Chapter 73
Ian stepped into the store without hesitation. He walked straight to a corner of the display and pointed to a small pair of pearl earrings tucked away.
“How much are these?”
The pearls on the earrings weren’t particularly large, but their luster and grain made them incomparable to the cheap imitations on the stands. The merchant, eyeing Ian’s interest, quoted a price slightly higher than the usual.
“Seventy silver.”
That was two weeks’ living expenses for an average commoner family. A flicker of unease crossed Ian’s face as he calculated the money in his inner pocket, biting the inside of his cheek.
‘…Not enough.’
Though Ian was the heir of the prestigious Marquis Lloyd family, he was still too young to manage anything himself. Of course, life in the Parden household lacked nothing in terms of food, clothing, and shelter—but that was the extent of it. The Parden family had merchant roots, and even after being ennobled, they continued to run various businesses. That’s why Count and Countess Parden were very strict when it came to financial matters.
“A gold coin may be big compared to a grain of sand, but if you don’t hold onto it tight, it slips away faster than sand.”
No matter how wealthy they were, they never gave large sums directly to their children. That rule also applied to Ian and Sophia, who received the same modest allowance as the other Parden children.
When Ian said nothing, a trace of irritation crossed the merchant’s face. Aisha, alternating glances between Ian and the merchant, examined the earrings closely. Then her eyes lit up as she pointed out:
“Here! The back part is slightly dented.”
The merchant’s face stiffened in embarrassment. Pearls were most valuable when perfectly round. A slight deformity drastically dropped their worth. That’s why the back part of the earrings had a tiny indentation, cleverly hidden behind the setting—but how could a young girl notice that, and even know it would lower the value?
“Well, you see, natural pearls usually…”
The merchant started to make excuses, but Ian and Aisha just stared coldly. Unable to endure their gaze any longer, the merchant gave in.
“Alright, alright. How much do you have?”
He still refused to say the proper price. Disgraceful. Ian, however, said nothing and simply held up five fingers.
“I’m losing out here…”
But fifty silver wasn’t really a loss. The merchant quickly moved, placing the earrings into a small cloth pouch and tying the opening with a red ribbon. He handed it to Ian, who took out his coin pouch and passed it to him. After confirming the fifty silver, the merchant grinned and called out as Ian and Aisha turned to leave.
“Wear them well! It’s the first day of the festival, so I’m feeling generous!”
Aisha pouted for the first time since arriving at the night market. When she grew up and returned to this place, she would buy something from every shop except this one. Ian, having paid, looked far less displeased. He stepped outside and led her toward a sparkling sculpture.
Passersby looked at the two with fond expressions. Feeling their eyes, Ian grew embarrassed and pulled Aisha behind the sculpture. Unlike the front, it was quiet behind the display. Under the small lantern from a nearby shop, Ian untied the cloth pouch.
“Um… Let me put them on for you.”
The pearls shimmered even brighter in the dark. They were small, but their radiance was beautiful. Aisha nodded silently. Ian carefully reached out and hooked the earrings onto her ears. Despite the slight pain from the less-than-delicate craftsmanship, Aisha was pleased—she had taken off her earrings earlier to match her outfit, and now it felt like the right decision.
Two small round pearls hung from her slightly reddened earlobes. They matched her fair complexion so well that Ian stared, his mouth slightly open. He felt proud seeing the earrings he bought with his own savings on her ears. As he silently admired them, Aisha lowered her head shyly and asked,
“Do I look pretty? I can’t tell without a mirror.”
“You’re beautiful. Really.”
“Really?”
Aisha touched the earrings as his compliment made her blush even more. Every time her fingers brushed the smooth pearls, she felt hotter. To shake off the awkwardness, she opened her mouth.
“But Ian, why did you suddenly give me such a nice gift?”
“You gave me this.”
Ian pulled a handkerchief from his inner pocket. It was a man’s handkerchief embroidered with blue sage. Aisha’s face turned bright red. A tingling warmth brushed through her heart. When she didn’t say anything, Ian broke the silence again.
“Daniel told me. That you pricked your fingers a lot.”
“Why did Daniel tell you that… It’s nothing, really…”
“Let me see.”
Ian, looking at her fidgeting hands, suddenly grabbed them. As he leaned in to examine her fingers, Aisha worried her fingers might turn as red as her face and tried to pull away. But Ian gently blew warm breath on each of her ten fingers before letting go. Then he said seriously,
“Next time, I’ll give you something much better than this. Something so beautiful, even Her Majesty the Empress would be jealous.”
“Something even the Empress would envy? That’s too much. I couldn’t possibly accept something that grand.”
“Aisha, you deserve it.”
Aisha shook her head at the mention of the Empress, but Ian’s voice remained firm. He was often serious, but today it was deeper than usual. Aisha blinked, unable to reply.
Realizing he might have been too intense, Ian turned away awkwardly. Aisha also looked away. After a moment of hesitation, he brought up an old memory.
“Do you remember? That summer day in the garden… under the lemon tree.”
“…”
“If you hadn’t comforted me then… If you hadn’t stayed by my side all this time… I don’t know what would’ve become of me.”
Aisha froze at the mention of that day. The gentle boy who had cried—whenever she recalled that moment, time always seemed to stop.
The two lingered in the past for a while. Then, as Ian snapped out of the memory first, he reached out and gently cupped Aisha’s cheek.
“…Can I kiss you?”
Aisha’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar request. When she didn’t answer, Ian panicked and tried to take it back.
“N-not on the lips! I meant your cheek… no, your forehead. Like before bed, just a—”
Peck.
Before he could finish, Aisha smiled softly, rose on tiptoe, and kissed him on the lips. Ian, slow to process what just happened, stood there dumbfounded.
“Huh?”
“There. That’s enough, right?”
Finding his reaction amusing, Aisha burst into laughter and spun playfully while holding his sleeve.
“Ian, let’s go home. I want to see myself in the mirror.”
The white pearl earrings dangling from her red ears were etched into Ian’s blue eyes. As he began walking, following Aisha’s lead, he didn’t even realize his own ears were just as red as hers.
“…Yeah. Let’s go, Aisha.”
* * *
“Here. Something came for you.”
Ian, who was seated at his desk reading, glanced up as his dorm roommate, Robert, tossed a letter toward him. Ian frowned at the interruption but relaxed when he saw the sender’s name. Carefully, he picked up the letter.
“Don’t throw it.”
“Oh, excuse me, Mr. Study-All-Day. I show a little kindness and get nothing but attitude…”
“…”
“Hey, Ian. Are you seriously into that Parden girl? I mean, I know you go way back, but she’s from a newly-nobled family. Doesn’t really fit with someone from our circles…”
Seeing Ian fondly caressing the envelope, Robert snorted. As a cadet of the prestigious Anasha family’s branch line in the west, he found it odd that Ian of House Lloyd was courting a girl from the upstart Parden family.
“Robert. Shut your mouth.”
Of course, knowing Ian well, Robert usually backed off after one sharp remark. But behind his back, he often gossiped with peers of similar mind.
“Ian’s dragging the Lloyd name through the mud. Marrying a girl from the Parden family? Looks like he’s planning to join the new nobility and screw the old guard.”
“They say she’s a knockout. Sure, if she’s that pretty, I get it. But still, not for me.”
“Ian’s face isn’t bad either. Honestly, he’s the best-looking guy here. He could have a girl with both looks and lineage. Why her?”
“His parents are gone, and he grew up in the Parden household. Count Parden’s his guardian and controls his inheritance until he comes of age… Guess he’s just been trained to obey.”
“Even if I had to live poor, I’d never bow to Count Parden. Lloyd’s shame, that’s what Ian is.”
Ian had a good idea of what Robert and his kind were whispering. But he didn’t see the need to deal with such trash, nor did he have the time.
Since Robert wasn’t planning to leave the room, Ian slipped Aisha’s letter under his book and returned to studying. Disappointed he couldn’t sneak a peek, Robert flopped onto the bed with a groan.
“Take it easy, man. We’re not commoners. Not bottom-rung nobles either. Why study like your life depends on it?”
“…”
“Ugh, boring guy. Fine, I’m going to sleep.”
Robert grumbled again as Ian kept writing furiously. When Ian didn’t respond, he finally pulled the blanket over himself and began snoring shortly after.
Hearing the snores, Ian reached under the book and pulled out the letter.
Ian. How was your day today?
The neatly penned greeting jumped out at him. As if her voice echoed from the paper, his tense expression softened, and he began reading the densely written lines.
The letter detailed Aisha’s daily life and that of her family. Ian remained expressionless at the other names, but her stories made him smile, and her little jokes made him laugh out loud.
He read the letter over and over, and by the time he finished, the candle on his desk had burned down. Only then did he return to reality, lighting a new candle and folding the letter.
‘No time for this. History was close last time. A lot of people are desperate. I need to focus.’
