Chapter 48
~Chapter 48~
‘Yeah, even if Harriet has gotten a bit prettier, she’s still just Harriet at the end of the day. Who would take an interest in such an ugly girl? Everyone’s just annoyed that the scandal-maker has the gall to come back so shamelessly.’
But she had no idea what her friends were really thinking. They weren’t upset because they couldn’t keep up with Bella’s pace—they were upset because Harriet, the girl they’d dismissed, had transformed so dramatically. If anything, they were even more curious about how she’d become so beautiful.
No matter how much they tried to imitate Bella, they could never match her beauty. But if the formerly ‘ugly’ Harriet had used some method to become that gorgeous, wouldn’t that same method work for them too?
Harriet, who saw right through their psychology, waited until Bella and Caroline stepped away before approaching Bella’s friends again.
“Oh? Where did Bella go?”
They looked flustered by Harriet’s sudden appearance, but they quickly responded in cold, mocking tones.
“Bella’s busy.”
“Yeah, unlike some people, she has a lot on her plate.”
Harriet nodded calmly.
“You all look bored, so don’t give Bella such a hard time. Getting invited everywhere is just her everyday life, after all.”
Bella’s friends couldn’t bring themselves to retort that the ‘some people’ she’d mentioned earlier was Harriet herself.
After all, they were sitting around just as idly, fanning themselves.
Flashing an innocent smile as if she held no grudges, Harriet made her offer.
“I’m planning a tea party soon. Would any of you like to come?”
They snorted derisively.
“Who knows? Would anyone even show up?”
“It’s pretty bold of you to ask.”
But Harriet wasn’t discouraged at all.
“You all seem curious about something… so I thought I’d share.”
At those words, their eyes changed. They clearly wanted to ask what she meant, but they kept glancing at each other, none daring to speak first.
Harriet smiled as if there was no helping it, then dangled the bait like a seasoned angler.
“Anyway, I’ll send out the invitations. Feel free to decline if you’re not interested. Since it’s my first tea party, I’ve prepared lots of gifts, so stop by if you have time.”
She bid them a polite farewell and turned away. But this Harriet was nothing like the old ‘scandal-maker’ or ‘ugly girl.’ Bella’s friends couldn’t tear their eyes away from her mature, elegant retreating figure.
‘Good, I’ve laid the groundwork.’
As she returned to her seat, Harriet recalled their wide-eyed stares and smirked.
If they’d truly had no intention of coming, they would have shut her down the moment she mentioned sending invitations. But not a single one had.
‘Two or three of them will show up, at least.’
Bella’s group totaled ten, including Bella and Caroline. Thanks to Bella’s popularity, they wielded considerable influence among the young ladies. If even one of them started talking about what happened at the tea party, it would be the best publicity Harriet could ask for.
‘Since you all hated me so much, go ahead and spread the word far and wide.’
Harriet smiled softly.
She thought she’d accomplished everything she’d set out to do that day—but apparently, she’d been a bit hasty. In the midst of the event, someone approached her quietly.
“Ahem, ahem!”
Turning at the sound of the cough, she saw—oh, great. A familiar face, but not a welcome one.
“Sir Julian… You don’t seem drunk today. You’re not here to pick a fight again, are you?”
It was Julian Pace, the man who had caused a scene at the Vanderbilt party by bringing up their past. The memory still irritated her, so her tone came out sharp. She expected him to get angry, but instead, his face flushed as he bowed his head.
“I was drunk that day and made a mistake. I wanted to apologize but couldn’t find the opportunity…”
“Well, isn’t that what letters are for? Especially for someone like you, who sent them so often—you’d know that better than anyone.”
“Yes, I know. I just thought a face-to-face apology was the proper thing to do.”
Harriet frowned, scanning him up and down. He couldn’t meet her eyes, so he clearly knew how shameful his behavior had been. But for someone just here to apologize, he was dragging it out too much.
“Fine. Admitting your mistakes and asking for forgiveness in a world that rarely sees apologies like that is commendable. I accept your apology. Well then… have a good day.”
Not wanting to get tangled up with him, she tried to leave quickly, but he blocked her path again.
“Wait! I still have something to say.”
Honestly, she didn’t want to hear it. Her gut told her it wouldn’t be anything pleasant.
But she couldn’t just brush him off outright, so Harriet suppressed her grimace and forced a smile.
Julian stared intently at her face for a long moment before finally speaking.
“Actually, it’s not so much something to say… as something I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Really… not even a little…”
“Why beat around the bush like that? What are you trying to say?”
As Harriet tilted her head, Julian’s face flushed again—as if… he was embarrassed.
“Really… truly… don’t you have any feelings left for me at all?”
The last part was so quiet she almost missed it. Thinking she’d misheard, she asked again.
“Are you asking if I have no feelings left for you, Sir Julian? Is that what you mean?”
“…Yes.”
How was she supposed to take this? Was he picking a fight? Or… no way?
“Wait, are you asking if I still like you?”
Instead of answering, he nodded slightly.
Harriet looked at Julian, who wasn’t avoiding her gaze despite his flushed face, and genuinely wanted to crack open his skull to see what was inside. What on earth was he thinking?
But it wasn’t a difficult question to answer, so she shrugged nonchalantly.
“No, I have no feelings left for you. None at all. You don’t have to worry about me clinging to you again. I mean it. I’ll be extra careful to avoid running into you from now on.”
The more she emphasized that she felt nothing, the more his expression crumbled, looking on the verge of tears. Then, suddenly, as if struck by shock, he grabbed her wrist.
“Th-there’s no need for that!”
“Pardon?”
“What I mean is…!”
Gripping her wrist tightly, he ruffled his hair anxiously with his other hand, looking tormented.
“Could you let go of my hand…?”
“I couldn’t forget you!”
“…Pardon?”
Stunned by the sudden confession, Harriet looked up at him blankly. He wore the expression of someone who had made a grave decision.
“First, I want to apologize for what happened before. I’m truly sorry. I regret insulting and treating so cruelly the girl you were back then.”
“Wait, hold on—”
“Please forgive me for not recognizing your worth at the time. But the letters we exchanged, that pure love—it wasn’t fake. I still have those letters.”
“Why on earth do you still have them…!”
“The moment I saw you again last time, all those feelings came flooding back. I wanted to talk to you then too, but—I’d had too much to drink…”
A chill ran down Harriet’s spine.
So this man, who had clearly despised her once, was now claiming he had feelings for her?
‘I really must have gotten pretty.’
Her soap business was definitely going to succeed.
But first, she needed to defuse this situation. His loud voice had already drawn glances from the surrounding guests.
Just as she was about to say something to smooth things over, a new thought flashed through her mind.
‘Wait. Do I really need to run away from this?’
Wasn’t she planning to draw attention at this bazaar anyway?
Julian Pace might actually be useful.
With that realization, her lips curved on their own.
“Ah, I see. I almost misunderstood. Come to think of it, you’ve always been so kind and gentle.”
“Harriet…!”
“I don’t think we’re close enough for you to call me by my name yet.”
“…Lady Harriet.”
Watching someone squirm in front of her was a thoroughly novel experience.
Harriet wasn’t the type to enjoy making others uncomfortable, but this time, it brought a strange sense of satisfaction.
The pain from that day, when she’d had to apologize repeatedly for things she hadn’t even done, seemed to fade a little.
“First, could you let go of my hand? It’s starting to hurt.”
“Ah! S-sorry!”
“You must be in a hurry. I understand. But next time, please be more careful. As you know, when you grab my wrist like this, it’s not the one doing the grabbing who ends up looking immoral and troublesome—it’s the one being grabbed.”
At her words, Julian’s face fell more hurt than anyone else’s.
