In Order To Meet You, Beloved

“Ouch!”

The man who had come close to Cordelia stumbled to the ground just before reaching her. It was because Noah, who had been standing by Cordelia’s side, had subtly tripped him with his foot. While Cordelia and the girls were briefly startled, Noah, before the man could get up, bent his knee and grabbed the man’s collar, squeezing it tightly. He deflected the man’s hurriedly swinging fist with his free hand.

“What do you want?”

Amidst a stern tone and the bangs covering his forehead, his blue eyes flashed. How strong his grip was! An aura of intimidation seeped through his low and solemn voice.

“What, what are you saying?”

Noah’s eyes narrowed at the man, who seemed to provoke and scrutinize without intent.

“Don’t play dumb. Weren’t you running after that person?”

“I, I just had an urgent matter and was in a hurry to move! Please let go of me…!”

Noah, who had been looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze, soon released the man’s collar as if tossing it. The man hurriedly got up and disappeared in the distance, his back as swift as a startled bird. Cordelia looked at Noah, who had risen slowly, and asked with concern.

“What’s going on, Noah?”

“It seems like a simple pickpocketing, but… judging by his attire, he might have been targeting something more. Maybe I should have called the security forces after all.”

“Enough about that! Did you get hurt? Did he manage to hit you or something?”

“Huh? What on earth… Oh.”

Noah wondered if it was because he blocked the man’s punch with his palm earlier. He lightly rotated his wrist and said, 

“I’m not hurt that much.”

“That’s a relief.”

Still seeming worried, Cordelia tightly held onto Noah’s hand and examined him from different angles. Noah might have a profession, but it was unacceptable for any blemishes to appear on his handsome body.

Oh, by the way, why does this guy have such handsome hands?

“Um…”

Turning at the cautious voice, Noah saw the girls who had been talking to Cordelia just a while ago were now looking in their direction. But their gazes were a bit peculiar.

“Are you perhaps a knight?”

The girls’ eyes lit up with curiosity as they looked at Noah. Noah, who had a slightly surprised expression, soon tilted his head.

“No, I’m not.”

“Ah! I knew it.”

Really?

“It’s okay. Challenges are what make the achievements more beautiful in the end.”

“Even if there’s a difference in status… we’ll support you!”

What on earth are they supporting?!

It seemed like the girls in front of him were mistaken about something. Before Cordelia could correct them, the girls expressed their gratitude for the book and quickly moved away. What remained were the two of them in an awkward atmosphere.

“Hey, what’s going on…”

“Never mind. It feels like in their minds, you and I are the protagonists of some doomed love story.”

In response to Noah’s confusion, Cordelia waved her hand and answered.

Cordelia’s manner of speech and attire was that of a noble. However, nobles usually had a retinue of servants accompanying them. So, it was easy for most to assume that Noah was her servant.

However, Cordelia’s attitude towards Noah just now didn’t seem quite like how a noble would treat a servant. Due to certain circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange to think of them as secret lovers who enjoy rendezvous and physical intimacy.

“They seem like wealthy young ladies. I hope we only encounter them at parties. Even then, they might be able to keep our secret…”

What started as a jest and an attempt to explain had been cut off due to the commotion, so Cordelia didn’t pay it much mind. 

If it’s meant to be, they’ll meet again someday, and if not, well, that’s fine too.

“Why do you think that…? Does this sort of thing happen often?”

No, she guess it was just because she’d read a lot of novels.

Without correcting the innocent misunderstanding, Cordelia grabbed onto Noah’s collar as if signaling that they should go.

The carriage carrying the two of them headed towards the mountains located in the northwest of the capital city. As they circled the vicinity, an entrance to the forest became visible. Perhaps due to autumn, the trees were adorned with various shades of color.

After getting off the carriage, Cordelia left a message that they should wait there and started walking ahead. Noah followed behind and voiced his concern.

“Is it alright for you to just enter a place like this without any escorts?”

“It’s fine. This is our land.”

As they continued down the narrow path, they eventually reached a gently sloping hill. Underneath the hill, numerous buildings were clustered together. Despite their seemingly irregular arrangement, they formed a harmonious scene.

A cool breeze blew through. Delicate flowers peeked out from between blades of grass, swaying in response to the wind. Cordelia settled herself on the sunlit grass without bothering to lay down a blanket.

People around her might be astonished by her choice to sit directly on the ground, but for some reason, Noah seemed like he would be okay with it.

“Come over here.”

Gently gesturing for him to sit beside her, Cordelia, in her natural manner, guided Noah to carefully take a seat on the grassy field.

The scene before them was picturesque – the quaint little houses, people resembling ants, the expansive plain beyond the gray castle walls, the blue sky stretching above the horizon, and even the billowing clouds in the sky. It was a view that would be perfectly captured on a canvas.

A breeze from the mountains blew through, tousling Noah’s hair. For a moment, he froze as an unexpected touch approached him. A white hand brushed away his dark hair, revealing his face.

In the clearer view, Cordelia’s small face filled his vision. Placing her hand on his forehead, she removed the hat he had been wearing.

“Now you don’t need to hide your face anymore, right?”

“Ah, right.”

He hastily lowered his head and pushed his bangs up under the hat. Cordelia stared at his now exposed face intently.

“Why do you always hide your face like that?”

She had asked the same question when they first met, but she was still curious. With a face as handsome as his, wouldn’t it make sense for him to be a bit arrogant? Besides, he seemed well aware that his looks were above average.

“I want to be known for my artistry. Not my face.”

A composed answer followed. The end of the prepared response quivered slightly with embarrassment, but Cordelia seemed to finally understand as she nodded her head in agreement.

“Well, that makes sense.”

“…Am I good-looking?”

While he thought it was a shallow curiosity, he couldn’t help but ask. He immediately regretted it when he saw Cordelia’s eyes sparkle. She grabbed Noah’s cheek and exclaimed,

“Of course! Those eyes filled with excellence! A nose that looks carved, lips as red as roses, and a healthy complexion. If you were a king, you could have devoured an entire kingdom, couldn’t you?”

She wasn’t exaggerating; she meant it. Stories of various tyrants from the novels she enjoyed reading flashed through Cordelia’s mind. Thank goodness he’s not a king; things could have been messy…

“Ahem, well, of course, other people would think similarly.”

Even as she blurted out her feelings, Cordelia, in a flash of realization, retreated with a touch of bashfulness. Seeing this, Noah let out a small laugh.

“Is having very fair skin not preferable?”

“If it’s too pale, you might look like a corpse, so not really.”

Noah’s laughter resurfaced at her straightforwardness. Cordelia turned her head with a puzzled expression, looking at Noah who was still chuckling.

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

It’s nothing. Noah replied lightly, barely managing to compose his expression. But he couldn’t help but smile.

‘Do you ever hear people saying you’re cute? If you grew a bit more, you’d become my preferred type of face.’

‘Preferred type?’

‘Good-looking, that is.’

While not as blunt as the first time, she was truly honest now. What if he brought up what she said? How would that turn out? Noah swiftly suppressed the rising impulse.

“You seem to have a strong preference.”

“Of course. Speaking of which, what about you? What’s your type?”

Sudden and direct, Cordelia’s question made Noah unconsciously clench the grass in his hand. The crushed grass emitted a sharp fragrance from his palm.

“Well, um… I think I go by what I come to like.”

“Wow? What a super cheesy answer.”

“Don’t make fun of me!”

“No, no. I’m praising you. Well, it’s a fact, isn’t it?”

It was a phrase she had heard many times from other men, but hearing it from Noah made it somehow more meaningful. Perhaps because of his genuine attitude. In any case, he was not just a face; his demeanor was rare among men around Cordelia.

Not to mention Rick right away.

“Oh, thinking about it again makes me irritated.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, not you. Why, I told you I argued with Rick…… no, with my brother.”

“You did.”

Turning her head away from Noah’s mumbling, Cordelia once again felt a pang of frustration.

She still couldn’t forget that evening. It was good that she had safely regained her body and returned home, but the moment she entered the mansion, she encountered a stack of portraits brought in by the old geezer. Cordelia was genuinely exasperated at that sight.

It took her less than 5 seconds to grasp the situation. Seeing the servants crowded behind the wide-open doors, Cordelia truly lost her temper for the first time in a while.

‘Did everyone have their fill of gawking? What are you all doing here without even cleaning up?’

‘M-Miss Cordelia.’

The flustered servants hurriedly scattered in opposite directions, and the perpetrator who caused all this mess appeared at the doorway.

Yes, there was someone who needed to be held accountable for this situation.

With her arms folded and a piercing glare, Cordelia was met with Frederick’s cool voice.

‘Behave with decorum. What are you doing right now?’

‘Would you prefer me to behave with decorum, Duke Weichen?’

Suppressing the anger that surged up to her head, Cordelia chuckled lightly. Despite noticing that her temper was about to boil over, Frederick calmly retorted.

‘Sit down.’

‘I don’t want to.’