Chapter 36
“That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying that if you’d given me even a little heads-up as family beforehand, I wouldn’t have been so shocked.”
Lauren’s momentum quickly died down, but she couldn’t hide the dissatisfaction lingering in her eyes. Her sharp gaze turned toward Harriet.
“But this is strange. Your face looks somehow familiar, and I feel like I’ve heard your name somewhere…….”
Harriet answered the question herself.
“You might have heard my name along with nicknames like ‘the Listerwell family’s troublemaker’ or ‘scandal maker.’”
“That’s right! Harriet Listerwell! The one they said had that incredibly beautiful cousin sister……!”
Trisha looked at Harriet in surprise.
“Wow, there really isn’t anyone who doesn’t know you! Like I said again, Harriet, this isn’t just about money. You might actually have to thank your uncle.”
“No. Even if I gained notoriety thanks to my uncle, I don’t think there’s any reason at all to thank him.”
At those words, Trisha’s expression shifted subtly, but Lauren wasn’t listening to any of it.
‘That spiteful woman is letting a niece riddled with scandals live in her house? No way. What’s her real scheme?’
Lauren clasped her trembling hands together, trying to figure out the relationship between the two.
What she feared most was that Trisha was adopting Harriet.
Trisha had once said, almost like a threat, that if she ever adopted someone, that person could become her heir. Everyone knew it, and that was why so many people had been trying to catch Trisha’s eye.
‘Even after pouring in all those gifts and efforts, she never budged, so I thought she’d eventually give everything to Jayden…… Did she change her mind?’
That could never be allowed to happen. Absolutely not.
Lauren was the child that the previous Pellon Count had fathered out of wedlock with Oster’s mother, after no more children came from his legitimate wife.
Even though many mistresses were involved, Lauren was the only one who had borne a child. Children were precious in the family.
Thanks to that, Lauren had been able to take the Pellon name, but her own mother had to live her entire life hidden in the shadows.
And even though Lauren had inherited the family name, everyone knew she was illegitimate.
Because of that, she’d had no choice but to marry a minor noble from the countryside, which had left a deep scar on her pride.
So if Trisha disappeared, this was her one and only chance to claim the Pellon family.
‘I’ll become the lady of the Pellon family. If not me, then through Jayden!’
That was the reason she’d swallowed her pride and spent the last ten years living alongside Trisha.
‘She wouldn’t adopt a girl like that unless she’d completely lost her mind…… But just in case, I need to keep watch.’
Lauren forced a smile as she looked Harriet up and down.
“As the Countess says, Miss Harriet, you’re quite famous. They say you used your cousin sister’s name to stir up scandals and drag her down, right? Honestly, that’s truly wicked…….”
Her children, sensing Lauren’s intent, joined in.
“I heard that scandal nearly caused big trouble for Cousin Bella. Didn’t you feel any remorse?”
“I heard something from my friends too. You chased after men, but they all fell in love with Bella instead. A woman’s jealousy is truly disgusting…….”
But contrary to their expectations, Harriet didn’t blush or panic. She simply listened quietly.
Instead, Trisha’s expression grew sharper and more menacing by the second.
Lauren snapped at Harriet.
“So what’s the real reason you’re clinging to the Countess? Tell me!”
“There’s no secret scheme. I just…….”
Harriet looked calmly at Lauren and replied. “I’d lost my guardian and hadn’t received a single penny. I needed someone to look after me until I could stand on my own. Great-Aunt was the first person I wrote to, but if she’d refused, I would have contacted other relatives.”
“So you’re saying you shamelessly asked her to be your guardian?”
“Then were you hoping I’d die miserably on the streets?”
Her tone seemed to ask, ‘Is your compassion really that shallow?’ Lauren faltered for a moment.
“Who said that? Independence means standing up on your own. You’re young. You can do it alone!”
“Do you really think a young woman raised in a noble household, who’s never learned how to earn money, with no status, no reputation, and no savings…… could truly stand on her own?”
“W-well, of course!”
“Then could the wise lady give some advice to a foolish girl like me? What would you have done in my situation? No place to sleep, only 5,000 dirams in cash and a few jewels to your name.”
Lauren felt deeply uncomfortable under Harriet’s gaze.
It wasn’t anger, tears, or any emotional outburst, but it was more challenging than any look she’d ever seen.
‘Who does this little thing think she is, staring at me like that? She’s no better than a commoner now!’
In the end, Lauren was the first to lose her composure. Wanting to crush Harriet’s spirit, she spat out cruel words.
“Well, I’d never end up in that situation, but you? You’d have to sell your body, wouldn’t you? I hear fallen noble ladies fetch a decent price in the slums.”
Those words set Trisha off.
“Lauren! Are you out of your mind?”
“C-Countess!”
“I was watching to see how far you’d go, but what? Telling a Listerwell to sell her body? Or is that what you’ve always wanted to say to me?”
“N-no, of course not!”
“It was you who told me to get out of this house when Oster died. You must have been itching to say something like that to me back then too, huh?”
Trisha’s clutched reticule trembled with rage.
Only then did Lauren remember. Trisha was a daughter of the Listerwell family too. She’d forgotten because she’d been calling her ‘Countess Felon’ for so long.
“You haven’t changed a bit. I clearly told you this girl is under my protection and a guest in my home. And yet you judge people based on unverified rumors? I’m the one who’s ashamed!”
“I-I was just worried she might be manipulating and using you, so…….”
“Ha! That’s rich. You know better than anyone that I can sniff out people trying to use me from a mile away. And I’ve never given even a single sant to any of them.”
In that moment, Lauren realized it. Trisha had no intention of passing Pellan Mansion to Jayden.
They were the only collateral branch, and even if they hadn’t made tremendous efforts, they visited every summer with gifts and flattery.
Lauren had believed without a doubt that if they kept at it, Trisha would eventually forgive the past and naturally name Jayden as her heir.
But seeing her so furious now made it clear. Trisha had never forgotten the fight from when Oster died.
‘How many expensive gifts did I give her! If she was going to hold a grudge, she should’ve at least pretended to let it go!’
Rage boiled up inside her.
She had always resented Trisha. She hated how Trisha, an outsider by marriage, wielded more power than she did, despite sharing the Pellon blood. And she hated Oster even more for granting her that power. If she could, she’d dig up his grave and crush his bones.
And now, she was scolding them in front of some stray niece? There was no hope left for her.
‘I need to find another way to pass the title to Jayden.’
Lauren gritted her teeth and rose from her seat.
“Honestly, I’m disappointed, Countess. You don’t even take my concerns seriously? I really thought we were family. But I guess in your eyes, I look like some wolf cub.”
She roughly flicked the hem of her dress. Marshal Baron and the children rose in flustered haste to follow her.
“We’ll be going now. Enjoy your meal with that illustrious scandal-maker niece of yours. See you next time.”
“I won’t see you out. Come back when you realize how rude you’ve been. Though I have a feeling you won’t be back.”
Lauren glared at Trisha with eyes full of silent defiance for a moment, then clicked her tongue softly and left the room.
In the silence that followed like the aftermath of a storm, Harriet let out a long breath.
Trisha, still staring at the door where the Marshal family had left, finally spoke.
“This…… is the reputation you’re dealing with right now. A troublemaker tangled in scandals, a depraved girl everyone whispers about. So, what are you planning to do to change it?”
There was a hint of worry in her voice.
Having witnessed such raw prejudice firsthand, she seemed a little shaken.
But surprisingly, Harriet was calmer than ever. Compared to a year ago when she had no one on her side, now there was someone who cared about her.
She just felt a little sorry that she couldn’t give the answer Trisha might want.
“I don’t have any plans to change that reputation.” Harriet said.
Trisha’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her.
