Chapter 146 – Cordelia’s First Love, Heartbreak, and Her Next Love

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Chapter 146: Cordelia’s First Love, Heartbreak, and Her Next Love

Cain first came to the territory when he was nine years old.

Every spring, his father would go to inspect the territory. And one day, he finally took Cain along, telling him that it was about time that Cain saw the land he was going to inherit.

Actually, his father had planned on taking Cain when he was eight years old, but Cain had thrown a tantrum, saying, “I won’t come unless Diana comes as well! I won’t go! I won’t gooo!”. So, it was decided that the two of them would be brought along together when Cain turned nine and Diana six, when it seemed alright to take Diana on a carriage journey. 

Cain had met his uncle and aunt–Viscount and Viscountess Elgrandark–before, in the royal capital. Whenever they came to the capital for national functions, they stayed at the duke’s residence, so during that time, they greeted him, and they even played with him when there was time.

However, Cain first met Kielz and Cordelia when he came to the territory.

When the cousins first met, Cain and Diana performed an elegant bow that was perfectly trained by Silas-Sensei, their educator. 

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“Pleased to meet you, Kielz-niisama. Lady Cordelia¹. I’m Cain Elgrandark, the eldest son of Dismire Elgrandark. I’ve always thought that I’d like to meet you two whenever I heard about you from Uncle and Aunt. And I’m deeply moved that today, we’ve finally able to meet. I hope we can get along well.”

There were windows built up high in the entrance hall just beyond the front door, where the midday sunlight streamed down from the windows. The sun’s light shone through Cain’s golden hair, making it sparkle. His gentle smile was softened by the light, making his face almost like the face of a holy statue in the church. 

Cordelia had grown up surrounded by men who were big and rough, like her father who would wander around half-naked after baths, her crude older brother who loved showing off bugs and frogs he caught, and the local boys who boasted about climbing trees higher than anyone else. So, she had never seen such a refined and beautiful boy before.

The voice that greeted her so politely slid sweetly into her ears, and his smile was so tender and full of affection, to the point of overflowing.

Cordelia’s chest tightened as if her heart had been seized, and she felt her face turning hot as if it might burst into flames.

As Cain straightened his posture after the bow, she couldn’t tear her eyes away, from the way his hair flowed softly along with his movement, to the way his white fingers fell gracefully to his sides after they were withdrawn from his chest.

This was the moment Cordelia fell in love for the first time. 

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However, completely captivated by Cain’s greetings and his figure, with her feelings overwhelming her to the limit, Cordelia failed to notice Diana, who began her greetings after Cain. 

The moment she ignored Diana to keep staring at Cain, Cordelia’s first love was already headed towards heartbreak. 

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Due to their age and gender differences, during their stay in the territory, Kielz and Cain played together a lot, and Cordelia with Diana. 

Cordelia longed to talk and play with Cain, so she planned on sitting next to Cain during tea time or lunch when everyone sat together. However, Cain always waited for Diana to choose her seat first before sitting beside her, so Cordelia’s plan didn’t go well.

Even when Cordelia finally managed to sit next to Cain, at that time, Diana ended up sitting on his lap. When that happened, Cain would focus on looking after Diana, leaving no room for Cordelia to strike up a conversation with him. 

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The young chamberlain who always accompanied Cain along would sometimes whisper advice such as, “If you’re aiming for Cain-sama, it’s better to befriend Diana-sama”. However, at that time, it couldn’t be helped for Cordelia to find Diana as a hindrance instead.

She wanted to play with Cain, but whenever she was about to join Cain and Kielz, they were always playing boys’ games, and she would hate it if Cain were to think she was rough and boyish. That was why she tried inviting Cain to play a more girlish game with Diana as her excuse, but Diana would declare that she’d like to join in the boys’ games, and then went straight to Cain. Thus, the four children would play together and Cordelia’s wish of playing together with Cain was achieved. However, she wished for Cain to see her as a cute girl, so Cordelia ended up not being able to fully join in the games, and she would find herself feeling disappointed.

Despite that, Cain was always kind. He was always smiling. When he took a stroll in the garden, hand-in-hand with Diana, he would thank Cordelia for joining them and even pat her head. Only after he patted Diana’s head, though. 

Cain had always been kind. Year after year, he grew taller and became more handsome, yet he was still always kind to Cordelia. He often complimented her, and patted her head.

Cain would often ask Kielz, “Do you have someone you like?” or “Have you found a sweetheart yet?”. He asked those questions every time he came. So, Cordelia thought that Cain liked romance stories and asked him the same question, but he always gently dodged it. 

Cordelia wasn’t dense. She already knew that she had no chance of winning Cain’s heart, but because Cain was always so gentle, Cordelia couldn’t bear giving her hopes on Cain up. 

So, when Cain couldn’t accompany the Duke for his inspection this year’s spring due to him studying abroad, Cordelia was terribly disappointed. But when she heard that he would be returning to the territory for summer vacation, she jumped from happiness. 

Even if it was because he wanted to reunite with Diana faster rather than returning to the royal capital, she was still happy to be able to see him again. 

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The souvenirs she got from Cain were ribbons dyed in Syllium’s unique technique that made them shimmer like the river bottom that shone under the sunlight, opera gloves made completely from laces, and a parasol dyed in the same Syllium’s dyeing technique.

When sunlight passed through the parasol, beautiful ripples of light spread across the ground like reflections on a water’s surface.

Each and every souvenir made Cordelia’s heart flutter, and they were all perfect for her, a young lady who strove to act like a proper noblewoman.

When Cordelia went excitedly to Cain’s room, wanting to thank him, she heard lively voices from Diana’s room, which was next to Cain’s. 

Cordelia guessed that they were opening Diana’s souvenirs, and she headed towards them, casually peeking through the open door. 

“I’ll protect you from anything that might harm you. I’ll destroy everything that threatens you. You are my everything!”

Diana was standing there with a gallant pose as she declared those words with neat expressions. 

Wearing white knight’s uniform, holding a splendid sword, with her hair neatly tied back, she stood tall and proud. 

The setting sun that shone through the window was reflected by her golden hair as it shone, and coupled with her sharp brows and gallant expressions, Diana looked exactly like a knight straight out of a chivalric tale. 

‘You are my everything!’ As Diana passionately declared with her knightly figure, Cordelia saw her figure overlap with Cain’s figure that made her fall in love at first sight three years ago. 

Seeing Diana in her knightly attire made Cordelia feel suffocated, as if her lungs had been crushed, and she could barely breathe, with her face growing extremely hot.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the dignified Diana, and for some reason, tears fell from her eyes.

Grasping tightly at her clothes around her chest which was aching sharply, Cordelia rushed back to her own room.