”

“He really likes Aisha. It may seem childish, but a man wouldn’t fight like that over a woman he doesn’t care about. Especially when the other guy is a prince and it’s risky.”

Edward had carried Ian back to the estate himself. Inside the carriage, Ian had mumbled about keeping his fiancée away from Jared. That made Edward feel both relieved and uneasy.

“You’re right about that. But”

Marissa seemed to share his feelings. She looked troubled as she thought hard. Edward watched her face and tested her.

“Mother, you must’ve guessed it already. That’s why you approved the engagement.”

Marissa sighed. Yes, she had approved it. Knowing Ian, kneeling meant he was serious. But even then, something had felt strange.

“But the more certain I am of Ian’s feelings the more worried I get. If he really likes Aisha, why does he act like that?”

She finally said what had been bothering her. Ian’s behavior was always odd. He seemed to hate Aisha but never let her go. Marissa began to trace back the past.

“It’s been over three years since Ian changed. It happened so slowly and I was too angry to notice but looking back, his actions were strange.”

When had he started acting differently toward her daughter? When the engagement was first mentioned? Marissa vaguely remembered the start.

“He was odd before, but things really changed after the last trip. Before then, he’d at least go with her as a partner. But after that six-month trip, he completely ignored her.”

Marissa nodded at Edward’s words. He was right. After that long trip, Ian became openly cold and cruel to Aisha.

“And that’s also around when he completely split from his father politically.”

Support To the One Who’s Only Cold to Me