Tail’s Curse Chapter 6

 

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“Sob, please.”  

 

“If that guy had come himself, who knows—maybe one of your limbs would’ve been crippled by now.”  

 

Vincent let out a loud laugh as Harper gulped in fear. 

 

Lucky, huh?  

 

He meant it sincerely. The lunatic owner of his pretty face had been ready to rush all the way from the grand mansion of the Katisha Empire to Zeneka—a trip that would normally take a week—in a single breath. 

 

All because the idiots at the Zeneka branch weren’t doing their jobs, letting his money slip away.  

 

If urgent business hadn’t called him to the trade ships across the sea, his temper would’ve undoubtedly brought him here.  

 

And then he would’ve said something like…

 

“Vincent. You useless leech.”  

“…”  

“Eek! W-wait! My daughter’s getting married soon, and a huge dowry will come in! I’ll give you all of it!”  

 

Perhaps because Vincent’s expression turned vicious, Harper shrieked, trembling violently. 

 

As if waiting for the mention of the dowry, a subordinate whispered in Vincent’s ear.  

 

“Harper’s daughter has just come of age. She has a long-standing engagement—to the heir of the Devilliers family.”  

 

“Devilliers? Ah, the ones who distributed tea leaves? I heard they made quite a fortune in the black tea trade.”  

 

The Zeneka colony was a peninsula connecting the eastern continent of Lin and the Empire. 

 

Originally a small island annexed during the founding era, it expanded into the entire peninsula fifty years ago after the Lin War and active colonial development. 

 

Since the rise of the New Imperial Society, global trade had flourished, and the Devilliers family rode that wave to wealth.  

 

For such a wealthy family to soon be tied by marriage to this pitiful man in front of him—it was a situation that only made sense after hearing it was a prenatal betrothal. 

 

Even now, deeply rooted noble lineages remained conservative, valuing inter-family promises highly.  

 

But was that promise truly worth enough to repay massive debts and obligations? 

 

Twenty years ago, one might have had no choice but to endure for honor’s sake, but today, the world had changed—everything came down to cold calculation and self-interest.

 

Even the Devilliers must have found it quite vexing. 

 

Not only were they taking in a young lady from a fallen and insignificant family as their daughter-in-law, but she also came with such lowly kin.  

 

Unless there was some other value to the Marguerite family and that young lady.  

 

A flurry of calculations raced through his mind. As if interpreting his fixed gaze, Harper quickly began groveling with a servile expression.  

 

“My daughter takes after her late mother—she’s quite pretty. That’s why her fiancé was so smitten he couldn’t live without her! Just one more month, if you could wait just one month…”  

 

“An engagement can be called off anytime, can’t it? What if—”  

 

“Then take that wretched girl instead. She’s useless anyway.”  

 

His gleeful, rat-like face as he replied made the crow-like gentlemen exchange silent glances.  

 

Truthfully, such things were common in this line of work. 

 

Gambling and money had a way of twisting even decent men into something unrecognizable, driving them to sell off their homes, honor, and even their own families. Though familiar, the disgust was unavoidable. 

 

Vincent exhaled bitter tobacco smoke before crushing the butt against the brick wall. He wasn’t in the mood to smell burning flesh just yet.  

 

“Very well.”  

 

The demon-like man named Money smirked.  

 

“Congratulations on your daughter’s marriage. We’ll settle the accounts on that day.”  

 

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Cordelia blinked dazedly. 

 

Today was the day—she would finally meet the Devilliers couple, whom she had once called uncle and aunt and followed devotedly. 

 

Though she hadn’t expected to sleep a wink, her exhausted body had succumbed easily. Not that it was restful—dreams had plagued her all night.  

 

With a sigh, she hugged Jeje and rose from the bed. Even with the escape she had longed for now within reach, she felt neither excitement nor joy.  

 

Had Jonathan come for her himself, it might have been different.  

 

“Not that I’m disappointed or anything.”  

 

Cordelia muttered the words like an excuse, staring at Jeje’s button eyes.  

 

Fiddling with the locket around her neck, she opened it slightly and gazed at her fiancé’s gentle smile, drawing strength from it.

 

Jonathan had been a friend who promised a lifetime of companionship when they were young, her only solace and hope as they grew older, and now he was her sole escape, her lighthouse. 

 

Like a shipwreck lost in a dark sea, she felt that if she just followed his light, she could break free from this quagmire.  

 

“Cordelia! Still sleeping like a pig? Why aren’t you coming down yet?”  

 

Startled by her aunt’s sharp, blaring shout—like an alarm—Cordelia jolted upright, nearly tripping over the hem of her dress as she scrambled to her feet. 

 

Rubbing her stinging knee, she hurried down to the parlor.  

 

There, her aunt lounged against the table, half-slumped over a half-empty bottle of liquor and cold leftovers, puffing aggressively on a cigarette as if she’d been drinking heavily since morning.  

 

Though Cordelia had grown accustomed to playing the part of an inanimate object to avoid drawing criticism from her family, she particularly despised secondhand smoke. 

 

Maybe it was because of her weak respiratory system—she had always been frail. 

 

Holding her breath, she coughed violently as if retching, and her aunt deliberately blew smoke into her pale face, cackling.  

 

“Pathetic brat.”  

 

Some words, no matter how often heard, always cut deep or sent a sharp sting through her chest. This was one of those moments. It felt as though some unknown shred of pride or hidden wound had been carelessly jabbed.  

 

Rubbing her aching chest in secret, Cordelia forced herself to respond meekly.  

 

“You called for me.”  

 

“Yes. You need to get ready—we’re visiting your future in-laws.”  

 

With a kick, her aunt shoved a decent-looking dress case toward her. 

 

Inside was the dress her mother had worn in her maiden years—the very one Cordelia had desperately searched for, only for her father to pawn it off for drinking money.  

 

As Cordelia stood speechless, her aunt sneered.  

 

“Your father brought this back last night. I guess even he has his moments.”  

 

Snatching it up as if to devour it, she hugged it tightly and bowed her head repeatedly.  

 

“Th-thank you, Aunt.”  

 

“Wear it well and make it worth the money. Don’t look ugly—act demure and do what you do best.”  

 

“What… do I do best?”  

 

“That’s right. Playing the meek lamb, then suddenly putting on airs like some stuck-up brat. Honestly, you’ve got no education, but you sure inherited ‘that’ from your mother.”

 

Even enemies do not speak ill of the dead, but the members of this household never missed an opportunity to slander Cordelia’s late family, who had long departed for the heavens. 

 

Only after grinding her teeth hard enough to fray the insides of her cheeks did the aunt finally conclude her lengthy tirade.  

 

“Make sure you marry into that family, no matter what. Understand? If you get kicked out, I’ll sell you off to whoever will take you.”  

Cordelia nodded silently without a word. Threats like these were her aunt’s habit.  

 

When she put on her mother’s dress as instructed, an overwhelming emotion—so intense it nearly brought tears to her eyes—washed over her at how perfectly it fit, as if tailored just for her.

 

Had her mother been similar to her at this age? Her father often frowned at Cordelia, spat in disgust, and walked past her, which made it clear she resembled her mother.

 

As she tried to recall her mother’s face, increasingly blurred in her memory, she shook her head.  

 

She always thought of her mother, yet at the same time, she often struggled not to. Delving too deeply into memories risked dredging up the last one.  

 

As Cordelia’s mood sank on its own, her aunt, who had been chattering away to her heart’s content, spoke haughtily.  

 

“Let’s go. We need to see the house you’ll be living in from now on.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

For a moment, Cordelia was genuinely flustered. Her words stumbled on their own.  

 

“Y-you’re coming with me, Aunt?”  

 

“What? Did you think an unmarried young lady would visit her fiancé’s house alone, without a chaperone?”  

 

The aunt shrieked as if scandalized by such ignorance, leaving Cordelia stunned. The role of a chaperone referred to a noblewoman guiding and overseeing a young lady’s social debut, ensuring proper decorum and restraint.  

 

But her aunt as her chaperone? She might as well have old Greville, the stable horse, take on the role—it would be less ridiculous. 

 

Cordelia fought hard not to show her distaste.  

 

“Even if you’re an adult, how could I let you go alone when you’ve barely had any proper social exposure? What would you know about spotting flaws? I’ve heard that family’s pride grows more insufferable by the day. Just how much have they earned to act like that? I’ll have to see for myself. We also need to discuss the wedding expenses and dowry. These are matters for the elders of the families to settle.”  

 

Listening to her aunt speak as if it were her rightful duty, Cordelia could practically see the vanity and greed in her eyes and bit her tongue in frustration. 

 

Oblivious to her niece’s increasingly pale face, the aunt prattled on.