Chapter 10
“What?!”
Unlike Cordelia’s playful tone, Noah’s reply came out awkwardly. She told herself he probably didn’t mean anything bad, yet Cordelia still felt a little offended for a moment. What, what’s wrong with me?!
“Th-That’s absurd. How could I possibly…?”
“What’s with that reaction? Am I really that lacking?”
“Lacking? Absolutely not! You’re more than I could ever… No, wait, that’s not what I meant.”
Noah’s face flushed as he stammered incoherently. Cordelia, who was stroking her chin while gazing intently at his flustered, crimson face, finally spoke.
“W-Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, I was just thinking—so this is what it feels like when my face turns red.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s nothing, don’t mind me.”
Cordelia waved her hand dismissively. There was no way she could admit that she was already thinking about how to use this for her novel.
She knew better than anyone how people saw her. They said she seemed elegant yet free-spirited—but even that was just one fragment of her personality.
Not even the people she had dated had seen beyond that. Wanting someone to understand you completely was just stubbornness. No one could ever truly understand another person, so it was better to bury the incomprehensible parts deep within.
That was the lesson she had learned over the past ten years.
…And yet, why did that truth sometimes feel so suffocating?
“Come on, stop standing around and help me out. We need to draw the magic circle.”
Lineth’s indifferent voice broke the delicate tension between the two. Cordelia pouted in disappointment, while Noah silently thanked him.
Following instructions, they rolled up the carpet in the center and moved the sofa and tables. Lineth then took out a piece of white chalk and began drawing a large circle on the floor. Meanwhile, Cordelia sneaked out briefly to hide the papers she had been carrying back in her room.
When she returned, Noah and Lineth were in the middle of a serious conversation. Noah immediately avoided her gaze, while Lineth wore a grim expression. Even when she asked what was going on, he only shook his head, saying it wasn’t time to talk yet.
Cordelia puffed out her cheeks in protest, only to have Lineth frown and tell her that face looked creepy. In response, Cordelia shot back that he probably didn’t know what “cute” meant because he wasn’t cute himself.
That day, Noah learned that it was possible to hit someone with just a glare.
After all that fuss, Lineth finally finished preparations. He locked the door securely and placed Cordelia and Noah inside separate circles.
“What is this?”
“A magic circle that minimizes recoil and doubles as a barrier. Breaking this level of magic takes quite a bit of power, and we can’t risk being detected like before.”
Normally, priests were forbidden to use magic outside without permission, unless it was an emergency. Of course, that didn’t mean everyone obeyed—but if you got caught, avoiding punishment was nearly impossible.
“All right, now reach out your hands…”
As Lineth chanted the spell, a slow wind began to stir from the edges of the circle. Furniture rattled, and Noah’s hat was blown off his head, carried away by the breeze.
When Lineth saw the white thread connecting their fingertips, his eyes flickered with interest.
A red aura seeped from his hand, merging into the shape of small scissors. With a calm yet tense expression, he opened the scissors and placed the thread between the blades.
And then, with a swift motion, he cut it.
The wind ceased instantly, and Cordelia and Noah both staggered as if their strings had been severed like puppets. A wave of pain crashed over them—sharp and crushing, like being struck all over. The world spun violently.
Noah nearly fell on his backside but managed to steady himself, while Cordelia clutched her throat, coughing hard.
“Hah…! Hhhk—ugh!”
Her knees buckled from the dizziness, and just as she was about to collapse, Noah hurriedly caught her by the shoulders.
“Are you all right, Lady Cordelia?!”
“Ugh… I feel like I’m dying…”
It felt even worse than the hangover she once had after drinking with her father… Cordelia muttered weakly, then her eyes widened as she noticed the hands holding her.
Wow… His hands are huge.
Veins stood out against his strong, firm hands. When she slowly lifted her gaze, an unbelievably handsome face looked back at her with deep concern.
They were so close that even his bangs couldn’t hide his sharp, beautiful features—long lashes, soft round eyes, a tall and elegant nose, and lips tinted a natural rose.
It felt completely different from when she saw him in the mirror.
Even through the dizziness, his brilliance made her blink slowly in disbelief.
How is he exactly my type?
If she were a painter or sculptor, she’d have begged him to be her model. Honestly, inspiration was flooding her even now.
Just moments ago, she had felt like she was drifting in a dream—but now the reality of him as an actual person hit her, making her feel strangely self-conscious. Her nausea gradually subsided.
Noticing her persistent gaze, Noah asked awkwardly, “Do you think you can stand on your own…?”
Wait—if she could see this face, that meant…
Cordelia managed to stand and said she was fine, and only then did she truly realize her golden hair cascading around her shoulders, her elegant fingers, and her familiar eye level. She broke into a bright, delighted smile.
“We’re back! Oh?!”
Staring at her hand, Cordelia suddenly grabbed Noah’s. When she touched him, his ears turned red—but she didn’t notice as she thrust their joined hands toward Lineth.
“One of the lines disappeared, Lineth.”
The hexagram-shaped pattern now had one of its outer lines missing, leaving five remaining inside the circle. Lineth crossed his arms with a grim expression.
Just as I thought.
“Unfortunately, the spell isn’t broken yet.”
“What?”
“From the looks of it, each time the connection is severed, one line disappears. That’s just my theory, but…”
With that, Lineth scuffed out the chalk circle with his foot.
“So you’re saying our bodies could swap again? At least five more times?”
“Most likely. The two of you are bound by a strong magic. Unless we resolve the root cause, you’ll revert to each other again. Even if not, there may be certain conditions that trigger another swap.”
“What conditions? What are they?”
“We’ll have to find out. I’m not entirely certain yet, so I’ll need to look into some materials back at the temple.”
“I’d greatly appreciate your help, Priest.”
As Noah bowed politely, Cordelia couldn’t help but marvel at his face all over again.
Wow, the more I look, the more handsome he is. How can someone look like that?
“It’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll figure it out somehow. A little inconvenient, but we’ll manage.”
She picked up his fallen hat, dusted it off, and placed it back on his head as she spoke lightly.
“Oh, and—getting our bodies back is great, but we really need to find another way. I can’t go through that again—it was hell.”
It wasn’t just nausea; her whole body ached as if she’d been beaten. But Cordelia forced a smile. Lineth clicked his tongue.
“I told you there’d be serious recoil.”
“Not this bad!”
Noah, who had suffered the same pain, glanced at her with worry. He hid his trembling hands behind his back and said calmly,
“It seems far too taxing on the body. Could you please look for an alternative method?”
“Of course. This is only a temporary solution anyway. And don’t worry—I’ll make sure to charge a proper fee.”
“Lineth, are priests even allowed to care so much about money?”
At Cordelia’s comment, Lineth snorted in disbelief.
“I’m just taking fair compensation for my labor. The temple works us to death without paying extra. That damned god—he’s not the one feeding me.”
“I mean, donations are the temple’s main income, so…”
“Details, details. Anyway, here’s a rough estimate of the cost.”
Cordelia accepted the amount as if it were nothing, but Noah hesitated before speaking cautiously.
“I do have a considerable sum of money. May I take responsibility for the expenses in this matter?”
Cordelia chuckled and waved him off.
“No need, no need. I have more money than I know what to do with.”
“Regardless of your wealth, this issue arose because of me. I believe it’s only right that I bear the cost.”
Those clear blue eyes, bright and beautiful like a deer’s, looked at her so earnestly that Cordelia felt herself nodding before she even realized it. Startled by her own reaction, she thought,
Wow… Handsome men really are dangerous.
With a resigned sigh, she said, “Fine. But in exchange, you’ll have to come with me to the dressmaker later. Actually, no—better to call someone here for custom fittings.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Well, who knows if we’ll switch bodies again? I want clothes in my style, but I can’t exactly make you buy them for me.”
Sure, he’d look good in anything—but a beautiful face deserved beautiful clothes. She needed to contact her favorite tailor immediately. Seeing this face would definitely spark their enthusiasm.
That eccentric artisan, who only accepted clients they liked, had made clothes for some of Cordelia’s ex-lovers too. They always teased her about moving on so quickly, but aside from that, they shared the same taste, so Cordelia kept in touch.
Just imagining the tailor squealing over this face made her smile in satisfaction.
Hiding her growing mischievous thoughts, she added nonchalantly, while Noah gave her a puzzled look,
“Anyway, if we really do swap again, what should we do?”
“To prepare for that, we’ll need plenty of conversation.”
Their personalities, speech, and lifestyles were worlds apart. Sure, they were both creatives, but their social circles couldn’t be more different. If they wanted to keep people from finding out, they had to coordinate.
After a brief pause for thought, an idea struck Cordelia, and she voiced it.
“There are plenty of rooms here. Why don’t you just stay with me?”
