To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 51

The Kingdom of Todome never expected the Empire to use force, so it was caught off guard and recoiled in fear. If a war broke out, the outcome was obvious. In the end, the kingdom and a few of its allied nations merely voiced small complaints to the Empire.

‘You can’t help me? Then what am I supposed to do now?’

‘Well, we’ll have to think it through.’

‘What? You said if I came to the kingdom, you’d take care of everything!’

‘But the situation has changed. For now, it’s best if you leave the royal palace and stay with the Eighth Princess for a while.’

‘What? Leave the palace now? I can’t! I must see His Majesty right away’

‘It was His Majesty’s command that you leave the palace.’

Once the kingdom stepped back, Diane’s situation became difficult. Hoping to recover at least some land, she reached out to her son, Cliff. But after years of neglect, Cliff had grown disillusioned eventually even hateful and he responded as Marquis Lloyd, declaring that he would cut ties.

‘How did things end up like this? This can’t be anything but a cruel joke from the gods!’

Forced to leave the palace, Diane went to live quietly in the countryside with her mother. She spent her days lamenting over missed opportunities that had come and gone before her eyes.

Ten years passed, and then another chance came…

‘Your son has passed away.’

Just as everyone had nearly forgotten about the land and Diane, Cliff died in a carriage accident with his wife.

‘If I become guardian, I can gain control of the family’s estate. And now, I’m the only direct relative those children have left’

According to imperial law, noble children under the age of fifteen had to be assigned a guardian if orphaned, and the closest blood relative had the best chance. As soon as Diane heard of her son’s death, she quickly calculated Ian and Sophia’s ages and rushed to the Empire.

‘Oh, Ian, Sophia. My poor grandchildren.’

‘Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you both.’

But she could not become their guardian. As if he had foreseen his death, Cliff had written a will, officially naming his close friend, Count Graham Parden, as the children’s guardian.

A verified will carried great weight in court. The Emperor, too, acted to prevent Diane from gaining the land through guardianship of her grandchildren.

‘In accordance with the will of the late Cliff Lloyd, Count Graham Parden is appointed as guardian of his children, Ian Lloyd and Sophia Lloyd.’

It was a hopeless battle. Diane lost completely. Once again, she had missed her chance and bit her lip in frustration. But this time, she didn’t fall into despair she had learned that as long as one lives, opportunities will eventually return.

‘At least let me say goodbye to the young master and young miss.’

‘Goodbye? To children who couldn’t help me at all? Enough of this let’s leave!’

But in her anger, Diane made a terrible mistake. After losing the guardianship to Count Parden, she left the Empire without saying a word of farewell to her grandchildren.

‘Ian. When will Grandma come back, huh?’

At six years old, Sophia didn’t understand much. But ten-year-old Ian watched his grandmother leave without a goodbye, his gaze cold.

“Why have you come here?”

Ian finally spoke. He showed no courtesy to the grandmother he hadn’t seen in fifteen years. His voice was cold, and so was his expression. Diane, trying to look pitiful, replied in a sad tone.

“It’s been fifteen years. Can’t you at least be polite? Say hello that’s your duty as a grandson.”

Standing straight and appealing emotionally, Diane tried to justify herself. But Ian gave a hollow laugh. In his view, she had no right to speak of manners no right even to step into the Lloyd estate.

“Ask yourself if you have the right to say such things.”

Diane clenched her fists slightly at Ian’s words. But soon, she loosened her hand and stepped closer to him, reaching out gently with a sorrowful look.

“There must be a deep misunderstanding. I understand how you feel. You must hate me after being apart for fifteen years. But I only left because of Count Parden. If he hadn’t become your guardian, I would have stayed with you and your sister”

“Enough.”

Ian dodged her hand without hesitation and cut her off. Diane’s outstretched hand trembled as tears welled in her eyes.

“Do you still see me as a ten-year-old child?”

Even though his green eyes just like Sophia’s were filled with tears, Ian’s voice remained steady. In fact, it grew sharper.

“I am now the head of the Lloyd family. And a head of a noble house does not entertain those who bring harm to the family.”

“Harm? What do you mean? How could you say that You must be misunderstanding something, I… sob…”

“My lady”

As Diane burst into tears and couldn’t speak further, the girl next to her clutched her hand and glared at Ian. But when she met his cold blue eyes, she flinched and lowered her gaze. Diane’s eyes turned sharp for a moment, and she gently pushed the girl behind her and took out a handkerchief.

At over seventy, Diane silently wiped her tears. To someone who didn’t know her, the sight might’ve been heartbreaking. But Ian, bound by blood, looked on without a trace of emotion.

As he stared at his grandmother, the sound of distant thunder made him glance toward the window. The once clear sky was now dark, heavy with rain.

‘This could get bad if it’s delayed.’

He thought of Aisha, stuck in her room upstairs, unsure of what to do if the storm began. Having decided not to let unwelcome guests stay any longer, Ian looked at James to give the order. But before he could speak, the door burst open and someone ran in.

“Grandmother!”

It was Sophia. Her dress was messy, her hair even more so. Rushing into the room, she threw herself into Diane’s arms. Ian raised an eyebrow at the sight.

“Sophia, yes, that’s right.”

“I’m so glad you came. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too. That’s why I accepted your invitation. But…”

From their exchange, it became clear to Ian that the two had been secretly corresponding. He didn’t know when it started, but they had clearly been in contact behind his back.

‘If they exchanged letters inside the estate, I would have known…’

Ian’s gaze toward Diane grew even colder. When Diane left for the kingdom without even saying goodbye, Ian realized not only that there had been conflict between her and the family, but also that she felt no real affection for him or his sister. Sophia, however, hadn’t known and had longed for their grandmother for years.

“Ian, I’m the one who invited her. I asked her to come before your engagement.”

Ian had explained the family issues to Sophia several times once she was old enough. But to her, emotions came first. Despite Ian’s glare, Sophia tried to defend Diane.

“She’s our only remaining family.”

“Sophia, do you think I’ll just accept your actions without question?”

“Ian!”

“I’ll deal with you separately. For now, return to your room and stay there.”

At Ian’s cold tone, Sophia bit her lip and teared up. Diane, watching her trembling shoulders, held her hand tightly and stepped forward.

“Are you avoiding me because of the Lachia Desert?”

She spoke the name aloud. Just like his father once did, Ian answered firmly as the head of House Lloyd.

“Of course not. That matter was settled long ago. It’s not something you should even mention.”

“I still believe I have rights to that land. But I know I made mistakes in the past, and now I’m too old. I don’t want us to fight over this anymore.”

Her once steady voice wavered and twisted at the end. Patting Sophia’s hand, Diane sighed, unable to hide her bitter expression.

“My mother your great-grandmother passed away a few years ago. That’s when I realized there’s nothing lonelier than growing old without family.”

“I lost both my husband and son. You two are the only family I have left now.”

“I won’t bring up the land again. I swear I won’t cause trouble. If you want, I’ll even write a formal renunciation. I don’t have much time left anyway I don’t want to lose family because of land.”

Her voice, full of regret, was enough to move hearts. Sophia looked at her tearfully, and the girl beside Diane quietly wiped her eyes. But Ian remained unchanged, his expression still cold.

“I’ll say this once more. That land was officially declared part of House Lloyd long ago. There is no dispute. And if you wanted to talk about family you should have at least said goodbye.”

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