~Chapter 130~
Harriet didn’t give Tez a chance to make excuses and immediately continued speaking.
“You’ll have to stake your honor on this. If I sue them, you’ll also have to testify, and your friends will have to reevaluate someone named Tez Roark, won’t they?”
“Please don’t, Harriet.”
“I’d prefer it if you added ‘Sir’ after my name. I’m not your friend.”
Tez rubbed his face with both hands, looking embarrassed, and began to make excuses.
“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this. I genuinely wanted to be friends with you.”
“Didn’t you realize you were telling Bella Listerwell things that could become my weakness? Are you a fool, or do you think I’m one?”
“I never heard anything about spilling this to the newspapers!”
“The newspaper doesn’t matter. You know Bella’s true nature! She clearly had a specific purpose in asking for my information, and you complied. How could you not know about this…!”
Harriet was about to shout in anger but held back, keeping her voice low as she shook her head briefly.
“Let’s stop here. There’s no reason to talk any longer. Oh! Just know this.”
She looked directly into Tez’s eyes, which were filled with hope and anxiety.
“You’ll forever be remembered as a coward and a vile man in my mind. But I suppose that’s not important to you.”
After leaving those words, Harriet turned without hesitation and got into her carriage.
Tez, left behind, realized that Harriet, whom he had thought was caught in his trap, had never actually belonged to him.
***
Later at the Pellon mansion:
After parting with Tez, Harriet returned to the Pellon mansion. She went to see Trisha and found that Joseph, the new doctor, was examining her.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll come back later.”
“It’s no big deal, just come in.”
Trisha, who was receiving her check-up, gestured for Harriet to come closer. Harriet hesitated but walked over to her. Roxana was also there, but she was focused on watching Joseph write on the medical chart.
“How much sleep is Madam getting these days?”
“Since she started the new medicine, she’s been sleeping longer than before.”
“Does her total sleep time exceed fifteen hours a day?”
“Sometimes it’s as little as fifteen hours, but other times it’s as much as seventeen. Is that okay, or is it too much sleep?”
Without even looking up, Joseph scribbled something on the chart and answered nonchalantly.
“It’s a sign the medicine is working well. To fight the illness, she’s using up her energy, so it’s only natural she sleeps more. She should eat well and sleep deeply.”
Trisha chimed in, supporting his words.
“She sleeps a lot, but my pain has definitely decreased. I think my cough is better too.”
Harriet agreed. In the past, even though Trisha took medicine, her coughing was often heard, and she would frequently press her chest to endure pain. But lately, Harriet hadn’t heard her cough at all, though it might have been because she was sleeping so much.
Joseph smiled and took out a new bottle of medicine.
“That’s good to hear. This is the medicine for this week. It’s the same as last week—take one in the morning and one in the evening. If your cough gets worse, take one pill from this small bottle.”
“Thank you.”
Trisha rested her head back on the pillow as Joseph stood up, giving a light bow before leaving the room. While Roxana tidied up Trisha’s surroundings, Harriet followed Joseph out to speak with him, as she had something to ask.
“Doctor.”
Joseph turned around at her call.
“Yes?”
“I was thinking of taking my grandmother to a hot spring resort this month. It might be better for her than staying here…”
Before Harriet could finish, Joseph firmly shook his head.
“Hot springs aren’t much help for this illness. If Madam goes on a trip when her body is already weak, her condition might get worse.”
“But…”
Harriet was about to mention that Jasper, the previous doctor, had strongly recommended the hot spring therapy. But she hesitated. Joseph had been given the records from Jasper’s examinations and prescriptions, so how could their opinions differ so much on this matter?
“Well, is there anything else that could help besides the medicine?”
“Well, for treating Hicks Legato Syndrome, the medicine I’m giving you is the best option right now.”
“I see…”
Harriet replied indifferently, but then Joseph suddenly added something.
“By the way, don’t talk about this to anyone else.”
“Why not?”
“This medicine was only recently approved, so the supply is still limited. If others buy it, we might run out of the medicine for Madam.”
“So, other doctors don’t know about this medicine?”
“Unless they’re the kind of doctor who regularly checks new drug approvals, it’s hard for them to know.”
Joseph spoke with an air of confidence, clearly proud of his knowledge and abilities.
Harriet gave a somewhat forced smile and nodded before asking.
“By the way, what’s the name of this medicine?”
“I don’t think they’ve named it yet. The product name on the approval form is something like APR-35-QR5.”
“AP… Ah, I see.”
“It’s not something regular people would know about. It’s not something you need to worry about. If you don’t have any more questions, I’ll be going now. My next house call is soon.”
“Oh! Sorry for keeping you so long.”
Harriet saw him off to the entrance. Unlike Jasper, who always walked back, Joseph took a carriage provided by the Pellon family.
As she watched the carriage leave, Harriet returned to Trisha’s room. Trisha had already fallen asleep, and Roxana had gone back to her office after finishing the tidying up.
A maid stood guard outside the room and checked on Trisha’s condition every thirty minutes, but there was no one else inside.
Harriet sat beside the bed, gently holding Trisha’s dry, wrinkled hand. Even though it didn’t feel moist, Harriet knew the warmth and kindness that hand held.
She whispered softly so as not to wake her.
“Grandmother, I know it’s selfish, but I wish you could stay with me a little longer.”
She silently prayed that the “lucky stone” she had given Trisha would protect her again.
***
Later:
The medicine Joseph gave had proven effective. Trisha, who had avoided going out due to the pain when she coughed, had decided to go out again.
“Are you really okay?”
“I’ve answered you five times already, Roxie. I’m really fine. I’m a little tired, but not enough to faint while walking.”
Trisha responded casually to Roxana’s concerns.
“Don’t misunderstand—I’m going because I want to go. After all, I have to thank the person who saved my granddaughter.”
“So, it’s because of Harriet?”
“Are you upset?”
Roxana shook her head.
“I understand the role of a guardian.”
“I’m glad you understand. I couldn’t help her much before, even though I knew she was running around alone while I was taking care of myself. Now, thanks to the new medicine, I’m feeling better, so I need to catch up on everything I’ve put off.”
Trisha, while the maid adjusted her clothes, gently tidied her hair. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that she had lost weight. She would have to face many tedious pleasantries at the tea party hosted by Duke Kailas.
But she looked much livelier than she had ten days ago when she was exhausted from coughing and chest pain.
When the maid finished putting in her earrings, butler Andre came to inform her that Harriet was waiting.
“Then I’ll be going, Roxie.”
“Yes, but please don’t overdo it.”
“I know, stop worrying.”
She made a playful grumble as she descended to the lobby, where another person was waiting to scold her.
“Grandmother, wouldn’t it be better to wear a more comfortable dress?”
Trisha smiled and shook her head, wondering if her own scolding had sounded like that. Without answering, she passed by Harriet and climbed into the waiting carriage.
Thank you very much 🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺