Chapter 30
“Sophia is Ian’s younger sister and the head of the Lloyd family. How could she be free from responsibility for something a member of her household did?”
“……”
“And as far as I know, the only reason those Vincent bastards were able to do that to you that day was because Ian left you alone, didn’t he? To put it bluntly, Ian put you in danger. If anything had happened to you, his sin would’ve been greater than Sophia’s.”
At the mention of Ian, Aisha’s face turned pale. She trembled, unable to refute her brother’s words. Normally, Edward would have felt sorry for her and tried to comfort her, but today he was seething. Knowing his sister was anxious, he still continued.
“The more I think about it, the angrier I get. That’s it—I don’t care if you try to stop me, I’m going to hold Ian accountable. I had pushed it aside because of all the chaos with Sophia and those Vincent bastards, but…”
“Oppa!”
Aisha looked up and pleaded with Edward, her eyes full of tears. Edward let out a deep sigh and turned his head away.
A heavy silence fell between the siblings. Edward only turned to her again after his tea had completely cooled. Aisha was still quietly shedding tears.
“Aisha, I’ve never asked you this before. Not once. But I think I need to now. Why do you like Ian so much?”
Edward’s tired voice was laced with countless emotions—resentment, regret, anger, sorrow… but most of all, pity.
Aisha didn’t respond to his question. Instead, she posed one of her own, a question she had long kept buried inside.
“…Didn’t you like Ian too, oppa?”
“I did. When he treated you well.”
“……”
“It’s been over three years since he started ignoring you. And three years is long enough to change how you feel about someone.”
“……”
“He’s changed, Aisha. Even if I look at him not as your brother but as a complete outsider, I can tell—he’s not a good man for you.”
It was the same thing her third brother had said. In the end, it was her own feelings that were hurting her family.
Sadness washed over Aisha. She felt something inside her begin to crack. The fracture that had formed the moment Ian betrayed her trust was now widening—ever so slightly.
But neither Edward nor anyone else—Aisha included—noticed the change. Edward sighed again as he watched her cry.
“Don’t cry.”
He pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears. When she finally stopped crying, he quietly revealed the condition he had been holding back.
“…Aisha. I’ll let this matter end here, as you wish. But only under one condition.”
Ian sat slouched in the chair in his office, pressing his aching temples with both hands.
‘How did things get this bad…?’
Since the first day of the palace banquet, he hadn’t had a single proper night of sleep. Too many things had exploded that night, and he had no idea how to fix any of it.
‘Sophia, ha…’
Even when he had called the knights on Jared’s orders to escort Vincent’s group to prison, he had only thought the situation bothersome—not this complicated. Back then, his thoughts had been clear.
‘Vincent Baltuga, Jamie Rodang, Paul Biyon…’
Following the knights into the prison, Ian silently recited their names in his mind, calculating just how much influence he could exert over their noble houses.
“Ian, save me. Get me out of here. We were classmates at the academy, right?”
“……”
“You’re not going to marry that girl anyway—I heard all about it. That Aisha whore slept around with a bunch of guys. I didn’t even do anything serious to her. Just made a few jokes, the kind you’d say to someone like her.”
“……”
“She’s not even your fiancée. You should be helping me out. Sure, we had a bit of a spat, but on a bigger scale, we’re on the same side under Duke Levantus, right? So say something to His Highness for me. Tell him she probably came on to me first. What you saw back there was all a misunderstanding—augh!”
Even when Vincent regained his senses and clung to Ian, throwing out slanderous rumors about Aisha… Even when Jared, furious, entered the cell and beat Vincent down for speaking her name… Ian remained silent, his mind racing. Eventually, he reached a conclusion:
He would ruin their lives as thoroughly as possible.
‘If they’re charged with defaming the imperial family, their names will be erased from the family register. Baltuga isn’t foolish enough to destroy his house over one son.’
Jared, who hadn’t even looked at Ian until then, immediately approved when Ian suggested the charge of defaming the royal family. To the stunned Vincent, Ian whispered that he’d personally inform his father of the situation—as a fellow academy alumnus—and left.
But things began to unravel from that moment. As Ian left the banquet to find the oblivious Lord Baltuga, someone unexpected blocked his path.
“Oppa!”
“…Sophia?”
“O-Oppa, what do I do? What should I do?”
She dragged Ian to a resting room and confessed everything. How she had started the rumor as a joke, how it spiraled maliciously out of control, and how she had already confessed her sins to the Parden couple.
“You… go home. Now.”
“O-Oppa…”
“Enough. Go home and stay in your room. Don’t take a single step outside until I say so.”
After all but throwing Sophia out, Ian scoured the banquet for the Pardens. But Aisha and her siblings had already returned home, and the count and countess had left to meet with the emperor.
Fortunately, no imperial-sealed letter had yet arrived at the Lloyd estate. That meant the Parden couple had remained silent about Sophia. Ian knew full well what a massive favor they had granted her. Had they brought up her involvement alongside Vincent’s, Sophia would already be facing an investigator.
‘…I have to go.’
Ian lowered his hands from his temples and picked up a pen. Given how things had played out, it was only right for him to visit the Parden estate personally to apologize and express gratitude.
But just the thought of bowing his head to Count Parden made all the blood drain from his body. Biting his lip so hard it nearly bled, he finally placed his pen to paper.
Dear Uncle,
It was a line he never failed to write when sending personal letters to Graham. But today, after writing just that, Ian stopped. Dear? Who, exactly?
“Ugh—!”
A sudden pain shot through his jaw—where Daniel had punched him. Of course, the man was a knight. Even after a few days, the bruising hadn’t faded. Ian thought bitterly that if the blow had landed near his eye, he’d be walking around in shame. He rubbed his chin and cheek.
His thumb brushed over his lip. And suddenly, he froze.
Aisha’s image flickered in his mind. A vivid red, like the petals of a rose, spread across his memory like watercolor. The sensation of their kiss, the scent—everything returned in full clarity. Ian unconsciously touched his lips again, then yanked his hand back in shock. Like a guilty man checking for witnesses, he looked around.
Knock knock.
Right then, someone knocked on the door. Flustered, Ian reached out—knocking over his pen in the process.
Ink spilled across his desk. He frowned at the stain, then remembered who was likely at the door and spoke.
“…Come in.”
James entered with a bundle of letters in his hands and stood before Ian’s desk. Ian’s eyes moved to the papers.
“Anything from the palace?”
“There’s nothing with the imperial seal, but…”
James trailed off and placed the bundle on the desk. Following his gaze, Ian spotted the laurel emblem of the Parden family on the topmost envelope—and his expression stiffened. He reached for it and dismissed James.
“Leave me.”
With the door closed, Ian picked up a small blade and slit the envelope. A clean, elegant script—a bit long and narrow—came into view. He read through the letter, not long at all, and slowly set it down.
‘…So come to the Parden estate at 10 a.m. on Saturday. That’s all.’
“It’s been a while.”
Entering Edward’s private parlor, Ian greeted the man sitting on the couch with his legs crossed. Holding a bundle of documents, Edward frowned slightly, but took off his glasses when their eyes met.
“A while? You make it sound like we were both too busy to meet. Only one of us was avoiding the other.”
“No need to get petty. I’m just here because you asked me to visit the Pardens.”
“Asked?”
“……”
“I’d call it a threat. But I suppose it sounded polite to you? Then again, knowing how you usually speak, I shouldn’t be surprised.”
Ian crossed his arms. He knew Edward wasn’t the type to enjoy pointless arguments, but once he started, he never lost. Ian considered snapping back but sighed and flopped into the seat opposite him.
“Enough. Just get to the point. Whether it was a threat or not, you called me here for a reason.”
It was ironic to demand a seat while already seated. Edward looked him up and down in disbelief, then uncrossed his legs and spoke in a cold tone.
“Fine. Let’s get straight to it, then. Sophia Lloyd—your sister. What are you going to do about her?”
“……”
“You didn’t think we’d just stay silent and let this go, did you?”
