Don't Ask, It'll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 10
“If you want to get closer to Ian MacMilden, you should just talk to him directly. But you lack the courage to do that, so you bother other people and even shift the responsibility onto them. That’s the real definition of selfishness.”
Still, it was questionable whether Ian would even spare you a glance, or if you should grasp the situation better. Chloe almost voiced something harsher but tempered her words when she noticed how fragile the woman seemed.
“Hu, Huuu…….”
Look at her. She cries as if the world is coming to an end over just this.
With a deep sigh, Chloe glanced up at the dark night sky.
If her opponent were to lash out and confront her head-on, she would have at least had the strength to push back with all her might. But facing a woman who revealed her weakness and subtly crawled closer left Chloe unsure of how to respond.
“Nothing can be gained without effort.”
With that thought, and her initial resolve somewhat diminished, Chloe spoke in a relatively gentle tone as if to advise her.
“So if there’s something you want, don’t expect help from others. Instead, work hard to achieve it yourself. If you don’t even have the courage or willingness to make that effort, it’s better to just give up.”
She must have understood at least this much. But even if she didn’t, there was nothing more Chloe could do, further explanation was futile.
Chloe glanced at the woman, who was now silently crying, before turning away.
As she was about to open the door and leave, the woman suddenly yanked at the hem of Chloe’s dress.
“You can say that because you have everything!”
The timid demeanor vanished, and the woman glared, shouting at her.
“If you were in my position, you would never say something like that! If it were me, I couldn’t do it! You should feel the pain I feel!”
What on earth was she saying? This was nonsense on another level.
Besides, the way she was gripping Chloe’s dress felt like it might tear at any moment.
“Let go of it……!”
Just as Chloe was about to shout for her to release it, the terrace door swung open, casting a large shadow over them.
“…….”
It was Ian MacMilden. The moment the woman saw him, her face flushed bright red, resembling a ripe tomato.
Thanks to the woman’s red face, Chloe regained her freedom and shook off the wrinkled hem of her dress while glaring at her.
But the woman was solely focused on Ian MacMilden. Watching her so thoroughly smitten, Chloe felt her resolve weaken.
Right, what would be the point of fighting with a woman like that?
Chloe deeply engraved the saying that she avoided worms not out of fear, but because they were disgusting.
“You’ll catch a cold if you stay out here too long.”
As the coat draped over her shoulders, Chloe turned to look at Ian. Seeing his face reminded her of what had happened in the corridor, making her heart race and heat rise to her cheeks again.
“Um, um. That’s enough. I don’t need this…….”
“Oh, hello!”
As she was about to say she didn’t need the coat, the woman suddenly interrupted.
“It’s such an honor to meet you! I’ve really wanted to see you…….”
The woman chattered away, but Ian didn’t spare her a glance.
“Let’s go inside.”
Ian directed his attention solely to Chloe, speaking only to her. The woman’s face turned red again, this time for a different reason, as she glared fiercely at Chloe with eyes filled with venom instead of tears.
Chloe was baffled by the woman’s reaction but said nothing, knowing it would be futile to engage with someone like her.
“But if we go in now, we might meet the Crown Prince.”
Having concluded that ignoring her was the best course of action, Chloe treated the woman as if she didn’t exist. She could feel the sharp and hostile gaze behind her, as if it could pierce through her back, but she didn’t turn around.
“The Crown Prince is gone. He left just a little while ago.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Once the Crown Prince left, the party started to fizzle out. It seems like the Rumonie event will end soon too.”
“Then we should go inside!”
It was news she had been waiting for. Even though she tried to ignore the woman, her presence had been nagging at Chloe, so she hurried back to the party venue.
Behind them, the sound of the woman’s sobs lingered in the air, thin and elongated like a ghost’s wail.
