Tail’s Curse Chapter 43

When Noah’s face hardened, Sir Pierrot cautiously spoke.

 

“Shouldn’t we tell her, after all? It would be different if she were aware and careful herself.”

 

“…”

 

Pierrot had assumed Noah would agree right away. It was the natural thing to do. 

 

But instead, Noah rubbed at his brow in silence before suddenly speaking.

 

“What do you think a twenty-year-old girl, with no family and no proper guardian, would feel if she were told she had sleepwalking and had to face it in an unfamiliar place?”

 

“…She would feel lost. Frightened, too.”

 

After a brief pause, Sir Pierrot replied. 

 

Noah tapped his finger against the armrest and said, 

 

“Let’s try treating her without telling her first. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll inform her. A prescription for sleeping pills, or something along those lines.”

“I’ll start with strong sedatives and sleeping medication. And please remove anything sharp or dangerous from her room. It would be best to keep the door locked as well. If she leaves her room while asleep, it could be extremely dangerous.”

 

Noah nodded, wiped his forehead, and gave instructions.

 

“Find out in detail what the cause is. Everything she eats, everything. Her living environment has suddenly changed—her body and mind may have been shocked. It’s not aftereffects from the car accident, is it?”

 

“Unlikely. If anything, she would show pain in some part of her body, or suffer from muscle aches.”

 

Sir Pierrot shook his head.

 

“In any case, it’s best to eliminate anything that disturbs sleep. Absolutely no alcohol, and I recommend avoiding coffee and chocolate for the time being. Ah…”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Could it be related to a herb called Clamancia? She mentioned that if you brew it as tea, it helps with deep sleep, and asked me to procure it. She also said her whole family regularly took it.”

 

“Get as much of it as you can. More than enough.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Sir Pierrot bowed politely, about to leave, then paused as a thought struck him.

 

“By the way, was it because of that car accident that you requested Miss Cordelia’s health examination? I had the impression that you were excessively concerned about her health.”

 

Arms crossed, Noah stared meaninglessly into the air before suddenly asking,

 

“If there were a hereditary incurable disease, infamous enough to be called a ‘curse,’ what kind of symptoms would you expect it to have?”

 

“Well… there are countless diseases in this world that remain unknown. What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that Miss Cordelia might be afflicted with some dreadful illness…?”

 

Startled, Sir Pierrot turned back to him, but Noah shook his head.

 

“No. I only asked on the off chance.”

 

Even though she was just a young girl, in circumstances where she had every reason to feel wronged or afraid, she remained strangely composed. 

 

If she were able to stay like that even while knowing her time was limited to a year… wouldn’t that seem suspicious?

 

That innocent woman had looked relieved when he accepted her words without argument, but Noah Tudor was the kind of man who needed to fully grasp the intentions and motives of those he dealt with. 

 

Fastidious and suspicious by nature.

 

On top of that, because of his deep interest in the Marguerite family, he already knew most of what was publicly known about their lineage. 

 

Among that information, there was no way he could be unaware of the hereditary disease called the ‘Mermaid’s Curse.’

 

The Tudor family itself carried its own hereditary illness, different in nature, and thus, he had paid close attention to such things.

 

What made that disease peculiar was that, paradoxically, it fascinated people, adding to the family’s mystique. 

 

A few centuries ago, it had even been rather famous—a strange and tragic affliction that only struck the direct descendants of the mermaid family. He had even heard of a foolish novelist who wrote a dreary book inspired by it.

 

But that disease had supposedly died out long ago.

 

It had been over a hundred years since the last death from the Marguerite curse.

 

The only troubling point was that Cordelia’s mother, who had died young, had suffered from an unknown illness. 

 

Some of the doctors who examined her had even speculated that it might have been the Mermaid’s Curse. 

 

But even if it really were that disease, the records stated another defining trait: it was a skipped-generation inheritance. 

 

In other words, it always skipped at least one generation before reappearing.

 

So it didn’t add up. There was no reason she could suddenly be afflicted by such an illness. 

 

A young woman who, though a little frail-looking, smiled easily, ate well, and seemed healthy?

 

Impossible…

 

Noah gave a short, derisive laugh and waved his hand for Pierrot to leave. 

 

From the next day on, Sir Pierrot began prescribing Cordelia nerve stabilizers disguised as nutritional supplements, and also supplied her with several months’ worth of Clamancia.

 

Cordelia’s mermaid herb tea was nothing elaborate. She finely ground the dried herb, mixed it with honey and seaweed powder, and formed it into dark green pellets to eat. 

 

Pierrot was surprised to see her consuming the herb this way, since she had mentioned drinking it as tea, but Cordelia explained that she sometimes took it like this as well.

 

“Would you like to try some?” she asked.

 

When Pierrot watched her swallow the oddly scented pellets without hesitation, he smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

 

In truth, he had a very weak stomach.

 

“Seaweed? You actually eat something like that?”

 

“Yes. People from the Empire’s mainland don’t usually eat it, but fresh seaweed is both healthy and delicious. In my family, we always ate it.”

 

She added that in the past, they had been too poor to add honey, but since coming to this estate, she had been able to enjoy plenty of good-quality honey, which she liked. 

 

Seeing her smile so cheerfully as she said it, Pierrot felt a pang of pity and asked gently.

 

“Is there anything else you need? Please tell me whatever it is.”

 

“Uh, then… would it be possible to get things like pearl powder or coral?”

 

“Do you need them for adornment?”

 

“No, to eat.”

 

Perhaps because she wasn’t from the mainland, her tastes were unusual. 

 

Still, since she said it was an old family tradition, Pierrot simply nodded and procured them without further comment. 

 

Naturally, this too was reported to Noah in full.

 

Maybe thanks to all these precautions, Cordelia did not suffer from sleepwalking again until the day they left for Katisha.

 

In truth, sleepwalking was not such a rare condition. 

 

As many as thirty percent of children experienced it, though it often disappeared with age, while some people only developed it in adulthood. 

 

And Cordelia’s case was merely nocturnal walking, not a severe form. In extreme cases, patients could dress themselves, talk, or even cook meals while asleep.

 

She should be fine, Pierrot thought to himself, watching her gentle face as she admired the beautiful Tudor House.

 

“Woooow!”

 

Cordelia’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the Tudor House’s antique façade, its well-kept fountains and gardens. She tried not to voice her admiration out loud, though her expression gave everything away, making Noah and Isaac twitch their lips. 

 

But when she stood before the elegant, dignified interior and the famous central staircase of the Tudors, her mouth fell open.

 

“It’s so, so beautiful…”

 

Her eyes shone as she gazed at the carefully arranged fresh flowers, the artworks and statues, the intricate chandeliers. 

 

It felt like an art gallery, just like Noah’s own gallery. 

 

At her words of awe, Noah gave a short laugh and muttered indifferently,

 

“If you ever go to the Imperial Museum, your eyes will probably roll back in your head.”

 

“Can we go to the museum?”

 

“Shall we?”

 

He raised an eyebrow as he asked, and she reflexively nodded before glancing at him, gauging his reaction.

 

“If you’re busy, I can go alone.”

 

Though she said it out of consideration for him, Noah tilted his head with an expressionless face.

 

“How? You don’t even know the way.”

 

“I could ask Sir Wayne, maybe…”

 

“Miss Cordelia, you’re quite the delinquent debtor. You were whining like a frustrated puppy wanting to go for a walk with me just a while ago. And now that you don’t need me, you’re asking someone else to take you out?”

 

His sharp reproach came in a soft and elegant tone, and Cordelia, looking like a scolded puppy, muttered, 

 

“That’s not what I meant…”

 

“It’s not that… It’s just that you’re always busy, and I didn’t want to bother you…”

 

“How thoughtful. Then you should wait quietly. Isn’t that right?”

 

Clicking his tongue and sighing dramatically, Noah left Cordelia feeling like a thankless wretch. She could only nod blankly. 

 

His long, slender finger gently rubbed near her eye.

 

“Good girl. Just wait a bit. I’ll make time.”

 

Though there was no need for him to go that far.

 

“If you sneak off without me, it won’t be any fun. Got it?”

 

“Okay.”

 

When she obediently answered his warning, Noah’s lips curled into a smile. 

 

Just then, an unfamiliar voice interrupted.

 

“Noah. Since when did you take up bullying young ladies as a hobby?”

 

Of course, everyone in Katisha’s social circle already knows you’re no gentleman.

 

A young gentleman in a wheelchair slowly stood up with the help of a cane handed to him by a servant, and walked over to them. 

 

As soon as Noah saw him, he walked over to assist him out of habit, but the man waved him off and instead stared quietly at Cordelia.

 

With curly auburn hair and reddish-brown eyes, he looked to be past thirty. 

 

He exuded the elegant dignity of solid, aged rosewood with a hint of sensitivity. His curious gaze also carried a boyish cheerfulness.

 

Most of all, the look in his eyes resembled Noah’s.