To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 53

Ian brought Aisha to the third floor, to the room right next to his bedroom. Originally meant for the lady of the house, the room was well-kept despite having no current occupant.

Aisha glanced around the beautiful room, decorated with pale blue wallpaper and white furniture. Her eyes showed a strange expression. She was used to Ian’s room next door, but this was her first time seeing this one.

‘This is the Marchioness’s room in the Lloyd estate…’

A ticklish feeling briefly brushed over Aisha. She might have enjoyed the moment more if she hadn’t run into someone unexpectedly. But Diane, Ian’s grandmother, had left behind a deep sense of discomfort that still lingered.

“I…”

“Stay here for the night.”

Just as Aisha was about to mention Diane, Ian interrupted her, speaking in a commanding tone as he slumped onto the couch.

“No, I’ll go now. I’m fine I came by carriage.”

Seeing Ian’s unusually low spirits, Aisha gently refused. The weather outside wasn’t good, but with Diane present in the house, staying over felt inappropriate. Even though the engagement was close, it would still raise eyebrows for an unmarried young lady to spend the night at her fiancé’s house.

“Ride a carriage in this weather? Are you crazy?”

Ian reacted sharply to her intention to leave. Only then did Aisha realize she had made a mistake.

Rainy weather. A carriage.

Those two together could only bring back terrible memories for Ian the tragic death of the former Marquis and Marchioness of Lloyd. Though unintentional, Aisha had touched his most painful wound. She hesitated.

“Are you going to just stand there? Sit down, at least.”

Ian, still with his eyes closed, motioned with his head to the seat in front of him. Aisha quietly obeyed and sat across from him. Ian’s breathing was slightly quicker than usual, showing how tense he was. Aisha found herself wanting to smooth out the deep crease between his brows. She reached out without thinking but flinched when Ian suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight at her.

Ian stared at her hand stretched toward him, then turned his gaze away. Looking out the rainy window, he muttered softly.

“I’ll send someone to the Parden estate. The rain’s too heavy you’ll stay here tonight.”

“But… it’ll be hard to deliver a letter in this weather…”

“The roads are fine, and the servants are trained. So don’t worry and just go tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll stay in the guest room. This room feels too much for me.”

Aisha lowered her head, clearly uncomfortable about staying in such a luxurious space.

“You’ve stayed right next door before. Why make a fuss now?”

Ian felt strangely annoyed by her reaction. When he sarcastically pointed out that she had stayed in his bedroom before, Aisha’s face turned red.

“I’m just worried someone might misunderstand. Your grandmother is here now  And staying the whole night isn’t the same as just visiting briefly.”

It was clear who Aisha was worried about his grandmother, Diane, who had returned after fifteen years. Just thinking about her made Ian irritated.

“Why do you care about that woman?”

His voice became sharper. Aisha said nothing, just looked at him quietly. Ian knew he was being unreasonably sensitive. His voice softened as he spoke again, almost like he was trying to justify himself.

“You know, right? What kind of relationship my family has had with her.”

Aisha knew Ian’s feelings about Diane better than anyone. He had told her things he’d never shared with anyone else.

“It was hard. Sophia cried all day saying Grandma never came. What could I say to a six-year-old? That the only reason that woman was around us at all was because of land?”

Aisha nodded, her eyes full of concern. Ian avoided her gaze. He closed his eyes and murmured to himself.

“I wish Sophia could be at least half as thoughtful as you.”

Diane had pleaded to stay, using family ties as her excuse, but Ian didn’t trust her. He believed she had another motive.

Still, he let her into the house for a simple reason: the conditions she agreed to were good, and Ian was confident he could stop her from doing anything suspicious. The only problem was that Sophia already seemed to trust her completely.

Thinking of Sophia probably sulking in his room, Ian frowned. Then a gentle voice and warm touch reached his forehead.

“Don’t stress too much. I’m worried you’ll get sick.”

Her fingers touched his skin lightly, then slowly moved in circles. They were as soft as fine flour. Ian unconsciously relaxed his tensed muscles and focused on her soothing touch.

“You’ve had a headache already. If you keep frowning like this”

But the peace didn’t last.

Thwack.

Just as he was about to completely let down his guard, the word revenge buried deep in his mind suddenly surfaced.

Ian opened his eyes and slapped her hand away. Aisha looked at him in shock, her round eyes full of confusion.

“Ah…”

“Why are you suddenly touching me?”

His cold voice scolded her. Aisha held her reddened hand and looked hurt. Her light blue eyes welled with tears, and Ian felt a strange rush of emotion seeing it.

“Don’t touch a man’s body so freely. People will say you act too loosely.”

His rebuke was harsh and hurtful. Aisha’s soft expression dried up at once. Seeing that, Ian became nervous. He hated when she cried, but he couldn’t stand her looking at him like that, either.

“It’s the same with your brothers. Do you know what people say? That Lady Aisha, because she has so many brothers, behaves too comfortably around men.”

“If you spend the night here, at least we can keep it a secret. But when you act like that outside, there’s no way to stop the rumors. So be more careful.”

Ian kept pushing her, even though he knew he had gone too far. He hoped that upsetting her would at least get her to show another expression but the moment he mentioned her brothers, Aisha shut down completely.

“Let’s stop here. I’ve got work to do anyway.”

Ian stood up abruptly. Aisha didn’t try to stop him this time. She simply looked at him once, then slowly and firmly turned her head away.

“I’ll send a maid. Eat something and rest. You haven’t had dinner yet.”

Ian spoke in a low voice from the door, but Aisha didn’t even nod. Seeing that, Ian bit his lip and slammed the door shut.

Bang.

Only after Ian left did Aisha cover her face with both hands. Just a week before their engagement, tears soaked her pale cheeks.

The Lloyd family garden, dyed in soft colors, was like a beautiful painting. With lavender in full bloom and herbs beginning to blossom, the garden was filled with both color and fragrance.

“The weather’s lovely today.”

“Yes, it is. What a beautiful view.”

Sophia and Diane were enjoying tea in a corner of the garden. Diane, sipping light-colored tea, suddenly looked around with a gentle smile, then held Sophia’s hand with sad eyes.

“Come to think of it, you were born when the lavender was at its peak. Lavender always reminds me of you. I feel sorry.”

“Grandmother…”

“I should’ve celebrated your birthday all these years I regret that.”

“There’s no need to feel sorry. You can celebrate it now. That’s enough.”

Sophia liked Diane, who showered her with affection. Her life had been filled only with her cold brothers, so having a warm grandmother appear even late filled a gap she hadn’t noticed before.

“I’m really glad you came, Grandma. Ian is always so busy He always thinks about other people before me.”

“Ian must have been busy being the family head from a young age. That job means meeting lots of people. You’re kind, so you should be understanding.”

“If it was just for work, I wouldn’t complain. But it’s not.”

At her grumble, Diane’s eyes sparkled. She gently held Sophia’s hand and massaged it as she spoke sweetly.

“Hmm… Are you talking about that girl, Aisha Parden?”

Sophia nodded. Diane chuckled and spoke in a soft, coaxing voice.

“Oh dear, Sophia. That young lady is Ian’s fiancée. You should give way. She’s going to be the future Marchioness of Lloyd.”

At those words, something stirred painfully inside Sophia. People often reacted like this when she spoke up as if she was a jealous sister. But her feelings toward Aisha were much deeper. Sophia had believed for a long time that Aisha had taken her brother away.

“We’ll see about that! I can’t accept a girl like her entering our family!”

Her hostility toward Aisha came out right away. Diane, surprised by her granddaughter’s angry outburst, stopped smiling. Looking into Sophia’s green eyes so similar to her own she asked gently:

“Did something happen? Tell me what’s wrong, my dear.”

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