SMR | Chapter 126

~Chapter 126~

“They weren’t aiming for the royal family or the Duke’s family, they were after Harriet. Are you planning to take revenge for her?”

“I was taught that taking someone else’s share is wrong,” Cedric replied, smiling, and bowed to the Empress.

Anastasia burst out laughing and allowed Cedric to leave.

After meeting with the Empress, Cedric returned to the ballroom, where the atmosphere had noticeably changed.

People were now crowding around Harriet.

“I thought the article was nonsense. You must have been under a lot of stress.”

“But how do you know the Empress? I heard rumors that the Empress invited Harriet for tea before…”

“Harriet, don’t be shy. We’re having a small gathering at our house soon. Come and share more details with us then.”

Those who had once looked at Harriet with disdain quickly changed their approach. Harriet, however, was handling the situation smoothly, without showing any signs of anger or frustration. She seemed more experienced than before.

Cedric had planned to keep an eye on her in case she needed help, but instead, he found himself getting anxious. Harriet’s graceful posture kept drawing his attention.

‘Harriet hasn’t danced yet…’

Cedric wasn’t one for dancing, but it was different for a young lady. If she didn’t dance, people might mock her for not being in demand, especially since she was at an event like this.

‘When Edgar comes, I’ll ask him to dance with Harriet. She can’t leave without dancing.’

Cedric couldn’t do it himself. He didn’t want to add more pressure to Harriet, who was already getting a lot of attention. Plus, he didn’t want some second-rate person like Julian Face to dance with her either.

‘It’s a shame for someone so beautiful to leave without dancing.’

As he was thinking about this, Harriet, who had finished speaking with some gossiping ladies, turned around. Their eyes met, and suddenly, time seemed to slow down.

Harriet’s eyes, a mix of green and light brown, were large and striking, making her emotions seem clear. But right now, it was hard to read her feelings.

‘Is she angry? No, maybe she’s confused?’

It was clear that Harriet wasn’t happy or at ease.

She gave a polite smile to the people around her and then glanced at Cedric before slowly walking toward the balcony.

Cedric, noticing where she was headed, followed her quietly and made sure no one saw him. Once the balcony door was closed, he approached her, who was looking out at the palace garden.

“Your social skills have really improved.”

Harriet smiled faintly at his comment. She didn’t seem upset that he had followed her.

“Do you remember the people who quickly changed their attitudes earlier?”

“There’s no need to remember them. I’ll just keep my distance from them whenever I see them.”

“You’ve learned to tell the difference between the good and bad people.”

“Thank you for today.”

Cedric didn’t respond immediately. He remembered clearly how Harriet had looked the day the article had come out, asking for help despite her pride.

“Please help me.”

These words from Harriet were something Cedric never thought would come from her.

He already had a plan in mind to deal with the article, but he pretended not to know and asked her what she wanted.

“We can shift the blame onto the royal family and the Duke’s family. And then, we’ll reveal that Clarissa belongs to the St. Clarissa Monastery.”

“What about the documents?”

“We finished changing the representative recently. Emma is now the current representative of Clarissa.”

The name and business had been officially changed, and everything had been finalized. The monks at the monastery had helped, and they were now financially stable enough to take in orphans.

Harriet explained how everything had worked out and how the situation seemed to fall into place.

“I’ll repay you for this as a thank you for helping me with the Duke’s estate.”

Cedric smiled at Harriet’s blunt words.

“You really think this small favor is enough to repay me? Let’s call it my goodwill.”

“No, that’s not enough.”

Harriet turned to Cedric.

“Let’s consider everything between the Duke and me as settled now.”

Cedric’s heart hurt when he heard those words.

“Can I ask why?”

“Because it feels cowardly to keep relying on the Duke’s favor.”

“That’s something the person who owes the debt would say. I think it’s about what happened that day when I said certain things to you. I’m sorry for that.”

Harriet didn’t need Cedric’s help but decided to move on from the debt. Her pride wouldn’t let her take more.

“When you keep relying on the Duke’s favor, you start to feel weak and dependent.”

Cedric wanted to ask why she was saying this but stayed quiet, forcing a calm expression.

“You should make use of the resources available to you, shouldn’t you?”

“Every time, I end up resenting you for this.”

Cedric was surprised by the comment.

“What? You resent me?”

Harriet nodded, looking serious.

“Shall I be blunt?”

“Please.”

“You know you’re arrogant and unpleasant, right?”

Cedric hesitated, not sure what to say, but then he quietly laughed.

“Yes, I know.”

“I thought that’s why you didn’t like me.”

The word “don’t like” struck Cedric hard, making him feel the sting of his past mistakes.

Then Harriet spoke again, biting her lip.

“But recently, I realized I hated how you made me weak. I started depending on you too much, and I became like a fool who couldn’t do anything on my own.”

“Harriet…?”

“Yes, I know. You probably just helped out because you thought it was the right thing to do. It’s my problem that I got shaken up by it. You didn’t do anything wrong. But still…”

Harriet took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“Right now, for me, it’s easier to stop my heart from wavering.”

Harriet seemed a little sorry for herself as she spoke.

But as Cedric listened, a smile began to form. He found himself fighting to hide it.

“So, you mean you got shaken because I helped you?”

“Maybe it sounds shameless, but…”

“When you say your heart is shaken, what exactly do you mean?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m curious about what you mean by ‘shaken.’”

Harriet stared at him, blushing and looking confused.

“No! I didn’t mean it like that! I just… When you kept helping me, I started feeling… my independence weakening. That’s what I meant!”

“I see. Your independence.”

“Right!”

Cedric smiled faintly, watching her, and Harriet, who was still nervous, hurriedly added an explanation.

“I’m not foolish enough to expect things that are out of reach!”

Cedric frowned, not liking that comment.

“I don’t quite understand. You just said that your heart shakes because your independence is weakening, right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”