Ch#72
Ch#72
Ch#72
~Chapter 72~
‘I just wanted to give him a gift. Why did things blow up like this? It’s just one bottle of champagne!’
Harriet was sitting uncomfortably in the drawing room of Killas Mansion.
The butler who had escorted her inside maintained an impeccably polite demeanor, but there was a certain… complicated expression on his face.
‘I get that they’re being cautious because of the assassination attempts, but what good would it do me to poison my one and only investor?’
But even after Harriet’s explanations, the guards wouldn’t budge.
“It could be a Firmer spy trying to slip us poison while offering a bigger bribe.”
Harriet stubbornly insisted on delivering the gift herself. It wasn’t so much out of profound sincerity as it was embarrassment at the thought of carrying the expensive champagne back home—and a lack of guts to drink it alone.
She glanced sideways at the box beside her and let out a sigh.
Just then, the door opened, and Cedric entered the room.
Harriet stood up from her seat, feeling extremely awkward.
“I’m sorry for the trouble, Your Grace. I really just meant to hand this over and go…”
So accustomed to being misunderstood as a woman trying to seduce men, she launched into self-defense before even greeting him.
Cedric’s eyes narrowed slightly in amusement.
“May the blessings of the gods be with you this new year, Lady Harriet.”
“Ah! Yes. And may the blessings of the gods be with you as well, Your Grace.”
Realizing she had forgotten to greet him first, Harriet’s cheeks flushed red, but Cedric pretended not to notice and sat down calmly.
“As I’ve said before, you have a talent for surprising me, my lady. I couldn’t believe it when I heard Lady Harriet had brought me a gift.”
“Hahaha… Yes, it is a bit unexpected. It’s nothing special, though…”
Eager to hand it over and leave, Harriet pushed the box toward him.
“It’s champagne. I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste.”
The moment Cedric reached for the box, the butler stepped forward and said in a low voice.
“If it’s a beverage, it must be inspected first, Your Grace.”
He hadn’t spoken loudly, but it rang clear in Harriet’s ears.
So she quickly placed the box on the table.
“Please do as you like. I just bought it to cheer myself up—and I figured I should at least give a thank-you to my one and only investor. Now that I’ve delivered it in person, my job here is done.”
If only she had handled it this way from the front gate…
But the guards had been too inflexible. They wouldn’t accept or deliver any gift that hadn’t been announced in advance. That’s what caused the commotion, leading to this awkward encounter.
Thinking she could leave now, Harriet started to lift herself from her seat, but Cedric showed no sign of ending things yet.
“So, what’s this sudden champagne for?”
“Oh, I got a report from the accountant yesterday. The business is doing better than expected, so I went out to buy some champagne to celebrate… Ah, I should have brought the report with me.”
She mentally slapped her forehead.
In the end, she would have to share the financial report with Cedric anyway, and there were matters to discuss about the Clarissa brand. If only she had scheduled an official meeting, none of this would have happened.
Wishing it were all a dream, she closed her eyes, but Cedric smiled softly and picked up the champagne box.
“You bought champagne just for that?”
“Do you know how much profit we’ve made?” she asked, puffing up indignantly.
“If memory serves, the net profit for the first three months was about 370,000 dirham.”
Harriet almost asked how he knew that but stopped herself. Of course he knew. The accountant was someone he had recommended, after all.
She pouted her lips, then forced a confident smile.
“Well, it’s still a big deal to me. And I believe good things should be celebrated.”
Cedric’s expression grew thoughtful as he nodded. Then he began unwrapping the champagne box.
Unsure if she could just leave, Harriet glanced at the butler. But the butler looked just as flustered, watching to see what Cedric would do.
Cedric elegantly lifted the bottle from the box and slowly turned it in his hand.
“Van Ribel, 1866 vintage. Was there a reason you chose this one?”
“…Nothing special. It was just the most expensive one in the shop.”
She expected him to mock her, but instead, he gently ran his thumb over the label and said to the butler.
“Bring two glasses.”
“Your Grace! But this bottle hasn’t been inspected yet—”
“What better test could there be than drinking it with the person who brought it?”
“Wait—me too?”
Harriet asked in surprise, and Cedric narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Why? Did you really poison it?”
“No!”
“Then there’s no reason my lady can’t drink it.”
The butler, conceding defeat, went to fetch the glasses, and Harriet sat back down in bewilderment.
The situation was already embarrassing and awkward enough, but Cedric was simply gazing straight at her with a faint, amused smile.
Finally, Harriet couldn’t take it anymore and asked.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“It’s just… I’m a little touched.”
“Touched? Why?”
“I thought you disliked me, my lady. Yet here you are, thinking of me during your celebration.”
“Of course. We wouldn’t have succeeded this much without you, Your Grace.”
At her honest answer, Cedric gave a genuine smile.
Just then, the butler returned with the glasses and a tray of snacks—biscuits, cheese, and olives.
But the snacks were the last thing on Harriet’s mind. Sharing a drink with Cedric like this was strange enough already; now it felt like a little party!
Cedric, however, didn’t hesitate at all. With a pop!, he uncorked the champagne.
That sound… was strangely refreshing.
As he poured the golden liquid into the tall glasses, soft bubbles rose, filling the room with a pleasant fizz.
‘Ah… so this is why they call it party fuel.’
In this moment, she wanted to savor the sparkle, the sweetness, and the stroke of luck that had brought her here today.
“Shall we toast?”
At Cedric’s suggestion, Harriet grasped the stem of her elegant glass with half-resigned grace.
The glasses clinked softly—the delicate sound only fine crystal could make.
Cedric claimed it was just to ‘inspect’ the drink, but he took the first sip.
‘Ah, whatever.’
Harriet threw caution to the wind and took a gulp.
The moment it slid down her throat, her eyes widened.
“Wow! This is really nothing like regular champagne…”
Fortunately, she didn’t blurt that out loud.
But she immediately regretted her tone. It probably sounded like some spoiled rich girl judging everything by price. She wanted to sew her mouth shut.
‘Why do I always mess up in front of this man?’
As she inwardly berated herself, Cedric lightly moistened his lips and nodded.
“You’re right. It definitely tastes like expensive liquor.”
“Really? You think so too, Your Grace?”
“Yes. It’s more than worthy of being the priciest in the shop.”
“That’s a relief…”
If Duke Kailas said it was good, then the 40,000 dirham she’d spent didn’t feel wasted. It was certainly better than bringing cheap booze and getting scorned.
Cedric watched her smile in relief, then suddenly asked.
“This might be abrupt, but—why are you working so hard to make money, my lady?”
“Why am I…?”
“It doesn’t seem like it’s just to drink expensive champagne.”
His unexpected interjection cut off her half-formed response. Harriet hesitated, then gave an awkward smile.
Would he really understand if she explained the real reason? Did she need to tell him about her past?
So she turned the question back on him.
“Why do you ask?”
Cedric didn’t answer right away. He simply stared into his glass for a long moment.
‘To him, I’m probably just a pathetic ant scrambling in a world that means nothing.’
She tried to laugh it off—but then his crimson eyes turned back to her.
“1866. I figured that vintage couldn’t possibly mean nothing to you, my lady.”
Harriet’s breath caught.
“The 1866 Albrecht Park boat accident. It changed your life a great deal afterward.”
“…Did you look into my background?”
