Chapter 1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1
‘Maybe it’s time I left.’
The Imperial Banquet, held to celebrate the victory of the Kifren War, was a display of blinding opulence. To Harriet, standing pressed against the wall without a single invitation to dance, the splendor was almost suffocating.
She glanced around, searching for a way to slip out unnoticed.
Her uncle, Viscount Listerwell, was nearby, but he was preoccupied with parading his son, Aston, before his acquaintances. He didn't spare Harriet a single glance. Then again, he wouldn't have cared about her even if he weren't busy.
‘Where are my aunt and Bella?’
Her aunt was nowhere to be seen. Most likely, she was tucked away in a private lounge with the other high-born ladies, shoes kicked off, gossiping the night away.
Harriet’s gaze swept over the crowd of young noblemen one last time. Bella would be there.
Sure enough, Bella was at the center of a massive swarm of suitors, flanked by her usual circle of friends.
‘The Golden Rose of Genoa, indeed.’
Harriet pressed her lips into a thin line to suppress a sneer. Did those men have any idea what lay beneath the "angelic, innocent" smile of their precious rose?
Once Harriet confirmed that her uncle’s family was sufficiently distracted, she began to edge toward the exit.
But at that moment, the world plunged into darkness.
“Huh? What’s happening?”
“A blackout?”
Confusion rippled through the crowd. People shuffled about, their voices rising in bewilderment. Harriet froze, perhaps more startled than anyone else, caught in the middle of her escape.
An Imperial Protocol Officer quickly shouted over the din.
“Please remain calm! The emergency lighting will be activated shortly!”
As if they had been waiting for the signal, servants rushed out to light oil lamps. The orchestra conductor, showing impressive wit, signaled for a soft, serenade-like violin piece to begin. The flickering glow of the lamps cast a unique, intimate ambiance over the ballroom.
Only then did the guests relax, realizing the meaning behind the sudden darkness.
“Ah! It must be time for the brooch pinning!”
“I’d heard it was the latest fashion at parties, but I never expected the Imperial Family to join in.”
“The war is over, so I suppose this is a hint to find our partners quickly. Hohoho!”
It was a popular new trend for confessing one's feelings: a man would secretly pin a brooch onto the hem of the dress of the woman he admired while the lights were dimmed.
A woman would find the brooch and spend the next few days in a flutter of anticipation, imagining its owner. The mystery would end when a man eventually approached her, saying, ‘I’ve come to retrieve what I left behind.’ Of course, reality was often cruel, and disappointment was far more common than a fairy-tale ending.
“It’ll be fun to see which lady ends up with the most brooches.”
“Won’t Lady Bella be the winner again?”
Harriet stood stiffly, trying not to be knocked over by the men jostling past her in the dark. She let out a small, dry laugh when she heard Bella’s name.
‘She’ll be laden with brooches, pretending to be embarrassed while she secretly messes with the other ladies’ dresses.’
The men weren't in a much better position. Bella was famously kind to the gentlemen who hovered around her, but she drew a sharp line the moment anyone tried to court her seriously.
‘If it were me, I’d be crying tears of gratitude.’
A bitter taste filled Harriet’s mouth.
If someone—anyone—were to pin a brooch to her dress, she would marry him on the spot, provided he wasn't a complete monster. If it meant escaping her status as a miserable dependent in her uncle’s house, would a few flaws even matter?
However, there was no chance of that happening.
“Oh my! Who was that?”
“Eek!”
Coquettish squeals and shy giggles erupted throughout the hall. Harriet, unaffected by an event that had nothing to do with her, let out a shallow sigh and waited for the lights to return.
After five minutes of bustling movement in the dark, the chandeliers flickered and roared back to life, bathing the hall in radiance.
The orchestra skillfully transitioned back to their previous upbeat tempo. Everyone immediately began checking their hems, eager to see the results of the confessions made in the shadows.
Harriet let out a hollow laugh that went unnoticed and prepared to leave. She would have made it, too, if Bella hadn't suddenly called out from behind her.
“Oh, Harriet! What’s that?”
Bella, who had been quite far away before the blackout, was now standing only a few paces off, pointing at Harriet’s skirt.
‘When did she get over here?’
Harriet couldn't hide her confusion as she followed Bella’s finger.
There, pinned to the hem of the rather childish dress she’d had made for tonight’s banquet, was a refined, exquisitely expensive-looking Ruby Brooch.
“W-what is this?”
Bella approached Harriet, who stood frozen with wide eyes.
“It looks like someone wants to confess to you! Since it’s such a fiery red ruby, they must be a very passionate person, wouldn't you say?”
“Huh? Th-that can’t be…”
“Is there anyone you can think of?”
“No! Not at all. They must have mistaken me for someone else. It was very dark, after all.”
“Oh, come on, no way! Harriet, you’re far too modest.”
Bella giggled as if Harriet had just told a hilarious joke and playfully tapped her shoulder. As if drawn by the sound of her laughter, Bella’s friends and followers began to drift over.
The looks they gave Harriet were anything but friendly.
“How interesting. Who on earth could it be? A man confessing to Miss Harriet Listerwell.”
“Well, tastes vary, don’t they?”
“Is this a matter of taste? It’s a matter of reputation.”
Each word was tossed out like a casual joke, but the edges were sharp enough to draw blood.
Harriet did what she always did: she pretended she didn't understand the insult. There was no one in this room who would take her side if she fought back.
Instead, she unpinned the vivid Ruby Brooch and examined it.
The ruby itself was large enough to command a staggering price, but the craftsmanship of the platinum setting and the quality of the surrounding diamonds were equally extraordinary.
‘The style is a bit dated. That means there’s a high probability it belongs to an older man.’
It made sense. No decent man her own age would have the courage—or the interest—to confess to her. It was likely a man well past his prime, perhaps a widower or someone with a physical defect or an unattractive face.
‘But he clearly has money.’
The brooch was a fortune in itself. If someone was willing to risk losing such an item by pinning it to a skirt in the dark, they had to be wealthy.
That was good enough for her.
Harriet decided then and there: if the owner of this brooch hadn't made a mistake, she would gladly accept his proposal. She wouldn't even be surprised if a fifty-year-old man approached her. Even a vulgar marriage of convenience—exchanging her youth for his wealth—was more than Harriet could have hoped for.
“It’s a truly beautiful brooch. I wonder who it belongs to? I did see a few gentlemen wearing rubies today…”
Bella’s sweet voice snapped Harriet back to reality. Bella’s friends were already huddled together, trying to recall which men had been wearing ruby accessories.
Harriet didn't want Bella to realize how desperately she was dreaming of an escape through marriage.
“No, it really must be a mistake. I should keep it safe and return it. It looks far too expensive.”
“Hmm, well, just in case, why don’t you wear it on your chest? If it really was a mistake, the owner will need a way to recognize it, right?”
“Huh?”
Bella had a point, but Harriet hesitated. If it truly was a misunderstanding, how embarrassing would it be for both the owner and Harriet if she were caught wearing it?
As Harriet wavered, Caroline, Bella’s closest friend, sneered.
“It seems Harriet wants to keep the brooch a secret. We’ve been tactless to comment.”
“Oh, no, it’s not like that!”
In the end, Harriet pinned the brooch to her chest as Bella suggested. Any potential embarrassment was no longer her primary concern. After all, her reputation couldn't possibly get any worse.
“Surely someone will recognize it now?”
“Of course. But I believe a romantic confession is coming your way. Our Harriet is just so sweet and darling!”
Bella pulled Harriet into a tight hug. To any onlooker, they looked like the closest of cousins.
Harriet forced a strained smile and lightly touched Bella’s arm. In truth, if no one were watching, she would have shoved the girl away.
“Bella, you’re the truly kind one. You and your parents.”
“Exactly,” one of the friends chimed in. “If it were me…”
“Oh, hush, what are you all saying?” Bella smiled brightly, demurring with practiced grace. “You’re all just too generous with your praise.”