SMR | Chapter 72

Posted by LUNA, Released on August 31, 2025

~Chapter 72~

‘I only wanted to drop off a gift. Why did it turn into all this? It’s just a bottle of champagne!’

Harriet sat uncomfortably in the reception room of the Kailas mansion.

The butler who had brought her in remained very polite, but something about his expression seemed… complicated.

‘I get that they’re cautious because of the assassination attempts, but what good would it do me to poison my only investor?’

But the guards hadn’t budged, even after her explanation.

“You could be working for Firmas agents who offered a better reward and sent you here with poison.”

Harriet had continued to insist on delivering the gift herself—not because she cared that much, but because returning the expensive champagne felt embarrassing, and she didn’t have the guts to drink it herself either.

She sighed, glancing at the box beside her.

Then the door opened, and Cedric entered the room.

Harriet stood up, looking very awkward.

“Sorry to bother you, Your Grace. I really only meant to drop this off and leave…”

She was so used to being misunderstood as trying to seduce men that she started defending herself before even greeting him.

Cedric’s eyes crinkled slightly in amusement.

“May God’s blessings be with you this new year, Lady Harriet.”

“Ah! Y-yes. May God bless you as well, Your Grace.”

Realizing she forgot to greet him first, Harriet’s cheeks flushed, but Cedric acted like he didn’t notice and sat down calmly.

“As I’ve said before, you have a talent for surprising me. I couldn’t believe it when I heard that Lady Harriet brought me a gift.”

“Hahaha… yeah, I guess it’s a bit unexpected. It’s really nothing, though…”

Eager to hand it over and leave, Harriet pushed the box toward him.

“It’s champagne. I don’t know if it’ll suit your taste, though.”

Just as Cedric reached for the box, the butler stepped forward and quietly said,

“If it’s a drink, it must go through inspection, Your Grace.”

He didn’t say it loudly, but Harriet heard it clearly.

So she quickly placed the box on the table.

“Do what you need to. I only bought it to celebrate with some champagne myself—and figured I should thank my one and only investor. Now that I’ve given it to you directly, my job’s done.”

If only she’d handled it like this at the gate…

But the guards had been too strict. If a gift wasn’t pre-announced, it couldn’t be accepted or passed along. That’s what caused all the fuss—and this awkward meeting.

Harriet started to lift herself from the seat, thinking she could leave now, but Cedric didn’t seem to be done.

“So what’s with the champagne all of a sudden?”

“Oh, I got a report from the accountant yesterday. The business did better than expected, so I went out to buy champagne to celebrate… Ah, I should’ve brought the report with me.”

She mentally smacked her forehead.

After all, she was supposed to share financial reports with Cedric, and they still needed to discuss the brand Clarissa. If she had officially scheduled a meeting, none of this would’ve happened.

She shut her eyes, wishing this was all a dream—but Cedric chuckled softly and picked up the champagne box.

“You bought champagne just for that?”

“Do you even know how much profit we made?” She huffed.

“About 370,000 dirham net profit in the first three months, if I recall.”

Harriet almost asked how he knew—but stopped. Of course, he knew. The accountant had been recommended by him.

She pouted, then forced herself to smile confidently.

“Well, it’s still a big deal to me. And I believe in celebrating good things when they happen.”

Cedric’s expression turned thoughtful, and he nodded. Then, he started unwrapping the champagne box.

Harriet looked over at the butler, unsure whether it was okay to leave. But he looked just as confused and simply waited to see what Cedric would do.

Cedric pulled the elegant bottle out of the box and turned it slowly in his hand.

“Van Ribel, vintage 1866. Was there a reason you picked this one?”

“…Not really. It was just the most expensive one in the shop.”

She expected him to laugh, but instead, he gently ran his thumb across the label and said to the butler,

“Bring two glasses.”

“Your Grace! But the bottle hasn’t been inspected yet—”

“What better inspection is there than drinking it with the person who brought it?”

“Wait—me too?”

Harriet looked startled as she asked, and Cedric narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Why? Did you really poison it?”

“No!”

“Then there’s no reason you can’t drink it too.”

The butler, defeated, went off to fetch glasses, and Harriet sat back down—flustered.

This whole situation already felt embarrassing and awkward enough, but Cedric just sat there with a faint, amused smile, looking directly at her.

Finally, Harriet couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I guess I’m a little… touched.”

“Touched? Why?”

“I thought you disliked me. But you thought of me during your celebration.”

“Well, of course I did. Without you, I wouldn’t have succeeded this much.”

Her honest reply made Cedric smile genuinely.

Just then, the butler returned with glasses, along with a tray of snacks—biscuits, cheese, and olives.

But for Harriet, the snacks were not welcome. Sharing a drink with Cedric like this was already strange enough—now it was starting to feel like a mini party!

Cedric, however, didn’t hesitate at all. He popped the champagne open with a pop!

It sounded… oddly refreshing.

The gentle bubbling as he poured the golden liquid into long glasses filled the room with a pleasant fizz.

‘Ah… now I see why this is a party drink.’

For now, she just wanted to enjoy the sparkle, the sweetness, and the good luck she had today.

“Shall we toast?”

Cedric suggested, and Harriet, half giving up, took the glass by its elegant stem.

Their glasses clinked softly—the kind of delicate sound only expensive glass could make.

Though Cedric claimed this was just to “inspect” the drink, he took the first sip.

‘Oh, whatever.’

Harriet followed, taking a gulp with a whatever-happens mindset.

And the moment it went down her throat, her eyes widened.

“Wow! This really is different from regular champagne…”

Thankfully, she didn’t finish that sentence out loud.

But she instantly regretted how she sounded. Like some clueless rich girl who judged everything by price. She wanted to rip her mouth off.

‘Why do I always mess up around him?’

While she was mentally cursing herself, Cedric licked his lips slightly, then nodded.

“You’re right. It really does taste like an expensive drink.”

“Huh? You think so too?”

“Yes. Definitely worth being the priciest one in that shop.”

“Thank goodness…”

If the Duke of Kailas said it was good, then her 40,000-dirham purchase didn’t feel like a waste. It was certainly better than bringing a cheap drink and being criticized for it.

Cedric watched Harriet smiling in relief and suddenly asked:

“This might be a sudden question, but—why do you work so hard to earn money?”

“Why do I…?”

“It doesn’t seem like you’re doing it just to drink expensive champagne.”

His unexpected interruption cut off her half-formed answer. Harriet hesitated, then gave a nervous smile.

Could he really understand if she explained the real reason? Did she even need to explain her past to him?

So she turned the question around.

“Why do you want to know?”

Cedric didn’t answer right away. He just stared at the champagne in his glass for a while.

‘Maybe I’m just some pitiful little ant, struggling in a world that means nothing to someone like him.’

She was about to laugh it off—but then Cedric’s crimson eyes turned toward her again.

“1866. I doubt that vintage means nothing to you.”