24.
At those words, Harriet’s gaze shifted slightly.
“If you are referring to my life at my uncle’s house, yes. I did suffer quite a bit.”
Trisha let out a soft snort—a sound that felt almost brazen. As expected, her grandniece was not a woman to be trifled with.
*She looked quite sharp even when she was small.*
Trisha still remembered the time, thirteen years ago, when she visited the House of Listerwell to see her ailing husband.
Back then, Arthur and Lillian were sincere in their comfort and encouragement, and nine-year-old Harriet had been both well-mannered and lovely.
“Grand-aunt. This is a lucky pebble. I picked it up the year before last, and ever since I found it, only good things have happened to me.”
“Is that so? What a pretty stone.”
“Here, I’ll give this to you, Grandmother.”
“Hm? It must be precious to you, so why give it to me?”
At that moment, Harriet had caught her breath, looked at her husband Oster—who was holding Arthur and Lillian’s hands—and turned her head back to say:
“I’ll give you all my luck. I really hope my grand-uncle gets better.”
Back then, Trisha couldn’t answer for a long time. Yet, as if that small child knew something, she placed the pebble in her hand and added one more thing.
“If my luck cannot save my grand-uncle, then I hope something good happens to you, Grand-aunt. It is no lie that this is a lucky pebble.”
Perhaps that was why.
Trisha, whom everyone believed would be left like a kite with a snapped string, became the head of the House of Felon according to her husband’s will.
Afterward, while she was occupied with managing the family affairs, the news of Arthur and Lillian’s death reached her.
News of Harriet, who was said to be living with the House of Listerwell, had been cut off for years; it was only about three or four years ago that she began hearing Harriet’s name again. It came with a far-from-honorable epithet attached.
*Did they call this child a shameless Scandal Maker?*
Trisha saw a reflection of that child from thirteen years ago in Harriet, who was staring straight into her eyes. The profound irises, a mix of olive and brown, still held that same brilliance.
However, even while exchanging several letters, Harriet had not once explained the rumors surrounding her. Roxana, who had spent five months by her side, also said she had never heard anything about them. But she did say this:
“However, no matter how I look at it, she doesn’t seem to think she did anything wrong. I cannot yet tell if it’s because she truly did nothing wrong, or if she is simply shameless.”
Trisha felt she roughly understood the situation, yet she asked anyway.
“Do tell me about those hardships. The only rumor I have heard about you is that ‘you tried to seduce men by impersonating your cousin, Bella.’”
As expected, Harriet’s expression darkened. Yet, it was not the face of someone with a guilty conscience.
“There is so much I want to say. Because none of those things were ever committed by me.”
“Ho-ho, is that so?”
“But right now, no matter what I say, it would surely feel like my own one-sided claim. So….”
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
“Please watch what I do from now on, and ask me again when you decide you can trust me. I will tell you everything then.”
Trisha was certain she hadn’t misjudged her.
Harriet was as sharp then as she was now, and she knew how to fathom the thoughts and feelings of others.
There must have been a reason why such a child was driven to the point of receiving all sorts of ridicule.
“You are bold.”
“If I appeared impudent, I apologize.”
“No. It means you are smart. If you conduct yourself in such a way in the future, I suppose there won’t be much for me to worry about….”
Trisha trailed off with the nuance that there was something to point out, and as she scanned Harriet with a frown, Harriet stiffened.
Soon, Trisha’s index finger pointed at Harriet from top to bottom.
“You’ll have to do something about that appearance.”
“Yes? Ah….”
Harriet looked down at her attire, and her earlobes burned with heat. Until she arrived here, she had thought, *This is neat enough, it’s fine,* but seeing it again before Trisha, she felt like a fallen noble who had just come up from the countryside.
*And that wouldn’t be wrong, either.*
She knew she would have to procure new clothes anyway. Though she would have to be careful with her selection, since she didn’t have much money.
She recited the plan she had prepared.
“For the time being, I intended to grasp the trends of the social circle, and then have clothes tailored after that….”
“You say such funny things.”
However, unlike her words, Trisha’s expression did not look amused at all. Harriet swallowed hard.
“I told you clearly, didn’t I? I will not tolerate you tarnishing my name.”
“Yes.”
“It is only a matter of time before it becomes known that I have become your guardian. If you walk around looking like this for even one day, it will be an act of lowering my honor.”
Sweat beaded on Harriet’s hands. She had barely found a guardian; if they discovered that even buying clothes was a struggle, wouldn’t she be kicked out immediately?
She tried to beg for some time to prepare, but Trisha’s eyes were so fierce that she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“I, I apologize….”
“So, we must move starting tomorrow. You must be tired because the fatigue of the journey hasn’t faded, but you didn’t come here to rest comfortably, so prepare yourself.”
“Yes? I am terribly sorry, but moving… I do not quite understand what you mean.”
She feared a scolding, but she had to ask. Trisha replied as if asking what kind of foolish thing she was saying.
“Did I not say so? That we should do something about that appearance. When did you even have your clothes tailored? Did you inherit that hat from your mother? And the shoes… Goodness!”
Harriet curled her toes, newly ashamed of her shoes with the worn-out tips, though they couldn’t be seen from the outside at all.
“It is a failing grade in every aspect! Therefore, we must go to the dressmakers and shoemakers diligently and get everything newly tailored. Don’t you ever dream of walking around in such an outfit.”
Harriet’s throat felt parched. Since the dressmakers and shoemakers Trisha would take her to wouldn’t be of a mere average level, she had no choice but to come clean—that she was someone who had barely escaped the status of a beggar.
“Grand-aunt. I am truly ashamed to say this… but I, at this moment, do not have the money to procure all new clothes and shoes. However, I will somehow find the money to prepare an outfit that will not bring shame to you, so could you please give me a little time?”
“What? What kind of nonsense did I just hear?”
“It is not that I have absolutely no money; if I sell my necklace and bracelet, I can afford two or three dresses and have shoes made….”
“Good heavens!”
Trisha shook her head as if in disbelief. Harriet squeezed her eyes shut, lacking the courage to watch the luck she had just grasped slip away.
“Harriet Listerwell.”
“Yes, Grand-aunt.”
“What is a guardian?”
“Yes…?”
Trisha scoffed.
“Is there anyone in Genoa who doesn’t know that you have nothing left? Would I have called for a child like that to demand money?”
“Ah, no…?”
“Or, does John take money from you every time you get clothes made?”
“That… was not the case, but….”
“Then you are saying I looked stingier than John?”
“N-no! No, Grandmother!”
As Harriet frantically waved her hands in confusion, Trisha clicked her tongue as if dissatisfied.
“My becoming your guardian means that until this relationship ends, I am responsible for everything—what you wear, what you eat, and where you stay. Meanwhile, you prepare to become independent in the splendid manner you promised. Do you understand?”
Harriet mumbled for a moment. Her mind seemed to have stopped because something didn’t quite make sense. It was evident by the fact that a question she had intended to ask later popped out instead.
“Then, what do you gain from this, Grand-aunt? I mean, why did you accept my request for a guardian….”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. It was a preposterous question to ask now.
Trisha looked at Harriet, also wearing an expression that suggested it was absurd.
“Do I look so destitute that I need to gain something from you? I am simply well-off, so I am taking in a grandniece in a pitiful situation.”
Then, she added as if she had suddenly remembered.
“Perhaps I am repaying a debt to you.”
“Yes? To me?”
Seeing Harriet doubt if she had heard correctly, one corner of Trisha’s mouth rose slightly.
Did Harriet remember that pebble, still resting safely inside her jewelry box?
“There is such a thing. In any case, you must be hungry, so eat dinner first. I must head up now.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Esther!”
When she called out, a maid with a refined impression appeared quietly and bowed her head.
“Show Harriet to the room I have prepared. Ah, and since she is my grandniece, everyone is to treat her with the utmost respect.”
With those words, Trisha left the drawing room. Esther, the maid who had bowed to greet her, approached Harriet.