To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 71

“If you’re done talking, you should leave now. Just go straight down this path. And don’t ever set foot in the Marquis’ residence again.”

Ian dismissed Helen without noticing the figures slowly approaching from behind him. Instead of replying, Helen stepped closer to Ian. She reached out toward his face and tilted her head up as far as she could.

‘What the—?’

Ian instinctively reacted to Helen’s hand approaching like a creeping vine from a fairy tale witch. He leaned back to avoid her face and hand, which were coming closer. But that was all he could do. Unable to push a woman roughly, he tried to stop her by holding her shoulders as he stepped back.

Helen seemed to have expected his reaction. She smiled slyly and leaned forward even more, throwing off her balance on purpose. She shifted all her weight forward.

Her hand, originally aimed at Ian’s face, ended up pressing just below his chest. Disgusted by the touch, Ian frowned deeply but reached out instinctively to catch her falling body.

His hand landed right where Helen had intended from the beginning on her shoulder. But by then, she was already in his arms.

“Thank you, Ian.”

Helen whispered as she looked up at him. Her olive-colored eyes sparkled with triumph. She quickly stood on tiptoes and moved her face even closer. Ian turned his head away in shock, and while he avoided her lips, he couldn’t stop the feeling of her touch brushing his cheek.

As her warm breath touched his neck, Ian immediately shoved Helen away. His face showed fury as if he might throw her off at any moment. But before he could yell, Helen noticed the people behind him and offered a dramatic apology in an overly sweet voice.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry, Miss Aisha. You must’ve seen something awful. Goodness, I’m so embarrassed.”

Her cheerful and high-pitched voice showed just how delighted she was. In contrast, Ian’s expression turned stiff with dread as he looked behind him.

“Wow! Isn’t that amazing?”

“It really is. Sneaking out was worth it.”

The sky was dark, but the stars were shining brightly. Ian and Aisha, who had snuck out without telling the adults, had stars in their eyes too. Holding hands tightly, they turned slightly to look at each other instead of the night market and burst into laughter for no reason.

The boy looked to be about fifteen, and the girl a little younger. Even in the busy night market, they stood out. Their clothes were plain, but the grace in their faces and their smooth, unscarred hands gave away their background. Because of that, many people’s eyes followed them.

“Charles. Looks like another pair of clueless young masters and ladies are here. Keep an eye on them. If something bad happens, it’ll ruin the reputation our Latium night market has kept for decades.”

“Ah, my luck. I can’t even enjoy the night myself”

“Well, what can you do? It’s your job. Besides, it’s cute. They probably think no one recognizes them.”

The merchants figured they were rich kids trying to disguise themselves for a little fun, so they discreetly pointed them out to the guards, just in case. The guards groaned but nodded.

“Ian, look over there! Fire came out of his mouth! Let’s go see!”

“Aisha, once you know how it works, it’s not really that amazing. Actually, let’s go! I want to see too.”

Unaware of the adults whispering about them, Ian and Aisha excitedly explored the market. They watched their first-ever fire show, a fake witch’s cheap tricks, and even a few betting games with wide eyes.

“What a cute little lady. Come here, would you like to try one of these?”

After wandering for a while, a young vendor selling skewers called out to Aisha as they passed the food stalls. He had short brown hair, a handsome face, and a strong chest that matched the large skewers in his hand.

“Don’t worry about money. Here! Try one. These are famous in this market.”

The meat was juicy and shiny with fat, and the vegetables had a perfect bit of char. They looked delicious. Aisha, a little shy, slowly reached out. The vendor smiled and handed her a skewer but just before she could grab it, someone snatched it away.

“How much is it?”

Ian glared at the vendor with a look full of suspicion and hostility. The young vendor, seeing a boy about fifteen pulling the girl behind him and glaring like that, chuckled.

“I just wanted to give her one because she’s cute. Why so uptight?”

“I asked how much it is.”

“I told you, I was giving it to her. You know, like how knights treat their ladies”

“This should be enough.”

Annoyed, Ian slammed a few coins onto the counter. His face flushed red. Then he grabbed Aisha’s hand and quickly walked away.

“They say rich boys don’t understand money, and it’s true. This doesn’t even cover the ingredient cost. But oh well I can’t embarrass a little gentleman in front of his lady.”

The vendor had hoped to play a little more with the cute kids, but it looked like the young gentleman didn’t like that. He chuckled as he watched them walk away.

No matter what the vendor thought, Ian was storming off, clearly upset. Even if the guy was just a vendor, Ian couldn’t deny that the man’s face was attractive, the kind women liked, and his body was impressive even from a male point of view. Ian hated that he hadn’t grown up yet, and even though he knew the vendor’s smile meant nothing more than brotherly affection, he still felt jealous.

Ian kept walking, even past the central street. Finally, Aisha, unable to keep up, spoke up with a whine.

“Ian Slow down, okay? My legs hurt.”

Ian stopped at her small voice. Looking guilty, he led her to a bench tucked into a corner of the market.

“Here, this. You wanted to eat it, right?”

He dusted off the bench and helped Aisha sit, then handed her the skewer. Even as he held it out, his eyes stayed sharply fixed on it. But Aisha, who was hungry, brought the skewer to her mouth, watching Ian’s reaction.

“You should eat some too.”

After eating some meat and vegetables, Aisha wiped her mouth and offered it to Ian. He nodded. They’d shared food before, but this time felt different. Embarrassed for some reason, Ian quickly ate a piece of meat and mumbled as he scratched the ground with his shoe.

“It’s a little cold now.”

“It’s okay. It’s still tasty. Hurry and eat the pepper too. Being picky isn’t good for you.”

Aisha scolded him without noticing his quieter tone. She hated peppers, so she was just worried she might have to eat them if he didn’t. Ian noticed her concern and smiled slightly before eating the pepper himself. Then he offered the skewer back to her.

“When you’re done, I want to take you somewhere.”

“Huh? Where?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

Her eyes widened with curiosity, and Ian gently patted her head, waiting patiently as she finished the food.

“I’m full. Did I eat too much?”

“No, Aisha. I had plenty too.”

The large skewer filled both of them up. Ian threw away the empty stick in a trash bin nearby, then grabbed her hand again.

“We’re here.”

About ten minutes later, they arrived at a street two blocks left of the central market. It wasn’t as big as the main street, but it was still filled with vendors. The decorations were even flashier, maybe to make up for the distance. Aisha looked around, amazed.

“Wow, it’s so pretty and sparkly!”

“There are a lot of jewelry shops here.”

Pleased with her excitement, Ian explained and led her along. Finally, they stopped in front of a stall.

“Go away, kids. This might look like a stall, but it’s the most high-end one here.”

The vendor, annoyed by the children hanging around, waved them off. Aisha, who had been admiring the shiny fake jewels, stepped back in surprise.

Seeing her shrink away, Ian glared fiercely. Only then did the vendor turn and get a proper look at their faces and he was surprised.

‘Well, well. They’ve got some good-looking faces, don’t they?’

Even young, they were striking enough to draw attention. Thinking they might be worth entertaining, the vendor cleared his throat and stepped forward but Ian spoke firmly before he could get too close.

“There’s something we saw before. Inside the shop.”

“Huh? Inside?”

The vendor usually only opened the stall during the night market. During the day, he sold from the store behind it.

“If that’s the case, come in.”

Unlike the cheap fakes outside, the store held real jewels, too expensive for commoners. The vendor looked over Ian and Aisha, then quickly covered his stall and led them inside.

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