SMR | Chapter 50

~Chapter 50~

Even though Benedict had told himself it would be fine, sitting face-to-face with Cedric in the drawing room of the Duke of Kailas’s estate brought a strange tension.

He spent over 30 minutes on small talk before smoothly shifting to news of others, as if casually updating Cedric on his own life.

“By the way, do you know Viscount Livingston?”

“I think I’ve heard the name. He built some wealth through construction, didn’t he?”

“Oh, so you do know him? His son runs a logging company, and apparently, they’re quite skilled.”

“Is that so.”

When Cedric didn’t bring up his land development project himself, Benedict had no choice but to broach the subject directly.

“…You’ll need logging services for the Alkineth reclamation project, won’t you?”

Since the topic of land development came right after talk of a logging company, it should have been obvious what Benedict was getting at.

 But Cedric only nodded lightly.

‘Insolent brat. If your uncle brings it up, you should jump to respond, shouldn’t you?’

Benedict nearly clicked his tongue but held back.

“If you haven’t chosen a contractor yet, how about the Livingston family’s company? The Viscount is a reliable man, and his son’s supposedly quite knowledgeable too.”

“Hmm. I can’t really say just based on word of mouth.”

“I’m your uncle, you know. Isn’t my recommendation enough?”

Cedric was being asked to sign a 3 million dirham contract just based on someone’s say-so. He didn’t know if his uncle was genuinely naïve—or just assumed he was.

‘Probably the latter.’

Keeping a calm expression, Cedric responded naturally.

“Tell them to bring a business proposal.”

“A proposal? Why would they need that? You’re the one planning the project—they just have to cut the trees.”

“Haha, Uncle, you haven’t changed—you still love to joke. You know a business plan involves a lot more than that.”

Matching Benedict’s light tone, Cedric continued casually:

“What kind of equipment they’ll use, where they’ll get workers, how they’ll transport the logs, what they plan to do with them… These are just the basics. If the company’s any good, they should already know all this.”

“Well, yes, but… Isn’t that all a waste of time?”

“The Alkineth project isn’t urgent. Just tell Viscount Livingston to prepare a thorough proposal and formally request a meeting.”

Cedric’s indirect refusal made Benedict’s expression stiffen.

“…Sure. Though I imagine the Viscount will be disappointed.”

“Why would he be? He’ll get a meeting thanks to your introduction. That’s already a huge favor—and I’m sure he’ll understand that.”

With Cedric framing it like he was doing them a big favor, Benedict had to admit the boy wasn’t so easy to manipulate.

‘Playing dumb while scheming like that… Just like his father.’

Benedict left the room with a far tenser face than when he had entered.

As his footsteps faded down the hall, Cedric allowed himself a quiet chuckle.

“People like that think they’re businessmen? They don’t even measure up to Harriet Listerwell.”

He already knew all about Livingston’s son. Despite the family’s wealth and reputation in construction, the son’s company hadn’t made any waves—because it simply wasn’t good enough, even with the family name.

As Cedric shook his head at the thought of Benedict and the Livingstons, his aide approached.

“We’ve almost finalized the contract with Welburns for logging. Should I hold off?”

“No need. I doubt the Livingston side will even follow up.”

The aide nodded and was about to leave when he remembered something.

“Oh, and the Seriol Street store renovation is complete. Lady Listerwell personally inspected it yesterday.”

“She’s fast.”

“Efficient too. Honestly, I thought she was just another clueless noble girl…”

“She’s not someone to underestimate. Think about it—businessmen with five years of experience try to push deals with bribes, while she comes in with a solid proposal and a confidentiality agreement.”

She had balanced an unequal negotiation using nothing but confidence and sincerity.

 Cedric couldn’t help but wonder how far she’d go.

“Have Sir Austin oversee the site directly. Let me know if anything happens.”

“Yes, understood.”

With that, Cedric stood up from his seat, having just entrusted Harriet’s business to his most trusted aide.

***

Harriet’s tea party took place in late August, when the summer heat had finally begun to ease.

 It was held in the garden of Count Pellon’s estate.

White cloth was draped around the garden for shade, and beneath them stood four beautifully decorated tea tables surrounded by flowers and lavish refreshments.

 She’d originally planned for three tables—but so many guests had arrived that she added one more.

‘I thought I’d be lucky if two or three showed up, but look at you all—guess you were more desperate than I thought?’

That five members of Bella’s group had come today was a huge win.

 Harriet smiled subtly as she noticed them sitting awkwardly apart, clearly trying to pretend they didn’t know each other.

Still, the noble ladies she had met at Annabelle’s tea party filled most of the seats and helped create a warm, friendly atmosphere.

“Thank you all so much for coming today. It’s my first tea party, so I’m sure it’s lacking in some ways—but I hope you’ll enjoy yourselves.”

When Harriet greeted everyone, Annabelle and her friends applauded warmly.

 But even without their kindness, when young ladies of a similar age gather, there’s always plenty to talk about, so the party went smoothly. The tea served by the attendants and the three-layered sweets were truly delicious as well.

Of course, they hadn’t come just for the tea.

“By the way, Harriet,” Annabelle finally took the lead, unable to stand the teasing from the others around her.

 “Are you really not going to tell us?”

“Huh? Tell you what?”

“Oh, come on, don’t pretend you don’t know. You promised to tell us later how your skin got so much better.”

“Ah, that?”

 Harriet clapped her hands together as if she’d just remembered something.

But instead of answering immediately, she gestured to the maids standing a little ways off. They brought over neatly wrapped gifts and handed one to each of the young ladies.

“Actually, I was going to give these out when the party ended, but since you’re curious, I’ll share them now. What I just gave you is the secret to how my skin improved.”

“What? What is this?”

The ladies eagerly unwrapped their gifts. Inside were a soap wrapped in tissue paper and a small glass bottle of toner.

“I think it was thanks to God’s guidance that I went to St. Clarissa’s Convent. I’d suffered from hives and acne for over seven years, but after using the soap they make there, my skin cleared up completely in just three months.”

“Oh my, really?”

 Harriet nodded emphatically.

“Of course, I changed my diet a lot, too. I think that’s important as well. But without this soap and toner, I doubt I could have fully recovered.”

While she spoke, the young ladies busily sniffed the soap and felt its surface.

But some, who had tried many luxury products, looked skeptical.

“I’ve seen great results with Labonaz’s cleanser, but I’m not sure if this could be better…”

“Right? I’ve even tried Elinas and Dubois products, but none worked as dramatically as Harriet’s story claims. And this soap isn’t even from a cosmetics company…”

This was the reaction Harriet had expected.

Nodding understandingly, she picked up the soap in front of her.

“When I first received this soap from the convent, I thought just like you all do. But I told myself to be grateful for even such a humble gift. I wasn’t even allowed to take the soap home.”

The soap, carefully cut by Sophia with a cutter, was a simple cuboid shape with the St. Clarissa’s Convent seal stamped in the center.

Compared to the pretty, smooth, round soaps the noble ladies used, it looked quite plain and rough.

“But I actually worked at the workshop where this soap is made. So I can confidently say—this is practically a work of art.”

“What? Harriet, you worked in a soap workshop?”

“Yes. The convent encourages labor as a form of meditation. They don’t force nobles to work, but I joined in to calm my mind and reflect on my past.”

That story surprised the guests even more than the soap’s effects did.