Chapter 58
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58
“Honestly, what a disaster. This was supposed to be a pleasant outing.”
Her friends were all watching her, carefully gauging her mood. But Daphne wasn't really listening to their chatter.
“Your love wasn’t the insignificant thing. He was the one who was insignificant.”
Why had those words provided such profound comfort?
Earlier, she had been so overwhelmed by emotion that she’d burst into tears. But now that she had cried her fill, the tormenting weight in her chest had vanished. Her heart no longer felt stifled.
‘My love wasn’t insignificant...’
Harriet’s resolute tone, which hadn't allowed for even an inch of doubt, felt like a final verdict for Daphne: You did nothing wrong.
It was a single phrase that liberated her from the question that had long haunted her: Was it my fault?
‘My love was right. He was simply the one who betrayed it.’
Daphne took a deep breath. It felt as if her lungs were truly expanding for the first time in years.
“Daphne?” someone called out.
Daphne didn’t answer. Instead, she reached up and untied the scarf knotted beneath her chin. As the silk slipped away, her bonnet fell to the floor of the carriage with a soft thud.
Her dazzling silver hair fluttered in the breeze drifting through the window. Her friends stared at her with wide, surprised eyes, but she paid them no mind.
“Were we really right about her?” Daphne murmured.
“Huh? Who?”
“Miss Harriet Listerwell. She seems very different from the person I thought I knew.”
Her friends fell silent, thinking the same thing.
Recalling Harriet’s words, it didn't feel like she had been slandering Bella out of petty jealousy. Rather, it felt as though she had been trying to offer Daphne genuine comfort and strength.
“Oh, surely not...” one friend whispered, though her voice lacked any real conviction.
‘Harriet Listerwell... Will I be able to meet her again?’
Daphne gazed out the window, her expression unreadable. Harriet’s piercing, brilliant eyes were etched deeply into her mind.
*
The popularity of the soap produced at Saint Clarissa Convent showed no signs of waning. After news of the Imperial Family’s supply contract hit the papers, the soap sold out day after day.
「The Imperial Will to Aid the Needy Reflected in Soap」
「<Saint Clarissa Soap & Herb> Secures Exclusive Supply Contract with the Imperial Family」
「The Secrets of <Saint Clarissa Soap & Herb>: An Interview with the Advertising Model」
For several days, the newspapers Harriet hadn’t had time to read were filled with news of the contract. But Harriet wasn’t particularly excited.
‘Duke Kailas probably pulled some strings.’
The contract itself was the result of Cedric and his mother’s efforts. And Cedric wasn’t the type to let such an achievement go unnoticed by the public.
However, she hadn’t expected the newspapers to put such a spotlight on her, the model, or to go as far as requesting an interview. Harriet unfolded an article featuring her photo, her face flushing slightly.
「...As if to justify the scandals she once attracted, Miss Harriet Listerwell possesses exceptional beauty. Concerned about her marriage prospects, her guardian at the time entrusted her to Saint Clarissa Convent for a year. During this time, Miss Harriet is said to have personally crafted the soap while contemplating the will of God.」
The rest of the article detailed the immense care put into the product, the purity of its ingredients, and how the profits were being used to support the convent.
There was nothing to fault regarding the information about the soap. However, the claim that she was a beauty "worthy of attracting scandals" felt like a blatant lie.
‘As if the scandals happened because I was beautiful...’
Her past was being subtly romanticized, and she couldn't quite decide if that was a good or bad thing.
It was almost amusing. Nothing about her had changed except for her skin clearing up, yet the way the world looked at her was shifting entirely. In truth, Harriet had always considered herself ordinary at best. Growing up alongside a cousin who was hailed as one of high society’s greatest beauties, it was only natural to develop such a complex.
‘I think I was even teased for being ugly starting around the age of fifteen.’
At the time, she had believed it. But looking back, she wondered if that, too, had been public opinion manufactured by Bella or her uncle. Perhaps even the talk of Bella being the realm's greatest beauty had been a fabrication.
In any case, everything was changing now.
‘You said I was ugly and embarrassing, didn’t you, Bella? So you must be thrilled that I’ve become such a beauty. Right?’
Imagining Bella’s fury as she tore the newspaper to shreds in a fit of pique, Harriet burst into laughter.
*
“Are you the head of the company that produces this medicine?”
“Yes, Your Highness. It is a profound honor to meet you.”
Albert knelt deeply on one knee, bowing low before Second Prince Michael. His expression was one of utmost respect, but inwardly, he was reeling with elation.
‘Albert! The Second Prince’s condition has improved after taking <Angelic>!’
When Benedict had delivered the news a few days ago, Albert had thought it was merely a stroke of good fortune. He hadn't expected to be granted an audience with the Prince so quickly.
Second Prince Michael Ron Leopold was twenty-five years old, possessing the golden hair and blue eyes of the Empress. His marriage was scheduled for the following year. However, he had been suffering from a mysterious bout of depression and insomnia for the past few years.
‘They said no other medicine worked, but <Angelic> did? What a godsend!’
He had heard from a Firman Pharmacist that it was a medicine for "those driven mad by sorrow," but he never imagined it would be this effective. Furthermore, having the Prince himself as a witness to the drug’s efficacy was an incredible boon for business.
“Since taking your company’s medicine, I’ve felt much better. I’m finally sleeping. I called you here to express my gratitude.”
“I am deeply honored, Your Highness. If I may be so bold, how did Your Highness come to discover <Angelic>?”
“A friend gave it to me, calling it a ‘mood-enhancing drug.’ Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes...”
He had assumed it was just another aphrodisiac used at rowdy parties.
But <Angelic> was different. While it did seem to slightly stimulate his libido, that wasn’t the draw. The astonishing thing was how his perpetually heavy mood had suddenly become light and buoyant.
Michael, who had been lethargic and trapped in a dark fog, was finally able to live like a human being again. He could get out of bed, take walks, write letters, and eat with an appetite.
“You are my benefactor. I was worried I wouldn’t even be able to go through with my marriage, but thanks to you, I feel normal again.”
“It is my greatest honor to have brought Your Highness joy.”
Albert was genuinely pleased. Though <Angelic> had been created for the nocturnal entertainment of the nobility, seeing Michael freed from his depression made him feel as if he had saved a life.
However, this was too valuable an opportunity to waste on mere pleasantries.
“However, Your Highness, if I may be so bold, I have a small request.”
“Speak. If it is a request from my benefactor, I shall help to the best of my ability.”
It was the perfect answer.
“It is nothing major, but I was wondering if Your Highness might lend me your support should anyone try to interfere with my business in the future...”
“Hmm? Interfere? Is something happening?”
“Not at the moment. But there are always those who grow envious when others succeed, are there not? If <Angelic> achieves great success, there will undoubtedly be those who resent it.”
Michael nodded vigorously. “Indeed. There are always those who try to ruin others simply because they cannot achieve anything themselves.”
“At such a time, if Your Highness would personally testify to the beneficial effects of <Angelic>, it would be a great shield for my business and the continued production of the medicine.”
A life without <Angelic> was now unimaginable for Michael. He could barely function without it, so the idea of production halting was absolutely out of the question.
“Of course! I will help you. This medicine must never cease production!”
“Thank you, Your Highness. In that spirit, I shall present Your Highness with a month’s supply of the medicine as a gift every month.”
“Oh? But I would feel guilty accepting that for free!”
“Not at all. For me, Your Highness’s recovery is reward enough. The cost is negligible to me, so please, do not refuse.”
While the dosage of <Angelic> varied, Michael was currently taking one five-gram packet of the powder twice a day. A month’s supply cost about 3,000 Dirham—not a large sum for a Prince. He accepted with a hearty laugh, genuinely touched by Albert’s "sincerity."
But Albert had been on tenterhooks, terrified the Prince might refuse.
‘Soon, he won’t be able to endure a single day without it. I just need to let him become fully dependent. Even if the price per gram eventually equals that of a gold nugget, he won’t be able to stop himself from buying it.’
Having a connection within the Imperial Family who could never betray him was a very reassuring thing indeed.