Chapter 11
“Aisha. If you insist, then I, Ian”
Daniel’s face was twisted with frustration, but Aisha looked gloomy and kept her head down. Seeing his daughter’s dark expression, Graham opened his mouth to speak. But before he could even say Ian’s name, Marissa placed her hand over her husband’s and turned to Aisha with a firm look.
“Do as Daniel says. You told your father that you’re not planning on getting engaged or married anytime soon. Let’s avoid unnecessary gossip. This time, go with your brothers. I’m sure they’ll each be willing to be your partner for a day. Taking turns with your brothers wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Okay, I will.”
Aisha nodded weakly at her strict mother’s words. Her eyes stayed fixed on her plate, her face completely dark. As the mood sank, Daniel muttered under his breath without even realizing it.
“Damn bastard.”
Ian had been sitting in his office like part of the furniture for four hours, his pen steadily moving. Each time the papers moved from the left side of his desk to the right, the dry smell of paper and the distinct scent of ink rose and fell in the air. It was a dull, endless task of reading and deciding, yet he kept his face blank and continued working.
Eventually, the scratching of his pen stopped only after the stack of papers on the left was gone. Ian leaned back deeply in his chair and frowned at the now-empty space on his desk.
In his widened view, he noticed a teacup sitting in the corner. The white steam had long stopped rising, but the tea still held its clear reddish color. It was the only round item on a desk full of sharp corners, and for some reason, it bothered him. Ian straightened up and reached for the cup.
His handsome face reflected clearly on the surface of the tea before rippling and disappearing. Staring into the gently swaying liquid, Ian suddenly remembered something and set the cup down carelessly.
Clink.
The sound of thin porcelain scraping echoed as some of the tea spilled onto the desk. The red liquid soaked the corner of the last document that hadn’t been moved yet, and the ink began to blur. Annoyed, Ian ran a hand through his hair. But that was all. Instead of calling someone or wiping the spill, he sank back into his chair and closed his eyes.
“I remembered it out of nowhere…”
Ian let out a long, irritated sigh. The moment he saw his face reflected in the tea, a woman came to mind. More precisely, a woman’s pale, tear-streaked face.
Pale lips and red eyes. Light blue eyes that looked even paler from crying and a few faint strands of hair stuck to her cheek.
To Ian, Aisha was always soft and faint. Her appearance, yes, but also her very being. In his world, full of clear lines and colors, she was like a messy, blurred splash of paint a bothersome presence.
“Tiresome.”
The thought of Aisha naturally brought up a sense of weariness. No matter what he did, she always reacted the same like a fool.
“Nice to meet you”
From the moment they first met, Aisha had followed him around endlessly. At one point, he’d even found her a little cute. Maybe, just maybe no, he had once mistaken it for affection.
But as he grew older and his mind matured, he came to understand. It had all been a misunderstanding, and the only thing left was discomfort. Out of consideration for the 15 years they had known each other, he had played along but even that had now faded completely.
“Feelings for a girl from the Parden family? Ridiculous”
The more he thought of Aisha, the more the bitter taste filled his mouth. Ian opened the top drawer and took out a cigar. His hands trembled slightly from irritation.
As the tip of the cigar lit with a fizz, the discomfort eased a little. He leaned back and inhaled the harsh smoke. The rising smoke curled into rings before fading near the ceiling.
The shape reminded him of the curls at the ends of Aisha’s hair, and his anger flared up again.
“Shouldn’t she have understood by now? It’s been three years.”
It was three years ago that Ian began to recognize his feelings and started pushing Aisha away when talk of their engagement started to get serious. At first, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t accept it and felt lost.
“Sorry if that hurt you. But I’m not ready yet.”
He had thought his hesitation was due to shame about being unprepared. But with time, he realized clearly: he couldn’t get engaged to Aisha.
Still, they had a long-standing relationship, and there was a verbal promise between their fathers. Besides, back then, Ian believed he owed the Parden family.
“Ian, I think it’s time we talked about your engagement to Aisha.”
“Ah I actually have urgent business out of town. I’ll visit again when I return, and we can talk then.”
So he deliberately acted vague. If he smiled with her yesterday and rejected her today, he’d look like a madman and a jerk. Sure, his indecisive behavior could be called cowardly but he didn’t feel guilty about it.
“Well, now her clinging foolishness actually works in my favor. Watching her suffer over me must be burning up that man inside.”
And now, not even guilt remained. During his recent six-month trip, Ian found a clear reason to distance himself from Aisha and her family. A reason to say no. Proof of what he had suspected for over two years. His icy blue eyes glinted as he stared at the bottom drawer of his desk, locked tight.
Knock knock knock.
As Ian silently stared at the drawer, someone knocked on the door. Snapping back to himself, he stubbed out the cigar and called out.
“Come in.”
“Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you, but it’s nearly time for your appointment with Duke Levantus.”
It was James. At his words, Ian gave a small nod and reached for the ruined paper on his desk. The signature section was completely ruined and messy.
“Large profits from the business with the Parden family”
Spotting the word “Parden” in the middle of the document, Ian crushed the paper without hesitation. As the rough sound of crumpling echoed, James looked confused. But Ian didn’t care. He tossed the paper aside and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
Voves Street in the capital, Lyon, was the center of fashion. Clothes, accessories, jewelry, cosmetics everything you needed to look stylish was lined up along the road, dazzling the eyes of passersby. Anyone with money to spare came here when they wanted to dress up.
“Hey! Move that carefully!”
“We ordered this ages ago why didn’t you check?”
The street was always busy. The stores people visited varied depending on their status and wealth, but business was booming everywhere. To keep up with fast-changing trends, clerks cleaned the storefronts, washed windows, and received deliveries from early morning, while store owners hurriedly checked schedules and gave orders to their staff.
“It’s always crowded here.”
“Well, Madame Lube’s shop is known for its unique and high-quality goods.”
Madame Lube’s boutique, located on one side of Voves Street, was even busier than most. Though it served both nobles and commoners, the clothes here were more affordable than noble-only salons but still fashionable and elegant. Good quality at reasonable prices. That appealing balance made nobles buy their clothes here, while commoners came to feel like they were entering a world they could never usually reach.
“Paul messed up the orders, so it’s been chaos since morning.”
“Still, it’s better to be busy. Look at Mr. Langdan’s shop across the street. Business has been terrible since that mistake, and he’s been gloomy ever since.”
“It’s unfortunate, but what can you do? I’ll rest in the back for a bit. Ann, keep watch, okay? Miss Aisha is supposed to arrive in about 30 minutes.”
“Yes, Madame. I’ll let you know when she arrives.”
Though Madame Lube’s boutique had many customers, Aisha was a special one. Whenever Aisha visited, Madame Lube made time for her no matter how busy she was.
It made sense. Nobles from wealthy families rarely shopped at a boutique run by a commoner like Madame Lube. Most noble clients only ordered casual clothes here, not outfits for parties or formal events.
That made it difficult for Madame Lube to showcase truly high-end designs that could represent her shop. Aisha solved that problem. Thanks to her father Graham and her family’s influence, Aisha visited various shops including Madame Lube’s to order elegant dresses from time to time.
“Oh? She’s early. Madame! Madame!”
Ann, who was on watch, shouted as soon as she saw the Parden family’s carriage. Having worked at the shop for quite a while, she recognized not only the carriage but also the family’s horses.
“Madame! Miss Aisha is here! Please come quickly!”
“Oh my! She’s here already?”
As Madame Lube crossed the store quickly, the customers’ eyes followed her. It was rare for the elegant owner to act so excited, so everyone was curious. A few nobles inside the shop recognized Aisha and Edward and began whispering.
“Oh my! It’s been a while, Miss. Ah… and Lord Edward is with you, too. What an honor to have you both visit.”
