Chapter 23
At the sight of Aisha’s tears, Ian’s eyebrows shot up in an instant. He stepped back half a step, arms still crossed. His lips twitched as he spat out another cutting remark.
“Don’t blame me for no reason. You said it yourself—if I’m happy, then you’re happy too.”
“……”
“I’m feeling great because I won the bet. The reward’s quite hefty. So smile, Aisha. Since I’m happy, you should be happy too, right?”
For someone claiming to be in a good mood, Ian didn’t look it. He seemed like a man being chased by something. Aisha, overwhelmed by panic and tears, didn’t notice, but to an outsider, the hurried way he spoke made his nervousness obvious.
Even with Ian’s audacity and twisted logic, Aisha didn’t respond. She didn’t even look at him—just let her tears fall to the ground. The thick, clear drops were so large and sorrowful that their paths traced trails of pain.
When she gave no reaction, Ian turned his head and let out a long sigh. His annoyance wasn’t concealed in the slightest.
Clicking his tongue shortly, Ian turned back toward her. A strange emotion flickered in his cold blue eyes. He abruptly grabbed Aisha’s limp right hand. The moment he snatched it, Aisha flinched and jerked away from him with irritation.
Smack. The meaning behind the slap of their separated hands was unmistakable.
Aisha Parden had rejected him.
Ian’s eyes widened momentarily at the unprecedented rejection. He stared at her as she still refused to meet his gaze and reached for her hand again. Aisha resisted silently once more, but Ian forcibly grabbed her hand and pulled.
“You’re hurting me! I said it hurts!”
She screamed sharply as he twisted her thin, fragile wrist. Ian flinched and loosened his grip, but his hand still clung to her wrist.
He rummaged through his coat with his free hand and pulled something out. Then he shoved it between her fingers. The cold touch of metal and the rough edges of its engravings made Aisha instinctively open her hand in pain.
“Take it.”
Recognizing the item, Aisha let out a harsh breath. Her staggered breathing revealed her distressed state. This was what Ian had returned to her after the handkerchief. The item she had once asked an artisan to engrave with his name—it was the pocket watch she had gifted him. She’d spent all her savings, collected over years, and even had to borrow from her siblings to buy it.
“I thought it was pathetic, but someone else seemed to want it. Looks like it still has some value.”
As Aisha finally looked at him, refusing to avoid his gaze any longer, Ian gave a crooked smirk. He tapped the watch in her hand, then folded her fingers over it, one by one.
“You said my joy is your joy, so I don’t know if a thank-you is necessary. Still, since it’s useless to me now, think of it as a reward. After all, I won because of you, Aisha.”
The surface of the pocket watch dug painfully into her palm. Aisha stared at Ian in shock, unable to believe the cruel words coming from his mouth.
“I’ll send a bottle of wine to House Parden soon too. Can’t forget to celebrate the fine grapes I acquired.”
He had wagered their kiss like it was a game… Every time, he broke her like this… And yet he continued spitting out words like that…
Ian still looked like the man she loved.
For the first time, Aisha resented her own feelings for him. But even if she hated herself, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Ian. And that realization made her feel utterly miserable.
In the end, the only emotion she could show him was grief. She looked up at him, tears still streaming freely.
Ian, who had been tossing out cruel remarks with a grim expression, fell silent at the sight of her crying again. He let go of her hand and took a step back, almost as if pushing her away. Running his fingers through his hair with irritation, he turned his back on her.
“…I’ll head back first. Your face is a mess, so take a walk around the garden before returning. Otherwise, people will talk.”
There was no warmth in his cold tone or firm posture. Without looking back, Ian walked away on his long legs, disappearing from her sight.
Once he was gone, Aisha collapsed onto the ground, burying her face in her hands. For the first time since becoming an adult, she sobbed loudly in public.
* * *
“Why the hell is Father always on his side? Aren’t we his sons? Anyone would think that bastard Ian is the real one!”
“Daniel, watch your mouth. This isn’t home.”
“What, you agree with him? Aisha followed that guy out and instead of stopping her, he told us to leave it alone? What if that bastard makes her cry again? Arthur, don’t you care?”
The Parden brothers had gathered in a corner of the hall. Technically, Edward and Arthur were trying to calm down Daniel, who had just had a loud argument with the Count. They’d finally settled him down and had been listening to his complaints for thirty minutes.
“Enough already. She’s already gone. What are you going to do about it now? Aisha’s an adult. She’s not that little girl you used to look after.”
“Oh, come on, Arthur Parden! You’re always fighting with Father, but now you suddenly take his side?”
“What are we, five? Picking sides now? How old are you again?”
“You punk! You talk to your older brother like that?!”
“Both of you, stop.”
Edward stepped in before the bickering could escalate further. His stern expression made even Daniel, usually quick to argue, fall silent.
“Daniel, go find Aisha. Like you said, I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone with Ian.”
“Why me? The youngest is right here too…”
“No backtalk. Just go. Arthur doesn’t know the garden layout like you do. And who was it again who wouldn’t shut up about being worried for Aisha for the past thirty minutes?”
Unable to argue back, Daniel grumbled and left. Once he was gone, Arthur turned to Edward.
“You’ve got something to say, don’t you?”
Daniel hadn’t noticed, but Arthur had. As he met Arthur’s perceptive gaze, Edward nodded.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to tell Daniel. He would’ve blown up right here.”
“What’s going on?”
“Arthur, you’ve heard the rumors about Aisha, right? The disgusting ones going around high society.”
Arthur’s face hardened. He’d learned of them recently and was already investigating on his own. Although the rumors hadn’t spread widely due to the influence of the Parden family, people were whispering that Aisha had been caught in bed with a man by Ian, and that this was the reason for a potential broken engagement.
“Do you know who started it?”
Of course, no one would dare speak openly as long as they feared House Parden. Still, the culprit had to be found and held accountable for spreading such filth.
Arthur didn’t even try to hide his anger. But Edward, oddly enough, remained silent, wearing a conflicted expression. Arthur, growing impatient, pressed him.
“Who is it? If you’re hesitating, then it’s someone we know well, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
“It was hard to trace since it passed through so many mouths. But before the ball tonight, I finally confirmed it.”
Arthur remembered Edward receiving a letter and hardening his expression before they left for the venue. When Arthur gestured for him to continue, Edward slowly spoke.
“Before I say it… What do you think should happen to the person who spread those rumors?”
“They should be publicly humiliated. Let them take responsibility for what they said.”
“……”
“What? Was it someone from the royal family? Or the Duke of Levantus? I didn’t think this would turn political…”
“Neither.”
Cutting him off, Edward sighed deeply. After a pause, he finally said the name in a chilling voice.
“Sophia Lloyd.”
Arthur’s mouth dropped open at the unexpected name. His brows furrowed in disbelief, but Edward confirmed it again.
“Yes. Ian’s sister. She’s the origin of the rumors.”
“Why would she…? What reason could she have?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“……”
“But you know how Sophia always had some strange hostility toward Aisha. Maybe she just made it all up out of spite.”
Everyone in the Parden family knew Sophia hated Aisha. Arthur lowered his head and rubbed his face with both hands.
“…What are we going to do? If Father finds out Sophia’s involved, he’ll try to cover it up.”
Arthur’s voice trembled slightly. Edward met his brother’s eyes, steady and unwavering.
“I’ll tell Father later. For now, I’m looking for a way to handle this without him.”
“But when he does find out, he’ll be furious. You know how he gets when we keep Lloyd family matters from him.”
“True. But like you said, I believe Sophia needs to take full responsibility for this. And if Father finds out, he’ll probably try to protect her. As much as I hate to admit it, Daniel might be right—Father sometimes defends Ian and Sophia more than his own children.”
After the death of the Marquis and Marchioness Lloyd in a carriage accident, the Count had practically adopted their children. He’d doted on Ian and Sophia excessively, and it had sometimes sparked arguments—especially with Daniel.
“Seriously… How long does he plan to be shackled by a friend’s death?”
Edward muttered bitterly, and Arthur looked up at him, scrutinizing his expression.
“So for now, we’re coming up with a plan, right? I’ll think of something too. Keep me updated.”
