Chapter 50
“…You’re awake?”
“Yeah…”
Aisha replied in a low, drowsy voice as she rubbed her eyes. Ian, watching her, thought she looked like a small, adorable woodland creature—and immediately frowned at his own sentiment. Noticing this, Aisha widened her eyes and began carefully gauging his mood.
“I’ll call a maid. Get dressed and head back.”
Something about the way she looked made Ian feel a sudden surge of irritation. His tone turned cold as he brushed her hand away without care.
Stung by his coldness, Aisha did what she always did—lowered her eyes. But before Ian could turn away again, she spoke in a small but clear voice.
“Um…”
She hesitantly stretched out her hand, an impulsive gesture. Ian stared at her without trying to hide his disinterest.
“You’ve got something to say? Make it quick. I’m busy.”
“…Is this really okay?”
Ian furrowed his brow, not understanding what she meant. Aisha hesitated for a long time before she finally spoke.
“The baby… I’ve been really careful, but just in case…”
A baby. Sensitive, but important.
Having a child before marriage was frowned upon, even among the younger noble generation known for their free-spirited relationships. In most cases, the couple would marry afterward, and gossip would die down—but if not, the woman, not the man, would often be socially exiled from noble society.
“…You never know what could happen.”
Her voice carried worry and fear, but somewhere deep inside, Aisha also felt a flicker of hope. If he said it would be okay even if a child came… If he said they could just marry then… If they could live like Count and Countess Garrot…
But that fragile hope shattered the moment she saw Ian’s expression. Cold eyes, devoid of even surprise, looked down at her. There wasn’t a single thought about a child in his mind.
Even though she’d half-expected it, the pain in her chest made Aisha clutch the bedsheet and force out a calm voice.
“Actually… just in case, I got some medicine. If I take it regularly, there shouldn’t be much to worry about…”
“Why are you taking medicine?”
Ian’s voice, sharp as frost, cut through the air. Aisha, startled, raised her eyes.
He was pulling his cravat diagonally, his expression full of irritation. Running a hand through his hair again and again, he asked again, holding back his anger.
“…Since when have you been taking it without telling me?”
“O-on the first day. I was worried, so I asked Mari…”
“Mari? Your maid?”
Ian gave a dry laugh, clearly angry. He bit his lip, then sneered at Aisha.
“I’m sure a commoner like her got you some very fine medicine.”
Aisha blinked in confusion. Why was he angry? He clearly didn’t want a child, so…
While Aisha struggled to understand, Ian was battling the fury rising to his head. Honestly, even he didn’t fully understand why he was so enraged.
‘This…’
He was deeply offended by the fact that Aisha had taken contraceptives from the very first time, without telling him. To make it worse, many of the female contraceptives available in the Empire were known to harm women’s health or cause problems with future pregnancies if taken long-term.
‘I went through the trouble of taking the male version myself, and she just… What? She took some shady drug her maid got her? Without even knowing what it is?’
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Unable to contain it, Ian barked:
“Throw it all out. Right now.”
“But…”
“No need to worry about anything. Like you said, I’ve been careful. And I’ve been taking the medicine myself. There’s no chance a child will come from us.”
There’s no chance a child will come. Meant to reassure, the words only made Aisha’s heart sink further.
‘Right. There’s no way we’d ever have a child…’
The image of the Garrot couple, holding their child lovingly between them, floated into her mind. Swallowing back a surge of emotion, Aisha quickly lowered her head to hide the tears rising in her eyes.
“If you’re still worried after all that…”
Knock knock.
Ian’s voice, sharp from reading too much into her movement, was cut off by a knock on the door. Someone was outside their bedroom.
His face immediately turned dark as he commanded Aisha,
“Cover yourself. Now.”
There was no room for refusal in his tone. Aisha pulled the sheet up to her neck, but Ian seemed displeased even with that. He scanned her from head to toe, then pulled the sheet completely over her head. Then, with heavy footsteps, he crossed the bedroom and opened the door.
The door burst open, followed by Ian’s irritated voice.
“What the hell is this? I told you not to let anyone come until I said so.”
“I apologize, my lord. But outside… you’ll want to come immediately.”
Standing at the door was James. Despite Ian’s obvious fury, James bowed and spoke with urgency. The unusual seriousness in his demeanor made Ian glance back at Aisha inside, then call over a maid walking down the hall.
“You. Go inside and attend to the young lady.”
Once Ian stepped away from the door, the maid bowed and entered through the small opening. Ian shut the door as soon as she entered and turned to James.
“What is it?”
James quickly caught up as Ian walked down the corridor. His face showed clear unease as he revealed the identity of their unexpected visitor.
“…The former Marchioness has arrived.”
There was only one person that title referred to in the House of Lloyd: Diane Lloyd—wife of Ian’s grandfather, Iron Lloyd, and mother of his late father, Cliff Lloyd. In short, Ian’s paternal grandmother.
The moment he heard she was at the estate, Ian quickened his pace. But there wasn’t a hint of welcome in his steps—only disgust.
‘That shameless old woman…’
Ian’s feelings for his grandmother held no positivity. In his mind, she was someone who should never appear in front of him or his sister Sophia ever again.
They passed through the corridor and descended several staircases. Eventually, they reached the temporary parlor between the main staircase and the estate’s entrance. From a distance, Ian spotted the gray-haired old woman sitting inside and scowled.
She must’ve heard his approaching steps, because she looked up. When she saw Ian, she hesitated for a moment—then stood with a warm smile. A girl with brown hair beside her also rose awkwardly.
“…It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? You must be Ian?”
The elderly woman approached and greeted him. But Ian’s eyes held nothing but contempt and cold hostility.
