SMR | Chapter 42

~Chapter 42~

“Since you’ve started, go as far as you can.”

After Oster died, it was thanks to Trisha’s gentle push that Roxana was able to graduate from the Candia Kingdom’s academy, which accepted even commoners as students.

Becoming the top graduate had been the result of her working herself to the bone—all to repay the kindness of House Pellon.

At twenty-five, she returned to the Empire and had since spent the last ten years serving as Trisha’s aide.

When I think about it, I’ve received even more outrageous kindness than Miss Harriet.

Staring into the trembling surface of her teacup, Roxana felt a pang of shame.

Maybe… she was even jealous of Harriet.

Sensing her feelings, Trisha gently soothed her.

“Roxy, I’m not blaming you. Honestly, watching you and Harriet… that’s what brings joy to my twilight years. Without you two, how boring would life be?”

“You’re still too young to be saying things like that.”

“You’re sweet. But I’m not just being dramatic—I really don’t think I have much time left. That’s why, while I’m still head of the family, I want to support you two as much as I can.”

Roxana bit her lip.

Trisha truly had been growing weaker by the day. Her skin had become so dry that she didn’t even sweat in the summer anymore, and she often had long coughing fits.

She had lost weight, and once a week, she couldn’t sleep from the pain in her chest.

Though outsiders hadn’t noticed yet, people like Loren were bound to catch on eventually.

“Now, back to Harriet. What did she say she wanted to do again?”

“She wants to use her growing popularity to launch a soap business. Apparently, people are curious about how her skin has gotten better lately.”

Trisha didn’t know how Harriet used to look, but she’d heard multiple times at the Vanderbilt party that the girl had become quite beautiful—so there must have been a real change.

“But she can’t just sell anything, can she?”

“She said she used soap and herbal products made by Saint Clarissa’s monastery. After using them, her rashes and acne disappeared.”

“And such good products haven’t gotten any attention until now?”

“They didn’t have any distribution channels, and being a monastery, they probably weren’t interested in making a profit anyway.”

Trisha nodded.

“Bringing those products all the way to Genoa and renting a shop to sell them… that’ll cost quite a bit.”

“That’s why she’s looking for investors.”

“She hasn’t said anything to me about it yet.”

Roxana took a sip of tea and looked steadily at Trisha.

“That’s what I meant when I asked how far you’re willing to help Miss Harriet. She says she’s looking for investors now, but if everyone turns her down, she’ll come to you eventually.”

“Ah, I see. Hmm…”

A smile of expectation spread across Trisha’s face.

She’d always thought of Harriet as a busy little squirrel running around trying things, but she hadn’t expected her to take on such a serious business venture.

Even if it failed, Trisha believed this experience would still be a valuable asset to her.

“Harriet might be even smarter than I thought. Isn’t it a shame for someone like her to be held back just because she has no parents, or because of a ruined reputation from false rumors?”

“There aren’t many people in the world without any tragic stories. And we don’t even know yet whether her scandal was really false.”

“Help her with a generous heart. I say this because I think it’ll end up being good for you too. You two are a lot alike.”

Roxana frowned again at the word “alike.” Clearly, she didn’t like the idea.

But Trisha truly thought they were like sisters. They had both lost their parents, been abandoned by others, and were now trying to carve out a future in a difficult world.

Maybe God gave me you two in place of children.

With a warm smile, Trisha sipped her tea.

***

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

With every beat of the horse’s hooves, Harriet’s heart thumped in sync.

What is he thinking?

She had expected to be rejected immediately, but the Duke of Kylas had surprisingly agreed to meet her.

Though she claimed he was her top choice as an investor, her current nerves suggested she hadn’t actually believed it would happen.

She received the appointment three days ago.

Now, Harriet was on her way to the Kylas estate, holding in her hands the business proposal she had worked on until late last night, perfecting every last detail.

Don’t be afraid. I’ve done nothing that requires me to grovel in front of him.

Thinking back, how lucky she had been to reject his earlier offer of financial support.

Tightening her grip on the envelope and lifting her chin, Harriet reminded herself that she was like unbreakable diamond.

Just as she calmed her nerves, the carriage slowed down… and then came to a complete stop.

The coachman, who had been speaking with someone outside, approached the carriage and said

“Young Lady, we’ve arrived at the gate of the Kylas estate. But to enter the gates, they’re requesting either an invitation or written permission. They also want to inspect the interior of the carriage.”

“They’re conducting inspections?”

“That’s right.”

It wasn’t the imperial palace, yet they were inspecting passing carriages? Even for a duke’s household, checking the inside of a noble’s carriage bordered on rudeness.

Still, Harriet wasn’t in a position to offend a potential investor, so when a guard knocked on the carriage door, she obediently opened it.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Are you the only guest today, my lady?”

“Yes, as you can see.”

“And your invitation or appointment letter…”

“Here it is.”

The guard gave a polite nod of thanks and examined the letter she handed over. Then, quite suddenly, he snapped his head up to stare at Harriet’s face.

From the startled look on his face, Harriet could guess what was going through his mind.

“Is something wrong?”

“N-no, not at all. Just… Are you Lady Harriet Listerwell herself?”

There was a faint sneer at the end of his question, and the way his eyes swept over her from head to toe was equally disrespectful.

In the past, Harriet might have turned red with embarrassment under such scrutiny—but not anymore.

Tilting her head, she warned him in a cool, sarcastic voice,

“Yes. And I have a feeling the Duke wouldn’t appreciate his guards spreading news of this meeting.”

The guard, looking flustered, quickly nodded and returned her appointment letter, then closed the door.

“You may proceed.”

As the coachman was climbing back up to his seat, Harriet called out to the guard.

“Is it standard check here to inspect every visitor like this?”

He must have been asked that sort of question more than once, because he simply furrowed his brows slightly and replied,

“After the Kiphren War, there was an attempted assassination of His Grace by dissidents from the Kingdom of Firma. As a result, our security has been tightened. We ask for your understanding.”

Now that he mentioned it, she vaguely remembered reading about it in the papers:

“Explosion at Duke of Kylas’s carriage—Firma explosives confirmed.”

“18-year-old Firma man attacks noble delegates with a weapon on Nezerio Avenue.”

“Does the Firma royal family truly intend to uphold the terms of their defeat?”

At the time, she had skimmed over the articles, thinking it didn’t concern her directly. But looking back, it was clear that Cedric Kylas had long been a prime target for Firma’s hostility and attacks.

What must it be like to live a life where someone might try to kill you at any moment?

And yet, he always seemed so calm and composed.

As Harriet reflected on just how different her world was from Cedric’s, the carriage passed through the gate and entered the grounds of the Duke’s estate.