To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 47

At the mention of Aisha’s name, Ian twitched his eyebrows. He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure and responded immediately.

“My engagement is none of your business, Duke.”

Seeing Ian’s guarded attitude, Duke Levantus silently clicked his tongue. He was generally pleased with almost every aspect of Ian noble bloodline, handsome looks, and abilities and judgment beyond his young age. Ian was more outstanding than any other young man the Duke had ever met.

“None of my business… True. I’m not your parent or guardian, and from a personal standpoint, I have no right to interfere. But since we share the same political path, I think I’m allowed to say at least a word.”

But even the seemingly perfect Ian had a fatal flaw his old ties to the Count of Parden’s family.

“Marquis, the Lloyd family is one of the most prestigious in the empire. But the Parden family doesn’t quite match in status. Besides, their political stance is different from ours. As the head of the old nobles’ faction, I have a duty to make sure our talents don’t waste their time or get swayed by personal feelings.”

“You don’t need to worry. As you already know, I’m standing firmly with you, Duke.”

He said it confidently, but the Duke believed Ian hadn’t yet broken free from the Parden family. That’s why, even while plotting revenge, he insisted on staying engaged to the daughter of the enemy.

He recalled his niece Loretta crying after failing to get engaged to Ian, and his stomach turned. The Duke worked to control his rising anger. Fortunately, patience and strategy were his strengths. Instead of pressuring Ian directly, he thought of the most effective way to get through to him.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“The daughter of your enemy Can you even bear to look her in the face without feeling sick?”

The Duke’s tone was calm, as if chatting casually. But Ian’s eyes sharpened like blades, glaring at him as if the question had scratched a raw wound.

“So much evidence has come out over the past four years. And yet, you still feel something for Count Parden? Is that why your revenge is half-hearted, and now you’re going to marry his daughter?”

“There’s still no clear proof. It’s all circumstantial.”

“Marquis, if the circumstances are that strong, they’re as good as evidence. A cat walks by the fish shop, and the fish disappears. The culprit is obvious.”

“Or… is it the other way around?”

“It’s not that you still care for the Count, but rather you care for his daughter  and that’s why you’re letting him off the hook? Using the excuse of lacking clear evidence?”

At those words, Ian pressed his lips into a tight line. The third drawer of his desk  full of documents came to mind. Many of them, including the top one, had been given to him by the Duke himself.

“Marquis Lloyd? May I have a word?”

“Don’t be so wary. I just… have something I must tell you about your late foster father.”

The Duke was the one who had given Ian the reason to seek revenge. Aside from Ian, he was the only one who knew of his plan. And yet, now he was poking at him, questioning whether Ian truly intended to go through with it. Ian’s mood twisted uncontrollably.

“Is he saying I’m acting like this because of Aisha?”

A cold, icy rage began to swirl around Ian. He opened his mouth, his eyes sharp like a blade.

“I have no duty to report my plans to you, Duke, but I find your misunderstanding extremely unpleasant. So I’ll clarify.”

“My engagement to Aisha Parden is part of a larger plan, along with resolving other matters. When the time comes, I intend to discard her. So please stop worrying. It’s tiresome.”

His warning was chilling. But the Duke didn’t back off. He pushed further.

“If that’s the case, then the poor girl… To hear a man, soon to be her fiancé, say he’ll discard her so easily… It’ll break her heart if she ever finds out.”

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be leaving now.”

Ian nodded briefly and stood up. His quick turn signaled he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

“Before you go, let me say one last thing. If you ever decide to throw Miss Aisha away, let me know.”

The Duke, who had been silently watching Ian rise, finally spoke. Ian, about to leave, turned his head at the Duke’s ominous words. The Duke picked up a cigar box from the table and continued.

“The Count of Parden and the men of that family must die but your fiancée might still be useful.”

The cigar, expensive enough to be paid for in gold, looked luxurious at a glance. When the Duke lit it, a thin stream of smoke and a unique scent spread through the air.

“You’re curious why, aren’t you? It’s simple. She’s quite beautiful  so pretty that calling her just ‘pretty’ feels like an understatement. Thanks to that, many men want her.”

The cigar smoke smelled refined. But the more it burned, and the more the Duke puffed on it, the more Ian wanted to block his nose.

“I hate to say something so vulgar, but if her family falls, I’d like to keep that pretty face around for certain uses.”

Watching Ian’s face contort through the smoke, the Duke crossed his legs. Ian, who had turned away, was now staring straight at him again.

“Marquis Nant of the Rana Principality? That old man who once visited as a diplomat? He drooled over Aisha Parden and said if anyone would put her in his bed, he’d offer much better trade terms. I had to go find a prostitute who looked like her that day…”

“Enough.”

Bang!

Ian kicked the table in front of the Duke. Though it was made of heavy wood and didn’t topple, the cigar box and ashtray fell to the floor with a loud crash.

Ian’s expression was terrifying. The murderous intent beneath the dark shadows on his face was so sharp, it looked like he might pierce the Duke’s throat or his entire body  at any moment.

The Duke flinched for just a second but quickly regained his composure. He crushed the fallen cigar underfoot and spoke.

“You know I said that on purpose to provoke you. But you still lost control. That means you do care, doesn’t it?”

He was right. Ian knew the Duke was baiting him, but even knowing it, he couldn’t suppress the surge of emotion. Ian glanced at the ashtray on the floor. Made of stone-like material, it looked like it could serve well as a weapon.

“Let go of that useless attachment. Keep repeating it she is the daughter of your enemy.”

Sensing the danger, the Duke quickly repeated the phrase “daughter of your enemy.” But Ian’s dangerous presence didn’t fade. The Duke swallowed hard and called out.

“Albert!”

His assistant came running in immediately. Having already heard the loud noises from outside, he looked extremely tense as he took in the mess on the floor.

“Bring me the book on my office desk.”

The Duke shook his head when the assistant silently asked if he should summon the guards. The assistant hesitated briefly, then bowed under the Duke’s sharp gaze and ran out.

He left the door wide open. The Duke seemed reassured by that and gestured to Ian, still standing, to sit.

“I meant to tell you this later… but you seem unable to make clear decisions on your own. So I’ll help you let go of that useless attachment.”

Ian narrowed his brows at the Duke’s words. It was obvious that what the Duke had to say now involved his parents.

“Your Grace, here it is.”

The assistant returned quickly. Watching Ian cautiously, he handed the documents to the Duke. The Duke glanced at the top page, then tossed the bundle onto the table.

“Found it.”

Ian’s eyes naturally fell on the papers. The name “Wilkins” was written on the top sheet. His eyes widened in recognition. The Duke shrugged, as if he expected that reaction.

“He went all the way across the border to the Kingdom of Baresa across the sea. No wonder he was hard to find.”

Wilkins was the coachman of the former Marquis and Marchioness Lloyd and the only survivor of their carriage accident. But with a broken leg, he couldn’t move. When the investigation began, he vanished like a ghost.

Wilkins’ sudden disappearance caused quite a stir at the time. Ian also knew from the investigators’ report where Wilkins had last been seen. He asked the Duke in a slightly trembling voice:

“How was he living?”

“Just as written there. Very well off. A coachman could never have saved up that kind of money.”

Ian reached out and grabbed the documents. As his eyes moved down the text, the papers crumpled more and more — by the last page, they were barely readable.

The Duke glanced at the wrinkled papers, then looked at Ian’s face. His blue eyes flashed with murderous rage. But the Duke, knowing it wasn’t aimed at him, just smiled with satisfaction and whispered:

“Don’t worry. I’ve already ordered him brought back. He should arrive in the Empire within four months at the latest.”

At those whispered words, Ian closed his eyes. Four months… Compared to the years he had already waited, it was nothing. Yet it still felt long.

He should have felt urgency, but strangely, hearing Wilkins was coming unsettled him. Ian opened his eyes, tucked the documents deep into his coat, and spoke to the Duke.

“…Please handle this secretly. If Count Parden gets even a hint, it will ruin everything.”

The Duke, unaware of Ian’s tangled emotions, nodded with a smile. Ian frowned slightly at the Duke’s expression, then turned to leave.

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