To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 85

What came out of Aisha’s mouth was a clear rejection. She didn’t just say “no” flatly, but anyone with a brain would have understood it was a definite refusal. At her words, Ian froze like a man buried in snow in the middle of winter, unable to believe what he’d heard.

“It’s really late and I’m very tired. I’ll go now. Get home safely. And”

Aisha stood up, leaving Ian still kneeling on the floor. After a short pause, she spoke softly to him.

“I think it’s better if we don’t see each other for a while.”

Ian left the Parden mansion just after the dark dawn gave way to a cold blue light. Like a salt rock that had been in place for a thousand years, he had been kneeling on the floor. Only when the room lit up with morning light did he slowly rise to his feet.

“Then please be careful on your way.”

Barely back to his senses, Ian retraced his steps, following the servant who had been waiting for him. As soon as the servant handed Ian the reins, he turned back into the mansion without a word. His sulky face showed just how displeased he was with Ian, who had treated the young lady poorly until now.

“Aisha.”

Ian didn’t notice the servant’s expression. All his attention was still on Aisha. Even after the servant left, Ian stood there, staring at the window of her room. The thick curtains blocked any view inside, but his gaze lingered there for a long time.

Ian finally got on his horse when the sun had risen in the sky. Even as he rode away, he kept looking back at the mansion.

He only turned his head forward once the Parden estate was completely out of sight. As he rode through the early morning crowd, his blank face caught the attention of passersby. A well-dressed young man, looking like the world had ended—no wonder people stared.

‘She’s just angry right now. That’s all. No way she really meant to reject me.’

Ian didn’t care how people saw him. He was too deep in thought. Aisha’s rejection and final words had crushed him for hours, but in the end, he hadn’t completely fallen apart.

‘If I treat her well from now on, she’ll come back. It’s only temporary. She’s just acting like this for now.’

Trying to stay hopeful, Ian forced his thoughts to remain positive. If he didn’t, he didn’t think he could endure it.

‘Aisha is more sensitive than anyone. If she calms down, she’ll listen and understand me.’

If Aisha had heard that, she would’ve laughed bitterly and realized just how lightly Ian had taken her all this time. But the only hope Ian had to hold onto was the past how she had always followed him patiently and without complaint.

‘I just need to do better. Once things settle down, I’ll propose properly. What happened earlier was terrible. No ring, no flowers, and the timing and place were all wrong.’

Ian forced the corners of his mouth to lift, trying to encourage himself. Just then, a new worry entered his mind what would come after things were fixed with Aisha?

‘Even if we go back to how we were before…’

He remembered his parents something he had forgotten in front of Aisha. Ian bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

‘I can’t ignore that matter. Honestly, the way I treated Aisha until now maybe that’s part of the reason why.’

Even though it was his own fault he treated her poorly, Ian tried to place the blame elsewhere, avoiding the truth. It looked pathetic desperately trying to justify himself but he still didn’t realize that.

‘But if I move forward with this, Aisha will definitely be hurt More than anything, can she really abandon her family her father for me?’

The more he thought about it, the heavier Ian’s heart became. He couldn’t be sure Aisha would choose him over her father. Even back when he tried to crush his feelings for her, a part of him had always been uneasy.

And now that he had admitted those feelings out loud? Now, it felt like his heart was weighed down by heavy lead.

‘If I just give up now I don’t even have any real proof. Maybe if I forget everything now things would be easier?’

Ian’s thoughts returned to the same doubts he had three years ago. In his heart, he imagined a scale with happiness and love with Aisha on one side, and revenge for his parents on the other.

They were nearly equal, but the side with Aisha weighed a bit more. Still, the difference wasn’t great, and the other side kept catching his eye he couldn’t give it up.

‘If Aisha still loves me like before she’ll understand. Honestly, what child wouldn’t want to avenge their parents? That’s only natural. So Aisha will understand. No, she has to understand.’

Ian’s foolish fantasy continued all the way until he reached the marquis’ estate. Only after crossing the garden and arriving at the main building did he shake his head to clear his thoughts.

‘I’ll think about that later. Right now, the important thing is to calm Aisha’s anger’

Once inside, Ian ordered James to prepare a bath right away. Not long after, as he soaked in the warm water, Ian started planning his next steps.

‘This is to make sure it never happens again.’

The first thing Ian decided to do was to treat Aisha better and to fix things inside the house. He had almost forgotten due to chasing her to the count’s estate, but he was sure that this whole mess involved not only Helen but also Sophia and Diane.

‘Sophia might just be immature, but that old woman she’s out of line to even try something like this.’

Thinking of the secrets he had uncovered about Diane during the investigation, Ian’s eyes filled with disgust. He ran his wet hand through his hair and closed his eyes, already thinking of how to deal with his younger sister and grandmother.

“You still need more drinks?”

William slurred as he tapped Jared on the shoulder. But Jared only poured himself another glass of amber-colored liquor. His lips stayed sealed like they were locked shut.

“Jared! We’ve been drinking all night. Just spill it already.”

Seeing his brother like that, William pulled out a chair and sat down, slumping in it. One of the empty bottles under the table rolled away when the chair leg hit it. Finally, Jared let go of his glass. He was at his limit. Any more, and he’d pass out without saying what was on his mind.

After opening and closing his mouth several times, he finally spoke.

“It’s about Catherine.”

“Yeah? What about our dear little sister?”

“Catherine isn’t Father’s daughter.”

“What?”

William burst into laughter. He acted like he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, laughing so hard he held his stomach.

“Hey! What nonsense What kind of trashy novel have you been reading?”

“Don’t you remember when Catherine was born?”

Still laughing, William slapped Jared’s back. But when Jared didn’t laugh or even reply, William’s face suddenly turned serious. As if he’d forgotten all his drunkenness, he asked in a low voice:

“Who told you that?”

“Helen Caesar. That bastard child.”

At the name Helen, William spat on the floor and didn’t hide the disgust on his face. His voice dropped even lower.

“So that filthy brat gave you a letter. And you believed her? You let her lie to you and blackmail you? Wait you actually fell for that?”

“That’s worse than insulting the royal family. It’s treason. I should send knights to arrest that bastard girl right now. Then I’ll report her to Mother, and she’ll be executed within the week. Even if we tear her apart, it wouldn’t be enough”

“I didn’t believe her at first. But she showed me proof.”

Jared cut him off mid-sentence, his face dark. William’s expression changed. His younger brother might be rigid, but he was cautious. He wouldn’t act like this unless the evidence was solid.

Realizing that, William asked in a calm but serious tone:

“What proof?”

Instead of answering, Jared covered his face with both hands and closed his eyes. In his mind, he heard Helen’s silky voice again:

“You must be looking at me that way because I’m not Her Majesty the Empress’s child, right? But did you know your beloved sister Catherine also shares only half of your blood?”

When Helen brought up Catherine at the Marquis Litman’s banquet and said such crazy things, Jared had only felt uneasy  he didn’t believe her.

“You don’t believe me? Then I’ll show you proof. Come find me anytime. Or send someone if you’d rather not come.”

But at their second meeting, Helen had shown him undeniable proof. In exchange for keeping quiet, he agreed to do her a favor one day. And yesterday, Helen had come to him out of nowhere asking him to deliver a letter to his father and arrange a meeting.

“She had an imperial decree written by Father’s own hand.”

“It said the child in the empress’s womb was born from another man, and because of that, the empress would be removed from her position, locked in a tower, and the child would be exiled right after birth. That’s what it said.”

Support To the One Who’s Only Cold to Me