~Chapter 125~
“Your Highness. There’s been a lot of talk lately about a reckless noble who deceived the royal family and other nobles. I’m sure you know about it—the issue related to Clarissa.”
When she brought up something that no one else had dared to ask, everyone held their breath. But the Queen’s reaction was very different from what the nobles had expected.
“Clarissa? Oh, I use their soap. It works really well.”
Anastasia didn’t seem the least bit angry.
Countess Sheldon, a bit embarrassed, forced a small smile and asked again.
“I heard that the real owner of Clarissa is some young lady from a minor noble family. She advertised it as a brand supporting St. Clarissa Monastery, but it turns out she exploited the monks. Are you aware of this?”
Anastasia chuckled as if she found it absurd.
“Actually, I met that ‘young lady’ the other day and checked the facts. It looks like the three newspapers that published that article will soon be sued.”
“Really? Does that mean… it’s not true?”
“Do you think the royal family is foolish? Do you really think we’d select a supplier without basic research?”
“No, I didn’t mean to say that…”
As Countess Sheldon’s tone softened, those who had criticized Harriet earlier looked surprised or quietly pulled back.
Meanwhile, Anastasia, slowly waving her fan, spoke again.
“Clarissa is currently run by St. Clarissa Monastery. The ‘young lady’ you’re talking about only helped temporarily while they got the company on stable footing, and she didn’t pocket much profit.”
“Well… she still took some profit, didn’t she?”
“Are you saying that after finding investors, developing products, and even modeling herself, she should have done all that for free?”
Countess Sheldon gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.
“She found investors herself?”
“Yes. She’s a very smart and bold young lady. Honestly, I was quite impressed with her.”
“I see…”
“And for things no one else knows—St. Clarissa Monastery, which had been struggling financially, was able to take in girls from a nearby orphanage that had closed down, thanks to Harriet—or that ‘young lady.’ It’s something even the royal family couldn’t manage.”
Anastasia’s direct defense left Countess Sheldon flustered, and another lady beside her whispered into her ear.
Then, Countess Sheldon asked again.
“Excuse me, but there are also rumors that she spent money like water at a wild party.”
“And who saw this?”
“Pardon?”
“We even sent our informants to confirm, but no one has seen that young lady at such a party. Do you happen to know who the eyewitnesses are?”
Countess Sheldon hurriedly shook her head.
“I only heard rumors, that’s all…”
“Isn’t it interesting? There are rumors that she attended a wild party, but no one can actually confirm it.”
Anastasia’s eyes grew colder.
“I saw the newspaper article too, and it was truly malicious. They acted like they were doing a public service, but in reality, they printed unverified claims as if they were facts, trying to ruin someone’s life.”
The fan, which had been lazily fluttering, stopped suddenly with a sharp sound as it closed.
“I was furious seeing how they made the royal family look like fools. These reporters used their pens to slander an innocent person and made the royal family and the Duke’s family look ridiculous. I will make sure they pay for this.”
“Of course, Your Majesty, you’re absolutely right. I think we should also identify the person who made the allegations. They mentioned an anonymous tip-off in the article.”
“You’re right. So when rumors like this spread, Countess, you should help set the truth straight.”
Countess Sheldon nodded but she didn’t actually have to do anything herself.
In a gathering where most of the nobles in the room were from well-established families, the Queen had defended Harriet publicly. No one would continue pushing the issue after this.
The eyes on Harriet quickly softened. Some people even threw sympathetic glances at Countess Sheldon for leading the charge in criticizing her.
But she wasn’t someone who deserved any sympathy.
“Is this enough, Duke Kailas?”
“It exceeded my expectations. Perhaps you should consider a career in acting.”
“That’s enough. I’ve done enough acting in front of others for one day.”
After the party, Countess Sheldon discreetly met with Cedric at the back of the hall. She wiped the sweat from her brow with a handkerchief.
She hesitated for a moment before looking at Cedric, then asked in a quieter voice.
“Does this mean you’ll forget about the ‘Monthe Resort Development Investment’ issue now?”
Cedric had attended Countess Sheldon’s party before and placed some Cloud agents there to gather information. He had learned about her indirect investments in a project that only families who had fought in the Kipren War were eligible for.
Although the amount wasn’t large, Cedric had remembered it, using this information to recruit Countess Sheldon into the important role for the play he was orchestrating.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Today’s events were just to save an innocent businesswoman and protect the reputation of the royal family and the Duke’s family, weren’t they?”
“…Of course.”
“Thanks to you, the truth was revealed without causing too much of a disturbance. I’ll repay you in some way for this, whatever form that may take.”
Only then did Countess Sheldon relax a little, her tense expression easing.
After parting ways with her, Cedric immediately went to find Anastasia.
“You look beautiful as always, Your Highness.”
“Hmm. I think I’m starting to learn how to get compliments from you.”
“That sounds a little sarcastic, but I guess I’m mistaken.”
Anastasia laughed at Cedric’s playful yet composed manner.
“Well, how was my acting?”
“You spoke the truth, Your Majesty, and it wasn’t acting. It was a perfect display of your dignity, sense of justice, kindness, and warmth.”
“Ah, you sly one. You seem so stiff on the outside, but there are quite a few little foxes inside you.”
Anastasia shook her head as she remembered Cedric’s visit the afternoon the news article was released.
“Your Majesty, your nephew came to request an audience.”
She knew he only visited when there was something important, but that day, his angry attitude seemed a bit out of proportion to the issue at hand.
“The article wasn’t just a slander against Clarissa and Harriet. It made the royal family and the Duke’s family look like fools, deceived by some lowly noble. This can’t be left alone.”
His point made sense, but Anastasia strongly felt that Cedric’s motivation had something to do with Harriet.
“Cedric, I agree with you. It’s not hard to correct the mistake. But I’m worried that your personal feelings might be clouding your judgment.”
“Is there any reason why that would be a problem?”
“Hm?”
The question was completely unexpected.
“People with personal feelings often break their promises, and some even sacrifice their honor. History is full of stories about kings who started wars because of their emotions. Compared to that, I think I’ve been quite rational with my feelings.”
Seeing Cedric remain so confident despite Anastasia noticing his emotions made her laugh.
Of course, Cedric wasn’t helping without a cost. She calmly explained her wishes and then asked.
“…This is what I want in exchange for helping you. And this must be our secret. The Emperor must never know. Can you do that?”
“I’ll do it, but… are you sure about this?”
“Of course. My heart is already in pieces, but I can’t just sit back and do nothing, can I?”
Cedric nodded, and according to their secret agreement, Anastasia took on a role in the play Cedric had planned, using the royal family’s name to protect Harriet.
Only a handful of people knew about this: Cedric, Jeremiah, Count Sheldon and his wife, Anastasia, and Harriet.
“Now that this has come up, the newspapers will probably issue a correction, but I’m sure that’s not all you want, right?”
“We need to find out who’s behind this. I have a few suspects in mind.”
