Don’t Ask, It’ll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 74

I thought we were going to an accessory shop, a boutique, or a department store since he said we were going to buy a gift for Bianca, but the destination was unexpectedly a high-end restaurant.

Arriving at a place she hadn’t anticipated at all, Chloe blinked her eyes wide. The gentle classical music, luxurious interior, and the perfectly polite waiter signaled the restaurant’s prestige.

“Didn’t we come out to buy a gift for Bianca?”

Chloe asked as soon as the waiter who guided them to their seats left. Ian replied as he pushed the menu toward her.

“That’s right.”

“Then why are we at a restaurant? Don’t tell me they sell jewelry here too?”

He thought she was joking, but Chloe was seriously scanning the menu, muttering, “There’s nothing like that here though…….” Even this eccentric side of hers felt charming to Ian, making him laugh silently.

“I wanted to eat first before we go. It’s lunchtime, after all.”

“Ah…….”

Chloe let out an exclamation with a reluctant expression. Even at Ian’s words to pick whatever she wanted to eat, she couldn’t focus on the menu and kept stealing glances at his face. Sensing a bit of anxiety in that gaze, Ian closed the menu he was looking at and spoke.

“If you’re not in the mood to have lunch with me, let’s go buy the gift right away.”

“Huh? No. It’s not that I’m not in the mood…….”

It’s because this makes it feel like a real date.

The words she couldn’t bring herself to say hovered in her mouth. She could ask, but the moment she did, the atmosphere would surely become more awkward than it was now.

So, Chloe swallowed the words she wanted to say along with some cold water and reopened the menu.

“Now that I think about it, I think it’s a good idea to eat first, just like you said. Right. It’s lunchtime, so we should eat.”

“You don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to eat.”

“It’s not forced. I’m actually really hungry. So, is it okay if I order a lot?”

Seeing her clearly trying to salvage the mood, Ian nodded silently. Chloe, smiling as if relieved, focused on reading the menu.

“…….”

Because of that, she didn’t notice at all that Ian was staring intently at her.

He had often seen Chloe dressed up beautifully, but today was the first time she had dressed up solely for him. Perhaps that was why. She looked more beautiful than usual.

She was always beautiful, but much more so than that.

Regretting even a moment of taking his eyes off her, Ian watched her for a long time.

As the saying goes, if the tail is long, it’s bound to be stepped on.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

That rule applied invariably this time as well. To her question of whether something was on her face, Ian replied nonchalantly.

“Nothing. Have you chosen your menu?”

“Not yet. It’s my first time here, so I’m not sure what would be good to eat. How about you?”

“Not yet for me, either.”

There was no way he had chosen when he hadn’t even looked at the menu properly. From the moment he held Chloe Elena’s hand—no, from the moment he met her at the Count Elena’s mansion—all his attention had been focused on her. He sensitively picked up on even the smallest changes in her breathing.

Ian knew very well that this wasn’t normal, that it was far too much. He also knew that continuing like this increased the chance of his dark intentions being discovered.

He knew it all too well, yet why couldn’t he stop?

Ian found the answer at the same time he questioned it.

Because he liked her, Chloe Elena, too much. He couldn’t make rational judgments regarding anything related to her.

“I can’t tell no matter how much I look.”

While Ian was floundering in a swamp of emotions, Chloe read through the menu several times but eventually failed to choose.

“I think it’s better to just call the waiter and ask for recommendations. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

When Ian agreed, Chloe rang the bell. The waiter who arrived shortly after guided them kindly at Chloe’s request for menu recommendations.

“Please give us that.”

Since she intended to order whatever was recommended, Chloe placed the order without deliberating long.

“Wait.”

As the waiter who took the order was about to withdraw, Ian called out to him.

“Do not put broccoli in any of the dishes…….”

Chloe, who had been watching quietly thinking he had more to order, was startled by Ian’s request. Everything he asked to be removed was food she disliked.

They had known each other for a long time, and during the eight years they lived at the Academy, they saw each other more than their own families, so it wasn’t strange to know each other’s tastes.

What was puzzling, however, was that Chloe had never once been a picky eater in front of others, including Ian. Since it was just things she disliked rather than an allergy, she would just eat them without making it obvious when they were served.

Yet the fact that Ian knew this made Chloe stare at him blankly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

When Ian asked the same question about whether something was on his face, Chloe flinched and shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing.”

She was curious how he knew, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out, so Chloe just drank cold water repeatedly.

* * *

I wonder if Chloe is having a good date with Ian.

There was no way the lady of the house wouldn’t know what all the servants at the Count Elena’s mansion knew. Countess Elena smiled warmly as she imagined her daughter and the Young Duke MacMilden holding hands and walking down a street scattered with pink petals.

From his daily visits to his sensitive reactions to her health, it was clear that Ian MacMilden liked Chloe.

However, it was frustrating because he didn’t actively approach or show it, and Chloe also firmly drew the line, saying she was just friends with Ian.

She had given up, but hearing good news brought a smile to her face naturally. Countess Elena wanted to rush home, grab her daughter, and ask all sorts of questions about whether the date went well and when they would get married.

Since marriage is most ideal in the spring, it would be good to set a date for next May. Before that, an engagement ceremony first…….

Even though they had only gone on one date, Countess Elena was already imagining the engagement and wedding dates, and even seeing her grandchildren.

If they were children who resembled those two, they would be truly lovely. The Countess hoped for a grandchild who resembled the father.

“Ah, instead of doing this, I should consult with the Duchess of MacMilden.”

Unlike her, who was attending the Pistis for the first time, the Duchess of MacMilden attended every time. Confident that she would have attended this time as well, Countess Elena set out to find the Duchess immediately.

But there was someone who blocked her path.

“Countess Elena, Her Majesty the Empress is looking for you.”

It was the Empress’s lady-in-waiting. From what she said, it seemed the Empress had summoned her specifically. The Countess, easily guessing the reason, let out a sigh inwardly but smiled brightly on the outside and nodded.

Following the lady-in-waiting, Countess Elena arrived at the drawing room where the Empress was waiting and flinched when she saw the Duchess of MacMilden sitting beside her. It felt a bit strange to meet the person she was looking for like this.

“Welcome, Countess.”

It felt even stranger to see the Empress smiling brightly like someone meeting an old friend. Of course, she didn’t show it at all on the outside and greeted her with a polite, social smile.

“Thank you for inviting me to the Pistis, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“No, it is I who should be grateful. I was quite worried that the Countess might decline my invitation again this time.”

“How could that be? It was only because my children were young then, so I hope you will understand with your broad generosity.”

“Of course. I also understand your heart, as I am raising a son myself.”

They talked about many things, such as recent rumors in society and the upcoming Founding Festival ceremony, but the reason Countess Elena had anticipated did not come up.

That was strange, but what was even stranger was that the Duchess of MacMilden sat still like a sack of barley the entire time they talked. She only replied when the Empress occasionally sought her agreement, and even then, she was clearly tense.

What is this? I heard the Empress and the Duchess of MacMilden were very close, but were they not?

“By the way, I heard that Young Lady Chloe Elena was seriously injured…… Is she alright now?”

The Countess, who had been observing the Duchess of MacMilden’s complexion while pretending to sip her tea, set her teacup down soundlessly at the Empress’s question and smiled faintly.

“Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty’s concern, she is recovering quickly.”

“That is indeed a relief. Actually, the Crown Prince mentioned that Lady Elena’s condition seems to have improved and that it might be time for her to take the Crown Princess selection exam, so I summoned you to discuss with the Countess first how we should proceed.”