SMR | Chapter 81

~Chapter 81~

“So… it was that humiliating to be teased for falling for someone like ‘ugly Harriet’? That’s why you stayed quiet?” Harriet’s voice trembled with fury. “Then why didn’t you speak up? Why didn’t you just tell them the truth? That it was Bella! That she lied to everyone!”

Tez stood silent.

“You had more than one chance to make things right. And yet you chose to stay quiet. That wasn’t silence from fear—it was a choice. You’re no victim. You were just an accomplice.”

Tez looked down in shame. He had no argument, no excuse. Everything she said was right. He hadn’t done the honorable thing—he had protected his pride.

After a long pause, he finally muttered another apology.

“I was arrogant. I’m truly sorry.”

Harriet wanted to scream at him. To throw all her rage in his face. But she held back. Yelling at someone who was admitting his mistake—it would just be venting her anger in the wrong direction. And she was tired of being angry.

“I’ve heard enough. Just do what you’ve been doing until now—pretend like you don’t know me. I have no interest in forming any kind of relationship with you.”

“Miss Harriet—”

“Just leave me alone!”

That was when another voice cut through the darkness—a firm, unfamiliar tone that startled them both.

“I believe the lady has made herself clear, Lord Roark. A gentleman would take a step back.”

They turned sharply toward the source of the voice. Under the pale glow of the moon stood a tall man, cool and imposing. Harriet, from the moment she heard his voice, knew exactly who it was.

‘Cedric Kailas?’

His voice had been clear, but seeing him now under the moonlight, there was something… strange about him. Something that felt colder, bluer, and distant.

Tez stammered, his face filled with confusion and unease. “This is a misunderstanding! I was only apologizing for a past mistake.”

“I didn’t hear everything,” Cedric replied calmly, “But speaking with a woman in such a dark and secluded place like this… no matter your intent, she might still feel pressured or uncomfortable.”

Tez opened his mouth to defend himself again, but Harriet cut him off.

“Lord Roark! I’ll admit—I got too emotional. Maybe one day we can have this conversation again. But not tonight.”

Tez nodded stiffly. “I understand, Lady Harriet. Then I’ll take my leave.”

He gave a formal bow, glanced between Cedric and Harriet with a lingering look, and turned to walk away. The soft sound of his steps on the grass gradually faded into silence.

For a moment, neither Cedric nor Harriet said anything.

Then Cedric took a step toward her.

“You know,” he murmured, “I seem to keep catching you having secret meetings with other men.”

Harriet raised an eyebrow. 

“And I seem to keep running into you whenever I am talking to someone. Quite a coincidence, don’t you think?”

She was still baffled by his appearance. With Tez, at least, she could guess his motive for seeking her out. But Cedric? What was he doing here?

And more importantly—he wasn’t acting like himself.

There was something off in his eyes. Something intense, restless, and unfiltered. It wasn’t the calm and composed Cedric she knew.

To shake off the tension building inside her, Harriet shrugged her shoulders lightly. “Well… I wasn’t really in the mood to talk to him anyway. But thanks for stepping in. Not that Lord Roark would’ve done anything improper.”

Cedric let out a dry chuckle. There was something strangely irritated in his expression.

“You trust a man’s kindness that easily?”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” she replied quickly. “You’re not the only gentleman in the empire, Duke Kailas.”

“You might want to consider the possibility that I’m not much of a gentleman either, Miss Harriet.”

Before she could respond, Cedric stepped toward her. Fast. Close.

Too close.

Harriet flinched and instinctively stepped back.

Usually, Cedric was sensitive to her discomfort. If she showed the slightest sign of tension, he would pull back, give her space.

But tonight… tonight he was different.

He reached out and touched her cheek with his hand, unbothered by the distance.

Only then, when his face was illuminated by moonlight just inches away, did Harriet realize something was terribly wrong.

He wasn’t acting normal.

“You’re… not yourself,” she whispered. “What’s going on? Are you… drunk?”

“Am I?” he murmured, a strange smile playing on his lips. “I don’t feel like myself… but I do feel good.”

Harriet grabbed his forearm and shook it. “Focus! Cedric, please! Wake up!”

But his face only leaned closer, his breath brushing against her skin.

“I don’t know how to feel normal again. But I think… I know how to feel even better.”

His voice was thick with desire, his gaze unbearably intense. Harriet’s heart jumped—without permission or warning.

Then—voices. Footsteps. From behind the walls.

“Are you sure this is the way?”

“There’s only one path where the duke could’ve gone. This has to be it.”

The word duke made Harriet’s blood run cold. Someone was coming. And they were looking for Cedric.

She was just about to wave them over when she heard the next sentence.

“He couldn’t have gotten far. That horny bastard was already panting.”

Horny bastard?

Harriet froze.

She turned sharply toward Cedric. If she had heard it, so had he?

But he showed no reaction. He was still staring at her—eyes glazed, like he was in a trance.

And then it hit her.

That strange behavior, his dilated pupils, the heat in his skin, the loss of control… It wasn’t just drunkenness.

‘Could it be… a drug?’

That word. That insult. It made everything click.

The rumors.

Throughout the party, people had whispered about mood-altering pills—“feel-good” medicines that sharpened senses and blurred judgment.

Could Cedric have been drugged?

How else could a man like Cedric—normally rational and reserved—act this way in such a short time?

‘If people see him like this… his reputation will be ruined.’

Without thinking, Harriet whipped off the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders and draped it over both of their heads.

“What are you doing?” Cedric asked, his voice teasing, but his arms wrapped protectively around her, holding her in place.

Before he could pull her in again, Harriet shoved at his chest and whispered furiously, “Cedric Kailas! Listen to me very carefully. Don’t say a word. Just stay still and do exactly as I say. Understand?”

“I don’t want to.” he said with a chuckle.

“Oh, come on. Are you twelve? Is this teenage rebellion now?”

Her annoyance made him chuckle.

Harriet gave him a hard shove in the chest, then grabbed his collar. “I said shut up!”

She focused on the sound of footsteps growing closer.

The soft thudding of polished shoes over dry grass. Too many of them. They were just around the corner.

She tensed. But Cedric?

Cedric wasn’t paying attention at all.

He was still watching her. His eyes locked on her lips.

‘She told me to stay still. But maybe… if I move just a little… would she get mad?’

The thought made him smile. A real, warm, slightly wicked smile.

He leaned forward.

And before Harriet could react, his lips brushed hers—soft and light.

She froze.

The touch was fleeting, but it sent a jolt of electricity through her.

And meanwhile, in that moment, something inside Cedric bloomed.

‘This… this is what I’ve been craving all this time.’

His mouth was dry, and he swallowed hard.

Those lips—so soft, so full. They looked sweet. Tasted sweet.

He wanted more.

Cedric tilted her head gently, his large hand cupping the back of her head, guiding her more closer for a real kiss.

But Harriet, reacting on instinct, turned her head just in time. Instead of her lips, he ended up touching her neck and ear.

She shivered.

And then—

“Hhh… ah…”

The sound slipped out of her without warning, her breath catching from the sensitive touch. A soft, helpless moan.

That sound—barely a whisper—sent a violent shock through Cedric’s body. It was as if all his nerves had caught fire.

Every inch of him felt electrified.

“Cedric… please…”

He loved the way she said his name. Especially like this—breathless, vulnerable.

But her hands kept trying to push him away, and he hated that.

He pulled her into his arms, tighter this time.

The soft warmth of her body pressed against him, and it felt… right. Better than anything he’d imagined.

He didn’t want to let go. Not now.

‘Please… stay. Just stay with me.’

“I can’t… not here…” Harriet whispered.

But Cedric was done listening.

He silenced her the only way he could think of.

His lips touched hers.

“Mm…!”

The sudden kiss startled her. She gasped, her breath caught in her throat. He pulled back slightly—just enough for her to take in air.

She was panting, chest rising and falling rapidly.

But he didn’t give her time to recover.

He kissed her again.

This time deeper.

He kissed her like waves crashing onto a shore—pulling back just a little, then rushing in again, stronger each time. His arms held her close, his hands cradled her face. And her resistance?

It began to melt.

Her tightly shut lips gradually parted. Her pushing hands loosened, then slowly gripped his shoulders instead.

And that moment—that fleeting, perfect moment—Cedric felt pure joy.

‘Yes… this. This is what I’ve been needing.’

His mind spiraled. Nothing felt real anymore. Logic, restraint—gone. All he wanted was her.

Her skin. Her warmth. Her lips.

He wanted to lose himself completely.

“Haa… haa…”

She gasped again as their lips parted.

Her hands clung to his shirt. She swallowed, throat dry, and shook her head.

“This… we can’t…”