In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 56

EPISODE 56

CHAPTER 8. EACH PERSON’S WORRIES

“I’m back.”

A large hand opened the tightly shut main gate. Noah, after stepping in, silently headed towards the stairs, moving smoothly inside.

“Welcome back, young master.”

The old butler who was standing nearby bowed his head towards Noah. Noah responded lightly and then glanced around the eerily quiet mansion, giving a bitter smile.

Given that this was a place for imprisoning royalty, it was natural for it to be somewhat impressive, but it was really large and spacious. Perhaps because the number of employees was extremely small, it seemed particularly empty.

Even though he had lived here for over eight years, he had hardly interacted with anyone other than the old butler. It was different from the palace servants who talked to him about various things. It seemed as if there was no intention to become close at all.

This must have been his uncle’s instruction as well. His attitude of not letting his guard down reassured him. It seemed to imply that they would not easily give up on themselves.

“Come here, Ian.”

At the gentle and fragile voice, Noah looked up the stairs. A refined woman with dark blue hair and azure eyes was leaning against the railing, looking down at him.

Her pale skin, devoid of any significant wrinkles, made her look young, despite being well over forty. She could easily be mistaken for someone in her late thirties.

Noah, surprised, addressed her.

“Mother.”

Why was the person who always stayed in the studio here?

“I saw the door open… I thought it might be you.”

The woman, speaking in a soft voice, slowly descended the stairs. Noah felt a slight pang of guilt at her steady gaze.

Since she had been frequently checking on him after he had been away from the mansion for almost a month, it was only natural. He knew she would worry even if she received a letter from his uncle.

He felt he had only been thinking about himself too much, and Noah silently reflected on this. She might have been truly shocked and collapsed if she had known what had happened to him.

It seemed his uncle had not mentioned anything about the body swap, perhaps thinking the same way.

The white fingertips gently caressing Noah’s face felt rather stiff. He turned and began to follow his mother, Aileen, who was ascending the stairs. They were greeted by a hallway that was as quiet as a grave.

“Did anything special happen today?”

“I met with some colleagues for a meal and checked out a few things… How was your day, Mother?”

“Everything is always the same for me.”

As they chatted softly, they arrived at a familiar door. Noah hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I heard that you haven’t been able to go out much lately.”

“It seems they’re spreading unnecessary gossip again.”

Aileen, clicking her tongue lightly, opened the door to her studio. Perhaps because it was late autumn, the maple branches outside the wide-open window were waving their colorful leaves.

“I don’t enjoy going out anyway, so don’t worry about it.”

Aileen spoke firmly and walked briskly to a spot covered with a cloth. She then looked back at Noah, who was standing by the door and staring at her.

“Ian.”

“Yes?”

Aileen pointed to the dark blue and deep green fabrics. The material was so fine and glossy that it was silk just from looking at it.

“Which one do you think would be better for making a hat?”

“Huh?”

“Choose. I trust your judgment.”

Faced with his mother’s serious expression, which was more serious than a joke, Noah unconsciously extended his words.

“Um… I think the deep green silk would be much better.”

“Indeed.”

“But why all of a sudden?”

Aileen, who had been silent while looking at her confused son, finally answered.

“Just because.”

***

“I’m back!”

The servants greeted Cordelia with proper decorum as she dragged her tired body inside.

“Welcome back!”

“Welcome home, My Lady!”

Rosa, who welcomed Cordelia with even more enthusiasm than the other servants, took the shawl she offered. As soon as they entered the room, Cordelia tossed her dress aside as if shedding a shell, and Rosa helped her with a beaming smile.

“Shall I prepare a bath right away?”

“Yes. Ah, this is heavy!”

Cordelia complained as she removed the hairpins adorned with decorations. Since she had to attend the banquet for a new encounter, it was now a hassle to go out with a goal in mind, but there was no choice. If she stayed in seclusion now, she might end up being a tragic heroine, despondent from a series of failed marriage proposals.

Rumors were scarier than horses with wings—something like that.

After finishing her bath more leisurely than usual, Cordelia returned to her bedroom and entrusted herself to Rosa’s hands as she combed her hair. While wiping her with a cloth and applying perfume to her hair, Rosa occasionally spoke.

“Will you stay here continuously?”

“Of course. Why, should I bring more servants if we’re short-handed?”

“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable. It’s just that I’m worried about you, Lady Cordelia. Compared to the duke’s mansion, this place is much smaller.”

“That place was excessively large. This is quite cozy. It’s not bad to have some quiet time after a long while.”

Even after the commotion of the marriage proposals ended, Cordelia had been staying in her own mansion rather than the duke’s residence. The reason was simple: Rick was still in the capital.

It was clear that if they met, they would end up arguing, so living in the same house was out of the question. Although she occasionally sent letters via servants, she had no intention of returning anytime soon.

The servants she brought to this mansion, including Rosa, were all people who had been with her for a long time at the duke’s residence. She wanted to see the faces of the servants who remained there, so she felt she should visit them soon.

“By the way, I heard that Duke Weichen mentioned he would like to see you soon.”

Cordelia clicked her tongue inwardly at the topic that came up so suddenly. It seemed Rick’s fate was to be a gentlemanly nobleman.

“For what reason?”

“He mentioned it was a family matter. He said it was something that needed to be discussed as soon as possible and asked if you could visit within three days at the latest.”

“Alright, I understand. I don’t know what it’s about, but…”

Cordelia waved her hand dismissively and glanced at the wall right next to her. There were portraits of herself—one with an elegant smile and one with a wide grin—side by side. They were all portraits painted by Noah.

The completed portraits were truly beautiful and exquisite. They captured her elegant impression so well that she wondered if she had been such a calm beauty.

After returning to the capital, Noah had given her the finished portraits. When Noah shyly handed her the paintings while she was admiring the result, she was quite surprised. The portrait of her sitting on the grass with a bright smile was filled with vitality, unlike the commissioned piece.

‘Please take this as well.’

‘Oh, what about the payment?’

‘It’s not a commissioned piece, so I’ll just give it to you. If you don’t accept it, I’ll just erase it and repaint it anyway.’

‘Really, how wasteful! I’ll take it then. But in return, you have to accept whatever I give you later, okay?’

‘What’s that about?’

‘It’s a secret.’

Seeing her mischievous smile, Noah blinked with an anxious look. He seemed troubled by whether or not to take back what he had given her, which was quite endearing.

“Ah, I miss him.”

“You mean Noah?”

“…Huh? Did I say that out loud?”

“You must be tired. You should get some sleep.”

“I am tired.”

Cordelia, who had been gazing at Rosa’s reflection in the mirror with a contented smile, spoke up.

“Aren’t you going to stop me? I thought you’d say something like ‘Is it okay to meet a commoner?’ or something like that.”

When she first saw Noah in this mansion, Rosa looked quite shocked. But now, her supportive attitude made Cordelia wonder if she had read too many novels.

“Oh, Lady Cordelia, would I be someone to stop you from doing what you want?”

“Of course not. But at least pretend to stop me so I won’t feel too disappointed.”

“Then you’d just complain that I’m nagging.”

“Hehe.”

Seeing the truth in Rosa’s words, Cordelia pouted her lips. Rosa shook her head, and after finishing combing her hair, she closed the lid of the perfume bottle. Cordelia, glancing back at Rosa, chattered away.

“Rosa, you know…”

“Yes?”

“I’ve decided to go to the reading group that Viscount Owen is hosting.”

“Oh, really? You seemed completely uninterested in that kind of thing. You even said you hated gatherings of grim-faced men pretending to be important.”

Seeing Rosa’s genuinely surprised expression, Cordelia’s lips twitched.

“Do you have something to say?”

Having lived with Cordelia for over ten years, Rosa was very perceptive. But Cordelia eventually exaggeratedly shook her head.

“It’s nothing!”

“Wait, don’t shake your head right now!”

She went through the trouble of tidying it up! Rosa, looking distressed at the disheveled hair, was met with Cordelia’s pleading face. When Cordelia flashed the smile that everyone praised, Rosa’s expression gradually softened.

She still hasn’t told him today.

There was more she wanted to say, but for some reason, it all seemed to slip away. Even though they were close, she hesitated to reveal her occupation, perhaps because she had hidden it for so long.

Sitting alone at the desk in her bedroom, Cordelia silently considered those who knew her secret. Calia had returned to her own domain, and Jerania was at the palace. She had recently met with Luther, so it would be a while before she could visit him again.

And then…

‘I’ll be quite busy until next week, so I might not be able to visit often. I have a few things to finish up.’

‘Okay. Oh, don’t forget our appointment! You must come in a week!’

‘…Understood.’

When would Noah come back again? Had he finished the commissions he had postponed?

As Cordelia’s gaze, which had been staring intently at the blank paper before her, drifted to the magical symbol on the back of her right hand, she remembered that only Rosa had seen this symbol directly within the mansion. Since Rosa was tight-lipped, it probably wouldn’t be a big issue.

But why was Noah so busy that he was neglecting her? It was extremely frustrating not being able to visit him directly. She would see him in four days, so for now, she had no choice but to wait.

“I’ll have to ask him to give me a hug when he comes next time.”

Determined, Cordelia turned off the lantern she had set beside her. As the room darkened, she approached the wide-open window.

The night sky stretched out before her, with stars twinkling here and there. The waning moon cast a faint light over the world.

With her arms resting on the window frame and the cool breeze brushing against her face, Cordelia gazed at the moon, lost in thought. The room was quiet except for the rustling curtains and various thoughts swirled in her mind. It had been a while since she returned from Roychel Castle, and every night, she found herself sinking into inexplicable reflections.

She felt she shouldn’t name this emotion, yet she kept pondering it. It wasn’t just loneliness; it felt like stepping into a deeper, mire-like pit.

She wanted to understand. It seemed like she shouldn’t, but she wanted to! But she didn’t really understand…

Frowning and then smiling, her eyes shining with curiosity and yet showing signs of gloom, Cordelia was once again absorbed in her endless thoughts under the calm night sky.