Tail’s Curse Chapter 20

 

No, would he really be any different with a lover? Given his eccentric personality, his relationships must be just as strange. 

 

The image of him threatening to gouge out Sasha Ander’s eyes, having seen the scandalous article in this morning’s paper, flashed through her mind. The absurdity of her imagination made her expression twist into something ridiculous.  

 

‘She’s lost in thought.’ 

 

Noah concluded as he watched her face. Her eye color and expressions were always murky—mysterious in a good light, gloomy in a bad one. Her perpetually pale complexion, however, made her emotions all the more transparent.  

 

‘She probably thinks she’s controlling her expressions.’ 

 

It was almost amusing how clearly everything showed. She was the type to be overly cautious yet somehow still oblivious, lost in her own thoughts. 

 

And yet, in an instant, her eyes could sharpen with vivid emotion—especially when angry or overwhelmed.  

 

‘Not that she’s all that bad herself.’ 

 

Noah asked smoothly, “Hey, Miss Cordelia. We’re in the middle of calculations, aren’t we?”  

 

“Yes.”  

 

“What’s on your mind?”  

 

“Do you speak like that even when you’re in love?”  

 

The words slipped out before she could think, and the look of horror on her face was priceless. 

 

Intrigued, Noah curled his lips and leaned forward. The way she flinched and shrunk back was downright comical.  

 

“Me?”  

 

“N-no, I’m sorry.”  

 

Her long lashes cast uneasy shadows over her jade-green eyes. 

 

‘This woman is uncomfortable around men.’

 

Whether it was because of the incident on the cruise ship before or some other reason, he couldn’t tell. Easing back slightly, Noah tilted his head.  

 

“Are you flirting with me because you’re broke?”  

 

“Wh—what? No, not at all!”  

 

Her exaggerated panic only made him want to tease her more.  

 

Watching her cower against the wall, utterly flustered, Noah mused in boredom. He had a terrible personality—when people avoided or disliked him, it only made him want to torment them further. 

 

But the worst part of his rotten nature was that even his displays of affection toward his family followed the same pattern. 

 

Especially toward, say, his brother—or someone like a brother.

 

His brother once trembled with rage and called Noah a ‘sadistic bastard.’  

 

At the time, shocked that anyone in the family could say something so harsh, he spilled ink all over his brother’s prized book. But as time passed, he came to realize that his brother wasn’t entirely wrong. 

 

Even their father, who was solely responsible for disciplining the two sons, would often say to Noah, “Just because you like something doesn’t mean you should torment it.”

 

Maybe he was just born with a twisted nature.  

 

Like a cat poking at a helpless bird that had fallen from a tree, Noah prodded and examined Cordelia, coming to a new realization. 

 

‘So she’s the type that makes you want to mess with her.’  

 

“Sh-should an Imperial hero really be doing this? Threatening to mutilate someone with money…”  

 

Her futile attempt at moralizing made it clear she had no way out of this situation. Noah let out a small yawn, looking bored, and Cordelia shrank even further.  

 

“What’s wrong with reclaiming the money I lent you? Miss Cordelia, you’d be surprised how cheap people can be. On the battlefield, it doesn’t matter if you’re royalty, nobility, or a slave—everyone’s just a lump of meat. Of course, since I’m not a criminal, if I were to take partial ownership of your body, I’d follow proper legal procedures. I can even call a lawyer for you if needed.”  

 

“If—” 

 

Cordelia muttered after chewing her lip for a long moment. Noah tilted his head, as if waiting to hear what she’d say next.  

 

“If I do have a value of 5,000 rubles… is that for real?”  

 

‘Well, well.’ He grinned, amused.  

 

“*If* you do?”  

 

“Could you… buy it a year from now? My eyes would still be fresh by then.”  

 

“Aha.”  

 

At this point, Noah was genuinely intrigued by Cordelia Marguerite. His long fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest.  

 

“Why should I go out of my way to do that? As the collateral holder, ownership of your body falls under my jurisdiction now. I could pickle your eyes in formaldehyde and display them in my bedroom today. Would your eyes really gain investment value in a year?”  

 

The monotonous cruelty of his words drained the color from Cordelia’s cheeks. 

 

Trembling in fear, she stubbornly tried to persuade him—just to secure one more year of life.  

 

“You’re already rich. Does it have to be now?”  

 

“Have to implies stubbornness, Miss Cordelia. That doesn’t apply here. I’m simply exercising my rightful claim. Do you even know how much interest has piled up on the money your father borrowed?”

 

I waited quite generously for a long time.  

 

Though he laughed as if joking, he was serious. Just as he had said, the so-called ‘hero of the empire’ placed little value on human lives. 

 

Like a butcher, his only concern was how much this body of mine was worth.  

 

Swallowing hard, Cordelia desperately racked her brain before blurting out in a hurry.  

 

“Y-you could just take more interest!”  

 

“And what would you give me as interest?”  

 

Now, he was grinning openly. Annoyance rose in her, and tears welled up, but she wanted to live.  

 

“W-what if I cut off my hair for you?”  

 

Since he had shown interest in her hair earlier, she babbled whatever came to mind. But when he remained silent for a long while, Cordelia slumped and muttered. 

 

It shouldn’t be that bad.  

 

Even her spiteful aunt or cousin Dorea couldn’t find fault with her beautiful hair. 

 

Rare, shimmering silver locks, gleaming as if dusted with mother-of-pearl, cascaded luxuriously down to her waist—thick, voluminous, and naturally lustrous without much care.  

 

“I’ve heard noblewomen like Katisha often wear wigs. Hair like mine would sell for a high price…”  

 

“Miss Cordelia, do I look like I need a wig to you?”  

 

Startled, Cordelia reflexively shook her head vigorously upon seeing his thick, gleaming golden hair. The way she looked like a little bird made Noah chuckle.  

 

“Then?”  

 

“Even if you don’t need it… couldn’t you just keep it as a keepsake…?”  

 

“Hahaha!”  

 

Unable to hold back, Noah burst into laughter, his eyes crinkling. His wide, toothy grin resembled that of a cheerful angel from a classical painting. 

 

‘Wow, his personality’s devilish, but he’s such a beautiful man…’

 

For the first time, Cordelia wondered if she might have a more aesthetic inclination than she thought.  

 

Here she was, staring at his striking beauty despite him being a strange, terrifying man who casually talked about gouging out eyes. She had no excuse—she was foolish and stupid.  

 

Even as she cursed herself, her heart skipped a beat when the man, still with laughter in his eyes, gazed at her with a warmth that almost felt genuine.  

 

“Miss Cordelia, you’re quite amusing. This is the first time I’ve seen a woman try to seduce me into buying her.”  

 

“I wasn’t seducing—”  

 

“Then I’ll buy you. What kind of gentleman would I be if I refused when a lady is so desperate to sell herself?”

 

He spoke in such a strange way. His words were insulting and crude, yet delivered softly, tenderly, as if whispering affection. 

 

It left her confused—should she be upset or blush? As she floundered, making a ridiculous, flustered face, Noah watched with apparent amusement. 

 

‘At least I won’t be bored for the next year.’ 

 

After all, she’d get what was owed to her in other ways.  

 

“Alright, let’s stop here for now. My mother taught me to be generous with ladies,” he said smoothly, cupping Cordelia’s hesitating cheek as if it were the most natural thing.  

 

“Aren’t you going to thank me? I just sold you for a ridiculously high price.”  

 

“Th… thank you.”  

 

When she mumbled blankly, he burst into laughter.  

 

“Miss Cordelia.”  

 

“Yes?”  

 

“Keep acting just like this. It’s adorable—makes me want to spoil you.”  

 

It was the first time she’d been called ‘adorable’ since her mother passed. 

 

As Cordelia stood there dazed, he flicked his fingers in front of her eyes, then pointed to the brunch-laden plate with his index finger.  

 

“Eat first. I’ll take my leave.”  

 

‘We’ll discuss the principal later. That’s the most important part.’  

 

🫧

 

‘At least for now, things are okay, right?’  

 

As Cordelia belatedly began eating in a hurry, driven by hunger, Noah Tudor abruptly stood and left when his secretary rushed in to whisper something urgent in his ear—though not before leaving her with a kind reminder to chew thoroughly to avoid indigestion.  

 

‘What a strange man.’  

 

He seemed like a cruel, ruthless demon—rude and unrestrained—yet he was also the kindest person she’d ever met.

 

If anyone saw, they might mock her for displaying signs of affection deprivation, but to her, Noah Tudor was a man whose very being exuded subtle tenderness.  

 

The little things he did without drawing attention—noticing her hunger before his own, keeping his distance when he sensed her fear of men, or even during that horrifying first meeting, shielding her eyes from the corpse and offering her his coat.