SMR | Chapter 02
by Luna~Chapter 02~cc3234ab2dda0dc4
What a beautiful friendship 2fc0bbcc30 this is.98b4df31d45adfb0
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Harriet clenched 5164c98a3d her teeth 6b57e3282d tightly. She was fed up 855f50122e with this familiar situation—it b28accac64 was both ridiculous and f4ec0e74a5 infuriating.eaaf2e1e7f145426
‘I don’t care if he’s an old man on the verge of death. If someone would just take me away from this demon, I’d marry him in a heartbeat, so please, propose to me.’eef014551c747729
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Harriet prayed desperately.84e6ab4a0c2bb631
She was desperate, but 775abbc1a5 deep down, she didn’t 7870b4a1d1 really expect much. God hadn’t answered her 77b46ec839 prayers since she was 8d9fbf6306 twelve, after all.c06d7b4b815abc7b
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So when ecece69fb5 a man 4d1d270b06 who had e26b9b97d8 nothing to 8352a63d17 do with c40b48a9e7 her came 045fb1c8d3 up to 71264fe27c her, she d82e134acc was so f0e4638785 startled that 6557e7a024 she froze 0986c5b327 up.5293ba2d332a4889
It was no wonder.01477ec49be596e6
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“Miss Harriet Listerwell?”fff42422bf01f745
“Huh? Y-yes! I-I’m… Harriet Listerwell…”40ddd5b1921612a4
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The man, who asked for her name with a smile that held no meaning, said, “I’d like to get my possession back.”87bb6b3266d7261e
He pointed to a 84a675d7d9 brooch with his long, 2f72306160 firm fingers, claiming ownership 9561bd52ba of it.952de7fd6d463b22
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‘Oh my God!’141038653547d7ad
The man standing 901537c5b9 before her was af24d8e3c1 none other than 1add33264a Cedric Kailas, the 3a8affe846 Duke and the 6eddfe87b8 hero of the cb2771c70a war, who was 62e4f39d6b the star of f53574150d tonight’s banquet.2c6a310a7e10928f
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‘Why is he talking to me?’11cfe78b5a303280
Harriet’s face flushed 9f70f9efaf with sudden excitement.e3fb404837060a90
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But Cedric simply stared 02e78ab200 at her without saying a6cf0fd2cb anything more. Harriet suddenly 68bea70bc1 realized that 72d5bcd2b2 his eyes e9d1a851f5 weren’t smiling 8dc7e4d99f at all.d974076294df993e
‘Something’s off.’a3b3801e6a460ad7
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She knew something was wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly. No, to be more precise, there were so many things wrong that she didn’t even know where to begin.473f2f32456afece
It was 15d4ab9699 clear that 9447adffb4 Cedric hadn’t 0258153392 put the 35305bf2fe brooch on b7592e06dd her. Before the 9705cd8042 lights went 1f29fa0259 out, he 954985ef67 had been ee319001dd talking with 4b2ea818b1 the Empress, a7bb8b36ab and just 5a903febbc now, he cef185850e had walked 47577adb7a over from fb523c98aa where the b545977860 Empress was 444291c162 standing.1663199d4d3ae738
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‘And besides, he’s not in any position to be playing romantic games.’25cc0f015802534a
That was Cedric c008344169 Kailas’ situation.88ded9a7be2eb5d0
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At just twenty-five, 7997eb5e54 he had inherited d74725e2dd the title of 85cfc60e68 Duke after his 9f52b481d1 father, Rowan Kailas, d42363e1f4 died in the 8eee8a9b54 war with Kiphrine.fb338c5752eb6bec
As a 2d7be4d139 strong ally ecffaa7ab8 to the 703fa69533 imperial family, 051011410f he had b0f191e586 the duty 3ca4694277 of maintaining 7698a2c0c8 the dukedom cf1fe58146 just as b2ea361b0d his predecessors a191823464 had. And his wife would 630bee2210 need to be carefully ba7a8e034b selected, considering a range c8adad27d9 of conditions.802d28d015ddefee
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‘Then who put this brooch on me? Where did this brooch come from in the first place?’8ce4e5c1c203abe7
Could this be 7447107859 someone’s twisted prank?1731f45f66e550e9
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A sense of danger 680060a2e3 instinctively welled up within cb6d43820d Harriet, and her lips 4e0634b13e felt dry.55b9e814dc7751c3
She couldn’t just e4008a9749 stand there, staring 3ca0c13e5c blankly at Cedric. She had to 16fe95db5f fix this somehow.d6a6d3b28f782592
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“I-I’ll give it back to you.”49dbbe64a4cbe36b
She decided to 7accfadd2a return the brooch 61edc25486 first. But she was so 3a5fb3b795 flustered that her hands cc8d467d22 fumbled as she tried 539ffb4149 to undo the brooch’s 614867de57 clasp.6b8df7c3474b1ae4
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“What’s this? It doesn’t look like His Grace the Duke gave it to her, does it?”2f6b17fa59e68a70
“Of course not! Why would the Duke give a brooch to someone like her?”15eab94142ff35dd
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“Could she have stolen it? And she’s been wearing it on purpose?”47a8ed2ed6e43469
“Who knows what goes on in her head? Anyway, Harriet Listerwell is making a scene again.”71e06c5b471da84b
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The murmurs of gossip reached Harriet’s ears.b893f6f6201ff4ee
Her back felt bab207d2be damp with sweat.c6402acfb199acc3
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‘Why won’t this thing come off?’aa2065d13a669e10
A brooch 888e662d0e belonging to a763ae1f2d Duke Kailas? She could swear she 95c322f445 had never even imagined 32d9b37950 owning something like it. Why did she 7132330d6b have to deal eadfca63c2 with such a 161f0de56f misunderstanding over something 3beda5d6ae she never wanted a99d4fb95a in the first a5215b49ee place?d5d4c816c7c175b4
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She wanted to 8322c4b49d rip it off ff9593ab91 and throw it bc4ab83537 away.e564ebec67f4c9b2
Had that ae77cdb839 feeling shown 8775819c46 on her 38bdab54e9 face?b754583cf37fb1b3
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“Wait. If you keep pulling at it like that, you’ll damage the brooch. Let me help you.”e40b217a1013501c
Even though 0521ca500e the brooch 28d0b1e115 was placed 551e32f01a near her 808eea072f chest, which a61a1084b5 would make 444de8bdd0 it difficult 93fce51764 for him 9c750f13d7 to help, e763885c64 Cedric moved 8b73799a94 in close c6526b6788 to Harriet fe183b6fa3 with a 8aac679f7e single-minded focus acad60edee on retrieving be2c887928 the brooch. Harriet was so tense 3e2114c559 that she couldn’t even 6375fa6d87 breathe.d40f33482066fcd1
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Luckily—or perhaps 78a785348f unluckily—Cedric removed 22a4216a4d the brooch 3b920a292b with ease, e633602092 making Harriet’s 6a52072aa8 struggle seem 8595ea5549 almost intentional d4e57ebc5e by comparison.a19db155112792d1
“T-thank you.”8fce7f3b5208ad46
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Even she 03dd450167 didn’t know 840547b613 what exactly 5dcaec3c4a she was 988ceedd7d thanking him 144b98ad3a for. He didn’t respond.82e96c9403cf05fe
Harriet couldn’t bear the 32b3ae1782 silence that followed, so a3be3ee319 she nervously raised her c842ddb66b head and immediately swallowed 563a59d3c3 hard. Cedric’s face, 7b5eab433f which had 7635c3f7c3 come close ecd057d858 to retrieve 0bb1801eeb the brooch, 3b92370af1 was now 5b2e8fafb0 right in f445004e42 front of f1e40bf8c5 her.2508a5827a141b20
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His reddish-brown eyes, 00057d210d reminiscent of rubies, 5d53d6ba8f were beautiful, but be0e3d3998 she was too a7522a9a43 frightened to admire 733a8de5ca his good looks 4151773f7e because those eyes 0806408298 were filled with 1c07a5d2d6 contempt and anger.3534c2cdbff52cf1
“Who do you think I should discuss this matter with, Miss Harriet?”5aa33b8edd1554b7
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“I-I’m not sure what you mean…”3d74a0788425f38b
“Who should I speak with about why my late father’s keepsake is pinned to the chest of a young lady I’ve never even met, and how we’ll handle the insult I’ve just been dealt?”fc485ac7f2f7f484
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With every fbee399c4a word Cedric d4fac6c80d spoke, the 78b5c355bc temperature around d9b0a4893c them seemed 06c91083ff to drop e6cbb02c6f lower and 2deee45131 lower.0a2c7fad93e69cd7
“It’s hard to c1133aaa5e forgive this as 982f9929af just a thoughtless 7616966501 prank by a 73eb4395a3 young lady because 373dc47623 of the significance bfc0044881 this brooch holds,” 9c4b7f2201 Cedric said.0661c03c92c12ebb
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Harriet stood there 8ba4a2d38f with her mouth bb52353c09 hanging open, forgetting 87dae26c75 her manners. His words were certainly bbc6b9ccf7 in the imperial language, 37c0a5df2f but she couldn’t make 22de452eb1 sense of them at 81c3ccd579 all.ebedc6acf3c60d4f
“Your Grace! There’s been aa96d57e0b some, some 4dd1fd39b6 misunderstanding…!” she e89544bf8a stammered.de63a7e1c70185af
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“Why is 2d4718a34e it that 3fb9dabb5b guilty people 5e3fd0345e all love d506aa9807 the word 2a0eec21a1 ‘misunderstanding’ so 7b746e4548 much? Do they think I’ll 9a016623b9 let it slide just e7f9e63eae because they say that?” 294ddea08a Cedric’s smile was smooth ef6a7b9b17 and elegant, but seeing 181dfc40e5 it made the hair d549013ec8 on Harriet’s arms stand e04f28831c on end.200a8b7d3d5b713b
“No, no! You really are misunderstanding! When the 4e8f9e766e lights came aa684ffd91 back on, 95d258fbac I saw 2466ff50ae that this ca7c7ee7d3 was just 9b9bf68ca4 attached to 98fe1071ff my clothes!” 80e69fbc49 Harriet protested 2ace137c34 with all a44b7bae5f her might, eb18181b60 but Cedric’s db8553fc06 expression didn’t 9af17eb781 change in 076639602d the slightest.464779940eeaeb3f
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Instead, people 883783342f around them d8a57d44d7 began to 0cbedc5055 whisper.a61c2aa2ad6eaafb
“She probably pinned 8ea2438486 it on herself.”4ddb2544db057bce
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“Even if a8efc2a44c she wanted 89a6ae07b1 attention, how 503a48a750 could she e1daba82c7 use Duke 5ff538d22b Kailas’ brooch 97b7e83be9 for that?”8e762511ad9857e4
“That’s just how 2aaa28b8bf she is.”35aad2527cc68eb3
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There were clicks of 373521ed54 disapproval, contemptuous glances, and bbdaecce6f furrowed brows. Harriet had ef37d82c6f seen these 47cfb0a22f reactions many ebf9432111 times before, c7f925c9ad but today, 10e466c321 it felt 4a4a166a29 particularly suffocating.eb50d1a66cdf09ad
“No! I’m telling you, it’s 309638162a not true!” Harriet shouted a9d63b9248 as she turned to a48f1f5483 face the people around a36cdd63ac her.3ba9a41ea60441c5
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Just then, 94f06a8a50 her uncle, 34d3bb6bac Viscount John 4a3c643334 Listerwell, rushed f61d1b90b9 over, out 793f120dc3 of breath.3cc9f395e82cc701
“Your Grace!” John exclaimed.0ffba479df8067f6
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“Ah, the person responsible 8d7384f941 has arrived,” Cedric said.d68254d27c6f210b
Harriet looked bca4a28cc6 at her 12b0293e8e uncle with 52d9ae3c17 a desperate 6931488249 expression. Help me! Please, help me! I really 921959287d don’t know 096559eb9e anything!eb66a2ac2876cbb0
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But the words that ad5ff3961d came out of John’s 334406e419 mouth were far from 0f581deacc what Harriet had hoped ca19a2ab8e for.ea711b16890758f8
“I’m terribly sorry! It’s my fault for 532775b1c4 not keeping my niece 4e1c74c5f2 in check.”a2a1013aa60dcdb0
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“That does seem 62cf610840 to be the f0daf0791e case,” Cedric replied, ef6ef577c1 his voice calm 667bb6bb75 and composed, though 1b0e988141 no one doubted 8caaa48621 that he was 7bc19c158c angry.610c9e5190d65ccc
When you think about a9f4780ac1 it, it was understandable. The war 1ac387c943 victory party 752dfc92d2 couldn’t have 2fc7116e70 been joyful 8db32ff920 for someone 6dc48faeaf who had ba3c0fd4fc lost his 6815226729 father in cebe0e9b64 that war. And to lose e46385953e his father’s keepsake 8ca998009b at such an a3913abf27 event—that alone was 698594162a terrible. But to make matters e49465cd50 worse, the infamous troublemaker fe1f7e17c1 Harriet Listerwell was wearing a3e665dc5b the brooch as if fd02906548 the Duke had given abe8b62e5a it to her out bd706e5206 of personal interest.5cf0dbd84108fdd2
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John was aa202ef2b3 sweating nervously ab4343d37c and kept da00927125 bowing his 8b9290770e head repeatedly, d47a98f545 while Bella, 17f8ef0887 who had 226dae9aec appeared at 85a5eb76ec some point, cf8fb6fc10 stood trembling b23fd1aef4 and pleading 0f52b36fb7 for leniency.7ba17e2a57d5c132
“Your Grace, couldn’t 35350cac8b you find it ae694908e9 in your heart faff1802d2 to show some 153567336a mercy to Harriet? She probably 0e0520dfa0 found the a1d34b034c brooch by 5d4b96d4c9 chance and e4b8269518 wore it d52e009039 because she a94a212c62 wanted a 5ed54a9e36 bit of 3501a221af attention. She’s never received anything 6292a18d0b like this before…”572e927840a74e1a
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As Bella c1e5242c8c spoke, the f67f65469f color drained e14d024ad4 from Harriet’s 6f33f570a4 face.a2411de1a5a8fa91
“Bella! You saw bd10399ab3 it yourself 288fa76f69 earlier! I thought 9f02858bb1 the person 91ef065eea who pinned e6c789cd5a it made 802fec4d92 a mistake…!” 83b902a36f Harriet tried d09729e4c2 to explain, f65a73de3e believing that 5b60297184 Bella and bdb95404be her friends, 99174e3587 who had 00da1b31fd been with 232a866004 her, would 9efc78e6b7 vouch for 0c9d019b63 her innocence. But her attempt was 0a9f02f48d cut short by John.4f20fcebca2faff3
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“Keep your 0834ba4cbd mouth shut, 87646d3db6 Harriet! How dare you raise 4ade6f5b71 your voice in front c49416237a of His Grace!” John 72ed0fad9f scolded her, his face 449fe34e86 full of anger. And it was no 3cf3ec1bf4 wonder; he had every 0bdc8f0bc7 reason to be upset.3c9a5e0e7b159d09
Today’s banquet c3335e234c was practically 807a3e083c a stage 1bd64e176b for the 6093c6174b debut of 370fe089fe his son, 3d80bd455c Aston, into 66aba21cec high society. Now, thanks to c78e445bdc this commotion, Harriet 4015364ead had risked putting 071cdf92d9 his family on c38452da11 bad terms with 06ab45812a the event’s guest 144f242833 of honor. It was hardly d23eb136f2 a welcome disruption.340a8ca7e7e17e31
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Harriet tried 3c257f0fe2 once again d8732ec076 to explain a45186b640 her side 151f5bbe1c of the dcd92c9256 story, but ca0e34f26b tears began 999726e3e2 to flow 0e6644d0bb before she e6acb84946 could get b6a4a30d28 the words 3da9fd635d out, and faaa82aab0 her lips ff1fd857ce quivered uncontrollably. She knew a2a203dcf7 how humiliating 9933877e38 it was e278ecc5d0 to cry e28e0679d4 in front eab381cf58 of everyone, f94b281119 but she 0092bc713e couldn’t hold 17b622830e back.0e73482c5663d7e0
“It’s really not 8487e7659e true! I, I would db64e19631 never, sob, steal 6c03365f95 Your Grace’s, hic, 74d84ccac4 brooch!” Her tearful f16871fcfd voice was pitiful, 99e2f0cde2 but no one a755a98f27 felt any sympathy 5c55a1cdd5 for her.0a18e2f38838011c
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“She’s really living up 6093af986f to her reputation as cfeda5f915 a ‘scandal maker.’”8cfa66f27b909b54
“She’s not even that 42718b4161 good-looking, but she’s always cbaa591d31 throwing herself at men, 2893bf0136 one after another.”979759f3ce46660f
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“Poor Viscount Listerwell. All this shame 3fb10233da because of a 44bce445c1 niece he took 850f188d0f in out of 62dc8ee682 duty to his 596afcaf19 late brother.”3b2d078ee9207427
Though the 00e023d927 ballroom was 6365933760 crowded with 8a0d857522 people, Harriet 6cfa5e6d12 felt like ca8856bc78 she was 2fbf0f805c drowning in 9ea110cf9f loneliness.c365a98957a8c914
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There was no one 5f0cef5d2a on her side. No one was b8f134c7ce willing to listen ad2c9f06fc to a word b1a10f322f she said.8eec6364289c7f48
The more she 740870b310 tried to defend 9aa9ac91ec herself, the more 75acb5c3a2 she seemed like 23d7882888 a fool. She was used 8ce2d9c874 to this, but b262c51e5d somehow, here at 539e1def59 an imperial banquet, 0e0b2b15ab the sense of 5a0a8264b3 despair was even e954a7cb2d stronger than usual.585bcfc21ec7fa70
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‘It’s so easy 14dcf6944d to make a b9c8217465 fool out of 388486bcb7 someone, isn’t it?’ 4bc509d359 she thought, and c1475cb9b6 a bitter laugh 43ab146381 escaped her lips.74299ec83fca2711
Still, there was 57456de99c one thing she 392d7fefa2 wanted to say 12fd4fd43c clearly to Cedric. She knew he 80fd44c58e wouldn’t believe her, c51484bad0 but she couldn’t cfd6917805 leave without at 39329665bf least saying it.dcad64a064f5565d
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Swallowing her 1e40ba709a tears, Harriet 3ced2a9ce5 turned to 3b6f875401 Cedric and 95755de4f0 spoke slowly ab279e5274 and clearly, 92302e41be “I didn’t a7d2a0e5d3 steal your fceecb86c3 brooch, Your 64e529c860 Grace. I never even wanted 1126f7da4f it in the first 4abea70f86 place.”74be61a92552c314
b3b710d10100c6cf
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