In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 2

EPISODE 2

Luther’s comment shattered the pink-tinted fantasy that had enveloped them.  

“Just read a novel.”  

A human devoid of both blood and tears! Luther sighed and responded to Cordelia, who was glaring at him as if to say, ‘How dare you!’

“To begin with, the author has unreasonably high standards.”  

“Isn’t it only natural for someone like me to have high standards?”  

The reason it wasn’t annoying for her to speak so confidently was likely because what she said was true. Luther constantly reminded himself that the person in front of him, who was so unrestrained, was a direct descendant of the most powerful family in the kingdom.  

As for her beauty, even after more than ten years of knowing her, her face still made him tense up whenever she removed her hat. It was only natural for her to have high standards.  

It was a bit of a problem that, since she didn’t need to earn money, there was no way she would produce a manuscript under pressure. Despite being a high-ranking noble and a popular author, her unpretentious nature made her easy to interact with, which was a good thing, but in situations like this, it was still troublesome.  

Luther gave her a gentle look as if she were his younger sister.  

“So when are you planning to get married?”  

“What does it matter? I don’t have to.”  

Leaning back on the sofa, Cordelia complained fervently.  

“These days, Rick’s nagging is getting worse, but why should I care? I can’t even joke with that man. Since he was being so loud, I told him I’d consider it if he brought someone twelve years younger than me, and he brought a portrait of one. Isn’t he crazy?”  

Seeing Cordelia curse her older brother and the most powerful man in the country, Duke Weichen, without hesitation, Luther could only awkwardly laugh without adding to the conversation.  

“He must be worried about you. You’ve missed the right age by a long shot.”  

“There’s an older sister who hasn’t married yet, even though she’s much older than me. Everyone gets married too early, I think. Choosing a lifelong companion is a huge decision, don’t you think it’s a bit much to make it when you’re so young?”  

But, Your Highness, you’re already close to thirty.  

Luther tried hard to keep his mouth shut against the truth that was about to come out. Cordelia continued to ramble.  

“Of course, even in a political marriage, you might end up genuinely liking your partner! But I just don’t want to marry like that. Besides, my brother will inherit the family anyway, so I don’t see why they want to waste a dowry on me.”  

It was common among nobles to marry for the benefit of their estates, but wasn’t she not the only single one in the family? Her second sister, Jerania, was married, but Calia was unmarried like Cordelia.  

But why did they bother her, while they left her older sister alone? Cordelia gritted her teeth.  

“And most importantly…”  

“Most importantly?”  

“…He wasn’t my type.”  

She couldn’t say anything too harsh to the innocent victim, but honestly, he wasn’t her type. For one, he looked too old for his sixteen years, and his features were too coarse.  

To put it nicely, he looked manly; to put it less kindly, he looked rough.

He might be handsome, but Cordelia’s preference leaned more towards a refined beauty. Furthermore, he needed to have a physique as good as a knight’s, and a soft voice would be the icing on the cake.

Of course, she didn’t broadcast this opinion outside. She understood the importance of maintaining decorum.

Portraits tend to be idealized. What could the real person look like to be portrayed this way?

“Honestly, since I’m this pretty, isn’t it only proper that my partner is handsome as well?”

Cordelia’s blue eyes sparkled with confidence based on her reasoning.

Since she was beautiful herself and surrounded by many handsome men, Cordelia’s standards were sky-high. However, the problem was that the people she liked were merely acquaintances.

‘But we’re good enough as it is, do we really need to start dating?’

If someone were to ask, Cordelia would answer like that. Her older sister, Calia, gazed at her younger sibling and concluded.

‘You’re not in love with your partner; you just like dating people.’

‘Isn’t that pretty much the same thing?’

‘…The fact that you’re writing romance novels is the greatest mystery of my life.’

Cordelia expressed her dissatisfaction by grabbing a piece of Calia’s cake with her fork as Calia sighed softly. Calia, who was elegantly drinking tea while letting Cordelia devour the cake with strawberries, replied.

‘If you’re so curious, ask Jerania. She has a good relationship with His Majesty the King.’

Cordelia’s other sister, Jerania, was married to the crown prince and was now busy as the queen. Without hesitation, Cordelia shook her head.

‘Sis won’t tell me anything like that. Besides, there’s no need to pry into things she doesn’t want to talk about.’

‘Our Cordy, you’re not completely clueless about things after all.’

‘What?!’

Calia refilled Cordelia’s teacup, which had been growled at. Despite sulking, Cordelia swallowed her discontent as she sipped her tea.

Despite her efforts to meet people, believing there was a destined partner out there, she was starting to feel a bit disillusioned.

Perhaps such things only exist in novels? Or maybe it’s just that I have no luck with this kind of thing.

“Ah, love is so difficult…”

It seemed so easy in novels. As Cordelia mumbled with genuine melancholy, Luther offered her some mild consolation.

“Just as you mentioned, perhaps the time hasn’t come yet. Maybe it’s worth waiting a bit longer.”

“Really?”

She supposes so. Muttering weakly, Cordelia took a sip of her cooling tea.

The tea smelled so fragrant.

After meeting the Luthers and returning home, Cordelia immediately retreated to her room. While part of it was to avoid unpleasant faces from the party, she also felt that the deadline was becoming increasingly perilous.

After taking a long bath and returning to her room, her red-haired maid, Rosa, was waiting for her.

“My lady, Count Nelson came by just a moment ago.”

Cordelia furrowed her brow, which only made her look more elegant in Rosa’s eyes. Rosa admired her once again.

“I told you to send away any men who came to see me, Rosa.”

“Yes, I did say that… but he didn’t budge. He said he wouldn’t leave until he saw your face.”

“He’ll probably go home on his own. Everyone has their troubles.”

Glancing out the window, Cordelia noticed the sky was quite overcast, even though evening was still far off. She added with a hint of indifference:

“It looks like it’s going to rain soon, so I’d bet one kenny that he won’t last three hours and will go home.”

Betting a large silver coin, Cordelia sat down in front of the mirror. Rosa stood behind her, skillfully arranging her hair. Despite Rosa’s attempts to cheer her up with a conversation, Cordelia’s mood continued to sink.

“Oh, lately even Rick seems like a handsome man…”

Rosa wanted to agree objectively that Duke Weichen was indeed handsome but chose to remain silent. Considering that Cordelia’s minimum standard of beauty was Duke Gracia, it was understandable.

Duke Liam Gracia was a well-known figure. He was one of the two dukes in the kingdom, renowned for his solid physique, broad shoulders, handsome face, and excellent swordsmanship. He was also famous as a devoted husband, and his love story with the current duchess was well-known in the kingdom. Rosa had been entranced by him even though she knew he was already taken.

It was astonishing how Cordelia, who had known such a handsome man since childhood, had never had any romantic rumors. Cordelia dismissed their relationship with the comment, ‘He’s good-looking but utterly annoying.’

‘After all, you only keep friends who are unusually handsome…’

Especially given that well-endowed people often don’t live up to their looks. It was remarkable that someone so arrogant would act so high and mighty considering Cordelia’s standards. Rosa clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Despite everything, Rosa, who had served Cordelia for a long time, felt a pang of sympathy.

“A better man will come along soon.”

“Really? I suppose so.”

Although it wasn’t her only concern, Cordelia just gave a shy smile. Even that smile was so lovely that Rosa genuinely wished for a suitable match for her charming young lady.

As expected, Edward left when it started raining.

The weather might have been a factor, but his pride was probably wounded as well. If he genuinely thought he had made a mistake and wanted to discuss it, he would have written a letter instead of showing up in person. Coming in person was likely a way to better manipulate the situation to his advantage compared to written correspondence.

Having met many men, Cordelia was quite adept at understanding their psychological patterns. She wasn’t sure why things had turned out this way, but…

“Ugh, I don’t even know.”

Cordelia threw her quill in frustration. Her desk was covered in crumpled papers, with discarded wads scattered on the floor.

She stared blankly at the floor, thinking, ah, she needed to burn all this before going to bed. If Rick ever found out that she was writing, it would be the end. While her other sisters are always supportive, she’s sure he would never be.

Thinking of her older brother, who seemed to have inherited her father’s annoying stubbornness, Cordelia felt exasperated. Sometimes, she couldn’t understand why she had to use a male pen name. It frustrated her. Why is there such a fuss about a woman writing?

“But, think about it. There’s no way a man could write a romance novel that excites women!”

Noblewomen seek out romance novels because, given that most women marry young through arranged marriages, they rarely experience the thrill of romance firsthand. With nothing exciting in reality, they seek vicarious pleasure.

“Just treated like forbidden books.”

Grumbling, she organized the papers, locked them in a drawer, and hung the key around her neck. Then, she took a candle and went to the bed.

Before lying down, she blew out the candle she had placed on the nightstand, plunging the room into darkness. She carefully tucked the sheets around her, leaving no space visible.

After feeling her way around to settle under the blankets, Cordelia murmured her usual wish.

“Ah, please, God. Let me meet a perfectly handsome, well-built, kind man who thinks only of me next time…”

Despite having been in a relationship for a long time, Cordelia did not give up hope. Meanwhile, the wind outside seemed to mock her as it tapped against the window.

Unable to hear the sound through the veil, Cordelia closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

***

The sound of chirping birds knocked on her ears. Blinding sunlight bombarded her face, causing Cordelia to groggily open her eyes.

“Ugh…”

A lower-than-usual groan escaped her, but Cordelia, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes.

“Who removed the veil…”

Cordelia always insisted on using a thick veil for a deep sleep, so this sensation of sunlight was quite unusual.

A deep voice echoed in her head, and as Cordelia blinked sleepily, she finally noticed something strange. As she wriggled in bed, she slowly began to sit up.

Huh?

“My line of sight seems higher than usual…”

Cordelia’s eyes widened in shock as she surveyed the room, which was starkly different from her own—a plain ceiling, a small desk, a single chair, and a wardrobe in the corner. She was horrified.

This isn’t her room.

“What’s going on?”

Her voice sounded strange too. It wasn’t as low as hers; it was more pleasing but unfamiliar.

As she pushed away the hair obstructing her view, Cordelia realized her hair color had turned jet black. Panic surged through her.

“Could it be that I’ve been cursed? Did someone jealous of me cast a spell to make me ugly?”

Her writer’s imagination ran wild, Cordelia shuffled to the mirror beside the desk. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself to face what she feared would be an unattractive reflection. Opening her left eye tentatively, she peered into the mirror.

And then she was stunned.

This, this is.

“What on earth is going on?!”

Instead of the familiar pretty face she was used to, a tall man with jet-black hair and blue eyes stared back at her. His youthful face, despite being finely detailed, was contrasted by his broad shoulders and muscular arms.

Crazy, Cordelia muttered to herself without realizing it.

“…He’s incredibly handsome, isn’t he?”

The man looking back at her was the epitome of her ideal type.