Tail’s Curse Chapter 36

 

“L-Lord Noah? Ah!”

 

Noah, who had been staring intently at the woman hastily covering her chest with a blanket due to her thin attire, slowly let out a breath.

 

“Did you sleep well?”

 

Had I seen wrong? 

 

For a fleeting moment, his sunset-colored eyes seemed to darken with intensity as they traced over her exposed skin, but now he wore his usual indifferent, languid expression.

 

Embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, Noah graciously smiled.

 

“Don’t worry. I didn’t see anything.”

 

For now…

 

The quietly muttered afterword went unnoticed by Cordelia, who shot him a puzzled look, but he didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. 

 

Truthfully, she didn’t have the energy to dwell on it. 

 

Aside from the first day, he had never visited her room before, so waking up early only to find a man in her private space left her flustered and tense.

 

Shouldn’t he have left by now? 

 

Unless they had plans to meet in the dining room for tea or a meal, common courtesy dictated that he state his business briefly and leave. 

 

Yet, he showed no intention of leaving.

 

Even though her discomfort must have been obvious, he continued speaking as if nothing were amiss.

 

“You didn’t answer me.”

 

This time, she couldn’t help but question him.

 

“Huh? What?”

 

“I asked if you slept well.”

 

Dazed, she opened her mouth slightly, but when his eyebrow arched in silence, she nodded blankly.

 

“Y-Yes. I slept well.”

 

“Oh? Is that so?”

 

Noah’s murmur carried an odd weight.

 

“No dreams at all?”

 

She wasn’t sure what answer he wanted, but Cordelia silently nodded again. She often had nightmares, but last night, she had slept deeply.

 

“Then that’s good.”

 

“…?”

 

“How about breakfast? Are you hungry?”

 

With a smooth voice and measured tone, his calm face looked down with hands clasped behind his back. The tall man’s sunlit cheek, half-bathed in the early sunlight, appeared elegant and languid. 

 

Stripped of his usual unpleasantness, he now seemed like a kind and generous landlord.

 

A silence lingered between the fully grown man standing there and the woman sitting on the bed—her hair disheveled, nearly naked, clutching the sheets. The milky-white room, devoid of even birdsong, was as still as a still-life painting, and they gazed at each other from a distance that felt far too vast.

 

Yet, why was it? 

 

An odd tension, unlike anything she had felt even in the close confines of a car with him before, now filled the room.

 

Was it because of those mysteriously penetrating eyes? 

 

His detached demeanor only made her breath tighten. 

 

As she swallowed dryly, his gaze shifted to her lips and jaw, now faintly trembling, then down to her quivering neck.

 

She had once read about beasts of the predatory kind. A book by some explorer described the common traits of creatures that sustain their lives not by grazing on grass or fruit but by hunting and tearing into the flesh of others. 

 

A sleek body that minimizes unnecessary movement when stalking prey, an outward appearance that lulls the target into ease, and above all—those precise, chilling eyes that never lose sight of their mark.

 

Without realizing it, Cordelia felt the urge to shuffle backward on her hips. 

 

That man’s eyes, she thought, resembled those of a beast. Just like the first time they had met under the full moon, when he had faced her in the ugliest form imaginable.

 

His eyes never let go of their prey.

 

As her lips twitched, his gaze, ghostly and precise, followed the movement.

 

“No. I just… don’t have an appetite.”

 

Even after she mustered the courage to refuse, he said nothing more. 

 

For a moment, it almost seemed as though she had asked a question, but then drifted off in thought without waiting for an answer—as if she had casually tossed out the words on a whim.

 

Cordelia, who had been gripping the bedsheet tightly, turned her head and spoke.

 

“Um, I just woke up, so I must look a mess… Could you please step out for a moment?”

 

“I thought the night suited you better, but the morning has its charm too.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Flustered, Cordelia found herself spellbound by the man’s radiant smile, like a fully bloomed white rose. Her mind went blank. 

 

It was a strangely beautiful smile—so dazzling that she couldn’t tell whether it made her feel good or uneasy. 

 

There was something secretive about it, and yet…

 

It felt hot. No—though it was as enigmatic and cold as a snake’s scales, she could still sense heat radiating from it. 

 

A wave of inexplicable warmth prickled down her spine.

 

“Get ready and come out. I’ll be waiting.”

 

With a polite nod, the man turned and left without hesitation.

 

The moment the door closed, Cordelia’s hands, which had been clutching the blanket to her chest in a panic, dropped limply. She felt as though she’d been bewitched. Her mind remained blank until Jane burst in, fussing excitedly.

 

Before he left, his offhand remark lingered in her ears like an echo.

 

“Personally, I think the night suits you better.”

 

What did that mean?

 

She was utterly confused.

 

🫧

 

As Jane enthusiastically worked her magic, Cordelia marveled at how quickly the reflection in the mirror transformed into something presentable—a testament to her maid’s skill. 

 

Still, she tried hard not to dwell on Jane’s chatter:

 

“It’s the first time our master has personally invited a woman who isn’t family to breakfast!”

 

The memory of those persistent, emotionless amber eyes staring at her made her chest burn.

 

Why do I feel like this? Did I forget to take my medicine? Or is it just him?

 

It wasn’t entirely strange—he always had a way of making people uneasy.

 

Still, yesterday was a bit more comfortable. He seemed to be in a good mood, too. That is, until before the accident.

Ugh, what should I do if I get indigestion with delicious food right in front of me?

 

Lost in an inexplicable flutter of the heart and a gloom tinged with slight tension, I headed downstairs and heard people’s voices.

 

“Oh! Miss Cordelia! You look absolutely beautiful. It’s like seeing the morning fairy.”

 

As Wayne let out a polite compliment mixed with admiration, Cordelia, her nerves easing slightly, gave a soft smile.

“Thank you. You look dashing as well.”

 

“Hahaha! Is that so?”

 

The warm atmosphere of routine greetings was abruptly broken when the man sitting at the head of the table, resting his chin on his hand, spoke up.

 

“Then what about me?”

 

The knife Jacques Pierrot was using to slice sausages slipped, making an unpleasant sound. 

 

Even as the two men closest to him gave him odd looks, Noah Tudor brazenly urged Cordelia with his eyes, half-frozen in place. 

 

Flustered, she blurted out a reply, “Y-you look dashing too, Sir Noah. As always.”

 

“Hmm, so I’ve always been dashing?”

 

As he lazily narrowed his eyes and chuckled with an attitude that mixed elegance and frivolity, Cordelia’s ears reddened in embarrassment as she took her seat. 

 

Wayne, nearly spitting out his orange juice, stared at his cousin and asked—a sentiment shared by everyone present.

 

“What’s wrong with you? Still half-asleep?”

 

“Had a shocking dream, so I’m still a bit dazed.”

 

“What? A nightmare?”

 

“Well…”

 

Noah Tudor twisted his lips slightly and muttered as he drank his water.

 

“If you can call something that amazing a nightmare.”

 

His laughter was smooth as silk yet somehow vulgar. 

 

What’s gotten into him? 

 

He felt like a completely different person from yesterday. Though he had always been self-willed, there was an unspoken line he used to keep—yet now, it was unmistakably gone. 

 

Something about him had undeniably changed.

 

Avoiding the piercing gazes, Cordelia quickly lowered her head over the cloud-like scrambled eggs, beans, and soufflé pancakes topped with meringue, along with white bread.

 

The sight of the delicious food naturally made her hungry.

 

Today’s meal consisted entirely of Cordelia’s favorites. 

 

Carefully holding a knife, she spread raspberry jam and butter on the soft bread when Lord Pierrot cleared his throat and spoke.

 

“The family head sent his regards. And he asked when on earth you plan to return…”

 

“Isaac still can’t sleep without me, it seems.”

 

Noah chuckled softly as he cut into his black pudding, while Lord Pierrot, his face still showing signs of a hangover, sighed after downing several heavily flavored martinis in a row.

 

“Well, he does get quite lonely. But it’s true that you haven’t returned to Katisha for a while now. Lady Anais also asked me to tell you to reach out more.”

 

“I sent a letter not long ago.”

 

“She wants to hear your voice, not just that. A phone call would be nice…”

 

Unlike his older brother Isaac, who was a devoted son to their parents—especially their mother—Noah was affectionate but indifferent. He knew exactly how to be loved, but simply wouldn’t bother if he didn’t feel like it.