Chapter 51
~Chapter 51~
Manual labor was like the boundary line that separated commoners from nobles. Publicly admitting to doing such work was no different from confessing that one had fallen to the level of a commoner.
But Harriet wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest.
“Of course it was hard. But for those few days, as I stirred the soap ingredients in the cauldron, I was able to reflect on God’s word. I realized my own foolishness and truly repented.”
Everyone was impressed by her frank confession about something they all would have wanted to hide.
They seemed to sincerely believe that Harriet had truly changed.
Harriet paused for a moment, then smiled brightly.
“My story wandered off track. Anyway, I saw the entire process of how the soap is made firsthand. All the ingredients come from the convent’s farm, and there’s not a single strange chemical in it.”
She picked up a nearby butter knife and thinly shaved off a slice from the surface of the soap.
“So, like this.”
Then she popped it straight into her mouth.
“Oh my! Harriet!”
“What are you eating right now?”
Everyone was swept up in shock and horror, but Harriet just smiled serenely.
“It’s fine to eat. I wouldn’t recommend it as a meal replacement, though.”
“Good heavens…!”
“You’re all so surprised. But the nuns at the Soap Workshop always taste it this way to check if the soap is made properly. They say it has a special flavor and scent that only good soap possesses.”
Harriet had braced herself for being treated like some kind of animal and mocked. But she thought this much was necessary to leave a strong impression about the soap.
“Anyway, please make sure to try the soap I gifted you. When I washed my hair with it, my scalp became so much healthier. The lotion I gave you along with it contains lavender oil. You can apply it as if you’re wiping your skin clean, or sprinkle a little on your pillow before bed for a deep sleep.”
The guests nodded as they opened the lotion bottles to sniff the scent and smiled. The fresh aroma of lavender oil naturally brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
“You’ll smile even more once you try it yourselves. And you’ll desperately want it.”
Harriet was certain the word about the product would spread. She knew because she had experienced that amazement herself.
By the time they used up nearly all of their soap, everyone would be desperate to find out where to get more.
And in just a few more days, soap sales would begin in Genoa.
“What? Everyone went to Harriet’s tea party?”
Caroline nodded anxiously, watching Bella’s stunned expression.
“It was probably just a fleeting curiosity. Or maybe they went to check if Harriet was spouting nonsense again.”
“Don’t you spout nonsense.”
Bella let out a bitter laugh.
How could the friends who had gathered around her like her personal entourage, badmouthing Harriet, go to Harriet’s tea party? This was betrayal!
‘Is Harriet plotting to steal all my friends, just like how I stole hers back then?’
The image of Harriet, losing her friends one by one and left alone, made goosebumps rise on her arms.
“With so many tea parties happening these days, why go there of all places? Are they in their right minds? Are those girls really my friends?”
Bella asked angrily, and Caroline had no choice but to tell the truth.
“Harriet said she’d reveal the secret to her improved skin.”
“Ha! So, what was this amazing secret?”
“She said using soap made at the convent improved her skin. And apparently, she gave that soap to everyone as a gift.”
“Trying to buy people’s favor with gifts? Tsk tsk. She’s still so foolish.”
Bella shook her head.
It was clever to flaunt something that could easily draw people in, so in that sense, it was ‘praiseworthy.’ But trying to win hearts with gifts was pathetic—and at the same time, reassuring.
“What can she do with mere soap? The people at the tea party must have been really disappointed.”
“Uh, yeah, probably. So don’t worry too much. The girls were just momentarily swayed by Harriet’s words because they envied your skin. They’re probably feeling sorry toward you right now.”
“I hope so.”
Bella decided not to overthink it, following Caroline’s advice. Soap was everywhere in the world, and no soap made at some convent would capture the interest of ladies her age.
But reality unfolded in the exact opposite way of Bella’s expectations.
“Wasn’t that soap really good?”
“You felt the same, Viviana! I thought it was amazing too!”
In particular, Viviana Delrus, one of Bella’s friends, had seen remarkable results.
“Harriet told us to cut back on oily or sweet foods, but that was hard. Even so, just using that soap made my skin improve this much. See?”
She showed her friend the underside of her jaw, where acne scars had lingered. Knowing Viviana usually covered that area with thick makeup, her friend was startled to see the lighter makeup and the redness greatly reduced on her skin.
“Wow! At this rate, it’ll be completely clear in a month or two.”
“Right? But the problem is, I don’t have much soap left. If you’re not using yours, would you sell it to me?”
“Ah… sorry, I’m using mine well right now too…”
Viviana bit her lip anxiously. She was trying to ration the soap, but it felt like it’d be gone in just a few days.
‘When I told Bella I went to that tea party, she looked upset…’
But that excuse was already two weeks old.
She couldn’t stay still any longer. If it meant getting rid of these damn pimples, she felt like she could do anything.
So Viviana first pleaded with her father.
“Father! It’s the soap made at St. Clarissa Convent. Please get some for me.”
“With cosmetic shops full of products from Peyton House or Sebioll House, why go to the trouble?”
“It has to be that convent soap. It’s urgent!”
Marquis Delrus gave in to his daughter’s persistent nagging, though annoyed.
‘I’ll just donate generously and get the soap.’
But the servant he sent to the convent returned with a refusal letter.
“Our convent’s products are already under an exclusive contract, so we cannot provide them freely. They will soon be sold in Genoa as well, so please wait a little longer.”
It was common for famous holy relics to be sold in the city, but news of a small convent’s product being sold under an exclusive contract was unprecedented.
Still, it was welcome news.
“Vivi, they say it’ll be sold in Genoa soon, so just wait a bit.”
But if she could wait, she wouldn’t have begged her father in the first place.
“Using my old soap again, and my acne is stinging and itching once more.”
It was the first time her skin had improved this much since the acne started. The thought of it worsening again drove her mad.
Viviana fretted over whether Bella would find out, but in the end, she went to see Harriet.
She worried Harriet might refuse to meet her because of the commotion Vanderbilt had caused at a previous party, but surprisingly, Harriet welcomed her warmly.
“Please come in, Lady Viviana! Have you been well?”
“Thank you for the warm welcome…”
Viviana smiled awkwardly and took a sip of the tea the servant brought. If visiting another house, she would have complimented the garden or the interior, but since Harriet was only temporarily staying here, such praise might come off as rude.
“Um… about the soap you gifted me last time…”
Fidgeting nervously with her fingers, Viviana glanced at Harriet, who was waiting patiently, and finally spoke.
“The St. Clarissa Convent soap?”
“Yes! That one. I was wondering if you could get some more. Of course, I’d pay the proper price! My father sent someone to the convent, but they said they couldn’t give it out because of some exclusive contract…”
Harriet smiled softly. Finally, someone was biting at the bait she had cast.
“An exclusive contract means the convent’s products are sold only at one place.”
“Y-yes. But I need to know where… By the way, Harriet, how did you get that soap?”
Was this the moment someone finally questioned how Harriet had obtained the soap she was giving away?
But there was nothing to hide. Giving desperate people the means to get the soap wouldn’t be a sin. Even if she pocketed a little profit in the process.
Of course, she didn’t need to reveal everything.
“I received a lot from the abbess when I left the convent.”
“What? So you don’t know where to buy it either, Harriet?”
“Well, actually, after rumors spread that I was giving out soap as party gifts, the company with the exclusive contract contacted me. But I can’t tell you where until sales begin.”
Viviana’s face filled with shock.
