Chapter 94
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94
The invitation from the Imperial Family arrived the very next day after Cedric’s meeting with the Empress.
For Harriet, who was entirely unaware of the circumstances behind it, the news came as a complete shock. Just by looking at the expression on Andre’s face—the butler who delivered the letter—she could tell how significant this was. Harriet immediately snatched it up and ran to Trisha.
“Grandmother! The—the Empress has invited me to tea!”
At the sudden outburst, Trisha frowned and gestured for her to calm down.
“Bring that invitation here. You must be mistaken. An audience with the Emperor or Empress isn’t something that happens on a whim…”
Trisha had been speaking gently, hoping to soften the blow of Harriet’s inevitable disappointment, but her jaw dropped as she read the elegant script: 'We request your presence at the Empress’s Palace next Wednesday.'
“Did you get yourself into some kind of trouble?”
“I—I don’t know! But I haven’t done anything that would get me summoned to the Imperial Palace!”
“And yet, she is calling for you. Why on earth would the Empress want to see you?”
“I don’t know. What should I do? I’m not familiar with Imperial etiquette at all…”
“Etiquette isn’t any grander just because it’s the Imperial Palace. More importantly, why were you invited?” Trisha read the invitation carefully once more, her eyes narrowing as she weighed various suspicions. “For a noble of lower rank to be granted an audience with a member of the Imperial Family, they must either have performed some great service to the Empire or been recommended by someone of high standing. Since you haven’t achieved anything yet, it stands to reason that someone mentioned your name to the Empress…”
“But who?”
Just as they were pondering the mystery, Andre knocked urgently on Trisha’s door.
“Madam. A messenger has arrived from the House of Kailas.”
At that, the realization hit them both. There was only one person who would have recommended Harriet to the Empress: Cedric Kailas.
Sure enough, the messenger had brought a letter from Cedric. It contained a brief request for her not to be flustered when the invitation arrived, and a note stating that he would personally escort her to the tea party next week.
What? He’s picking me up?
Harriet was stunned by the fact that Cedric intended to act as her escort, but Trisha’s focus was elsewhere.
“Why did he recommend you to the Empress?”
“Huh? I… well, I’m not sure.”
“Arranging a meeting like this is no small feat. Even for the Duke of Kailas, he would have had to make a difficult request of the Empress. Why you, specifically…?”
Then, as if a lightbulb had gone off, Trisha’s eyes widened.
“Was he the one with you that night?”
It was clear what ‘that night’ referred to without her having to say it.
Harriet should have feigned ignorance and asked what she meant, but having been hit squarely with the truth, she couldn’t find her voice. For Trisha, that silence was answer enough.
“Good heavens. What on earth was a man like him doing hiding behind your skirts? He must know the damage such rumors could do to your reputation, yet he uses you as a shield?”
“No, it wasn’t like that, Grandmother! It was truly an unavoidable situation.”
“I am truly curious what kind of ‘unavoidable situation’ could possibly befall a man like the Duke of Kailas.”
Trisha seemed genuinely displeased with Cedric for once again attaching the label of a ‘loose woman’ to Harriet, who was the far more vulnerable party in this social dynamic.
Harriet was grateful for her grandmother’s protection, yet she felt a strange sense of unease. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want Trisha to dislike Cedric.
“He’s a victim in this as well. I don’t feel I have the right to expose what happened, so I’ve been keeping quiet, but… his family situation seems every bit as complicated as my own.”
“Family situation?”
Harriet had tried to be as vague as possible, but to Trisha, who was well-versed in the tangled webs of the nobility, it was a crucial hint.
The House of Kailas was a relatively new ducal family with no collateral branches and few blood relatives. His mother’s side was the Imperial Family itself, and on his father’s side, there was only the Kingsley Viscountcy. Beyond that, there was no one else he could call family.
Benedict Kingsley… yes, that would certainly qualify as ‘complicated.’
The twin brother of Rowan Kailas—a man frequently seen consorting with his younger brother’s political enemies. As her thoughts reached that conclusion, Trisha looked at Harriet with newfound admiration.
“I misunderstood you. From now on, continue to keep quiet about that day, just as you have with me. Nothing good will come of speaking of it.”
“R-right?”
“From what I can gather, the Kingsley family’s attempt to harm the Duke of Kailas failed because of you. If Viscount Kingsley finds out about this, you will certainly bear the brunt of his resentment.”
Harriet was astonished. Trisha had grasped the core of the incident instantly, without Harriet saying a word. Roxana had once taught her never to underestimate the seasoned matrons of High Society, but she hadn’t expected to confirm that lesson so vividly through Trisha.
As Harriet fumbled for a response, Trisha let out a small, dry laugh.
“Still, you were right. You’ve managed to put a powerful man in your debt, and now you’re receiving your reward.”
“Reward?”
“I told you earlier, didn’t I? It is no easy thing for a common noble to be invited to the Empress’s tea party. Cedric Kailas is repaying his debt to you in his own way.”
Harriet honestly couldn’t understand what benefit meeting the Empress would bring her. Trisha noticed her confusion but merely smiled.
“If I explain it now, you’ll only get nervous. For now, just go and show her your true self.”
“Won’t Her Majesty perhaps reprimand me? After all, there are… unpleasant rumors about me.”
“No. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have invited you at all. The Empress does not have enough free time to summon just any girl for a lecture.”
Trisha spent the rest of the day meticulously explaining the protocols of the Imperial Palace and the Empress’s temperament. She even personally selected the dress and accessories Harriet would wear.
“Everything will change once you set foot in the Imperial Palace.”
Harriet still looked puzzled, but Trisha said no more and sent her off to rest.
*
On the morning of the tea party, Cedric checked his reflection in the mirror while his valet finished his preparations.
He always took care with his appearance when visiting the Palace, but today, he couldn't shake the feeling that he’d been especially meticulous.
Is it too much?
He wondered if his newly purchased silk tie was a bit too flashy. Not only would it be embarrassing to outshine the lady he was escorting, but he also worried Harriet might see him as a frivolous man. Or rather, it was a slight concern.
“Not this one. I’ll wear the usual.”
“If I may be so bold, Your Grace, this tie suits your suit perfectly. If you secure it with a simple pin, it won’t feel excessive at all.”
His valet, who always assisted with his grooming, offered his advice carefully. While it might have been true, Cedric shook his head.
“The usual one. I’ll wear a brooch separately, so it won’t look too plain.”
“Understood.”
When Cedric refused twice, no further persuasion was allowed. The valet quickly brought the cravat he wore most often.
As the valet had suggested, it was a bit more subdued than the tie he’d just tried on, but since his father’s heirloom brooch was somewhat striking, this modest choice felt balanced.
He dismissed his attendants and opened the top drawer of his bedside cabinet. Inside, his most-worn accessories were neatly arranged in velvet compartments.
The drawer was divided into forty sections, and the Ruby Brooch always sat in the very center. If that compartment was empty, it would catch his eye immediately.
Just like it did now.
It’s missing…?
Cedric recalled the last time he had worn the piece. It was ten days ago, in the mansion’s meeting room, during a discussion regarding the Alkines Reclamation Project.
It was definitely there until I changed my clothes that evening.
He searched the immediate area, but a ruby of that size and quality was hard to miss. If it wasn't in its place, it simply wasn't there.
Just then, the butler knocked on the door.
“Your Grace. It is time to depart.”
There was no time left to search the room. Cedric quietly closed the drawer and opened the door. Seeing his master’s chilling demeanor, the butler instinctively sensed that something was wrong.
“Compile a list of everyone who has entered or exited this room in the past ten days.”
“Has Your Grace lost something?”
“My father’s heirloom brooch. It’s gone without a trace.”
The butler’s eyes widened in shock.