Ch#70
Ch#70
Ch#70
~Chapter 70~
“It’s hard to say for certain. It all depends on how the business performs going forward. If sales hold steady like they are now, perhaps around four years? But with so much already sold, first-quarter revenue this year could drop. And if the brand value declines, sales might fall by half—or even more.”
Harriet nodded as if she understood, but inwardly, she thought, This business absolutely cannot fail.
Steady income mattered more than explosive success. They had to preserve the brand’s image and value.
“Understood. Thank you for laying everything out so meticulously. And… you know this matter has to stay confidential, right?”
“Of course! I’d stake my life on it. Hahaha!”
One of the contract’s most crucial conditions was that the accountant must keep two facts secret.
That Harriet Listerwell was the true owner of this business, and that the sole investor was Cedric Kailas.
Of course, since he was Cedric’s recommended accountant, Harriet trusted he wouldn’t break the rules.
Gazing at the enormous sum recorded in the ledger—71,205 dirham 72 cents— was something she could savor for hours on end.
Even so, after checking it exactly five more times, she tucked it into the drawer. Then she invited Trisha, who had just woken from a nap, for afternoon tea.
“It’s been quite a while since we last had tea together.”
“We had tea together two days ago.”
“When I first came here to live, we’d sit down for tea three or four times a day. Back when neither of us had much to do.”
“That’s true.”
Seeing the slightly wistful look on Trisha’s face, Harriet gave an embarrassed smile.
Ever since starting the business, Harriet had been genuinely busy. She left in the morning and didn’t return until evening, making it even harder to carve out time for tea together.
But to be honest, even when Harriet was home, Trisha was often too exhausted, off seeing the doctor, or resting. So even with both of them in the house, they didn’t always manage to share tea. Still, rather than point that out, Harriet blamed it all on herself.
Trisha must know that.
I hope she recovers quickly.
Recently, Roxana had quietly explained Trisha’s condition to Harriet. She must have decided there was no longer any point in hiding it.
“Her lungs aren’t in good shape, and her overall vitality has declined. Fortunately, we’ve found medicine that suits her, so the coughing has eased up. But in its place, she’s sleeping more. It’s nothing to worry about. Rest is essential for recovery. Just please don’t let anyone outside know.”
If word got out that the head of a noble family was ill—especially with no designated heir—it could damage the family’s reputation.
Harriet planned to keep the secret regardless. But with Trisha sending her as a proxy to events more and more often, she worried it was only a matter of time before others noticed.
Don’t think so negatively. The medicine is working, isn’t it? It’s just taking longer because of her age. She’ll recover in the end.
Trisha was the Iron Lady, the “Lion of the Felon Family.” She wasn’t one to go down easily.
As Harriet smiled and tried to make small talk about the weather, butler Andre entered the room, pushing a tray of teacups.
Harriet wondered if Trisha had summoned him, but Trisha looked surprised as well.
“Andre? You’re bringing the tea yourself today? You must have plenty of time on your hands.”
“Yes! I’m free today, but I also wanted to prepare the tea myself.”
“That’s unusual.”
“Yesterday, a tea called ‘Carver Hills Dragon’ arrived. No one brews it better than I do.”
Trisha let out a hearty laugh at that.
“Haha! Right, you’re from Carver Hills.”
“That little mountain village has nothing but tea fields. So the day Count Felon and his wife visited was the greatest stroke of luck in my life.”
Despite their difference in status, Trisha and Andre felt like old friends.
Before serving the tea, Andre walked over and turned on the phonograph. With a soft scratching sound, the record began to turn, and a famous soprano’s aria flowed out.
🎵 “Oh, the sun is setting. But I’m not afraid.
Even if night comes, the stars will shine and guide my path.” 🎵
The song was titled There Are Stars in the Night Sky.
It was sung by a character gradually losing their sight. Even without being able to see ahead, love made it possible to keep living on—a piece to comfort sorrowing family and friends.
I can’t even imagine what it feels like to sing a song like that….
Harriet felt she could guess just a little. But trying to fully comprehend that pain was far too daunting. So she decided not to dwell on it.
With the soft background music playing, Harriet found herself drawn into Trisha and Andre’s conversation. And what they shared was remarkably personal.
Mr. Andre used to be a poor farmer from Carver Hills?
Like most people in the region, he was the son of a tenant farmer growing tea on borrowed land. His future had seemed predetermined: a lifetime as a tenant farmer. But at fifteen, when Oster Felon and his new wife Trisha visited Carver Hills right after their marriage, his fate changed.
“We weren’t some angels sent to rescue you,” Trisha said with a laugh. “We were just looking for a shortcut to the Durabel Iron Mine.”
“But you took in a poor mountain boy just for helping you find the way. That’s what saved me, Madam.”
Andre knew the mountain paths well and helped carry their luggage, serving as their guide. The Felon couple took a liking to him. Polite and quick on the uptake, he asked to be brought to the capital, and they agreed.
Andre began working for the Felon family at fifteen. And now, forty-three years later, having risen from the very bottom, he had been promoted to head butler eighteen years ago, at the age of forty.
Mr. Andre must know this household inside and out.
It was only natural that Trisha trusted him deeply, alongside Roxana.
As Harriet was lost in those thoughts, Andre carefully poured tea into her cup.
“This is Carver Hills Dragon. It’s made from the first leaves picked that year. They say it’s named for the way the leaf tips resemble dragon wings. A splendid name, isn’t it?”
The tea’s color was a clear, bright brown, just like his eyes.
Harriet lifted her cup and took a sip.
A slightly bitter initial taste, a subtle acidity, a mysterious and sweet aroma, and a clean yet weighty aftertaste lingered. It was truly a superb tea.
“It’s as excellent as its name suggests.”
“That’s because I brewed it perfectly,” Andre said in jest.
Warm laughter spread among the three of them.
It was then that Harriet decided it was time to voice what she’d been holding in her heart.
“Um, Great-Grandmother….”
Trisha arched an eyebrow and looked at her.
“You always say you don’t need anything… but I want to repay even a fraction of the kindness you’ve shown me. Will you let me?”
“I heard the accountant stopped by. The earnings must be quite impressive.”
“W-Well… It’s a small sum for someone like you, Great-Grandmother….”
As Harriet answered shyly, Trisha abruptly set down her teacup and spoke in her characteristic firm tone.
“Right. It’s pocket change to me. Do I look destitute enough to need your money?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I just… giving something back would mean the world to me. I thought about giving you a gift, but I didn’t know what you’d like….”
“Harriet.”
Trisha leaned back against the chair’s armrest and crossed her legs. She didn’t look ill in the slightest. She was the very image of the Felon Family’s lion. Just hearing her own name called made Harriet’s shoulders hunch slightly.
“Don’t get arrogant just because you’ve made a bit of money. Don’t think about how to spend it—think about how to grow it.”
Harriet bit her lip. It stung a little that Trisha didn’t seem to understand her feelings, but she couldn’t deny the truth in her words.
“If you want to make a show of it that badly, then at least put it toward something of real value. I don’t need a single penny of your money, in any case. Understand?”
“’Value’ doesn’t just mean money, does it?”
Harriet tried to lighten the mood with a playful smile and tone, but Trisha didn’t take the bait.
“No, not exactly. But you need to remember why you came to me in the first place and asked me to be your guardian. You still have a long road ahead. Just because things are quiet now doesn’t mean John has forgotten you.”
At the mention of that name, Harriet felt her mind snap sharply awake.
