Chapter 141
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141
"We meet again, Duke Kailas."
"Welcome, Miss Harriet. I heard you just came from seeing my mother?"
"Yes. My Aunt Roxana will be attending the Ducal House’s party in place of my Great-aunt Trisha. I sought the Grand Duchess’s understanding and assistance in advance."
"Then it will be Miss Roxana’s first time introducing herself as the successor to the Fellon Family."
Harriet nodded, and Cedric remarked pointedly, "To be honest, I assumed that if Lady Fellon were to adopt an heir, it would have been you."
"Aunt Roxana is far more qualified than I am."
"I heard Miss Roxana was Lady Fellon’s long-time aide. And that she is also a distant relative of the late Count Oster Fellon?"
Harriet no longer asked where he heard such news. In truth, she was more afraid of learning exactly how Cedric obtained his information.
"Yes. Besides, I have a place I must return to. My great-aunt knows this, which is why she never brought up the matter of adoption with me."
"Ah. My thoughts were short-sighted, then."
Cedric smiled faintly. The curve of his lips was always so impossibly perfect—elegant, yet understated. Just the right angle.
Harriet, feeling both a flutter of excitement and a pang of regret, quickly composed herself and bowed her head.
"Thank you so much for all your help. For verifying the medicine I was using, for securing the new supply, and for continuing to send Sir Nelson... If it weren't for you, Duke, I don't know what would have happened."
"It was nothing." Cedric nodded lightly, his smile widening.
His casual attitude, as if his efforts truly were of no consequence, brought a great sense of comfort to the exhausted Harriet. This business partner of hers, who often displayed such arrogance, occasionally showed a streak of effortless kindness.
Harriet hadn't slept more than a few hours over the last two days, and her mind was a fog, but she desperately wanted to express the depth of her gratitude.
"It might sound cliché, but if you ever need my help, Duke, I will drop everything to assist you. I promise."
Cedric’s movements paused. His eyes sparkled, reflecting a sliver of the midday sun—or perhaps she was simply seeing things due to her exhaustion.
Cedric caught his lower lip between his teeth for a moment before letting out a strange smile.
"Hmm... Actually, something interesting has been happening lately. I might need to take you up on that help soon, Miss Harriet."
"What is it?"
It was an obvious question, but Cedric avoided a direct answer, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"It isn't time to tell you yet. I’ll inform you once things are certain."
"Ah... I see. If I can be of any help at all, I’ll do anything."
"That’s a dangerous thing to say. You have no idea what kind of unreasonable request I might make."
His tone was ambiguous, hovering somewhere between a joke and a serious warning. Harriet, however, disliked having her sincerity dismissed, so she spoke with more conviction.
"You saved my great-aunt’s life. I almost lost the only person who feels like a parent to me. There is no greater debt I could owe. So, whatever you command, Duke—!"
"Enough."
"Pardon?"
Strangely, Cedric cut her off, a look of flustered discomfort crossing his face.
"You keep trying to make me out to be a villain."
"What... what do you mean?"
Harriet tilted her head. She felt as though she had been enthusiastically declaring what a good person he was; she couldn't fathom why he was interpreting it the opposite way.
"In any case, I’ll tell you about that matter later. For now, you should go home and get some sleep."
"I’m fine," she answered bravely, feigning strength.
Cedric slowly walked over and stood directly before her. Then, he reached out and lightly brushed her eyelid with his thumb.
"Fatigue is etched into your eyes. You need to sleep well and regain your strength to prepare for what’s to come."
Harriet felt as if she were caught in a dream. Cedric standing so close, the scent of his cologne, the warmth of his fingertip against her skin—none of it felt real. It was a hazy, beautiful illusion.
But the phrase 'what’s to come' resonated deeply.
Trisha had been lucky to escape this crisis, but that didn't mean Harriet could forgive Lauren. As Trisha had said, Lauren wouldn't give up so easily.
"Thank you for the advice. I’ll take my leave now."
"I’ve already spoken to Sir Herbert. Please take the tea he prepared; it’s good for deep sleep."
"Th-thank you."
When had he prepared such a thing? More importantly, when had he even noticed she hadn't been sleeping?
Harriet had a dozen questions, but for now, she decided to simply take the tea and return home. She would go, drink a warm cup, sleep soundly, and then eat a hearty dinner.
Then, this strangely fuzzy, fluttering feeling in her chest would subside. It had to.
*
Strange rumors regarding Cedric and Harriet began to circulate not long after Trisha woke up.
"My uncle works at the Imperial Health Bureau, you know. He said Duke Cedric arrived there with Harriet recently!"
"Oh my, for what reason?"
"I don't know the details. But apparently, the two of them were together the entire time."
Bella raised an eyebrow at her friends' chatter. Both Cedric and Harriet were figures who kept her on edge.
Another friend chimed in. "I heard something strange from my godmother, too."
"What was it?"
"At the Kailas Family’s tea party, Harriet went and spoke to Duke Cedric. And apparently, the Duke didn't turn her away."
"Perhaps he was just being polite?"
"My godmother said they looked quite intimate. The other ladies present were shocked."
The young women fussed excitedly. It was no wonder; the subjects of the rumors were Cedric Kailas, the 'Ice Flower on a Cliff,' and Harriet Listerwell, the 'Shameless Scandal Maker.'
"Surely Duke Cedric isn't fond of Harriet, is he?"
"Nonsense! My Cedric would never!"
"But I've heard a few times now that they were seen together. I thought they were just baseless rumors, but..."
"No, no! If that’s true, I’ll never forgive her!"
Among their inner circle, Cedric was usually referred to not as 'Duke Kailas' but as 'My Cedric.' To them, any woman who dared to covet him was an ignorant, shameless creature deserving of scorn.
Bella secretly scoffed.
The two of them going to the Health Bureau must have been because of Lady Fellon’s medicine. Why else would they be there of all places?
She had already received word that Trisha had nearly died because of her scheme—and that the plan had failed. Cedric was likely the one who had foiled it.
Harriet is irrelevant. He probably only took her to the Health Bureau to inquire about Lady Fellon’s condition.
The fact that they had met at the Kailas tea party didn't bother her much either. She knew Harriet had accompanied Trisha that day.
It’s highly probable he had already requested Lady Fellon’s medicine by then.
That meant they had realized something was wrong with the medicine sent through Joseph Alden much earlier than she'd anticipated.
It’s a shame Lady Fellon survived, but these rumors between Cedric and Harriet are actually quite welcome. They make me the perfect solution for him to choose.
Seizing the opportunity, Bella joined the conversation as it shifted to the upcoming Ducal party. She smiled brightly.
"I received an invitation as well. It’s been a long time since the Ducal House hosted a gala, so I’m incredibly excited. It’s sure to be on par with an Imperial Banquet, don't you think?"
She pulled out her invitation, showing it off with a voice full of anticipation. The group burst into giggles, chattering excitedly.
"Apparently, invitations went to almost every house with a daughter of marriageable age. Even those who are already engaged received them. What do you think that means?"
"I heard from my aunt that Lady Jeremia is determined to find Duke Cedric a match at this party."
"Someone is going to become the princess of the century!"
Though no one said it aloud, they all harbored the secret hope that they might be that princess.
Bella sneered at them inwardly. Do you think just anyone can become a princess?
No. These girls, who were merely lucky enough to be born as daughters of noble houses, didn't deserve such a fortune.
Suddenly, a memory from her childhood surfaced—words she had whispered long ago.
I want to marry a prince and live like a princess. I’ll wear a tiara every day and live in dresses that sweep the floor.
She had worked steadily toward that goal until now. Though he was demanding, Cedric Kailas was not an unattainable prize. In Bella Listerwell’s world, there was no such thing as 'unattainable.'
She knew this because her invitation was different from the others.
"Cedric Kailas"
No one else noticed, but on the sender's line of the envelope she held, Cedric’s name was written clearly in his own hand. On the envelopes the others had received, his name was merely printed.
Revealing my true self was a gamble, but it seems to have paid off.
Of course, Bella was no fool who would stake everything on a stroke of luck. Nor did she intend to grow complacent just because she had gained a small favor. This was merely the starting line.
Just you wait. We’ll see who becomes the princess.
Bella took a tiny, performative nibble from the edge of a strawberry jam tart before sipping her tea. To maintain her figure, she couldn't indulge in sweets, but if she ate nothing in front of her friends, gossip would surely follow.
If the culmination of such efforts was to be a 'princess,' then it was a hardship well worth enduring.