Chapter 53 ā To Delim of Forecast
“Master!”
She yanked hard on Leonardās sleeve. Of course, Leonard didnāt even stumble; he simply tilted his head slightly back. But that was enough.
Cordelia spoke urgently.
“Lord Rosenbler was just joking. Heās not serious.”
“I’m not joking, Cordelia.”
āHe says heās not, though?ā
Leonard still glared at Rosenbler with a terrifying look. Cordelia tugged on his sleeve again.
“It sounded like a joke to me. You know I wouldnāt take that seriously.”
Thankfully, her short statement seemed to please him. Leonard finally turned to look at her. Cordelia smiled as brightly as she could and guided him to sit on the sofa.
“Come on, come on. Sit here. Hereās some sorbet. Bring another sorbet, please!”
“Yes, miss.”
The maid behind her must have picked up on her urgency and quickly disappeared.
“Try the peach sorbet. I had it here for the first time today, and itās amazing.”
“Hmph. What are you, a newborn? Everything is your first?”
“Exactly. I must be lucky to have such a good master.”
Cordelia didnāt let her guard down. She even turned her body completely toward Leonard and deliberately avoided giving Rosenbler any eye contact.
āLeo… Iām really glad you look healthy.ā
Just in time, Lydia, teary-eyed, approached Leonard. Cordelia let out a quiet sigh of relief.
āYes. Itās been a while.ā
“Do you know how much I cried when I heard youād died? You couldāve at least given me a heads-up. I really thought something terrible had happened to youā¦”
It was the first time Cordelia realized that a beautiful woman crying could be so heartbreaking. Lydia shed tears like a tragic heroine in a play, and watching it tugged at her heart.
But whether Leonard had no heart, no sense, or both, he didnāt even blink.
“That was a useless worry. What was the point of a funeral without a body?”
“Leo. Lydia was really worried about you. Even if you werenāt dead, we thought you were badly injured and unable to return.”
“Ah. Right.”
Leonard wasnāt just indifferentāhe was completely disinterested. He was so cold that Cordelia felt embarrassed sitting beside him while someone was crying.
She turned to him and frowned.
“Is that blood I smellā¦?”
“What?”
“Nothing. I just smell blood from somewhere.”
“Your nose is unnecessarily sensitive. Do you know how many times I had to go into the forest because of you?”
“The forest? Did you go hunting or something?”
“If you call that hunting, then yes.”
Leonard leaned back and snatched her sorbet.
“Hey, thatās mine!”
“What here is yours? Everything in this mansion is mine.”
“That may be true, butā¦ Thatās just mean.”
“First time in the capital. First time eating sorbet. Are you going to say itās your first ball, too?”
“It is my first, actually.”
“…What?”
He must have intended to tease her, but sadly, Cordelia couldnāt deny it.
“There were some balls at my house when I was very young, but I was too young to attend.”
“You had a coming-of-age ceremony, didnāt you?”
“Where would I get the money for that? Besides, right after I came of age, I was soldāuh, I mean, married off to Abram.”
She almost said āsold,ā forgetting others were around. Though sheād grown closer to Rosenbler, they werenāt close enough to reveal such shameful truths.
Rosenbler immediately looked grave.
āOh my. Then the ball in Saracen in a few days will be your very first? What about your dress? Did you have one made?ā
āNo? Why would I? Thankfully, the Atillay townhouse made a bunch of dresses for me. I can just wear one of those.ā
“Why are you only saying this now?”
Leonard slammed the sorbet down on the table and glared at her. Cordelia blinked at the ridiculous question.
“You never asked?”
“Thatās something you should just say…! When is the Saracen banquet?”
“In two days.”
She blinked as she answered. As soon as she said it, Leonard irritably tugged on the bell cord. Before long, Anna, the head maid, came in.
“Two days? Ha. Why are you saying this only nowā¦?”
“You called for me, Master?”
“Anna. Summon every tailor in Forecast Delim immediately.”
āExcuse me?ā
“We need a dress fitted within two days.”
āFor Miss Cordelia?ā
āWait, Master. I told you Iām fine. I can just wear anythingāactually, I could go in what Iām wearing now.ā
“You plan to wear that drab thing to an event where Iām introducing you as my student?”
“Drab? Excuse meāthese clothes were tailored in Atillay, you know?”
Cordelia was so dumbfounded she was at a loss for words. He hadnāt cared at all about the banquet until nowāwhy the sudden fuss?
Besides, all her current clothes were custom-made by tailors after she arrived at the Atillay townhouse.
“Hmm. Two days is tight, but if we alter a completed dress, we might make it in time.”
“Do whatever it takes. Weāre attending the Saracen banquet in two days.”
“I really donāt mind, though?”
“Yes, sir. Iāll summon the tailors right away.”
Sadly, neither of them gave Cordeliaās opinion any weight. She muttered quietly.
“Didnāt even care about me until we got to Forecast Delim…”
“Isnāt it because I wasnāt paying attention that you were out having a blast?”
“Th-Thatās not true!”
It was hard to deny, so Cordelia quickly looked away. Leonard gave her a warning.
“Just because Iām not checking in doesnāt mean you can slack off. Keep studying. Weāll head to Wilas as soon as we finish up here.”
“Already? The social season just started.”
“Why would you stay in Forecast Delim for the social season? Itās not like youāre getting married.”
“Well, true, but…”
Cordelia lifted her head in disappointment. The capital was filled with so many new and exciting things. She thought theyād stay longer.
Even Lydia looked surprised.
“You’re leaving so soon? You havenāt been in Forecast Delim that long.”
“I got a message from the Magic Association yesterday. Seems word got out that Iām alive.”
“Ah, right. There mustāve been an uproar in Rophael, too.”
“I need to go make sure sheās officially my successor. Thereās a lot to take care of.”
He pointed to Cordelia with his chin as he spoke.
“So Acheron finally has an official heir.”
“Iām worried because sheās as dense as a rock, but itāll work out.”
“Thatās so mean, Master. A rock?”
Cordelia pouted right beside him. Rosenbler chuckled lightly.
“You say that, but it seems youāre quite fond of her. That bracelet on her wristāisnāt it Ebrardās treasure?”
“Oh. This?”
“I recall Leo spent over a year searching for it. To give it to Cordelia must be a sign of deep affection?”
“ā¦I wouldnāt go that far.”
She couldnāt say she had half-forced it from him. Cordelia gave an awkward smile and glanced at her master.
“Itās not like I have any use for it.”
“If it was so useless, why search so hard for it?”
Rosenbler teased Leonard, but he just snorted and didnāt mention that heād accidentally let her take it.
While they chatted, Anna returned to announce the arrival of the tailors. Cordelia stood up first. The siblings gave her warm farewells.
“See you at the Saracen ball, Cordelia.”
“Todayās meeting was truly enjoyable, Lady Cordelia.”
“Same here. It was a pleasure to meetā”
“What are you doing? Stop dawdling and go.”
“…Can I not even finish saying goodbye?”
Thanks to her masterās interruption, she didnāt even get to finish her farewells. Cordelia pouted and glared at Leonard before walking out.
As soon as she left, Leonard smirked and stared for a long while at the spot where sheād exited.
* * *
The Saracen ball was said to be in the evening, but the maids were bustling about since morning. Thanks to that, Cordelia was forced to wake up at dawn, bathe in rose water, and have fragrant oils applied all over.
“Thank goodness. It suits you so well.”
The dress, completed with the help of the five best tailors in the capital, was far too extravagant and beautiful in Cordeliaās opinion.
Capital city makeup was so advanced it felt like magic. Every time Cordelia dozed off and woke up, her face looked different.
Her usually messy hair now gleamed with silky curls, her brows were neatly trimmed, giving her a refined look, and her lips shimmered mysteriously. Her cheeks were blushed to a lively red.
“I’m hungry.”
“Oh! Just a moment. We prepared this in advance.”
Layla smiled brightly and handed her a single palm-sized cookie. Cordelia stared at it for a long time.
“What is this?”
“Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
“…”
And so, after that brutal preparation, it was somehow already time for the ball.
Cordelia, wearing high heels for the first time in ages, felt wobbly. With a maid supporting her, she stood before the mirror.
“Is this really me? I feel like Iāve been reborn.”
“Hehe. Not quite. Itās just that the Countess always dressed plainly, so you seem transformed. Most city ladies go even fancier than this.”
“Everyoneās so diligent.”
Cordelia clicked her tongue. Just then, an attendant came in.
“The Master asks when youāll be ready.”
“Iāll be right down.”
When she went downstairs, Leonard was already waiting, looking bored. He too wore formal attireāand although he was always handsome, in full dress, it was as if he were glowing.
He smiled! He smiled! A smirk is a smile!