In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 0

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1. A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A LADY

It was a morning with bright sunshine pouring through the window.

Leaving behind the weather that was so sunny that made you feel good just by looking at it, the man stared blankly at the mirror attached to the bedside table.

Yes, something had been strange ever since he woke up.

The large hands with calloused skin, the significantly higher field of vision, and the unusually clear mind for someone who wasn’t a morning person.

When he swept aside the jet-black hair covering his eyes, lake-clear blue eyes were revealed. His finely sculpted features were so beautiful they could be believed to be crafted by a god.

However, this was not his face.

Cordelia stared intently at the unfamiliar face of a man she didn’t know, instead of her own familiar, pretty face. No matter how many times she blinked, the reality remained the same.

Cordelia’s voice trembled as she stared at the reflection in the mirror, not of herself, but of another person.

“This, this is.”

What on earth is going on?!

* * *

It’s good to be pretty.

“That’s Lady Cordelia!”

For one thing, it looks nice, and it’s pleasing to the eye, right?

Soft exclamations filled the banquet hall. A woman who had just crossed the threshold from girlhood stood in a sky-blue dress where her gaze fell.

With golden hair curled inward, eyes as blue as a lake, long eyelashes, and plump red lips, the woman exuded a dignified aura reminiscent of a masterpiece.

There might be people who missed seeing her, but there was no one who saw her and didn’t look back. She didn’t earn the title of the most beautiful woman in the kingdom for nothing.

If her sister Calia was called the Red Rose, Cordelia was an elegant beauty reminiscent of a golden tulip.

“She is truly beautiful….”

One of the group gave a sly rebuke to the woman who gazed at Cordelia in awe.

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

“Why, even you, couldn’t take your eyes off her. I felt it when I first saw her today, but the rumors don’t even capture half of her beauty. I heard she hasn’t been active in social circles lately, so we were lucky. It would have been nice if Lady Calia had come too….”

The woman, who looked as if she couldn’t handle her chattering friend, sipped her apple wine.

It wasn’t just them; most of the people in the banquet hall were sneaking glances at Cordelia. They just couldn’t stare openly due to propriety.

One would think she might notice such persistent glances, but Cordelia was lost in thought as if bored. The bracelet with a red jewel on her slightly exposed white wrist suited her well.

“Well, she is certainly beautiful… But she doesn’t seem very chaste.”

Cordelia’s numerous romantic affairs were very well-known in social circles. There was a joke, not really a joke, that every handsome man must have dated Cordelia at least once, as the number of people she had been involved with easily exceeded ten.

However, none of them lasted more than three months.

Some of her exes claimed that they had broken up with Cordelia and spread rumors, but unfortunately, not many believed them.

This was because Cordelia had never shown any regret towards her ex-partners and was still enjoying the highest popularity in the social circles.

“Doesn’t the fact that she’s still not married mean there’s something wrong with her?”

Most of the people gathered were shocked by the bold statement. An older woman quietly admonished.

“What are you talking about? There are still numerous proposals being sent to the Weichen duchy.”

“Besides, isn’t she currently seeing someone?”

“With money and power, what can’t she achieve?”

Anyone who had seen Cordelia even once knew that any attempt to denigrate her was baseless.

Cordelia Weichen. The youngest daughter of the Weichen duchy, who had captivated people with her elegant beauty since she entered society, was still enjoying the height of her popularity more than ten years later.

Even the men, standing far from the women, were sneaking glances at Cordelia, and even her profile, lost in thought with a drink in hand, was perfectly sculpted.

She looked so youthful that it was hard to believe she was nearing thirty.

“Did you hear? There’s a rumor that Lady Cordelia and Count Nelson have broken up.”

“Is that true?”

“Apparently. It seems Count Nelson’s family’s carriage couldn’t even enter the gate of her house and was just standing there.”

“Oh dear…”

At that moment, a man approached Cordelia. As soon as they saw him, the men fell silent as if on cue.

It was Edward Nelson, the very man they had been talking about. Just over thirty, he was a handsome man with neatly combed hair and dressed stylishly.

The two of them looked great together, but the conversation was far from amiable.

“Have you said everything you wanted to?”

Despite the friendly smile on her face, Cordelia’s cold reply felt like a frostbite. Edward responded in a gentle voice.

“Cordy, I’m sorry about that day.”

“Do you even know what you’re sorry for?”

“For not respecting your opinion properly. But you were at fault too, weren’t you?”

Cordelia’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He seemed to have forgotten the rude assumptions he had made in front of her. She had clearly demanded an apology and a correction, and when he failed to understand, she had broken up with him. Now, he was acting as if it was a mutual fault, despite having started it himself. Did he think that speaking politely would make everything right? Completely oblivious to her growing annoyance, he continued smoothly.

“No matter how you look at it, you are too trusting. You need to be more cautious…”

“Count.”

As she cut him off, too irritated to listen any longer, the man looked at Cordelia in surprise.

In the past, she might have quietly stepped on his foot, but with age, Cordelia had learned more effective ways to immobilize her opponent.

“I’ve sent back everything you gave me to your house. I made sure not to leave anything out, so please check.”

Gone was the playful and affectionate lover, replaced by a Cordelia who maintained polite formality without any emotion on her face.

Before Edward could process the look of complete indifference she gave him, Cordelia spoke with a gentle but firm voice.

“Oh, you can keep all the gifts I gave you. Or throw them away if you like.”

And with that, goodbye. Leaving the stunned man behind, she turned and left the banquet hall with light steps.

The weather outside the window was indeed very sunny.

Sunlight poured over the red-roofed house.

A luxurious carriage stopped near the building, which served as a publishing house except for the third-floor living quarters, and a woman, lightly sweeping her hair back, walked with notably irritated steps.

“Ah, to hell with romance and novels!”

Cordelia swiftly entered the building and plopped down on the sofa in the reception room on the second floor, grumbling in frustration.

A gentle-looking man with neatly cut brown hair placed a steaming cup of tea in front of her.

“Calm down, author. You know your readers are eagerly waiting for your new release.”

“Shut up, Luther! I’m retiring now!”

“Yes, yes. I understand how you feel, but you can’t do that.”

No matter what Cordelia said, Luther let it in one ear and out the other. Declaring retirement whenever she was struggling with deadlines had become one of Cordelia’s habits.

The youngest daughter of the most powerful family in the kingdom, the elegant beauty who dominated social circles. Beyond these, Cordelia had another identity.

Laurence Blanc, is the most popular romance novelist in the kingdom.

Over a decade ago, she had burst onto the scene like a comet, writing bestsellers such as “Night of Frey,” captivating aristocrats and wealthy women alike, and now even garnering a readership among commoners.

This was the other face of Cordelia Weichen.

As Cordelia began to drink her tea and seemed to calm down a bit, Luther cautiously continued his questioning.

“Is there any progress on the manuscript?”

“No. I’m writing bits and pieces, but it’s not moving forward.”

Books were originally made by hand, but after the temple invented a machine that applied magic for printing, allowing for mass production, the industry underwent a dramatic change.

With the ability to request printing from the temple, the number of small publishing houses and bookstores gradually increased.

Initially, only nobles, wealthy commoners, and monks could read, so the market wasn’t very large. However, due to an educational policy implemented by the state about five years ago, the number of literate people has increased rapidly.

With the cost of books becoming much cheaper and the number of literate commoners increasing, it was inevitable that the market would expand rapidly.

The number of writers also gradually increased, and Cordelia was part of the generation right after the pioneers.

When Cordelia first anonymously sent her manuscripts to publishers, the only positive response she received was from Mason Luther. He often said that decision changed the course of his publishing career.

Contrary to the prejudice that no one would read romance novels, Cordelia’s romances were incredibly successful, which contributed to making her pen name, Laurence Blanc, one of the most popular authors in the kingdom.

From innocent and fresh love stories to sensual descriptions, Cordelia was capable of handling any narrative, proving herself to be a truly talented writer.

…Of course, like any other writer, she was no exception when it came to struggling with deadlines. Cordelia sprawled out over the table.

“But I seriously can’t come up with any ideas. What should I do?”

“Why don’t you take some inspiration from your previous works?”

“No way! What’s the fun of seeing the same thing again? Besides, I can’t think of a fantastic male protagonist—aaahhhh—.”