In Order To Meet You, Beloved

The fantasy filled with pink was shattered by Luther’s words.

“Just read a novel casually.”

Cordelia, who had no blood or tears, exclaimed like that, and Luther sighed in response.

“You were too demanding as an author from the start.”

“Isn’t it natural for me to have high standards?”

Perhaps it wasn’t annoying to speak so confidently because those words were true. Luther constantly reminded himself that the person in front of him, who behaved so boldly, was a direct descendant of the kingdom’s highest authority.

She was beautiful, too. Even after more than 10 years of seeing her, her face still made him nervous every time he took off his hat. So, having high standards was inevitable.

The problem was that Cordelia, who didn’t need to make money, couldn’t be pressured to produce a manuscript. It was good that she was a noble of high status and a popular writer with a modest personality, making her easy to deal with, but situations like this were still difficult.

Luther sent a compassionate gaze like he would to his youngest sibling.

“When do you plan to get married for real?”

“Why does it matter? I just won’t get married.”

Cordelia complained while leaning back on the sofa.

“Lately, Rick’s nagging has been unbearable. Can you believe it? He can’t even crack a joke. He was acting so loud and obnoxious that I told him I’d think about it if he brought me a spirit twelve years younger than me, and then he brought me a real portrait, it’s crazy!”

Seeing Cordelia curse her own older brother, Duke Weichen, who was the most influential figure in the country, Luther couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly, unable to provide a suitable response.

“He’s worried about you, I suppose. If you miss the appropriate age for marriage, you won’t have plenty of time.”

“Even older than me, there are unmarried women. Anyway, they all get married too early, don’t they? Choosing a lifelong companion is such an important decision, why rush it when you’re so young?”

But, my lady, you’re already close to thirty.

Luther struggled to keep the truth from spilling out. Cordelia continued to grumble.

“Of course, even in a strategic marriage, you might end up genuinely liking your partner! But at least I don’t want to marry like that. Anyway, our family will be passed down by our older brother, so why does he want to waste a precious dowry on me?”

Marriage for the sake of the estate was common among nobles, but weren’t there other unmarried siblings in the household? Her second sister, Jerania, got married, but Calia was still single, just like herself.

Yet, Calia was left alone, while Cordelia was being treated like this. She felt bitter about it.

“And most importantly…”

“Most importantly?”

“…I didn’t like his face.”

She couldn’t say such harsh words to the innocent victim, but honestly, she didn’t like his appearance. He looked too old to be sixteen, and his features were rather coarse.

In a positive light, he had a manly appearance, but in a negative light, he felt indecisive.

If he were handsome, he would be handsome, but Cordelia preferred a refined look closer to that of a beautiful man. Additionally, he had to have a body as fit as a knight’s and a soft voice to top it off for her to consider him truly exceptional.

Of course, Cordelia didn’t go around spreading these talks outside. She understood the concept of maintaining appearances.

The portrait itself was already flattering enough. What could he possibly look like in reality?

“Honestly, I’m this beautiful, so it’s only natural that my partner should be handsome, right?” Cordelia’s blue eyes sparkled with confident conviction.

She did have a valid point to boast, being a beauty herself, and surrounded by numerous handsome men. Yet, despite having high standards, she had trouble finding someone whose face she truly liked.

‘But we get along just fine as friends. Do I need to go as far as dating someone?’

She often answered when questioned, and her older sister, Calia, observed her little sister thoughtfully and reached a conclusion.

‘You don’t fall in love with your partners; you just like being in relationships with people.’

‘Isn’t it the same thing?’

‘…You writing romance novels is the biggest mystery of my life.’

Calia sighed quietly as Cordelia used her fork to steal a piece of Calia’s cake. Cordelia expressed her discontent, voraciously devouring the cake topped with strawberries. Calia, sipping her tea nonchalantly, left Cordelia to her own devices and replied.

‘If you’re curious, ask Jerania. She likes the king and his brother, you know.’

Jerania, Cordelia’s other sister, had married the crown prince and had become the queen, leading busy days now. Cordelia raised her head without a hint of jealousy.

‘My sister would never tell me such things. Besides, there’s no need to dig into matters she doesn’t want to talk about.’

‘Well, Cordy, it seems like you haven’t wasted your time.’

Calia complimented her as she enjoyed her tea.

‘What did you say?!’

Calia growled and refilled her sister’s teacup once again. Despite pouting, Cordelia reluctantly swallowed her dissatisfaction while sipping her tea.

She had been diligently meeting people, believing that her destined partner would come along, but honestly, she was starting to feel a bit disheartened. Perhaps such things only happened in novels? Or maybe she simply wasn’t fortunate enough to experience something like that.

“Ah, love is so difficult…”

In novels, everyone seemed to fall in love so easily. On this day, Cordelia murmured with a genuine sense of sadness, and Luther offered her some comforting words.

“As you said, maybe the time hasn’t come yet. How about waiting a little longer?”

“Really?”

Yes, maybe that was it. Cordelia sighed weakly and took a sip of her cooling tea.

The tea was indeed fragrant.

After meeting with Luther and returning home, Cordelia entered her room and slumped down. While part of the reason for going out was to distract herself from the unpleasant faces she encountered at the social gathering, now it was becoming a real danger.

After spending quite some time bathing, Cordelia returned to her room, where her red-haired maid, Rosa, was waiting for her.

“My lady, Lord Nelson came to visit just now.”

Cordelia frowned, even that gesture looking elegant with her beauty that left Rosa in awe.

“I told you to turn away any man who comes looking for me, Rosa.”

“Yes, that’s what I said… But he doesn’t seem to budge until he meets you in person. He insists on not leaving until he sees your face.”

“He’ll eventually leave on his own. Everyone is causing me so much trouble.”

Cordelia glanced briefly out the window. Although it was still a long way to evening, the sky was quite cloudy. She added with a sigh.

“It looks like it’s going to rain soon. I’ll bet that he won’t last three hours before going home.”

Taking out a thick silver coin, Cordelia sat in front of her mirror. Rosa stood behind her, skillfully arranging Cordelia’s hair. Although Rosa tried to strike up conversations with her, Cordelia’s mood only sank further toward the bottom.

“Ah, these days, even Rick seems like a handsome man…”

Rosa wanted to say that the Duke of Weichen was objectively handsome, but she kept her mouth shut. It was understandable, considering that the lowest point of Cordelia’s aesthetic standards was the Duke of Gracia.

Liam Gracia, the Duke of Gracia, was a well-known figure in many ways. He was one of the few dukes in the kingdom, renowned for his robust physique, broad shoulders, handsome face, and exceptional swordsmanship. But he was also famous for his romantic involvement with the current Duchess.

Even Rosa, who knew he was already taken, couldn’t help but be mesmerized when she saw him after a long time.

Cordelia had known him since childhood, and it was surprising that they didn’t end up betrothed. She dismissed any relationship with him, saying, ‘He’s handsome, but he’s insufferable.’

‘Besides, she always kept handsome men as friends, especially those who are uncommonly handsome in the kingdom…’

After all, it’s not common to find a good-looking man who doesn’t use his appearance to his advantage. Cordelia found it astonishing that even with her condition, he dared to pursue her.

She’s beautiful, but she’s also the youngest sister of the current duke and the queen’s sister. If he wants to get along well with the beautiful lady, he should be more patient and accommodating. Rosa bit her tongue in silence.

Having served Cordelia for so long, Rosa understood her well enough to lean inwardly.

“A better man will come along soon.”

“Do you think so? Maybe.”

In truth, her worries weren’t just about that, but Cordelia just smiled bashfully. Even that smile was so lovely that Rosa sincerely wished for a deserving partner to appear for this adorable young lady.

As expected, Edward retreated when the rain began to fall. It was probably due to his wounded pride. If he genuinely wanted to have a conversation and admit his mistakes, he would have written a letter instead of coming in person. The reason for his visit was likely to assess the situation and gain some advantage in the conversation, as it’s easier to control the other person’s response when interacting in person rather than through writing.

Having met numerous men, Cordelia had a keen insight into their psychological patterns. She couldn’t understand why things turned out this way.

“Ugh, I don’t know either.”

Cordelia irritably threw the pen onto the desk. The surface of her desk was covered with crumpled papers, scattered in disarray.

Cordelia stared blankly at the floor, lost in thought. Oh, she should have burned those papers before he found them. It was disastrous for Rick to know that she writes. Her other sisters would always support her no matter what, but that man would be the exception.

Thinking of her old-fashioned and stubborn brother, who seemed to have inherited her father’s conservative temperament, Cordelia sighed heavily. Sometimes, she couldn’t understand why she had to pretend to be a man and use a pen name. It annoyed her. Why was there such a fuss about women writing?

“But, think about it. Can you imagine those men writing romance novels to make women’s hearts flutter?”

Why would noblewomen seek romance novels? Most women in their social circles often got married through strategic marriages at a young age, leaving little room for romantic excitement.

Since they rarely experienced real romance, perhaps they sought vicarious satisfaction through literature.

“They treat it like forbidden literature.”

Grumbling, Cordelia organized the papers, put them in a drawer, and locked it with a key. She then hung the key around her neck. Holding a candle, she walked towards the bed.

Before lying down, she blew out the candle placed on the nightstand, enveloping the room in darkness. With the veil carefully covering the bed, she couldn’t see anything even an inch in front of her.

Feeling her way around, Cordelia found the bed and lay down neatly. Then, as she always did, she murmured her usual wish.

“Oh, divine beings, please let me meet a man who is incredibly handsome, physically fit, and tender-hearted, someone who only has eyes for me…”

Despite having been in love for so long, Cordelia never gave up on her hopes. Beside her, the wind mocked as it rustled through the window.

Unaware of the sound beyond the veil, Cordelia closed her eyes and soon drifted into slumber.

* * *

Chirping birds’ cries gently tapped on her ears. The bright sunlight bombarded Cordelia’s face, and she reluctantly opened her eyes.

“Ugh…”

A lower-than-usual moan escaped her lips, but without fully comprehending it, she meekly blinked her eyes.

“Who removed the veil…?”

When sleeping, Cordelia always insisted on using a thick veil to block out the sunlight, so the sensation of sunlight was something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

A deep voice echoed in her head, and with groggy eyes, Cordelia finally noticed something strange. Slowly, she sat up in bed.

Huh?

“My line of sight seems higher than usual…”

As she stood still, absentmindedly scanning the room, Cordelia’s eyes widened. She was astounded by what she saw – a bland ceiling, a small desk, a single chair, and a wardrobe tucked into a corner were the only things in the room.

This isn’t her room.

“How did this happen?”

Even her voice felt peculiar. Her voice had never been this deep. To put it nicely, it was pleasant to listen to, but it was still an unfamiliar tone.

She reached up to touch her forehead, and in doing so, Cordelia realized that even her hair color had changed to pitch black. Fear washed over her for a moment.

Could it be a curse? Did someone jealous of her cast a curse to make her hideous?

Indulging in writer-like fantasies, Cordelia approached the mirror installed next to her desk. Trembling with fear at the thought of facing her changed self, she tightly closed her eyes at first, then cautiously opened them, starting with her left eye, as she gazed into the mirror.

And then, she was shocked.

“This, this can’t be true.”

How could this have happened?!

Instead of the familiar pretty face she was used to, a tall man blinked back at her from the other side of the mirror. With jet-black hair, blue irises, a finely sculpted nose, and unlike his delicate features, his broad shoulders and muscular arms were striking.

Crazy. Cordelia muttered unconsciously.

And then she realized,

“Wow, he’s handsome.”

The mirror showed a man who perfectly matched her ideal type.