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EPISODE 182 – THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM (2)
Time continued to pass.
Eight days before the founding anniversary ball.
After the tea party hosted by Duke Wotan, one of the aristocrats’ leaders, the daily social events finally came to a close.
The reason was simple – there were a lot of official events scheduled for next week.
“We also have an event scheduled.”
At Jude’s words, Cordelia grinned and nodded her head.
Because it was an event that she had been looking forward to.
“The day after tomorrow?”
“Yes, the day after tomorrow.”
“I’m excited.”
“Are you that happy?”
“Are you not happy then? Does Milord not want a title?”
“I’m happy, I want it too.”
Title.
Jude and Cordelia’s conferment ceremony.
“Hehe, hehehe. Baron Chase.”
Cordelia muttered and then giggled, and her body soon trembled in excitement.
“Hehehe, Baron Chase. I’ll finally have a status and title.”
“Yes, Baron Chase. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Baron Bayer, Congratulations to the baron too.”
When Jude bowed and politely congratulated her, Cordelia slightly lifted the sides of her skirt and curtsied as she politely congratulated him too.
Baron.
It had the lowest rank among the noble titles, but even so, a title was still a title.
‘The difference is like the sky and the earth if you are a plain noble.’
The reason Cordelia childishly liked it was because of the influence of her present life more than her previous one.
Because for nobles, having a title was really important.
‘It’s not because I personally aspire to be distinguished.’
Becoming a baron did not mean that they would suddenly enjoy enormous wealth and power. In particular, it was not an exaggeration to say that it was actually an honorary title since Jude and Cordelia will only receive a title and not a manor.
But even so, it still held a lot of meaning.
‘If all descendants became plain nobles, there would be no end to the lineage of nobles.’
In the SĂ€len Kingdom, only one person could inherit their father’s family title.
Usually, the eldest son or daughter inherited the title, and the children who did not inherit the title would become nobles without a title, the so-called plain noble.
‘Children of plain nobles are treated equally among the plain nobility but
’
The situation was different from the plain noble’s grandchildren, which was the third generation.
If they did not receive a title, they would be treated as a commoner instead of a noble from then on.
It was a law designed to control the number of nobles, but there were obviously many other ways to avoid it.
‘You can prevent yourself from becoming a commoner by just getting a knight title
 Otherwise, you can just buy a title with money.’
But what if a person didn’t have the skills to become a knight, or didn’t have any money to buy a title?
‘They’ll become a commoner.’
In the case of the SĂ€len Kingdom, the lives of the commoners weren’t that bad.
There were many commoners among the wealthy merchants or college intellectuals.
‘But even so.’
It was rare for a person to rescind their noble status, just because they preferred being a commoner.
After all, the SĂ€len Kingdom was a feudal society, so in many ways, being a noble was more advantageous than being a commoner.
“Hehe, Baron. Baron Chase.”
The eldest son, Edward Chase, was the heir to the Count Chase title and the future count. The eldest daughter, Adelia Chase, gained the title of 7th Commander of the Royal Guard Magic Corps when she climbed to that position with her own skills.
In other words, Cordelia was the only plain noble in their family.
But now that she would become ‘Baron Cordelia Chase’ instead of ‘plain noble Cordelia,’ it was natural for her to be feeling excited.
“Our child won’t have to worry anymore, right?”
“Yes! We’re both barons, so there would be no problem if we had two
eh?”
Wait.
I think I just said something weird right now.
Cordelia who had answered brightly suddenly blinked her eyes, and Jude had a sly expression as he tilted his head, pretending that there wasn’t anything weird about it.
Our kids.
Our children.
Jude and Cordelia’s own children.
‘T-that’s ridiculous.’
Children?
Who’ll give birth to that?
I?
Me?
For a moment, Cordelia tried to imagine herself holding a baby, and her face quickly turned red.
‘N-no. We’re not there yet. Yes, we’re still far away from that.’
That’s still in the distant future.
I still have a long time left, so I don’t need to think about that now.
‘Yes, yes, so let’s get that thought out of my head!’
If Dahlia had heard her thoughts, she would have said, ‘But you didn’t deny it.’ Cordelia then took a deep breath to calm herself down, and she looked at Jude again.
“Anyway.”
“Anyway?”
“Yes, anyway.”
Cordelia tried to change the topic by saying whatever came to her mind, and her fingers twitched as she continued her words.
“Since we have to go the conferment ceremony, do I have to dress up again?”
“Of course. I’ll make you really beautiful.”
“It’s always exhausting though.”
Cordelia bitterly smiled before she rose from her seat and opened her arms.
She had attended in so many tea parties that she was now quite used to being a ‘doll.’
“Now then, Milord. Let me know what I’ll be wearing the day after tomorrow.”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve already prepared it, Princess.”
Jude smiled and turned around to open the closet door, and Cordelia then spontaneously said.
“Wow
 you look so excited.”
Is it really that fun to dress me up?
“Because it always comes out good no matter how I dress you up. Ah, I have to call Dahlia and Maja too. If I don’t call them, they’ll be sad later.”
“Hey, Milord. I’m not the only one going, but Milord too, right?”
“Yes, Princess. After we’ve dressed you up, I’ll be a quiet doll for the princess, so you can play with me as much as you want.”
Jude responded with a shameless face, and he pulled a dress out of the closet and rang the bell to call Maja.
“Seriously
”
The disgruntled Cordelia sat down and watched Jude happily choosing a dress before she opened her mouth again.
“By the way, Jude.”
“Yes, Cordelia.”
“Were you a beauty shop owner in your previous life?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know so much?”
From beauty treatments up to hair cutting methods.
At Cordelia’s question, Jude replied while still looking at the dresses.
“Because I studied it.”
“In your past life?”
“No, in the present life. After I regained my memories of my previous life.”
In Pleaides, there were no chemical products like shampoo and conditioner, but the beauty treatment methods itself were quite developed.
However, Cordelia had no choice but to tilt her head at Jude’s answer.
“You learned it on purpose? Why?”
“To make you beautiful.”
“Excuse me?”
“Because Cordelia is precious.”
Cordelia scrunched her lips at Jude’s words.
If he had said that a few months ago, she would have responded by telling him to stop talking nonsense, but nowadays, she just somehow felt restless about it.
“Ahem, ahem, Cordelia is indeed precious.”
“Yes, she is the most precious one in the world.”
“W-what are you saying?”
How can you say such a thing so casually?
Shouldn’t your face change color, even for just a bit?
Cordelia mumbled quietly, and suddenly looked up again.
Because there was one thing she didn’t understand.
“Wait a minute, you studied beauty treatments. But what about trimming my hair?”
“That’s because of my Cheonmujiche.”
“Huh?”
“Because it makes me good at anything I do with my body, remember?”
Jude pretended to scissor with his hands, and Cordelia was speechless before she smiled.
“What a cheat. It’s a scam, a scam.”
“It’s a cheat that is useful in many ways, so it’s good to use it.”
Jude smoothly replied and raised his head. Because he heard the footsteps of Maja and Dahlia outside the door.
“So, shall we start now?”
The door opened, and Jude looked back at Cordelia who calmly rose from her seat and opened her arms.
***
Six days before the founding anniversary ball.
Jude and Cordelia headed for the main palace while riding a carriage.
Because it was the night of the title conferment ceremony.
“Look, look. Look at the corners of her mouth.”
Adelia sat next to GaĂ«l, giggling as she said that, and Cordelia glanced at GaĂ«l and Adelia’s clasped hands before she pouted her lips and said.
“Isn’t it natural for me to smile?”
“Yes, because your status has risen. My Cordelia is a baron now. I can’t help but smile too.”
Adelia giggled again, and Cordelia eventually followed.
She was in a good mood today, so she felt like she could laugh if someone just tapped her arm.
And since the women’s reactions were like this, the men’s reactions were naturally similar.
Jude and Gaël just smiled without saying a word.
They were inside a carriage pulled by two horses.
Count Bayer, Count Chase, and Edward Chase, who was Count Chase’s eldest but somehow had a faint presence, was riding in the carriage ahead of theirs, while Maja and Dahlia rode in the carriage that followed theirs.
‘Because those two people are like family to us.’
So they couldn’t leave out those two in such a happy occasion.
‘But what exactly is she doing for a while?’
Cordelia’s fingers had been twitching strangely and unusually.
Is her hand itchy?
“Anyway, don’t make a mistake just because you’re too excited. Because it’s not just you, okay? Do you understand?”
“I understand. Do you think I’m a kid?”
“That’s right. You’re not yet an adult, right? Are you trying to say that you’re not a kid and that you’re all grown up now?”
Her older sister really acted like an older sister.
Cordelia was troubled on how to refute Adelia’s words, and she scrunched her lips again while GaĂ«l said with a small smile.
“Because it’s also the first official event of Princess Daphne. So don’t be too nervous. You’re not the only ones receiving a title today.”
If they added the ones who would receive the knight title, there would be around ten people.
In fact, the real protagonist of today’s event was not those who would be conferred titles, but Princess Daphne who would be bestowing titles.
It was her first official work as an adult.
However.
“But among those who’ll receive titles, you two are the main characters. You’ll be barons and not a knight like the others, and you two are the youngest among those who’ll participate in the event. It may be burdensome, but
 it’s something to be proud of. Yes, that’s right. I’m very proud of you.”
“Unnie.”
“I want to hug you, but the dress might get wrinkled. So I can’t.”
Adelia spoke to Cordelia with wide open arms as she smiled with her eyes, and Cordelia smiled while pretending to scowl.
‘Because we’re the main characters.’
Jude agreed too.
After all, Jude and Cordelia were the youngest among those who would receive a title this time.
‘Moreover, we skipped the knighthood and directly became barons.’
It was rare for a minor to gain a noble title all by themselves.
Moreover, the reason for gaining a title was special.
‘Meritorious service.’
Because their activities in the wild lands were related to the safety of the northern, and even the entire SĂ€len Kingdom.
It was not possible to convey at face value on what had happened in the wild lands, but the adaptations alone were enough for Jude and Cordelia to gain titles.
‘Baron Bayer.’
And Baron Chase.
The birth of a baron couple was rare, and since they were the famous couple of the century, it was natural that they would be the main characters in the conferment ceremony, just like what Adelia said.
‘Good.’
Our efforts were recognized.
What we’ve been doing so far is not wrong, and is something that deserves praise, just like what other people say.
Jude smiled and stared at Cordelia again, whose fingers were still twitching.
But why?
Why does Cordelia keep twitching her fingers even after she’s holding her hands?
Jude tilted his head, but Cordelia did not look at him, and the carriage continued to head to its destination.