Chapter 48.
‘Right, no matter how pretty she gets, she’s still Harriet. Who would take an interest in an ugly girl? It’s just annoying that a Scandal Maker has come back with such gall.’
But she failed to grasp the genuine inner thoughts of her friends. They were far more curious about how Harriet, once beneath them, had become so beautiful than they were about Bella, whom they felt they could never truly reach.
Even if they followed the methods Bella shared, it was difficult to mimic her grace. But if there was a secret behind how ‘the ugly’ Harriet had transformed, wouldn’t it have the same effect on them?
Harriet, seeing through this psychology perfectly, seized the moment Bella stepped away with Caroline to approach the group once more.
“Oh? Where did Bella go?”
They seemed flustered by Harriet’s sudden appearance, but soon looked down at her and replied with a sneer.
“Bella is busy.”
“That’s right. Unlike some people, she has obligations.”
Harriet nodded obediently.
“You all seem bored, but please don’t resent Bella too much. It’s not as if it’s anything new for her to be in high demand.”
Bella’s friends could not snap back that the ‘some person’ they mentioned was Harriet herself. It was, after all, true—they were no different, merely idly flapping their fans.
Harriet smiled brightly, as if harboring no grudge, and made a proposal.
“I’m planning to host a tea party shortly; would any of you like to attend?”
At that, they all scoffed.
“Well, I wonder. Who would actually go?”
“How bold of you.”
But Harriet did not shrink back in the slightest.
“I thought you all seemed curious about something, so I wanted to extend the invitation….”
At those words, the look in their eyes shifted. It was painfully obvious that they wanted to ask what that ‘something’ was, but remained silent, wary of the others nearby.
Harriet cast her line while wearing a helpless smile.
“I’ll be sending out formal invitations to you all. Those who don’t wish to come can simply decline. Since it’s the first tea party I’ve ever hosted, I’ve prepared plenty of gifts, so if you find yourselves bored, please do stop by.”
Harriet finished and withdrew with a light bow. She was a woman entirely transformed from the one once labeled a Scandal Maker or an ugly girl. She carried herself with the poise of a mature lady, and Bella’s friends could not easily turn their eyes away from her retreating back.
‘There, the bait is set.’
As she returned to her seat, Harriet chuckled, picturing their wide-eyed expressions.
If they truly had no intention of coming, they would have rebuffed her the moment she mentioned the invitations. But not a single person had reacted that way.
‘Two or three of them will probably show up.’
Bella’s circle, including Bella and Caroline, consisted of ten people.
They relied on Bella’s fame to play a leading role in the society of young noblewomen. If even one of them talked about what happened at the tea party, what better promotional effect could there be?
‘I hope you talk about me as much as you hated me, girls.’
Harriet smiled crookedly.
She thought she had finished her tasks for the day, but perhaps that was a hasty judgment. Someone approached cautiously only after the event had passed its midpoint.
“Ahem!”
She turned at the sound of the throat-clearing, and oh my—it was a familiar face, though not a particularly welcome one.
“Sir Julian…! You don’t seem to be drinking today; don’t tell me you’re here to pick a fight again?”
It was Julian Faith, who had provoked her at the Vanderbilt party by digging up the past. She expected him to snap back, given her cold reception, but unexpectedly, he blushed and hung his head.
“I was drunk that day and made a mistake. I wanted to apologize, but I haven’t been able to find the right moment….”
“Hmm, there is such a thing as a letter for times like that. Sir, you are the very person who actively utilized that method, so I doubt you’re unaware of it.”
“Ah, I am aware. It’s just… I felt it was right to apologize to you in person.”
Harriet furrowed her brows and scanned him. The fact that he couldn’t meet her eyes confirmed he knew he had acted shamefully, but his strange dawdling was merely annoying.
“Well, I understand. In a world overflowing with people who commit wrongs and never apologize, it is refreshing to see someone admit their mistake and seek forgiveness. I accept your apology. Now then… have a pleasant day.”
She tried to leave quickly to avoid getting needlessly tangled, but he blocked her path again.
“Wait! There is something else I wish to say.”
Honestly, she didn’t want to hear it. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem as if it would be pleasant.
But since she couldn’t simply brush him off and vanish, Harriet smoothed out her expression and donned her public-facing smile.
Julian looked at Harriet earnestly before opening his mouth.
“It’s not so much that I have something to tell you… but rather that I have something to ask.”
“Please, ask away.”
“Do you… really… I mean, not even a little bit….”
“What on earth are you trying to say, hesitating like this?”
When Harriet tilted her head, Julian’s face turned deep red again. As if… he were shy.
“Do you… really… not have any feelings left for me?”
The latter part was spoken in such a small voice that it was barely audible. Harriet wondered if she were hallucinating and asked back.
“You’re asking if I have no feelings left for Sir Julian? Is that what you asked?”
“…Yes.”
How should she interpret this? Was he looking for a fight? Or, heaven forbid.
“Don’t tell me, are you asking if I don’t like you anymore?”
He nodded without an answer.
Harriet felt an urge to crack open Julian’s skull, which was red down to his jawline, as he stared at her without averting his gaze. She was curious what on earth was inside it.
In any case, it wasn’t a difficult question, so Harriet shrugged and said.
“I have no feelings left. My heart is clean. You don’t have to worry about me clinging to you again, Sir Julian. I mean that sincerely. I will be more careful from now on so that we never cross paths.”
Every time she emphasized her indifference, Julian’s face turned increasingly sorrowful, as if he were on the verge of tears. For whatever reason, he found that so shocking that he grabbed Harriet’s wrist.
“Y-y-you don’t have to do that!”
“Yes?”
“No, that is…!”
He didn’t let go of her wrist, and with his other hand, he rubbed and ruffled his own hair.
“Let go of this….”
“I couldn’t forget you!”
“Pardon?”
At the sudden confession, Harriet looked up at him with an absurd expression. He seemed to have finally made up his mind.
“I will start by apologizing for the past. Back then, I am sorry. I truly regret insulting you and getting angry when you were still just a girl.”
“A-ah, no, wait….”
“Please forgive me for not recognizing you back then. But the letters we exchanged—that pure love wasn’t a lie, was it? I still keep those letters.”
“Why on earth would you…!”
“The moment I saw you last time, the passion from back then returned to me. In truth, I wanted to say something that day too, but because of the alcohol….”
Harriet felt a throbbing behind her eyes.
So, this man was now confessing his interest in the woman he had once so detested.
‘I must have become quite pretty.’
She started thinking that she could certainly look forward to the soap sales numbers.
Regardless, she had to handle this situation. Because Julian had shouted, gazes were beginning to turn their way.
But just as she was about to speak, her thoughts shifted.
‘Wait. Is there any need to run away?’
Isn’t this a bazaar she attended with the intent of becoming the center of attention? Julian Faith was worth using.
From the moment that thought occurred, her mouth began to move on its own.
“I see. I almost misunderstood. Well, you were always a kind and affectionate person, after all.”
“Harriet…!”
“I don’t think we are at a stage to be calling each other by our first names.”
“…Miss.”
Having someone act so flustered in front of her was a very unfamiliar experience.
Harriet wasn’t the type to enjoy making others feel troubled, but for this moment, she felt quite cheerful.
She felt as if the scars from that day—when she had apologized over and over for something she hadn’t even done—were fading bit by bit.
“First, could you let go of my hand? It hurts a little.”
“Ah! I-I’m sorry.”
“You must have been in a rush. I understand. But please be careful from now on. If I’m caught by the wrist by you, it’s not you who gets scolded, but the ‘lascivious and troublesome’ me who gets insulted.”
At those words, Julian wore a look as if he were the one who had been wounded.