In Order To Meet You, Beloved

Episode 16. Chapter 3: There Are No Eternal Secrets

In celebration of the current queen’s birthday, the spacious banquet hall was adorned with all sorts of splendid decorations, filling every corner.

Originally known for her quiet and modest demeanor, the queen, who had shown little interest in celebrating the day of her birth, was exceptionally resplendent this year. The reason being that this occasion symbolized not only the celebration of the queen’s birthday but also the complete restoration of the royal authority, clearing away the aftermath of the rebellion that occurred about 2 years ago. Therefore, foreign dignitaries who had entered into treaties or maintained friendly relations with them were also present in large numbers.

The weather was delightful. As if in celebration of this gathering, the clear sky and warm sunlight gently descended upon the rounded roofs of the palace. Amidst the chattering voices of people gathered in groups of threes and fives, the performances of the court musicians sitting in the corners softly enveloped the surroundings.

Amidst such people, the lovely woman with golden hair gently swayed her glass. Unlike usual times, she wore a deep navy dress, and somehow, the melancholic atmosphere harmonized exquisitely with her elegant face. Her beautiful blue eyes were filled with worries.

A few of the men who had been gossiping about Cordelia discreetly approached her and formed a circle around her. A man in a soft grey robe, who had been observing her from a distance, addressed her in a polite tone.

“Greetings, Lady Cordelia. You seem bored.”

“Not really, not that much.”

Her voice responded lightly to his words. The man raised his hand slightly, taking a goblet of wine from a tray held by a passing servant, and offered it to her.

“I’m Frey Deltrio. I’ve heard that you enjoy the wines from the Cyanton Mountains. Would you like a glass?”

As the man swiftly made his move, the others looked at him with menacing eyes. However, the woman, who had been gazing at the glass, finally spoke.

“Sorry, but I don’t just accept glasses from anyone.”

Her incredibly haughty response caused a slight blush of embarrassment to rise on Frey’s face. The dirty blond man next to him stepped forward.

“May I request the first dance?”

“My feet are a bit sore right now, so it might be a stretch.”

“Don’t you think you should rest? If you need support to the lounge…”

“It’s okay. I’m not at the point where I can’t walk.”

“Lady, it seems we’ll be hosting a light gathering at the mansion in Meltesa this coming late autumn. Would you be interested in attending?”

“Thank you for the offer, but I might have prior commitments around that time, so it could be difficult. If you send an invitation later, I’ll check and respond.”

The woman offered a polite yet succinct response. Unlike the men who kept talking incessantly, she didn’t initiate the conversation.

Those with nothing more to discuss naturally departed, and a new man subtly inserted himself into the atmosphere as if taking advantage of a gap. The scene seemed exactly as one might expect from suitors vying for the queen bee’s attention.

Eventually, leaving a remark about needing to take a brief break, the woman distanced herself from the crowd. Her intricately braided hair swayed with her steps. Ignoring the multiple pairs of eyes that looked at her with a sense of regret, she made her way toward the lounge area within the venue, as if in search of respite.

The spacious lounge reserved for women featured several sofas, and there was no one around. While a few people who were already gathered there were surprised to see her, the assertive woman walked in and plopped down on one of the sofas.

Summoning a passing maid, the woman ordered a glass of water and discreetly traced the patterns of her gloves with her gloved hand.

Phew, that’s a relief.

Cordelia, or rather Noah wearing Cordelia’s face, let out an inward sigh of relief. Restlessly, he fidgeted with a small wooden box in one hand and held a glass of water in the other. An underlying unease could be seen on his face.

“I hope I answered correctly without any mistakes.”

It seemed he had managed to make use of the hastily acquired knowledge, burning the midnight oil. The look of concern in Cordelia’s eyes, even as she saw him off in the carriage, came to his mind.

At times like this, he was grateful that his eye color closely matched Cordelia’s. Despite their differing appearances, a glance at their eyes easily conjured thoughts of Cordelia.

In reality, as soon as he had realized upon waking up that his body had changed again, Noah found himself lost in contemplation of his recent experiences. Cold sweat trickled down as he realized that Cordelia might have seen the painting that held the remnants of the emotions he had poured into it.

However, when Noah, in Cordelia’s body, had come to the mansion, she hadn’t said a word about the painting. The reason for this became clear soon enough.

‘Tomorrow! I have to attend the gathering tomorrow. What should I do?’

It’s probably because more urgent matters have arisen than that. Noah had to wipe off his sweat while trying to calm down the panicked Cordelia. To resolve this situation quickly, Linus is needed, but she is currently part of the reconnaissance team sent to the frontline, so it was impossible to contact her immediately. However, the banquet was scheduled for tomorrow.

After much back and forth, the two eventually agreed that Noah would learn Cordelia’s behavior using his abilities and attend the banquet. Thanks to this, instead of drawing all day, he had to familiarize himself with Cordelia’s usual actions, way of speaking, and habits.

‘Just the way you walk can make you feel uncomfortable. Right now, you’re walking too briskly. Try to walk a little more gracefully.’

‘When you hold the glass, make the movement smoother! Oh, you can’t handle alcohol? Then don’t drink at all. Just decline, saying you don’t accept drinks from anyone. It’s okay. You shouldn’t drink what others offer you in such places. Who knows what they might do?’

‘You’ll act confidently, but you’ll speak casually with close people, okay? I’ll give you the appearance and the name, remember them all. Oh, you can respond moderately to the rest. If you don’t know the other person’s name, don’t just call them, talk to them, and keep it to about three sentences at most.’

Is it just her, or does he seem to secretly enjoy watching himself struggle? Cordelia blinked, wondering if she should be worried now that he was able to mimic it so convincingly.

‘I guess I’m feeling uneasy after all. How about I go with you? If it’s your face, even if I dress nicely, I could accompany you as an escort…?’

‘No way!’

‘Huh?’

‘Well, you see… You know my status. There might be troublesome situations… I don’t want to get involved with nobles as much as possible. Don’t worry. As you can see, I can handle things on my own.’

Noah added hurried explanations, and Cordelia’s expression became subtle. He tried hard to hide his desperate feelings, but it wasn’t easy. Of course, he had some way to stop it. He absolutely, positively had no intention of setting foot in the palace.

At the very least, his body had to remain that way.

“You seem tired, Lady Cordelia.”

One of the women sitting on the sofa spoke up. As he hesitated about how to respond, a woman sitting on the opposite side raised her fan, gently fanning her face while shaking her head.

“Seriously, when it comes to men! There’s no shortage of hyenas. Anyway, they’re all opportunists, pretending not to be and making a fuss.”

“They say you broke up with Count Nelson? No wonder it’s even more chaotic.”

“How could you know that…”

As he inadvertently asked back, the women burst into giggles. Without any further reaction, the women added a few more words to Noah, who was watching them.

“You sound so naive all of a sudden.”

“Do secrets even exist on this floor, ho-ho?”

“At least he seemed to last a while this time, did you not like it?”

As one of the women raised a finger and made a certain gesture, Noah was slightly taken aback, but he tried to empty his mind somehow.

However, no matter what, isn’t this too blatant?

Whether he thought that way or not, the women continued to chat softly among themselves.

“The more seemingly proper someone appears, the more talk there is about their secret tastes.”

“…It’s a private matter, so it doesn’t seem suitable to discuss it here.”

“Oh, it seems uninteresting then!”

Following the playful comment, everyone nodded their heads. As the conversation shifted, they quickly moved on to another topic.

“I hear that Viscount Orvis and Lady Helen are having a bit of a falling out. Do you think they’re having an affair again?”

“Surely not, they wouldn’t dare. It’s the Queen’s birthday celebration after all. The King himself gave orders to maintain decorum.”

“He always seems sincere no matter when you see him. To have the affection of such a person all to herself, the Queen must be quite fortunate.”

Noah struggled to follow the context of the somewhat irreverent conversation. The women gathered in this place were all married and had a keen interest in social news. They didn’t seem hostile towards him, perhaps because they were mostly around Cordelia’s age.

However, discussing such explicit topics with others, especially women, was new to Noah, and he could only roll his eyes uncomfortably. He had been confident that it would be fine, but the crisis was already knocking at the door.

Noah stared desperately toward the open door as if searching for an escape route. The Queen, who should have appeared by now, still hadn’t arrived. Yet, if he were to leave for the banquet hall immediately, he’d be bombarded with more questions.

Would it be alright to just stay quietly without joining the conversation? As he tried to somehow organize his racing thoughts, a melodious voice snapped his attention.

“Hey, were you here all along?”

The woman behind Noah looked surprised. As Noah lifted his head in the same seated posture, he found himself gazing up at a splendid beauty with rose-like red hair, a stunning woman holding onto the sofa.

It was Cordelia’s older sister, Countess Calia Weichen.

“Well, isn’t it you who got here early?”

Seeing the alluringly beautiful woman plop down right beside him, Noah managed to produce a cheerful tone, his heart pounding heavily.

‘Noah, are you overdoing it right now? You need to exaggerate that threefold!’

While Noah excelled at expressing things with his hands, he struggled with his introverted and passive nature. Nonetheless, he managed to shake off the awkwardness somehow.

‘But if it seems like you’ll be caught, then just spill the beans and ask for help if needed. They might nag a bit, but they’ll listen, right?’

“Enough already. Why are you so persistent? You seem to be troubled too, from the looks of it.”

Calia had declined the title and proclaimed her disinterest in marriage. This was also a fact known to Cordelia.

“Countess, you have no intention of getting married?”

As Calia requested honey water from a maid, one of the women threw her a question. Calia elegantly brushed her hair behind her ear and replied.

“Yes, I’m not interested.”

“They say you’ve received so many courtship requests.”

“Is there a special reason?”

“Rumors were circulating that there might be an issue with Countess’ preferences among the public.”

Calia folded her fan with a slight thud. With the sound of wood meeting wood, the flow of questions stopped, and everyone’s gaze focused on her. The corners of Calia’s lips gently curved.

“You’re overly interested in others’ matters. Even if it’s just among us, we still need to be careful about what we say, right?”

Everyone subtly averted their gaze at the cool warning. Calia, who had been looking at Noah with an intrigued expression as he continued to be stared at, leaned closer and whispered.

“Why that expression? Do you have something to say?”