In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 37

EPISODE 37

Calia arrived at Roychel Castle two days later than expected. A captivating beauty, known as the “Red Rose,” crossed the hall without hesitation, her dress swirling around her.

“Hey, sis!”

Cordelia, who had been peeking out from the stairs in the center of the hall, quickly ran down to greet her. Instead of scolding Cordelia for being frivolous, Calia lightly flicked her on the forehead.

“Ouch! Are you crazy, sis?! What if you bruise my skin?”

“Are you even in your right mind?”

It was a perfect non sequitur. Calia’s pinkish eyes glared at her mischievous younger sister. Rubbing her forehead furiously, Cordelia straightened her shoulders and led Calia to the drawing room.

As soon as the door closed, Cordelia placed her hands on her hips and grinned.

“Father has already agreed to it, so all you need to do is join in.”

“How much time have you set aside?”

“I’m planning to have everything roughly ready within ten days at the latest. That should be enough time for the rumors to spread, don’t you think?”

“…Have you already started spreading the word in the capital?”

“Yep! It’ll take a little time for the rumors to fully circulate, though.”

Calia felt a genuine headache coming on at the sight of her sister’s bright smile, but she decided to hear Cordelia out first.

“What exactly are you trying to do?”

“I want to make sure Rick is too fed up to meddle in my marriage plans for a while. They say suitors are flocking to the Duke’s residence in the capital, right? I can’t return if I don’t take care of this.”

It was a fairly logical reason. Normally, Calia would stay neutral on such matters, but even she couldn’t deny that Rick had gone too far this time.

“Of course, it’s not like those people are to blame. They just didn’t want to miss the chance to win the heart of such a beautiful lady, along with a marquisate as a bonus. Right, right.”

Seeing Cordelia nodding with her arms crossed, Calia couldn’t help but be incredulous. But Cordelia continued to excitedly lay out her plan, regardless.

“It’s a bit difficult to plan this all on my own. I’m not exactly the meticulous type, you know.”

“So, you called me here for help.”

“Honestly, doesn’t it sound like fun? Spending this much isn’t going to hurt the family’s finances anyway.”

As she watched Cordelia, brimming with enthusiasm, Calia couldn’t help but smile. True to form, her overly energetic sister was brimming with initiative.

After instructing the servants to bring tea and refreshments, the two sat across from each other on the sofa.

“How many portraits have I received again…? I don’t think it was more than a hundred. Hmm, will I need that many people?”

“That will depend on how you divide them up when bringing them in.”

Calia, having judged that it was too late to stop things now that they were already set in motion, began offering occasional advice in a nonchalant tone. Despite their usual bickering, they worked well together when it mattered.

After wrapping up their discussion, Cordelia rang a small bell. When a maid entered, Cordelia instructed her to summon Noah, which prompted Calia to ask curiously.

“Who are you calling?”

“There’s someone I want to introduce to you.”

“An introduction?”

“A man I like.”

Calia’s eyes narrowed as she watched her sister smile so brightly.  

“A handsome guy with a great personality?”  

“Of course! And he even seems to like me quite a bit. He’s so cute, too.”  

“Cordy, scammers aren’t always far away, you know.”  

At her sister’s earnest warning, Cordelia raised her voice in protest.  

“No, he’s not!”  

“Sure, sure. He might not be. Anyway, where is he? Let’s see his face.”  

Seeing that Calia still hadn’t dropped her suspicion, Cordelia sighed in frustration and clutched her chest.  

“I’m serious! Even Sister Jerania acknowledged him.”  

“Jerania? Well, that makes him somewhat trustworthy…”  

“Isn’t that change of stance a bit too fast?”  

“Cordelia. If you were me, would you trust Jerania or you?”  

“I’d trust Jerania.”  

“Exactly.”  

“Wait, that’s not the point! Don’t you trust me at all?”  

As the two were bickering, there was a light knock on the closed door. The door opened, and a man with shaggy hair appeared, hesitating when he saw Calia.  

“Hello. They said Cordelia called for me….”  

“Oh, come in!”  

Cordelia jumped up from her seat and grabbed the man’s arm, pulling him inside. As the door closed behind him, Noah felt a chill run down his spine.

Cordelia cautiously touched Noah’s forehead, noticing his unease. When she brushed his dark hair away with the back of her hand, his beautiful, clear eyes were revealed. Noah reflexively lowered his head slightly.  

“You look tired. Did you not sleep well?”  

“I stayed up a bit late.”  

Noah, who had answered weakly, gently took Cordelia’s hand off his forehead. While he could have been annoyed, his response was unexpectedly mild.  

“Oh my, you need to sleep well! Do you know how important sleep is for skincare? What were you doing that kept you up all night?”  

As Cordelia fussed over him, Noah felt a strange mix of emotions. He wasn’t so fragile that he couldn’t take care of himself, but she treated him like a child needing constant care.  

Strangely, he didn’t dislike the attention, and that was what unsettled him. He averted his gaze awkwardly.  

“Just… working on something.”  

“On what?”  

“Nothing important. Really, I’m fine.”  

Cordelia narrowed her eyes skeptically. Noah considered saying more but then decided against it.

It wasn’t that he was trying to push her away; he was being truthful. To him, it was nothing significant, and he wasn’t so physically weak that a sleepless night or two would bring him down.  

And during that time, he hadn’t thought about her.  

To avoid thinking about wanting to see her, he needed to clear his mind. Reflecting on the recent events that had left him in a different body, he felt a fear he’d never known before standing in front of a canvas.  

Facing a blank canvas had always felt like an adventure into the unknown, thrilling him with the possibilities of how to fill that space.  

But now, that first step terrified him. He wasn’t confident he could contain the emotions that would surge within him.

Ever since his confinement, Noah had made a conscious effort to suppress his emotions. The only time he allowed himself to be truly honest was when he was painting. Because of this, Noah was confident that as long as he didn’t paint, he could manage. He believed he could hold out until he found a proper solution, and fortunately, he had plenty of patience.

“By the way, where were you yesterday? You didn’t even return to the castle.”

“Something urgent came up. I apologize for not informing you beforehand. I might need to go out again tomorrow as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I might be a bit late.”

His quiet and gentle voice was pleasing to the ear. As Noah finished speaking, he turned to Calia, who had been watching them with her arms crossed, and politely bowed.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Noah Epherman.”

“Calia Weichen.”

Calia nodded slightly, noting that he was a polite man. Cordelia, who had been watching for a reaction, brought Noah over to the sofa and began speaking naturally.

“Oh, and there’s something I need to explain.”

“What is it?”

“Don’t tell anyone else.”

“Sure, let’s hear it.”

Calia’s expression, which had been casual, gradually grew serious as Cordelia explained. By the end, her face reflected deep concern.

“You mean your bodies switched? That’s absurd….”

“So, we’re staying together for now. It seems better to stick close until we find a solution.” 

Cordelia said, though it was clear she had some personal motives as well. Instead of pointing that out, Calia turned to Noah with a question.

“So, you’re saying that you’re the Cordy I met at the birthday banquet?”

“Yes, I owe you for your kindness that day.”

“Oh, that makes sense now. I did think something was odd at the time.”

Calia paused, a thought crossing her mind.

“Wait, I think I might have said something I shouldn’t have.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind, just forget about it.”

“Are you referring to the part where Cordelia writes novels?”

Calia dodged the question, while Cordelia let out a startled hiccup and shouted.

“Sister!”

“How was I supposed to know it wasn’t you? It’s your own fault.”

Calia teased, popping a ginger cookie into Cordelia’s mouth. As Cordelia glared at her but still obediently ate the cookie, Noah couldn’t help but think.

Is this what it means to be tamed?

“It was a bit surprising, but is that something to hide?”

Noah asked, still bewildered.

Cordelia glanced at Calia, silently asking how much she had revealed. Calia answered nonchalantly.

“I didn’t tell him what you write about.”

Understanding that Calia hadn’t mentioned that her novels were romances, Cordelia smiled.

“Well… When a woman says she writes, people tend to dismiss it. I usually keep it to myself because otherwise, they start showing off their knowledge or trying to teach me.”

She’s published nearly 20 books and has been a writer for 12 years. Of course, there are still things she needs to improve, but she certainly doesn’t want to hear advice from people who only handle estate reports and sign documents.

“There are plenty of people who disguise their condescension as kindness just to show off.”

Cordelia added, her gentle voice carrying a cold edge. For a brief moment, Noah’s expression darkened as he considered this, but he soon returned to his usual demeanor.

“If that’s not what you want, I won’t say anything.”

Noah replied. His gaze met Cordelia’s, making her pause slightly. The closeness of their faces, just within arm’s reach, felt strange to her, and she found herself hesitating.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

Noah’s lips curved into a soft smile.

“I just wanted to let you know. By the way, what kind of books do you write?”