Don’t Ask, It’ll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 50

“Young Master!”

The moment Ian stepped out of the carriage, Robert, the butler of the Duke of MacMilden, rushed over. Seeing only his greatly troubled face, Ian could guess what had happened, and his own expression hardened in turn.

Ian hastily entered the Grand Duchy’s residence, which boasted a magnificent presence under the red sunset.

“Right now, I have to go to Ian right now!”

The moment he crossed the threshold, a voice filled with fury pierced his ears. It was the Duchess of MacMilden. Following that, the earnest cries of the maids pleading for her to calm down were also heard. Ian, sweeping a hand over his slightly weary face, headed toward the source of the commotion.

“Something must have happened to that child. Otherwise…… he wouldn’t be gone. That’s right. Something happened. So I have to go right now. I, I have to save that child!”

Her appearance, with her hair and clothes disheveled like a ghost, screaming, was quite a sight. No trace could be found of the former Imperial Princess, who had once been so beautiful and noble as to be called the flower of society.

“Ah, Young Master!”

The servants, who had been helplessly pacing, unsure what to do amid the Duchess of MacMilden’s frantic outburst, sighed in relief upon seeing their young master. Ian gave them a look that they could now withdraw, then approached his mother, whom he both loved and resented.

“Mother.”

“……My son!”

When the son she had been searching for appeared, Isabella MacMilden burst into tears like a child and collapsed into his arms. At a glance, it looked like a touching reunion, but it was not.

“Why… why didn’t you attend the hunting competition?”

The Duchess, who was now gripping Ian’s hand as if to crush it, asked in a chilling voice. Her bloodshot eyes, where the whites were barely visible, were terrifying. Her badly broken fingernails dug into his skin, causing beads of blood to form.

“Your mother has told you time and again. You must not defy the Imperial Family’s will. I told you to obey whatever they say, no matter what……. Why didn’t you obey? Why won’t you listen to your mother!”

The explosive shout echoed through the wide corridor like the roar of a lion. The servants, who were observing the situation from a slight distance out of worry, even though Ian had dismissed them, all flinched their shoulders.

Ian’s expression, by contrast, was calm. He seemed to find the current situation merely a little tiresome.

“I apologize, Mother.”

Ian gripped his mother’s hand in return and apologized courteously.

“There was something I needed to check before applying for the Imperial Knightage Admission Exam, so I could not attend the hunting competition. I should have informed you in advance, and for that, I apologize.”

“Imperial…… Knightage?”

“Now that I have graduated from the Academy, as a noble of the Empire, I should do something for the Imperial Family.”

For the Imperial Family. As if she liked her son’s excuse, the Duchess of MacMilden’s hysterical expression gradually calmed. When her chest, which had been heaving greatly with excitement, settled down, the corners of her lips curved into a smile.

“So that was it. Of course, what kind of son do I have? He wouldn’t do such a thing. Ah, naturally.”

The Duchess, who had shaken off all traces of irritation and anxiety, smiled faintly and stroked the cheek of her beloved son. As the lace-trimmed sleeve fell away, her wrist and arm were revealed, covered in red raw scratches. They were the marks of self-harm, unable to cope with her own frustration. The area around her neck was also mottled. Ian’s eyes darkened slightly upon confirming all of it.

“Let’s live happily for a long, long time, Ian. That is all your mother wants. I only desire that one thing. You understand your mother’s heart, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

Ian, who answered briefly, signaled with his eyes to the Head Maid standing behind his mother.

“I will escort you to your bedroom, Madam.”

The Head Maid, having understood the cue, approached and took the Duchess. Having no strength to walk on her own, the Duchess was supported by the Head Maid. Ian watched his mother’s back as she stumbled and grew distant, and once she was out of sight, he let out a deep sigh and unbuttoned the top buttons of his collar.

“I apologize, Young Master.”

Robert, who like the other servants, had been watching the situation from a slight distance, approached and bowed deeply in apology.

“I tried to calm Madam somehow…… but I failed. I am truly sorry, Young Master.”

Ian nodded his head, either accepting the apology or indicating it was fine, and then asked.

“Did Mother go to the Imperial Palace today?”

“Yes. Around noon, Her Majesty, the Empress sent an invitation asking to share tea. And she returned about an hour ago…….”

Since the events after that were too awkward to speak of, Robert trailed off, forcing an awkward smile. Ian, who knew well the state his mother had been in, having confirmed it with his own eyes, left a word of thanks for his efforts and turned away.

Arriving at his bedroom, Ian sat on a soft sofa without even taking off his overcoat. He massaged his stiff neck and tilted his head back as far as he could. Naturally, the elaborately patterned ceiling came into view.

To summon his mother and frighten her just because he didn’t attend a mere hunting competition.

Ian was both flabbergasted and, in a way, felt sorry for the Empress and the Crown Prince. How anxious must they be to be so startled by such a small matter?

“I don’t need the Imperial Throne anyway.”

He had absolutely no intention of picking up the Imperial Throne, which was needlessly luxurious but utterly worthless, like the ceiling before his eyes, even if it were thrown at his feet for him to take.

Ian had continuously asserted that he had no interest in the Imperial Throne since he was very young, but no one believed him. Instead, they would say strange things—that he was being humble, or that a beast must know how to hide its claws until right before the hunt—which only made his annoyance surge.

At least it had been fine until he entered the Academy. Following the Duchess of MacMilden’s advice, Ian had not even shown one-tenth of his abilities. Since most people who were called geniuses in childhood become ordinary as they age, people’s expectations of him also gradually decreased.

This was also the reason why Ian MacMilden chose the seven-year Knightage Department instead of the four-year General Department when he entered the Academy.

If I stay quietly at the Academy until I become an adult, I’ll be completely forgotten from people’s memories.

His own ambitious plan went completely awry from the very first day of admission.

“You must be Ian MacMilden! Let’s get along well from now on!”

Ian recalled the moment he first met Chloe and smiled faintly.

Although the Empress and the Crown Prince’s vigilance grew extreme because he freely displayed the talents he had been hiding all through his time at the Academy, he did not regret it. Thanks to that, he had a pleasant time with Chloe. Even if he could turn back time, he would have made the same choice.

However, it was distressing and difficult to watch his mother throw all sorts of fits, frothing at the mouth and self-harming over the slightest threat. He was also starting to feel a little exhausted.

Should he meet with the Empress and the Crown Prince to settle things? He had already tried numerous times, but it hadn’t worked; instead, it had only heightened their vigilance, making him hesitate. Ian’s brows furrowed as he sank deep into the backrest of the sofa, lost in thought.

He then ordered a servant to call Hugo Alfred.

* * *

Chloe had learned a few things while going back and forth between Bianca Lloyd’s body and her original body over the past few days.

The most important fact was that the time she could stay in her original body varied according to the difficulty of the wish written on the bucket list.

For instance, simple wishes like splashing water on a maid’s face didn’t allow her to stay for more than an hour, but a wish like flipping up Maria’s skirt lasted for nearly four hours.

But why couldn’t she even last an hour the very first time she went back? She had even slapped Maria’s cheek…….

“Was it because it was the first time?”

Chloe was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it. There was more than one strange thing happening besides this. Right now, her top priority was figuring out how to break the curse and return to her original body as quickly as possible.

“Hasn’t a reply come from Jeremy?”

Around lunchtime, Chloe, who had returned to her original body, checked the bedside table drawer. It was completely empty. Jeremy had said he would send a letter to Chloe Elena if he found anything, but it seemed he hadn’t discovered anything.

According to the professor who taught her magic, studying dark magic alone was a serious crime, so hardly any records remained.

The principle was to burn any records even if they were found, and records that couldn’t be burned due to unavoidable circumstances were kept in the deepest parts of the Temple and the Mages’ Tower, inaccessible to anyone.

She had thought that since Jeremy was a priest belonging to the Grand Temple, he might be able to find something out, but she had been mistaken.

Just as Chloe, whose heart grew heavy with the thought of having burdened her beloved younger brother, let out a deep sigh, the door burst open without a knock.

“Y-you can’t just barge in like that…… Young Lady!”

“What, you’re awake?”

A young man stood in front of a deeply flustered Dorothy. Upon seeing the playful face that utterly clashed with the handsome uniform that naturally drew gasps, Chloe scowled.

“Mars, why are you here?”