Chapter 47
~Chapter 47~
“You don’t know anything about this, do you? Just do as your aunt tells you.”
The dresses her aunt had picked out were all either fluffy pink ones covered in ribbons or drab, suffocating ones that wrapped her too tightly.
Their styles varied wildly, but they shared one thing in common. None of them suited Harriet in the slightest.
If it had simply been a matter of her aunt having poor taste, Harriet could have forgiven it. But her aunt clearly had impeccable taste when selecting clothes and jewelry for Bella.
‘I’ve suspected it for a while, but now I’m certain. Aunt did that on purpose.’
Harriet would have been grateful for simple, modest dresses.
Instead, her aunt had bought her bizarre outfits that left a strong impression after just one wear, making it impossible to wear them again. And since she couldn’t very well ask for new clothes, Harriet had simply stopped attending social events.
And whenever Bella needed someone to make her own charms stand out, Harriet was dragged out as her spotlight. To Bella, she was nothing more than a plaything. But the real question was this: why had Bella hated her so much?
They had once been as close as real sisters. Back then, Harriet had thought Bella was the kindest, prettiest girl in the world. She had truly believed that Bella loved her.
「Harriet! Look! I picked the first rose that bloomed in the garden to give to you!」
The young Bella, holding a red rose and smiling like sunshine, had been even more beautiful than the flower. Harriet had been so proud that such a girl was her cousin…
But she shook off the bitter memory.
She hadn’t come back to live a life still controlled by Bella. The past was merely fuel to steel her resolve.
The Bella I knew is dead. I need to let that girl go in my heart, too.
Now, she had to deal with the demon who had taken her place.
The Rilburn family’s charity bazaar was teeming with people.
Countess Rilburn was the president of the St. Paolo Church ladies’ society, and this event to raise funds for the poor was the perfect venue to show off one’s piety and compassion.
But in reality, it was nothing more than high society’s picnic disguised as charity.
‘I had no idea the Rilburn estate had such a large garden.’
Harriet tried not to look impressed by the vast grounds covered in white tents.
In the past, she hadn’t even dreamed of attending such an event. Her uncle never brought her along, and afraid of being ridiculed, she hadn’t begged to go either.
But now, no one dared mock her. In her hand was a formal invitation sent by Countess Phelon herself.
“Hello, Countess Rilburn. I’m Harriet Listerwell, attending on behalf of Countess Phelon. We met briefly at the Vanderbilt party.”
“Of course I remember! Come on in. We received your letter of attendance.”
“She asked me to convey her apologies for not being able to come herself.”
“Oh my, it’s more than enough that you’ve come, miss. The good items at the bazaar sell out fast, so hurry and reserve what catches your eye! Hohoho!”
Harriet exchanged smiles and greetings with the countess.
In the past, she would have been at a loss and hidden in a corner, but this time, she was relieved to know someone.
“Long time no see, Lady Annabel.”
Annabel Leighton, who had invited her to a tea party before, greeted her warmly.
“Oh my goodness! Lady Harriet! That dress is absolutely stunning! Where did you have it made?”
“It’s from Rubar Atelier. Countess Phelon is a regular there.”
“Oh my! That place is famous for being incredibly expensive.”
“Really? No matter how many times I asked, she never told me the price.”
At her response, envious exclamations erupted among the surrounding ladies. A young woman whose status had skyrocketed thanks to a wealthy patron—what noble lady wouldn’t dream of such a story?
After exchanging light greetings and basking in the appropriate envy, Harriet began strolling through the bazaar grounds, pretending to browse the items while scanning for anyone likely to pick a fight.
Her goal today was to become a topic of conversation. Pleasant chit-chat wouldn’t help much.
Then she spotted a group of ladies drawing all the attention.
‘There they are.’
Harriet flashed a faint smile and casually walked toward them, in a direction conspicuous but not overt.
“Huh? Harriet Listerwell?”
Caroline, standing right next to Bella, spotted her immediately.
‘Thank you, Caroline. I knew you wouldn’t miss me.’
As Harriet smiled confidently, Bella’s friends all turned to look at her.
Harriet feigned surprise before offering a sweet smile in greeting.
“Oh my, Bella! It’s been so long. How have you been?”
Bella was still dazzling. Truly living up to her title as ‘Genoa’s Golden Rose,’ she shone like the sun. But when Harriet greeted her, clear bewilderment flashed in her eyes. She quickly masked it with a fake angelic smile.
“Harriet! Oh my goodness, you’ve changed so much I almost didn’t recognize you!”
“My skin’s a bit clearer, but do I really seem that different?”
“Well… don’t you remember how you used to suffer from that skin condition?”
Bella clearly wanted to remind everyone of Harriet’s embarrassing past. But that was exactly what Harriet had hoped for.
“That’s right. The doctor even said it was something I’d have for life. But it turns out… it wasn’t completely incurable after all.”
“Really?” “Yeah. What I mean is… oh! Your friends are here, and I’ve been rambling too much. Sorry. Have a great time!”
Apologizing for lingering too long, Harriet walked toward another tent, feeling the stares piercing her back. ‘When a conversation gets cut off in the middle, even if they weren’t interested before, they’ll get curious.’
Moreover, smooth, flawless skin was the beauty standard every noble lady and debutante coveted. Even among Bella’s friends, some couldn’t go without heavy makeup to cover their acne and pimples. They had to be dying to know what she meant by “What I mean is…”
As expected, after Harriet left, Bella’s friends began whispering.
“How did her skin get so perfect?” “Didn’t she just say there’s a way to fix it? What could it be?”
They were curious, but they couldn’t very well chase after Harriet to ask. They were Bella’s friends, and Harriet was the ‘enemy’ who had once put Bella in a tough spot.
Of course, Bella noticed the shift in her friends’ attitudes.
‘Harriet Listerwell. What on earth have you done?’
Bella was just as shocked by Harriet’s transformation. Listening to her friends’ excited chatter, she told herself, ‘It’s still just Harriet—what’s the big deal?’ But seeing Harriet today in person was a shock. There wasn’t a trace of the old rashes or acne scars on her skin.
‘After all the effort I put into ruining that skin, how is this possible?’
Bella had relentlessly worked to destroy Harriet’s skin. She had researched which foods caused allergic reactions and slyly mixed them into Harriet’s meals. Once she confirmed that greasy foods worsened Harriet’s acne, she made sure Harriet ate plenty of fatty meats and fried dishes.
Discovering cosmetics with ingredients that didn’t suit Harriet had been a stroke of luck. After that, Bella ensured Harriet used only products containing those ingredients.
‘After all that effort, it’s all back to normal in just one year? How is that even possible?’
Bella had never doubted that Harriet could never become beautiful, that her skin would forever bear the scars of the past.
“She really has gotten pretty, hasn’t she?” someone whispered, the words stabbing Bella’s ears and conjuring memories of when everyone’s gazes had once been fixed on Harriet.
Bella turned to her friends with a bright smile like summer sunshine.
“Oh, speaking of skin care, I tried that new cream from Labonaz the other day. It was so moisturizing, and the scent was amazing.” “Labonaz Cream? I heard it’s sold out everywhere!” “Really? I got mine as a gift…” “From who?”
Soon, Bella took control of the conversation. Anything Bella used was bound to draw interest, especially if it was expensive and hard to get.
Bella flashed a shy smile at her envious friends and smoothly reclaimed her place at the center of the group, but inside, she was grinding her teeth in rage.
