Chapter 34
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34
“But Uncle, you knew, didn’t you? I actually believed you. I thought you were the only person in the world I could trust.”
Yet he had betrayed that trust in the cruelest way possible, as if mocking her very existence.
“It’s almost amusing to hear you talk of trust now, Uncle, after how casually you discarded my faith in you. If you’re going to be this vicious to others, you should be prepared to face the consequences yourself.”
“So, you’re hell-bent on ruining Bella’s marriage prospects?”
“I never said that. But from now on, Uncle, you won’t be able to predict a single thing I do. I have no intention of living up to your expectations ever again.”
Harriet silently hoped he would spend every waking moment second-guessing her, fretting until his nerves finally snapped.
But her farewell was elegant—a calculated grace designed to ensure her enemy, who had finally revealed his true colors, wouldn't dare retaliate.
“Please, have a safe journey. May blessings be upon the House of Viscount Listerwell.”
Blessings from the god of despair and misfortune.
Harriet bowed her head slightly in greeting, then tapped her foot against the carriage floor. Understanding the signal, the coachman urged the horses forward, leaving John’s Listerwell carriage standing solitary in the road.
“Damn it.”
John glared at the rear of the receding carriage, grinding his teeth.
He had assumed he could easily drag her to Perilas if he intimidated her as he had in the past, then subtly cajoled her as if he were doing her a favor. He hadn't expected Harriet to snap back with such ferocity.
Does she think a new guardian gives her the right to look down on her own uncle? We’ll see about that.
The encounter had been a failure because his plan was flawed from the start, but as he began his journey home, he felt nothing but pure irritation at Harriet’s changed demeanor.
* * *
“I’m back.”
As soon as she returned to the mansion, Harriet went to greet Trisha.
Usually, Trisha would simply dismiss her to rest, but today she gestured for Harriet to come closer.
“John was here earlier.”
“Ah… he must have been on his way out when I ran into him, Grandmother.”
“What? You met John?”
“Yes. He threatened to find a way to drive me out of Genoa if I kept ‘slandering’ Bella.”
More than an hour had passed since John left the mansion. The fact that Harriet had encountered him just now meant he had been lying in wait for her. He must have been truly desperate.
Trisha snorted and shook her head.
“He spent the entire time slandering you to me. He called you a pathological liar and insisted you should be kicked out immediately.”
“Did he mention that I’d gone mad with jealousy over Bella?”
“Ah, I believe he did mention that as well.”
Harriet simply nodded with an indifferent expression, as if she were hearing something mundane.
A liar and a plain girl consumed by jealousy for her cousin.
At some point, the accusations against Harriet had become standardized. She used to think it was because she was taking the blame for Bella’s mistakes, but looking at the situation now, it was clear her uncle had deliberately cultivated those rumors.
I had to be the villain. That way, even if I eventually exposed the truth about Bella, no one would ever believe me.
And in the same stroke, it made the "angelic" Bella shine even brighter.
“You seem to have known this would happen, Harriet.”
“It’s nothing new, so I’m not surprised. Tell me, Grandmother—after hearing Uncle’s story, do you wish to revoke your guardianship?”
“That is a rather impertinent thing to say.”
“I apologize. I suppose I’ve become a bit cynical after seeing that my uncle hasn't changed at all.”
Trisha clicked her tongue as she watched Harriet give a hollow laugh. Harriet’s eyes, which had sparkled with such intelligence at yesterday’s party, now looked empty. It seemed the old wounds had been reopened.
“Actually, you should thank John. After hearing what he had to say, I found myself believing your words instead.”
“My… what words?”
“That none of those scandals were actually your doing. Tsk.”
In his desperation, John had made a hasty mistake. If he had just kept quiet, Trisha might have maintained an objective distance. But the very act of rushing over to scream, “She’s a liar, don’t believe her!” only served to prove that Harriet was telling the truth.
“I’m already dreading the stories of what you’ve been through.”
Harriet felt a refreshing breeze wash over her. The weight on her chest lightened at the realization that Trisha had chosen to believe her over John. It was as if her vision had cleared and the entire world had brightened by a degree.
I have another ally.
And not someone far away in the capital, but someone right here in the heart of Genoa.
However, she couldn't afford to grow weak or overly reliant on this fragile trust just yet.
“Thank you, Great-aunt. I hope the day comes soon when I can tell you everything. When that happens…”
Harriet took a deep breath and exhaled. The faces of her parents—who had once brought her as a child to visit Trisha and the Count and Lady Fellon—flashed before her eyes.
“Then, I want to ask for your comfort, Grandmother. Until then, I won’t disappoint you.”
Trisha clenched her thin fists. Sorrow bled through Harriet’s expression even as she steeled her resolve. But Trisha would not wipe away that sorrow yet. To forge the strongest steel, the blade still needed more tempering.
“Yes, I look forward to it. You likely don’t feel well, so go upstairs. Eat something delicious and rest.”
After thanking Trisha for her consideration, Harriet headed for her room. However, Roxana, who was waiting in the hallway, was not as lenient as the mistress of the house.
“I heard you met Viscount Listerwell today. Both of you.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
Roxana likely knew more than just the fact that they had met. When it came to Trisha, Roxana knew everything. Her usually expressionless face was even colder than usual.
“The Madam would never have allowed a man like that to set foot in this mansion if it weren't for you, Lady Harriet.”
Roxana, who had studied abroad under the Fellon family’s sponsorship and served as Trisha’s aide for ten years, taught Harriet only because she was ordered to. She held no personal affection for the girl. To Roxana, Harriet was a burden to her benefactor and a potential risk who could betray them at any moment. She was deeply displeased that Trisha had been subjected to such an unpleasant experience because of Harriet.
“Viscount John Listerwell has made many insolent demands of the Madam in the past as well.”
“Insolent demands…?”
“He asked for the House of Listerwell to be specially recommended for projects reserved for the Imperial Family’s direct lines, tried to borrow business funds, and attempted to use the Madam’s influence to introduce his acquaintances to high society. He never succeeded, not even once.”
Harriet could easily imagine it. He must have tried to sweet-talk her, playing the part of the dutiful relative. But Trisha was not a woman to be swayed by such transparent ploys.
“You must understand exactly how much the Madam is sacrificing for you, Lady Harriet. If you ever act in a way that forgets her kindness, I will persuade her to expel you by any means necessary.”
Roxana’s warning was delivered without a raised voice, yet it was chilling enough to send shivers down Harriet’s spine. Harriet didn't feel the need to cower, but she knew Roxana wasn't speaking out of malice. She was simply protective of Trisha.
“If I ever do such a thing, please scold me harshly, Teacher. If there are misunderstandings, I will correct them. If I make mistakes, I will fix them.”
“I certainly hope so,” Roxana replied, her voice showing no sign of softening despite Harriet’s humble response.
* * *
John wasn’t the only one busy the day after the Vanderbilt party. Friends who arrived for afternoon tea were busy recounting Harriet’s performance to Bella.
“If you had seen her yourself, you would have fainted from the shock! The girl has returned a completely different person, I’m telling you!”
“Exactly. Before, she would deny everything until she was caught in a lie, right? Then she’d give some half-hearted apology. But this time, she just admitted to it all. She claimed she’d ‘reflected’ on her actions at the convent.”
“The problem is, it just makes her seem more brazen. It wasn't a sincere apology at all.”
Bella barely swallowed the sneer that threatened to escape as she watched her friends nod in fervent agreement.
Even Father has been making a fuss about Harriet since this morning. Everyone is in an uproar. It’s just Harriet—what is the big deal?
Bella allowed her friends to slander Harriet for a long while. Only when the conversation began to loop did she feign a look of deep sadness, casting her eyes down with a heavy sigh.
“Thank you all for telling me. Harriet probably harbors deep resentment toward my father and me because her guardianship was severed. But I truly wished for her to reflect at the convent and be reborn. That is why we sent her there—we even paid a small fortune to ensure she was well-cared for.”
Bella lowered her head, the picture of a grieving, misunderstood saint.