In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 114

EPISODE 114

Cordelia flinched slightly at the sharp observation but soon spoke honestly.

“Just a bit.”

It would be a lie to say she’s not anxious even amidst her happiness. She knows reality too well. She understands how much courage Noah must have mustered to hold her hand. Even while trying to figure out a realistic way to be with her, she fears she might not find a solution that doesn’t involve losing something.

“Of course, it seems like he likes me! But he likes me so much that it’s a problem. If he thinks I’m in danger, I feel like he might just give up everything without hesitation.”

She was scared that if such a moment came, Noah might try to give up on her again.

“Honestly, I don’t think our advice will solve the problem, but maybe you should discuss it directly with him?”

Jasmine sighed and offered a straightforward solution. Cordelia shook her head.

“I want to, but I promised not to bring it up first. Ah, what was I thinking back then? I should have just asked! I hate feeling frustrated.”

Even saying that, she knew she would make the same choice if she went back. Despite feeling a bit annoyed with herself for being so sure, she didn’t dislike it. She didn’t want to make Noah’s situation worse.

“I’ve been pulling too much. I think I need to hold back a little. He’s always so anxious; it’s a problem.”

Even while grumbling, Cordelia’s eyes were filled with affection when she mentioned Noah. The three people watching her exchanged quiet glances. Viscount Owen touched his chin and smiled.

“It’s something for the people involved to resolve, but… speaking from my experience with marriage.”

From his experience?

“Thinking hard is good, but when you talk things over, often it turns out to be not such a big deal.”

There was a hint of experience in his slightly distant gaze as he reminisced.

“I agree with Lady Jasmine. I think lovers need a bit more communication. From the looks of it, Lady Elisa seems to think similarly.”

“It’s not my business, so I’m careful about adding anything, but yes.”

With Elisa agreeing, Cordelia nodded as if resigned. Her large, blue eyes, filled with complex emotions, flickered.

“It’s so hard.”

“Things always seem simple when it’s someone else’s issue, but they become difficult when it’s your own.”

“I didn’t realize it so vividly when writing about it.”

Cordelia, who was fiddling with her newly shortened hair, mischievously changed the subject.

“By the way, how are things going with Young Count Joshua?”

As Viscount Owen had said, stories of other people’s love affairs are often simpler. Jasmine, chosen as the sacrificial lamb to change the serious atmosphere, put down her teacup and responded gruffly.

“There’s nothing to be going well or not. We only exchange letters occasionally.”

“Oh, I heard that Francis, the young count, visited Count Robin’s family. Did I hear wrong?”

“…Where did you hear such rumors, Lady Elisa?”

“Our family is what it is. Where else can you find information that’s as valuable as money?”

Surrounded by people who were eagerly sticking to her, Jasmine, unable to retort, chose to remain silent. Cordelia, who had been gloomy before, now sparkled with interest and asked.

“So, did you go for a walk together?”

“If he visited the mansion, doesn’t that mean things are progressing well? Did you hold hands?”

“Ha, it sounds nice. Oh, of course, it’s winter now.”

With Viscount Owen joining in, Jasmine glared at the three with a look of exasperation.

“Is it fun to tease me?”

“Oh, not at all.”

Elisa added innocently.

“It’s not just fun to tease. I happened to run out of material.”

“Ha.”

“You’d better cooperate willingly, Lady Jasmine, unless you want to appear in my novel!”

Jasmine was taken aback by Elisa’s threatening gesture with a pen, but she chose to remain silent. To be honest, considering the nature of the works Elisa writes, it was true that she didn’t want to appear in them at all.

“By the way, hasn’t anyone heard news about new books yet?”

Elisa’s face was lively as she rested her chin on her hands and smiled. It was quite surprising compared to the quiet manner in which she used to refute the men’s arguments when they first met.

Is this the audacity of being twenty-one?

“I’m thinking of late spring. I’ve been quite busy lately.”

“Is it because of the wedding preparations?”

“Say that one more time, Lady Elisa.”

Elisa, ignoring Jasmine’s gritted teeth and growl, feigned indifference. Cordelia, who was thoughtfully calculating dates, shook her head.

“Hmm, I think I’ll have to wait until summer.”

At least for Laurence Blanc.

“This break is quite long. Didn’t you usually release two books a year?”

“I’ve been having a lot of doubts, so I’m not writing well.”

The sharp observation made Cordelia flinch internally, but she managed to stay calm and brush it off. Fortunately, thanks to the recent discussion about romance, no one seemed to suspect anything unusual and the conversation continued without issue.

Should she also discuss things with Noah?

She hadn’t mentioned anything about the play or what she decided to do regarding the royal family. It wasn’t that there hadn’t been opportunities, but rather that she didn’t want to spoil the early, joyful, and innocent moments of their relationship by bringing it up.

She knew that putting it off would only delay the inevitable, but she wondered if she could postpone it just a little longer. They had just become lovers, and there were still many things to do! They hadn’t even had much chance to go out alone because of their busy schedules.

Even though she knew it was her fault for creating such a tight deadline, Cordelia grumbled internally.

She decided she should finish quickly and properly go out with Noah. She thought that discussing it afterward wouldn’t be too late, and with that thought, Cordelia picked up her teacup with a nonchalant expression.

* * *

“Here, shouldn’t this symbol be included in this part?”

“Since it needs to suppress magic, isn’t this one better? It’s said to have an effect that fixes existence.”

“While the explanation says that, this symbol is generally used more often. However, considering the nature of the magic, you make a good point.”

“In that case, let’s try including this one and that one separately and see how it works.”

Dozens of sheets of paper were scattered in front of Lyneth and Silkion, who were actively exchanging opinions. The large sheet of paper fixed in the center of the table and the huge circle drawn on it captured their attention.

“It’s almost done.”

Creating a new magic circle from scratch was more difficult than using an existing one, and reconfiguring a magic circle to perfectly fit the already activated magic was even harder.

Even in copying an object, understanding what the object looked like was just the beginning; the real challenge was inferring the whole from only parts. Not only did the result need to be precise, but deciphering magic accurately also required considerable knowledge and judgment.

As Cordelia said, Silkion, the wizard, had been a great help in this regard. How old could he be? Silkion asked Lyneth, who was squinting at him.

“What are you staring at?”

“I’m curious about what kind of life you’ve led.”

It’s quite intimidating to think that someone like him holds an important position in a foreign country.

“The duchy maintains neutrality. At least, I can assure you that this stance will not be broken under my lord’s reign.”

Perhaps reading her inner thoughts, the smooth response came back. Quick to pick up on things.

“I think it will be finished by tomorrow. Then we can immediately start creating the magic circle.”

The papers scattered around them were traces of countless experiments and failures. Adjusting the flow of magic to be ‘similar’ and making it ‘identical’ were entirely different issues, so they had to be more cautious.

Usually, even a small-scale operation like this would require at least five wizards, so it’s no wonder it’s taking them longer with just the two of them.

“Still, it’s faster than I expected. I thought it would take another fortnight.”

“Thanks to that.”

They both glanced at the crumpled paper next to the circle. It was something Noah had handed over recently. They were astonished at how precise the notes were next to the magic circle, which was only partially drawn.

“You seem to be deep in thought.”

Lyneth cleared her throat softly.

“Well, it’s just surprising. The notes were so accurate for a magic circle that wasn’t even half completed.”

Thanks to that, the work on restoring the magic circle proceeded more swiftly. Especially since they needed to frequently visit the library to figure out the unfamiliar magical symbols, the paper’s notes on the symbols used proved quite convenient.

“I wonder if there are many wizards in Heritha who can analyze things like this as a basic skill.”

If a passing wizard could exhibit this level of proficiency, what kind of place is Heritha?

“It’s the most advanced place for magic on the continent.”

“Have you been there?”

Silkion fell silent for a moment. Just as Lyneth was about to question the unusual silence, Silkion calmly replied.