To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 92

The emperor’s order that Ian must not set foot in the imperial palace had been lifted. Ian immediately returned to the palace and began clearing the piled-up work without even stopping to eat.

He had not moved from his seat for hours. Only after the sun had passed its peak did Ian finally rise. His face was clouded as he walked to the palace garden, which was open to the officials, to get some fresh air.

Just as he was crossing the corridor connected to the garden, a young nobleman around his age approached him from the opposite side, calling out with a cheerful expression.

“Ian!”

He wasn’t a classmate from the academy, but they were close enough to speak casually. Ian nodded silently and stopped walking.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face. I couldn’t believe it when I heard you were banned from the palace. What a surprise.”

“There must’ve been a reason you couldn’t talk about. Still, you could’ve given me a hint. News like that is shocking when it comes out of nowhere.”

The man was quite talkative. But his voice was gentle and calm, so it wasn’t unpleasant to listen to.

“While you were gone”

Ian naturally guided the man toward the garden as he spoke excitedly. The man explained in detail everything that had happened in Ian’s absence. Some of it was even useful, so Ian quietly listened.

“Oh, by the way, have you heard about the delegation from the Kingdom of Astar?”

“No.”

“You haven’t? I suppose that makes sense. The news just came in today. You’ve been here all day.”

The man, who had been talking about things from weeks ago, now shifted to events from a few days ago, and then to news from this morning. Ian gave him a look, silently asking him to go on. The man let out a long sigh and said in a helpless tone:

“The Astar delegation, it seems they’ve taken a surprising turn.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know why, but they suddenly went to Count Parden’s estate.”

“Count Parden’s estate?”

“Yeah. And apparently, they’ve decided to stay there until they meet His Majesty.”

Not only was the situation different from what Ian expected, but it had gone in a completely unpredictable direction. His brow furrowed. The Astar delegation staying at Count Parden’s estate? That was completely unexpected.

“But more than that… There are some strange rumors going around.”

Seeing Ian’s reaction, the man suddenly hesitated in his speech. Ian, who was already troubled by the unexpected situation, noticed the man’s careful tone and turned his head toward him.

“I don’t know if I should tell you this, but…”

When Ian looked at him, the man hesitated. Ian frowned deeper in frustration, and the man finally spoke.

“They say the Crown Prince went to Count Parden’s estate because he’s interested in the Count’s daughter. In other words, your fiancée, Aisha. Of course, it’s probably just a baseless rumor…”

Ian’s eyes widened for a moment at the sudden mention of Aisha. He asked in a low voice, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

“Where?”

“Huh?”

“Do you know where that kind of rumor started?”

“They say the Crown Prince stopped by a jeweler as soon as he arrived in the capital. And he insisted they show him something that would suit a beautiful woman with light brown hair and blue eyes.”

“Of course, I don’t think he meant Lady Aisha. As you know, the Astar Crown Prince has many wives, right? Maybe he was talking about a favorite one. And how would he even know your fiancée? But still, he said something like that and then decided to stay at Count Parden’s estate, so people who like to gossip couldn’t help themselves.”

Even as the man tried to explain things calmly, the crease between Ian’s brows only deepened.

Damn it. Why?

Ian knew the man’s explanation made sense. How would the Astar Crown Prince even know Aisha? But even so, uneasiness crept up his spine. And if the Crown Prince was staying at the Parden estate, then he might be seeing her face every day someone Ian couldn’t even meet.

[There was an opinion within the Astar Kingdom that one of the Crown Prince’s wives should be from the Empire. This shows the Empire’s growing importance as trade between the two nations increases…]

Suddenly, a document Ian had read a few days ago came to mind, along with Astar Kingdom’s polygamy culture. Ian clenched his teeth audibly. The man next to him flinched at the sound, but Ian didn’t even register his presence anymore.

“Ian! Hey, where are you going?”

Ian, having lost all patience, turned and left the man behind. He started walking straight toward the palace gate.

Aisha was shocked to recognize the man who suddenly appeared at her home. Why was the stranger she met in Lafran Village now in her house? But that thought didn’t last long. When the man revealed his identity, Aisha was shocked all over again.

Aisha Parden. It’s good to see you again. My name is Iskan al Hamar.

The man who held her hand and kissed it without permission was none other than the Crown Prince of the Astar Kingdom. Aisha recognized him by name and family. Speechless, she stood frozen. Then Edward stepped in.

He naturally pulled his sister away from the Crown Prince’s grasp and led her out of the room. Aisha glanced back and flinched when she saw Iskan waving at her.

“Brother Why is he here?”

“I should be the one asking that, Aisha. Do you know the Crown Prince?”

“What?”

“He came straight to us after arriving, which was strange enough. But then he mentioned your name the moment we met him. Do you know how shocked Father and I were?”

Aisha blinked at her equally confused brother and began explaining what had happened in Lafran Village a few days ago.

“It was nothing. I didn’t even know he was the Crown Prince. I just helped him because he seemed to be in trouble”

After hearing the story, Edward rubbed his forehead and sighed.

“I don’t know if this is good or bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Crown Prince is an important guest to us. You know there’s been a lot of talk about the western port issue, right?”

“Yes, a little”

“He said he’d consider the port matter positively. But then he made a request.”

Aisha already knew about the fierce conflict between the old noble faction and the new nobles over the port trade with the Astar Kingdom. Her father and brother had spent many sleepless nights over it. For someone with decision-making power to make a “request” on that topic it wasn’t really a request.

He’s dragging me into this…

Aisha read between the lines of her brother’s words and expression. She gave him a look, urging him to continue. Edward hesitated, then spoke.

“He wants you to show him around the capital.”

Aisha’s eyes widened. Why? And more importantly, how did he know she was from the Parden family and approach her father and brother? She had thought the meeting in Lafran was just a coincidence, which made the current situation feel absurd.

“That man seems to have an interest in you.”

Edward spoke bluntly, not even using the title of ‘Crown Prince’. His face was full of caution. Aisha studied her brother’s expression, thought for a moment, then answered calmly.

“Then let’s go along with it, Brother.”

“What?”

Edward, who had been thinking about how to reject the request, was surprised and let go of her arm. Aisha shrugged and replied casually.

“It’s not a big deal. I was planning to go out anyway, so I don’t need to prepare.”

“But”

“You’ve worked hard on this, haven’t you? Are you really going to miss this chance?”

She was right. If a member of their family could gain the Crown Prince’s favor just by showing him around, it would be a huge win.

Didn’t he say…

Yes. It surprised me that you contacted us first…

It’s because of your sister. I’m very interested in Lady Aisha of House Parden.

But the Crown Prince clearly had a personal interest in Aisha. Edward recalled their conversation in the carriage and shook his head.

This is dangerous, even if it’s innocent…

For a noble lady like Aisha to entertain a foreign Crown Prince in private It wasn’t proper. Especially in a matter involving political interests, it could seriously damage her reputation if rumors spread.

I’ll find another way, even if it’s harder.

Even though Iskan had warned with a smile that he didn’t know what he’d do if they refused, Edward shook his head. He didn’t want to risk his sister’s safety, even if it meant losing the port deal.

“Aisha. You don’t need to worry about this. Just—”

“You’re worried about my reputation, aren’t you?”

Aisha cut off her brother’s words. She knew exactly what he was concerned about, and she understood how serious it was. But even so, she didn’t want to miss the opportunity their family had been given.

“Then come with me, Brother. That way we can accept the Crown Prince’s request and ease your worries too.”

Edward smiled awkwardly. If only things could go the way Aisha suggested. But a man who openly showed interest in a woman wasn’t likely to welcome her chaperone.

“That’s fine. It’s only natural, after all. A lady’s honor must be protected.”

But surprisingly, Iskan readily accepted Aisha’s proposal. He quickly walked up to her, still standing next to Edward, and kissed her hand again.

“Shall we go, Lady Aisha?”

Support