Chapter 175
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175
“Hey! You there! Tell the Viscount that James Cheslow is here!”
James gripped the iron bars of the Listerwell estate’s main gate, shaking them as he shouted at a servant passing by in the distance.
Startled, the servant bolted toward the mansion as if fleeing for his life. Even after a long wait, no one came out to greet him.
The reception was so cold that James wondered if this was truly the same house that had always welcomed him with open arms.
“Bella… did you really betray me?”
His stomach churned and his head spun. He simply couldn't wrap his mind around it. The beautiful lover who had always whispered that she loved only him… having an affair with another man? It was impossible.
Slowly, a different suspicion began to take root.
Bella couldn't have deceived me. The Duke of Kailas must have threatened her while I was away. He’s using his status to crush her and steal her away!
Yes, that made much more sense.
Bella was the most beautiful woman in Genoa—no, in the entire Empire. Cedric must have been eyeing her covetously for a long time.
He must have reached out his wicked hand the moment I left the capital, like a predator lying in wait. He probably threatened to ruin her family if she didn't comply!
He might have even assigned guards to make sure she couldn't take my calls. Bella must be withering away in sorrow inside that mansion.
A cool autumn breeze swept past his neck, chilling his skin, but his rage only burned hotter.
In the days that followed, James cornered anyone who would listen, denouncing Cedric to the masses.
“He’s trash! A man with no honor and no etiquette! How dare he covet another man’s fiancée?”
“Everyone knows Bella and I are on the verge of marriage. Yet he tries to threaten and steal her!”
“I’m worried sick about Bella. What words, what threats did he use? She hasn’t stepped a single foot outside her home.”
However, it wasn't the House of Kailas that responded first to his desperate pleas.
“I heard Bella Listerwell is breaking her engagement with James Cheslow to marry the Duke of Kailas.”
Contrary to everything James had hoped, the public began to treat Bella and Cedric’s marriage as a foregone conclusion.
No matter that James was the heir to a prominent noble family, Cedric was currently the most powerful aristocrat in the Empire. Not only was the Emperor his uncle, but he was a war hero who had recently solved a major crisis for the nation.
If such a man set his mind to it, taking an engaged woman was a simple matter.
The delayed response from the Ducal House only added fuel to the fire.
“They only said they’d clarify things soon.”
“If they weren’t ‘that kind of couple,’ why would they be dragging their feet? Just wait. They’ll announce the engagement date any day now.”
High society was once again abuzz with the scandal.
Bella, now emboldened by the rumors, poured oil onto the flames. She flatly refused to respond to the formal protest letters sent to the Listerwell family by Count and Countess Cheslow, who could no longer bear to watch their son’s public breakdown.
It was only after James, driven to the brink of madness, sent a final ultimatum—‘If you refuse to see me, I will challenge Cedric Kailas to a duel’—that Bella finally opened her doors to him.
The moment James saw her, he tried to pull her into his arms, frantically asking if she was alright and what had happened. She simply gave him a cold, gentle shove.
“Bella…?”
Leaving a bewildered James standing in the center of the room, Bella sat alone on the sofa and poured tea with an expressionless face.
“For now, have some tea and catch your breath.”
“Bella! Did the Duke of Kailas tell you to do this? That bastard is threatening you, isn’t he?”
His jaw trembled as he spoke, unable to believe how much his fiancée had changed. Bella brought the teacup to her lips, her eyebrows knitting together as if she were the one in distress.
It was a surreal scene—like a calm spring day on her side of the table, while a violent storm raged on his.
“James. I don't think we're suited for one another.”
“What are you talking about, Bella? You and I… we were so good together!”
“It’s a relief that you thought so, at least.”
“You mean you didn't? Why? Just tell me what I did wrong, and I’ll fix it. I’ll fix everything!”
Even in his shock, he tried to cling to a thread of hope. But Bella began to sever that thread with a sharp knife.
“You only care about your own satisfaction. You treated me like a trophy, a way to show off to others. It was the same in bed—even our kisses only lasted until you were satisfied.”
“W-what? That’s not true!”
“I’ve been hurting for a long time, all by myself. Count and Countess Cheslow also disapproved of me and looked down on my family.”
“If you were hurt, I’m truly sorry. I’ll fix my habits. I’ll even persuade my parents. Okay?”
He shook his head desperately, but Bella’s resolve was ironclad.
“I’m tired, James. Please, just let me go.”
Sensing the end, James asked, his hands trembling violently.
“Are you… really in that kind of relationship with the Duke of Kailas?”
“……”
“Is it really true?!”
“I trust that you, of all people, will understand me.”
James felt as if he’d been struck in the back of the head. Though she hadn’t explicitly admitted to dating Cedric, the implication was clear. After all, he had his own history of abandoning his long-time lover, Daphne, for Bella.
“You can't let yourself be dragged down by old sentiment when a better option presents itself, can you?”
He remembered spouting that nonsense in front of Bella back then. Because he had said those words to her once, he found himself unable to say anything now.
“Just so you know, I prefer someone who always speaks to me respectfully and treats me with courtesy.”
With those final words, Bella rose from her seat. Having finally said everything she wanted to say, she felt a profound sense of relief.
Now, should I write to the Duke of Kailas and tell him I’ve ended things with James?
She found herself humming a tune as she walked away.
* * *
The love triangle between Bella, James, and Cedric became the talk of the town. Viviana, who brought the detailed news to Harriet, spent a long time passionately ranting about the chaos Bella had sparked.
“Can you believe this? I thought Bella was just trying to seduce the Duke on her own, but they were actually having an affair!”
Viviana, who had hoped the scandal was merely Bella’s delusion, seemed deeply disheartened.
Harriet, however, remained expressionless. It wasn't so much indifference as it was an unreadable, calculated calm.
“What about Bella’s friends? Have you heard anything?”
“That’s exactly what I came to tell you. I got calls from a few of Bella’s friends—who used to be my friends too, back then. They said they wanted to apologize.”
“Hmm? If Bella’s chances of becoming the Duchess of Kailas have increased, shouldn’t they be more loyal to her?”
“The ones who broke away this time are those who value morality over status. They followed Bella because they truly believed she was an angel.”
They had been flustered when Bella first got engaged to James, and when the scandal with Cedric broke, they had tried to advise her against it. That had caused a rift.
Now, hearing that the engagement was all but officially over, they abandoned their faith in Bella and turned their backs on her.
The shift was significant.
Those friends must have been quite important to Bella.
To become a pillar of high society, Bella had gathered well-known young ladies to form a clique. It sounded simple, but turning haughty noblewomen into loyal followers was no easy feat.
Bella had invested a great deal of time and effort to achieve that. To her, ‘friends’ were a crucial weapon and a useful tool.
Losing them meant either Bella had other, more reliable allies, or she wasn't as sharp as she used to be.
Viviana, unaware of Harriet’s internal analysis, changed the subject in an unnecessarily cheerful voice, perhaps fearing that Harriet was quietly seething.
“Still, it seems she’ll never break things off with Caroline. In fact, they say Caroline has become even closer to Bella lately.”
“In that clique, Caroline is probably the only one truly close to Bella,” Harriet remarked. “Though ‘close’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘friend.’”
“She’s not a friend; she’s a lady-in-waiting, a mere lackey. I truly can’t understand Caroline.”
Harriet let out a small, dry laugh.
‘Understanding’—what a self-centered endeavor.
Harriet had once tried to understand Caroline, too. She had desperately wanted to comprehend why her friend had divulged all her secrets to Bella.
But when Caroline stood beside Bella, slandering and mocking her, Harriet had ceased all effort.
“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll tell you: I never wanted to be your friend. I wanted to be you. But it seemed I could never have that place by your side.”
The memory of Caroline’s face as she confessed that with a sneer—tinged with a strange sense of triumph—remained vivid. Even though Caroline hadn't secured a place of her own, she was satisfied simply by destroying Harriet's.
That was a category of malice Harriet simply couldn't comprehend.
Recalling the bitter memory, Harriet cut her thoughts short with a small sigh. More important matters were lined up, one after another.