Translator: Nox

Chapter 8

~Chapter 08~

But Cedric still said nothing, merely touching his lips. He seemed somewhat offended.

Noticing this, one of the men hurriedly lowered his voice and apologized cautiously.

“I’m sorry for bringing up that incident. It must still bother you…”

“No, not at all. It’s just… I said it was fine at the time, but I’m still curious why she had to be sent to the convent.”

The man who had started the conversation quickly replied.

“That incident was merely the final straw that made Viscount Listerwell lose his patience. To be honest, Miss Harriet had been causing problems long before that. Sending her to the convent for a year wasn’t such a harsh punishment.”

Cedric flinched slightly at the word “year.”

“It’s not easy for a noblewoman to endure a long time in a convent, unless she’s a devout believer.”

“No way! It just means she’s the type who won’t straighten up without a place like that.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, clucking their tongues or mocking her. But Cedric, the “victim” of the incident, did not join in.

“It seems my overreaction must have made things hard for her.”

“Overreaction? Not at all! You were incredibly generous, Your Grace. If it had been me, I would’ve forgotten all about manners and slapped that wench across the face.”

“Exactly! What kind of shameless hussy chases after a man like that?”

When one man raised his hand as if to strike someone, the group erupted in loud laughter.

But Cedric found none of it amusing—not the one-sided condemnation, nor the talk of hitting a woman, nor the shamelessness of saying such things, nor the attitude of treating it all like a joke.

What tormented him most was the fact that he himself was the source of all this commotion.

‘I can’t stand getting tangled up in cheap gossip like this.’

Then, suddenly, Harriet’s face from that day flashed in his mind.

“I didn’t steal your brooch, Your Grace. I never wanted it in the first place.”

The woman who had insisted on her innocence to the end was surrounded by people condemning her.

She had shown a subtly arrogant attitude, claiming she had no interest in such trivial things.

‘She wasn’t ugly, that’s for sure.’

Bella was a striking beauty, but her cousin Harriet also had distinct, well-proportioned features and was far from unattractive. It was just that her clothes and hairstyle didn’t suit her at all, and her face and chest were covered in large and small pimples.

In truth, what had unsettled Cedric wasn’t Harriet herself, but the atmosphere around her. The sight of sycophantic men tearing down a young woman stirred a profound disgust in him—almost enough to make him forget the humiliation he’d felt upon seeing the brooch pinned to Harriet’s chest.

‘So I let it slide, but why send her to the convent? Was Viscount Listerwell trying to win some sympathy with that?’

The thought that people he barely knew were trying to use him made Cedric’s stomach churn. He quickly picked up the glass beside him and downed it in one gulp. The refreshing bubbles of the sparkling wine lightened his mood, if only a little.

“It looks like the break is over. The players are returning to the field.”

When he steered the conversation back to the ongoing polo match, the men’s vulgar talk came to an end. Instead, they began heatedly debating how much they had bet and which team would win.

Cedric still found this conversation dull, but at least it had stopped the gossip about him, so he considered it a relief.

“Which team did you bet on, Your Grace?”

In response to the question from the man beside him, he pointed to the team in green vests and smiled softly. It was a decision he’d just made on the spot, but it didn’t matter to him.

“With one person gone, the house feels so peaceful. Ah, this is the life.”

Bella murmured as she enjoyed the early summer breeze. Hearing this, Miriam, who had been embroidering beside her, set down her hoop with a stern expression.

“Bella. As I’ve told you before, you really need to be careful from now on. Harriet’s gone, just like you wanted.”

“But Mother! It’d be such a waste to devote myself to just one husband when I was born with a face this pretty. Besides, I’ve gotten so much from those men.”

There was a reason the Viscount and Viscountess Listerwell had turned a blind eye to Bella’s habit of toying with men for fun. It wasn’t just for amusement. Bella extracted all sorts of things from them.

From small, personal gifts to major information related to the family’s business.

“I know. Thanks to you, your talentless father has made a decent amount of money. But now we need to prepare for something even bigger.”

“You mean marriage?”

Bella laughed lightly as if it were no big deal, but Miriam’s lecture continued.

“Bella, what did I say is the most important thing to a man?”

“Family and wealth.”

“Then what kind of daughter-in-law does a prestigious, wealthy family want?”

“Someone beautiful, kind, and pure.”

“That’s right, you know it well.”

Of course she did. That was why they had worked so hard all this time to craft the image of “beautiful, kind, and pure Bella Listerwell.”

But the real Bella was nothing like that.

Thanks to her striking looks—especially the endless praise from men—Bella found it utterly delightful to toy with those who obsessed over her.

Could a girl who had enjoyed manipulating boys like puppets and even pitting them against each other since childhood suddenly pretend to be a demure lady just because she’d turned eighteen?

“You’re the most sought-after bride in society right now. What do you think would happen if rumors spread that you’re loose?”

“My reputation is perfect, isn’t it? That’s why the Levin Viscountcy sent a marriage proposal.”

The Levin Viscountcy, which had recently proposed, was not only quite wealthy but also renowned for its devout faith. The eldest son of the family had fallen for Bella not just for her looks, but for her angelic speech and behavior that made her seem like a saint.

“Are you really satisfied with just the Levin Viscountcy? You should aim for at least a count’s family.”

“Of course!”

“A count’s family will judge their daughters-in-law much more strictly. Even the tiniest mistake could ruin the match.”

“Well, I haven’t been caught so far, so it should be fine, right?”

Miriam let out a deep sigh.

“That’s only because Harriet was around!”

At those words, Bella snorted and burst into laughter.

“Ah, it was so much fun dragging her into my games. It’s more convenient without her, but I do miss seeing her panic and flounder helplessly.”

The scandal-maker of high society, Harriet Listerwell.

But all those scandals had actually been Bella’s. She had simply pinned them on Harriet.

Thanks to that, Harriet—who had never even held a man’s hand—was rife with rumors that she was utterly ruined.

‘Whenever marriage proposals come up, those issues always get brought up. Even if she comes back from the convent, she’ll never have a normal marriage.’

Bella’s lips twisted into a sly smile.

Noticing this, Miriam called her in a stern voice.

“Bella.”

“I know, Mother.”

Just then, Aston entered the room holding a bouquet prepared by the gardener.

He kissed Miriam’s cheek and handed her the flowers.

“What’s this, Aston?”

“Do I need a reason to give flowers to my mother?”

“Oh my! My son is so sweet.”

Miriam was touched, inhaling the floral scent, but Bella merely smirked mockingly.

“Looks like your allowance ran out.”

The words hit home, and Aston’s face flushed red.

“W-what are you talking about? Don’t try to drive a wedge between Mother and me. Anyway, what were you talking about?”

Miriam innocently summarized their recent conversation.

Aston grinned and asked,

“But why does big sister hate Harriet so much? I find her annoying too, but you seem to want to completely destroy her.”

Had Aston hit the nail on the head? Bella’s smile grew a touch colder.

“If you don’t need a reason to give Mother flowers, then I don’t need one to hate Harriet.”

“What? I don’t get it.”

“You don’t need to. I just hate her. That’s all.”

Bella laughed once more.

There was no need to show her dark inner self to her mother and younger brother.