SMR | Chapter 38

~Chapter 38~

“She didn’t seem like that kind of person.”

Cedric could say for sure—there had never been a hint of seduction in the way Harriet looked at him.

If anything, it was Bella Listerwell who had been doing the seducing.

If Harriet had really only gone after the men Bella was interested in, she should’ve shown some sort of reaction when Cedric had offered her financial support at the convent.

But instead, she had clearly been offended and refused him. The same had happened at the Vanderbilt family’s party.

Strangely, Bella was also acting oddly.

‘Even during the victory banquet and at my uncle’s party, Bella Listerwell clearly flirted with me. But would a modest and kind girl really use her cousin’s mistakes as an excuse to approach some man?’

Some people might say Bella had good intentions, but Cedric—who didn’t tend to see women in a very favorable light—couldn’t see it that way.

To him, Bella just had a talent for making herself look better by making Harriet look worse.

If that was true, then Harriet had been treated unfairly. And yet, she didn’t actively try to explain or defend herself.

“No—maybe she couldn’t.”

A girl who lost her parents and lived off her uncle, someone who was rumored to be jealous of her cousin and constantly chasing after men.

In that kind of situation, who really held the power?

Now, Harriet had a new guardian. She no longer needed to rely on John Listerwell. And when she returned to society, she had the look of someone ready to fight back.

Cedric’s lips curved slightly into a grin.

“This will be fun to watch.”

He tossed the finished papers into the trash bin.

***

Harriet received yet another letter—one that would change her life—on a day in early July.

She had just returned from a foreign language lesson with Roxana and sat down at her desk to start her homework. There was a silver tray with a few letters on it waiting for her.

She reached for the thin, yellowish envelope first. It was the kind of cheap envelope used by the convent.

‘It’s from Mother Kathrine!’

She had been meaning to write and tell them she was doing well in Genoa anyway.

Excited, she opened the letter—but the contents were not what she expected.

“…Not long ago, your uncle, Lord John Listerwell, visited the convent and caused a scene. It was around 8 p.m., and he showed up without warning, insisting on taking you with him for some important family matter …Is everything all right?”

It was shocking to hear that John—who always acted like a kind and generous man in front of others—had shown his true colors like that.

Even more surprising was that he came at such a late hour, which meant it must’ve been urgent. But when Harriet had seen him recently, he hadn’t said anything about it.

‘All he said to me was to stop talking about Bella. What was he up to?’

If he came to take her with him, that meant there was an event or meeting she was supposed to attend. But she had no idea what it could’ve been.

But that wasn’t the only reason Mother Kathrine had written.

“…There’s something difficult I’d like to talk about. As you know, our convent’s long-term dream has been to build a facility to shelter and educate abandoned girls. Thanks to a generous donation from the Duke of Kailas, we were able to begin construction earlier this year—but now we’ve run out of funds.

We considered pausing the project, but we were recently contacted by an orphanage in the Epher region that’s about to shut down.

They asked if we could take in their girls. If we don’t, those children will have nowhere to go, so we urgently need to finish building our facility.

…So I must ask: would it be possible to request support from Countess Pellon?”

The orphanage was shutting down due to a lack of funds. It had been relying on aid from the imperial government, but as the number of children increased and the funding didn’t, the place had fallen into debt and had no choice but to close.

The boys were going to be taken in by a local monastery, while the girls were to be placed with the closest women’s convent—St. Clarissa.

Harriet knew the financial strain that would cause. She could easily picture Mother Kathrine, overwhelmed trying to rework the budget, and how much she must have hesitated before writing this letter.

‘But in my current situation, it’s hard to ask my great-aunt for help.’

Trisha had warned her not long ago:

“People will try to use you to get to me.”

And that didn’t just mean bad people. Even good people might want to be connected to the Countess of Pellon—and Harriet, the newly discovered relative of that difficult and sharp-tongued noblewoman, was a very appealing link.

So Harriet had to be careful.

‘Even if it’s for a good cause, if someone I know receives help from Trisha, it could cause gossip. And I can’t even be sure she’d agree to help.’

She had promised Trisha not to cause any trouble.

So no matter how much she wanted to help, she couldn’t ask her great-aunt to get involved with the convent’s affairs.

‘Isn’t there something I can do myself—without relying on her?’

When she left the convent, she had made a promise to Emma.

That someday, she would help her and the convent.

Harriet hadn’t expected that day to come so soon. But if she could help even just a little.

Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy. St. Clarissa Convent needed money, and Harriet herself also needed money. The real problem was that neither of them had a clear way to get it.

But Harriet decided not to give up so easily.

‘If I can make some friends or connections, maybe I can ask them for help. It would still mean relying on others, but it’s better than depending on just Trisha alone.’

With that in mind, Harriet decided to accept as many invitations as she could. She looked through the other letters placed on the silver tray. They all seemed to be light tea party invitations, but one caught her eye — it was from Annabel Leighton.

‘She was the first person to send me an invitation right after the Vanderbilt party.’

At first, Harriet thought it was a mistake that Annabel had sent a second invitation. But this one included an extra line: “Please be assured that nothing unpleasant will happen. I sincerely hope you’ll consider attending.”

If Annabel had sent a second invitation, it meant she truly wanted Harriet to come — which might mean she would be a bit friendlier than others.

‘This seems like a good place to make my first appearance.’

Harriet opened her drawer and took out the new stationery and envelope she had prepared earlier.

***

To the kind and thoughtful Miss Annabel Leighton,

Thank you for sending me the invitation to your tea party. I was just about to write a reply when your second letter arrived, and I feel sorry for not replying sooner.

I’ll gladly accept your invitation. I would be grateful if you could welcome me warmly that day as well. With excitement and anticipation,

Harriet Listerwell

***

After writing the short letter, Harriet folded it with a determined heart and placed it in the envelope.

She realized that her original plan to simply get a feel for society in a light-hearted way wasn’t enough anymore. Every day mattered now. Even attending a single tea party could be a valuable opportunity, and she couldn’t afford to waste any.

‘I also need to find a way to repay St. Clarissa Convent for everything they’ve done for me.’

Harriet strengthened her resolve.

***

Lady Leighton was well-connected and known for her matchmaking skills. When she successfully arranged a marriage, she often received generous rewards. Even her quiet husband, Lord Leighton, had benefited from her connections in business.

Maybe because of her mother’s influence, Annabel Leighton also loved people and was happiest when praised for having a wide circle of friends.

Annabel didn’t care about political sides or wealth. She even liked giving people with bad reputations a chance to explain themselves.

‘That’s one way to look at it. Another is that she collects gossip of all kinds.’

To some, it may seem shallow, but gossip could become valuable information — or a clever way to distract others. Annabel and her mother were quite skilled in that area.

Harriet gently held up the hem of the yellow dress she had recently received from Louvre Dress Shop and walked down into the garden where the tea party was being held.

“The Lady Harriet Listerwell has arrived!”

Even before the announcement, all eyes at the garden table had already turned toward her.

Harriet gave a small, graceful curtsy to Annabel.

“Thank you for inviting me, Lady Leighton. Your garden is even more beautiful than I imagined.”

“Welcome, Lady Listerwell. Thank you for coming.”

Annabel personally showed Harriet to her seat.

It seemed the guests already knew that Harriet’s attendance had been kept a secret. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity — though not all of it was friendly.

“But… you arrived a little later than expected, didn’t you?”