Translator: Nox

Chapter 15

~Chapter 15~

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no way it could be true. James wasn’t that kind of person. Over the past five years, he hadn’t so much as glanced at any woman other than Daphne. He had always been affectionate and courteous, never hesitating to talk about the future they would build together.

“I…… I trust James. There must be some misunderstanding.”

At Daphne’s response, which seemed to deny reality itself, Melody let out a regretful sigh.

“I hope so too, but……” Melody bit her lip.

She didn’t want to go into the details, but if she left it like this, Daphne would just end up looking like a fool.

In the end, Melody squeezed her eyes shut and blurted it out.

“They kissed. What kind of misunderstanding could there be in a situation like that? I really have no idea.”

It felt like a crack was forming in the peaceful world Daphne had known her whole life.

Bella toyed with the diamond ring on her finger, smiling.

The 5-carat princess-cut diamond ring sparkled brilliantly, as if blessing her future.

“Oh my, it’s so beautiful.”

James had surprised her with this ring, worth 30,000 dirham, as a token of his love. When they got engaged, he had made the sweet promise to give her an even more beautiful one.

‘Stealing someone else’s is so much sweeter than just getting something new.’

Meeting James in the private room at the Kingsley Viscount family’s party had been a brilliant choice, no matter how many times she thought about it. After some conversation and light touching, it culminated in a heated kiss, and James was completely captivated by her.

She had no fear of Daphne or retaliation from the Laurel Count family.

‘The one who gets stolen from is the fool.’

According to James, Daphne was beautiful but dreadfully boring. All they ever did together was drink tea and chat or stroll in the garden or park. She was so prim that even holding hands required ages of hesitation on his part.

Bella clicked her tongue in mockery of Daphne.

“Daphne, if you were going to act like that, you should have married him quickly and held on tight. What binding power does an engagement even have?”

Even married men cheated—what more an engagement? Of course, the burning passion would only last a while. There were limits to seduction by the body.

Knowing that well, Bella hurried to get engaged to him.

‘Breaking off the engagement with Daphne will be easy, but abandoning me after choosing me won’t be.’

Of course, she was confident she could make him not even think of leaving her. But there was one small obstacle.

Just then, the door opened with a creak, and John walked in.

“Dad! Are you done with work?”

“Am I late? Sorry about that. That old man kept droning on with useless talk.”

He had just returned from his meeting with Count Arens.

Though he had received favorable treatment in business dealings with the Arens family, the count’s repeated words were starting to grate on him.

So the news that Bella had captured the eldest son of the Cheslow family was like a refreshing rain in a drought.

“As expected of my Bella. I was disappointed it didn’t work out with the Kailas Duke, but honestly, I never had high hopes for that.”

From the start, his greatest hope had been to marry her off to a powerful count family.

He hadn’t even considered the Cheslow family due to their ties to the Laurel family, but his clever daughter had a knack for turning the impossible into possible.

“So, Bella, what’s this urgent matter you need to discuss?”

“I think it’s time to start preparing for the engagement.”

“Engagement? Is James’s heart set for sure?”

“He said he’ll wrap up the breakup with the Laurel family within the year.”

John’s face lit up with joy. The benefits of becoming in-laws with the Cheslow family were endless.

But Bella quickly calmed her father.

“But before that, there’s something to take care of.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“Her friends are worried that the fool from the Listerwell family might come sniffing around them too.”

John frowned as he thought of Harriet for the first time in a long while.

“Ah, that girl.”

Out of sight, out of mind, but Bella was right. It was time to cut off ties that had outlived their usefulness.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

Bella flashed a seductive smile.

The time had finally come to drag Harriet down into the abyss.

“It’s gotten so cold the moment December hit.”

Panting in the cold wind, Harriet stepped into the Soap Workshop.

Sophia, who was stoking the fire under the cauldron, looked her up and down and asked, “They say this winter will be especially harsh—didn’t you bring a scarf or gloves?”

“I didn’t have time to grab those.”

“Even so, you won’t make it through winter dressed like that. Why don’t you contact your family and ask them to send some?”

“I guess I should. It’s so cold.”

Harriet shivered as she held her hands close to the flames.

Given the convent’s circumstances, they couldn’t afford plentiful firewood, so working in the heated workshop felt like a blessing.

‘My room is one of the warmer ones—how do the others endure this cold?’

Huddled tightly against the harsh chill, Harriet let out an irritated groan. She didn’t want to ask her uncle for help, but at this rate, she’d freeze to death before spring.

‘I need to ask for thick socks and stockings in abundance. But writing a letter just asking for things feels awkward. What excuse can I use?’

As if someone had read her thoughts, a letter bearing the Listerwell family seal arrived for her. For the first time in a while, she felt grateful toward her uncle.

‘It must be an end-of-year check-in. Perfect. I’ll list what I need in my reply.’

With a light heart, Harriet tore open the envelope and pulled out the contents. She braced herself to skim past any nagging about behaving or not causing trouble.

But the letter contained something utterly unexpected.

“Harriet, this may come as a shock, but I must inform you that your guardianship is being terminated. I originally planned to look after you only until adulthood, but various circumstances delayed it until now. However, come the new year, you’ll be twenty-two, so I believe you can stand on your own. Seeing your jewelry box empty, it seems you’ve already prepared ample funds for independence……”

Harriet doubted her own eyes.

“What? Terminating guardianship……?”

No matter how many times she reread it, the content was clear. He was cutting off her guardianship. Without giving her a single coin for independence!

“Ha……!”

Her mind went blank. This couldn’t be happening. There must be some mistake. Hadn’t he promised to provide generous pin money and trousseau since she was at the convent instead?

But enclosed with the letter was a signed confirmation that the guardianship had been officially terminated. Proof that John had already severed all ties.

Harriet shot up from her seat and began pacing the narrow room.

“This can’t be real. How could he do this?”

Once the shock of the blow to the back of her head faded, fear began to surge in.

“What am I going to do now? How am I supposed to live?”

With trembling hands, Harriet yanked open the drawer and pulled out the small pouch hidden deepest inside. It contained the jewelry she had brought when coming to the convent.

She had wondered back then if bringing such things was pointless, but now she felt endlessly fortunate. What would she have done without them?

The thought of her uncle rummaging through her jewelry box made her nauseous. If she had left the jewelry behind, would he have even sent money?

‘How much could I get if I sold these?’

In her palm, the gold necklace, bracelet, and earrings sparkled. There were a few with diamonds and emeralds, but they weren’t large or high quality enough to fetch a fortune.

Plop.

Harriet clutched the jewelry like lifelines and slumped against the bedhead, staring blankly into space. For a long while, she didn’t move.

No matter how hard she racked her brain, no solution came to mind.

Even if she sold these for top price—and she’d be lucky to get under 10,000 dirham—what then?

She had nowhere to go.

No close relatives she could rely on, not even a single friend she could impose on temporarily. John surely knew that.

“This is just telling me to die!”