23.
Furthermore, her bag contained the ‘Notice of Guardianship Appointment,’ which stated that Countess Felon had become her guardian. So, what was there to fear?
She was lost in the memories of the past year spent at the convent when someone knocked.
“Sister, have you finished packing your luggage?”
“Ah, Emma!”
Harriet greeted Emma, who had come to collect her, with a welcoming smile.
On the first day she arrived at the convent, Emma had seemed so blunt, but now she felt nothing but affection for her. Because they shared similar pasts, Harriet felt more drawn to her than to others.
Emma was pretending to be composed about the farewell, but her eyes and nose were red, suggesting she had already cried in private.
“The carriage will arrive in a little while. Before that, you must bid your final farewells to the Mother Superior and the Assistant Mother Superior.”
“Yes, I should.”
As Harriet patted Emma’s shoulder, Emma turned her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
They had only spent a year together, yet they had grown quite attached.
“Emma. Take good care of yourself. I, too, will live diligently and help you achieve your dreams.”
“Don’t worry about me, just worry about yourself, Sister……”
Emma could not finish her sentence and wiped away tears with a sniffle.
Everyone at the convent knew of Harriet’s circumstances. Though it was said one shouldn’t fret over the affairs of nobles, even the commoner sisters were saddened by her plight, worrying over what would become of Harriet once she left.
However, Harriet was not afraid.
As her purpose became clear, desire and excitement boiled over within her, eclipsing her fear.
“I’m not joking. I will surely achieve my goal, and I will definitely help Mother Catherine and you as well. I’m telling you this in advance because I hope you won’t give up in the meantime.”
At those words, Emma nodded.
“I will also live diligently so that I may not be ashamed before you, Sister.”
Harriet smiled at her and gripped the handle of her suitcase tightly.
It was time to charge toward the world that had abandoned her.
* * *
Clatter, clatter.
The hired carriage was far shakier and shabbier than the one from the House of Listerwell she had ridden when first coming to the convent.
Yet, Harriet viewed even that as something romantic.
“I wish I could help you with your fresh start, but this is all I can offer you right now.”
Catherine had given Harriet a small icon and several products made at the convent as a parting gift.
There were items like soap, toner, herbal oil, and ointment; Harriet felt truly grateful, as these were things she had used well.
Opening the pouch that gave off a faint, clean scent of soap, Harriet smiled faintly.
‘It must have been Yawar’s guidance that led me to St. Clarissa’s Convent.’
She felt grateful to the God she had once resented so deeply. Since entering the convent, her life had completely changed.
Her outlook on life had shifted, her health had improved, but above all, the greatest change was that her uncle’s guardianship had been severed.
What had felt like being driven to death now seemed, in hindsight, a blessing for a new life.
‘It might be a little scary, but Great-Aunt Trisha is a much better person than my uncle.’
She could tell naturally.
The tone of the letters was strict and cold, but for the past five months, she had helped Harriet develop on her own.
Through letters from Roxana, who visited the House of Count Felon every two weeks, she had sent newspapers published in Genoa and even provided travel expenses for when she returned to the capital.
Since she also had the money Alfonso Villey had given her, it seemed she wouldn’t need to sell her gold for the time being.
‘Yawar is watching over me. Let’s stay strong.’
Though she felt grateful to God, she did not know if the work she would do in the future would align with divine teachings.
Even now, when she recalled the truth of that day as told by Alfonso, her chest tightened with anger, and she wanted revenge by any means necessary.
But how?
She couldn’t paint her uncle as a murderer without evidence, nor could she claim rights to his title or property.
‘If I hold a blade and cause a scene out of resentment, I’ll be the one to die instead. And if I go around talking about what Bella did, I’ll only be cursed at for slandering my cousin.’
Therefore, the only method of revenge she could conceive was to ‘succeed on her own.’ In truth, even that was not an easy task.
She had to re-enter society as if to mock her uncle, solidify her position not as ‘Viscount Listerwell’s niece’ but as ‘Harriet Listerwell,’ and use that position to earn money and achieve perfect independence. That, of course, went without saying for clearing the false charges she had taken on behalf of Bella.
‘I don’t know how much my great-aunt will help, but since I promised not to be a nuisance in the first place, hoping for more help than this would be rude.’
She should be grateful that she had agreed to sponsor her at all. The House of Count Felon was a collateral branch of the Imperial Family, and Trisha was the one who held everything in the House of Count Felon within her grasp—a presence no one in society dared to treat lightly.
Why Trisha had accepted the request for guardianship was still a mystery.
Roxana also seemed unaware of Trisha’s intentions.
“The Countess Felon rarely retracts her decisions once made, but please do your best so that you do not become that rare exception.”
She had said this before leaving for Genoa.
It felt strange to ask why she had accepted when she was the one who had initiated the guardianship, so until now, Harriet had only been able to convey her gratitude.
‘Will I be able to ask her someday?’
As she was lost in such thoughts, the carriage began to slow down.
“Huh?”
Looking out the window in puzzlement, she realized they were entering the gates of Genoa.
The delay was caused by the sheer volume of carriages attempting to pass through the city gates.
“Finally…… I’ve returned.”
Harriet took a deep breath as she gazed at the massive city gate.
A modest outfit, a hat that had gone out of style, shoes with worn-out toes, and a cheap suitcase. Those were the things defining her current self, but in two years, everything would change.
‘Just wait. I’m curious myself to see how far I can go.’
Harriet clenched her teeth.
* * *
“‘That guest’ is arriving today, right?”
“That’s what I heard. It seems to be a woman, but who on earth could it be?”
The maids of the Felon household were busy preparing to welcome a guest for the first time in a while. However, they had heard nothing about who was coming.
They had decorated a sunny room anew under Trisha’s orders, and given that they had placed a vanity there, it seemed likely to be a woman.
That was all the information they had.
“Even the butler is keeping his mouth shut. I’m dying of curiosity.”
“Anyway, I’m looking forward to it. It’s felt so empty around the mansion with only the Countess here; if there’s even one more person, wouldn’t it feel a bit more like a living place?”
“Who knows. Our work might increase significantly.”
They spent the day speculating while waiting for the guest who was to arrive late in the evening.
And as the sun began to set, the doorbell of the House of Count Felon finally rang.
The butler, Andre, took a deep breath and opened the door.
Standing outside was a young woman in shabby attire, looking nervous. He asked, knowing full well who it was.
“How can I help you?”
“H-hello? My name is Harriet Listerwell. I have come to see Countess Trisha Felon. Could you please convey my message?”
The fact that she almost bit her tongue showed how extremely nervous she must have been, yet she finished her sentence without the slightest bit of confusion.
Andre received the impression that Harriet was quite composed and clever, more so than he had expected.
“I have been expecting you. Please, come in.”
He welcomed Harriet courteously and led her inside. One might have expected her to be amazed by the grandeur of the mansion, but Harriet followed Andre quietly without looking around.
The place she arrived at was the drawing room where Trisha was waiting.
“My Lady. Miss Harriet Listerwell has arrived.”
“Yes. Harriet, come in. Butler, you may leave for a moment.”
While Andre bowed respectfully and left, Harriet walked slowly toward Trisha.
Trisha’s gaze, as she sipped her tea, turned slowly toward her grandniece.
Meeting that gaze, Harriet bowed at the waist.
“It has been a long time, Great-Aunt. Once again, thank you for becoming my guardian……”
“That is enough. You have said it many times in your letters. What is important to you is what happens from here on out.”
Trisha cut Harriet off and pointed to the opposite seat with her chin.
“Sit.”
She stared intently at Harriet as she sat in the opposite chair, not missing a single moment.
She had expected as much, but Harriet’s state was hardly pleasing.
“You must have had a difficult time.”
“No. Life at the convent was more comfortable and enjoyable than I thought. I got to know many good people and……”
“Not the convent.”