EPISODE 16

CHAPTER 3. THERE ARE NO ETERNAL SECRETS

To celebrate the current queen’s birthday, the grand banquet hall was adorned with all sorts of splendid decorations.

Although the queen, known for her quiet and modest nature, was usually indifferent to celebrating her birth, this year was exceptionally extravagant.

This celebration was not just about honoring the queen’s birthday but also symbolized the removal of the aftermath of the rebellion that occurred two years ago and the complete restoration of the royal authority. Thus, many distinguished guests from allied or friendly foreign countries were also in attendance.

The weather was clear and sunny as if to celebrate the occasion. The bright sky and warm sunlight rested on the rounded roof of the Chestin Palace. The lively voices of people gathered in small groups were gently enveloped by the music played by the musicians in the corner.

Among the crowd, a lovely woman with golden hair sipped from her glass. Perhaps it was due to her unusually dark navy dress, but a certain melancholy seemed to suit her elegant face perfectly. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with concern.

A few men, who had been casting glances at Cordelia, subtly approached and surrounded her. A man in a light gray robe, who had been staring at her blankly, spoke to her in a polite tone.

“Good evening, Lady Cordelia. You seem bored.”

“Not really.”

The cool response met his words lightly. The man raised his hand slightly, and a passing servant brought a tray with a wine glass, which he offered to her.

“I’m Frey Deltrio. I’ve heard you like the Sianton Mountain wine. Would you care for a glass?”

Others watched with disapproval as Frey made his advance. However, the woman, glancing at the glass, responded.

“Sorry, but I don’t accept drinks from just anyone.”

The haughty reply caused Frey’s face to flush slightly with embarrassment. A man with dirty blonde hair who was standing next to him stepped forward.

“May I request the first dance?”

“I’m afraid it might be too much, as my feet are a bit sore.”

“Shouldn’t you rest then? If you need assistance to the lounge…”

“I’m fine. It’s not bad enough that I can’t walk.”

“Lady, we’re planning to hold a small gathering at my residence in Meltysa this late autumn. Would you be interested in attending?”

“Thank you for the invitation, but I might have prior engagements around that time. If you send me an invitation later, I’ll check and respond.”

The woman gave only polite and concise responses. Unlike the men who constantly tried to engage her, she did not initiate conversation.

When there was no more to talk about, they naturally departed, and new men slipped into the gap as if the scene were akin to bees swarming around a queen bee.

Eventually, the woman, saying she needed to rest for a while, moved away from the crowd. Her neatly braided golden hair swayed with her steps. Ignoring the numerous longing gazes directed at her back, she headed towards the lounge set up inside the banquet hall.

The spacious lounge reserved for women had several sofas and was otherwise empty. Although a few people who had already gathered were surprised to see her, the woman sat down heavily on one of the sofas without hesitation. She called a passing maid and ordered a glass of water, then used her gloved hand to lightly touch her temple.

‘Phew, that’s a relief.’

Cordelia—or rather, Noah in Cordelia’s appearance—let out a sigh of relief inwardly. His face, touching a small wooden box with one hand while holding a glass of water with the other, showed a hint of anxiety.

‘Did I answer everything correctly without mistakes?’

It seemed he had managed to use the knowledge he had hurriedly acquired during sleepless nights effectively. The worried gaze of Cordelia, who had seen him off in the carriage, came to mind.

At times like this, he was glad that their eye colors were similar. Despite the different appearances, he could easily recall Cordelia when looking into his own eyes.

As soon as he had woken up and realized they had switched bodies, Noah had panicked, thinking about the last place he had been. Cold sweat poured down as he remembered that Cordelia might have seen the painting filled with the emotional remnants he had left behind.

However, when Cordelia arrived at the mansion, she had not mentioned the painting at all. Noah quickly realized the reason.

‘Tomorrow! What should I do about the banquet tomorrow!’

It must have been because of the more urgent matter at hand.

Noah had to sweat bullets trying to calm the panicked Cordelia. To resolve this situation quickly, they needed Lyneth, but she was currently with the inspection team sent somewhere, making it impossible to contact her immediately. And the banquet was the very next day.

Amid their confusion, Noah and Cordelia eventually agreed that Noah would learn Cordelia’s behavior quickly and attend the banquet in her stead. As a result, instead of drawing all day, Noah had to learn Cordelia’s usual mannerisms, speech, and habits.

‘Even the way you walk can make you stand out. You’re walking too briskly. Try to walk a bit more lightly.’

‘When holding a glass, make your movements smoother! Oh, you can’t drink? Then don’t drink at all. If someone offers, just say you don’t accept drinks from anyone and refuse. It’s fine. It’s normal not to drink what others give in such settings. Who knows what they might do?’

‘Be polite, but I talk comfortably with close people. I’ll tell you their appearance and name, so remember them all. Ah, for the rest, you can answer appropriately. If you don’t know the other person’s name, just avoid calling them by name, and keep the conversation short, with maybe just three lines or so.’

Was it just his illusion, or did it seem like she was oddly enjoying seeing him struggling? Although he had managed to mimic Cordelia fairly convincingly, Cordelia blinked with a worried look on her face.

‘I’m feeling uneasy. Maybe I should go with you as an escort. If you wear the right clothes, it might be okay…’

‘No, that won’t do!’

‘Huh?’

‘I mean… you know my status. It might lead to troublesome situations… I don’t want to get entangled with nobles if possible. Don’t worry. As you can see, I can manage on my own.’

Noah scrambled to add explanations, while Cordelia’s expression grew subtle. Despite her efforts to hide her desperation, it wasn’t easy. Of course, he was determined to stop this from happening. He had no intention of setting foot in the palace.

At least, his body mustn’t.

“You look tired, Lady Cordelia.”

One of the women sitting on the sofa spoke up. While Noah hesitated on how to respond, another woman sitting across from him shook her head and fanned her face with a hand fan.

“Men are just like that! They’re like hyenas. They act all dignified, but they’re nothing but opportunists.”

“I heard you broke up with Count Nelson. That seems to be causing quite a stir.”

“How do you know…”

The women burst into quiet laughter at his surprised reaction. Not responding any further, Noah watched them as they continued chatting, adding a comment here and there.

“Such naive talk out of nowhere.”

“Is there such a thing as secrets in this circle, hoho.”

“Still, this one seems to be lasting quite a while. Was this place not to your liking?”

One of the women made a particular gesture with her fingers, which made Noah slightly flustered, but he tried his best to clear his mind.

But isn’t this a bit too blatant?

Nevertheless, the women continued their quiet discussion.

“They say that the more refined a person appears, the more hidden their tastes are.”

“… I don’t think that’s something to be discussed here.”

“Oh, it seems you don’t like that!”

The women nodded along with the one who lightly agreed. When the conversation turned to a new topic, Noah finally managed to follow the context of this somewhat irreverent discussion. The women gathered here were all married and interested in social gossip. Since they were generally of Cordelia’s age, they didn’t seem hostile toward him.

However, Noah, who was experiencing such blatant discussions with other people, especially women, for the first time, was feeling restless and constantly shifting his eyes. Despite being assured that everything would be fine, a crisis seemed to have arrived already.

Noah desperately glanced towards the open door, searching for an escape. The queen, who should have appeared by now, was still nowhere to be seen. If he were to go back to the banquet hall immediately, he would be swarmed by people trying to engage him in conversation again.

Would it be awkward to stay quiet and not join the conversation? As he was trying to sort out his swirling thoughts, a clear voice snapped him to attention.

“What, were you here?”

The women who had been looking behind Noah were startled. When Noah lifted his head from his sitting position, he saw a strikingly beautiful woman with rose-red hair looking down at him, holding onto the sofa.

It was Countess Calia Weichen, Cordelia’s eldest sister.

“You were released early yourself?”

Seeing the alluring woman sit down heavily next to him, Noah managed to force a cheerful tone. His heart was pounding fiercely.

‘Noah, you’re overdoing it right now, aren’t you? You need to exaggerate at least three times more!’

Noah, who excelled in expression through gestures but was naturally introverted and passive, faced this trial with difficulty. Still, he tried his best to shake off his unease.

‘If it looks like I’m about to be exposed, then I might as well confess and ask for help. I might get some nagging, but it’s better than being caught.’

“Don’t even start. Why is everyone so persistent? It seems like you’ve had your share of troubles too.”

Calia had declared her intention not to marry when she inherited her title. Noah was aware of this fact from Cordelia.

“Countess, are you really not considering marriage at all?”

One of the women asked Calia, who was requesting a honey drink from a maid. Calia elegantly flicked her hair behind her ear and responded.

“Yes, I’m not interested.”

“I heard there were many proposals.”

“Is there a specific reason?”

“There are rumors that there might be an issue with the Countess’ preferences.”

Calia snapped shut the fan she was holding. With the sound of wood clashing, the flow of questions ceased, and everyone’s attention turned to her. Calia’s lips curved into a soft smile.

“You’re overly curious about others’ matters. Even among us, we should be careful with our words, don’t you think?”

Under her cold warning, everyone subtly diverted their gaze. Calia, who continued to look curiously at Noah, leaned in and whispered.

“Why the expression? Do you have something to say?”