To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 67

How much time had passed?

Ian, lips pale and tightly pressed together, shook his head with his face lowered and whispered,

“No.”

His sunken voice was so soft it was nearly drowned out by the sound of the fountain. Even so, it seemed like it took all his strength to say it. He let out a deep breath and finally forced himself to take a step toward the palace gates.

“Aisha!”

“Oh my!”

Daniel flung open the greenhouse door, calling for his sister. Marie, who had been trimming flowers with Aisha, dropped her scissors in surprise and let out a small scream.

“Daniel?”

Though she didn’t scream, Aisha was just as surprised. Her eyes widened as she looked at Daniel with disbelief. But before she could say anything, Daniel stormed over and shouted.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?”

“Marie. Could you leave us for a moment?”

Sensing Daniel’s serious tone, Aisha gently set down the soft pink ranunculus in her hand and asked Marie to step outside. Marie quickly nodded and left the greenhouse.

“Aisha.”

As soon as Marie was gone, Daniel called his sister’s name again, urging her. Aisha picked up the flower she had just set down and asked back in a flat voice.

“What is?”

“You!”

“Daniel. If you come in here yelling like that and ask me what’s going on, what do you expect me to say?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know!”

As Aisha calmly arranged flowers into the vase, Daniel raised his voice again. Startled by his outburst, Aisha finally turned to face him with a frown.

“Hoo…”

When their eyes met, Daniel realized how overly emotional he had become and tried to calm himself. Still feeling frustrated, he plopped into the seat Marie had used earlier and shoved the vase on the table aside.

“Ian danced with that illegitimate girl on the first night, and you…you spent the entire Founding Festival oddly close to Mother.”

“You already heard the rumors, right? About that bastard and that girl.”

“Yes. I heard.”

Aisha nodded slowly, having listened quietly until then. The scandal between Ian and Helen she couldn’t avoid hearing about it. Since the first night of the Founding Festival, most whispered behind her back, but some made sure she could hear it too.

“Then why are you just sitting here like this?!”

Hearing her admit it made Daniel even more furious. He tried to stay calm, but seeing her so indifferent made it impossible.

“Go rip out Ian’s hair, or grab that girl by the hair no, you wouldn’t do that Hah. What are you doing, then?”

“You’re not crying like before, and you don’t seem depressed either.”

“If I were like that, wouldn’t you be angry, too?”

“Hey! But acting like this is even more normal, I guess?”

Daniel was deeply worried about how much Aisha had changed since the festival. She no longer cried over Ian’s behavior or collapsed from heartbreak. But that made it worse somehow.

“Honestly, I’m glad you’re not crying or hurting over that guy anymore. But are you really okay?”

At first, he had been surprised and relieved, thinking Aisha had finally stopped loving Ian. But as days passed three, then seven those feelings faded.

“To be honest I’m more worried seeing you like this. Do you even know how you look right now?”

On the outside, Aisha seemed fine. She ate all her meals, her complexion improved, she went on walks, and smiled while chatting with others. But Daniel, who had watched her his whole life, could see the tension behind her calm appearance.

“You look just like those.”

He pointed at the dried roses hanging on the greenhouse wall. Expertly preserved, they were beautiful, just like fresh ones from the garden but lifeless. Daniel thought the brittle roses looked just like his sister.

“At least before, you showed how you felt. You cried. You got sick. Did any of us ever blame you for that?”

“You always…”

“Forget that. Just tell me honestly. Are you really okay?”

“Then just break off the engagement. Should I tell Father right now?”

At the word “breakup,” Aisha’s calm eyes finally wavered. Daniel noticed it right away and repeated his question with more force.

“Hm? Do you want to break it off?”

“Is breaking off an engagement something that simple?”

Aisha gently denied it, avoiding a direct answer. Daniel sighed, his voice losing strength as he mumbled.

“You’re not okay at all.”

To Aisha, his quiet words sounded louder than thunder. Though she had tried to pretend otherwise, she bit her lip and lowered her head, admitting to herself that she still had feelings for Ian. Daniel glanced at her and stood up abruptly. Then, holding out his hand to her, he said firmly,

“Get up.”

Startled by the sudden order, Aisha looked up at him, puzzled. Clicking his tongue, Daniel continued,

“With your personality, you probably didn’t even demand an apology from that bastard Ian You haven’t even met him recently, right?”

Aisha’s face turned pale, realizing what Daniel meant. She didn’t want to go. What would be the point? She hadn’t even chosen to break off the engagement. She wouldn’t be able to argue properly, and she’d only come back more hurt.

“Let’s go. You need to confront your fiancé’s rudeness.”

“No. I don’t want to”

“You don’t want to break up either. So what, you’re just going to suffer in silence like this?”

Aisha shook her head, and Daniel let out a deep sigh. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a stern expression.

“Don’t you see? This kind of attitude from you is what made Ian that way. You always gave in and acted so passive, and that’s why your relationship became like this.”

“Backing down isn’t always the answer. Running away isn’t either.”

“If you’re not going to break off the engagement, then make things clear. Shout at him. Pull his hair. Do whatever it takes to let your feelings out and reclaim your rights and dignity. Got it?”

With that, Daniel grabbed her wrist and started walking. Aisha didn’t resist anymore. She followed him silently.

The carriage stopped, and the door opened.

Ian climbed the marble stairs toward the entrance without making eye contact with James or any of the servants who had come to greet him.

‘Something must’ve happened at the palace Even though she said any guest with the Grand Madam should be treated with respect’

James nervously followed behind his dazed-looking master. He needed to inform Diane and Sophia that a guest had arrived, but Ian’s expression made it hard to approach him.

“Master.”

At last, once a servant had helped Ian out of his coat in the office, James carefully spoke. Ian, who had just sat at his desk, gestured for him to go ahead while opening a piece of paper he had planned to write a letter to Aisha before leaving for the palace.

“The Grand Madam has a guest.”

Ian froze. His hand, which had been reaching for the pen, pulled back as he looked up at James.

“Who is it?”

Ian was still unsure of his grandmother’s exact intentions. Though she had already submitted documents about the Lachia Desert, he couldn’t let down his guard. He had ordered James to watch her carefully and investigate her past in the Todome Kingdom.

“Lady Helen came to visit. Technically, she’s the guest of Miss Sophia and the Grand Madam.”

At the sharper tone in Ian’s voice, James swallowed hard and quickly answered. Ian slammed his fist on the desk the moment James finished speaking. He wouldn’t have been this angry if it had just been any other suspicious guest.

“Why is she in my house Hah.”

With his already tangled relationship with Aisha and the weight of the Emperor’s pressure regarding Helen, Ian had had enough. He could no longer let Helen do as she pleased.

“Where is she now?”

“She’s in the Grand Madam’s sitting room.”

Ian shot up and asked where Helen was. As James replied quickly, Ian began walking at once and ordered,

“Take me there.”

The private sitting room, with its deep green wallpaper, was decorated in a style fitting for older noblewomen. Elegant decorations, luxurious yet comfortable furniture, and soft sunlight made the room perfect.

Inside, the Grand Madam laughed happily with two young ladies. They looked like figures in a painting. The Grand Madam was graceful and elegant, while the two noble ladies were so beautiful they drew admiration wherever they went.

“You’re amazing. I could never imagine doing such a thing.”

‘Running a business among men as a woman? She really shows her mother’s blood jumping from one man to another. If I weren’t trying to separate her from Ian, I wouldn’t even speak to her, let alone look at her.’

Despite the charming surface, their thoughts were far from kind. Diane, smiling gracefully with her white hair, was full of mockery and scorn inside. She had invited Helen and welcomed her warmly only to serve her own plans.

“Thank you, Madam. Next time, I’ll gift you a sapphire crafted at my business. It will suit your elegance.”

‘She dares to show off at her age And she’s just a guest from a weak kingdom, with no power in the Empire or House Lloyd. Can’t even call her royalty no one even knows who her father is.’

Helen was no better. Deep down, she looked down on Diane, who had no real power in either the Empire or House Lloyd. Still, she knew she needed Diane’s and Sophia’s support to stay close to Ian.

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