34.
“But you know it, Uncle. You know that I believed those words. You know that you were the only person I could trust!”
Even knowing that, he had discarded that trust. Cruelly, as if to mock it.
“It’s laughable that you, who so easily betrayed my desperate trust, are now lecturing me on credibility. If you’ve scratched someone so viciously, you should be prepared to be scratched back.”
“So, are you planning to ruin Bella’s marriage prospects now?”
“I never said that. But you won’t be able to conclude anything about me from now on, Uncle. I no longer have any intention of moving according to your plans.”
Harriet prayed inwardly that he would doubt her and grow anxious every single moment, until he developed a nervous breakdown.
However, a farewell must be elegant. It ensured that the enemy, stripped of their veneer, would not dare to bite back.
“Take care on your way back. May blessings be with the House of Listerwell.”
Blessings from the god of despair and misfortune.
Harriet bowed her head slightly and tapped her foot on the carriage floor. Catching the signal, the coachman urged the horses forward, leaving the carriage of the House of Listerwell, with John inside, standing alone.
“Damn it.”
John ground his teeth, glaring at the receding carriage.
He had thought that if he used the same methods as before—bullying, threatening, and then coaxing as if doing her a favor—he could easily drag her to Perillas. He hadn’t expected Harriet to talk back with such razor-sharp precision.
*You dare look down on your uncle just because you found a new guardian? We’ll see.*
The plan had failed because it was flawed from the beginning, but he returned home nursing only a bitter displeasure that Harriet had changed.
* * *
“I’m home.”
As soon as she returned to the estate, Harriet went to greet Trisha.
Usually, Trisha would reply with a simple, ‘Good, go upstairs and rest,’ but today she gestured for her to come closer.
“John was here earlier.”
“Ah… so he stopped by after seeing Grandmother.”
“What? You met John?”
“Yes. He told me that if I kept badmouthing Bella, he would find a way to chase me out of Genoa.”
It had been over an hour since John left, so the fact that he had just encountered Harriet meant he had been waiting for her. He was truly that desperate.
Trisha sneered and shook her head.
“He spent the whole time badmouthing you to me. Saying you’re a pathological liar and that I should kick you out immediately.”
“Didn’t he say that I’ve gone insane with jealousy over Bella?”
“Ah, I think he said that, too.”
Harriet nodded calmly, as if hearing something expected.
A liar, a jealous cousin, a wretched girl.
At some point, the accusations against Harriet had become unified.
She had wondered if she appeared that way because she had taken the fall for Bella’s actions, but seeing this, it wouldn’t be strange if her uncle had been going around saying those things on purpose.
*I was supposed to be that kind of person. So that even if I exposed Bella’s deeds later, no one would believe me.*
And in the process, he could make the angelic Bella stand out even more.
“You seem to have known it all, Harriet.”
“It’s not something to be surprised by anymore. So, after hearing my uncle’s words, are you considering rescinding your guardianship?”
“That’s a bit cheeky to say.”
“My apologies. Seeing my uncle, who hasn’t changed a bit, must have made me look at the world cynically.”
Watching Harriet laugh hollowly, Trisha clicked her tongue.
The eyes that had sparkled so brightly at the party yesterday seemed hollow now. Had her old wounds been torn open?
“You should thank John. Hearing what he had to say actually made me believe your words.”
“My… which words?”
“That you were never responsible for any of your scandals. Tsk.”
This situation was a hasty mistake made by an anxious John. If he had just stayed quiet, Trisha would have maintained an objective stance.
The very act of him rushing over to insist that she was a liar and not to be trusted was proof that Harriet was telling the truth.
“I am already afraid to hear about the things you’ve been through.”
At the fact that Trisha had chosen to believe her instead of John, Harriet felt as if a refreshing breeze were blowing at her back.
Her clouded eyes cleared, her breathing became easy, and the whole world suddenly seemed a step brighter.
*I’ve gained an ally.*
This time, it wasn’t someone far away, but someone right in the heart of Genoa.
But it was not yet time to lower her guard by relying on a foundation of trust that wasn’t yet solid.
“Thank you, Great-Aunt. I hope the day comes soon when I can tell you everything about me. At that time….”
Harriet took a deep breath. The faces of her parents, who had held her young hands when they visited Trisha and the Count and Countess Felon, flashed before her eyes.
“At that time, I want to receive some comfort from you, Grandmother. So, until then, I will not disappoint you.”
Trisha clenched her thin fist. Sadness dripped from Harriet’s expression as she steeled her resolve.
However, she would not wipe away that sadness now. To temper her into the strongest steel, she still needed more forging.
“Yes, I look forward to it. You must not be feeling very well, so go upstairs, eat something delicious, and rest.”
Grateful for Trisha’s consideration, Harriet returned to her room.
However, Roxana, who had been waiting for her in front of her door, was not as generous as Trisha.
“I heard you met Viscount Listerwell today. Both of you.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
She probably didn’t just know they had met. Roxana didn’t miss a thing when it came to Trisha. Her face, usually expressionless, was colder than usual.
“If it weren’t for Miss Harriet, the Countess wouldn’t have even let him set foot in this mansion.”
Having studied abroad with the support of the House of Felon and serving as Trisha’s aide for ten years, Roxana only taught by her order and held no affection for Harriet. To her, Harriet was merely a dangerous element who burdened her benefactor, Trisha, and might betray her at any moment.
Therefore, she was deeply displeased that Trisha had suffered an unpleasant experience because of Harriet again.
“Viscount John Listerwell has made very rude demands to the Countess in the past, you know.”
“Rude demands, you mean…?”
“He would request special recommendations for the House of Listerwell for businesses only open to the Imperial family and their relatives, or try to borrow business capital, or introduce his acquaintances to the Countess. He never succeeded even once, though.”
She could vaguely imagine how it went. He must have tried to coax her while pretending to be a good-natured man. But Trisha was not a person who would fall for that.
“You must be well aware of how much the Countess sacrifices for Miss Harriet. If, in any case, you act in a way that forgets this grace, I will persuade the Countess to drive Miss Harriet out, no matter what it takes.”
Roxana, who was warning her openly, didn’t get angry or shout, yet it was chilling enough to give her goosebumps.
Harriet didn’t think she needed to bow her head, but she knew these weren’t words spoken out of malice. She was simply worried about Trisha. Even Harriet herself didn’t fully understand why Trisha had become her guardian, so how could Roxana?
“If I ever do something like that, please scold me sternly in advance, Teacher. If there is a misunderstanding, I will correct it; if I make a mistake, I will fix it.”
“I hope so.”
Roxana replied, her voice not softening at all despite Harriet’s humble attitude.
* * *
It wasn’t just John who was busy the day after the Vanderbilt party. Friends who stopped by for afternoon tea had been telling Bella all about Harriet.
“If you had seen it yourself, you might have fainted from shock. She came back completely changed, you know?”
“Right. Before, she used to deny everything, only for it to be revealed as a lie. She’d apologize reluctantly. But this time, she admitted that all of it was her own doing. She claimed she had been reflecting at the convent.”
“But the problem is that it makes her look even more shameless. It wasn’t a sincere apology then or now.”
Watching her friends nod and chime in, Bella barely swallowed the sneer that rose up.
*Father was making a fuss about Harriet since the morning, and now everyone is in an uproar. Even so, she’s still just Harriet.*
Letting her friends badmouth Harriet for a while longer, Bella lowered her eyes and nodded with a sad expression only once the same words were repeated enough.
“Thank you all for letting me know. Harriet probably has a deep grudge against my father or me because her guardianship was revoked. But it was sincere that I hoped she would reflect and be reborn as a new person at the convent. That’s why I sent a large sum of money to have her taken in.”
Sighing and bowing her head, Bella looked full of sorrow.