In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 1

EPISODE 1

“The flower of romance is the male protagonist!”

Cordelia said, pretending to collapse onto the table while shouting.

A bright voice rang in her ears.

“Wow! It’s the author.”

Startled, Cordelia straightened up and turned towards the door. A girl who looked around ten years old peeked her head through the doorframe and then walked lightly into the room.

It was Rosetta Luther, Mason Luther’s only daughter.

“Is the author doing that again?”

“Again? I’m serious, Rosetta.”

Cordelia’s voice was much softer compared to how she spoke to Luther. Despite this differential treatment, Luther only shook his head. Rosetta tilted her head and said clearly.

“But author, you did the same thing during the deadline a few months ago.”

“Hmm, did I?”

Cordelia cleared her throat awkwardly. The dilemma about the perfect male protagonist was a recurring theme for Cordelia’s deadlines. This was understandable since she had exceptionally high standards when it came to her ideal male leads.

In reality, since these ideal men didn’t exist or were merely someone else’s ‘bread,’ Cordelia insisted that even fantasy should be perfect. It was Luther’s job to humor her in this. Luther suddenly thought. It’s really hard to make a living.

“Should I retire after all?”

“Calm down.”

To soothe the extremely dramatic Cordelia, Luther placed the cake he had brought in front of her. Cordelia’s fork deftly sliced through the air as she gazed at the tart with apricots on top of thick cheese.

“Mmm, it’s delicious! Luther, you’re really good at cooking.”

“Thank you.”

Thinking that being an editor and publisher was also a tough job, Luther handed a tart plate to his daughter. Despite her dramatic demeanor, Cordelia was quite diligent among the authors and had fewer picky habits.

Nobles typically don’t face commoners directly.

Unlike other noble authors who usually send their manuscripts through servants, Cordelia occasionally visited this place because she felt bored, and due to her affable nature, Luther had been doing this for over ten years unexpectedly.

“How about using magic as a theme? Didn’t you say you know a priest?”

Mystical abilities, regardless of the time, always attract attention. Although actual magic is monopolized by the temples, seeing real magic usually only happens during temple-sponsored events.

To explain this, one would need to look into the founding history of the kingdom. The history of the Creitz Kingdom, where they live, goes back roughly a thousand years.

The founding legend includes the first king, Cardian Linaen, and three loyal subjects who helped establish the kingdom. Unlike the two loyal subjects who were granted dukedoms, the remaining one is said to have quietly requested from the first king.

‘There is no sin in power. It is only important how it is used.’

The only wizard among the three who served the deity Felicier was saddened by the situation of wizards who were persecuted due to what was then considered a sinister craft. He negotiated with the royal family to establish a temple, entering into a kind of agreement that he and the temple would be responsible for everything related to magic.

This person was Avis, the head of the first temple, Hellas Sandria. So, while not all priests are wizards, all wizards must be affiliated with the temple. Although a law was revised two years ago following negotiations with the royal family, changing the obligation of awakened wizards to a choice rather than a duty to belong to the temple, it would still take a few more years for the results to become apparent.

Thus, although magic exists, to those completely unrelated to the temple, it remains as much of a fantasy as it is to nobles. It’s just something like, ‘Oh, that exists?’ For most, even nobles, encountering magic in their lifetime is highly unlikely unless they are involved in an incident. Particularly, the temple controls information so thoroughly that it’s not easy to learn about magic unless one is directly involved.

Of course, the temple is not an inflexible group, so they wouldn’t suddenly arrest someone for including magic in a novel. But Cordelia shook her head nonchalantly.

“No, they don’t know I’m the author. I have no intention of revealing it, and even if they did know, they would lecture me for about three hours about how magic isn’t that convenient.”

“That’s difficult.”

“And right now, my concerns are more about the male protagonist than the theme.”

Nevertheless, Cordelia’s contemplation seemed longer than usual. Luther, having an inkling of the reason, asked another question.

“Is it because the response to ‘The Letters of Gray Dorian’ wasn’t great? It was the only work of yours with a sad ending.”

The Letters of Gray Dorian was Cordelia’s most recent work. It was about a man who loved a noblewoman as beautiful as a rose but sent her letters once a month after she married another man.

Although the sales were similar to her previous book, many letters to the publisher expressed disappointment with the ending.

Cordelia firmly shook her head.

“No, I was satisfied with the ending. It just couldn’t be a happy ending.”

Though it was wrapped in beautiful language, the story was ultimately quite gloomy, observing someone’s private life constantly. She never considered a happy ending where they ended up together. This was because Cordelia had experienced something similar, not even having been in a relationship with the other person.

So it was unavoidable. But she couldn’t just kill the character for real, could she? The satisfaction of killing off the male protagonist was unparalleled!

Contrary to her usual cheerful and bright nature, Cordelia was obsessively ruthless when it came to her work. She had a rather wicked side, especially in her willingness to exploit those around her for material. Of course, she never forgot to include sufficient alterations to avoid recognition.

“Ah, but really, I can’t think of anything. What on earth is a perfect man? What does that even mean?”

Cordelia frowned, counting on her fingers as if she had a lot on her mind.

“If he’s polite but not clingy, people say he lacks passion. If he’s too clingy, they say he’s scary. If he’s kind to everyone, they don’t trust him. And if he’s completely rude, I hate that!”

“You used to like that sort of thing, didn’t you?”

“Experiencing reality, I found it too exhausting to enjoy. Especially a man who tries to interfere in every little thing I do—ugh. It’s the worst.”

They say novels should instill fantasies that don’t exist in reality, but when reality gets in the way, even the existing fantasies disappear. It would have been fine if she were a reader, but as a writer, this was quite a blow.

“So, who did you break up with this time?”

From Luther’s experience, Cordelia’s complaints were deeply related to her love life. Cordelia muttered as if lamenting.

“He had a decent face, though…”

“Was it another issue with his personality?”

As soon as Luther smoothly followed up, Cordelia’s eyes lit up.

“Yes!”

Cordelia firmly gripped Luther’s arm, which seemed to be reaching out to clear the plates, and chatted energetically.

“But listen to me, Luther. He seemed polite and decent, so we dated for a few months, but he became excessively clingy over time.”

He kept trying to interfere with every little thing she did, grabbing her wrist without permission or pulling her into hugs. The man who initially spoke to her so courteously seemed to have disappeared completely.

Of course, she tolerated it to some extent, thinking it was just because he was her partner. The reason for the breakup was the same as always.

“And I clearly said I didn’t want to talk about our relationship outside, so why does he want to show off so much? And on top of that, he keeps prying about my conversations with Liam. What could there possibly be with someone I see once or twice a year!”

That guy is already married!

Frustrated, Cordelia recalled her well-groomed friend. Since getting married, his face had blossomed so much that when she met him after a long time and asked about his family, he talked endlessly about it. She didn’t want to be involved in such trivial matters.

“The Duke of Gracia is in trouble again.”

“I don’t understand. Why is everyone so fixated on Liam? What’s with these crazy people who think I’m having an affair with a married man every time I date someone?”

Even though Liam had been married for over seven years and still had a cheerful disposition, Cordelia mimicked scratching her arms in frustration.

Honestly, it was disgusting. It felt like seeing a childish younger brother trying to act mature. Of course, if Liam had heard, he would have retorted that he was two years older than her.

“There are many people who go out, after all.”

When Luther mentioned that many people have mistresses, Cordelia stuck out her lower lip in displeasure.

“Even so, what does it matter who I interact with? Are you saying I should end a ten-year friendship just for dating someone?”

She had never even done anything to warrant misunderstanding. All she did was listen to him brag about his family and smile while he talked. She had only ever told him to tone it down a bit.

How did it end up looking that way?

Cordelia had thought Eddie would be different, but he was just as bad as the others. Initially, she tried to calm him down by saying it was a misunderstanding, but no matter how many times she said it, he kept making ridiculous claims that he had feelings for her, crossing lines. Eventually, she was exhausted.

‘How long are you going to keep talking about this? Eddie, I don’t like this atmosphere. If I said no, let’s end it here, okay?’

‘But even if you say no, you can’t know how he feels about you. How obvious men’s minds are, you, being so noble, can never imagine.’

‘So, that’s just your opinion! Stop making rude remarks about someone who has a wife he’s madly in love with. Don’t cross the line.’

Her greatest patience was not calling him delusional. Edward sighed deeply, and his gaze made her feel as if she were dealing with a naive, clueless child. She was annoyed by the notion of being taught by someone who had only been in this field for a few years.

‘I am serious, Cordelia. I can’t back down until you give me a definite answer that you won’t see him again.’

It was most amusing how he acted as if he had no close female friends. He can have them, but she can’t? Cordelia was taken aback and laughed in disbelief.

‘Really? Then let’s break up.’

She said it without hesitation, then boarded the carriage, leaving behind the stunned man. As she left, he had asked if friendship was more important than love, trying to hold her back. Cordelia sighed just like he had and replied bluntly.

‘Friendship isn’t more important, but it’s better than someone who doesn’t understand me. It’s hard to feel attracted to a man who only considers his perspective. Thanks for everything, and take care.’

Although she had liked him quite a bit, what’s not right isn’t right.

Cordelia was as decisive as her fiery personality. She was praised for resembling her mother from head to toe, but what she inherited from her father, the Duke, was her drinking capacity and resolute nature.

Moreover, once she started indulging in such nonsense, it would only lead to more demands. The experiences she had from her younger days made her shiver involuntarily.

It was embarrassing to discuss this with Liam or anyone around her, not wanting to reveal that she had once had such a foolish lover. So, she ended up lamenting here.

“But when I talk to other people, it seems like I’m not the only one meeting these kinds of guys. What’s the problem? It would be enough if someone were just like you, Luther. How about becoming a son-in-law?”

“I politely decline.”

Even though Luther saw it as a joke, the cold sweat running down his back showed he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea. It’s a common sentiment among workers not to get too entangled with their superiors.

“Ah, is there no man who’s incredibly handsome, in great shape, kind, perceptive, well-mannered, and only good to me…?”