3.
I had assumed he wouldn’t even look my way, but unexpectedly, he turned his head and locked eyes with me.
I gritted my teeth and lifted my chin, refusing to crumble under that piercing gaze. The moment lasted perhaps two or three seconds in reality, but it felt like an eternity.
Just as his expression began to soften, John spoke in a solemn voice.
“I offer my sincerest apologies. I will see to it that my niece is sent to a convent to reflect on her actions, and I will provide whatever compensation, including alimony, that you desire.”
My eyes widened.
“Un-Uncle! A convent?”
No one paid any heed to my bewilderment.
Cedric looked down at the bowing John and clicked his tongue softly.
“That will be unnecessary. Having heard your explanation, it seems there truly was no intention to insult me or my late father…”
His gaze swept over me once more, swift and cold.
“I may have overreacted.”
John’s shoulders dropped slightly in relief.
Cedric turned away, showing no further interest in the people of the House of Listerwell. “I simply hope we do not cross paths under such circumstances again.”
“Of course. I am grateful for your leniency.”
John bowed deeply once more, and Cedric strode away without a backward glance.
As the spectacle dissolved, the buzzing crowd dispersed, and the banquet continued as if nothing had happened. But my nightmare was far from over.
“Harriet! Go back home. And don’t you dare breathe a word to anyone, no matter what they ask!”
“Uncle, I am…!”
“Are you trying to argue over right and wrong here? How much more do you intend to disgrace me?”
I hunched my shoulders at the roar of the man who held my fate in his hands. My guardian, my only shelter, my closest kin. It would be foolish to further provoke a man of his temper.
“…I will leave now.”
I bowed my head and retreated. I had achieved my goal of leaving early, but I had never wished for it to end in this manner. A spring breeze, heavy with the scent of flowers, brushed against the nape of my neck, but I felt nothing.
* * *
“Go to St. Clarissa’s Convent for one year.”
“Pardon?”
I blinked in disbelief.
“It is for your own good. That should be enough time for this incident to be forgotten.”
“Un-Uncle!”
“You have to marry, don’t you, Harriet? In the current climate, you won’t even receive a single party invitation, let alone a proposal!”
John was treating a year of my life like a discarded scrap of paper. I shook my head vigorously.
“Uncle, I explained everything. I never stole Duke Cedric Kaylas’s brooch. I didn’t even pick it up. It was pinned to my dress, and I only wore it because Bella suggested it. There are plenty of witnesses!”
When I had first explained what happened, John had listened quietly, nodding. I thought the misunderstanding had been cleared. Why, then, was this decision so immovable?
I tried to appeal to him once more. John clicked his tongue and slammed his palm onto the desk.
“The truth doesn’t matter! If we provoke the House of Kaylas at a time like this, we are finished. Why on earth did it have to be an item belonging to the late Duke…!”
“I am telling you, I didn’t do it!”
“Harriet.”
His voice turned sickeningly gentle. I knew this tone—it never preceded anything good.
“Can you go to the Duke’s estate now and soothe Duke Cedric Kaylas’s mood? Can you stay in the capital and silence the rumors?”
“That is…”
“A year is a small price to pay. Once you are out of sight, people will lose interest. Once the rumors die down, marriage proposals might even come your way. It is entirely possible.”
His coaxing, whispered words weighed heavily on my shoulders. If I refused now, I would be branded a wicked child.
“Do as your uncle says, Harriet. I am not unaware of your grievance, and since we are partly to blame, I will see to it that you have a generous dowry. And not just a dowry! I shall have the most famous designer make you a dress and ensure you have jewelry that is not lacking.”
“Are you… serious?”
“Of course! Do you think I would forget what you did for Bella?”
John laughed heartily. The man who had been slamming the desk in a fury just moments ago was gone. I let my shoulders slump and nodded.
*I can’t refuse… If I’ve secured a promise for a dowry and jewelry, I suppose I’ve fought as well as I could.*
My hands were damp with sweat, but I tried to soothe myself.
“…I understand.”
“Good. We will hear from the convent soon, so don’t go anywhere. Just pack your bags. They say you must wear a nun’s habit there, so there is no need to bring much.”
I offered no protest. There was no need to add another layer of despair to the one that had already arrived.
* * *
“What did Harriet say?”
“What could she say? She has to follow my lead.”
John answered Bella while stabbing a thick chunk of meat with his fork. He glanced at her before taking a bite. “Still, you went too far, Bella. We could have been caught in the crossfire.”
“Did you think I knew it was an heirloom of the late Duke? But in any case, we achieved our goal. We’ve managed to get rid of Harriet.”
“Father, it worked out for the better. Given the item in question, everyone will find it natural that she is being sent to a convent.”
With Aston joining to take Bella’s side, John ceased his scolding. This had been their plan from the start.
“Father! Let’s take Harriet to the banquet this time.”
“Her? Why?”
“You said you wanted to get rid of her.”
“Yes! So why on earth would I take a girl like that to a banquet? It is extremely important.”
“I have a plan. You might be a little embarrassed, Father, but everyone will eventually sympathize with you, so you must bear with it.”
John hesitated at the suggestion of being embarrassed, but the plan to use the “Confession Brooch” trend as a pretext to exile Harriet sounded reasonable.
*It was about time I got rid of her anyway.*
Bella was twenty-one. She had begun building a reputation for beauty and kindness, and decent proposals were finally arriving. It was time to prepare for a formal match. And for that, Harriet—who had been Bella’s “cleanup crew”—needed to disappear.
“It would have been better if she had been on that boat with them back then,” John muttered, sighing.
Harriet was his niece, orphaned in a boating accident. Though he had played the role of the kind-hearted uncle, he had never felt a shred of affection for her. If not for the social disgrace, he would have sent her to an orphanage years ago.
“I agree. Then we wouldn’t have to deal with such headaches.”
Her mother, Miriam, chuckled. “Still, thanks to her, you’ve avoided awkward situations. Have some pity.”
“Mother, are you serious?”
“I’m saying you should be careful. You need to look for a serious suitor!”
“Don’t worry. I’ve made an acquaintance with Duke Cedric Kaylas. Who knows? I might become the Duchess.”
Not a hint of remorse could be felt from Bella, and the Viscount and Viscountess looked at their daughter only with affection. Bella was a treasure who would elevate their standing.
“Of course! There is no young lady as pretty as our Bella!”
“The Duke must have fallen for her! I should find out which parties he will be attending. We must ensure Bella is there.”
The couple smiled, imagining a future where Bella became Cedric’s lover. The “in-laws of a Duke”—what a sweet fantasy.
“By the way,” John asked, “how did you get your hands on that brooch? Are you not going to tell me until the end?”