Tail’s Curse Chapter 41

At the curt military-like command, Cordelia hunched her shoulders and hurried her steps. 

 

It felt as though she had just witnessed something tremendous. Her heart pounded. She didn’t quite understand what had happened, but one thing was certain: when she was about to be attacked, he had cast aside gentlemanly decorum and protected her.

 

Cordelia didn’t know much about aristocratic society, but she knew enough to realize that Noah’s attitude and words just now went against all common sense. 

 

Not even royalty would act so recklessly. 

 

Maybe it was simply his temperament, but still—the merciless chill in his rebuke was frightening. 

 

And yet…

 

It gave her a strange sense of reassurance. Until now, no one had ever taken her side when her honor was tarnished, and she was slandered.

 

Perhaps that was why she meddled unnecessarily.

 

“Um, are you… alright?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

The hand that had once rested firmly on her shoulder slipped away, returning to a more formal escort. 

 

Cordelia rubbed her now-empty shoulder and said,

 

“You seem like a highborn lady of noble rank. If you make enemies…”

 

“You’re surprisingly oblivious. Miss Cordelia, did it look like that woman and I were on good terms?”

 

“No…”

 

“We’re already past saving, so there’s nothing to worry about. If I counted only the people who dislike me, it would be enough to make up a small provincial town of the Empire.”

 

Noah said it as indifferently as if it were the most natural fact, but Cordelia was startled. She had never once imagined that so many people could despise the Empire’s hero, this perfect man with immense ability and formidable background.

 

Until now, all she had ever heard were words praising and exalting him. 

 

Yet perhaps the world was never made of pure black and white. Besides, he wasn’t the type to hide his likes, dislikes, or thoughts.

 

Cordelia thought for a moment before asking,

 

“But earlier, that young lady seemed to have feelings for you, Sir Noah.”

 

“She’s just annoyed that someone as passable a male as I won’t even look at her. Do you really think projecting her need for validation and possessiveness, however she pleases, counts as affection?”

 

The blunt sharpness of his remark might have cut, yet Cordelia oddly felt refreshed. 

 

Even if Noah Tudor was the kind of man people either liked or disliked, whenever she looked at him, she always felt both startled and strangely exhilarated. 

 

Perhaps it was only the shallow vicarious thrill of a timid, insignificant person.

 

The encounter had been so shocking that, even as they nearly finished their walk along the path, Cordelia was still struggling to digest what had happened. 

 

While she was deep in thought, Noah walked silently beside her until she carefully asked, a sudden worry rising to the surface.

 

“Um, when we go to Katisha, will things like this often happen?”

 

“It wouldn’t be impossible.”

 

Ah… Noah gave a low chuckle at her small, worried face.

 

“What, already frightened?”

 

“A little.”

 

Cordelia let out a small sigh. 

 

Glancing at her troubled expression, Noah spoke.

 

“You’re not going there to make a debut in society, so there’s nothing to worry about. Think of it as a sightseeing trip, like Wayne said. Anyone who bothers you is bothering me.”

 

His words were casual, light, merely stating the obvious responsibility of someone who had something to gain from her. 

 

And yet, her chest swelled with an overwhelming sense of reassurance. 

 

Pathetically enough, she caught herself thinking how lucky she was to have him as her protector. 

 

A debtor, of all people.

 

Pressing down her pounding heart, Cordelia stole a glance at the indifferent Noah. Perhaps she looked like a frightened child, because, for once, Noah continued speaking at length.

 

“Just as demons don’t bother to hide their shells, there are many times when the misdeeds of villains also go unseen. It’s especially troublesome when such a villain happens to be wearing a woman’s skin. If it’s a man, you can simply beat him to death, but the reverse isn’t so easy. Their methods are subtle and clever. That’s why it’s best to act wisely and handle yourself with good judgment.”

 

Still, there was no need to be overly frightened or hold prejudices.

 

“Sometimes there are bastards like me, but in truth, most of the world is made up of decent, sensible people. Surely there will be some who see you as you are and genuinely want to like you or help you.”

 

If it weren’t for that indifferent expression, Cordelia would never have believed the words had come from Noah Tudor. 

 

The words were so unexpectedly positive and admirable that she felt moved, and hesitantly asked,

 

“How can you be so sure?”

 

“Because I want to treat you well too. As best I can, anyway.”

 

He glanced at her sideways with a crooked grin, and at that moment Cordelia experienced a strange sensation.

 

The bright blond hair that often caught her eyes swayed slowly, strand by strand. His rarely softened sunset-colored eyes curved gently, like a crimson sea swallowing the sun. 

 

A sea so deep that once you fell into its waves, you could never surface again. 

 

The dimple in his pale cheek, the lips curled playfully upward, and the white fang peeking out like a mischievous child.

 

Ah. What should I do?

 

Dazzled, she felt faint. Overwhelmed, she squeezed her eyes shut.

 

🫧

 

It was her first time riding a train since birth. 

 

In truth, there were so many things she was experiencing for the first time that listing them all would have seemed rustic, but she couldn’t help being excited. 

 

Boarding the train bound for Katisha, Cordelia sat demurely with her hands folded, her cheeks flushed red. 

 

Noah, sitting opposite her with a newspaper in hand, glanced at her and let out a quiet laugh. She looked like a doll sitting there.

 

“Make yourself comfortable. We’ll be on here for about four hours.”

 

“That’s surprisingly close.”

 

“It’s not that close. That’s only because we’re taking the train.”

 

They were seated in a private car reserved only for those with guaranteed status and wealth. 

 

When Cordelia learned that the Tudor family, having a large stake in the railway business, always had a fixed carriage set aside for their use, her jaw nearly dropped.

 

The red velvet seats, the walls, and shelves made of cocobolo wood, and the smooth, beautiful chairs were all striking. She recalled her maternal grandfather once telling her that this wood was extremely rare, carried a floral fragrance, and was difficult to trade… 

 

The splendor rivaled that of the Imperial Audience Chamber, and she could not contain her awe. She fidgeted, sneaking glances at the ivory, bronze, and copper decorations. 

 

At that, Noah, still flipping through his newspaper, commented,

 

“If you’re uncomfortable, you can just hug that bear head of yours.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

Cordelia, having been staring so intently at a crystal angel statue that her eyes nearly crossed, gave a distracted nod. 

 

From the bag Jane had carefully packed for her, she pulled out a stuffed bear and hugged it tightly. Then she kept looking around in wonder, like a child visiting the capital for the first time. 

 

Noah, hiding his mouth behind the newspaper, stifled a laugh before straightening his face again and rubbing at the corner of his lips.

 

Maybe it was because she was so transparent. 

 

Being with this girl, he found himself laughing for no reason.

 

This time, she was staring fixedly at a small painting on the wall, so he asked casually,
“Miss Cordelia, do you like Noel?”

 

“What? Oh, yes. The Girl Collection.”

 

She never imagined he would remember something she had mentioned just once at a dinner table. 

 

Noah Tudor, wearing glasses, folded his newspaper, picked up a document, and pointed with his long forefinger to one side of the wall.

 

“You can see one now. An original owned by my mother.”

 

“What?”

 

Her jade-colored eyes widened in shock until they nearly covered her entire face. She leaned forward as if she might bury her nose in the painting, and Noah couldn’t hold back a quiet laugh. 

 

Cordelia, unconcerned, clasped her hands tightly together and gazed in awe at the painting of a girl in a white hat sitting by the seaside.

 

Ah, it’s beautiful. Had my mother seen this painting, too? What if, when I was still in her womb, she had looked at this painting and thought of me? 

 

Cordelia felt as though she were strongly connected to her mother.

 

Even if that wasn’t the case, she was deeply moved by the gentle, lovely, almost wistful dreamlike energy radiating from the painting.

 

Without realizing it, Cordelia murmured,

 

“Thank you. I feel so happy right now.”

 

Noah Tudor, who had been quietly watching her smiling face as she looked at the painting, quickly turned his head when she glanced back at him. 

 

Yet the afterimage remained. Her bright, flowing smile overlapped with the painted girl’s, blending together like a bouquet of full-bloom flowers.

 

It was worth making that call. 

 

Resting his chin on his hand, he turned his gaze toward the scenery outside the window. 

 

More precisely, at the reflection of the girl’s face in the glass.

 

With a puff of steam, the train departed for Katisha.

 

🫧

 

“Oh, behold. Beautiful Katisha!”

 

On the Queensrean Station platform, paved like a mosaic with marble, crystal, and colored gemstones, Cordelia found herself breaking into a wide smile at the sight of a familiar face.