“How are you doing today?”

“Terrible.”

He muttered with a sneer.

Having been bedridden for a long time, Craig found it extremely difficult to move.

The physician called it a miracle that he could even speak and move his upper body like this, but it seemed unsatisfactory to this man.

“Did you do what I asked?”

“I did.”

“Hmm.”

He arrogantly nodded his head.

There was no word of thanks or appreciation. It seemed natural, as if receiving a report from a subordinate.

This, too, was markedly different from Craig. Compared to his past frivolous and unrefined behavior, she became more certain.

She casually sat in the chair and pretended to be concerned, throwing out a few words.

“You should get better soon.”

“This wretched body probably won’t be much different even when fully recovered. What use is it to have just a polished face?”

“But that was your greatest pride, wasn’t it?”

Craig was a man who considered using his handsome face to deceive women as life’s only pleasure.

“Of all things…”

He looked down at his own hand with irritation, leaving the rest unsaid.

Somehow, Cordelia could guess what he had swallowed back.

‘He must be annoyed to have entered such a body.’

She spoke with the sweetest smile she could muster.

“Have you eaten?”

“You mean that garbage soup? To bring such a thing and call it food. The people in this castle must have lost their sense of taste.”

“Even if it doesn’t suit your taste, eat a little. That’s how you’ll get back on your feet soon.”

Craig waved his hand as if bothered.

“Enough. Why did you come today?”

“I realized I hadn’t finished telling you about your past.”

“Ah, right. The past. Speak quickly. I’m tired.”

Cordelia swallowed the saliva that had pooled in her mouth and slowly recited the content she had prepared.

Craig leaned back against the headboard with his eyes closed.

“You first spoke at the age of three.”

“Hmm? Smarter than I thought. Did I fall from a tree at four?”

“And at five, you first manifested your magical power.”

“What? This body, no, I did?”

He couldn’t hide his surprise. It was understandable. This wasn’t Craig’s past, after all.

Cordelia calmly continued.

“By twelve, even the teacher who taught you said there was nothing left to teach.”

“…”

“At seventeen, you became the youngest head of the family.”

Yes. This was the past of Leonard, the head of the White Snake Atilei.

His genius was so famous that there was no need to inquire through servants.

“What an amazing past. Sufficient to become the head of Atilei.”

As she finished speaking, Craig’s expression suddenly turned terrifying.

The moment she confirmed this, Cordelia realized her guess was correct.

“Are you sent by Maximilian?”

The suddenly changed atmosphere stung her skin.

“Damn it. To think he would go this far.”

Craig, no, Leonard tried to raise his body somehow, but it was impossible with his unrecovered body.

Instead, he gritted his teeth and manipulated the magical power in the air. Several threatening sparks floated up.

Seeing this, Cordelia opened her mouth in surprise.

“How can you use magic when your body has changed?”

“Even if this body is like this, I haven’t forgotten how to use magic. I have enough power to kill you.”

He replied with a cold face. With just a slight flick of his finger, the fireball quickly flew towards Cordelia.

She ducked her head in surprise to avoid it. It was possible because she could see the trajectory of the magical power.

Leonard’s eyes widened slightly.

“You dodged it?”

“Wait! Let’s talk. Why do you assume I’m your enemy?”

“If you were an ally, you would have already knelt before me and revealed your identity.”

Several more threatening fireballs poured out after that.

Cordelia barely avoided them, but she couldn’t dodge the last one properly, which burned part of her clothes.

“Kyaak!”

“Who are you? How are you dodging my magic?”

“That’s, that’s because I can see it.”

“You can see it?”

“That’s how I found out you were the head of the White Snake. When I threw the letter, I saw the Atilei crest.”

“Ha, even lies should have limits.”

“It’s not a lie!”

She hurriedly spoke before Leonard could attempt another spell.

At this rate, she might die before even negotiating.

“I’ve been able to see magical power since I was young. It’s true!”

“…You can see magical power? Even those who can sense magical power are barely one in ten thousand. Is that possible?”

“You can test me if you want. I’ll guess the magical forms you create.”

Leonard eyed Cordelia suspiciously.

Then, without warning, he gathered magical power at his fingertips and created a form.

“Hmm. A deer.”

“…”

“A rabbit!”

“…”

“Ah, um. What is it? A goat?”

“Not a goat, a sheep.”

Surprisingly, her ‘seeing’ talent seemed to be no lie. Leonard’s eyes trembled slightly.

It was a talent that even Leonard, called the most powerful magician in this country, did not possess.

After she guessed correctly three times in a row, even he had to acknowledge it.

“Unbelievable. With such talent, why didn’t you learn magic?”

“When I was young, I didn’t know it was a talent, and when I got older…”

At thirteen, after her mother passed away, their family fortunes rapidly declined.

They were in such a state that they couldn’t even pay the servants’ wages on time and had to sell household items.

In such a situation, learning magic, which required enormous amounts of money, was an unthinkable dream.

Moreover, there was also the fundamental question of whether her father would have allowed her to learn.

“There were unavoidable circumstances.”

But she didn’t want to spill her miserable past to a man she had just met. Cordelia glossed over it appropriately.

“Can you trust me a little now?”

“You really weren’t sent by Maximilian?”

“No. I suppose Maximilian is that brother who killed you?”

The casually thrown question raised Leonard’s guard again, which had just lowered.

Before getting hit by fireballs again, Cordelia quickly added a word.

“The rumors are already widespread in the capital.”

“What rumors?”

“That the head of Atilei was murdered, and the culprit is probably his brother. I heard that Atilei’s second son has already requested succession of the title from the council?”

“Ha, succession? By whose authority?”

“That’s what I’m saying. While the head is alive and kicking right here.”

Cordelia chimed in agreeably.

“And think about it logically. Maximilian knew in advance that the head would wake up in Craig’s body, so he bribed me and had me marry Craig a year ago? That doesn’t make sense, does it?”

She argued earnestly.

Considering that he asked who he was as soon as he woke up, it’s clear that even Leonard didn’t predict he would wake up in Craig’s body.

“So?”

“Pardon?”

“So what do you want, a divorce?”

“Don’t you think divorce is not worth the head’s safety?”

“…Ha.”

When she threw back the words he had said a few days ago, Leonard irritatedly brushed his forehead.

Cordelia swallowed the saliva pooled in her mouth and tried to relax her tense body.

Divorce. Of course, it was very important to her.

However, if he was really Leonard Atilei, she could demand something much sweeter than divorce. Getting him to sign divorce papers could be done anytime.

“We made a promise anyway. I agreed to help you four more times in the future. Four letters aren’t worth it there. I want to add one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“What I want is nothing special. Just symbiosis. Symbiosis.”

“Symbiosis? Symbiosis is done with someone you can trust. How can I trust you?”

“Didn’t you send that letter because you trust me?”

Cordelia blinked her large, round eyes.

Leonard couldn’t understand why the servants pitied her as a ‘poor and innocent lady’.

She was surprisingly meticulous and more courageous and cold-blooded than anyone he knew.

As if she had known in advance that he would wake up in Craig’s body.

That’s why he couldn’t trust her even more.

“Did it require great trust to send a letter? It would be easier to kill you here and silence you.”

“…Of course, that’s an option too.”

‘What’s with this person? He’s terribly cruel.’

A chill ran down her spine as he spoke so casually, as if crushing an insect. Cordelia crossed her legs, pretending to be calm.

“But do you have anyone you can trust in this castle?”

“…”

“There must be many restrictions on your activities with that wretched body.”

“…”

“Isn’t that why you haven’t left this mansion immediately?”

Cordelia had spent almost all night finding the most plausible reason.

If he was really the head of Atilei, why did he enter Craig’s body and why is he staying here?

No matter how much she racked her brain, there was only one answer.

This man is clearly in a state where he cannot move rashly without the help of others. That’s why he sent that important letter through her.

“This difficult and hard world is not easy to navigate alone. Let’s do it together. Us.”

She smiled brightly and spoke in the most relaxed tone she could manage.

“That sounds exactly like you’re offering to help me.”

“That’s right. I’ll help you in every way until you safely return to Atilei. Except for dangerous tasks that jeopardize my life.”

“Quite generous, indeed.”

Contrary to his words, Leonard’s smile was as sharp as a beast’s.

“Your conditions?”

‘Good. This is how it should be done.’

Cordelia managed her trembling lips, suppressing the urge to cheer.

“I only want one thing.”

“What is it?”

“I want to be your disciple.”

“Disciple? You want to learn magic? You?”

He looked her up and down with extremely arrogant eyes.

“Just because you can see some magical power, you think magic is easy? Even starting from a very young age, magic is difficult.”

“You haven’t even tried teaching me yet.”

She immediately retorted, offended by his dismissive attitude without even knowing her. Leonard snorted.

“You think you can keep up if I teach you?”

“I’ll have you know, I was called a prodigy when I was young.”

“Oh, really? A prodigy? I guess you studied a bit in some countryside village?”

He openly mocked her, raising just one corner of his mouth. Though annoyed, Cordelia forcefully suppressed her feelings.

“If I become your disciple, I’m confident I can learn more diligently than anyone. Really.”

“What’s the use of learning magic? At your age, your achievements will be much slower than others anyway.”

“…Actually, my father, my father is very ill.”

She secretly pinched her thigh, trying hard to squeeze out tears.

Fortunately, a single tear formed in her right eye.