CHAPTER 98……………………….
After taking the scissors, Cordelia roughly tore out the hairpins that had been holding her beautifully braided hair in place. Clatter—the jeweled pins fell one by one to the floor.
What happened next was truly shocking.
“Lady Cordelia!”
Without hesitation, Cordelia began to chop off her own hair with the scissors. The long, luscious locks that reached her waist were shorn away like fallen leaves in autumn under the merciless snipping.
Under the horrified gaze of everyone present, Cordelia threw the thick bundle of hair straight into the man’s face. Thud—the golden strands fluttered down, covering his face before landing on the floor.
“There. Satisfied?”
Her voice was icy cold, her sharp glare bordering on madness. The roughly cut, uneven ends of her hair looked wild and untidy. When she raised the large scissors again, their blades glinting dangerously, the man instinctively stumbled backward and fell.
Cordelia looked down at him quietly—as if she might stab him at any moment if he didn’t speak clearly.
The gentle, graceful woman who had always spoken softly was gone. In her place stood a madwoman. Realizing she was like an entirely different person, the man trembled.
“I was wrong.”
When Cordelia took a step closer, the man shouted in fright.
“About what?”
“I lied… to cover for that woman’s crime. And even though I knew she was dangerous, I told you to take her on as a patron.”
“And?”
“…I also apologize for what I said earlier. It was all foolish—my mistake.”
Cordelia didn’t bother to mock him for only speaking under threat. Instead, she replied in a flat tone,
“There are soldiers waiting outside. Repeat what you just said—to them. Unless you want to bring ruin to your entire family.”
Moments later, soldiers came in and bound Roy Eshillon. Cordelia stayed to watch until he was led out of the hall—then she, too, left the room.
The atmosphere of the banquet was utterly devastated, like after a funeral. Before the murmurs could start again, a relaxed voice broke the silence.
“Is something the matter? Do enjoy the party.”
Everyone turned toward the speaker. Frederic took a leisurely sip of wine and smiled softly.
“Ah, I’ve been rather irritable lately because of… unfortunate events. I trust no one here will speak unnecessarily. You wouldn’t want to become part of the Secret, would you?”
His thinly veiled threat—warning that anyone who gossiped about his sister would meet an untimely end—made everyone hold their breath. Using the tension as an appetizer, Frederic calmly raised his glass again.
He had long known his sister was far from refined, but never before had she been this outrageous. Did she still think she was a ten-year-old child?
He almost laughed in disbelief—but still, she was alive. When he first heard the news, he had been so distraught that now, he found himself surprisingly forgiving. After all, he wasn’t incompetent enough to fail at managing even his sister’s reputation.
Though… he’d certainly scold her once she got home.
Who could’ve imagined things would escalate this far? The rumors would be bad enough, but what about her hair? He had too many concerns to count. With a sigh, he swallowed them all down with another drink.
Well, there goes that marriage proposal, he thought grimly.
When Noah received Cordelia’s letter, he was overjoyed. Not only was it a rare chance to go out, but he would finally see her again after more than ten days apart.
He was a little surprised by her request to “come immediately,” but assumed she had her reasons. Trying to calm his excitement, he hurriedly prepared to leave.
But when he finally arrived at the mansion and saw her—he was speechless.
“L–Lady Cordelia…?!”
“Sorry. I must look awful, huh?”
It was already evening, and the world was dim, but the moon was bright enough to see her face clearly.
He’d wondered why she wore a hood when leaving her own house—but when she removed it, Noah was struck dumb. The long hair that used to fall to her waist was gone, now only grazing her chin—its uneven, jagged ends giving her a rough look.
“Did something happen? How did this…?”
Had something occurred while they hadn’t seen each other? Worried, Noah looked at her but couldn’t bring himself to reach out. Cordelia smiled sheepishly.
“No, nothing like that. Anyway—hey, you cut your hair too?”
The bangs that used to cover Noah’s forehead were gone. He awkwardly touched the back of his neck.
“Ah, I asked my uncle to trim it. Does it look okay?”
“Yeah, perfect. You should keep it like that—it suits you so well.”
Her bright smile made Noah’s heart lift, but he couldn’t help glancing at her hair again. Before he could ask anything, Cordelia spoke first.
“Shall we take a walk?”
“Yes.”
They walked to the small garden tucked in a corner of her estate. Leaning against the wall, they both looked up at the night sky, an awkward silence between them.
“Have you been well?” Cordelia asked, trying to start a conversation.
“My body’s fine,” Noah said quietly, “but my heart’s been restless.”
“Why?”
“Because I missed you.”
Hearing his shy confession, Cordelia turned toward him—and the sight of his bright, genuine smile made her heart drop like a stone.
Damn it, why is he so cute?
“I—I missed you too.”
Ugh, why do I sound so awkward?! Can’t I come up with a better line, Cordelia Weitzen?!
“Are you really okay? I mean… your hair…”
“Hmm? Well, I’m not going to any more banquets for now. I guess I’ll wear a wig when I have to go out. People will definitely talk.”
Beautiful, flowing hair was considered an essential trait of a noblewoman’s charm. That’s why they spent so much effort and money caring for it.
Now that she’d cut it all off, it was natural people might say her beauty had diminished. Even before coming here, she’d had to calm down panicking servants. Though she appreciated their concern, she didn’t feel particularly regretful—surprisingly calm, even to herself.
“So why did you cut yours?” she asked.
“Because… you said you liked it better this way.”
“And when was it you said you’d never cut it?”
Though she sounded sharp, Noah answered simply,
“When I realized you liked my face, I thought I should make an effort.”
Her vision brightened at that—though she still felt nervous, maybe it would be fine. She’d just have to be a little more careful from now on.
“By the way,” Noah continued hesitantly, “are you really okay with just… my looks?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, just choosing me based on appearance seems… unfair to you, doesn’t it?”
“What are you talking about? That’s the most important part! If handsome men were common, do you think I’d have all this trouble?”
Cordelia sighed dramatically, then cleared her throat and gazed up at the stars.
“Honestly, isn’t it perfectly natural for people—men or women, young or old—to like beautiful things?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“Right? But everyone accepts it when men want beautiful women—yet when I say I want a handsome man, they call me shallow.”
It had started back when she was sixteen, newly arrived in the capital. A man had kept pestering her, and when she told him he wasn’t her type, he sneered that she had “unrealistic standards.”
The nerve! He only liked her because she was pretty—so why couldn’t she like good-looking men in return?
And as she learned, society was full of men like that. There were plenty of pretty women, but almost no well-groomed men.
Would it kill them to shave properly? And stop hitting on me, you’re twice my age! Are all the decent men dead? If I say I’m not interested, take the hint!
“So I made up my mind then,” she said firmly. “My partner will be handsome. No exceptions.”
Call it stubbornness if you want—but Cordelia had her reasons.
“Just look at my parents. The way Father went through hell to marry Mother—it’s legendary. You couldn’t hear that story without tearing up. He was so nervous even on their wedding day that his hands shook, but he tried not to show it.”
The story of Isaac Weitzen’s courtship of Tiela Foliette was famous, often retold by his friend Yuri as a party anecdote. Isaac had been a talented young man, but Tiela was the daughter of a marquis—once even courted by a royal family.
That she’d turned down a royal proposal to marry him was the stuff of legend.
“So yeah—men who say they love me but can’t even try that hard? Ridiculous. If you lack devotion, at least have the looks to make up for it.”
Having grown up watching her father dote helplessly on her mother, Cordelia had no intention of settling for anyone inferior. Especially not some insecure man nursing an inferiority complex.
“In this whole kingdom, there’s probably no woman as free to live as she pleases as I am. So I’m going to live exactly how I want—to show everyone that women can live like this.”
