EPISODE 14

“Ugh!”

The man who had gotten close to Cordelia fell to the ground just before reaching her. Noah, who was standing beside Cordelia, had tripped him slightly.

Before Cordelia and the girls could fully react, Noah bent his knees and grabbed the man by the collar before he could get up. He blocked the man’s frantic punches with his empty hand.

“What’s your business?”

With a menacing tone, Noah’s blue eyes glinted through his fringe. His grip was surprisingly strong, and his low, serious voice carried an intimidating presence.

“W-what should I say?”

Noah’s eyes narrowed as he watched the man insist that he had no ill intentions.

“Don’t play dumb. Didn’t you come charging at this person?”

“I-I was just in a hurry and moving quickly! Please let go of me!”

Noah, who had been staring at him, soon released his hold on the man’s collar as if tossing him aside. The man scrambled to his feet and hurried off like a bird with its tail feathers missing. Cordelia, who had slowly risen from her seat, asked Noah with concern.

“What happened, Noah?”

“It seems like a simple pickpocket. But judging by his appearance, he probably targeted us. Maybe I should have called the security team.”

“That’s not important right now! Your hand! It’s not hurt or anything, right?”

“Huh? Why would it be…”

Noah, perhaps due to blocking the man’s punch with his palm earlier, rotated his wrist lightly and spoke.

“I’m not injured.”

“Thank goodness.”

Still worried, Cordelia grabbed Noah’s hand and examined it from various angles. Even though Noah’s profession was what it was, it was unacceptable for such a handsome man to have any scars.

Wow, even his hands are so good-looking.

“Um…”

When she heard a cautious voice, she looked to the side and saw the girls who had been talking to her earlier staring over there.

Their expressions were a bit strange.

“Are you a knight by any chance?”

The girls’ eyes sparkled with curiosity as they looked at Noah. Noah, who had looked dazed, soon shook his head.

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh! I thought so.”

Thought so?

“It’s okay; they say that adversity makes the outcome more beautiful.”

“Even if there’s a difference in status… I’ll cheer for you!”

What exactly are they cheering for?!

It seemed the girls were in a big misunderstanding. Before Cordelia could correct them, the girls thanked her for the book and quickly left. Only the two of them were left in the awkward atmosphere.

“Hey, what’s going on…”

“Just leave it. It feels like they’re writing a tragic love epic about us in their heads.”

Cordelia waved her hand dismissively in response to Noah’s confusion. Cordelia’s manner and attire marked her as a noble. However, nobles usually had servants accompanying them, so most people tended to think that Noah was her servant.

However, Cordelia’s attitude toward Noah just now was inconsistent with how a noble would treat a servant. Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange to think they were lovers secretly meeting and enjoying each other’s company.

“Those rich young ladies should hope not to run into us at a party. Even so, I’d say they’d keep the secret…”

Cordelia had intended to casually introduce herself and make some small talk, but the commotion had prevented that. However, she didn’t seem to mind much. If it was fate, they’d meet again someday; if not, then so be it.

“Why would you think that…? Is this sort of thing common?”

No, it’s probably just because she read too many novels.

Without correcting the innocent misunderstanding, Cordelia tugged on Noah’s sleeve as if to say they should go.

The carriage carrying them headed towards the mountains located in the northwest of the capital. As they circled the area, they came to a visible entrance to a forest. The trees were vividly colored, perhaps due to the autumn season.

Cordelia dismounted from the carriage and walked ahead, leaving a message for the carriage to wait there. Noah, who followed behind, asked worriedly.

“Is it okay to enter here without an escort?”

“It’s fine. This is our land.”

As he followed Cordelia down a path for a while, a small hill appeared. Below the hill, many buildings clustered together, seeming irregular but harmoniously arranged.

A cool breeze blew, and dainty flowers swayed among the blades of grass. Cordelia sat down on a patch of grass where the warm sunlight bathed the ground.

Though many would be shocked by her sitting directly on the ground without a blanket, Noah felt she might be fine with it.

“Come over here.”

Cordelia gestured for Noah to sit beside her, and he carefully sat down on the grass. The scene before them looked like a picturesque painting: tiny houses, people resembling ants, the vast plains beyond the gray castle walls, the bright blue sky, and fluffy clouds.

It was a scene that could easily be captured in a landscape painting.

A gentle breeze blew, ruffling Noah’s hair. For a moment, Noah stiffened as a sudden touch came. A white hand swept away the black hair covering his face.

With his vision now clear, her small face filled Noah’s view. Cordelia placed her hand on his forehead and removed his hat.

“Isn’t it time you stopped hiding your face?”

“Oh, right.”

Flustered, Noah lifted his bangs and put his hat back on. Cordelia stared intently at his newly exposed face.

“Why do you cover your face like that?”

She had asked before when they first met, but her curiosity remained. With such a handsome face, isn’t it normal to be somewhat proud? Moreover, he seemed well aware that his appearance was above average.

“I want to be known for my skills rather than my face.”

The neat response followed, though the end of his well-prepared answer trembled slightly with embarrassment. Cordelia nodded as if she understood.

“Ah, it makes sense then.”

“…Am I really that handsome?”

Even though he thought it was just a bit of shallow curiosity, he couldn’t help but ask. He immediately regretted it upon seeing Cordelia’s sparkling eyes. Cordelia grabbed Noah’s cheek and shouted.

“Of course! Those soulful eyes! Your perfectly sculpted nose, red lips, and healthy skin. If you were the king, you could have easily ruined a whole country!”

It wasn’t an exaggeration; she was sincere. The tales of various tyrants from her favorite novels flashed through Cordelia’s mind. It was a good thing he wasn’t a king; it could have been a disaster…

“Ahem, of course, others probably think similarly.”

Seeing Cordelia abruptly regain her composure and subtly retreat, Noah couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

“Do you not like very pale skin?”

“If it’s too pale, it looks like a corpse, so I don’t like it.”

Noah laughed again at the bluntness of her answer. Cordelia looked at him with a puzzled expression as he kept laughing, turning his head away.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Noah replied lightly, struggling to compose himself. But he couldn’t stop laughing.

‘Don’t you ever get told you’re cute? If you grew up a bit more, you’d fit my taste.’

‘Taste?’

‘It means good-looking.’

Though it was less than before, she was indeed quite straightforward. He wondered what would happen if he brought up what she said. Noah forcibly suppressed the rising impulse.

“I was just thinking you have a clear taste.”

“Of course. Speaking of which, what about you? What’s your taste?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Noah unconsciously gripped the grass tightly. The crushed grass in his palm released a bitter aroma.

“Well… I guess it’s a taste if I like it.”

“Wow, what’s with that incredibly cliché answer?”

“…Don’t tease me!”

“No, no. It’s a compliment. What’s old is new again.”

Although she had heard that from other men countless times, it felt oddly sincere coming from Noah. Perhaps it was due to his genuine attitude. In any case, his demeanor, as well as his appearance, was unusual around Cordelia.

Especially compared to Rick.

“Ah, thinking about it still makes me angry.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, not you. I was talking about Rick… I mean, my older brother. Remember how we fought?”

“Yes, I remember.”

Cordelia, gritting her teeth, recalled the events of that evening. Although she was relieved to return home safely, she was genuinely horrified when she saw the pile of portraits brought in by the old-fashioned man the moment she entered the mansion.

It took less than five seconds to grasp the situation. Cordelia, genuinely annoyed for the first time in a while, glared at the servants huddled behind the wide-open door.

‘Did you all come out to gawk? What are you doing, not cleaning this up immediately?’

‘L-Lady Cordelia…’

The flustered servants quickly scattered into two groups, and the root cause of the whole mess appeared at the door.

Right, the person to be held accountable was different.

Cordelia, arms crossed and glaring at him sideways, was met with Frederick’s cold response.

‘Behave with some decorum. What is this nonsense?’

‘Could you act with some decorum yourself, Duke Weichen?’

Cordelia, suppressing her rising anger, forced a smile. Even though Frederick seemed to recognize that she was on the brink of losing her temper, he remained indifferent.

‘Sit down.’

‘I don’t want to.’