TYWAUOM 81

Chapter 81 – 

“I know too, Oppa.”

Aisha nodded, cutting off Daniel’s words. At her response, Daniel blinked in surprise.

“Huh?”

“Of course I know. I have eyes too.”

Just like Daniel, Aisha had sensed that the situation they witnessed was unnatural. But that didn’t mean she was ready to take Ian’s words at face value.

‘…If I said I didn’t like it, couldn’t you have kept Miss Helen from coming here for my sake? You could’ve stopped her from attending our engagement ceremony. Couldn’t you have considered me?’

‘I don’t like Miss Helen coming here. I hate how she calls you by name so familiarly too.’

How many times had she told Ian that she didn’t like Helen? She had been hurt countless times by Ian and Helen’s relationship, shedding more tears than she could remember.

‘I won the bet and I feel great. The reward is pretty big, you see. So smile, Aisha. I’m happy, so you should be happy too, right?’

‘…We’re not married yet. We’re just engaged.’

And even putting Helen aside, Ian had never given Aisha a reason to trust him. He was always selfish, the one who hurt her the most. Aisha had been wounded by him so often that she questioned how she ever trusted him in the past.

“…It’s exhausting. I’m so tired.”

She hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the words slipped out. At the same time, her expressionless face crumpled and a tear rolled from her pale blue eyes. Daniel couldn’t say anything. He simply pulled a handkerchief from his coat and handed it to her.

“Thanks.”

That single tear was the end of it. Aisha wiped her eyes and tightly held the handkerchief, giving her brother a faint but unmistakable smile. Daniel, tempted to tease his sister for crying then smiling, held back. This wasn’t the time. With a serious look, he asked,

“What will you do now?”

Aisha didn’t answer. Her silence reignited the frustration inside Daniel. What was the point of turning away coldly from Ian if she was just going to forgive him soon after? Unable to hold back, he raised his voice.

“Come to think of it—you stopped walking earlier, didn’t you? Were you waiting for Ian?”

“…I was waiting for you.”

“Don’t lie! Do you think I’d believe that? I don’t care anymore—don’t try to shut me up. I’m going to tell everything I saw and heard today to Father, Mother, and even Edward-hyung. Got it?”

Daniel crossed his arms defiantly. Aisha stared at him for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay.”

“What?”

“Go ahead, Oppa.”

Daniel was the one who ended up flustered by her response. Uncrossing his arms, he demanded an explanation, his eyes wide.

“You know I can’t make up my mind about Ian. If I can’t judge for myself, I should at least hear what others think.”

Perhaps overwhelmed by her brother’s gaze, Aisha turned her head and spoke quietly as she looked out the window. Her tone, filled with resignation, lacked all energy.

“…Yeah. That’s a good idea.”

Feeling awkward now, Daniel avoided her eyes and looked outside as well. The scenery flying past the carriage window was late autumn. The season heading into winter felt lonely somehow—but not as much as his sister’s face. Daniel kept looking out the window until they arrived in Pardenka.

“Miss Helen, you’d better leave the marquisate right away.”

As soon as Ian left the scene, Diane turned to Helen and spoke sharply. Helen, who had been straightening her wrinkled dress, nodded in agreement.

“If you leave through that path, you should be able to catch a carriage without running into Ian.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

At Diane’s gesture toward the opposite direction from Ian, Helen moved immediately. She too knew—if she faced Ian again now, it wouldn’t end well.

As Helen practically fled, pale-faced Sophia finally snapped out of it and tried to move. But by then, Helen had already vanished from sight.

“Sophia.”

Diane called to her, watching her stare blankly in the direction Helen had disappeared. At the sound of her grandmother’s voice, Sophia flinched and turned around. Her green eyes were full of discomfort at the situation.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“…What?”

Not understanding Diane’s cryptic words, Sophia looked confused. Diane smiled warmly.

“Oh, my pure Sophia. My granddaughter. You must be in shock. Well, the kiss was a bit much, wasn’t it?”

Could that really be brushed off as “a bit much”? Even though Sophia disliked Aisha, her rational mind sided with her. As she stayed silent, Diane gently took her hand and soothed her like a child.

“Sophia, you’re a good girl. It’s okay to frown at what happened. But what if you looked at it this way?”

“……”

“We’ve always believed that Ian and Miss Helen had feelings for each other. But your brother is a bit rigid, isn’t he? People like that need a big shock to break their stiff thinking. What just happened might’ve brought Ian closer to his true feelings.”

Diane emphasized “we,” but Sophia couldn’t nod easily. Her gut feeling kept telling her it wasn’t right.

‘…Does Oppa really have feelings for Helen? But he chased after Aisha like that?’

If Ian truly had feelings for Helen, would he have acted that way? If he really liked Helen, would she have run away like that?

But if Ian didn’t like Helen… then… Memories from her lonely childhood welled up in Sophia’s mind. Parents doting on their daughter, kind older brothers—and Aisha, who took even Ian’s attention…

‘I hate you, Aisha! Why does everyone like you?’

‘Sophia, what are you—ah!’

‘I hate you! I really hate you!’

‘Hey! What are you doing to someone else’s little sister?!’

She remembered pushing Aisha over in anger as a child and being thrown into a mud puddle by Daniel in retaliation. The pink dress her parents gave her—their last gift—was ruined beyond repair.

But aside from Arthur, no one comforted her. Remembering all this, Sophia clenched her fists and held back tears.

“And showing Aisha clearly is better for her too. It’s better than hurting her for years by dragging things out.”

Helen, too, chimed in for agreement. Sophia looked at Diane’s kind smile and finally, slowly, nodded.

“…Yes. You’re right, Grandmother.”

Diane smiled and gently massaged her granddaughter’s hand. As the warmth of her wrinkled hands spread, Sophia felt a small sense of comfort and returned the smile.

‘Yes. My side is Grandmother and Helen. I can’t think differently from them… right?’

Repeating the word “my side” in her mind, Sophia forced down her unease. But like a thorn in her throat, the discomfort remained, and her smile turned awkward.

“…Grandmother, will you hold me for a moment?”

Barely maintaining her smile, Sophia asked. Diane looked surprised for a moment but quickly composed herself and opened her arms.

“Of course, my dear.”

Sophia buried herself in Diane’s embrace and closed her eyes. Diane glanced down at her as if she were bothersome, her eyes cold, then turned toward where Helen had disappeared.

‘Time is running out… Whatever that bastard girl’s planning, she’d better make it count.’

The setting sun cast long shadows over the bushes where Helen vanished. Growing restless, Diane bit her lip and lowered her gaze. Between the green grass at her feet, a small purple wildflower peeked out.

A chilling gleam passed over Diane’s face. Lifting her foot slightly, she crushed the wildflower beneath her heel and muttered,

‘…I’ll make sure my children get what they deserve.’

When she boarded the carriage, Helen was panting and her velvet shoes were stained with dirt and dead grass. The humiliation of how she fled like a fugitive made her tremble in rage.

“Just wait and see. No matter what it takes, I’ll become the Marchioness.”

But even as she spoke aloud, no clear plan came to mind. It felt satisfying to shove Aisha into Ian’s arms, but she knew it had only hardened Ian’s hostility toward her. And now, after what she had done, Diane and Sophia wouldn’t be able to invite her back into the March family either.

“Hmph! Whatever! That cunning old fox and that useless Sophia never really helped me anyway. Useless, both of them!”

Frustrated, Helen stomped her foot and cursed at Diane and Sophia. Her ragged breathing echoed through the carriage.

“Haa…”

After a long sigh, Helen tried to calm herself. She raised a hand to her forehead to ease the throbbing headache.

“Huh!”

The cold touch of metal against her hot skin made her flinch. Startled, she looked down at her hand.

‘…Right. I have my brother.’

Three rings sat on her left hand, but all were overshadowed by the ornate ring on her index finger.

‘Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to play the trump card I’ve been saving.’

As she fiddled with the ring on her left index finger, Helen’s eyes gleamed with cunning. And in that moment, the lion engraved in the ring sparkled, its eyes fierce as if ready to roar.