Don’t Ask, It’ll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 55

Taking the stagecoach, Chloe arrived at the department store, desperately hoping that the Strawberry Chiffon Cake was still available, and headed to Étien Bakery on the top floor.

As expected of a famous bakery, people were bustling around the entrance. Several people looked disappointed and turned away, apparently having failed to buy what they wanted.

“Do you have the Strawberry Chiffon Cake?”

“I’m sorry, but all the Strawberry Chiffon Cakes prepared for today have been sold out.”

It certainly didn’t look like there were any left, but she asked just in case, and, predictably, there were none.

What should I do now? Chloe left the department store, swallowing her regret and worry, and then smiled brightly when she spotted a shop across the boulevard.

“A weapons shop!”

Among the various weapons displayed in the show window, what caught Chloe’s eye was a bow. Archery was the only subject among the many taught at the Academy where she had uniquely beaten Ian MacMilden, showing her natural talent for the bow. She also loved it.

“Wow, they even have a bow made from Audrey wood.”

A bow made from Audrey wood, which only grows deep in the cold northern forests, was extremely difficult to obtain. Chloe had tried to acquire one a few times but had never even caught sight of one. Seeing the bow right before her eyes, her pupils sparkled as if embedded with stars. Her regret and worries about not being able to buy the cake had long since vanished.

“How much is it?”

Please, I hope I have enough money to buy it. Chloe checked the price, praying more fervently than when she’d hoped the cake would be there, and her mouth dropped open for a different reason than before.

“E-expensive!”

The annual living expenses for a four-person commoner family were approximately 10 gold, but the bow made of Audrey wood was a whopping 570 gold. She had expected it to be expensive since it was so hard to find, but she hadn’t anticipated this much. The money she had on hand was ridiculously insufficient, and a groan escaped her lips naturally.

“I want to have it.”

Ironically, realizing she couldn’t possess it made her desire it even more. As Chloe was contemplating how to acquire the money, she turned her head when a familiar figure was reflected in the cleanly polished show window. Ian MacMilden was emerging from the tea room. The man following him was also familiar: it was Mars Elena.

“Why is he with Ian?”

She was curious but didn’t bother to go and ask. Her reluctance to face Ian was greater than her desire to resolve her doubts. To be precise, she didn’t want to meet him in Bianca Lloyd’s form.

She was about to quickly run away since staying here might lead to them making eye contact, but strangely, her body wouldn’t move.

When she heard a ringing in her ears that felt like her mind was going to snap, Chloe squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to cover her ears, but her hands wouldn’t move as she wished, either.

“Your Highness. Ah, Your Highness!”

Bianca’s voice, full of harsh static, echoed like a memory over the ringing.

“Your Highness, my beloved Your Highness!”

As her head turned toward Ian again, Chloe involuntarily blurted out the words echoing in her mind.

“Prince Ian! Please look at me!”

She had shouted louder than when Maria, unable to control her anger, had yelled, and she had even used the strange title, “Your Highness,” so naturally, people’s attention focused on her. Among them, of course, were Ian and Mars.

Out of the countless people, Chloe only saw Ian MacMilden. Even though the distance was considerable, she could feel him looking at her with a highly displeased expression.

“Why is he looking at me with eyes like that? Why……”

As Bianca’s voice, muttering as if she couldn’t understand, gradually faded and then completely disappeared, Chloe was finally able to move her body as she wished.

However, she wasn’t happy at all. Instead, as her senses reawakened, she acutely felt the gazes of the people, especially Ian’s glare.

Bianca Lloyd, that b***h, seriously……!

Chloe cursed Bianca internally and sharply turned her head. Her face was as red as a ripe tomato.

Fortunately, people’s attention quickly dispersed, but Ian was still watching her. When he even started approaching her, Chloe gasped in alarm and dashed toward the opposite street.

* * *

In truth, Ian had known from the beginning that Bianca Lloyd was nearby. He had spotted her coming out of the department store through the tea room window while he was conversing with Mars.

He hadn’t particularly paid attention to her. However, as they were discussing the case of the dead maid from Viscount Lloyd’s household, a conspicuous pink head of hair passed by the window, naturally drawing his gaze.

He also recalled the unbelievable information he had read: that she was his stalker.

But it was only for a moment. Ian quickly lost interest and focused on his conversation with Mars.

The moment he looked at her again was when he heard the absurd title, ‘Your Highness.’ Since she even added his name, he couldn’t help but turn around.

“Is she a Lady you know, Young Duke?”

Mars also heard the shout and, bewildered, asked. Ian kept his gaze fixed on Bianca and nodded.

“……That woman is Bianca Lloyd.”

“Pardon?”

Mars, who didn’t know who Bianca Lloyd was despite having received a request from Chloe, was surprised and looked at her.

Ian, who was continuously looking at Bianca, noticed that the place she was standing was, of all things, a weapons shop, and he frowned. Moreover, a large bow was hanging in the weapons shop’s show window.

Chloe Elena, who couldn’t get enough of bows, overlapped with Bianca Lloyd, and the absurd possibility of ‘no way’ began to grow.

It might just be a coincidence that Chloe and Bianca were doing the same thing, but when several coincidences overlap, they become an inevitability.

It would be better to confirm it properly than to remain feeling uneasy.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Thinking it best to confirm it now, Ian asked for Mars’s understanding and approached her.

At that, Bianca backed away, flustered as if she had seen a ghost, and then took off running toward the opposite street. The sight of her running with her pink hair streaming behind her resembled a rabbit.

Perhaps that was why. Ian chased after her. Although his mind thought there was no need to go to such lengths, his body wouldn’t listen.

When she, inadvertently turning her head, realized Ian was pursuing her and started running even faster in shock, even his mind ordered him to catch that woman unconditionally.

An abrupt chase unfolded in broad daylight under the midday sun.

Chloe ran with all her might, using every ounce of strength she had, but it was no use. Instead of losing Ian MacMilden, the distance between them was narrowing, and doubt and fear welled up as much as the breath catching in her throat.

‘Why on earth is he chasing me?’

Surely, he’s not planning to take revenge because she called him Prince Ian publicly in a crowded place and embarrassed him?

If that were the case, Chloe would feel wronged. She hadn’t willingly called Ian MacMilden that; it was all Bianca Lloyd’s doing.

Wait a minute. Does that mean Bianca Lloyd’s soul is in this body?

“Ah!”

The moment the question flashed through her mind, her legs gave out, and her body tilted forward. Fortunately, she grabbed onto a metal fence, avoiding the disgrace of falling awkwardly. Just as Chloe let out a ragged breath and a sigh of relief, a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

She knew who it was without needing to turn around, and goosebumps rose all over her body. Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, and slowly turned her head.

It was indeed Ian MacMilden. Ironically, seeing his contorted golden eyes made her fear disappear.

“……Why are you chasing me?”

But the tension persisted. Her heart pounded even harder because she felt she knew the reason why Ian was chasing her, but Chloe asked calmly, trying her best not to show it.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know why I was chasing you?”

“Of course, I’m asking because I don’t know.”

In contrast to her brazen answer, the area under her eyes trembled slightly. Ian’s eyes, noticing a fact that the person herself was completely unaware of, darkened further. Chloe’s appearance had once again overlapped with Bianca’s face.

Even as Ian was tangled in complicated emotions, Chloe couldn’t relax her guard.

He must have been chasing her for revenge after all. Chloe, who had misinterpreted his look in a different way, sighed deeply internally. Even if it was Bianca’s doing, on the surface, it was her fault, so apologizing was the right thing to do, however annoying. It would also be the cleanest way to handle it.

“I…….”

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

Just as Chloe finally forced her stuck-together lips apart, Ian spoke.