Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Translator: Nox

Chapter 1Chapter 1

~Chapter 01~

‘Maybe it’s time for me to leave now.’

The royal banquet commemorating the victory in the Kiphrene War was dazzling enough to hurt the eyes. Standing alone by an unnoticed wall, abandoned without a single dance request, was suffocating.

Harriet quietly scanned her surroundings, trying to slip away unnoticed.

Her uncle, Viscount Listerwell, was nearby introducing his son Aston to various acquaintances. He paid no attention to Harriet. Just as always.

‘Where are Aunt and Bella?’

She couldn’t see her aunt. She was probably in a side room gossiping with other ladies, shoes kicked off.

Harriet glanced over at the group where the young men had gathered. Bella was surely there.

As expected, Bella stood at the center of attention, surrounded by far more men with her friends.

‘Genoa’s golden rose, as always.’

Harriet pressed her lips together tightly to suppress a scoff that threatened to escape.

Did those men know the truth hidden behind that angelic smile?

Confirming that her uncle’s family was occupied with their own affairs, Harriet turned toward the exit.

But right then, the lights went out.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Is it a blackout?”

People looked around in confusion, murmuring in agitation. Of course, no one was as startled as Harriet, who had been trying to sneak away.

Soon, a royal event staff member shouted.

“Please everyone, stay calm! We’ll turn on the emergency lights shortly!”

The servants quickly lit the oil lamps, as if prepared for such a situation. The quick-witted conductor signaled the orchestra, and a serenade-like violin melody began to flow. The soft glow of the lamps added a romantic atmosphere.

As the worry subsided, people soon realized what this blackout meant.

“Oh! It must be the brooch event!”

“I heard dimming the lights at banquets is the latest trend, but I didn’t expect the imperial family to do it too.”

“Well, with the war over, it’s time to find partners, right? Haha.”

The latest fad in noble society romance was for a man to secretly pin a brooch onto the dress of the woman he admired without her noticing.

The woman would later discover the brooch, and a few days after, the man would approach her saying, “I’ve come to retrieve the item I left behind.”

Some would be delighted, others disappointed. Usually, there were more in the disappointed camp.

“It’ll be fun to see which young lady gets the most brooches.”

“Bella will take first place again, right?”

Harriet stood still amid the excited crowd to avoid being pushed over, chuckling softly.

‘Bella will pretend to be flustered by having too many brooches while secretly enjoying it inside. And a few young ladies will feel hurt watching that.’

It wouldn’t be easy for the men either. Bella was kind to everyone, but she always firmly drew the line with those who openly courted her.

‘If it were me, I’d be so grateful I’d cry.’

Harriet let out a bitter sigh.

If someone pinned a brooch on her dress, she’d marry them without hesitation unless they had some fatally critical flaw. She’d do anything to escape this life as a freeloader in her uncle’s house.

But there was zero chance of that happening.

“Oh my! Who’s that?”

“Eek!”

Shrieks mixed with shyness and coquetry filled the air. Harriet sighed lightly, waiting for this event unrelated to her to end and the lights to come back on.

About five minutes later, the chandeliers flickered and once again brightly illuminated the hall.

The orchestra naturally resumed the previous piece, and the guests anxiously checked their dresses to see the results of the game.

Harriet let out a small chuckle where no one could see and tried to quietly slip away again. That was when Bella suddenly shouted.

“Oh my, Harriet! What’s that?”

Bella, who had been quite far away just moments ago, was now only a few steps behind her, pointing at her dress.

‘When did she come all the way here?’

Unable to hide her surprise, Harriet looked down at where Bella was pointing.

At the hem of the dress she had chosen for tonight’s event hung a splendid ruby brooch.

“Huh, what’s this?”

As Harriet froze in shock, staring wide-eyed at the brooch, Bella approached with a delighted smile.

“Someone must want to confess to you! A ruby this red—surely from someone very passionate!”

“Huh? No, that can’t be…”

“Any idea who it might be?”

“N-No! Not at all! It must be a mistake. It was really dark.”

“No way! Harriet, you’re too modest.”

Bella laughed as if she’d heard the funniest joke in the world and playfully tapped Harriet’s shoulder.

Her laughter drew her friends and followers over, and in an instant, the area grew noisy.

Of course, the looks they directed at Harriet were far from friendly.

“Interesting. Who could it be? A man who wants to confess to Harriet.”

“Well, tastes vary.”

“I suppose tastes differ from person to person.”

“But is this really just a matter of taste? It’s a matter of reputation.”

Every teasing remark thrown her way had barbs sharp enough to be hard to ignore. But as always, Harriet had no choice but to pretend she didn’t understand. After all, there was no one here to take her side.

Instead, she carefully removed the bright red ruby brooch from her dress and examined it.

The large ruby itself was highly valuable, but the intricate platinum setting and the quality of the diamonds adorning it were no joke either.

‘The design’s a bit outdated. Probably an older man.’

Of course. No decent man her age would have the courage to confess to her.

The man was likely much older, or perhaps already married. He might have children, a disability, or be ugly.

‘But he’s definitely rich.’

Just this one brooch was worth a fortune, so someone who could lose it so casually had to have money.

That was enough.

If the owner of this brooch had given it to her intentionally rather than by mistake, Harriet resolved to gladly accept his proposal.

She wouldn’t even be surprised if a 50-year-old came forward.

Some might consider a marriage trading a man’s wealth for a woman’s youth vulgar, but to Harriet, it was an opportunity she didn’t even qualify to refuse.

“It’s a really beautiful brooch. I wonder who the owner is? I did see a few men wearing ruby brooches tonight…”

Bella’s sweet voice pulled Harriet from her thoughts. Bella’s friends and followers were also racking their brains, trying to recall which men had worn ruby brooches that evening.

Harriet didn’t want Bella to realize how desperately she wanted to get married.

“No, it must be a mistake. I’ll keep it safe and return it later. It looks expensive.”

“Hmm… Then why not pin it on your chest for now? If it was a mistake, the owner needs a way to spot his error, right?”

“Huh?”

Bella’s suggestion made sense, but Harriet hesitated. If this really was a misunderstanding, how embarrassing would it be for both her and the owner?

As Harriet wavered, Bella’s close friend Caroline sneered.

“Maybe Harriet wanted to keep the brooch for herself, and we ruined her plan by pointing it out.”

“N-No! It’s not like that at all!”

In the end, Harriet gave up and pinned the brooch to her chest as Bella suggested.

A little embarrassment didn’t matter anymore. Her reputation couldn’t get any worse than this anyway.

“Now it’ll be clearly visible to everyone, right?”

“Exactly! I believe this will lead to a romantic confession. Harriet, you’re so kind and lovable!”

Bella hugged Harriet tightly.

To onlookers, they probably looked like affectionate cousins.

Harriet lightly gripped Bella’s arms and forced a smile. If there weren’t eyes watching, she would have pushed her away.

“Bella, you’re the truly kind one. Just like your parents.”

“Right. If it were me…”

“Oh come on! Keep this up, and Bella will look like the bad guy.”

Ignoring Harriet’s feelings entirely, Bella just smiled brightly and responded humbly.

“What are you talking about? You all always praise me too much.”