SMR | Chapter 58

~Chapter 58~

“So true. This outing was supposed to feel good, but look at us now.”

Everyone was watching Daphne closely. But Daphne didn’t seem to hear anything they were saying.

“What wasn’t worthless was your love. That man truly was worthless.”

Why had those words felt so comforting?

Earlier, she had burst into tears from overwhelming emotions. But after crying her heart out, she no longer felt as heavy or suffocated.

‘What wasn’t worthless was my love…’

Harriet had spoken firmly, like she wouldn’t allow a single doubt. To Daphne, it felt like a clear judgment: “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

It was a single sentence that freed Daphne from the long-lasting burden of wondering, “Was it my fault?”

‘My love was real. He’s the one who betrayed it.’

Daphne took a deep breath. For the first time in a long while, it felt like her lungs were fully opening.

“Daphne?”

Someone called her.

But she didn’t answer. Instead, she untied the scarf knotted under her chin. When it slipped off, her hat fell softly into her lap.

Her dazzling silver hair fluttered in the breeze coming through the carriage window. Her friends stared at her in surprise, but Daphne didn’t seem to care. She muttered quietly,

“Did we ever really know her?”

“Huh? Who?”

“Miss Harriet Listerwell. She seems… very different from what I thought.”

Her friends felt the same.

Thinking back to what Harriet had just said, it didn’t feel like she was just being petty and criticizing Bella out of jealousy. It felt more like she had been trying to comfort and encourage Daphne.

“Come on… no way…”

Even the friend who denied it didn’t sound confident.

‘Harriet Listerwell… Will I see her again?’

Daphne looked out the window with a faraway gaze, the memory of Harriet’s bright eyes deeply etched in her mind.

***

The soap made by Saint Clarissa Monastery still hadn’t lost its popularity. After news broke that they had signed a supply contract with the royal family, the soap sold out again for days.

“Royal support for the needy reflected in soap”

“New Royal Contract for <St. Clarissa Soap & Herbs>”

“The Secrets Behind <St. Clarissa Soap & Herbs>, From the Model Herself”

Even in the past few days’ newspapers that Harriet hadn’t had time to read, the news about the royal contract was everywhere.

But Harriet didn’t feel excited at all.

This is probably the work of Duke Kailas.

It had been Cedric and his mother who pushed to get the royal contract. And Cedric wasn’t the type to hide that kind of success without telling anyone.

Still, Harriet hadn’t expected the newspaper to spotlight her as the model and even ask for an interview.

As she looked at the article with her photo in it, her face turned red.

“…No wonder she causes scandals — Miss Harriet Listerwell is stunningly beautiful. Her guardian, worried about her reputation, sent her to Saint Clarissa Monastery for a year. During that time, Miss Harriet made soap herself and reflected on divine guidance…”

The rest of the article talked about how much care went into making the soap, how clean and high-quality the ingredients were, and how the profits helped the monastery.

None of that was a problem.

But being described as someone “so beautiful she causes scandals” felt ridiculous.

‘As if the scandals happened because I was beautiful…’

The past was being strangely sugar coated. She wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

It felt a bit silly. Nothing about her had changed except for her skin getting better — yet the way people looked at her was changing more and more.

In truth, Harriet had always thought of herself as plain, even on the better side of average at most.

Growing up next to her cousin — who was famously one of the most beautiful girls in high society — had naturally made her feel that way.

‘Didn’t they start calling me ugly when I was around fifteen?’

Back then, she really believed it.

But now, thinking back, she wondered if all that was just a rumor created by Bella or her uncle. Maybe even the story about Bella being the most beautiful in high society was part of it.

In any case, everything is changing now.

‘You said I was ugly and embarrassing, right, Bella? So you must be thrilled that I’m becoming a beauty now, aren’t you?’

Harriet laughed, imagining Bella angrily tearing up the newspaper in frustration.

***

“Are you the head of the company that makes this medicine?”

“Yes, Your Highness. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Albert bowed deeply on one knee to the Second Prince, Mikael.

His face looked polite, but inside, he was bursting with joy.

“Albert! I heard the Second Prince’s condition improved after taking Angelique!”

When Benedict told him this a few days ago, Albert thought it was just good news. He never imagined he’d get to meet the prince this quickly.

Mikael Ron Leopold, the Second Prince, was a 25-year-old man with blond hair and blue eyes, resembling the Empress. He was also set to get married the next year.

Unfortunately, he had been struggling with depression and insomnia for the past two or three years.

‘No medicine had worked until now… but Angelique actually helped him? This is amazing!’

Albert had heard from a Firman pharmacist that Angelique was a medicine meant for “people driven mad by grief.” Still, he never expected it to work so well.

And the fact that a prince could be a living testimony to the drug’s effects was a huge opportunity.

“After taking your company’s medicine, I feel so much better. I sleep well now too. I called you here to thank you.”

“I am deeply honored. If I may ask, how did Your Highness come to use Angelique?”

“A friend gave it to me, calling it a ‘feel-good drug.’ Honestly, I didn’t expect much…”

He thought it was just another stimulant people took at drinking parties.

But Angelique was different. It did slightly increase his libido, but that wasn’t the important part. The real surprise was how his low, gloomy mood suddenly lifted.

Mikael, who had been stuck in depression and sluggishness, could finally live like a normal person again thanks to Angelique. He could get out of bed, take walks, write letters, and eat properly.

“You’re my lifesaver. I was worried I wouldn’t even be able to get married, but now I feel like I can live like a normal person again.”

“I am honored to have brought happiness to Your Highness.”

Albert was genuinely thrilled.

Even though Angelique had been originally made for noblemen’s nightlife, seeing it help someone with depression made him feel like he’d saved humanity.

But he didn’t want to stop at just being happy. This was too good a chance.

“Your Highness, if I may, I have a small request.”

“Go ahead. If it’s from my savior, I’ll help however I can.”

That was music to Albert’s ears.

“It’s nothing big. I just hope that, in the future, if someone tries to interfere with my business, Your Highness might help me.”

“Hm? Interfere with your business? Is something wrong?”

“Not at the moment. But as Your Highness knows, there are always people who get jealous when someone else is doing well. If Angelique becomes a big success, there will definitely be those who try to tear it down out of envy.”

Mikael nodded firmly.

“Yes, there are always people who try to ruin others just because they can’t have what they have.”

“If that happens, it would mean a lot if Your Highness could personally speak to the benefits of Angelique. That would help keep the business running and the medicine in production.”

To Mikael, the thought of life without Angelique was unthinkable now.

It was the only thing letting him live like everyone else. Stopping its production was out of the question.

“Of course! I’ll support you. This medicine must never stop being made!”

“Thank you. As a token of gratitude, I’d like to send Your Highness a month’s supply of the medicine every month.”

“Hm? I’d feel bad about that!”

“Not at all. Seeing Your Highness recover is already meaningful and rewarding to me. It’s not even that expensive, so please accept it.”

Mikael took two 5-gram packets of the powder daily, and a month’s supply cost about 3,000 Dirams—not a lot for a prince.

So he laughed heartily and accepted it as Albert’s kind gesture.

But Albert had been nervous that Mikael might refuse.

‘Soon, he won’t be able to live without this medicine. So I need to slowly get him used to it.

Even if the price per gram reaches a bar of gold, he won’t be able to stop buying it.’

Having a royal connection who could never betray him—it was a very comforting thought.