Chapter 33
“Hey, wait a second. You lied to me back then too, didn’t you?! You told me your name was Terry!”
In the end, she hadn’t seen the boy again after that. She’d once tried looking for him, but when not even a trace could be found, she’d given up and buried the memory away as nothing more than a piece of her past.
“B-because, at the time, Her Majesty the Queen was already married to my elder brother…”
With it practically certain that House Weitzen would side with the Crown Prince’s faction, Noah had thought that getting involved with Cordelia would only cause her trouble. The thought had struck him like lightning, and without thinking, he’d blurted out the lie. He hadn’t imagined it would drag on for this long.
“Then where on earth did the name ‘Terry’ come from? Is it a dog’s name or something?”
“Well, um, my mother sometimes called my uncle that…”
It had been the only name he could think of in the moment. The former “Terry,” now reduced to being compared to a dog, clutched his stomach and burst into laughter, even barking for effect.
“Woof!”
“I’m sorry, Uncle.”
Looking embarrassed, Noah lowered his head, and Tyrein gave his shoulder a light pat.
“No, well. It’s fine. It happens. No wonder you never told me who it was…”
Noah quickly clamped a hand over Tyrein’s mouth and shook his head, clearly telling him not to say more. Still, his uncle—weak to his nephew as he was—pretended to change the subject.
“Anyway, I went to the guild and made a request…”
“Oh right, how did it go?”
“Well…”
Tyrein shot a glance at Rines, who instantly caught on and answered for him.
“We won’t be reporting this to the temple. Even this matter alone is enough to warrant punishment.”
“That’s good to hear.”
As soon as the words left Rines’ mouth, Tyrein began describing the contents of the request in detail. His speech was concise, hitting only the key points—an admirable skill.
When he finished, Rines gave a short assessment.
“They’re relatively decent people.”
“Are they?”
“At least they didn’t lie. I was already thinking I needed to give them a warning anyway.”
“A warning?”
“Yes. Especially for you.”
Her face completely free of a smile, Rines turned to Noah.
“When mages learn magic, do you know the very first concept they’re taught?”
“What is it?”
“That every spell has a price.”
Her voice was as steady and weighty as if she were speaking of the laws of the world, enough to momentarily overwhelm everyone present.
“If Lady Cordelia instinctively grasped an activation condition she couldn’t possibly have guessed, that means the activation condition for this magic is essentially you. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s correct.”
“That’s why we need to break the spell as soon as possible. Once the magic is fully completed, there’s no telling what price you’ll be forced to pay. Normally, that price is borne entirely by the caster.”
Noah, listening quietly until now, asked in a casual tone,
“Then… that means Lady Cordelia won’t be harmed, right?”
“…Pardon?”
“Then it’s fine. Probably.”
“What do you mean it’s fine?!”
“How is that fine?!”
Cordelia and Rines shouted at the same time, then turned to stare at each other. Cordelia gestured for her to go ahead, but Rines only rubbed her forehead.
“You’re just as reckless as Lady Cordelia herself. I swear, you’re going to make me age faster.”
“Why am I suddenly being dragged into this?”
“You really don’t know?”
The priest looked between the two of them like an adult watching over children, and let out a quiet, mocking laugh. Cordelia wanted to argue, but no fitting words came to mind.
“Anyway, now that we know the condition, I have a rough idea how the body-switching works.”
“What is it?”
“‘I want to see you’—what a vague, abstract condition. Luckily, it doesn’t seem like it can be triggered by just any ordinary longing, but the problem is…”
“What’s the problem?”
“To reverse it, you may need to harbor a strong emotion in the opposite direction.”
Cordelia’s expression instantly turned grave.
“The opposite of ‘I want to see you’ would be… something like Noah wanting me out of his life so badly he’s utterly repulsed by me?”
“Exactly.”
How absurd was that?!
“So basically, all we have to do is make sure that doesn’t happen, right?”
A low, almost ominous voice cut in between them. His elegant face showed visible worry, his slightly furrowed brow making him look all the more serious.
I didn’t know my face could even make that expression.
Worried about what sort of unexpected declaration he might make, Cordelia clapped her hands together. The sharp clap shifted the mood at once.
“Then we just have to see each other often enough, right? So there’s no time to even think about missing me.”
“Yes, that could work.”
“Right? Rines, let’s switch back for now. I’m getting sick of looking at my own face.”
Speaking in an exaggerated tone, Cordelia stood and took Noah’s hand. She cheerfully tugged him along, and he obediently rose from the sofa.
The second body-swap process was easier than expected—still unpleasant, but at least brief.
Even so, her legs wouldn’t cooperate, and she nearly stumbled before a large hand steadied her.
Cordelia leaned into it, gazing up at the handsome face watching her with concern.
“Are you all right, Lady Cordelia?”
Noah didn’t look well himself, his complexion pale, yet he still worried for her first. The sight warmed her, and she smiled faintly.
“You must be struggling too. We’ll find another way—”
“Forget it. I don’t like being hated. Honestly, Noah, do you think you could bring yourself to hate me?”
She was weak all over, but still had the energy to wink playfully. The expression seemed to relax his stiff face a little.
“Still…”
“I can’t say I’m perfectly fine, but seeing your face makes me feel a bit better.”
“…What?”
“It means you’re good-looking.”
She slowly lifted her hand to stroke his cheek. Starting from where she touched, a red flush began to spread across his skin.
“Don’t tease me. You should stand up now.”
“Ugh, my head. I feel dizzy.”
Feigning weakness, she threw her arms around him. He froze up, not knowing what to do, and she took the opportunity to enjoy the broad warmth of his chest to the fullest.
“Would you two please stop making this your own private world? I’m feeling left out here.”
Cordelia had overlooked one thing—there were others in the room.
“Hands off!”
A strong hand lifted her away like she was nothing. Regaining her balance, she turned to see Tyrein, jaw working furiously. Gripping her shoulders, he barked,
“My lady. I’ve told you before—stay away from my boy! Absolutely not!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Playing innocent won’t work on me.”
His glare made it clear he wasn’t buying it. If she truly didn’t know, it would be less about innocence and more about having zero awareness.
Tyrein’s eyes then shifted to Noah, brows twitching in a mix of shock and frustration.
“Are you in your right mind, Ian? Sure, most men can’t help it if a beauty throws herself at them, but you—I trusted you’d never—!”
“You’re mistaken, Uncle. It’s not like that—”
“Hold on. Why are you talking like I’m the one pouncing on Noah?”
“Then you’re not?”
“I am!”
She answered proudly, and Tyrein made as if to grab her by the collar, blue with anger.
“How dare you do such a thing to the boy I raised like a precious gem?!”
“Oh, give me a break. He’s twenty-four—well past the age of deciding for himself whether to date or marry. A third party like you should butt out.”
Remembering his own words, Tyrein let out a short groan, then glared back stubbornly.
“I can’t help worrying! He’s still so naïve!”
“What about that build says ‘naïve’ to you?! If he didn’t want me, he could push me away and run without any trouble. You’re just an overprotective fool!”
“And you, the kingdom’s most notorious flirt, have the nerve to—?!”
“I’m not a flirt! I’ve never two-timed anyone!”
“Yet you’ve never lasted three months with anyone!”
“I dated the last one for half a year, okay? I’ve always been serious about love—!”
“Wait, wait!”
The desperate voice halted their escalating bickering. Both turned to see Noah staring at them like they’d lost their minds.
“What on earth are you two talking about without me?”
Something in his tone made them pause. Was he angry? As they instinctively gauged his mood, he seized the moment to speak, his face calm but his words quick.
“Exactly what’s wrong with Lady Cordelia that you think she couldn’t possibly be involved with me like that?!”
He’d stuttered briefly in the middle, but still—
“What are you saying?!”
“What’s wrong with you?!”
Cordelia and Tyrein shouted in unison, then exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to call a truce. They both turned their burning gazes on Noah, silently daring him to continue.
“A-anyway, I have no intention of dating anyone. I’m sure Lady Cordelia feels the same—”
“Who says I do? No, listen here—!”
Pop! It was like the lid blew right off Cordelia’s head.
She strode right up to the flinching Noah, grabbed him lightly by the collar, and pulled his face down to her level.
“Noah Eperman. I’ve been letting it slide because you’re cute when you play dumb, but I’ve been patient long enough.”
Her words made it clear—stop pretending not to notice.
“I’m interested in you, and I’m serious about dating you. You’ve already shown your hand, and I know it. So…”
Her blue eyes, clear and alive like jewels, filled with him completely. At first glance, they seemed playful, but the more you looked, the deeper they seemed, impossible to read in full.
“…give me an honest answer. What do you think of me?”
