In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 53

EPISODE 53

Noah quietly retraced his memories. Of course, having a backer was true.

“It doesn’t seem like I’ve ever been asked for only good things.”

He had only received a few opportunities that could make a lot of money. The cases he did get had exorbitant fees, but that was the exception rather than the rule.

Regarding the mural work, it wasn’t because of his skill that it came to him, but because others with the necessary skills had all turned it down. If he had known the mural would become this famous, he would have simply refused it. He thought about it a little.

“Well… I guess you think you’re being too full of yourself. Sometimes, you’re too fearless.”

“Am I really?”

“Didn’t you know? Usually, guild leaders should be obeyed, but you pick and choose your jobs. That alone can easily put you out of favor.”

“That’s because, if I don’t do it, someone else could…”

Noah wasn’t greedy about making money, so he usually refused jobs that he felt he didn’t need to do himself. Instead, he mostly took on jobs that required a lot of skill but were avoided by others. Since the mural, his fame has doubled.

How did it end up like this?

When Tyrain recommended joining the guild, Noah accepted simply to receive better treatment and help with art supplies or materials. He never expected it would turn out like this.

“Anyway, be careful. You never know what trouble they might cause.”

Having previously been hit by dirty water while coming out of a building, Noah nodded to his concerned colleagues.

There were indeed some who didn’t like him. In the past, he hadn’t felt it much since he was always protected, but now as just a common worker, he often encountered those who treated him poorly.

But guild politics and infighting were nothing new. At first, he was surprised, but Noah quickly became accustomed to it. Growing up in a royal palace where lives or jobs could be lost, he wasn’t easily shaken by the internal power struggles within the guild.

“So, after you finally managed to meet the requirements by making the weapon, why are there so many complaints?”

Tropa’s voice, slightly raised from drunkenness, expressed his frustrations about the recent commission. His eyes were a bit red.

“Anyway, it’s because they’ve never done it themselves, right? They’re always complaining, and their status is the problem, the problem!”

Instead of replying to Tropa’s sigh over the disdain for craftsmen, the three sipped their beers. Avery patted Tropa’s shoulder.

“Hey, drinking during the day is fine, but if you fall asleep, we’re leaving you behind.”

“Seriously… isn’t that a bit much? No loyalty?”

“To support someone as big as you, Noah has to be around, but he’s supposed to leave early today.”

“Uh, right.”

Noah quickly nodded in response to Avery’s warning look. Tropa grumbled softly.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop drinking. Are you my wife or something?”

“Huh, I pity the person who would become the wife of a guy like you.”

“Pathetic! Even though I look like this, I’m quite popular, you know? There were quite a few women who asked me to go see the festival together this Thanksgiving…”

“Oh really? Is that so?”

“Oh, no, I turned them down! That’s why I went with you!”

“Why are you grinning and saying that?”

Noah, who had been quietly observing the two bickering, leaned over and whispered to Laura, who was calmly eating her food.

“Are they still not dating?”

“Look at them. Do you think they’d confess? Tropa’s always messing things up.”

Laura, who had been clicking her tongue lightly, turned to Noah and asked.

“What about you? Any news?”

Laura was already married with a son and daughter. Noah waved his hand dismissively.

“Not for me.”

“Oh come on, nowadays, women look at both face and body. You have a good personality and earn well. I could introduce you to someone if you want.”

“No, really, I’m fine.”

Laura tore a piece of hard bread.

“Are you going to live as a single?”

“Not that it’s a bad thing.”

“But, don’t you get quite lonely?”

“Well, what can I do?”

When Noah hesitated, Laura examined his expression with a puzzled look.

“You seem unusually cheerful today. Did something good happen?”

“No, just meeting someone I thought I’d never see again.”

Laura’s eyes widened at Noah’s faint smile.

“Are you in love or something?”

“Huh? No, where’s that coming from?”

“Then is it unrequited love? Your expression is exactly like that. It’s just like how my husband looked before he confessed to me.”

Noah hadn’t realized how perceptive Laura was. A cold sweat ran down his back. He hastily pretended to eat the remaining food and avoided Laura’s gaze.

“I told you, it’s not that. By the way, do you take private commissions?”

“If they come in? It might take some time, though.”

“Then…”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Having apparently settled their argument, Avery and Tropa suddenly joined in, and Laura recounted the recent conversation in detail. The two, seemingly ignoring their previous quarrel, began teasing Noah. Despite his flustered state, Noah showed a relaxed expression.

The restaurant was noisy enough that shouting was necessary to communicate. Tables with occasional stains, food served on rough wooden dishes, and colleagues in worn work clothes surrounded them.

It was a far cry from the luxurious wallpaper, beautiful decorations, and impeccably clean rooms of the palace where everything was pristine and attended to by immediate servants.

Still, it was enjoyable.

An unpretentious yet warm and peaceful world. Even if it were a dream that might shatter at any moment, for now, it was real.

Noah hoped that at least this dream would last a little longer.

After finishing their meal, Noah and his group walked down the street. As they passed near the academy, large buildings pressed closely together came into view. Just a bit further, they would reach the artisan street.

Tropa stretched his arms wide. His well-developed upper body muscles, characteristic of a blacksmith, were taut.

“Ugh, I don’t feel like working.”

“To make a living, you have to work hard. But once you finish the job you’ve taken on, it’ll be quite rewarding, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Are you saying I should treat everyone next time?”

“You’re quick to catch on, Tropa.”

When Avery flashed a grin, Tropa quickly looked away. Noah and Laura couldn’t help but laugh as they noticed Tropa’s reddening earlobes.

“Oh, look, someone’s here.”

In front of the guild headquarters, a luxurious carriage was parked. Suspecting it was someone of noble status, they quickly lowered their heads and watched cautiously.

“Is someone here to make a request? In person?”

“Usually, they would send someone.”

The whispering trio fell silent as footsteps approached them and then stopped in front of them.

***

“You seem to be in a good mood today, Lady Cordelia.”

It was a rare appearance at a social event. Cordelia, who had been considering whether to stay a little longer or leave, responded lightly to the man’s greeting.

“Do I?”

“I’ve been quite disappointed not seeing you at the balls.”

The man, who spoke in a sarcastic tone disguised as a compliment, received a sweet smile and a wink from Cordelia.

“That’s true. It would have been nice to see the baron as well.”

Why didn’t he find her, then?

With a subtle implication, Cordelia’s response made the man awkwardly look away. One of the women gathered around Cordelia, who was fanning herself with a folding fan, spoke up in a friendly manner.

“I don’t know why it feels like it’s been so long since I last saw you.”

“It seems fate has kept me away, and I didn’t mean to keep Lady Amelia waiting.”

The elegant beauty’s kind words made the woman’s cheeks flush slightly. Beautiful things, regardless of gender, tend to capture people’s attention, they say.

Just as admiration and jealousy often go hand in hand, there were as many people who envied Cordelia as there were those who followed her. Her impartial attitude, drawing a clear line with everyone, likely contributed to this.

“By any chance, would you consider dancing?”

A sudden interruption by another man caused a brief silence. Cordelia used the sound of closing her fan to regain control of the conversation’s flow.

Typically, one of the basic stages of courtship between men and women is a dance. It allows them to be close, to touch, and to engage in subtle conversation.

Unless the two are very close, a dance at a ball can be considered a kind of date proposal.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d prefer to decline dancing for the time being.”

“If that’s the case, there’s nothing to be done.”

The man calmly accepted her response and stepped back, without showing disappointment. At the same time, the gazes of the men surrounding her shifted away. How blunt. Cordelia sighed inwardly.

Just endure, endure. Winter will come soon, and there will be a time when she won’t have to attend parties. Most nobles return to their estates during winter.

After purposely arriving after the Thanksgiving period, as expected, the number of attendees at the ball was low, but those remaining were all idle gossip. In other words, it was full of the so-called dregs.

One of the women, attempting to change the subject, spoke up.

“By the way, Lady Deborah, that hairpin is absolutely beautiful.”

The hairpin, adorned with a silver border and three teal peacock stones shaped like wings, caught everyone’s eye. Cordelia had also been admiring it for a while.

The woman called Deborah tucked the hair on the side where the pin was placed behind her ear.

“Hehe, is that so? I had it made by Adele this time.”

“Really, from that craftsman?”

“I waited almost a year for it, and it was worth the wait.”

Adele Azoro. A craftsman who started gaining popularity two years ago, and his creations were so renowned that any noble woman had likely heard of him. Cordelia had even commissioned a bracelet from him as a birthday gift for Jerania.

However, due to health reasons, he didn’t make many pieces, so since becoming famous, one had to book an appointment at least six months in advance. He also often left commissions to agents, making him a somewhat mysterious figure.

But that didn’t matter. As long as the craftsman made excellent pieces, it was fine.

What concerned Cordelia wasn’t that, though. She hesitated for a moment before subtly asking.

“Lady Deborah, is there a special reason you ordered this particular piece of jewelry?”

Despite the sweat trickling down her forehead, Cordelia maintained her composure. A sentence flashed through her mind.

[Izrael carefully placed the pin in the pitch-black hair of Frey. Each of the three wing-shaped silver borders was set with peacock stones that glowed faintly in teal.

His silver hair, reflecting the moonlight, shone dazzlingly.

“As I thought, it suits you very well.”]

Why was a hairpin identical to the one given by the male protagonist to the female protagonist in ‘Night of Frey’ right in front of her?