Chapter 42
He edged a little closer to Helen, glancing toward the murmuring guests. What would Aisha think if word got back to her that he was with this woman? Would she, as always, tear up and come looking for him? Or would she pretend not to care while still revealing her hurt?
“My, what’s gotten into you? The partner who always looked at me like I was a rock,”
Helen rolled her eyes at Ian’s unexpected behavior. But Ian ignored her and changed the subject.
“Who are you planning to offend today? I’ll stick to the agreement—help you greet people and then leave.”
“Just wait a bit. They haven’t arrived yet, I think.”
Helen turned her eyes toward the ballroom entrance. Despite the event being well underway, guests were still arriving. She watched the newcomers for a long moment before speaking again.
“I came here to meet my brother. Prince Jared, I mean. There’s a rumor he’ll be here tonight.”
Ian looked at her incredulously. Who was she calling “brother” so familiarly? Did she even understand her own situation? But Helen, still watching the entrance, didn’t notice his expression. Ian barely managed to suppress a sigh as he replied.
“…His Highness the Prince isn’t someone I can help you get close to.”
“It’s fine. Your name is on the invitation, after all.”
Helen shrugged nonchalantly, finally turning to look at Ian—and then noticed his expression. Her face stiffened briefly before she quickly masked it with a confident smile.
“Don’t look at me like that. No matter what anyone says, His Highness is my brother. My mother once told me. Unlike Crown Prince William, Prince Jared has met me before. Of course, I was too young to remember…”
“…”
“I also heard Prince Jared is quite affectionate with Princess Catherine. Even if he’s curt, he treats his little sister well. So even if he hasn’t seen me in over twenty years, he should at least greet me.”
Helen was speaking faster than usual. Ian turned his gaze away from the hope brimming on her face. Whatever foolish delusion she harbored, it wasn’t his concern. After tonight, he wouldn’t even have to act as her partner at events like this again… He nearly asked if she truly believed that, but closed his mouth instead.
“You’ll see. I…”
Helen bit her lip and tried to continue, seemingly frustrated by Ian’s lack of reaction. But then a murmur swept through the crowd, and all eyes turned to the entrance. Ian and Helen followed suit—and the moment they did, both their eyes widened.
“My goodness. What’s going on?”
“The Marquis of Litman and Lady Aisha… Weren’t they engaged? Then why are they both—?”
“Oh! Don’t you remember? At the last imperial banquet, His Highness the Prince danced with Lady Aisha. The mood was odd even then.”
Aisha felt all eyes land on her. She bit the inside of her cheek slightly. She had regretted replying to the letter ever since—but facing the moment in person made it all too real. Less than a month before her engagement, and she appeared at the banquet partnered with another man. Her heart trembled with fear and guilt—more guilt than she had ever felt before.
“Just greet the marquis and then join your brothers. That’ll be more comfortable for you.”
Sensing her nervousness, Jared whispered beside her. Frozen stiff, Aisha finally became aware of Jared again. She nodded apologetically. As royalty, she should have responded with decorum, but her lips wouldn’t move due to her nerves.
Jared gently escorted Aisha. The marquis quickly bowed upon seeing the prince.
“Your Highness. It is an honor to have you at my humble home.”
“It’s only proper, Marquis. How could I refuse the invitation of the hero of the Caesar Empire? I’m the one who should be grateful for the invitation. And congratulations to Sir Damian. I suppose we’ll be seeing each other often next week. I’m a rather picky boss, so I hope you’ll work as hard as you did during your exams.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“And this is my partner for the evening, Lady Aisha. As you know, the noble daughter of the Count of Parden. Lady Aisha, this is Marquis Litman and his son, Sir Damian.”
“Marquis, thank you for inviting me to such a splendid banquet. Sir Damian, congratulations.”
“Thank you for coming, Lady.”
Aisha quickly bowed at Jared’s introduction. Despite overhearing the murmurs, the marquis didn’t let it show as he greeted her politely. But his son Damian said nothing.
“Ahem…!”
“Ah… Y-Yes. L-Lady Aisha. Thank you for coming.”
The marquis elbowed his son in the ribs. Damian finally came to his senses and bowed deeply to Aisha, his face flushed. Jared, seeing this, narrowed his eyes and swiftly pulled Aisha away.
“We’ll be off now. Congratulations again!”
“Your Highness, Damian can escort you…”
The marquis tried to have his son accompany the prince, considering both their statuses and that Jared would be Damian’s direct superior. But having seen Damian’s expression, Jared clearly had no intention of doing so.
“No need. The host should stay and greet the guests. Farewell.”
Without waiting for a reply, Jared led Aisha away. Stunned, Aisha was gently but firmly guided by his hand.
‘I shouldn’t have done this just because Daniel said so. It just makes me just as awful as him.’
As they moved away from the entrance, the stares became even more intense. Aisha hunched her shoulders and lowered her head. Just because Ian had acted that way didn’t mean she should return the same. Thinking of what might happen if this reached his ears, she felt more guilty than vengeful.
Noticing her, Jared’s expression darkened. He understood why she was feeling guilty. While Aisha kept her eyes on the floor, Jared had already spotted someone. He leaned toward her and spoke.
“Raise your head. You’ve done nothing wrong. You have every right to be confident.”
Startled by his sudden words, Aisha lifted her head. Jared pointed somewhere with a bitter look. Aisha slowly turned her gaze—and saw the same two people from Count Garrot’s house reflected in her pale blue eyes.
It felt like lightning had struck Ian.
Blindsided by something he hadn’t anticipated, he stood frozen in shock, unable to move even a finger.
Aisha had come with another man—not her family, not himself—as her partner. That had never happened before. He felt as though the blood had drained from his fingertips.
Rooted to the spot, Ian stared at her. Then, his eyes met Jared’s. Jared looked at him with open disdain before leaning down and whispering something to Aisha. As she lifted her head, her pale blue eyes—like diluted blue paint—turned toward Ian.
Her face was surprised. But there was no guilt or shame in her tightly pressed lips. The shock on Ian’s face turned to anger.
‘…How dare you.’
His blue-gray eyes gleamed dangerously, as if he might rush over to her that instant. But Aisha quickly turned her gaze away. That fleeting moment of eye contact made Ian clench his fists.
“Is that your fiancée?”
Helen quickly realized who Aisha was, given Ian’s alarming reaction. Men made that face for only one reason—when they thought they had lost their woman. And it didn’t matter how high-born they were, the reaction was always the same.
“She’s quite pretty. But that’s all, really.”
Helen gave Aisha a once-over and scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
“I heard the Count of Parden is just a nouveau riche with money—hardly worth calling nobility. So how did that girl end up as the prince’s partner?”
Helen took great pride in having imperial blood. Because of that, she tended to look down on anyone outside the few distinguished old noble families. To her, the Parden family, part of the new nobility, was no better than commoners. And yet that very daughter had appeared alongside her yet-unacknowledged half-brother. Her chest filled with irritation and jealousy.
“Do they have some personal relationship or what? Tell me.”
Annoyance brimming, she pestered Ian. When he didn’t answer, she looked ready to snap—but then smiled slyly, having thought of something.
‘I’ll go first, then. He wouldn’t push me away in front of everyone, right? And if things get tricky, I’ll just use what Mother told me.’
As Ian and Aisha met eyes, Helen exchanged glances with Jared. But unlike her expectation, her half-brother didn’t show any intention of greeting her—even though he clearly recognized her.
“That’s your fiancée, right? Then introduce me.”
Helen subtly grabbed Ian’s arm. She pretended she wanted to greet Aisha, but really, she aimed to strike up a conversation with Jared.
At her absurd request, Ian finally turned to look at her. Helen gave him a sweet smile, shifting her gaze toward Aisha and Jared deliberately.
“You think I don’t know what rumors are going around? I don’t care about them, but your fiancée looks like the type to cry at every little thing. I’m sure she was hurt by those stories. Wouldn’t it be better if I cleared things up myself?”
“…”
“Or do you just not have the guts to face your fiancée? Well, I suppose it’s different for men and women.”
“…”
“Let’s be real. You feel like crap, don’t you? When a man steps out with another woman, the fiancée gets pity, not scorn. But when a woman shows up with another man, the fiancé becomes a laughingstock. No pity—just whispers that he couldn’t even keep his woman.”
As Helen spoke, Ian’s eyes grew colder. Sensing her words were getting to him, she pushed further.
“But don’t be too upset. I mean, if the other man is my brother, people will understand… right?”
