Chapter 34
Unaware of what Ian was imagining, Aisha changed her expression for the first time. The gentle smile that had been resting on her lips faded, replaced by visible sorrow. Her voice was filled with bitterness, and Ian lowered the hand that had been holding her face.
“It was, like you said, an engagement I wanted… I was even willing to face the shame of people saying a noble lady tried to arrange her own engagement… But now, I don’t know anymore.”
Thump. At Aisha’s words, Ian felt like his heart had dropped. As though the ground beneath him had caved in, he unconsciously looked downward. The floor was clearly solid, yet for some reason, he felt unstable.
“Ian.”
Aisha called his name, drawing his attention. Ian immediately looked up at her. Aisha reached out with both hands and brought them to Ian’s face. Normally, he would have pushed her hands away instantly, but this time, he couldn’t. He let her gently caress his face.
“Won’t you apologize to me?”
Looking into his blue eyes, Aisha asked in a soft voice. Ian frowned and swatted her hands away, annoyed at the seemingly nonsensical request. But then, something clicked in his memory, and his fists clenched.
“That bet… Maybe it was just fun for you, but it hurt me deeply. You did something you should never have done to me.”
Just as he feared. When Aisha brought up that disgusting bet he had made, Ian could feel his face burn with shame.
“My family doesn’t know about it. But you know what? You’re worse than Sophia. If we were to talk about right and wrong, you should’ve knelt beside her and apologized too.”
“…”
“I liked you… Even if you didn’t feel the same, you shouldn’t have humiliated me like that.”
But the longer Aisha spoke, the more resistance surged in Ian. He knew it had been wrong—shameful even—yet he wanted to deny it all.
‘Maybe not others, but I should be allowed to treat you like that. Because you…’
He bit his lip, holding back the words on the tip of his tongue. Not yet. He didn’t have solid proof yet. Regaining control, Ian looked down at Aisha.
“I was really hurt then. That’s probably why I’m so… confused now.”
While Ian was wrestling with his emotions, Aisha finally lost the composure she had barely maintained. Not hiding her pain anymore, she spoke to Ian with a trembling voice.
“If I got engaged to you, I thought I’d be really happy. But seeing myself waver like this… maybe I came to hate you a lot because of what happened that day.”
A single tear fell from Aisha’s eye. Ian, surprisingly, felt a sense of relief seeing her cry. It confirmed that nothing had changed. Aisha Parden still liked him and couldn’t hide it. He raised his hand and gently wiped the tear under her eye. The damp sensation on his thumb felt familiar.
“Aisha, just say what you want to say. Go ahead.”
His voice was soft but arrogant. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Aisha trembled slightly and grabbed the front of Ian’s clothes.
“…Ian, please apologize to me. Just once. You know you were wrong.”
Her voice, almost like a plea, flowed from her lips. Ian placed a hand on her head.
“That day…”
He started, his expression slightly twisted, ready to make excuses—but stopped. There was no excuse. After a short breath, he spoke plainly.
“…I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
It was a sincere apology, at least in part. Whatever the reason, Ian knew he had done something terrible. Aisha slowly let go of his clothes and stepped back. Her steps reflected not relief, but a sense of emptiness.
Ian could read her feelings. As she tried to back away, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. Though it lasted only a moment, it felt like she was trying to run away from him.
“If it matters, I didn’t even accept that vineyard thing.”
“…”
“And I silenced everyone who was there that day. So you won’t have to worry about anything. I promise.”
With her body squirming slightly in his arms, the unpleasant feeling he’d had began to fade. Now that he’d done this much, everything would go back to normal. The woman in his arms would, as always, be easily swayed by him. She would move as he led and exist as an unthreatening piece in his plans.
He rested a hand on her slim waist, looking at her neat forehead where soft, light brown hair fell. Her fluttering eyelashes beneath the forehead stirred a strange urge in him.
Suppressing the desire to lift her chin and look into her face, Ian instead pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Aisha looked up at him in surprise at the sudden contact.
And in that moment, Ian hesitated.
Her pale face, her teary eyes, slightly parted lips—all of it was the same. She was still looking only at him. And yet… something felt off. Though nothing had changed, it felt different. As the familiarity slipped away, his sense of calm unraveled again. Uneasy, Ian let her go and stepped back.
“We’ve got the engagement thing to deal with, so I think I’ll go see my uncle now… Unless you have anything else to say?”
Aisha slightly parted her lips, then closed them again. She was clearly torn. But Ian wanted to leave now, so he pretended not to notice.
“I’ll tell him you agreed to the engagement. That okay?”
He asked as if it were a given. Aisha pressed her lips together and gave a small nod. Though her response held a trace of hesitation, Ian only furrowed his brow slightly before giving a polite nod like one would to a stranger.
“Alright then, see you next time.”
Having concluded his business, Ian turned to leave. Aisha raised her hand slightly toward his retreating figure but quickly let it fall. She simply stared at him as he walked away.
“There’s something I wanted to ask…”
Once Ian had completely disappeared beyond the drawing room, Aisha murmured quietly. She had wanted to ask all along.
Was it really just because of Sophia that he proposed the engagement? Or… even a little…
“…Do you have feelings for me?”
She wanted to ask if he had any feelings for her.
* * *
— Marchioness of the Lloyd family involved in scandal. Who is the man in question?
— Lloyd family’s entire business transferred. Details inside.
— Tragic accident: Marquis and Marchioness of Lloyd perish in mysterious carriage crash.
— Transfer of ownership of Lloyd family’s Levent Mine confirmed.
The engagement was settled. Ian, his face weary, held a cigar in his mouth and skimmed over the stacks of documents in front of him. Every page bore the name of the Lloyd family—from tabloids to important contracts.
— Only survivor of carriage crash: Coachman missing. Last seen location…
Ian picked up a particular report and read it slowly. It was a thorough investigation, likely compiled by a meticulous officer, filled with questions and theories.
“In the case of the Marchioness, a skull fracture was determined as the fatal injury. However, for the Marquis, the fatal cause of death remains unclear. Clear binding marks on the limbs and signs of strangulation suggest further investigation is necessary.”
Near the middle of the file was the official cause of death for Ian’s deceased parents—the former Marquess and Marchioness of Lloyd. As he read through it, Ian slammed the report down.
“Damn it.”
He ground out the cigar in the ashtray, spitting curses through clenched teeth. Running a hand through his hair, he breathed heavily and slammed the desk.
‘If I can just prove it…’
A fierce flame of vengeance flared in his eyes. If he could just find solid proof, he would make them suffer equally. Their children would be orphaned, their parents would watch from the afterlife as their legacy crumbled. And with interest, he would take it all from them, using every method possible.
‘Ian…’
As the fury boiled over, a familiar voice echoed in his mind. A gentle voice like a spring breeze. Ian froze.
But as his gaze settled on a drawer, he clenched his teeth and shook his head. The third drawer, slightly ajar, held far more documents than the desk surface. Muttering as if swearing an oath, Ian whispered:
“You too. No, you more than your brothers must suffer. Because you…”
Because you’re the one who blinded me in the past.
Chapter 4. One Unwelcome Guest
The day was unbearably hot. The sun blazed so intensely that even older, conservative nobles had taken to wearing lighter clothing.
Aisha, despite it being a rare outing, also dressed lightly. Her pale blue dress left her neck and shoulders nearly bare, covered only by a thin lace shawl.
Fortunately, the location for today’s meeting was cool. The high-end social hall, built partially underground, was a favorite summer spot for wealthy nobles because of its pleasant temperature.
“It must be scorching outside right now.”
“Of course! Even in the morning before the sun fully rose, it was sweltering. I thought I was going to cook inside the carriage!”
“Thank goodness we have this place. Where would we meet without it?”
The young noblewomen who frequently met with Aisha also loved this venue. It was popular and expensive to rent a private room here, but for Aisha and her companions, cost wasn’t much of an issue.
“Try changing the fabric on your fan. I used a new cloth imported from the Duchy of Rana this time—it was quite nice.”
“Oh, Rana’s a hot country. I’ve heard their textiles are perfect for summer.”
“It’s not just the fabric. They have all kinds of clever summer tools. Our family even brought back a moving fan—it was so refreshing…”
All six young ladies present, including Aisha, were from prominent new noble families with substantial wealth. As such, they didn’t think twice about spending money.
