Chapter 190
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 190
“Harriet. Harriet.”
Someone was calling her name in a soft, melodic voice, but Harriet was too buried in sleep to answer.
Perhaps the voice was merely a fragment of a dream.
‘Mom... Dad...’
At the sound of that affectionate tone—one she had only ever heard from them—Harriet curled into a tighter ball, refusing to wake.
The sunlight, casting the dappled shadows of thin linen curtains over her, was perfectly warm. The breeze felt like a mother’s gentle caress, making it even harder to pull herself back to reality.
“You must be exhausted. Still, sleeping on the sofa like this...”
Hearing the worried murmur again, Harriet wanted to nod. She wanted to complain that life was draining, that she wished someone would just hold her and pat her back.
As if sensing her silent plea, a pair of hands slipped beneath her and carefully lifted her. The sensation of weightlessness, so rare in her waking life, made Harriet’s lashes flutter.
“My apologies. Did I wake you?” the man asked in a quiet, contrite voice.
“Cedric...?”
Her vision was a blur, but she knew it was him by his scent and the timbre of his voice alone.
‘Is this a dream?’
It had to be. She was at the Fellon Estate, and Cedric was far too busy to have traveled all this way. Harriet closed her eyes again, surrendering to the pleasant swaying. A dream where he was holding her... the thought made a faint smile graze her lips.
“You must be having a lovely dream.”
“Mmm...”
Ever since she had brought charges against John, her days had been a whirlwind. The lawyers John hired were relentless, demanding "precise" recollections of even the most trivial details. They had tried to tear her down, dragging her personal life through the mud to discredit her testimony.
But she was no longer the Harriet Listerwell of the past. Through Cedric’s connections, she had hired the top lawyer in Genoa and was systematically dismantling John’s slander. She had even summoned Bella back from the Saint Clarissa Convent for questioning. The legal skirmishes were endless.
She was finally carrying out the vow she’d made upon leaving the convent, and with a fierce determination to win, Harriet had barely slept. She had dedicated every waking moment to the trial. She must have finally collapsed into a nap, fainting from sheer exhaustion. Seeing Cedric in her dream—the man she hadn't been able to see properly because of the case—made her feel both relieved and happy.
“I... miss you...” she mumbled.
The owner of the soft voice asked, as if coaxing a child, “Who do you miss?”
“You.”
Even in her sleep, a blush of embarrassment warmed her cheeks, and a soft, airy giggle escaped her lips.
By then, they must have reached a bedroom, as Cedric gently lowered her onto a soft mattress.
“Not as much as I missed you. I came all this way just to see you, didn't I?”
“Mmm...”
“My lover has fallen asleep, but even this isn't so bad.”
She felt a slight vibration against the bed, as if he were chuckling softly.
But Harriet couldn't respond. The comfort of the bed pulled her back into a deep, dreamless slumber.
*
How long had she slept?
When she finally opened her eyes, she felt more rested than she had in weeks. Her eyes, which had been gritty and stinging with fatigue before she drifted off, felt clear and refreshed.
She glanced at the clock and started.
‘I slept for three whole hours.’
It was far too long for a nap, but the heavy shroud of exhaustion had finally lifted.
She sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the wall. Outside the window, the midday sun had dipped toward the horizon, painting the sky in evening hues.
‘I miss Cedric.’
Seeing him in her dream had only sharpened the longing. Although they had met briefly to discuss the trial, there had been no time for anything personal. She had finally become his lover, and their agreed-upon term was nearly up, yet they hadn't spent any real time together. It was frustrating.
‘It can’t be helped. This is the path I chose.’
Harriet let out a long sigh and stood up, but then she paused as a thought struck her.
‘Who moved me to the bed?’
She had definitely fallen asleep on the sofa. She’d only intended to close her eyes for a moment. But now, as if the dream had been real, she was in her own room.
Harriet pondered the mystery with a serious expression before shaking her head with a small laugh.
‘Aunt Roxana must have had a servant move me.’
Cedric, who was even busier than she was, couldn't possibly have come. There had been no message, no warning.
She finished tidying her hair and smoothing her clothes. Just then, as if sensing she was awake, Esther knocked on the door.
“Miss? Are you awake?”
“Yes! Come in.”
Esther opened the door but didn't enter. Instead, she stood in the hallway to announce dinner.
“Everyone is waiting to eat with you, Miss.”
“What? Really? You should have woken me!”
“The Madam specifically told us not to. She said you haven't been getting enough sleep lately.”
“Oh, for goodness sake! How did they even know when I’d wake up?”
Harriet quickly wiped her face with a toner-soaked cloth and hurried down to the dining room. Before she even reached the door, she heard the sound of laughter from inside. It was Trisha’s voice, joined by a man’s.
“Huh...?”
Harriet pushed the door open and froze, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
“Oh, you’re here, Harriet,” Trisha said.
“Yes, Grandmother...”
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost. Is that any way to greet your fiancé?”
“Ah, no, it’s just...”
The man keeping Trisha company was Cedric. There was no mistaking him.
“H-how are you here?”
“Because I missed you beyond endurance.”
“What?”
When Harriet blinked in bewilderment, Cedric smiled. He looked so handsome when he smiled that she found herself beaming back at him. She approached the table, her heart fluttering.
“When did you arrive? You should have woken me.”
“You were sleeping so soundly that I was worried I’d wake you even as I was carrying you to bed.”
“Whaaat?” Harriet let out an involuntary shriek. “It... it wasn't a dream?”
“Did you wish it were a dream?”
“I think I was talking in my sleep... saying strange things...”
“Not strange,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “But you were indeed talking.”
“What? What did I say?”
He only smiled sweetly, refusing to tell her. It made her wonder if he had always been this prone to smiling.
Trisha, watching the two of them with a pleased expression, gestured to a nearby maid.
“Go fetch Roxana. Sleeping Beauty has finally graced us with her presence, so it’s time for dinner.”
With just one extra guest, the atmosphere at dinner was far more convivial than usual.
Cedric was a master of social graces. He was an excellent conversationalist, never dominating the room but livening the air with well-timed jokes. He introduced interesting topics when the discussion waned and naturally shared the news everyone had been curious about.
It had been a long time since Trisha had looked so delighted, and it was practically the first time Harriet had seen Roxana laugh with such genuine amusement.
‘Someone who leads high society truly is different,’ Harriet thought, admiring him. He had the rare ability to make anyone feel at ease.
And the fact that those "anyone" were the people she loved gave her a strange, warm feeling.
‘He’s not even my real fiancé, but I feel oddly proud.’
She tried to suppress the smile that kept tugging at her lips as she finished her meal. After dinner, she naturally assumed she would see Cedric off, but Trisha stood up first.
“I’ve had the lamps in the garden lit. Just don’t go anywhere too secluded, alright?”
Harriet stammered in embarrassment, but Cedric bowed respectfully.
“Thank you.”
“You ought to be compensated for entertaining an old woman for three hours,” Trisha added.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Harriet looked from one to the other.
Roxana chuckled and answered for them. “While you were asleep, Duke Kailas kept Mother company. They chatted, and even played a few rounds of chess.”
Harriet froze, her mouth agape. When he said he had moved her to the bed, why hadn't she realized he had been waiting for three whole hours?
“W-weren't you busy?”
“I am busy.”
“Then why...?”
“As I said before,” he murmured, “because I missed you beyond endurance.”
In that moment, Harriet felt as if she saw an illusion of pink rose petals fluttering around her. It was fleeting, but dazzling.
Trisha, declaring she had no desire to watch young lovers flirt in front of her, quickly led Roxana away. Before Harriet could even react, Cedric was leading her out toward the mansion’s garden.
The spring night breeze was soft and fragrant—the kind of air that could make one fall in love with a stranger. In the scattered glow of the garden lamps, the petals of newly bloomed flowers shimmered like white silk.
“Really... what happened?” Harriet asked, still unable to wrap her head around his presence.
Cedric stopped and looked down at her.