Tail’s Curse Chapter 32

Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of the man in question. As Wayne faced his laughter-laced expression, an indescribable mix of emotions flickered across his face.

 

“How did you…?”

 

“I had some business with Noah and wanted to apologize again. Besides, it’s been so long since I last visited this villa. I have many memories here.”

 

The man who entered the room was nearly as tall as Noah. His neatly combed flaxen hair, flawless pale skin, and perfectly aligned white teeth gave him the elegant, slender grace of a superior-blooded palomino stallion.

 

Though refined, there was something distinctly different about his aura compared to Noah’s, creating an odd sense of dissonance. 

 

Cordelia instinctively took half a step back, and his gaze immediately locked onto her. She couldn’t help but sense—instinctively—that his business here was with her.

 

“Good day, my lady. I must apologize for earlier. Are you hurt anywhere?”

 

His gentle tone, as subtle and smooth as if perfumed, was almost embarrassingly sweet. 

 

Without realizing it, Cordelia wrinkled her nose slightly before awkwardly replying.

 

“Thanks to your concern, I’m perfectly fine. And Your Highness—are you well?”

 

“Your Highness?”

 

The man muttered in amusement, and Wayne quickly interjected.

 

“Uh, brother. Let’s not do this here. She hasn’t fully recovered yet, so maybe we should talk outside—”

 

“But that’s why I came to visit, Wayne.”

 

His softly laughing eyes bore down with a silent weight, making Wayne hunch his shoulders in discomfort and force an uneasy smile. 

 

Though their features were entirely different, Cordelia noticed a resemblance in that smile and the glint in his eyes—so much like Noah’s—and she murmured under her breath.

 

“You look alike.”

 

When those tawny eyes sharply turned to her, Cordelia flinched. He tilted his head, intrigued.

 

“Who do I resemble, exactly?”

 

“Uh, Brother Mikael—”

 

“Wayne, the lady and I are having a conversation, aren’t we?”

 

Despite wearing a uniform and speaking with the mannerisms of a high-society noblewoman, it suited him perfectly. 

 

Perhaps it was this contradiction that completed his unique aura.

 

Under that gaze—smiling lips but unsmiling eyes—Wayne’s neck shrank like a turtle’s. It was clear that, whether by age or imperial rank, Wayne was at a disadvantage.

 

Amid the uncomfortable atmosphere, the man who alone remained unfazed glanced at Cordelia and curled the corner of his lips.

 

“You seem rather close to our Noah. I’d like to know the lady’s name.”

 

Cordelia hesitated briefly, taking in Wayne’s flustered expression and Lord Pierrot stiffened posture before answering slowly.

 

“Um, forgive my ignorance, but in the homeland, is it acceptable for a lady to request a dance first?”

 

The completely unexpected reply left everyone bewildered. 

 

With an air of innocence, Cordelia added,

 

“In my hometown, women don’t speak to gentlemen whose names they don’t know. It seems different here, so I wondered if everything else might be the opposite too.”

 

Her face was so guileless that at first, no one grasped her meaning—until gradually, expressions of suppressed amusement spread among them.

 

Her words, in essence, were a veiled jab, ‘What kind of situation is it where someone demands personal details without even introducing themselves first?’

 

Even if she had genuinely spoken off the cuff, the implication was the same.

 

Who do you think you are?

 

Lord Pierrot face stiffened. The way his tightly pressed lips twitched suggested he wasn’t so different from Wayne, who had let out a short, stifled laugh.

 

Mikael’s expression was unreadable, though outwardly, he didn’t seem displeased. Whether his inside matched his outside was another matter. He let out a soft chuckle.

 

“You’re an amusing one. Fair enough—my apologies. I’m Mikael Secreta Wales. Wayne’s cousin here. And as for Noah… well, I suppose you could say we’re like brothers.”

 

Even as he spoke, the faint sneer on his lips reminded Cordelia of Noah again. She gave a short curtsy in greeting.

 

“Cordelia Marguerite.”

 

“Marguerite?”

 

The man with golden-brown eyebrows raised them thoughtfully before nodding as if something had just clicked. Finally understanding.

 

“Ah, I see. That guy has always had an interest in that family’s affairs.”

 

Tilting his head with a peculiar smile, he asked,

 

“So, are you Noah’s lover? If you’re a Marguerite, it wouldn’t be strange if he considered marrying you.”

 

“Marrying?”

 

Wayne jolted in shock, as if the thought had never crossed his mind, while Lord Pierrot—who had dismissed marriage talk as nonsense earlier—widened his eyes in disbelief.

 

Having witnessed this man and Noah at odds earlier, Cordelia didn’t bother explaining their complicated relationship. 

 

Instead, she denied it outright—because it wasn’t true, and the idea was absurd.

 

“That’s absolutely not the case.”

 

“Why not? You come from an ancient bloodline, and you’re young and beautiful. Isn’t it possible that cold-hearted man might propose to you?”

 

His sweetly posed question, as if asking whether she dreamed of being Cinderella, made Cordelia shake her head.

 

“Of course not. I have no money.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“My family is completely penniless, drowning in debt. I have no dowry to bring at all. Wouldn’t Noah prefer a woman with a substantial dowry?”

 

The two men listening to her blunt reasoning froze in stunned silence. Mikael twitched his lips before bursting into laughter.

 

“Ah. Right. I hadn’t considered that.”

 

Even as he chuckled to himself, Wayne stepped forward as if he’d had enough.

 

“She needs more rest after today’s incident. Let’s leave for now.”

 

“Fine, Wayne. Still acting like Noah’s obedient little pup, I see.”

 

Glancing at the stiffened Wayne, Mikael continued speaking to Cordelia in a gentle tone.

 

“For a cousin’s lover, a mere branch-line imperial would go to such lengths. Wayne really is a tender-hearted boy.”

 

“We’re not lovers—”

 

“Let me give you some advice, Miss Marguerite. It would be better for you if people mistook you for his lover.”

 

A flicker of scorn, tinged with disgust, passed over Mikael’s pale face.

 

“The debt you mentioned—it’s owed to Noah, isn’t it? A debtor and her creditor living under the same roof. What do you think people will assume?”

 

“Count Wales!”

 

Wayne shouted in genuine anger for the first time, but Mikael merely shrugged, unfazed. 

 

Cordelia blinked at the openly venomous remark.

 

Take it to heart—it’s the truth. The Katisha are nothing if not pragmatic.

 

“I speak from experience. My own origins aren’t so different.”

 

While Wayne fumed, momentarily stunned, Mikael leaned close to Cordelia’s cheek, whispering under the guise of a polite farewell.

 

“Don’t trust him too much, little mermaid. And don’t give him your heart.”

 

‘You’ll only get hurt.’

 

Her jade-green eyes widened. With a soft chuckle, he turned and strode away, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence.

 

Contrary to what the two gentlemen might have expected, Cordelia wasn’t deeply shaken by his insults. 

 

If anything, she considered herself lucky that Noah hadn’t turned her into a plaything.

 

Never one for smooth talk, Cordelia lacked the grace to reassure them with dignified words or the wit to lighten the stifling air with a joke. 

 

So she simply asked what she was most curious about.

 

“Forgive me, but… who exactly is that man?”

 

A member of Wayne’s family, I assume? At her question, he sighed.

 

“Well… let’s just say he’s the royal family’s… aching finger.”

 

Wayne shrugged with an awkward expression.

 

“She was my aunt—Her Imperial Highness Princess Claudia, the late emperor’s full-blooded sister—and his only child. He entered the imperial household around age seven and grew up practically alone while the adults squabbled around him. In some ways, he was similar to Noah, but… the treatment was different.”

 

Seeing Cordelia tilt her head in confusion, he gave a bitter smile.

 

“One was born with too much, shining brilliantly from the start, while the other grew up in poverty—without affection, support, or even the means to claim his rightful due. It’s… complicated.”

 

Trailing off, he furrowed his brows.

 

“I apologize for his rudeness as family. As you may have noticed, Noah and he… don’t get along well. Lady Anais, Mikael’s godmother and guardian, spent years trying to reconcile her son and the crown prince, but they were like oil and water—utterly incompatible. As you can see, they despise each other.”

 

“That does seem to be the case.”

 

Cordelia murmured, recalling Noah’s hardened expression.