To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 65

Music passed by several times. Aisha lifted her blank gaze from the wall and slowly stood up.

‘As expected, he’s not coming.’

Just like her face, which showed no tear stains, her heart had found peace a long time ago. Still, for some reason, Aisha waited in the lounge without stepping outside. Even after eight pieces of music had gone by.

‘If I go out alone, people will start talking.’

It was the first party she had attended since the engagement. And not just any party it was the Foundation Day celebration. No matter how things stood with Ian, Aisha didn’t want to worry her family anymore, nor did she want her family name being mentioned all over.

‘Would he come if I told him to?’

Hesitating near the entrance, Aisha thought of asking a servant to call Ian. She gently pulled the curtain aside. Unlike the dimly lit lounge, the banquet hall was dazzlingly bright with huge lights, making her blink several times.

‘Where is he…? Ah.’

Peeking her face out, Aisha looked around to find a servant. But before that, she scanned the room to see if Ian was nearby. It didn’t take long to spot his noticeable blond hair.

Ian had just reached out his hand to Helen. At that sight, Aisha felt the tips of her fingers turn cold. Though she couldn’t clearly see their faces from a distance, dozens of eyes seemed to be watching Ian and Helen.

Watching Ian and Helen walk together toward the center of the hall, Aisha quietly let go of the curtain and stepped back into the lounge.

Just before the curtain fully blocked her view, she thought she saw eyes glowing an eerie blue looking her way but she didn’t check to be sure. Pressing her slightly aching chest once, she turned around and walked back to the couch.

Judging by the way people were staring, going out now would only stir more gossip. Aisha held her slightly trembling hands together and sighed softly as she looked outside.

‘When will I be able to leave?’

Even the beautiful moonlight looked like a rough lump of sand to her, and she closed her eyes. With darkness before her, the sharp pain in her heart became even clearer. But perhaps because it had already been torn apart over what happened with Helen, it didn’t hurt to the point of breaking her. Aisha’s expression remained calm.

Tap.

Though the room was silent, the sound of something shattering came from somewhere. Even the pieces that hadn’t fallen yet were now clearly cracked, barely holding their shape.

But no one could see it, and even the person bearing it didn’t realize it. Aisha held her breath in time with the beautiful music outside, quietly letting the time pass.

“That damn bastard! He embarrassed Aisha by bringing that woman to their engagement party, and now he’s done it again? If you don’t explain yourself right now no, I’ll kill you myself, so prepare your neck!”

Inside the office, the letter Ian held was as crumpled as his forehead. The letter from Daniel, the second son of House Parden, was full of curses more like a duel challenge than anything else. But Ian didn’t have time to care about Daniel’s insults. Far more serious issues were piling up before him.

“I guess it must be true. I mean, if he was bold enough to show it so openly, that necklace must’ve been real too. Poor Lady Aisha.”

“Ian, I know I’m in no position to lecture you, but you really should be more careful. Even if you often clash with Count Parden in meetings, there are basic courtesies you need to maintain.”

The rumors about Helen that had started quietly on the first day of the Foundation Festival had grown so much by the end that people talked about them as if they were facts. Like a wildfire in winter, they had spiraled out of control and reached Ian’s ears many times.

Ian clearly knew the scandal was caused by his own careless behavior. On the first day of the celebration, not only had he stayed away from Aisha, but he had also danced with Helen in front of everyone. People who had already viewed his relationship with Helen suspiciously were now delighted to gossip.

He couldn’t remember a time he had felt so stupid. But back then, when it all happened, he hadn’t hesitated for even a second. He had reached out to Helen’s hand right after spotting Aisha peeking out from the lounge. Seeing her look around so calmly, with a face more indifferent than he had expected, he couldn’t just stand still.

‘Why isn’t she crying?’

Ian didn’t think that expression suited Aisha. If she was going to look so cold and indifferent, she should’ve at least cried from being hurt by him. But those dead, emotionless eyes what were they supposed to mean?

Yet his impulsive action had completely backfired. When Aisha saw him holding hands with Helen, she looked briefly surprised, then calmly turned away and went back into the lounge.

Bang.

Ian slammed his fist on the desk, recalling Aisha’s face disappearing behind the curtain. He had wanted to get angry like that back then too. But that day, he couldn’t bring himself to show any anger toward her.

“Shall we go back? I’m not feeling well.”

After the dance with Helen, Ian had rushed straight to the lounge. Aisha met him with a calm face and simply asked to return. Even with a faint smile, Ian couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, and he was left speechless.

“I guess I’m still not fully recovered. I don’t think I can attend any more of the celebrations except for the final day when Their Majesties will be present. I’m sorry, Ian. I hope you understand.”

In the carriage, she quietly explained her condition and asked for his understanding. Ian wanted to shout at her to stop pretending and follow the schedule with him but his lips wouldn’t part.

After that, Aisha truly stayed in the Parden estate the entire festival. Only on the last day did she make an appearance. Ian had hoped to spend some time alone with her during the final party, but aside from two dances, Aisha never left the Count and Countess Parden’s side. If she had been near her brothers, Ian might have tried to pull her away, but he couldn’t do that when she was beside the count and countess.

‘Come to think of it…’

With a headache pounding his forehead, Ian looked down at the desk. A sheet of paper with Aisha’s name written in elegant script lay blank and crumpled. Three days had passed since the festival ended, but Ian was going mad with anxiety. He finally decided to write Aisha a letter, using the scandal as an excuse to ask for a meeting.

Just as he picked up the pen, biting his lip and preparing to write, an unwelcome visitor arrived.

“The Great Master calls for you.”

With the same arrogant face as always, the messenger delivered his master’s order and pointed to a carriage outside. An order that couldn’t be refused. Ian had no choice but to leave the letter unwritten and get into the carriage.

Ian was taken straight to the imperial palace. As expected, the one waiting for him was none other than the supreme ruler the great Emperor of the Empire.

“Marquis. Welcome.”

“Your Majesty, the sun of the Empire. I greet you with deep respect.”

“That’s enough. Sit down. Steward, leave us.”

The Emperor, meeting Ian not in the audience chamber but a room in the detached palace, quickly dismissed everyone. Ian sat in the chair provided by the steward, bowing his head slightly, waiting for the Emperor to speak.

“I called you here to ask a favor.”

As soon as the door closed, the Emperor spoke. Ian already had a good idea who this “favor” involved, and he bit his lip slightly and bowed his head.

“Please speak, Your Majesty.”

“First, thank you for what you’ve done through the steward. I heard you’ve been very helpful to young Helen.”

The Emperor’s praise only made Ian more uncomfortable. Now that a scandal had broken out, he wanted to sever ties with Helen entirely except for the Mistycus sapphire matter.

“And I heard you danced with Helen on the first day of the festival It seems thanks to you, she’s adjusting well to noble society. That makes me happy.”

The Emperor clearly wanted Ian’s relationship with Helen to continue. Despite noticing Ian’s dark expression, he kept talking in a gentle tone.

“But after that first day, you didn’t even greet Helen”

“Was it because of your fiancée? Now that I think about it, I heard the young lady of Parden only showed up again on the last day. So, hmm”

Ian felt uneasy as the Emperor mentioned Aisha. But this was not someone he could dismiss like the others. Keeping a calm face, Ian replied.

“Your Majesty, please feel free to speak openly.”

“Since you say so, I’ll be honest.”

“Have you thought about breaking off your engagement to the Parden girl?”

The moment the word “break off” came out of the Emperor’s mouth, Ian’s barely held expression shattered. His vision went white, and he clenched his trembling hand under the table as he looked at the Emperor.

“If you break off the engagement and marry Helen, I’ll support you greatly. Of course, the Empress and my children might dislike you, but I’ll compensate you well. I can’t be open about it, but I’ll support your family in many ways.”

“Sigh I wasn’t like this before, but I guess getting old changes you. Even though she’s illegitimate, I can’t help but care. Her mother’s a mess, but in the end, I’m her father. And Helen’s only one year older than Catherine If she were a boy, I wouldn’t be this worried. Tsk!”

As if realizing how unreasonable his request sounded, the Emperor let out an awkward laugh, talking about parental love. But that was it. Even as Ian’s face turned pale, the Emperor didn’t stop. Instead, he began pressing harder under the guise of a request.

“I heard she’s just a childhood friend, and you have no real interest in the Parden girl? Besides, you and Count Parden are politically on different paths. I’m telling you from experience when your wife’s family causes trouble, it becomes a nightmare. Because of the blood ties, you can’t just cast them aside. It gets exhausting, I tell you.”

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