In Order to Meet You, Beloved - Chapter 65

EPISODE 65

CHAPTER 9. THE IDEAL PARTNER

“Hey there.”

Liam grinned widely, draping his neck over the sofa and leaning back to stare intently at Cordelia. His relaxed demeanor, as if he were at his own home despite being a guest, made Cordelia narrow her eyes.

“How did you find this place?”

“I went to the Duke’s residence to see you, but no one was there. So, I grabbed a few of the servants and found one who was acting suspiciously. I followed them secretly and, fortunately, I seem to have found the right place.”

His casual way of speaking was incredibly annoying. Well, she understands. Considering he’s been a knight for so long, it must have been difficult for the servants to shake him off, no matter how hard they tried.

Still, isn’t it too easy to get found out? Should she move? But this is the best house she has in terms of location.

“Hey, let me stay here for a while.”

Amidst all this, the guy just kept blabbering.

Cordelia, smiling gently as she looked down at her friend, who had repositioned himself on the sofa, replied.

“Look elsewhere.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Where did you sell the Duke’s residence?”

“I was bored being alone. If it weren’t for the embassy business, I would never have come here. I asked my father to go instead, and he looked like he was going to crush my knee.”

Muttering about that damn old man, Liam sighed. Others might think he looked melancholic, but she wasn’t worried in the least that he might be thinking about his wife with such a face.

“Hey, I’m a grown woman! What do you think I’m doing bringing an outsider into this tiny house?”

Liam openly sneered.

“Don’t be ridiculous. How many rooms are left in this mansion? We’re not exactly in a position to worry about outsiders. The thought alone is disgusting.”

“Do you think it’s not disgusting for me?!”

“Then what’s the problem? Are there still people in high society trying to match you and me?”

“Do you think there aren’t?”

Liam muttered a curse under his breath. Having been a knight for so long, he had a rougher tongue than most nobles. She could bet he learned those curses from sparring with his father, Yuri.

“Well, alright. I’ll concede that our ages and conditions are similar. But I’m already married with two children. Why are you still babbling? How many times have we even met?!”

Unlike other nobles, Liam came to the capital only two or three times a year, which was considered quite rare. Of course, she understood his reluctance to interact with others, given his extreme shyness.

But for heaven’s sake, he should make some friends other than her, a reclusive oddball with a decent face!

“Yeah, I suppose. Why don’t you just bring your wife and come to high society events?”

“Should I? Mildred’s health has improved quite a bit recently, so… It might be nice to come together in the spring.”

With a grin overflowing with happiness, he looked so cheerful today that it made Cordelia shiver. She was about to feel particularly sorrowful again.

Why does this guy have a partner while she’s so unlucky?

“Ah, anyway, no. Please leave and come back later. I’ll talk to you at the party. Is that okay?”

Cordelia briskly approached, grabbing Liam’s hand and pulling him with all her might. He could have resisted, but he willingly followed Cordelia until they reached the open front gate, where he finally turned around as if something was wrong.

“What, are you dating someone now?”

For a moment, Cordelia’s hand that had been pushing Liam’s back lost its strength. She had stopped involuntarily, but as she tried to push him away again, Liam remained unmoved, unlike before.

“Ah, I see?”

Damn it. It was too late to play dumb.

Cordelia pulled him outside the front gate. After shutting the door with a loud thud and looking towards the outside, she saw that fortunately, there was no one around—perhaps the guards were on patrol.

It had been dark for quite a while, making it difficult to distinguish people’s faces. Although they could talk inside, Cordelia crossed her arms, showing she had no intention of backing down.

“Yes, so you understand that this is inconvenient, right? A man and a woman staying alone in the same house can easily lead to misunderstandings, my friend.”

The mansion, though lacking compared to the Duke’s residence, was still quite sizable, and technically, it had employees. Inviting guests was usually not a problem, but that wasn’t important now.

“No, that’s the case with unmarried men and women. I’m already married, so why fuss over something fine for people of a different sex? Is everyone really that bored?”

“Be quiet. Anyway, don’t do this here, leave this perfectly good house alone.”

“So who is it? It’s not some pretty face with nothing else going for him, is it?”

With a more serious tone than before, Cordelia slightly furrowed her brows.

“What are you talking about?”

“Seriously. Have I not seen this kind of situation before? I wonder how long this one will last.”

“This time is different. It’s someone my sister, Jerania, approved of.”

“Jerania approved? Why on earth would such a person be with you?”

This is ridiculous. Cordelia, without hesitation this time, stomped on Liam’s foot.

“Ouch!”

Liam let out a short scream, and Cordelia looked at him with a look of satisfaction.

“Speaking of which, remember how a very handsome man gave me flowers a long time ago? That was when you stayed at our Duke’s residence before you got married, during Thanksgiving. Do you remember?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Wait, are you saying that person is…”

“That’s him.”

Liam sighed dramatically. The déjà vu feeling was somehow unsettling.

“Why are you sighing again?”

“Feeling sorry for the poor soul who must have been captivated by your face.”

“Do you want to die?!”

Cordelia grabbed Liam by the collar and shook him vigorously. Despite the shaking, Liam’s face was amusingly laughing, which was incredibly annoying.

Not being able to spit on his laughing face—what a disappointing thing to say. She could almost slap him.

A rustling sound suddenly came from somewhere. What was that? Cordelia quickly turned to look in the direction of the noise, her eyes widening in surprise.

With a scruffy head of hair and a notably large frame, Noah, who had been backing away as if trying to escape from behind the bars, had eventually stopped and sheepishly responded.

“Uh, sorry. I wasn’t trying to spy or anything.”

“Ugh!”

***

“It’s getting dark so quickly these days.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Noah, watching the sunset behind the mountains, glanced at Avery, who was walking beside him. Typically, artisans spent all day working in their workshops, so they often had much lighter skin compared to those working in agriculture or outdoors.

Avery was one of the younger artisans in the guild and notably good-looking, making her quite popular among the apprentices. Some of those who troubled him might even have feelings for Avery.

“You don’t have to walk me home.”

“It’s been a bit uneasy lately. Try not to go out alone if you can.”

“But you need to go home too.”

“We’re heading in the same direction, so it’s fine.”

Although it wasn’t entirely true, Noah maintained a calm facade. Perhaps because of what he had heard from Tyrain, he was more concerned than usual. Even though he knew Avery wasn’t someone who could easily be intimidated, it couldn’t be helped.

“Liar. We still don’t know where you live. It’s been over three years, and you’ve never invited us over?”

Understanding Avery’s frustration, Noah just smiled.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Men are simpler than women with secrets. I’d rather deal with a bear with no secrets.”

Even though it sounded like a jab, Avery’s considerate nature was something Noah appreciated and accepted willingly.

“Has Tropa still not confessed?”

“Oh, that bear doesn’t have the wit for it. By the way, what about you?”

“Huh?”

“You seem to be deep in thought every time we meet lately. Are you in love or something?”

Noah, momentarily silent at Avery’s teasing question, eventually spoke up.

“Maybe.”

“What?!”

“Never mind. I’ll give up.”

“Don’t cut off at the interesting parts. It’s torturous.”

Seeing Avery wriggle around theatrically, Noah shook his head.

“What love could I have with my situation?”

“You’ve got a decent appearance, so why be so pessimistic about everything? It’s not just because you’re my friend; with your conditions, you should be enviable even in our guild. You make good money, have a good personality, and even a nice voice. Do you know how many people want me to introduce them to you? Are they nobles or something?”

Noah’s slight smile faltered at Avery’s accurate observation. Regardless, Avery continued to chatter.

“Still, if you keep being so indifferent, you might miss out when someone takes a chance. I’m anxious about leaving this up to you. Shouldn’t you make a real confession soon? But that might hurt your pride…”

“Then, should I give it a try and see how it goes?”

“Sure, if you’d do that, I’d appreciate it. Lately, I’ve been so frustrated that I’m considering going out with another guy just to get away.”

Noah quietly asked, his voice barely audible.

“Hey, Avery.”

“What?”

“If you keep getting rejected, it must hurt your pride a lot, right?”

“Of course. Is that even a question?”

“Then why don’t you give up?”

Avery looked at Noah with a puzzled expression as Noah lowered his head, gazing at the ground. Avery finally answered.

“Isn’t it obvious? You must be that good.”

“That’s not about me.”

“Oh, sure. I see.”

Avery, speaking with a lackluster tone, glanced up at Noah, who was still looking down. Although Avery didn’t seem to realize it, Noah’s noticeably taller stature made his face visible from the side.

His straight nose, red lips, and eyes with sparse long eyelashes reflecting the sunset light seemed to shine. His face seemed to have endured many hardships due to its looks. That’s probably why he walked around with such a gloomy demeanor. How many times had Noah been told to cut his hair? Avery was stubborn about such trivial matters.

“If you don’t like the person, it’s right to refuse them, even if they’re a noble. But don’t you like the person? If so, why not just accept them?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Typical of you. Do you know what’s most important between a man and a woman?”

“What is it?”

Avery, stopping and grabbing Noah’s arm, poked Noah’s chest with her finger.

“This. Heart.”

“So…”

“I’d say the other person is probably just as troubled as you are. Honestly, do you think a noble would cling to someone like us with their pride?”

Noah couldn’t retort against Avery, who had already assumed her counseling target was a noble. Denying it would probably just reinforce Avery’s belief.

“I understand that you don’t like complicated situations, but overcoming social class differences in love is only interesting in novels. Reality is, ugh.”

Avery waved her hand dismissively. The long shadows of their heels entwined as they started walking again.

“You’re great, but you think too much. Try clearing your mind and think about it.”

“I might end up causing trouble for the other person because of my issues. How can I make a decision easily?”