To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 88

Sobbing loudly, Sophia finished speaking and was helped out by a maid. Ian kept a stern expression until Sophia left the room, but as soon as the door shut behind her, his shoulders relaxed.

“Ha…”

Returning to his desk, Ian sat down and lit a cigar. Ever since their parents died, his only remaining family, his younger sister, would often cause big problems and give him headaches.

‘Sophia pushed Aisha first. Can’t you see her scraped knee?’

‘Father told me not to say anything, but Sophia has been buying a lot of things under her name outside the house. Maybe some people tricked her because she’s naive, but even so, this amount of money is’

‘Don’t you know what happened to Aisha because of your sister’s dirty tricks?’

But Ian could never truly get angry at Sophia past a certain point. That was because of the emotions that always followed when he thought of her.

‘Ian, am I really your one and only little sister?’

After losing their parents and moving to the Parden state, Sophia would often complain to Ian that he didn’t care. Partly, it was because of her anxiety from the sudden change, but mostly it was because of Aisha, who was the same age as her and made her feel insecure.

Aisha never bullied Sophia. But to a girl who had lost her parents, Aisha who was showered with love from both parents and older brothers sparked feelings of inferiority just by existing. Ian was quick to notice his sister’s emotional state and tried his best to take care of her. Still, it was a difficult time even for himself, and there were limits. He couldn’t give Sophia as much affection as she wanted.

Even so, Ian believed that he did the best he could for her at the time. Still, whenever he thought of Sophia, he couldn’t help but feel guilty, thinking he could have done more as her older brother. So, even when she caused big problems or money issues, the worst he did was cut off her allowance or confine her at home. He couldn’t bring himself to give her harsh punishment.

‘I was just upset. I was just a little jealous, that’s all.’

‘Sniff… I don’t need anything else. Just sometimes no, just once a week, can’t you spend time with me?’

‘O-Oppa, if you spend just one or two hours with me once a week, I won’t treat Aisha like that again. I won’t be mean or jealous anymore.’

It was the same this time. When Sophia cried and poured out her feelings, Ian softened without even realizing it. He was angry, but also felt sorry and guilty. In the end, all he could say to his sobbing sister was to reflect in her room for now, while promising to spend time with her once a week.

‘While spending that weekly time, you should also fix things with Aisha. The bad feelings have lasted a long time, but it’ll get better. No it has to.’

Ian exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, trying to relieve some of the pressure inside. But when the smoke disappeared without a trace, a different kind of suffocating feeling wrapped around him.

‘Is Sophia’s relationship with Aisha the real problem right now? What about me, first of all?’

A deep sigh escaped him. Holding the cigar in one hand, Ian lowered his head.

‘I think we shouldn’t see each other for a while.’

Those were Aisha’s words. The more time passed since she said it, the more Ian missed her. He kept trying to think positively since yesterday, but anxiety would suddenly hit him. What if she never wants to see me again? That fear wrapped around him like invisible chains.

Ian stared at the burning end of his cigar, then put it out in the ashtray. The cigar, burned down with just the stub remaining, crumbled easily. He gave a dry chuckle, thinking it looked just like him.

“I can’t just stay like this.”

His anxiety made him restless. It hadn’t even been two days since Aisha said not to see each other, but Ian couldn’t just sit and wait any longer. He jumped to his feet.

“I can’t go to her. But I can’t do nothing, either.”

Like a lost dog, he started pacing around the room. His hurried footsteps showed just how anxious he was. But Ian didn’t even notice the dizziness and kept biting his lips.

Knock knock.

“Master. It’s James.”

His broken movements finally stopped at the sound of knocking. Hearing James’ voice outside the door, Ian suddenly had an idea and quickly crossed the room, throwing the door open.

James looked surprised to see his master standing right at the door. But Ian ignored his reaction and walked back toward the desk, already speaking.

“Ah. James, perfect timing. Starting tomorrow no, that’s too soon starting the day after tomorrow, I want you to order some flowers.”

“Flowers, sir? All of a sudden, why…?”

“Send a big bouquet to Aisha. Every day, until I say stop. And make sure they’re the best flowers.”

Ian spoke fast, unlike his usual calm self. But James, guessing the reason, nodded without asking further.

“Yes, understood.”

Ian finally looked at James, who calmly replied unlike himself. James gave a gentle smile as if to say ‘don’t worry’ and spoke again.

“Don’t worry. I’ll contact our supplier today.”

“Good. Please handle it well.”

Ian felt a little comforted by James’s composed manner. At the same time, feeling a bit awkward, he cleared his throat. Then he noticed the stack of letters in James’s hand.

“I see you brought the mail. Give it to me.”

“Yes, here it is.”

Ian quickly looked through the letters, secretly hoping one might be from Parden. But out of the ten or so letters, none had the family’s seal.

“Young Lady, isn’t this a bit far?”

“Oh, come on. Edward oppa travels this distance a few times a month.”

Aisha was heading to Lafran Village on the outskirts of the capital with Marie. Located at the very edge of the capital, Lafran was known for producing beautiful fabric made with a unique gold thread technique. Its quality was so high that even the royal family ordered from them.

Since the royal family used it, it was no surprise that Lafran fabrics were popular among noble families. But because the supply was limited, influential families signed contracts with the village artisans to reserve their goods in advance. Parden was no different, and Aisha was going today to check on the fabric her family had reserved.

“Well, Master Edward is going to inherit the house, so it’s natural for him. But you’re a noble lady, and your health is weak”

From Marie’s point of view, she didn’t like that Aisha had volunteered. Even though Lafran was still technically part of the capital, the road curved around a mountain and took three hours by carriage. Some parts were so rough that even riding was uncomfortable.

“The road’s already rough And you even skipped dinner last night because of your upset stomach. Please don’t push yourself.”

“I’m not pushing myself. I’m just doing what I should’ve done all along.”

Looking out the window, Aisha answered calmly. The road was covered in fallen leaves and not very smooth, just as Marie had said. But the wildflowers and scattered stones along the way gave it a quiet beauty.

“Father, Edward oppa, and everyone else in the family all work. Even Mother manages several businesses besides the house. My sister-in-law leads the merchant group all year long.”

Aisha’s face, touched by the fresh mountain air, showed a strange kind of freedom. Marie, who had served her for years, stared at her in awe this was a side of Aisha she had never seen before.

“Daniel oppa is busy training as a knight, Arthur oppa is studying Now that I think about it, I’ve really been the only one just relaxing. Don’t you think so, Marie?”

Still staring out the window, Aisha gave a small smile and turned her head. Marie, caught staring at her, quickly shook her head.

“That’s not true, my lady. You helped the madam with the housework every month, and sometimes sometimes…”

“You can’t think of anything else, right?”

“It’s fine. I was always more interested in other things than housework.”

For the first time on this trip, a shadow passed over Aisha’s bright face. Marie realized who she was thinking of and quickly tried to change the topic.

“M-Most noble ladies are like that! You’re not weird at all, miss. If you stopped people on the street, how many would say noble ladies run businesses? Most of them just wait to get married and take bridal lessons. So, um”

The more Marie talked, the darker Aisha’s face grew, especially at the word “marriage.” Realizing her mistake, Marie became visibly flustered and trailed off.

“But I was educated just like my brothers. I should do something with it. Otherwise, it’s a waste.”

Aisha smiled brightly to ease the awkwardness, and Marie replied in a playful tone.

“You really do sound like the madam. You can’t hide your bloodline.”

“Oh, stop it”

But after that, their conversation ended. Aisha looked back out the window, deep in thought, and Marie quietly lowered her gaze to the carriage floor, fiddling with her fingers.

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