To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 58

Before Arthur could take even five steps, a sharp cry struck his back.

Hearing the words “I’ll die,” Arthur was startled and quickly turned around.

When Sophia saw Arthur look back, a flicker of relief mixed into her eyes. She raised her hand to her head, felt around, and pulled out a ruby pin that had been stuck on the left side.

“Huaaang… I-I’ll die!”

The tip of the pin wasn’t sharp enough to pierce her neck or chest. But just the fact that Sophia was trying to hurt herself made Arthur feel like his heart dropped. He rushed back the way he came.

He knelt beside the collapsed Sophia and quickly took the pin from her hand.

“What are you doing?!”

Sophia looked at Arthur, who was scolding her, and then reached out both arms to wrap around his neck. Arthur sighed as her wet clothes soaked into his and her chest heaved roughly up and down.

“Sophia, you must not say things like that so carelessly.”

In the end, Arthur placed a hand on her back. As his large hand moved gently, as if to calm her, Sophia’s ragged breathing slowly settled.

“I-I feel so terrible when you’re not around. If you’re not here, Arthur h-hic”

Like a child throwing a tantrum, Sophia let out her feelings without holding back. Arthur closed his eyes at her words, saying she needed him.

“Don’t cry. Someone might hear.”

“Hngh… sniff!”

“Sophia, please”

“I’m lonely, Arthur. So lonely.”

“You said You said you’d be on my side. That you’d stay with me.”

Arthur stayed silent and gently patted Sophia on the back. In his opened eyes, there was affection, pity, and a bit of weariness.

Arthur carefully removed Sophia’s arms from around his neck. As she let go, Sophia looked at him with desperate eyes.

“Okay. I’ll stay with you. So please don’t cry, alright?”

“Really? Then what about what you said earlier about breaking up?”

“I must have been thinking wrong. I’ve just been busy at the academy lately and didn’t have time.”

When Arthur fully gave in, Sophia beamed and threw her arms around him. Arthur felt a crushing weight of guilt press down on his shoulders, but he held his breath and endured it.

‘So cruel.’

Helen stared at Ian with a bitter look. He hadn’t spared her even a glance. At first, she only wanted to defeat a stuck-up man, but after becoming his partner and spending time beside him, she began to desire him.

‘A man like him shouldn’t belong to some plain woman. He should be mine.’

Ian was wealthy, powerful, and a handsome young man. Helen, who had imperial blood though only half was sure he suited her best. But by the time she realized she wanted Ian, he was already engaged.

‘A girl from some lowly merchant family who only knows how to sew by herself’

Helen couldn’t believe Aisha was Ian’s fiancée. To her, Aisha was just a typical imperial noblewoman from a low-ranked new noble family. She wasn’t a noblewoman running a business like Helen, nor was she from a historic family. Yet somehow, she had caught the young marquis of House Lloyd.

‘Compared to Aisha, Helen fits Ian much better.’

‘Oh, Sophia don’t say things like that’

‘All Aisha knows how to do is cry and act pitiful in front of Ian. Raised as the only daughter, pampered like a baby is her family even good enough for House Lloyd? A noblewoman like Helen, stylish and beautiful, suits Ian far better.’

The one relief was that someone close to Ian was on her side. Ian’s only younger sister, Sophia, hated Aisha and liked Helen very much.

‘Sophia, I’m saying this because I had a little too much to drink but I actually have feelings for Ian. Or maybe I did.’

‘Helen…’

‘But I should forget him, right? I have to, don’t I?’

Seeing Sophia react positively to the idea of a scandal with Ian, Helen intentionally hinted at her feelings. But while Sophia felt sorry for her, she didn’t stop her brother’s engagement.

‘Well there’s always a chance. Sophia keeps saying it too no one knows what’ll happen before the wedding. And even after, it doesn’t matter. Divorce exists. Even if he’s married, he could still become mine.’

Helen drank to ease the bitterness in her chest. As she emptied her glass, her partner for the evening, Count Melbro, asked if she was alright.

“I’m fine. Could you bring me one more drink?”

“But Lady Helen, you’ve already had quite a bit.”

“If I start to wobble, you’ll help me, right? Please bring me the cocktail with the cherry in it.”

When she didn’t seem to change her mind, Count Melbro got up to fetch the drink. As he walked away, Helen quickly moved.

‘Why is tonight’s partner clinging to me so much? So annoying.’

Grumbling, she headed toward a group of men she had heard were close to Ian. But before she could reach them, an older lady stepped in front of her and spoke in a calm voice.

“You must be Lady Helen? I’m Ian’s grandmother. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The scenery outside was dyed red. The sudden shift in the garden’s color reminded Aisha that autumn was ending. She pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders.

“Young lady, I’ve brought tea.”

Just as she was admiring the fall leaves, Marie arrived with warm fruit tea. Aisha reached out and wrapped her hands around the orange-tinted cup, enjoying the sweet scent. The cup had cooled just enough to serve as a hand warmer.

“Would you like to go outside? It’s the perfect weather for a walk.”

Marie asked as she pulled back the half-drawn curtains. Aisha looked out the window and shook her head. Seeing her mistress looking tired and weak, Marie’s face filled with concern.

‘She barely speaks these days and she never goes out. Did she have a fight with the marquis?’

Marie wasn’t the only one who noticed Aisha’s change. Everyone in the Parden household, even the servants, felt she had become different.

“Thank you, Marie.”

Whether she noticed Marie’s worry or not, Aisha smiled and set down the cup. But her smile was so faint it made Marie’s heart sink even more.

“I think I’ll lie down. Could you close the curtains?”

“Pardon? But you just got up not long ago. Maybe you should go out for a bit instead? You’ll need to prepare for the marquis’ banquet soon. A trip to Boves Street might be perfect.”

At the mention of Ian, a shadow fell over Aisha’s clear face. She, who had been about to rise, sank back onto the couch with no energy. She waved her hand, telling Marie to leave.

“I want to rest. Please go.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Marie left quietly, sensing the firmness in Aisha’s voice. The room filled with silence. Aisha let out a deep sigh and stared blankly at the corner of the room.

She tried to clear her mind and stop thinking, but the more she tried, the more tangled her thoughts became. Eventually, she began to examine her feelings carefully.

‘Ian’

An engagement she had long wished for. She should’ve been happy. But Aisha didn’t feel even a little joy. In fact, she felt a growing emptiness after getting engaged to Ian.

‘It’s all the same anyway.’

The seasons outside had changed. Aisha and Ian now had a new relationship. People around them treated her differently, naturally mentioning her name with Ian’s.

But Aisha herself didn’t feel anything had changed. Ian was the same before and after the engagement.

After their engagement, Ian still sent her letters asking to meet. The only difference was that he now sent them as her fiancé, not in secret.

They usually met at the Lloyd mansion or at the villa on the outskirts of the capital. And most of the time, they ended up in bed. In those moments, Aisha could forget the emptiness for a while. But even those times had started to feel strange lately.

Under Ian, Aisha would pant and struggle, yet her eyes often became vacant.

And when the heat in the bedroom faded, the emptiness returned stronger than ever. Once their heartbeats calmed, Ian would leave the room as if his business was done.

Even when she woke up later, he was usually gone or sitting neatly dressed at the desk, working. Before it got too late, he would call a carriage to send her back.

‘Get up. I told them to prepare dinner. Eat before you go.’
‘It’s already late.’
‘Don’t worry. I told your family you’d be late because of dinner.’

Sometimes he asked her to eat lunch or dinner with him, but he rarely spoke during meals. Aisha, who used to try and start conversations, found herself staying quiet too.

‘Why does he never talk?’

On days he said nothing at all, he would suddenly ask her strange questions. It felt like being scolded, and Aisha would reply awkwardly.

‘I guess… I’m just a little tired.’
‘No wonder. You barely eat. Take better care of yourself. It’s annoying.’

The first time he said she was “annoying,” Aisha didn’t understand what he meant. But a week ago, on the bed, she finally realized.

Ian had frowned down at her and clicked his tongue. Muttering that she was too thin, he looked annoyed. Aisha apologized.

‘Sorry.’

It was a hurtful thing to say. But she didn’t feel angry or strong enough to argue. And apologizing to Ian was something Aisha was already used to.

‘What?’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘You’re…’

But strangely, Ian looked angry, got dressed, and left the room.

Though confused, Aisha didn’t follow or call after him. She simply picked up her clothes, dressed slowly, and went down the stairs to take the carriage home.

That was a week ago. Ian, seemingly very upset, hadn’t sent a letter in six days breaking his usual habit of writing every other day.

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