To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 82

The days were growing shorter. On this early evening, Marissa told the maid to bring out a few more candlesticks and sat down on the couch in the common living room she shared with her husband, Count Parden. In her left hand was a rather thick stack of papers. Marissa blinked her dry eyes to clear her blurred vision, then began reading the documents right away.

The papers were packed with detailed expenses from all over the household from the amount of potatoes used in the kitchen to the servants’ wages and even repairs to the mansion. Marissa checked every single detail, even the price of a single potato, carefully focusing on the documents.

“Marissa.”

She had been doing that for some time when Graham approached and called her from behind. Marissa, so focused she hadn’t even heard the door open, flinched in surprise. When she realized it was her husband, she let out a sigh.

“Let’s stop for today. If you keep reading those papers like that, your eyes will get worse.”

Graham naturally started to massage Marissa’s shoulders as he spoke. At this hour, it had become his habit to give her a shoulder rub. But Marissa immediately noticed that his touch felt more restless than usual.

‘This man.’

Marissa turned around and looked at his face. Graham had been staring out the window with concern, but when he suddenly felt her gaze, he flinched like someone caught doing something wrong.

Marissa frowned and sighed at his reaction. Then she called for the maid waiting outside.

“Bring some tea.”

The Count and Countess of Parden usually had a short teatime before bed. They normally talked about their children or each other, not business or the family estate.

“Madam, here you are.”

“Thank you. You can go rest now.”

A gentle aroma filled the room, calming both mind and body. Marissa poured the light-colored tea into a thin, gold-rimmed cup and pushed it toward Graham.

“Here, drink.”

“Huh? Oh alright.”

As Graham took the tea, Marissa got up and walked straight to the window. She frowned while looking outside, then yanked the curtain shut with a loud swish. Graham, who had been nervously watching outside, hung his head at her sudden action.

That night, unlike usual, the couple’s teatime passed in silence and ended the same way. When Marissa finished her tea and got up to go to the bedroom, Graham, who had already finished his, hesitated before quietly following her.

He had stayed silent the whole time, though his lips had parted several times, only to close again without speaking.

“Help me untie this.”

Inside the bedroom, Marissa showed him the knot tied tightly at her back and asked for help. Graham, who had been deep in thought by the door, hesitated for a moment at her request, then walked over with a determined expression.

“Um… Marissa, I need to tell you something.”

“It’s getting cold with winter coming. He’s still out there, so maybe we should bring him inside”

“Let’s talk tomorrow. I’m tired.”

Marissa cut him off firmly and changed into something more comfortable. Then she got into bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Graham stood there, unsure of what to do, then let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t just stand there. Go to sleep. You have to wake up early tomorrow.”

In the dark room, Graham stood still for a while before slowly changing and climbing into bed beside Marisa.

“Marissa?”

“No, never mind.”

He had started to say something again, but when he saw her eyes closed, he gave up. Marissa sighed quietly at her husband’s hesitation.

The ticking of the clock echoed endlessly. Lying in bed, Graham kept tossing and turning with his eyes open. Because of that, Marissa couldn’t fall asleep either. She just pretended to sleep, ignoring him on purpose.

Time passed with only the ticking of the clock. The hour hand that had pointed to eleven before the lights went out was now near twelve.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Graham, who had been tossing every five minutes, jumped out of bed. Marisa, still pretending to sleep, called out as he left the bed.

“Graham!”

But Graham said nothing as he pushed open the bedroom door and left. Marissa quickly got up to follow him, but he had already reached the living room.

Graham pulled aside the curtains covering the windows and checked outside, then began walking even faster. Something fell from his coat, but he didn’t notice he was too focused on escaping before Marissa caught up.

Unlike Graham, Marissa couldn’t go out in her current clothes. Frustrated, she grabbed her hair, then quickly threw on a long gown and left the room to call the maid.

As she stepped into the living room, her foot hit something on the floor something that hadn’t been there before. Marissa bent down and picked it up.

“Sigh”

It was a neatly folded letter. Recognizing it, Marisa frowned. This was the letter Graham always kept in his study, something he treasured deeply.

‘So he planned to show me this and try to persuade me?’

With a tired expression, she rubbed her forehead, then unfolded the letter. It contained just one line, hastily scrawled in a man’s handwriting:

Dear Graham, my only true friend. Please take care of Ian and Sophia.

After reading it, Marissa quietly folded the letter again and placed it on the table in front of the couch. Then she walked slowly to the window. When she pulled back the curtain, she saw her husband almost running toward someone outside a young blond man standing with his head hung low.

Ian had rushed to the Parden estate shortly after Aisha and Daniel left. But by then, everyone at the estate had already heard from Daniel what had happened at the marquis’ house.

“My lord, the lady has returned.”

Marissa didn’t even open the door for Ian. Despite her cold rejection, Ian didn’t move. Filled with fear and guilt, he couldn’t leave until he met Aisha and explained himself. But Aisha never showed herself, and Marissa had given strict orders to the family and staff to ignore Ian standing at the gate.

“Ian, what are you doing? This is foolish.”

And so, Ian stood at the estate gate for five long hours. Only after the sun had set and all the lights inside were out did someone finally approach him. Seeing Graham’s face, soaked with sweat, Ian clenched his jaw. The only emotion in Graham’s gray-blue eyes was worry nothing else.

“It’s late. Come inside for now. Come on.”

When Ian didn’t respond, Graham gently put a hand on his back and, like comforting a child, guided him into the mansion. Dismissing the servants, Graham personally led Ian to his private sitting room. Glancing at the cabinet filled with liquor bottles, he asked:

“Tea would be nice, but it’s too late to bother someone to boil water How about a drink? Just the two of us?”

“Yes.”

Ian nodded without looking at him. Graham took out a fine bottle and two crystal glasses. Sitting across from Ian, he poured the amber liquid.

“This was made the year you were born. Your father Cliff gave it to me as a gift.”

Hearing his father’s name, Ian slowly lifted his head. In the dim room, he looked at Graham with sunken eyes and asked:

“Sir, why are you so kind to me?”

Graham met Ian’s gaze and gave a bitter smile. He took a sip of his drink and replied:

“Saying it’s because you’re like a son sounds fake Honestly, it’s because I feel responsible. After your parents passed, you and Sophia became like a promise I made to Cliff a promise I must never break.”

Ian looked like he wanted to say something more, but kept his lips tightly shut. Graham noticed his hesitation, but dismissed it as his imagination.

“Ian. May I ask you something this time?”

There was a brief silence, then Graham spoke first. When Ian nodded, Graham downed his drink and asked in a slightly harder tone:

“Why are you treating Aisha that way?”

“All these years, I’ve never questioned you. But now, things have gone too far. Ian, why are you being so cruel to Aisha?”

“I never—”

“Don’t say you never did. Ian, I have eyes and ears too.”

Graham had never spoken so coldly to Ian before. Ian felt pressured by his tone.

“Do you not love Aisha anymore? Are you acting like this because you don’t want to be engaged or married to her?”

When Ian didn’t answer and only hesitated, Graham poured more liquor and continued. Hearing the word “engagement,” Ian’s face twisted.

Graham was secretly relieved by his reaction. Unlike the rest of the family, he had always supported Ian and Aisha’s engagement and still did. But even he was angry about what had happened. Hiding his emotions, he spoke sternly:

“You don’t have to stay in the Parden family out of guilt. If your heart isn’t with Aisha, just say so. I’ll understand and speak to her myself.”

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