Ch#74
Ch#74
Ch#74
~Chapter 74~
The moment Bella stepped out of her father’s study, she wiped the smile from her face.
‘Father really is so petty. If he was going to give it away anyway, why not give it all? Why split it in half?’
Last time, she hadn’t thought too deeply about it and had been thrilled just to get a pair of earrings. But the more she reflected on it now, the more she realized that even in these small things, Harriet always ended up with more.
Her father always tallied every gain and loss, even as he professed to love her. Meanwhile, Uncle Arthur had handed over a vast estate to his daughter without the slightest hesitation.
‘Maybe that land was a birthday gift for Harriet. The repayment date is June 25th, and her birthday is July 5th….’
What would it feel like to receive 165 hectares of land and a mansion as a gift for her twenty-second birthday? To be called the ‘Lady of Perillas’ and live forever surrounded by wealth and praise?
If that had happened, she would have been the top marriage prospect on the market. These days, people valued money more than noble titles. And once word spread that a young lady owned such an estate, men would line up to marry her.
Bella thought she might have fainted from rage and frustration if it had truly come to that.
‘Well, it didn’t actually happen. Half of that land will be mine. Which means I won.’
She had to claim at least half. She had already resolved to take everything from Harriet.
‘Once the ownership is legally mine, I’ll tell you then, Harriet. I’ll show you what I’ve stolen from you this time.’
Just imagining Harriet’s face consumed by shock and fury was enough to bring a smile back to Bella’s lips. She was struck once again by the fact that dragging her cousin into a pit of misery was the most delightful game in the world.
Around the end of January, Harriet received a surprise visit from Daphne.
“Lady Daphne! What brings you here?”
With no prior letter or notice, Harriet’s surprise was evident. Daphne smiled shyly and pulled an envelope from inside her coat.
“I’m delivering party invitations personally to close friends. I’d be so happy if you could come, Lady Harriet.”
It was an invitation from the Loral family. At first, Harriet thought it must be for Trisha. But surprisingly, her own name was written on the card as well.
‘How strange. Count Laurel didn’t seem to like me much. Did Daphne ask him to include me?’
Harriet didn’t pry further. What mattered was that this was a personal invitation, not one delivered through a proxy.
As Daphne moved to leave in a hurry, Harriet reached out and caught her hand.
“If you’re not in a rush, why not have a cup of tea before you go? The wind is chilly today.”
“I don’t want to impose. I didn’t even send word that I was coming…”
“To be honest, I had no plans today. I was just feeling a bit bored.”
Daphne visibly relaxed at Harriet’s kindness, smiling warmly as she nodded.
“Then I’d be delighted.”
Harriet led her to the small round table by the window in her bedroom.
“I’m sorry I can’t take you to the main drawing room. I try not to disturb my great-grandmother unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“You’ve invited me into your private space. That’s so much better! Thank you.”
Harriet smiled. The window table was her favorite spot in the room. Outside, a large tree stood, transforming beautifully with each season. Sometimes birds perched on its branches and sang. They woke her too early at times, but she liked the birds anyway.
Once they were seated, Harriet poured warm tea into delicate cups.
“I knew you were planning a party, but I didn’t expect the invitations so soon. Is there a reason you moved it up?”
“Ah… well…”
Daphne looked a little uncomfortable. Harriet waved her hands in a fluster.
“You don’t have to say! I wasn’t trying to pry into family matters.”
“No, it’s fine. Honestly, I think I’d feel better telling you, Lady Harriet.”
Even so, Daphne seemed to struggle with the words. She wrapped her hands around her teacup, took a quiet breath, and then spoke.
“There’s going to be an engagement ceremony for James and Bella around mid-March.”
Harriet’s expression grew serious. That one sentence explained everything.
If Daphne had held the party after the engagement, everyone would have seen it as a reaction. People would compare her to Bella, pity her, or even gossip cruelly.
To avoid that, she had to hold the party before the engagement announcement.
Harriet sighed inwardly. How unfair it was that those who inflicted wounds moved forward without a care, while the wounded had to tread every step with the utmost caution.
But this time, Daphne didn’t seem broken or pitiful.
“I didn’t hold any parties last year. So… I just decided to go for it. Better to do it when you’ve made up your mind, right?”
She still looked a bit worn, but her smile was genuine. Clear and bright.
Harriet could tell. Daphne had grown stronger.
“You look much lighter. Like you’ve set down a heavy burden.”
“Thanks to you, Lady Harriet,” Daphne said affectionately.
Harriet smiled, grateful. Daphne had been kind enough to listen to her, and now it was Harriet’s turn to help someone else—another person who had been hurt.
After a brief hesitation, Harriet spoke carefully.
“Um, Lady Daphne… this might be rude to ask, but… could I request one more invitation?”
“Is it for a friend of yours? Of course.”
“Well… she used to be close with Bella. Her name’s Viviana Delluche. You might have heard of her.”
Daphne’s smile froze for a moment. Harriet noticed but wasn’t surprised—it was the reaction she’d expected. Viviana had been through a rough patch lately, and Harriet had already made up her mind. If someone invited her to a party, she’d ask if Viviana could come too.
“She’s cut ties with Bella,” Harriet explained. “She’s even become friends with me. So I don’t think she has any connection to Bella anymore.”
Harriet then briefly explained Viviana’s situation. How she’d become friends with Bella because of a boy she liked, how she’d ended the friendship upon seeing Bella’s true colors, how that boy was still hurting her, and above all, how she was now being ostracized from social gatherings because of that past.
“I just want to give her a chance to return to normal life. But if you’d rather not, I understand. Your comfort comes first.”
Daphne didn’t answer right away. She sipped her tea quietly, lost in thought. Harriet waited patiently with her own cup in hand, reminded once more how unpredictable human relationships could be.
At last, Daphne looked up and spoke.
“I’ve heard the rumors about Lady Viviana, but I trust you, Lady Harriet. So sending her an invitation is no problem. But…”
Harriet tilted her head. Daphne added cautiously.
“The man she liked… wasn’t it Adam Hoffner?”
“That rumor spread too?”
“Unfortunately. And an invitation has already been sent to the Hoffner family.”
So Adam was likely to attend the party. Daphne wanted to know if that was okay.
“That doesn’t seem like my decision to make. But even if Viviana decides not to come, she’ll surely remember your kindness.”
“Then I’m glad.”
Thanks to Daphne’s thoughtfulness, Viviana would now receive a proper invitation to the Loral family party—complete with a warning that Adam might attend.
That evening, late…
When Harriet handed Viviana the square envelope, a sudden doubt crept in. Had she overstepped? Viviana’s expression didn’t change right away. She stared at the invitation longer than expected.
“If this is something you don’t want, I’m sorry…”
“Ah—no, it’s not that. Thank you. Really. No one’s invited me anywhere for a while. And you were right. Bella and I were never equals. I get it now.”
Even as she said it, Viviana’s face wasn’t bright. Harriet wondered if it was still about Adam.
She gently took Viviana’s hand.
“I told Lady Daphne you might not be able to come. If you don’t feel like it, you can just decline.”
Harriet thought Viviana might refuse.
But Viviana, who had been tracing the embossed Loral family crest with her finger, straightened her shoulders and looked up with resolute eyes.
“I’ll go. You went out of your way for me, right? And I don’t want to disappoint Lady Daphne either.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with it?”
Viviana nodded.
“I’ve been running away from everything for too long. It’s time to stop.”
