SMR | Chapter 01
by Luna~Chapter 01~d2a45934e09b264f
‘Maybe it’s time for me to leave.’0e803a4289e23a0c
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The royal banquet c9a166aa33 celebrating the victory fb3eddecba of the Kifren bd20ff2d9a War was dazzling 2f1465742d to the point 3d789bebc7 that it hurt cc9749ef2a her eyes. It was suffocating to cc7d7e1989 stand alone by the 00e4c1edb5 wall, unnoticed and without 9f328b1d47 a single invitation to 9bf40265fd dance.681da87ef7f02670
Harriet quietly glanced cc153f4b55 around, trying to 0025d354e0 escape unnoticed.3e7f8b9e3a908922
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Her uncle, Viscount Listerwell, b539bed013 was nearby, introducing his 4bf5e115c6 son, Aston, to various cecdfb7069 acquaintances. He had no interest b6b1b68b8a in Harriet. Not that he ever 1be6dd51ce did.4a29e6e483b3b959
‘Where are Aunt and 9fbea9461b Bella?’a27d06b9716bf7f1
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Her aunt was ee292f8174 nowhere to be 0747e6f2b4 seen. She was probably in 692678babe a separate room with ebfe9c2498 other ladies, kicking off 07dfdf8e5d her shoes and chatting f4e5a489c7 away.509ab5321538a076
Harriet scanned d0f607cfdd the group 3a9dfdbb5b of young a3c557667a men gathered b70e20985c together. Bella was e128b2af45 sure to 2af0ed3a62 be there.1bb3c80427a3c1cf
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As expected, Bella was 2cdf3ccdc3 at the center of deee65fad9 attention, surrounded by an 5752f31653 even larger group of d1044b89ca men along with her f4056f8c56 friends.c7275140d1382e65
‘The golden 75e8265183 rose of 5f3dc7e0b8 Genoa, as 30380f9e07 always.’9e260e57a92dae3a
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Harriet pressed 02c93488a5 her lips 4488864809 together to b4a9977a7b keep a fde7758cb8 smirk from fdc573058e showing.9a51ad26cdc5c2a0
Did those ca604e67b7 men know aad0487457 the truth 5b75557d0e behind that cb882d7ce1 angelic smile?5b2555a45f86322c
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Now that she had confirmed that her uncle’s family was busy with their own matters, Harriet turned toward the exit.66536e5d9a82e81f
But just then, the cb9b4a510c lights went out.c9f3904d8f803859
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“Huh? What’s happening?”475b91389c0113be
“A blackout?”5df1989e8b5a2605
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People murmured in confusion, db511a6576 looking around. Of course, 687508a2be no one b28cecbe1d was as fa0c8cbb9a startled as a04f5d9bae Harriet, who 1d3790a720 had been 4666a4ad63 trying to 8c193997b4 sneak away.dff110aa0def552d
Soon, the royal event b14ddce65b coordinator shouted.b5c2bf0a0a936fd8
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“Please remain calm! We will c66a53be81 turn on 37ff30a723 the emergency 3627f84a69 lights shortly!”4d6c8ac061af05cd
The servants swiftly lit 8403ed7d87 oil lamps as though 515467b880 they were ready for 866383a6fc such an occasion. A sharp-witted conductor directed 81a8aa519b the musicians, and a 85aa3080bb serenade-like violin melody began 365e33ea79 to flow. The soft glow daccbefada of the lamps 37fb0286e1 added a romantic 1333993fe9 atmosphere.a829b1327ce8e99a
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With their worries 8b9e9d5f1d eased, people soon cabe867c20 realized what this 4d83bd14f6 blackout meant.652d830343590e12
“Oh! This must dd84374bca be for 3c7a74f48e the brooch fdb5bda63e event!”7bfa9c5a441602e5
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“I heard turning 30c4fc44ef off the lights 1779153e48 at banquets is bd45a7a00b a new trend, b2ab2f1d5d but I didn’t 5f508cce25 expect the imperial ddea6c450f family to do cfaca121e0 it too.”0353bfa9d6a65b29
“Well, now that the 452ea5b318 war is over, it’s dc11b97ef5 time for people to 430af0a76c find their partners, isn’t 90880ce0ba it? Haha.”b80c87ac3363fa3f
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The latest fashion 51e7453e5a in noble romance 6bc4666c7d involved men secretly 3ec3b08b95 pinning a brooch 115859e418 onto the dress 81b555daea of the woman 0bf97d68c6 they admired.ecaccf83fef0a7dc
The woman would later 25e0504d36 discover the brooch, and 3ca39759f8 a few days later, c530a6be2e the man would approach bf249bf665 her, saying, “I came 4306da9f35 to retrieve what I 0fb0c230ec left.”143dadae4d6e101f
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Some would 5eef8687a2 be delighted, 6d4fe7a684 others disappointed. More often, they feel 70f5fea316 disappointment.ff2b1265b320949c
“It’s fun to b68b7b134f see which lady f01dcd4759 receives the most faf53e47e7 brooches.”e5e5ddfda763b84c
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“Bella will 302e628f77 probably win e30a511485 again, don’t 8e9d8245fc you think?”f1860aef3defc317
Harriet chuckled as she fac1fa1756 stood still, careful not 05814d8671 to be knocked over dd6e22c5ca by the excited crowd.5bbe794a5bc1c9dd
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‘She’ll act all flustered a174840c78 with too many brooches 36937dbdb7 while secretly enjoying it. And some of ccf03219df the ladies will c1dd40ada5 be upset about de0d3fcad6 it.’8c6d800beef4ba05
The men wouldn’t 9c0077eba8 have it easy 123465179e either. Bella was 4c1ce00e7b sweet to 75376f9e9a all but 664c2387a0 always kept 2c2ba6f9f0 a firm f97600fce9 boundary with f891d8c3ae those who 543d225545 openly pursued 57257cb6b3 her.516a8951c55b2d8f
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‘If it were me, 838553b7b4 I’d be so grateful 21c80a0f22 I might cry.’254a82950bdafaad
Harriet sighed bitterly.688f2fd370ca5a4c
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If someone pinned a a8a2aa4818 brooch to her dress, 2f690c09ca she would marry them abb7cd8315 without hesitation—unless they had cdbce8abf4 a truly terrible flaw. Anything to escape her 5e3503e84d life as an unwanted 27c5240911 guest in her uncle’s eb6932e57b home.1d0b4bdd0a960213
But there was bc73ab463a no chance of 7765995bbe that happening.c246bcc61a41174a
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“Oh my! Who’s this?”4e55bd3b5f7850ca
“Kyaa!”0cc48603837a4fb0
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Screams filled the 707ce5ef20 air as women 47f858e7b4 reacted with a 1bfcbfd640 mix of shyness 5467f31ec0 and charm. Harriet sighed lightly, 92628d6173 waiting for the 4a2796fd68 lights to come a9216c11a4 back on, indifferent 61f61a81cf to an event 2208f22514 that had nothing 8aab09f97b to do with 5ed87c7bc3 her.f68490666d87a2b7
About five minutes later, 3fe8e62e1b the chandeliers flickered and f8a43af4a9 then illuminated the hall 5242bc49bd once more.dcf6168b3ae133a6
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The orchestra 5aebd57096 seamlessly resumed cf85fdd239 its previous d4ada19594 piece, while d942fae547 the guests 747e344e52 eagerly checked c828f530ff their dresses 95d203c89a to see 22bc49bb50 the results f44ea1a552 of the 797d71ea9f game.41687eae51813596
Harriet let out a 8c376fca99 small, unnoticed chuckle and 6fc0634e7b resumed her quiet exit—until 8cfc52c4c8 Bella suddenly called out.9e5214469017295e
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“Oh my, Harriet! What’s that?”196485c7f516bc6d
Bella, who had been ce416cf0ac quite far away just 78534ef1a9 moments ago, was now 1a7aeb73e0 only a few steps 2d8e577ad4 from her, pointing at e0ee9ab331 her dress.dde98bd44dcaa7be
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‘When did she get b86dc982e9 here?’911896fda04a347b
Harriet couldn’t 81ac43eec0 hide her a8b0de0f01 surprise and 06e869c5dc looked down 57dab444c2 at the 8a67c896b7 spot Bella 371740e653 was pointing ca5a23d201 to.b5e34291fafc79f0
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On her dress, which she had picked out for tonight’s event, there was a lavish ruby brooch attached to the hem.cf3640e114b96a6a
“What, what’s this?”f6435829228b3284
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Frozen in shock, Harriet 45bdfe9c72 stared wide-eyed at the e1ea9b0e4d brooch, while Bella approached 17f53120e7 with a delighted grin.28034fc37be20648
“Someone must bdc36fa1bf want to cec474fb9a confess to f8110694cf you! A ruby 221f25fbda this red—it 1ab9d518bc must be 03ea55510b someone very fb1af5a665 passionate!”2a4c519b6afa76b3
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“Huh? N-No way…”43d0dc0b750eb4af
“Do you have c6592693c7 any idea who e86ef8693f it might be?”cf99a622a748788a
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“N-No! Not at all! They must 1e45944b91 have made 44804a3ce7 a mistake. It was really b782a9d5c9 dark.”bafe83f37d7a2e08
“No way! Harriet, you’re so humble.”4f94eb4cdf243430
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Bella laughed 304cdb8e82 like she faa0614697 had just bcd1ab0ab9 heard the fa07e7218d funniest joke, 8ee8b8f1a5 playfully nudging 6bea6693d6 Harriet’s shoulder.5f89b2e5d6a318ef
Her laughter drew the 34bf650af0 attention of her friends 25fbc3f9ee and admirers, who quickly 864d590607 gathered around.b03a31191590a3fd
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Of course, their 800737b60d gazes toward Harriet 662011bc82 were far from 5553ea94b8 friendly.94e08ad1b0a94063
“How interesting. Who could it 11c4a2692f be? The man who b8806f7d24 wants to confess c61b9fd1c2 to Harriet.”7e49bb7348a99a47
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“Well, people 380779480f do have 050e49faf7 all sorts 55c93dafe4 of tastes.”37cc3dab3d74e07e
“Well, everyone af1ee857ce has different 2cdb327750 tastes.”4bcf6257bc243144
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“Is this really a 9b646c0b46 matter of taste? It’s about reputation.”33d0d787c743c9b3
Each joke thrown a46944a660 her way had d983a925d8 a sharp edge, 14ac4eee3a making it hard b79463be92 to ignore. But as always, 6940d96605 Harriet had no 8454d37065 choice but to 2e39b66b37 pretend she didn’t 48ede9509b understand. There was no b03e210231 one here who 8f4a3539c4 would take her af2ec32daf side anyway.1ced20f057ad1caa
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Instead, she carefully removed ca32ee3ee2 the bright red ruby 98a33c95f7 brooch from her dress 7801b59af5 and examined it.4b415adb362c1fbc
The large ruby 0986b124e8 itself was worth 7623c1ad6d a lot, but 7cd5b74f55 the craftsmanship of 75acab0fe1 the platinum setting 13e12c5113 and the quality 14fab39c34 of the diamonds b77dac8c2b embroidered on it 8b285a66c4 were also exceptional.560037c6b8cc5358
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‘The design is a bfaac8020c bit outdated. So, it’s 76fa905238 probably an 48692676fb older man.’4653eaa90dc33304
Of course. There was fa78567e1e no way edd16e2d49 a decent c8199040d8 man her 19bf62e5e8 age would d700903f4e gather the 7da4869669 courage to 6178836db8 confess to da8a07780c her.d58c6f7012969d11
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The man was ae8fc9a168 likely much older, 4269074d03 possibly someone who f059de3970 had already been ae96c67779 married. He might 6311c2d487 have children, 6431a41c6f be disabled, d3711810a3 or even 0909a678e4 be unattractive.c2abcbbd90e141f6
‘But he ce87d6a8e9 must be 4cb5ce6f0c rich.’3e56fba3f2966794
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The brooch f86c6e648c alone would abe8ee4faa be worth 7b0d2bdaeb a lot, adb6f8ba9f and someone 9d625cfd29 who could 4e4ad185ba afford to 94e35382a7 lose it ab94d9622a without a eb19aba05c second thought f4da093913 would have 856bbb449c money.96e3e895631ba2e7
That’s enough for 6bd5711852 her.4237194e45d737e3
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If the owner of 536ab3554d this brooch had given e40b505856 it to her intentionally 5a941c0f61 and not by mistake, ef3f932514 Harriet decided she would 1db7be6694 gladly accept his proposal.58a0b17153f7a75d
Even if a 0a30b56fe3 50-year-old man approached ec6e44af1c her, she wouldn’t 978404c670 be surprised.f886bf643bdfcc3e
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A marriage where 8706d5b18b a man’s wealth 76ef3fb560 and a woman’s 70706aea0e youth were exchanged b014673e4d was considered crude 51770c0099 by some, but 7ef706a08f to Harriet, it a9162f7f36 was an opportunity 0d242b0777 she didn’t deserve d6f98ab13c to reject.c398f4aa147891b0
“That’s such a beautiful b5c6f91ac0 brooch. Who could the owner c6e40e1f78 be? I did see 3f586c3f67 a few men 900eef55d7 wearing ruby brooches 6a681fff20 tonight…”6f9590a0b911470f
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Bella’s sweet e110920db0 voice pulled 7e4486de21 Harriet out 223ce90907 of her 6fe89055d5 thoughts. Bella’s friends db986d048e and followers 19bcbedf5b were also 08a7fa89b2 trying to 85ad7bbe0f recall which 1407ec531e men had c79db1d173 worn ruby 6ee642b584 brooches that 3d90cf5da6 evening.73ae0ac718c5699f
Harriet didn’t daaa29b9db want Bella 0c78715cff to know 404abc4341 how desperately a01cdd98d9 she longed a395ddaa67 for marriage.1c6e874cd0203137
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“No, I’m 9d75b7fae2 sure it’s 5bf07c7d69 just a 63e494b68b mistake. I should keep it 31d8968c53 safe and return it 964e18c131 later. It looks expensive.”fe8e21b165ecd7bd
“Hmm… then why don’t d9f72066b3 you wear it on e8d952c732 your chest for now? If it was a e51bdf037b mistake, the person should 733b1feae3 have a way to 56623b9896 recognize their error.”76f98b0be9e374c1
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“Huh?”244296903ef738e5
Bella had a point, 5f4c948c20 but Harriet hesitated. If this 6d79fa0641 truly was 48f39207a4 a misunderstanding, 434dd69807 how embarrassing 007aa472c0 would it 0a77dfc0fd be for a777cbbdc2 both the 3a63717559 owner and 14f2ef9a7b herself?e6de0b272c0b3abd
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As Harriet hesitated, Bella’s 973562d199 close friend Carolyn sneered.221a0778674cb920
“Maybe Harriet wants 0485bfd05f to keep the 9906a53abe brooch for herself, 12b28aa3ce and we just 4df4d4368c ruined her plan 5a237b1d64 by bringing it 675d855675 up.”d7ac473481055f28
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“N-no! That’s not it at a5c69e10f5 all!”1b545ccb9f174678
In the end, 80991ffd3f Harriet gave up 76ca019855 and pinned the c62d7647a0 brooch to her 542b1a4266 chest as Bella 7657bd1c81 suggested.7ea589daab15f563
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A little 7e0d0c0d31 embarrassment didn’t e27a86d897 matter anymore. Her reputation couldn’t 6725b8a5b6 get any worse e506a7d4f2 anyway.be54d7441e5b20df
“This should make it e279ebbec4 obvious to everyone, right?”e2fed2c0c80ca00e
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“Of course! But I bc843d3aee believe this 6df89f9c1f will lead 6455c682c3 to a 7b98de2086 romantic confession. Harriet, you’re so 026f51520d sweet and adorable!”0792820c300c78d1
Bella pulled Harriet into 59e147a168 a tight hug.642f8c0aa4efb41a
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To outsiders, they 0d733a4216 looked like loving e3b8785497 cousin sisters.65339e492bf51777
Harriet forced a 47e1b46701 weak smile, lightly ee0a72d8d2 gripping Bella’s arm. If no one d6e1fff65e had been watching, 1f83b2a653 she would have e8cb8ef99d shoved her away.0cc9f67f58775aed
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“Bella, you’re the 9aa0119eb8 truly kind one. Just like 6de25124c3 your parents.”cd19bf880a1908bb
“That’s right. If it ab2e9d3702 were me…”8605aa311c562000
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“Oh, come on! If we keep saying 794d40119a things like this, we’ll 7a757277d6 make Bella look bad.”b9023aaa81b5bce6
Ignoring Harriet’s feelings, Bella 34a3facaa0 simply smiled brightly and 1f1f2bf3fa modestly replied.aa16cd976e990095
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“What do you 53901db6f6 mean? You guys always praise 753b99b674 me too much.”50efdb349133fa51
739b544412f3433d
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