Chapter 5
A half-finished plaster statue that looked as though it were carved in the shape of a human stood in a corner. As she approached, Cordelia noticed a few leftover fragments scattered across the floor, evidence that someone had tidied up but not completely. Running her fingers lightly over the pieces, she made up her mind.
“I should stop snooping and leave.”
No matter how inevitable the situation was, this felt like an intrusion. If someone were to wander into her own room filled with crumpled papers covered in hastily written story ideas and plot points, the mere thought of it was mortifying.
The medium might differ, but surely this person would feel the same.
Closing the door gently behind her, Cordelia slipped out and hurried along a strangely quiet corridor—far too silent for a place where someone lived—before stepping outside the mansion.
Compared to the ducal estate where she resided, this house was much smaller, yet neat and elegant. Inside, there seemed to be barely any staff, but the grounds outside were guarded by a fair number of soldiers. Their indifferent gazes flicked toward her briefly before turning away.
Their attitude was so curt it bordered on rude, but Cordelia was in no position to comment right now.
Perhaps it was because it was autumn, but despite the mansion’s graceful exterior, the lack of liveliness lent it an oddly desolate air.
A gust of wind brushed past Cordelia’s ear. For an instant, the image of a man with short hair seemed to blur into the faint silhouette of a woman with golden locks cascading down her back, fluttering in the breeze.
Standing outside the closing gates, she looked back up at the mansion and realized something startling—she still didn’t know the man’s name.
Turning away, Cordelia stepped onto the rain-soaked ground. For now, the first priority was to return to the ducal estate.
“You are not allowed inside.”
She’d worried it might be far, but fortunately, the mansion where Cordelia had awakened stood on the outskirts of the capital. The moment she reached the city, she hailed a carriage straight to the ducal estate.
That’s when the trouble began.
As soon as the knight—one who had once greeted her with a warm smile—answered her coldly, Cordelia remembered what she had conveniently forgotten.
Ah.
“Right, I ordered them to turn away any man who came looking for me!”
While she had parted amicably with some former suitors, there had been enough troublesome ones who’d shown up at her doorstep that she’d issued that strict instruction. She never imagined it would come back to bite her like this.
Trying to sound casual, Cordelia addressed the knight standing before her again.
“Has the lady… gone out by any chance?”
She strained to maintain an innocent expression, but the knight replied firmly.
“I am not at liberty to say.”
Unbelievable!
She tried several more times to coax some information out of him, but now he refused to even open his mouth. From across the gate, another knight, Kyle, narrowed his eyes in warning.
If this kept up, she was going to get thrown out in the most undignified manner. With heavy steps, she turned and walked away.
Only after reaching the corner of the wall did Cordelia glance back up at the mansion visible beyond.
“I always thought the people at our estate were competent…”
Who knew it would come back to haunt me.
She absentmindedly rubbed her chin.
Sure, she could always climb the wall to get inside—but if she were caught, the situation would spiral out of control. Even this handsome face might not be enough to save her then.
After all, her family was the most powerful house in the kingdom. She couldn’t risk staining a promising young man’s future over something like this.
Once she had wandered far enough away from the estate, Cordelia crossed her arms and began pacing in circles. Passersby cast curious glances, but as always, she ignored them.
“Where should I go?”
Should she search further, or ask someone for help? But who would believe such an outrageous story without prejudice…
Cordelia racked her brain for someone trustworthy. Her sisters came to mind first. But Kalia was currently in her own territory, and Zeranian was likely at the royal palace—impossible to meet without proper identification.
That left only one option.
“Do or die.”
“…Though I’d really prefer not to die,” she muttered nervously before striding off purposefully.
In the distance, through the carriage window, the grand Sanctuary of Sandria came into view—a vast, gleaming white structure, both the heart of magic in the kingdom and the pride of the capital, Kaam.
Though its privileges often sparked friction with the royal palace, it remained the spiritual pillar of the people.
The carriage halted before the magnificent temple, and Cordelia, hat pulled low, stepped out. His movements were slightly awkward but bold as he approached the temple, tilting his head back to gaze at the towering structure.
Inside the high walls surrounding the sanctuary, multiple large and small buildings sprawled around the central temple.
Its sheer scale was enough to attest to its influence—but it also meant a long walk, as only authorized carriages were allowed within the premises.
“This guy has some stamina, huh.”
Normally, she’d have balked at walking such a distance, but surprisingly, the trek to the reception building near the main temple didn’t feel exhausting at all.
Stretching her arms with a satisfied sigh, Cordelia glanced wearily at the long line of people snaking outside the building.
On any other day, she would have proudly invoked her sister’s name—the queen herself—but today, that wasn’t an option.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally reached the front of the line, where a priest with a gentle smile sat behind a desk.
“I’d like to see Priestess Rines Sandria.”
“And your relationship with her is…?”
“We’re friends. Just tell her it’s Cody—she’ll know.”
“All right. Please wait in that room for now.”
Cordelia waited for a long time in the cramped antechamber before the door creaked open. The moment she saw the woman in a white robe embroidered with golden threads and crowned with fiery red hair, Cordelia’s face lit up.
“Rines!”
“…Who are you?”
Gripping the doorknob, the woman stared at her warily. Cordelia blurted out in a rush:
“Your nineteenth birthday! You were so excited about becoming a full-fledged priestess—and then you drank too much, got drunk, stumbled, and that vase nearby—”
The one you smashed, the one that happened to belong to the priest who mentored you.
“Ahhh! Shut that mouth of yours!”
Before she could continue, Rines lunged forward and clamped a hand over her mouth. Cordelia smirked inwardly at her panicked reaction. Rines glared at her in utter shock.
“Who the hell are you? How do you know that? Did the lady tell you? She swore she’d never—”
Her tone was sharp enough to silence anyone forever, but Cordelia calmly reached up, gently prying the hand from her mouth.
“She didn’t tell me, Rines.”
Beneath the brim of the hat, clear blue eyes curved into a smile.
“I am Cordelia.”
“So… what exactly happened?”
Cordelia had half-expected to be called insane at least once, but instead, Rines quickly seized her wrist and dragged her outside, away from the waiting room. As Rines traced patterns in the air, Cordelia watched with interest.
“What are you doing?”
“Putting up a barrier—so no one can eavesdrop.”
Rines was one of the most talented young mages among her peers—and a priestess who had known Cordelia for years. Cordelia grinned.
“Wow, you can really do that?”
“That tone… You really are Cordelia.”
Rines sighed as she looked at that bright, innocent smile. Being a mage, she could piece together the situation from the slightest clue. After completing the barrier, Rines crossed her arms and studied Cordelia’s face.
“Did someone cast a transformation spell on you?”
The absurdity of the question made Cordelia widen her eyes.
“You make it sound like breaking the law is normal!”
“Then what? You look exactly like the guy you always described—well-bred, gorgeous, refined, and with a great body. Honestly, I thought you finally gave up on finding a decent man and decided to become one.”
Cordelia scowled at the biting remark—though the sharpness of her features only made her look more striking. Rines couldn’t believe she was thinking about looks at a time like this. Clearly, Cordelia’s reckless nature had rubbed off on her.
“Anyway, this isn’t my body! It belongs to someone else.”
“…Wow. So a man like this actually exists?”
Her feigned amazement made Cordelia instinctively reach for her collar—but stopped short. With this difference in stature, the gesture would look more like a joke than a threat.
“Though… he does look familiar.”
Tilting her head thoughtfully, Rines asked, “What’s his name?”
“No idea.”
Rines’ brown eyes narrowed in disbelief. Cordelia hurried to add, “But I know his profession. He seems to be an artist.”
“An artist?”
“Maybe a painter, or a sculptor—or both? Anyway, he looks really young, so I doubt he’s famous…”
“Hmm. He does look like he’s barely past twenty. Wait a second.”
Rines’ eyes widened as though recalling something.
“Take off your hat.”
“Huh? Okay.”
As Cordelia removed the hat, the bangs she had stuffed beneath it tumbled down over her eyes. Rines studied her for a moment before nodding knowingly.
“You know who he is?”
“This is just a hunch… but isn’t he Noah Effer?”
Noah Effer? Cordelia blinked in surprise as Rines muttered to herself.
Cordelia prided herself on knowing almost every prominent figure in high society—and that name was one she had definitely heard before.
“That genius painter who’s been all the rage lately?”
“Exactly. He just finished the mural on the annex recently—you’ve heard about that, right? I saw him once during the project.”
Always hidden under a hat, looking gloomy, and speaking little—the painter had simply asked that no one disturb him and then shut himself in the annex.
One priest who happened to pass by the annex had later whispered that he’d glimpsed a man as handsome as a sculpture.
No one believed it, of course. Why would someone that striking hide his face so thoroughly? And honestly, Noah had seemed too awkward to match such a description.
But when the mural was finally completed, it was so breathtaking it earned him the title of genius overnight.
Enough to etch his name in Rines’ memory.
After hearing the explanation, Cordelia nodded, though her brow furrowed in puzzlement.
“But why… would I end up in his body?”
“How should I know? Anyway—what about your original body? It’s safe, right?”
Cordelia shrugged nonchalantly.
“No clue. I went to the ducal estate, and from the look of things, I’d guess she’s gone out. No one would tell me, but I can read between the lines. Where could she have gone…?”
“That’s your own body! Why aren’t you more concerned?!”
Her carefree tone made Rines’ blood boil. If they’d been of equal status, Rines would’ve shaken her by the collar already. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down.
Always pushing people’s buttons…
“But she didn’t seem like someone who mistreats servants. Doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
Rines gave a hollow laugh.
“There it is—your weakness for handsome men. No wonder your love life’s a mess.”
“This time is different!”
“Yeah, sure. Anyway, we need a plan. I’ve never heard of something like this before… but it does seem like magic of some kind. Does anyone else know about this?”
“Nope. Just you.”
“Then keep it that way—for now.”
“Huh? Why?”
With a sweet smile and a soft voice, Rines murmured:
“Unless you want to end up on an autopsy table.”
