Translator: Nox

Chapter 12

~Chapter 12~

And then he left.

Bella didn’t miss the sneer lingering at the end of his words.

“Are you mocking me right now?”

She wanted to believe she was being oversensitive, that he hadn’t meant it that way, but no matter how many times she replayed it, the conclusion was just as devastating.

Cedric knew the Listerwell family’s intentions in sending Harriet to the convent. He also knew that Bella’s attempt to speak to him was merely a byproduct of that scheme.

Moreover, her appearance, even her ruby, meant nothing to him. In fact, the entire Listerwell family was worthless in his eyes.

Bella’s clenched fist trembled faintly. She had never endured such humiliation or disgrace before.

“How much more beautiful do I have to become? How much more famous?”

She had risen from an insignificant collateral daughter of a viscount’s family to the legitimate daughter of the main house, and now she was one of the most renowned beauties in society, one of the most coveted marriage prospects. Yet despite all her efforts, it felt like nothing had changed from the days when she was simply known as “Harriet’s cousin.”

「Bella, come over here! Let me introduce you to my friends.」

The image of young Harriet waving to her with a bright smile under the shining sunlight flashed before her eyes—the very moment when she had wanted to take everything that belonged to Harriet.

The long-buried inferiority complex felt like it was breaking free from its coffin and coming back to life, suffocating her. She didn’t even notice someone approaching with a glass of champagne.

“Miss, are you all right?”

A gentle voice snapped Bella out of her daze.

When she turned her head, a familiar man was looking at her with worried eyes.

“James Cheslow?”

The eldest son of the Cheslow family and Daphne Laurel’s fiancé. The man who had nearly pinned the brooch to Harriet’s dress.

Bella quickly unclenched her fist and composed her expression.

“Ah, sorry. I felt dizzy for a moment….”

“Oh dear! Shall I offer you my arm?”

He set down his glass and extended his arm to her.

She had paid him little attention before, but now she saw he was quite handsome, and unlike some people, his manners toward women were impeccable. Moreover, the Cheslow family wielded considerable influence.

Daphne’s lucky. Good family, plenty of money, pretty face, and a perfect fiancé to top it off. Annoying.

At that moment, the thought that had changed her life long ago resurfaced.

If I take it, it becomes mine.

Bella’s life was the result of ceaseless struggle and conquest. When she wanted something, she spared no means or methods to make it hers.

The Kailas Dukedom might be out of reach, but the Cheslow family?

Worth a shot.

And who knew? If she became the woman James Cheslow devoted himself to, Cedric Kailas might start seeing her in a new light.

With her resolve hardened, Bella fluttered her eyelashes and gave him a fragile, delicate smile.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble….”

“Nonsense. It’s hardly a bother. Ignoring a lady in distress would be ungentlemanly.”

At his words, Bella pretended reluctance as she placed her hand on James’s arm.

“Thank you for your kindness. Oh, and I’m Bella Listerwell.”

“Who wouldn’t know the name of Lady Bella? I’m James Cheslow.”

“I’ve seen you from afar, but this is the first time meeting in person. Thank you again for your consideration… Ah, I’m so dizzy….”

As Bella staggered dramatically, James swiftly supported her shoulder.

“Lady, shall I call a doctor?”

“No, no. I don’t want to cause a scene. I’m sorry, but could you escort me to one of the private rooms?”

“Of course.”

Like the perfect gentleman he was, he supported her as they headed to a private room.

Oblivious to the fact that his entire future was about to change.

Many people think life in a convent is simple and peaceful. In some ways, that’s true. But in others, it’s not. There is no place where only peace exists among people.

Catherine had gathered a few people to sort through her tangled thoughts.

“I’ve called you all here today to discuss Sister Harriet,” she said, looking around at those connected to Harriet: Vice Abbess Agnes, Emma who had guided her, and Sophia from the Soap Workshop.

“What do you all think of Sister Harriet?”

It had been three months since they had taken in the troublemaking lady from society, and they had to admit she was different from what they expected.

Harriet Listerwell, the disgrace of the Listerwell family and scandal-maker, was far quieter, kinder, and more diligent than the other noblewomen staying at the convent.

It was baffling why such a woman had been sent here as if receiving punishment.

“Honestly, I’ve started doubting the rumors about her, Abbess. A woman obsessed with men hasn’t mentioned the opposite sex once in three months,” Sophia, who spent the most time with Harriet, defended her.

“But isn’t that just because there are no men here except the old coachman? Maybe she simply hasn’t had the chance to bring it up.”

“If that were the case, wouldn’t she at least complain about the lack of men? She hasn’t even asked about anyone’s relationships or shown any interest.”

Words of support followed.

“I admit I didn’t like her at first, but she seems much more sensitive than I thought.”

“Why do you say that, Emma?”

“Well, on the first night, when I brought food and clothes to her room, I heard her crying. It wasn’t anger or resentment—just… sadness. And….”

Emma, the nun who had shown Harriet to her room, lowered her voice as she recalled that night when she hadn’t dared open the door.

“She was sobbing, ‘Father, take me with you….’”

Everyone knew Harriet had lost her parents and been raised by her uncle. Asking her father to take her meant she wanted to die.

“How could she utter such blasphemy in a place that follows God’s will?”

“But I understand how she feels, Abbess,” Emma said, lowering her gaze but standing firm.

Like Harriet, she had lost her parents and spent her childhood shuttling between relatives’ homes.

She knew well how wretched it felt to be treated like baggage, how hard it was to hold her head high among people who mistreated her just because she had no parents.

“Every time you realize no one loves you… you wonder why you should keep living. I don’t think being a noble makes it any different.”

“She could have thought of those in worse straits and been grateful for her own fortune.”

“Well, that’s true, but….”

As Emma hesitated, Agnes interjected.

“Few people feel gratitude by comparing themselves to those less fortunate. People always compare themselves to those who have more.”

“Besides, Sister Harriet is only twenty-one, Abbess. She probably never had much chance to encounter faith.”

With Sophia’s support added, Catherine’s sharp gaze began to soften.

“Whew… Hearing you all speak so well of her reassures me that my judgment wasn’t wrong.”

She hadn’t hated Harriet either.

She had been strict and assigned her even the general nuns’ tasks out of worry that she might cause trouble. But Harriet had accepted everything without a single complaint and carried it out diligently.

“I thought she’d at least complain about the heavy workload.”

When Harriet didn’t protest, Catherine began to suspect that some of the information she had received about her was inaccurate.

The letter from Viscount Listerwell described Harriet as spoiled and immature, raised with excessive protection after losing her parents.

If that were true, she would have reacted differently the moment she was given grueling tasks. She wouldn’t have kept those calm eyes.

No, something had been off from the moment Harriet arrived and greeted her and Agnes.

It wasn’t the crying from fear or injustice common among noble ladies. Harriet had quickly wiped her tears and couldn’t even lift her head… That wasn’t typical of noblewomen.

“She seemed like a child who’d been scolded too often for crying….”

Catherine let out a deep sigh.

For some reason, thinking of Harriet always made her sigh.

“I assigned her work to make her reflect and correct her behavior, but from what I’ve observed, there’s no reason to treat her any differently from the other ladies.”