To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 77

Ian didn’t trust Duke Levantus. However, he couldn’t ignore it when someone brought up his parents’ names in connection to something he had already found strange for a long time.

“Come to the duke’s estate by 2 p.m. tomorrow. You really should come. Like I said, this is related to your parents’ death.”

“Then I’ll go now. See you tomorrow.”

In the end, it was Duke Levantus who left first. Ian remained standing in the hallway long after the duke had disappeared. A breeze blew from afar, rustling his hair. Ian clenched his fist, then slowly opened it again. As if making a decision, he stared at the end of the corridor where the duke had vanished, then turned around.

‘Back then, the captain was practically forced to quit. He spent his whole life digging into cases and uncovering the truth But just because he spoke against Count Parden, he lost his job overnight.’

The sound of a man’s frustrated voice echoed in Ian’s ears. He crumpled up a report and shoved it into his pocket as he stepped out of the carriage.

It had been sunny when he left, but now heavy rain was pouring down. The horses grew uneasy at the sound of distant thunder, and the coachman got down to calm them. Under the umbrella held out by a servant, Ian stared at the nervous horses pawing the ground.

Neighhh.

The rain was so loud that he couldn’t even hear the person next to him.
The horses’ uneasy cries naturally reminded him of his parents’ accident.

‘Can I even call it an accident?’

Ian finally began to walk. The servant holding the umbrella hurried after him to keep up with Ian’s quick pace. But the rain was falling so hard, the umbrella was almost useless. By the time they reached the steps, Ian was soaked as if he had fallen into water.

“You’re all wet, sir. Please change your clothes quickly.”

At the entrance, James handed Ian a soft towel with a worried look. Ian didn’t say a word. He didn’t even take the towel and headed straight for the second-floor office.

Water dripped from his body, darkening the carpet. Noticing that something was off, James motioned to another servant and quickly followed Ian.

“James. You’ve worked at the marquis’ house your whole life, haven’t you?”

Ian stood by the window, still dripping wet, and asked James, who had followed him in.
James was about to offer the towel again, but he felt uneasy at Ian’s sunken voice and answered:

“Yes, I’ve worked here since I was sixteen.”

“How close were my father and Uncle no, Count Parden?”

Ian interrupted him, suddenly asking about the relationship between the late Marquis Lloyd Cliff and Count Graham Parden. Though surprised, James replied honestly.

“They were like brothers. Ever since their academy days, they were always together.”

Ian listened silently, looking out at the pouring rain. The water dripping down his back made his shadow even darker.

“Sir. Please dry yourself. You’ll catch a cold.”

James carefully spoke up, feeling the heavy atmosphere. But as he looked into Ian’s eyes, his heart sank.

‘What’

Ian’s eyes were dark so dark they seemed to swallow everything. His expression was colder than when he had heard of his parents’ death. The air itself felt frozen, and James forgot to breathe.

“Thank you.”

Ian ignored James’ reaction. He roughly wiped his face with the towel and walked to his desk. A few letters were neatly placed there. When he saw the one on top, he froze.

He recognized the familiar envelope. Even without opening it, he knew who it was from.
After a moment of hesitation, Ian tore it open roughly. The sharp sound of ripping paper rang in his ears.

Inside was a familiar and warm greeting, followed by a question from Aisha asking if he could go with her to the next ball.

—Then I hope today brings you peace, too.

The usual ending made Ian’s face soften for a moment But only for a moment. His face grew colder than before as he grabbed his pen tightly.

“Send a reply to the Parden family. And prepare bathwater.”

He quickly scribbled a rejection, folded the letter roughly, and handed it to James. James was shocked Ian had never replied so carelessly to Aisha before. But as someone who had served Ian his whole life, he simply bowed deeply.

“Yes, I’ll make sure it’s delivered right away.”

“Wait.”

James had just taken a step to leave when Ian, deep in thought at his desk, called him back.

“I want you to bring me all the documents stored in the marquis’ estate from the past fifteen years. Today.”

“Pardon? All fifteen years’ worth?”

Fifteen years. That was enough time to turn James’ brown hair gray. Bringing all the documents from that long period would likely fill the entire office.

“If there are any specific ones you need, I can select them.”

James suggested, thinking of the massive amount stored in the archive. But Ian shook his head and firmly ordered:

“No. Bring every single one. If it has even a single word written on it, bring it.”

“Oh my. Look over there.”

“Isn’t that Lady Aisha?”

“Oh, so that’s the famous one”

A group of nobles fanned themselves while watching Aisha. She flinched slightly at the sound of her name, mixed with quiet laughter.

In high society these days, Aisha was both ridiculed and pitied. Despite the constant rumors, her engagement to the Lloyd and Parden families had not been confirmed. While Aisha looked only at Ian, he seemed indifferent. After a year of this, people made their own assumptions and treated their situation as low-grade entertainment.

“Let’s go this way.”

Her older brother Edward said with a stiff voice. Aisha followed him obediently, but glanced back.

‘Ian.’

She saw Ian with Sophia in the distance. Sophia smiled brightly and fanned herself, while Ian remained expressionless. Still, people crowded around Ian proof of his current status.

Just a year and a half after entering public service, Ian had earned a seat in the Central Nobles Council. Despite his young age, no one denied his ability.

“Congratulations. That’s amazing!”

“At your age, in the Central Council The future of House Lloyd looks bright!”

Friends praised Ian for reaching the center of power so young. But the Parden family, once closest to Ian, could not fully celebrate.

After joining the Old Nobles faction, Ian often clashed with Count Parden. To his children, seeing Ian once their childhood friend arguing with their father was unpleasant.

“Brother. Are you still mad at Ian?”

As they moved to a quiet corner, Aisha asked cautiously. Edward, who had been staring at Ian in the crowd, turned to her.

“Ian already explained everything to Father, didn’t he? So don’t be mad anymore, okay?”

Aisha’s pale blue eyes were filled with worry. Edward felt even more upset seeing his anxious sister.

“Aisha. Do you think that’s why I’m mad?”

“Huh?”

“No. Never mind. Don’t worry about it.”

He didn’t like what Ian was doing but Edward’s anger wasn’t just about politics. Unlike their brother Daniel, he had no intention of raging when their father had already accepted Ian’s decision.

“That bastard Ian stabbed Father in the back. No, he outright betrayed us! Siding with the Duke?!”

“Daniel. Father let it go. Don’t talk like that in front of Aisha.”

“What, you think hiding it makes it better? And this isn’t even about politics! Aisha be honest. That guy’s been cold to you lately, right? Yesterday he danced twice with that girl from House Rubert instead of staying with his partner—you. Did he even explain why?”

The problem wasn’t just political. Ian’s attitude toward Aisha had clearly changed. He no longer took her as his partner, constantly delayed the engagement with weak excuses, and often ignored her at parties.

“To be honest, Lady Aisha isn’t really on the same level as the marquis. Especially now that Count Parden is politically opposed”

“Exactly. And even if she’s in love, from his point of view, she’s just a merchant’s daughter clinging to an old connection.”

As a result, Aisha’s reputation kept falling. But more than that, what made Edward angry was Aisha’s attitude.
Despite everything, she still cared for Ian and worked every day to mend the bond between him and their family.

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