Don’t Ask, It’ll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 42

Among the necessary duties Ian MacMilden had to perform was the Imperial Luncheon, held once every three months. Though the occasion was originally for Imperial Family members only, the Emperor had inexplicably commanded him to attend.

This might have been understandable before an heir was named, but the Imperial Decree was never revoked even after the Crown Prince was born. On the contrary, if Ian offered various excuses to avoid the luncheon, the Emperor would even send an attendant to ensure his presence, leading people to whisper that the Emperor might be considering him as a successor in a pinch.

“Speaking of which, there’s a rumor that you will be taking the entrance exam to become an Imperial Knight…… is that true?”

A clear voice, like a nightingale chirping, rang out. Ian set his fork and knife down on the veal steak, which he had barely touched, and looked at the Empress, Cassandra de Adrian Passis.

Her golden eyes, identical to those of the Crown Prince, sparkled meaningfully. The Crown Prince, the Imperial Consort, and even the Emperor were all looking at Ian with evident interest.

Ian knew exactly the answer the Empress wanted. He also knew that giving her that answer would prevent her from pestering him. Ordinarily, he would have answered as she wished, but not this time. No, he couldn’t.

“Next match will be the Imperial Knight entrance exam in three months! The one who gets a better score wins!”

The only reason he had been planning to take the Imperial Knights entrance exam, for which he had not an iota of interest, was solely for Chloe Elena.

With her taking the exam now nearly impossible, he didn’t want to confirm the lie, even as a falsehood.

“I am currently considering what to do.”

Fearing that denying it would make the Empress cling to him like a leech, Ian gave a moderate answer.

The Empress’s eyes chilled at the unsatisfactory reply, but only for a brief moment. As if she had never made such an expression, she smiled brightly like a flower in full spring bloom and spoke gently.

“I hear the Young Duke of MacMilden excels in swordsmanship, spear-fighting, archery, and even horsemanship……. It would be truly reassuring to have someone like the Young Duke join the Imperial Knights and dedicate his loyalty to the Imperial Family and the Empire.”

In a word, she meant for him to become a dog for the Imperial Family. Despite the obvious and explicit remark, Ian didn’t even flinch, nodding calmly.

“I will think about it.”

His answer was not much different from before. The Empress, unable to get the answer she wanted, reluctantly backed down, albeit with a look of regret. Pressuring him further could easily be held against her and would look poor to others.

The topic of conversation shifted to the upcoming Founding Festival ceremony. Ian remained silent like a sack of barley that had been set down, and as soon as the Emperor left, he stood up. He bowed his head to the Empress and the other Imperial Family members, preparing to leave, when the Crown Prince approached him.

“Are you heading to the Count Elena’s mansion?”

The tone, implying he already knew his destination, was irritating. When Ian nodded silently, the Crown Prince, Antonio, smiled faintly and added a remark.

“Please send my regards to Young Lady Chloe Elena. Tell her I sincerely hope she makes a swift recovery so we can be together in the future.”

* * *

“I apologize, but Young Lady Chloe is currently sleeping, so a visit will be impossible.”

Dorothy, Chloe’s loyal maid, bowed deeply and expressed her regrets. Chloe had anticipated this and prepared something in advance. She smiled faintly and pulled a note from her pocket, showing it to the maid.

Written in large script on the note was: [Permit the visit of Bianca Lloyd no matter what.]

“As you can see, Chloe made a special request to me, so will you let me in?”

Her body was different, but the handwriting was not. As a maid who had served Chloe for a long time, Dorothy recognized her mistress’s penmanship at a glance and wore a deeply troubled expression.

“Surely you wouldn’t refuse your mistress’s command?”

It was distressing to see her beloved maid in such a predicament, but a more important matter was at stake, so Chloe shamelessly pushed on. Dorothy flinched and shook her head vehemently.

“No, no. How could I ever refuse the Young Lady’s command? However, the Madam gave an order to avoid receiving visitors as much as possible while the Young Lady is sleeping…….”

“‘As much as possible’ means an exception is fine in special cases, doesn’t it? I think this is that special case, so let me into Chloe’s bedroom. I won’t stay long. I just want to see her face to know she’s alright and retrieve the item she requested.”

“If you tell me what the item is, I will bring it out instead.”

“If it was an item I could tell you about, would she have bothered to ask me?”

Since her words were all too true, Dorothy finally nodded. Instead, she earnestly pleaded with a face that looked about to burst into tears, insisting that Chloe must come out immediately.

Chloe smiled to reassure her and quickly slipped into the bedroom. As it was her own bedroom, she knew exactly where everything was hidden.

Even though they were her own belongings, taking them secretly felt like stealing, making her heart pound.

So, I might as well take a generous amount while I’m here. Her hand, holding this slightly crooked thought, moved busily.

She didn’t have much money left since she had already taken some previously. Selling jewels or accessories would secure plenty of money, but the risk of being discovered was too high.

Dorothy had a complete record of the accessories, and the jewels were all engraved with the family crest.

“Wouldn’t just one be alright…….”

Her desire grew when a sapphire, smaller than a pinky fingernail, caught her eye. Chloe swallowed dryly and picked up the sapphire.

She felt fine taking the hidden money, but taking the jewel made her conscience prick her. Even the self-hypnosis that it was originally her possession didn’t work.

Reluctantly, I think it’s best to give up on this one.

The moment Chloe sighed and reached to put the sapphire back into the jewel box, the door opened without a knock.

“!”

Startled, Chloe dropped the sapphire. The small, round blue gem rolled to a stop right in front of a pair of pitch-black shoes. Her gaze followed the sapphire, stopping briefly at the shoes before slowly moving upwards.

The person bent down to pick up the sapphire just as her gaze reached their waist. This allowed Chloe to quickly identify the man, and she froze.

Ian MacMilden.

The image of the man who had obscenely sucked her b*****s in the dream superimposed onto his neat face, and her face instantly flushed with heat. Her hands and feet cramped, her mouth went completely dry, and her heart pounded so fast it felt like it would burst through her ribs.

Snap out of it, Chloe! You have to distinguish between dream and reality!

While Chloe was floundering in the afterimages of the dream, Ian, who had picked up the sapphire, narrowed his eyes. Then, his gaze, like savage lightning, pierced her.

Her body trembled faintly under the murderous gaze, which felt as though it could stab someone repeatedly if looks could kill, but her mind snapped back to awareness. This was the first time she had seen such a terrifying face.

“You claimed to be Chloe’s friend…… were you actually a thief?”

His voice was equally hostile. The feeling was like being chased out onto a blizzard-swept street in midwinter without anything to cover herself, and Chloe shuddered.

“I’m not a thief…… she asked me to.”

Her body submitted to his killing intent, but her will did not. Chloe spoke clearly, in a way unbelievable for someone who was trembling. Her eye twitched slightly, but it wasn’t noticeable unless one looked closely.

“Chloe asked me to deliver that sapphire to Jeremy.”

Since she had been caught red-handed, it was better to give a plausible reason than to deny having stolen anything. It was painful to use her beloved younger brother as an excuse for a lie, but this was the only way to avoid a misunderstanding.

“This sapphire to Jeremy Elena……?”

Hearing the excuse Chloe had forced out through a mouthful of tears, Ian’s lips curled into a scathing sneer, and he tilted his head.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you, Young Duke, but I am telling the truth.”

The most important thing when lying was shamelessness. Knowing that the moment she showed a crack, her lie would be exposed, Chloe straightened her back and spoke with defiance.

“If you don’t trust me, ask Chloe when she wakes up. Or would you like to come with me to the Basilock Grand Temple to meet Jeremy?”

The Basilock Grand Temple was so far away that it would take three hours round trip by carriage. If luck was bad, due to many visitors today or a traffic jam, it could take half a day.

“Let’s do that.”

“……Sorry?”

Chloe, who had naturally assumed he would choose the former, stared at him with a dumbfounded expression at the unexpected answer. Ian looked her straight in the eye and said firmly.

“Let’s go to the Basilock Grand Temple together to meet Jeremy Elena.”