Chapter 47………..
“The weather’s really nice.”
Sitting on a shaded bench, Noah held his pen and stared blankly up at the sky. The deep blue, high heavens, proof that it was still autumn, looked just like an enormous canvas.
Fluffy clouds, like cotton, drifted gently by. Tracing imaginary lines between them, Noah had just finished sketching out a sparrow after a rabbit and a puppy when his gaze slid toward the commotion across from him.
In the distance, a group of finely dressed men marched in line. He couldn’t make out their faces, but it was easy enough to guess who they were.
Suitors, most likely.
He had heard that something related to marriage proposals was in progress, though he hadn’t been told the details. And afterward, Cordelia had been avoiding him, and he hadn’t particularly wanted to ask anyway.
“Well, it’s not like it matters to me.”
Why would he bother knowing? It wasn’t something that concerned him.
But even if he tried to draw that line, things didn’t always go as intended. Why was it that she hadn’t shown up even at mealtimes?
It had already been over a week since he last saw Cordelia. And though people’s hearts are fickle, he sometimes found himself wanting to peek inside, just to know.
Each time, he quickly pulled himself together, startled by the thought. If he wasn’t careful, their bodies might switch again.
At times, even he found himself strange. She was nothing more than a fleeting childhood encounter. Of course, back then, her words had comforted him in hard times, but that was all—just a memory.
That should’ve been it, yet why had he wished for her as soon as he saw the crystal orb? He had only wanted to know if she was doing well.
Laughing softly at himself for being so ridiculous upon reuniting, Noah let out a chuckle. As soon as this body-switch mess was resolved, they’d part ways again. So why was his mind so cluttered with useless thoughts? It was pathetic.
Lowering his gaze, Noah looked down at the blank sheet of paper fixed on his wooden drawing board. Staring gloomily at the empty page, he sighed.
“Forget it.”
He thought sketching something might lighten his mood, but he was back to square one. He had tried drawing a few test sketches just to be sure, but thankfully, his body hadn’t switched again like before.
Still, dwelling on Cordelia for too long was dangerous. Shake it off, shake it off. Noah shook his head vigorously and suddenly jumped to his feet. Though his obscured vision was bothersome, he was already used to it.
After gathering his things, Noah cautiously stepped into the castle’s front gates. Maybe I should just go back to my room. Thinking so, he climbed the stairs absentmindedly—only to stop abruptly when he saw people descending. Quickly, he turned away and pressed himself into a corner.
“Tsk. How long do you plan on staying here, really?”
“You’ve grown even harsher with age. Is this how you treat a guest, shoving him out?”
A middle-aged man was coming down with Isaac. Streaks of white showed through his black hair, but what stood out more was his face—uncannily similar to Liam Gracia’s, full of discontent.
Even if he didn’t want to pay attention, their voices clung stubbornly to his ears.
“Three days is already too long. Why are you lingering? Is Liam giving you signals?”
“Hah! If that brat were giving me signals, I’d dig in my heels even harder just to spite him. What do you take me for?”
While Isaac muttered irritably about bad tempers running in the bloodline, Yuri narrowed his eyes.
“Why are you so desperate to get rid of me? You must be hiding something, aren’t you?”
“Hiding? Ha! I’m just tired of entertaining a crusty old man, that’s all.”
“You look older than me. That’s why one should train mind and body—”
“Stop spouting nonsense and let’s just take a walk.”
“Hold on.”
Step. Hearing footsteps approach from behind, Noah felt cold sweat trickle down his back. Head bowed, fidgeting with his drawing board, he froze when a solemn voice called out to him.
“You there…”
“There you are.”
A calm, gentle voice overlapped the first. Noah quickly raised his head to see a young maid in uniform looking at him.
She was one of the attendants who had accompanied Kallia, and Noah had exchanged greetings with her a few times before. With her expressionless, almost cold face, she handed him an envelope.
“I’ve been looking for you. I needed to deliver something to Lady Kallia. Could you take this to her?”
“Eh? Oh—yes, of course.”
Clutching the letter, Noah hurried off in the direction the maid indicated. Watching his slightly hunched, hurried steps, the maid then turned to Isaac and Yuri, bowing politely.
“My apologies. It was urgent business.”
“No, it’s fine. What’s your name?”
“Veronica. I am Lady Kallia’s head maid.”
“That young man—he’s with your household, then?”
The maid nodded.
Isaac, secretly sighing in relief as he stepped back, muttered to Yuri in a low voice:
“Why on earth were you bothering a busy servant with talk?”
“It’s nothing. He’s tall, sturdy—looked like he could handle a sword. Thought he might be worth training.”
Scratching his head, Yuri explained it wasn’t meant to intimidate. But Isaac, exasperated at Yuri’s never-dying warrior instincts, grumbled:
“Honestly, is that all your brain ever thinks of?”
“Quiet. And you’re one to talk—madman obsessed with books!”
As the two bickered again, Veronica glanced subtly toward the corridor Noah had vanished into.
Meanwhile, Noah wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers as he walked down the passageway. Just recalling what had happened earlier sent a chill down his spine.
He was helping me, right?
I’ll have to thank him later.
Thinking that, he reached the end of the passage, where a pair of maids stood guard at a large door. Trying not to stare at the imposing entrance, Noah addressed them politely.
“Hello, I was asked to deliver this to Count Weitzen.”
Is Lady Cordelia inside that door…?
“Go inside. On the right, there’s a smaller door—Lady Kallia is within.”
Showing them the letter, Noah was allowed in. Stepping into the grand hall, he blinked in surprise.
Along the edges, tables of food and drink gathered guests, while in the center people danced to the music. Some wore striking white masks that drew attention.
At a glance, it seemed nothing more than a masquerade ball. But what did this have to do with marriage proposals?
Pausing, Noah started toward the right-side door, but froze at the sound of a woman’s scream. He turned his head sharply.
Watching the scene unfold from a distance, his face slowly shifted into shock. Quickening his steps, he approached from behind someone.
All eyes turned toward the scream’s source.
The shrieking woman trembled as she glared at the man before her. The redness spreading down from his masked face to his neck mirrored the shame she felt.
“Well now, my apologies. It seems I made a mistake.”
Even after touching her indecently, the man remained shameless. Grinning with both hands raised, he looked more entertained than remorseful.
Bound by the rule that forbade her from speaking, the woman could only open and close her mouth soundlessly before stumbling back. In her panic, she stepped on her dress’s hem.
Ah!
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the fall—when suddenly, strong arms caught her. Peeking her eyes open, she saw vivid blue eyes beyond a white mask.
He smelled good—better even than the perfume on her own skin.
“Hey, let me go! Do you know who I am, you insolent—!”
Other attendants quietly moved in, seizing the man’s arms. He growled and tried to shake them off.
The brown-haired attendant who had caught the woman knelt down, carefully brushing off her trampled dress. His respectful manner made her cheeks glow pink beneath the mask.
Standing slowly, he stepped protectively between her and the man. Staring intently, he clenched one fist in silence. Though his lips twitched, his calm gaze alone made the man feel strangely humiliated.
Shaking free from the attendants’ grip, the man stalked toward him, reaching out with a hand. The attendant shifted his foot slightly, as if to trip him.
“What is the meaning of this commotion?”
A low, steady voice cut through the music. At that moment, the man stumbled over the attendant’s foot and crashed loudly to the floor. At the same time, the attendant’s back—tilted slightly from the motion—pressed into something firm.
Looking up, he saw a towering man with shaggy black hair shadowing his eyes, hands gripping his shoulders firmly.
The big man released him and turned forward again. Just as the attendant reached up to touch his ear and hesitated, a quiet, almost sheepish whisper brushed against it.
“…Are you all right, Lady Cordelia?”
