SMR | Chapter 84

~Chapter 84~ 

“We don’t need to kill him ourselves. Once we use Albert, it’ll happen on its own.”

“Do you think the Empire is stupid? If they investigate Albert, they’ll find a connection to Firma eventually. But that’s not what matters right now.”

The Baroness took another sip of her drink and continued.

“If Cedric dies a miserable death as a drug addict hooked on Angelic, the Empire will probably try to bury the case quickly to protect their reputation.”

Even if Firma is revealed as the mastermind, no one will want to honor Cedric after he’s already humiliated himself in front of everyone. The public won’t support revenge against Firma.

“And not just him—this will ruin Rowan Kailas’s honor too. That will be a much bigger win in the long run.”

The tide of the Kifren war turned during the last battle, where Rowan Kailas joined in. Firma hated him even more than Cedric for that reason.

As the baroness explained, Leslie chewed her nails anxiously and asked,
“So what are we going to do now? Instead of killing him, are we just going to drag him down?”

“Let’s get him addicted to Angelic. We’ll need someone to stay close to him.”

“It can’t be me. My face is already known because of what Albert did!”

“Don’t be so impatient. There are plenty of pawns we can use. We just need to throw out the bait and wait.”

After years of spying in the Empire, the Baroness had learned one thing: in a place driven by greed, there are always people willing to betray family or friends for personal gain.

“I already have someone in mind. Just wait a little longer,” she said with a sly smile, finishing her drink.

***

After the Laurel family’s party, strange rumors began to spread. People said Harriet Listerwell had been caught in a passionate moment with a man in a quiet corner.

“You said you wanted to escape the title of scandal maker. Then what is this? I want to hear it from you directly, Harriet.”

Lying in bed, Trisha scolded her with a stern face.

But Harriet didn’t blush or lower her head.

“I can’t explain everything right now. But one thing’s certain—I’ve made someone important owe me a favor.”

Trisha frowned. Harriet bit her lip. She didn’t want Trisha to doubt her, but she also wasn’t sure what kind of drug Cedric had taken, so telling everything right now seemed risky.

And she didn’t even know if Cedric would be okay with Trisha knowing what happened.

“You can’t tell me? Even though I’m your guardian?”

“…I’m sorry.”

“What if I cancel my guardianship and throw you out of this house? Is this worth that kind of risk?”

Harriet swallowed hard.

“I’m not sure yet. But if I hadn’t taken on the shame of this scandal, things would’ve been worse for him.”

“You’re saying you did this to protect that man’s honor?”

Harriet opened her mouth but closed it again. She stayed silent.

To be honest, she didn’t know why she felt the need to protect Cedric so much. Her thoughts were a mess, and she feared she wasn’t thinking clearly.

But no matter how many times she looked back on it, she would’ve done the same thing.

“If you want to punish me, I’ll accept it. But I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

“You won’t explain anything but expect me to believe you did no wrong. What kind of judgment do you want me to make?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Trisha let out a deep sigh.

Harriet had grown a lot in a short time.

Though still immature in some ways, she was smart.

But now the “scandal maker” image was back, stronger than ever. Things were going to get harder.

‘Maybe I expected too much.’

Trisha was startled by the thought and felt uneasy.

I’m not helping Roxana and Harriet because I want something in return. My role is to support them, not to demand things from them.

She slowly nodded to herself and looked back at Harriet.

“Fine. If you insist that strongly, I’ll believe you. I just hope you don’t regret it.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

“Don’t be quick to judge people. You say he owes you a favor, but he might forget soon. Then you’ll be the only one people blame.”

Harriet tightly clenched her skirt.

Would Cedric forget that night? Maybe. He was drugged, after all. He might not remember anything.

But she didn’t think she’d regret it.

“I’ll be ready. I’ll keep my head high, even if people mock me.”

“Huh! You’ve gotten bolder.”

Trisha let out a bitter laugh.

But seeing Harriet grow stronger gave her a bit of comfort.

“Well, it’s not such a bad sight.”

She sighed and waved Harriet off. Harriet stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.

Then, just as she took her first step, she heard a voice from behind.

“Don’t get sick.”

Harriet paused and turned to look.

Trisha was already lying back down, not waiting for a reply. Her back looked especially small that night.

“Good night.”

Harriet carefully took in the image of that frail back and quietly closed the door.

***

Even though she thought she had calmed down, once Harriet returned to her room, her heart was in chaos again.

“Don’t go. Stay with me.”

Cedric’s voice seemed to whisper near her neck.

She threw herself onto her bed and shut her eyes tight.

“This is insane. I must be crazy!”

Since the party, she had replayed the moment with Cedric again and again, blaming herself. But whenever she was alone, the memory would return.

Cedric might’ve been high and out of it, but what excuse did she have for kissing him back?

The scariest part was the thought of Cedric remembering everything and misunderstanding her.

Yet, mixed in with her guilt, a strange kind of excuse popped into her mind.

‘How could I not fall for him when he kissed so well?!’

She never imagined kissing could feel like that.

She used to think it was gross—how could anyone share saliva? But when it actually happened, it didn’t feel dirty at all.

When their tongues tangled, a sensation she’d never felt before jolted through her entire body. She just wanted to feel more of it.

Then a thought hit her.

‘Would I have felt the same with someone else?’

Would she have felt that thrill if it had been someone other than Cedric? What if it had been Julian Faith? Or Tez Roark?

‘Ugh. I don’t even want to imagine it.’

She would’ve felt disgusted and humiliated instead of thrilled.

So it meant she felt that way because it was Cedric. But what did that mean?

Harriet buried her head in the pillow again, thinking hard.

Cedric’s red eyes, his skin glowing bluish under the moonlight, his lips slippery with her spit… and—

“Why not? You want it too.”

That voice, sweet and tempting.

Those memories made her head spin.

Just then, the clock beside her bed rang.

Harriet took a sharp breath like a guilty kid caught doing something bad. Then she sighed and whispered to herself.

“…Let’s stop thinking about this.”

Yes. Some things are better left buried.

She suddenly sat up and headed to the bathroom. She needed to wash her face with cold water.

***

In Genoa, there were many discreet shops without signs. They did mysterious things behind closed doors.

One popular place, nicknamed the “Audience Room,” was a reservation-only suite where guests’ identities were kept secret. It was perfect for couples having secret affairs.

Today, at a place called Ladies’ Salon—one such “audience room”—two very well-known people from Genoa were meeting in secret.

“I’m disappointed in you, Tez.”

Lying lazily on one side of the round, wide bed, Bella spoke in a cold tone as Tez walked into the room.