In Order To Meet You, Beloved

“Unbelievable, in the world!”

Startled, Cordelia touched her face slowly in amazement. The handsome man inside the mirror moved in the same way. His soft yet slightly rough skin clearly showed signs of neglect in his care. However, with a flawless complexion and a healthy tan, he looked vibrant.

Although the bangs that reached her eyes bothered her, she could bear it. She quickly placed her hands on her forearm and chest, feeling the firm muscles beneath the thin skin. As she subtly lowered her head, thick thighs came into view. It seemed like they were exaggerated, focusing only on her waist.

“Wow, these forearms are so thick! Unbelievable! The thighs too!”

Both her face and body were more than enough to become the main character of a novel. Unbelievably, such a man existed in the world!

Feeling a surge of inspiration after a long time, Cordelia rummaged through her desk drawer. Fortunately, she found a few pieces of paper among the odds and ends. Taking one piece of paper, she opened the ink bottle on the desk and dipped the nib of her pen.

Then she vigorously moved the pen over the paper.

“Where… He looks gentle, but I think he would be a great schemer with this face. No, even a conventionally straightforward and affectionate man would be fine! But still, using his handsome face to seduce a woman who already likes him because of his face….”

Getting more and more excited, Cordelia, who was becoming somewhat ruthless towards the person she just met, suddenly tilted her head.

“Hmm? I feel like I forgot something.”

With a fairly low voice, while holding the pen with thick yet graceful fingers, she remembered what she had forgotten.

Contrast his pretty face, his fingers were full of calluses, which was quite impressive. He straightened her hunched back and lightly clapped her hands.

“Oh! I’ve changed bodies now!”

When Cordelia was deeply focused on her work, she tended to become more expressive and talkative than usual, and this time was no exception.

Then, is this also the person’s room?

Realizing that her behavior was rude, Cordelia quietly put down the pen. Then she looked around carefully and cautiously picked up the paper she had just written on, holding it close to her chest. She glanced at the mirror and subtly apologized to the owner of the body.

“Sorry, I’ll make it up to you later.”

Mumbling those words, Cordelia looked around the room once again. It wasn’t as grand as the mansion where she reside, but it was quite spacious, and it had everything she needed. The furniture wasn’t overly extravagant, but the delicate carvings suggested that they must have been quite valuable.

Approaching the large window, she saw branches adorned with lush leaves and birds flitting about.

On the second floor, perhaps? It looked like a mansion. Though she didn’t know for sure, it was evident that the owner was quite wealthy.

“By the way, why did I end up like this?”

She had never asked or thought about dating a man like this, wanting to become such a person. Suddenly, she felt unjustified. How could she have wasted her time when there was such a face in the world? Was this what it felt like to regret and feel like she had lost out on life?

She wondered about his original personality. She hoped he wasn’t just a possessive and discourteous brute like many other humans. With this face, she could tolerate a certain level of bad behavior. Ideally, he would be good at drinking too.

However, something felt strange. Cordelia gazed at the mirror intently. The man’s face, blinking slowly, seemed oddly familiar.

“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…”

But how could she not remember such a face? It wasn’t like many handsome men suited her tastes. If she had seen such a beautiful man before, there must be some trace of him somewhere.

In other words, even if she couldn’t remember the face, she should at least think, ‘Ah, I must have seen an incredibly handsome man at some point!’ if she searched her memories thoroughly. She tried to calm herself down and focus. Though the face seemed to be at least in his twenties, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that they might have met when he was much younger.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she heard a knocking sound. She almost let out a surprised gasp but managed to swallow it back. 

“My Lord, is something going on?” 

A dignified voice came from outside the door. Cordelia adjusted her voice to sound composed.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Fortunately, she could respond with a fairly nonchalant tone. Living in high society, she had learned to be observant and act well. Even if she wasn’t sure about the situation, she knew she couldn’t make enemies openly.

Cordelia examined what he was wearing. A white shirt with brown trousers. It was plain and ordinary, more suitable for casual outings rather than the situation she found herself in.

She opened the wardrobe on the wall opposite the desk, but it contained only simple and plain clothes. She sighed inwardly as she took out the most suitable outfit for going outside. Why are there only dull clothes in this house where he lives?

Whoever this person was, once the situation was resolved, she decided to get some better clothes. Money was abundant anyway, so contributing to the beauty of the world wouldn’t hurt. His face wasn’t overly glamorous, but it was handsome enough that clothes would likely suit him well.

“Okay, I’ll go to the ducal residence first.”

First, she needed to confirm what happened to her body. After changing into more suitable outdoor clothes and pushing back the bangs, she put on a brown cloak she found inside the wardrobe. She grabbed the pouch of money she had discovered in the desk drawer earlier and absentmindedly opened the door. Just then, Cordelia almost screamed.

Understandably, the dismissed butler, whom she thought had already left, was standing right in front of the door. The butler, who was at least a head shorter than her, looked puzzled as he called out to her.

“Young master?”

“No, why are you here?”

She almost spoke informally but quickly changed to a more respectful tone after reading the butler’s expression. She couldn’t help but find it fresh that she was showing respect even to the butler in her thoughts.

Maybe he was sensitive to formalities, even if he didn’t know. It wasn’t a bad thing.

“I was worried because you seemed a bit slow in responding today. Is there something on your schedule?”

“Oh, um. Did I…? I’m not sure. I vaguely remember saying something, but what was it?”

“Yes? Yes. Didn’t you say you were going to the marketplace? You mentioned that you would meet a new client soon.”

A client? What kind of work is this person doing to use such terminology? Perhaps they work for a guild. However, it’s hard to believe that maintaining such a mansion with the money one earns from a guild job alone.

“I’ve prepared breakfast in the dining room. Madam said she has no appetite and asked you to go ahead.”

Madam? For a moment, she was taken aback, wondering if he was married. But then Cordelia realized that she was addressed as a “young master” herself. So, naturally, the “madam” must be this person’s mother.

Cutting off the endless train of thoughts, Cordelia composed herself. She couldn’t assume anything without knowing the situation for sure. Moreover, she didn’t plan to take the bread offered. It would be impolite to make judgments about the other person based on her presumptions.

First, she needed to confirm her original body, and then she could think about how to go back.

As Cordelia tried to smile and say something, the butler quietly stepped forward and she followed him, contemplating the situation ahead.

Cordelia could speculate that magic might be the cause, but the thought of looking into it made her feel overwhelmed. In this country, magic was strictly under the jurisdiction of the temples, and unless one was a noble participating in a state event or visiting a temple, encountering magic was quite rare.

Of course, imagination is free, and she occasionally used magical elements when she ran out of ideas for her writing. She had written stories where the dreams of the male and female leads were connected through a wizard’s manipulation, creating a destined connection between them. But she never imagined that something like switching bodies could happen.

Reality truly surpasses imagination, it seemed.

For now, she needed to focus on what she could do. Cordelia quietly clenched her fist. Due to the wider gait than she was used to, she adjusted her walking speed several times, reaffirming the fact that she had indeed possessed someone else’s body.

Feeling the reality of the situation once again, she resolved to take it one step at a time.

They descended the stairs and passed through the lobby, entering the dining room located inside the left corridor. The dining room was more like a small room that could be reminiscent of a regular chamber, with only a table large enough for about six people to sit around.

Once they sat down and waited, steaming potato soup, wheat bread, a basket filled with boiled eggs, and a jar of honey were placed on the table. The menu was simpler than what she was used to, but Cordelia started her meal without complaint.

As the only member of her immediate family staying at the Duke’s residence, she was quite accustomed to having meals alone. She occasionally saw Rick, but having a meal with that person was a difficult ordeal in many ways.

After finishing her meal, Cordelia rang the bell, and a woman who seemed to be a maid entered. As the maid opened the door behind her and a dim corridor appeared before vanishing, a small doubt arose in Cordelia’s mind.

Cordelia had noticed it even when she came to the dining room, but there seemed to be fewer employees than she would expect for a mansion of this size. Perhaps that’s why it felt desolate.

“I seem to have forgotten something. Could you bring it to me”

“Yes. What are you referring to?”

“It’s probably a pen… I think I left it in the room I usually work in.”

The maid nodded and, bowing slightly, walked outside. Cordelia slowly stood up, watching her retreating. As she quietly followed behind, the maid went into a room at the end of the right corridor, just as Cordelia had expected.

When the maid looked surprised to see Cordelia leaning against the door while she was carefully looking around inside the room, she quickly spoke up.

“Young master?”

“I thought it might be more efficient to find it myself instead of bothering you with this kind of thing. Please continue with your work.”

Speaking softly and gently, the maid retreated without any particular suspicion. Following the butler’s attitude, Cordelia was certain of one thing: regardless of this man’s true nature, his demeanor in dealing with others belonged to the caring and considerate category.

Once the maid left and the door closed, Cordelia could finally explore the room at ease.

“Wow…”

The room was much more spacious than she had expected. A large canvas stood on the left side, and most of the items were covered with various cloths, making it difficult to identify them.

A decent-sized wooden table was cluttered with various objects, but amidst the chaos, the paintbrushes and watercolors were neatly organized. Seeing the diversity of the paints, it seemed that he had quite a bit of money. Considering the room’s structure and materials, it was too much for a mere hobby of a wealthy young noble.

“Does he paint?”

This place seemed like a creative space. As soon as Cordelia realized this, she felt embarrassed, as if she had intruded on someone’s private space. At that moment, her eyes caught something.

“What’s that…?”