To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 72

Ian walked into the shop without hesitation. He went to a corner of the display case and pointed to a small pearl earring tucked in the back.

“How much is this?”

The pearl on the earring wasn’t large, but it had a natural shine and texture that couldn’t be compared to the imitations on the counter. The shopkeeper looked at the earring Ian pointed to and quoted a price slightly higher than the original.

“Seventy silver.”

Ian’s eyes showed surprise that was two weeks’ worth of living expenses for a commoner family. He bit the inside of his cheek as he estimated the money in his pocket.

‘Not enough.’

Ian was the heir to the prestigious Marquis Lloyd family, but he was still too young to manage anything himself. Although the Parden family provided for all his needs comfortably, that was as far as it went. The Parden family had merchant roots, and even now as nobility, they managed many businesses themselves. Because of this, the Count and Countess of Parden were very strict about financial matters.

‘A gold coin is quite big if compared to a grain of sand. But if you’re not careful, it’ll slip away faster than sand.’

No matter how wealthy they were, they never handed large sums of money directly to their children. This rule also applied to Ian and Sophia, so the two siblings received the same modest allowance as the Parden children. It was never a large amount.

When Ian stayed silent, the shopkeeper began to look annoyed. Aisha glanced between Ian and the shopkeeper, then studied the pearl earring closely. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Look here! The back part is slightly dented.”

At her words, the shopkeeper’s face turned awkward. The most valuable pearls were perfectly round. Even a slight flaw would decrease their value. He had tried to cover the dent by attaching it to the back clasp, but how had that young girl noticed? And how did she know it would lower the price?

“Natural pearls often have”

The shopkeeper began to make excuses, but Ian and Aisha only looked at him coldly. Unable to bear the sharp stares of the two children, the shopkeeper finally asked Ian:

“Fine, you win. How much do you have?”

He still refused to say the proper price how petty. Ian silently held up five fingers.

“I’m losing on this deal, but”

Seeing Ian had fifty silver, the shopkeeper moved quickly. That price wasn’t a loss at all. He placed the earring into a small cloth pouch, tied it with a red ribbon, and handed it to Ian. Ian took a pouch from his coat and gave it to the shopkeeper. After counting the fifty silver, the man smiled widely and called out to the two children as they turned to leave.

“Make sure to wear it nicely! I’m only giving you a deal because it’s the first day of the festival!”

For the first time since coming to the night market, Aisha pouted. When she grew up, even if she bought from every other shop, she swore never to return to this one. But unlike her, Ian didn’t seem to mind. He took her to a glowing sculpture near the shop.

Passersby looked at the pair fondly, thinking they were cute. As the attention grew, Ian became shy and pulled Aisha behind the sculpture. It was much quieter there. Ian untied the cloth pouch under the faint light from a small lantern nearby.

“I’ll put them on for you.”

The pearls shone even more brightly in the darkness. Aisha nodded quietly, the tiny sparkling lights too beautiful for words. With great care, Ian placed the earrings on her ears. Even though they hurt a little due to the lack of fine craftsmanship, Aisha was happy she hadn’t worn other earrings that day it matched her outfit perfectly.

A pair of round pearls now adorned her slightly red ears. They matched her pale face so well that Ian instinctively parted his lips in awe. Seeing the earrings he bought with his own savings on Aisha made him feel proud. As Ian quietly admired her, Aisha lowered her head shyly and asked:

“Do I look pretty? I can’t tell without a mirror.”

“You’re beautiful. Really.”

“Really?”

Touched by his words, Aisha gently touched the earrings. Each time she felt the smooth pearls with her fingers, her face grew warmer. She shifted a little, feeling awkward, and broke the silence.

“But Ian, why did you suddenly give me such a nice present?”

“You gave me this.”

Ian pulled a handkerchief from his inner pocket as he replied. It was a men’s handkerchief embroidered with blue sage. Aisha’s face turned bright red, now visibly flushed. A ticklish feeling swept through her chest. As she stayed silent with her head down, Ian broke the silence this time.

“I heard from Daniel. Your fingers got pricked a lot.”

“Why did Daniel tell you that? It’s nothing…”

“Let me see.”

Ian looked at her fidgeting fingers, then gently grabbed her hand. He bent down and carefully inspected each of her fingers. Aisha felt her fingers might turn red too and tried to pull her hand back, but Ian blew warm breaths on each one before letting go. Then he said seriously:

“One day, I’ll give you something even better than this. Something so beautiful that even Her Majesty the Empress would be jealous.”

“Jealous of me? How could I deserve something that nice?”

“Aisha, you deserve it.”

When Aisha shook her head at the mention of the Empress, Ian’s voice grew firm. He was always serious, but today he seemed even more sincere. Aisha blinked silently, unable to respond.

Realizing he might have gotten too intense, Ian shyly turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. After a short pause, he brought up an old memory.

“Remember? That summer day in the garden under the lemon tree.”

“If you hadn’t comforted me then, and if you hadn’t stayed by my side until now I don’t know what would have happened to me.”

Aisha froze, even her blinking stopped. She remembered the kind boy who had cried that day. That memory was engraved in her heart whenever it came to mind, time always seemed to stop.

The boy and girl lingered in the past for a moment. Then Ian, the first to return to reality, gently touched Aisha’s cheek and asked:

“Can I kiss you?”

Aisha’s eyes slowly widened at the unfamiliar question. When she didn’t answer, Ian started to panic and tried to take it back.

“I don’t mean on the lips! I meant the cheek or forehead, like before bed just that”

Smooch.

Aisha smiled softly and stood on tiptoe to press her lips to Ian’s. Ian, slow to realize what just happened, looked dazed.

“Huh?”

“That’s enough, right?”

Aisha giggled at Ian’s expression and spun in a circle while holding onto his sleeve.

“Ian, let’s go home now. I want to look in the mirror.”

The white pearl earrings hanging from her red ears gleamed in Ian’s blue eyes. As he walked slowly beside her, he didn’t realize his own ears were just as red as hers. He replied with a voice full of warmth.

“Yeah. Let’s go, Aisha.”

“Here. This came for you.”

Robert, Ian’s dorm roommate, tossed a letter toward him as Ian sat at his desk reading. Ian frowned at the interruption, but once he saw who the sender was, his shoulders relaxed and he carefully picked up the letter.

“Don’t throw it.”

“Geez. I was just trying to be nice to a guy who hasn’t moved all day studying for exams, and this is what I get…”

“Hey Ian, do you really like that Parden girl? I mean, sure you’re close, but she’s from a newly noble family. She doesn’t really suit guys from our background”

Robert sneered as he watched Ian gently stroke the letter. Coming from a branch family of the prestigious Marquess Aisha from the west, he found it strange that Ian, from the noble Lloyd family, would date a girl from the newly risen Parden family.

“Robert. Shut up.”

Ian’s firm voice usually silenced Robert quickly, since they had lived together long enough for Robert to know when to stop. Still, behind his back, Robert often gossiped with like-minded classmates.

‘That Ian guy is ruining the family name. Dating a girl from Parden, seriously. He’s probably marrying into the new nobles to betray the old families.’

‘Well, they say she’s gorgeous. If you’re going to live with someone, that’s enough, right? But not for me.’

‘Ian’s face isn’t bad either, right? Honestly, he’s the best-looking guy here. He could be with someone from a better family. So why?’

‘His parents are gone, and he grew up with the Parden. Plus, Count Parden is holding his inheritance until he’s an adult He’s already been trained by them.’

‘I’d rather live as a beggar than under Count Parden. Lloyd family’s honor is going down the drain thanks to that guy.’

Ian had a pretty good idea of what Robert and the others said behind his back. But he didn’t care enough to deal with people like that, nor did he have the time.

Seeing Robert had no plans to leave the room, Ian tucked Aisha’s letter behind his book and refocused on studying. Robert, disappointed that he couldn’t sneak a look, flopped onto his bed with a grumble.

“Why do you study so hard anyway? We’re not commoners, and we’re not low-tier nobility either.”

“Ugh, boring guy. Whatever, I’m going to sleep.”

Robert grumbled once more, but when Ian ignored him, he pulled the blanket over his head and quickly fell asleep. Once the snoring started, Ian ran his fingers through his hair and reached quietly under his book.

– Ian. How was your day?

The neat handwriting greeted him as he opened the letter. Her voice felt so real in his head that his tense brow relaxed as he slowly read through the densely written letter.

It was a long one, filled with details about Aisha’s daily life and her family. Ian kept a straight face while reading about others, but smiled at her stories and laughed at her jokes.

By the time he had read the letter multiple times, the candle on his desk had melted down completely. As the light flickered out, Ian finally came back to reality. He lit a new candle and carefully folded the letter.

‘I can’t be doing this right now. I barely passed history last time. There are others just as desperate—I need to focus.’

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