Previously
Cordelia encounters a tipsy young noble in the mansion who introduces himself as Wayne Heryan, Noah Tudor's cousin. When Wayne inadvertently reminds Cordelia of her former fiancé Jonathan, she experiences physical pain and nearly faints, only to be caught by Noah.
“No, no, it’s fine. What offense? Ha, this is exactly what makes things uncomfortable.”
As Wayne grumbled, Noah turned back to Cordelia and gestured with his chin.
“Why did you come down? Hungry?”
“N-no. I was just about to head back up…”
Gurgle.
A peculiar silence settled over the drawing room. Watching the two men’s expressions twitch in strange amusement, Cordelia shook her head frantically, her face burning crimson.
“No! That’s, I mean…!”
“No wonder your eyes looked like they were hunting for prey; you really were hungry. How odd. Do the people in this house not feed you on time?”
When Noah spoke in a teasing, silky drawl, Wayne snorted with laughter before hastily slapping a hand over his mouth.
Covering it now hardly helps; I already heard you. Feeling utter mortification, Cordelia wished she could just drop dead right there. It was so embarrassing. She was dying of shame. But the man in front of her was hardly noble enough to spare her delicate feelings. If he saw something soft and malleable, he would poke and squeeze and torment it rather than leave it alone.
“A twenty-year-old baby must need plenty of food. Then again, I suppose you’re in your growing years. I’ll make sure to instruct the chef tomorrow. To give you plenty of mush.”
“…I’m not a baby.”
“Mmh, is that so?”
It took true talent for a voice so melt-in-the-mouth sweet to sound this malicious. Watching those crimson eyes glisten with amusement like a shark that had caught the scent of blood, a dismayed Cordelia discreetly looked away. Wow, he’s terrible. His personality is truly awful.
As she swallowed her grievance and bit her lower lip, her small chin puckered tightly. Naturally, Noah taunted that too, his tone effortlessly gentle.
“Are you crying? Feeling so wronged because I called you a baby?”
“I’m not…”
“I’m fairly sure you just cursed me out with your eyes.”
The moment she grumbled in secret, he pointed it out with quiet ease. Why did he have to be so sharp? Having endured more than her fair share of bullying growing up, she was sick of it, yet this man’s teasing got under her skin even more. She wanted to hit him. Then again, she stood no chance against him. Besides, he was her creditor. Still, it was infuriating, so what else could she do?
In the end, Cordelia cast her eyes down in timid defiance.
“I didn’t.”
“Why do you keep saying no? Is that the only word you know?”
“No…! That’s not true.”
As she struggled to correct her phrasing, Wayne was practically rolling on the floor with laughter beside them. Haa, a long sigh slipped out from sheer frustration. With her pale face flushing red and her chin dimpling even more sharply, she looked far more her age than when she wore that lifeless expression.
This really is much better. She looks alive.
After snickering wickedly, Noah offered a faint smirk as her small face crumpled into a tearful scowl, lightly brushing his thumb over her wrinkled chin. It was brief and perfunctory, yet felt oddly soothing.
Wayne, who had been wiping away tears of laughter, froze with bated breath at the sight, but the large hand was already gone. Cordelia herself merely thought he was treating her like a dog.
“We ought to feed our little baby and put her to bed. I’ll have some food brought up.”
Noah flicked his chin at the staring Wayne to tell him to clear off, then started walking ahead, bidding her follow. Cordelia sighed once more. In this house, she had no right of refusal. Trudging despondently behind him, she looked like a little penguin being led along.
Left alone, Wayne tilted his head in thought. Just what was going on between them? Seeing that Noah hadn’t escorted her, he doubted it was that sort of relationship, yet his older cousin’s attitude just now… It had been ever so faint, but there was an unmistakable, peculiar air to it.
It remained an utter mystery.
According to Jan, Lord Noah Tudor, who seemed every inch a military man to the bone, was an avid bookworm. Then again, it was unlikely that a renowned art collector and financier would be completely devoid of academic refinement.
Cordelia was deeply impressed by the immense collection of volumes packed tightly into his study. While the library was remarkable in its own right, the study housed far rarer items. There were old, out-of-print works, as well as first editions and illustrated versions of famous classics.
Faded leather cases bearing witness to the passage of time, beautiful calligraphic manuscripts on parchment and papyrus, and even historic woodblock plates fit for a museum were preserved inside glass display cases.
Most unexpected of all were the medical texts shelved in one corner. Surprisingly, Lord Noah Tudor had reportedly majored as a military doctor during his days at the military academy. A noble physician dedicated to his patients and this man obsessed with money-lending were completely incompatible, so she thought it a great relief that he had changed career paths.
She considered looking a bit closer, but the sight of plant and frog specimens stored in jars of formalin gave her chills, prompting her to look away quickly.
In addition, strikingly beautiful ceramics and works of art were tastefully arranged throughout the room, making Noah Tudor’s study resemble an exquisite gallery in Katysha.
As Cordelia’s wide eyes darted around in wonder, Noah paused midway through pouring his whiskey and let out a faint laugh.
“Those eyes of yours are going to roll out of their sockets.”
“It’s wonderful… Are these all your personal collection, Lord Tudor?”
When Cordelia asked shyly, her cheeks tinted with a flush entirely different from earlier, he took a sip of his liquor and gave a brief nod. ‘Whoa…’ Swallowing hard, her eyes sparkled in admiration like a child’s, which amused him all over again. Then again, at barely twenty, she practically was a child.
Excluding his three older brothers—among whom Isaac was his twin and thus only older in name—everyone else in Noah’s family, cousins included, was younger, making Cordelia seem like a little girl to him.
Taking pride in what he considered his exceptional devotion to family, Noah spoke with an impulsive generosity.
“If you’d like to see it, you may come back anytime. However, you can only touch the books. You must look at the rest with your eyes only.”
“R-really? I may do that? Thank you so much!”
Receiving kindness she had not expected in the slightest, Cordelia widened her already large eyes and beamed so brightly that tears welled in them. Just moments ago, she had glared at him with eyes that screamed, ‘I hate you!’, yet now they brimmed with tears, sparkling with heartfelt awe.
Feeling momentarily like an unsightly novice puffed up with pride after receiving praise from a child, Noah tipped his glass.
Since he remained silent, Cordelia read the room and carefully perched herself on the sofa facing the master of the study, who leaned against the desk. For a while, only the clinking of ice inside the tumbler broke the silence.
As the sweet, rich aroma of whiskey tickled the tip of her nose, Cordelia toyed with her fingernails out of nervous tension, her gaze drifting toward the crystal tumbler turning slowly within his long fingers and the amber liquor inside.
After squandering her grandfather’s fortune, her father had consumed only cheap rum. Did such fine liquor make a person turn out less savage when drunk? Like, perhaps, carrying oneself with a bit of restraint and refinement. After briefly indulging in that absurd fantasy, she let out a faint smile.
Liquor was just liquor. How could it be any different?
Suddenly, the glass, still more than half full, clinked as it was set down onto the table. Huh? Following the fingers that drew back without hesitation, her gaze rose to meet Noah’s unreadable eyes. He tilted his head slightly. And then…
“Have you been keeping well?”
It was a gentle greeting, as though they were speaking for the first time in days. His gaze was composed, his tone entirely plain. Somehow, meeting that look stirred a strange sensation within her, prompting her to scratch the palm of her hand.
“Uh… Yes. Everyone has been so wonderful to me.”
“Wonderful? When you’re not even being fed?”
The question, laced with a soft chuckle, might have sounded like a joke at first, but unlike before, it didn’t seem so lighthearted. Sinking into mild unease, Cordelia rushed to offer an explanation against his narrowed gaze.
“It’s true! Everyone takes such good care of me! They prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even tea for me! I swear, I have never felt more at peace in all my life. So please…”
“So?”
“Please don’t scold them.”
The mere thought of kind Jan and the staff being reprimanded because of her made her feel sick to her stomach. Noah stared intently at her earnest gaze, then ran a hand slowly through his hair before curling up the corners of his mouth.
“You certainly know how to use those eyes of yours, Miss Cordelia.”
“Pardon?”
He had told her not to answer back with questions, but conversing with this man made it impossible to do otherwise, no matter how hard she tried. He tossed out such bizarre expressions as naturally as breathing, leaving her wondering what on earth he meant and seeking to verify whether she had heard correctly.
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, but the moment he caught her eye, she snapped it shut. Instead, overwhelmed by his piercing gaze, she instinctively shielded one eye with her hand. Noah scoffed in amusement.
“Do you think covering that will stop me from seeing it?”
It belongs to me anyway.
This man truly had a bizarre way of speaking.