#12
To my prince,
I am not sure if my story will be as interesting as you have been waiting for. In fact, my daily life is not as dynamic as what happens in the Kingdom of Windsor.
While writing this letter, I wondered if there was any point in sharing my trivial love story with you, but relying on your kindness, who always calls me ‘my friend,’ I will chatter away.
Yesterday was a day full of events, and I kept thinking I should tell Prince Archie about it.
It was supposed to be my day off. Since it was raining, I planned to lounge around in my room waiting for your letter and then head to Portobello in the evening.
But someone knocked on my door in the morning. When I opened the door, the face standing there looked familiar.
Where had I seen him? Who was he? A business associate? A staff member from the neighborhood bookstore in East London I visited recently? All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind as I greeted him.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Cordelia.”
He greeted me with an awkward smile. As soon as I heard that American accent, I remembered who he was.
“Mark Laughlin!”
“Yes, that’s my name.”
You wouldn’t know, my prince, but he is quite a famous person here.
His father, Richard Laughlin, is a nationally renowned antique book collector. How did an antique book collector become a celebrity? About ten years ago, the BBC started a program that appraises old books hidden on bookshelves in every home. Richard Laughlin was the main panelist on that show. Everyone took their old books from the corners of their shelves to him.
The one who revived the program, which was about to be discontinued, was his brilliant son, Mark. He has deep, dark eyes set into a prominent nose like his father’s. Although not conventionally handsome, he has a certain charm that draws people in. When he started appearing with his father, the TV show “Laughlin’s Books” regained popularity.
I couldn’t understand why such a celebrity was standing at my door. As I gaped at him, he spoke first.
“Marianne said you have quite an impressive item.”
Then I realized. Marianne mentioned Sotheby’s and told me she would contact someone she knew, someone who might be more interested in and offer a better price than Sotheby’s.
I didn’t expect that person to be Mark Laughlin.
Mark almost begged me to show him the book. When I brought it from my bookshelf, he looked as if he was about to faint, asking what kind of mental state would keep such an item just on a bookshelf. He then carefully handled the book with white gloves. It was a bit creepy but sexy at the same time.
“I’ll provide you with a storage case right away.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can just keep it here. It’s like a small safe. I can’t stand seeing such an item stored like this.”
“I’m not going to sell it to you anyway.”
“No, you will sell it.”
I didn’t know where his confidence came from, but it didn’t make me feel too bad.
He said he wanted to buy me lunch, and since I was a bit hungry, I went with him to a place nearby. We had a simple meal and chatted briefly.
It wasn’t just because I was talking to a celebrity; he was quite an interesting person. I asked Mark,
“Do you really not read books?”
In the program, his father Richard always said that Mark only cared about the appearance of books and collected them without reading the content.
“I do read, of course. Mostly because I can’t resist my father’s pressure, and I prefer buying books over reading them.”
“Do you mainly collect these kinds of books?”
“I collect anything beautiful.”
“Do you like books because they are beautiful?”
“Not as much as my father, and certainly not as much as you, but I do like books. Ask me what my favorite book is.”
“What is your favorite book?”
“King Lear.”
King Lear is a famous work by Shakespeare, who wrote Macbeth, which I gave you, my prince. The heroine’s name in that play is ‘Cordelia’. I don’t usually like jokes about my name because people think they are being very creative, but I’ve heard them thousands of times, and they are tiresome. But this joke was well-timed and quite witty.
“It seems to have found the right owner.”
When I responded this way, he smiled.
“Indeed. Cordelia, of course, you must like Shakespeare. You don’t resent him, do you?”
“Of course not. But I prefer comedies over tragedies like King Lear. Something like Twelfth Night or As You Like It…”
“Oh dear, I am strictly a tragedian. I have rarely seen anything beautiful that is not sad.”
Did you hear that, my prince? He has rarely seen anything beautiful that is not sad. Isn’t that a wonderful phrase?
We had many more interesting conversations after that. Mostly, I listened to Mark talk about various stories related to his beautiful books.
He was quite talkative. I have never met a man who talked more than I do. I wanted to tell him that my mother used to run an antique bookstore, but I didn’t get the chance.
But Mark is definitely a good person. The place where we had lunch was less than five minutes from my house, yet he insisted on walking me back.
I told him I wouldn’t sell the book anyway, but Mark asked me to take good care of it, whether I sold it or not, and suggested we meet again. He said he would be happy just to have a chance to look at the book again.
I could have granted that even now, but I pretended to be aloof and nodded slightly. My prince, you must know, having studied monarchy for a month, that living requires a bit of the push-and-pull technique, right?
On the way back, the rain had stopped. Remember when we said that in such weather, we could fall in love with anyone? Yes, it was exactly that kind of weather. Walking through Russell Square with a celebrity I had only seen on television, I felt like a character in a novel.
When we reached my house, Mark, being a gentleman, opened the door for me but did not follow me up to the second floor. As I coolly began to climb the stairs, I suddenly remembered that I had left my umbrella at the café. So, I quickly turned around. Ah, I shouldn’t have…
The moment I turned, he must have misunderstood something. He tried to kiss me right then. It wasn’t until his face got close and our lips met that I realized what was happening. Shocked, I screamed.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I thought you were coming back for… I’m sorry, Cordelia.”
“No, it’s okay. It was a mistake.”
He apologized at least ten times. To be honest, the atmosphere before that might have been suitable for a kiss… Was it? I’m not sure. Do people usually kiss after having lunch briefly when they meet for the first time? Not even dinner!
Anyway, I think I shouldn’t have turned around then. If I hadn’t, Mark wouldn’t have misunderstood, and we wouldn’t have had that embarrassing, awkward moment. When I got home, I buried my face in my pillow and screamed a bit because of that incident. But I think Mark must have been more embarrassed than I was.
Consoling myself with that thought, I was thankful to have another schedule to distract me from thinking about it all day.
I left for Portobello around 4 PM. Thanks to the rain washing away the dust, I stood in front of the bright green antique store sign that was clearer than ever, recalling what happened last week.
Linda and Patrick had said that the shop is closed every Wednesday. But contrary to Linda’s words, the lights were on, and the door was wide open, just like last week. And there was the mirage-like handsome man, Liam.
I asked Liam what on earth he had done. Although exchanging letters with you, my prince, is a wonderful thing, I had been curious about this for a week. Liam seemed to sense that my question wasn’t hostile and smiled, shaking his head.
“I can’t say.”
That face…
Ah, I can’t even describe it.
I almost said, “Oh, if you can’t say, then don’t,” because there is that kind of beauty in the world.
My prince, with all due respect, no matter how beautiful you are, you can’t surpass Liam. His golden hair seemed to emit light even in the windowless interior at 7 PM, and his forehead, drawing a delicate line, led to a sharp nose. I was so mesmerized by those lines that I lost my composure, and in the meantime, his light blue eyes were looking at me.
“Cordelia?”
“Yes?”
“…Are you okay?”
When he looked worried, the whole room seemed to darken. I quickly shook my head, and the kind fairy offered me,
“Would you like some tea?”
He looked like a forest fairy, but his manner of offering and making tea was unmistakably British. His large, sturdy body moved gracefully as he took out the tea leaves, put them in the teapot, and boiled water with elegant hand movements. It sounds silly to say, but it was truly beautiful.
Outside, the rain was falling softly, and inside, it was pleasantly cool, just perfect for a warm cup of tea. As I watched him in a daze, I finally remembered my original purpose when I took the teacup and asked,
“Did author Anne Selin instruct you to hand over this manuscript?”
“Maybe.”
He flashed another wicked smile, seemingly trying to ruin my vision again. I frowned and asked,
“Are you Anne Selin?”
“Well, I did hear a long time ago that I had a knack for writing.”
“Answer me clearly, Liam. Did you write this book?”
Wow, did you see that, Archie? I asked that handsome man so bluntly. Yet he wasn’t scared; he just smiled and shook his head.
“No.”
“Then have you ever met Anne Selin?”
“Of course.”
“…I respect the author’s privacy, so I won’t ask more about that.”
“That’s a good attitude, Cordelia. When you ask with those sparkling green eyes, I feel like I want to answer anything.”
Do you do that too, my prince?
Why do handsome men flirt so unconsciously?
They seem to have words that make women’s hearts flutter at the tip of their tongues.
I put my hand on my blushing face and retorted to his words.
“Then should I just ask?”
“If it’s a question I can’t answer, it will break my heart.”
Oh, right. We can’t have the fairy’s heart breaking.
Did I mention monarchy studies and push-pull techniques earlier? Strangely, I, who was so firm and aloof in front of Mark, just crumbled in front of Liam. I returned to my gentle tone and asked,
“I actually came here last Thursday. Linda said the shop is closed on Wednesdays.”
“That’s why I can be here.”
“She doesn’t know you.”
“Because I didn’t inform her.”
“Are you illegally occupying the place?”
“Will you report me if I am?”
As he spoke and smiled, I thought, “With a face like that, even if you committed murder, I’d at least want to hear your reasons.” However, like how you, my prince, remained composed in front of Cecile, I steeled my resolve and asked again.
“Are you someone who uses their face as a weapon to commit crimes?”
Liam laughed again.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Some things in life are beyond understanding, Cordelia. You like those things too, don’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“I had a feeling. I’m glad I was right.”
It felt like I was having a Zen dialogue. At that moment, someone called my name from behind.
“Cordelia!”
“Garrett?”
The voice that called out to me with a trembling voice like a goat that lost its mother was Garrett. He is a colleague who joined our publishing company a month before I did and tends to interfere in everything as if he were my mentor.
“Paper fell.”
Liam walked towards the entrance and picked up the fallen paper. Even that gesture was so elegant! We didn’t notice how close Garrett had gotten until he was right next to me, probably because there was no paper. With a trembling voice, Garrett asked me,
“Illegal occupation..? What were you talking about? Huh? Cordelia? Explain!”
It was quite annoying how he was yelling at me as if he had any authority over me.
I didn’t want to explain anything to Garrett. I wasn’t even sure what was going on myself.
“Is that guy playing with you?”
“It’s not like that.”
“You were talking about it just now. This store is supposed to be closed today? The owner said they don’t know him? Cordelia, what are you doing here?”
“Garrett Clafford, why are you here? Just leave. I’ll come after I’m done talking.”
“I told you I should come with you.”
“And I said I didn’t want you to.”
“Come here.”
Garrett grabbed my handbag and tried to pull me, but it got caught on my hair.
I cried out “Ah!” but Garrett was relentless, dragging me along. Liam, seeing this, came over to help. Garrett suddenly let go of my handbag and charged at Liam like a madman.
This freed me, but it was clear that Liam would be in for a struggle. Garrett wasn’t very tall, but he was quite stocky. I closed my eyes tightly.
But then I heard a different cry, “Ah!” When I opened my eyes, Garrett was pinned down by Liam, his arms held behind his back, struggling.
Liam was tall and broad-shouldered but had a slim, sleek build rather than a heavy one. Yet, he had managed to subdue Garrett, who was quite solidly built, in one swift move. Liam seemed different to me then.
While I had been dazzled by his beautiful face, I had thought of him more as a charming, gentle flirt, rather than possessing any masculine strength. Like you, my prince.
Anyway, Liam had Garrett subdued and whispered something in his ear. I couldn’t hear what it was, but Garrett seemed startled and quickly pulled away. Liam hadn’t hit or twisted him; he had just held him for a moment and then let him go. It was like catching a butterfly and then releasing it.
I had never seen anyone nonviolently subdue another person like that. Garrett muttered something that might have been a goodbye and then ran off. I had no idea how things had come to this.
I looked at Liam. Liam looked at me. He asked,
“Shall we take a walk?”
“Are you going to do to me what you did to Garrett?”
Liam stopped laughing and said seriously,
“I won’t lay a finger on you.”
I wanted to say that touching a finger would be okay.
…but I swallowed those words and nodded.
Despite being an intruder, Liam turned off the lights, locked the shop door securely, and then walked with me onto Portobello Road. I spoke again.
“At first, I thought you had some device in that box. And I thought you had illegally entered my house.”
“Do you still think that?”
“No. But seeing you illegally enter the shop makes me suspicious again.”
Liam laughed again.
“It must be nice to get away with everything when you smile like that.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“I’m starting to think you’re some kind of wizard from another world. Magic or charm, aren’t they the same?”
“I’ll take that as another compliment about how charming I am.”
“Yes. It was a compliment.”
“Cordelia, you are quite charming yourself.”
“I didn’t compliment you to hear that.”
“I know. Do you come here often?”
Wow, he was skilled at changing the subject. So, we chatted about Notting Hill and Portobello for another five minutes. Only then did I manage to steer the conversation back on track and ask,
“So, you must be like a handsome servant hired by Anne Selin, right?”
“That’s an interesting perspective.”
Once again, amidst our Zen-like conversation, we arrived at the Notting Hill side.
“I need to catch the Central Line from here. Are you going to follow me home?”
“It’s late, I should see you safely home.”
He spoke as gracefully as you, my prince. If Garrett had said that, I would have told him that it wasn’t even dark yet and that I knew the way home. But I wanted to stay with Liam a little longer.
We got on the Tube heading to the Central Line. The Tube is a long underground train that, while fast, is often damp, humid, dirty, and stuffy. With the rain today, the usual musty smell of mold was mixed with the scent of wetness.
As usual, I didn’t sit but stood by the window, and Liam stood opposite me, looking at me. Suddenly, in the gray Tube, light green leaves started to appear, one, two, three.
Archie, have you ever felt that?
Walking with someone, and the path blooms with flowers.
It was the feeling I had when I walked with my first love at seventeen. But that path was truly a flower path.
It was the first time I felt this way in the gray Tube of London.
We were trapped in a gray underground box with no open windows, yet suddenly a gentle breeze seemed to blow.
I pretended to stare at the dark window while sneaking glances at him.
Every time I turned my gaze, he was looking at me.
He didn’t even look away!
Why do they do that, really?
Why are handsome people so shameless?
Soon, the announcement for Russell Square station came, and I said,
“We need to transfer. It’s one more stop to Holborn. Or…”
“Or we could walk.”
“What do you want to do, Liam?”
“Cordelia, you just like to walk, don’t you?”
“How did you know?”
“When women are with me, they always say they want to walk more.”
Liam said that and then chuckled, perhaps finding what he said funny. Of course, with a face like that, he must know how good-looking he is.
“Women? You’ve been with many women?”
“Everyone thinks so, but I’m not really good at relationships.”
“Me too! I’m terrible at relationships too! Oh? What kind of face is that? You were going to say ‘I figured as much,’ weren’t you? That’s a rude thing to say.”
“…Cordelia, I didn’t say anything.”
Yes, I was excited and babbling like a fountain, and Liam kindly indulged all my nonsense.
I wished the walk to my house took longer than ten minutes. Even though we weren’t saying much, every moment was enjoyable.
It wasn’t just because he was handsome. Being with Liam felt comfortable. Like talking with a very old friend.
Can you believe it?
That I felt comfortable with someone so good-looking.
On the way from Russell Square to Holborn, there were old buildings large and small lining our path like trees. There were many people, yet it felt like it was just the two of us.
After the rain stopped, the weather became cooler, almost chilly. As I shivered slightly, Liam immediately offered me his coat.
When we neared my house, I suddenly remembered the original purpose was the manuscript. I quickly took it from him and habitually opened the envelope to check it, but he stopped me.
“Why? Can’t I see it?”
“Look at it later.”
“Why can’t I look at it now?”
“You’re going to get a letter. I don’t want the letter to feel dull.”
“Will the letter be boring if I read the manuscript first?”
“Probably. It’s all the same content anyway.”
“How do you know?”
“What do you think I don’t know?”
“Really, Liam. What don’t you know?”
“How can I explain what I know to you?”
“You’re really a mysterious person.”
He laughed. My prince, honestly, I don’t usually like this type of person. People who speak as if they’re hiding something, who leave a lingering impression with every word as if they’re imparting some profound truth.
I prefer ‘boys.’ Boys who know how to laugh purely, sweat, run really fast, and grab your hand even while trembling. But Liam… Oh, my prince, please don’t say that I’m just falling for his handsome face.
Liam didn’t seem to be deliberately hiding something from me.
So, even when our conversation felt like a riddle, I didn’t mind at all.
“Shall I guess?”
“Guess what?”
“You are a wizard’s apprentice.”
“An apprentice?”
“Yes. You came here with Anne Selin. So, you’re playing the role of Anne Selin’s apprentice, and there are so many conditions that you can’t tell me more.”
“And?”
“And you are incredibly handsome.”
Liam burst into hearty laughter.
“Yes, you almost got it. I’ll give you extra points for saying I’m incredibly handsome.”
“Really? So, I got the first part right too.”
“Yes. Well, partly. Cordelia, I hope next time I can tell you more.”
“Then, is there a next time?”
Was I being too clingy? But I couldn’t help but ask.
“Yes. As long as you allow it, there will always be a next time. Now, go in safely, Cordelia.”
“You too, Liam.”
A cold breeze brushed between us. It felt like our fingertips almost touched.
I thought, “Ah, he really isn’t touching even a fingertip as promised.” I secretly hoped he might kiss me on the cheek as a goodbye. But Liam just waved.
Thinking back to what happened with Mark earlier, I felt a strange emotion. If it had been Liam, would I have kissed him? No, Liam would never do that, which is why I’m having these thoughts now.
Shaking off my complicated thoughts, I climbed upstairs and quickly opened the window. Hearing the window open, Liam looked up at me.
“Goodbye, Liam.”
“Good night, Cordelia.”
And then he turned and started to walk away. I called out to him softly, “Liam,” because I suddenly remembered something I hadn’t asked. He turned back.
“What’s your favorite Shakespeare play?”
“Twelfth Night.”
“Not King Lear?”
He laughed, understanding the joke about my name being from the protagonist ‘Cordelia’ in King Lear.
“I like happy endings.”
I thought back to what Mark had said earlier.
“There’s nothing beautiful that isn’t sad.”
That sounded more grand, perhaps…
As I was thinking about it, Liam asked me,
“Cordelia, you should tell me too. What’s your favorite Shakespeare?”
I smiled and answered,
“As You Like It.”
Liam grinned silently.
Oh, my prince. That smile contained everything.
It had the slyness that any woman would fall for, combined with the purity of a boy.
If Liam had said something like, “You shouldn’t say things like that. What if I really do as I like?” it might have been creepy. But with just one smile, he completely captured me.
I felt my face heat up as if I were a nervous schoolgirl. He could see my flushed face under the streetlamp, but he didn’t say much. He just said,
“I’d like to do as I like, but I’ll leave it at this for tonight.”
It was once again my incorrigible self that called out to him as he turned away.
“Liam!”
“Yes, Cordelia.”
“Why did you walk me home? You didn’t tell me anything anyway.”
Can you guess what he answered, Archie?
Liam simply said,
“I just wanted to walk with you.”
…Just like those many other women who wanted to walk with him.
He wanted to walk with me.
Fortunately, my heart is still intact.
– Cordelia of the Light Green Moon.
———= Author’s Note ———=
Dear readers,
I failed at managing the length of this episode.
But how could I cut a single letter into two parts?
It’s all because Cordelia is so talkative…
P.S.: Please press the recommendation button and check out the remaining eight chapters! I always appreciate your early recommendations and likes.
<– –>
(Continued 2/9)
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