Chapter 27
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 27
"She seems to have her own plans, so I’m watching her with interest."
Trisha gave an uncharacteristic smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling softly.
Though they didn't meet often, Trisha’s demeanor was usually expressionless or, at best, somewhat irritable. This was the first time Cedric could recall seeing her look so genuinely pleased.
"It seems Miss Harriet has captured your interest."
At his words, Trisha’s smile vanished instantly. She smoothed her expression into something prim, as if being caught smiling wounded her pride.
"Not yet. She is still quite lacking. Her parents died when she was young, and it seems she never received proper guidance afterward."
"Is that so?"
"There’s no need to pretend you don't know. If there is anyone in this circle who doesn't know her reputation, that would be the real surprise. I, too, have heard the rumors."
Trisha spoke while delicately brushing her fingertips against the cool petals of a hydrangea.
"But I don't entirely trust rumors. As the Duke knows, rumors are naturally exaggerated to be more sensational. They are distorted as they pass from mouth to mouth, and sometimes, they are entirely fabricated."
"Indeed."
"So, I intend to water a wilting sprout. If I provide fertilizer at the right time and expose it to enough sunlight, who knows? It might just bloom into a beautiful flower."
"And what if it fails to bloom and simply withers away? All your effort would be for naught."
Trisha, who had been idly touching the petals, raised her head to look Cedric in the eye.
"You’ve never tended a garden, have you?"
"Well..."
"A gardener doesn't feel wronged or resentful when a flower they’ve diligently watered and fertilized withers. Instead of blaming the plant, they reflect on what they might have done wrong."
In other words, if a plant withers, it is usually the gardener’s fault.
It must have been John who reduced Harriet to that state. Yet he dotes on his own daughter.
Of course, she wasn't suggesting that one should treat a niece exactly like one's own child. But recalling how well the late Arthur had treated John during his lifetime, John seemed ungrateful no matter how one looked at it.
Trisha could still vividly recall Harriet’s expression as she turned to look at her during a dress fitting.
"This is the first time I’ve bought clothes I truly like since my mother passed away."
Harriet had been smiling, but her face still carried the lingering traces of a sorrow she hadn't yet forgotten.
Indeed, would the dew gathered deep within the petals truly dry up just because the sun had risen?
But Harriet had chosen to overcome her sorrow and move forward on her own. She was no weak sapling destined to wither away.
"Truth be told, despite what I say, I’ve never touched a failing venture. Harriet will improve greatly. You see, I have a very good eye for these things."
Trisha tilted her chin up, looking utterly confident.
Cedric found her confidence strangely appealing—so much so that he found himself wishing to meet with her more often in the future.
"So there is a reason the Fellon family’s businesses are so successful. If this conversation had been an investment pitch, I might have unwittingly put money into it."
It was half a joke, but Trisha’s eyes gleamed with mischief.
"Would you like to invest?"
The meaning was ambiguous, so Cedric merely maintained his smile and offered no reply. Trisha laughed, as if she had expected nothing less.
"Just kidding, just kidding! Hahaha!"
Cedric laughed along with her.
But what was this strange feeling? It felt as if he had been subtly drawn into her pace.
* * *
It was on a day in late June that something occurred to remind the Listerwell family—who had all but forgotten Harriet—of her name.
Among the bundle of letters brought by the post office clerk was one addressed to Harriet. Even the sender was unexpected.
"Huh? The President of the Bank of Perilas Asety?"
John picked up the letter and tilted his head in confusion.
Perilas was a region near Genoa, but what business could a bank there have with Harriet?
He didn't hesitate to tear open the envelope.
「Dear Miss Harriet Listerwell,
...The return of the land and manor, which your late father entrusted to us in lieu of a bank debt, will take place on June 25th. However, as the procedure can only be finalized once you, Miss Harriet, as the titleholder, personally come to sign the return certificate, please visit us any time after the 25th to...」
John’s eyes widened like saucers as he read the letter.
"What? One hundred and sixty-five hectares of land in Perilas? And a manor, too?"
He had never heard of this property. And for it to be returned to Harriet’s name, of all things!
"What in the world is going on?!"
Fortunately for the dumbfounded John, the Bank President had attached a document explaining the details, perhaps fearing Harriet might have forgotten the old contract.
The land and manor in Perilas had originally belonged to a baron named Thomas Belburn. At that name, a faint rumor resurfaced in John’s memory.
"Thomas Belburn? That man would gamble with his tongue if his hands were cut off."
"He’d gamble with his toes if his tongue were cut out."
Thomas, the gambling addict! Yes, it must be him!
It seemed he had incurred a massive debt to Arthur. Though the document didn't specify the reason, it was almost certainly due to gambling. Either he had borrowed money from Arthur to gamble, or he had lost heavily to Arthur at the table.
I’d never heard of my brother gambling, so he must have been the one who lent the money.
He didn't know how they had come to be connected, but Arthur must have believed there was no risk of default since Thomas had put his own land and manor up as collateral.
But what gambler’s assets could possibly remain intact?
When the time came for repayment, there was no contact. Upon checking, it turned out Thomas had absconded with his family in the dead of night. When Arthur went to inspect the land he’d received in lieu of payment, he found a mob of unpaid tenant farmers, seed merchants, and produce wholesalers shouting in front of the Belburn Mansion.
Arthur was the new landlord who had appeared before that enraged crowd.
「Sir Arthur Listerwell took out a loan from our bank to settle the outstanding debts of the Belburn family, and subsequently entrusted the Belburn family's land and manor to our bank for a period of ten years, agreeing to offset the loan with the profits generated during that time. (June 25, 1866)
Furthermore, Miss Harriet Listerwell was designated as the titleholder of this land and manor, with the agreement that it would be fully returned to Miss Harriet on June 25, 1876, ten years hence...」
"June 25, 1866?"
That was a mere three days before Arthur’s death.
That’s right! He said he’d only been back for a day from his trip when it happened. Was that trip to Perilas?
Arthur, who had attended an outing with his brother’s family immediately upon returning from his trip, had become a "guest of no return" before he could even record the information in his ledger.
So that’s why I never knew.
John clicked his tongue in annoyance.
If he had known about this while Harriet was still living in this house, getting her to sign the title transfer documents would have been a simple matter.
Of course, he had no intention of giving up this land and manor now. Perilas was famous for its fertile soil, and that land, now free of any remaining debt, was quite literally a goldmine.
With this alone, I can recover the losses from the Bernard Merchant Ship flooding and invest heavily in the Argental trade!
John, who had recently suffered significant losses in his business, felt as though heaven itself was reaching out to help him.
In any case, Harriet knows nothing about this land. All I have to do is change the title and claim it.
He would simply forge the title transfer documents and scribble Harriet’s signature.
Excited, he immediately took out paper and pen and began drafting a plausible document.
The document stated that immediately after the original contract, the Head of the Listerwell Family had changed. Since all assets of the family were to be under the management of the new Head, Harriet Listerwell was "voluntarily" relinquishing her property rights.
"「...In accordance with the above circumstances... the ownership... of the said land and manor... is hereby transferred... to her uncle, John Listerwell.」"
John smiled with satisfaction as he finished the last sentence. He was about to sign Harriet’s name himself, but he paused, changed his mind, and called for Bella.
He informed the summoned Bella about the Perilas land and handed her the documents.
"If I sign it, our handwriting might look too similar, and I’ll get caught. You sign Harriet’s name."
"Fine. In return, I’m buying those diamond earrings tomorrow. That’s fair, isn't it?"
She didn't even give John a chance to refuse, quickly scrawling the signature on the document.
It felt unpleasant to write Harriet’s name with her own hand, but if she could get the diamond earrings she’d had her eye on as compensation, it was well worth the effort.
John shot Bella a disapproving look for her greed, but he didn't say no.
If I sell the Perilas land, I can get at least thirty million Dirham. Earrings are nothing in comparison.
However, it didn't even take a full day for that inflated dream to shatter completely.