In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 46

EPISODE 46

“So, you’re telling me that there’s chaos at the castle right now?”

Yuri Gracia didn’t bother to hide his laughter. He burst out in a loud guffaw, laughing so heartily that his throat was visible. In response to his boisterous friend’s laughter, Isaac replied in a very gentle tone.

“Haha, since our youngest requested it, we should gladly oblige. After all, an unworthy man can’t become our child’s partner.”

When Yuri, who hadn’t visited in a while, asked about the situation at the castle, Isaac, pretending to be dignified, eagerly recounted everything that had happened. Seeing this, Yuri concluded that Isaac must have been quite bored since his retirement.

Of course, he was right.

“It’s already the third day today. How’s it going?”

“No one has given the correct answer yet. But that’s only natural.”

“Well, the conditions are quite harsh.”

Even Yuri couldn’t help but click his tongue when he heard that they even made the contestants wear the same perfume. While the women had various hair colors, it was said that some were wearing wigs to blend in.

Isaac snorted.

“If they can’t even handle that, how do they expect to take my daughter?”

“Well, if it were you, you’d probably recognize Tiella right away.”

At the weary look directed at him, Isaac snapped back.

“If there’s love, it should be easy!”

“Your intuition is more like an art form.”

“Call it observational skill.”

“Old raccoon.”

“What does the old bear know?”

Muttering insults to each other, the two old men burst out laughing when their eyes met. They were knights among knights, scholars among scholars. Despite being on opposite ends of the spectrum, they were perfectly in sync.

Isaac lightly changed the subject.

“Let’s not just talk about my kids. How’s Liam doing?”

When asked about his only son, who had inherited the title a few years ago, Yuri let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t even get me started. Raising kids is useless. When I see how he treats his partner, it makes me sick to my stomach. If only he had been half as filial to me, I would have cherished him. But no.”

“That’s all your own doing. Who told you to raise your son so strictly? It’s only natural that he would rebel.”

“Well, raising them like you don’t seem to be the perfect solution either.”

Isaac’s temples throbbed as he realized Yuri was referring to Frederick. He had done his best to teach him, but who could have predicted such a result?

Even someone as knowledgeable as him in all the world’s subjects had to admit defeat when it came to raising children. It was a truth he had learned while raising his exceptionally unique children.

How could someone who has only raised one child understand this frustration? He suppressed the urge to shout out.

“There are limits to what we can do. Still, I think the other kids turned out quite well.”

“Indeed, your daughters have become more interesting as time goes on. It wouldn’t have been bad to become in-laws.”

“It just wasn’t meant to be. Besides, being in-laws with you? The mere thought is repulsive.”

“I got chills just after saying it. My apologies.”

“It’s fine. It could have happened.”

“I really do like your daughters, though.”

He smacked his lips, genuinely looking disappointed. Isaac, who knew that Yuri was particularly fond of his second daughter, subtly changed the subject.

“Who can break the stubbornness of children? I couldn’t even break mine, which is how I ended up with in-laws I never imagined.”

“Indeed, you even turned down the offer to become in-laws with the late king.”

“I thought it was too much of an honor.”

Isaac laughed it off, hiding his true feelings. He wasn’t crazy enough to forge ties with the royal palace, which was beyond chaotic at the time. With the approaching transition of the throne, it was clear that a bloodbath was inevitable.

Thanks to the late king’s licentiousness, he had nearly thirty children, so the palace resembled a battlefield every day. The only somewhat reliable option was the crown prince, but he was an inscrutable figure. Isaac had no intention of forcing his daughters into that troublesome environment just to expand their power.

At least not until his second daughter, whom he trusted the most, stabbed him in the back.

“By the way, Cordelia sure has a bold personality. Who would have thought she’d go to such lengths to fend off suitors?”

Yuri kept nodding, still amused by the thought.

“It seems she’s still not getting along with her older sister.”

“She’s definitely planning to get back at her this time.”

Isaac could vividly recall the face of his youngest daughter, confidently stating that no suitors would dare to approach for a while after this grand scheme. The thought of another figure replacing her only added to his unease.

“I’m curious to see who will win that charming young lady’s favor.”

“Haha, indeed.”

But in reality, there was a much bigger issue at hand, something Isaac couldn’t bring himself to share with Yuri, which only made him sigh more. Was this trial a punishment from the gods for thinking he was a bit bored?

“By the way, I feel like taking a walk…”

“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go grab a meal.”

Isaac stood up, offering a vague excuse. The best he could do now was to make sure that Yuri didn’t run into Prince Ian. Although Yuri rarely visited the capital, there was always a chance.

“Yeah, I am a bit peckish.”

Isaac had never been so grateful for his friend’s odd obliviousness as he was at that moment. Knights were generally not known for their subtlety, after all.

Isaac was mentally grumbling about this stereotype when Yuri turned to look at him, prompting him to quickly mask his expression with feigned indifference. Yuri, affectionately smacking Isaac’s shoulder with a hand as large as a pot lid, showed his fondness.

“So, is Cordelia still in the hall?”

“Well…”

***

“Please write your family crest and name.”

The men wrote their names and signed the papers handed to them by the maids, then followed them into the hall once again. Their initial mix of bewilderment and confidence turned into shock the moment they entered the hall.

The time allotted was about half a day. Food and water were provided in abundance. Some of the men used this opportunity to offer food to the women, observing how they ate to deduce which ones might be impostors.

Of course, to account for such situations, a few real noblewomen were mixed in. Although fights occasionally broke out among the suitors when they realized they had chosen the same woman, the waiting servants quickly intervened to quell the disputes.

If there had been any exchange of information among the suitors, things might have been different, but as the saying goes, ‘Jealousy springs up when a cousin buys land.’ There was no one willing to help another succeed where they had failed. Due to the strict secrecy, it required considerable effort to even discover the criteria for the selection.

Some tried to bribe the servants to obtain clues, but they only knew the general context of how the ball came to be, without any real knowledge of who Cordelia was.

As a result, even after a week, no one had yet identified Cordelia.

“Isn’t it this one?”

Calia was enjoying tea in a small room off to the side of the hall when the suitors began bringing women to her.

The selected woman would remove her mask in front of the suitor. Calia watched with a rather bored expression as the suitor’s face, full of expectation just before the reveal, quickly deflated into disappointment upon realizing they were wrong.

“Unfortunately, no.”

The once dejected suitor’s steps became lively again as soon as he exited the room, clearly determined not to share any useful information with the others. Calia found this attitude amusing.

Occasionally, the names of Cordelia’s former lovers would appear in the ledger over the week, but they too failed to identify her and had to leave.

‘Is the Lady Cordelia really in there?’

When someone angrily asked this question, Calia answered firmly.

‘By the honor of the Weichen family, she most certainly is.’

With the family name on the line, the man had no choice but to withdraw, though his expression showed he remained unconvinced. Calia watched him leave without much emotion.

The truth was, Cordelia was indeed in that room. The only person who knew who she was, however, was Calia.

Even the gathered women had no idea who each other was. They had all been masked and given training without any interaction allowed between them. The ban on speaking wasn’t just to disguise voices; even accents could reveal their true identities.

While certain mannerisms could be adequately mimicked with some effort, the chances of making a mistake increased dramatically once they started speaking.

To prevent any exchange of information, the women’s outfits were switched daily. The maids had been kept quite busy, but with the promise of additional pay, they didn’t mind.

It took considerable time just to gather thirty women. While hair color could be altered with wigs, eye color couldn’t, so blue eyes were a must. Moreover, Cordelia was relatively tall, which further limited the pool of candidates. Since shoes could only add so much height, they couldn’t just pick anyone.

Fortunately, after about ten days of training, the women’s behaviors became convincing enough.

When Calia first heard the full details of the plan, her initial reaction was one of concern. While preparing for the ball, she tentatively brought up a worry.

‘What if someone actually finds you?’

‘They won’t. You heard what I said. There’s no way anyone can solve this.’

Seeing her sister’s confident response, Calia sighed and agreed.

‘Well, it would take quite a lack of bias to figure it out. Still, you have someone you like, right? Is it okay to go through with this while keeping him waiting?’

‘Hmph, what does it matter? That guy!’

From the way she turned her head with annoyance, it was clear she was still upset. Understanding the identity of her counterpart, Calia couldn’t help but grasp why she might be so frustrated. It was understandable that the situation would be challenging.

‘And if someone manages to recognize me despite all this… it must be destiny.’

‘That’s true.’

“You really are just as you are.”

Calia pondered whether romantic love always required overcoming obstacles and hardships, stretching her arms as she let out a yawn. She resumed waiting for the door to open with a relaxed demeanor.

***

Meanwhile, Cordelia gazed listlessly at the hall.

The elegant and serene melody of the ball echoed through the grand hall, where elegantly dressed individuals danced gracefully. The contrast between the seemingly peaceful and the fierce, competitive glances exchanged among the guests was almost pitiful. It was like a swan gliding majestically on the surface of the water while desperately paddling beneath.

“No matter how many times they search, they won’t find me.”

The blue eyes behind the mask blinked slowly.

Anyone who was supposed to come within ten days should have arrived by now. Regardless of who it was, they would never be able to find her. She had already sufficiently conveyed to Rick that she had no intention of marrying according to his wishes.

Though she felt a bit sorry for the suitors, most were probably more interested in the wealth and titles that came with her.

It was a bit irritating to stay like this for over a week, but she managed to endure it. She just needed to hold out for a bit longer, as it was only about three hours a day.

“Clang!”

As Cordelia stared intently at the clock on the wall in one corner of the hall, a sudden scream pierced through the music, snapping her attention toward the source of the sound.