SMR | Chapter 01
by Luna~Chapter 01~563f1f3e4ed65974
‘Maybe it’s time for me to leave.’a978bbc66fb55c8d
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The royal banquet celebrating 910ae809b8 the victory of the c599004092 Kifren War was dazzling 3fb3ad34d5 to the point that 03a4d2624e it hurt her eyes. It was ec1ecc4c95 suffocating to a6f0c071f8 stand alone ef3b5082a6 by the 5bb867047b wall, unnoticed d037a827f9 and without 3007c0003e a single 6bf9e7d283 invitation to 53ee9a0b97 dance.2c465c2cce6b39ec
Harriet quietly 37af0e4283 glanced around, 7d6849f94a trying to 36b5ba02e0 escape unnoticed.38af125064cd88b5
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Her uncle, Viscount Listerwell, 5d93c420a6 was nearby, introducing his fb5d43436f son, Aston, to various 6b594977af acquaintances. He had no interest d62e075d26 in Harriet. Not that he 9da451bd99 ever did.95406579c166031d
‘Where are Aunt and df3160e807 Bella?’daaa4bbb77227e7c
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Her aunt 46de82a2c6 was nowhere 405fc25c0a to be fa327bfa88 seen. She was probably 1a08bb2072 in a separate ce2daad826 room with other a69ad0d79e ladies, kicking off 80032f2d26 her shoes and 4f711b0daa chatting away.b317fa138ba9ceb0
Harriet scanned the 0efb673a0e group of young 42881bd4d8 men gathered together. Bella was sure to 9bb350829e be there.f1a5301f79e374bc
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As expected, Bella 8b17f3a6c3 was at the 2822e780d8 center of attention, 4e4ffbbbed surrounded by an 0a3792bdcc even larger group ead7a7b28e of men along 4dbe5f3d4c with her friends.f45e8a03e8c651c2
‘The golden rose d5a90e7fd8 of Genoa, as 69d647fbef always.’c92ee81818336f8a
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Harriet pressed c4b7269123 her lips 9bb18bcd9f together to 9c19b45648 keep a 8049249989 smirk from 9dfaae72c1 showing.f0322bb159dd41e3
Did those men f573ae4937 know the truth 88c9b0b654 behind that angelic a119532379 smile?959932d5f314507f
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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.78494f724dcd0618
But just then, 5b564e9945 the lights went 43865ec067 out.a1e57ee572a7a602
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“Huh? What’s happening?”8b5ca337ff47111a
“A blackout?”c1536b5e9f58d607
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People murmured in confusion, af6b24853d looking around. Of course, no one 5219a6a445 was as startled as d96a715952 Harriet, who had been ce2ac7b92f trying to sneak away.6429372cdd2bd5bd
Soon, the 80800faf9a royal event 3de3883946 coordinator shouted.12fdce760bd749d2
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“Please remain calm! We will turn on be4aa85ae6 the emergency lights shortly!”13b47e8cd8dcac26
The servants swiftly cdf97bd0b6 lit oil lamps bcc550cb10 as though they bb72309eed were ready for 3a57792268 such an occasion. A sharp-witted conductor d0299b0d68 directed the musicians, cc0516cb8a and a serenade-like 09933e2e25 violin melody began 976e8e1829 to flow. The soft glow 41dfc975da of the lamps 58382a6fcf added a romantic 2be0efebf5 atmosphere.42461b4def77ca9a
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With their 3acab3dbe1 worries eased, 35ab14a823 people soon 20ff298bf0 realized what 60de5d09f6 this blackout 2cb5db9b6a meant.b4a8883633c59141
“Oh! This must be for 2bda727e92 the brooch event!”073b0689d9dd3e27
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“I heard turning 93103d4b59 off the lights e418edde93 at banquets is 8e4f4c26e1 a new trend, 13c136849d but I didn’t f8df48a06b expect the imperial ec7f15e152 family to do 8b0787db3b it too.”0d2cf2c6e51d383b
“Well, now 762534a744 that the f6ef02df8d war is 211757897e over, it’s 7c5a065141 time for 8467b9079e people to 966f4c01f1 find their 943f629bb6 partners, isn’t cc3eebf156 it? Haha.”13951d4f79ea69ac
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The latest 6db1ef5bda fashion in 2137073c4e noble romance 9c1c60bd54 involved men 868e41962d secretly pinning b308071665 a brooch 10c64a9734 onto the 8ed22d2e98 dress of 41dd262514 the woman 5c0e1da5c7 they admired.eeadf2fa624bd689
The woman ef25e531e9 would later 12fd28aa8e discover the 432a0e9bf6 brooch, and adaaf72bfd a few d9584e969c days later, 8a80680f9f the man adf5d2a091 would approach a06dcd1801 her, saying, 406f2a0387 “I came afedabc6b9 to retrieve 735836cfeb what I add10b26b2 left.”0a981973b07728f5
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Some would aeb2875f31 be delighted, a198e1ec4e others disappointed. More often, they b4e447fa00 feel disappointment.68011926aa97f17e
“It’s fun to 8a9a9c22fe see which lady 2196549df4 receives the most a6eba9b275 brooches.”851491154dc5a7a5
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“Bella will probably win 18c75f281c again, don’t you think?”94688e83b9f88052
Harriet chuckled cbf31ce316 as she 018274aaf0 stood still, 30ea6d85be careful not 10121288ee to be 87cdc2a582 knocked over 117eca7a3b by the 153f7d6fc7 excited crowd.7f1dcc0f14cf1de2
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‘She’ll act 2167b28138 all flustered d5e74919b9 with too 8acc60a868 many brooches 5650344a06 while secretly b3ae7c1b48 enjoying it. And some of the cb47536af6 ladies will be upset c020bd7f7a about it.’367dde801e6bb30f
The men wouldn’t 4e0b4c99e5 have it easy d0bf0e7864 either. Bella was sweet dd3e115228 to all but b54399ecd8 always kept a 79338ab198 firm boundary with 8684f0974f those who openly 2aede4cd21 pursued her.80ef384fc747bce6
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‘If it were me, 2efbfd7134 I’d be so grateful f91eb7fcc5 I might cry.’2a143d8f8881d64d
Harriet sighed bitterly.4d35a3b2dff7601d
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If someone pinned 612277c903 a brooch to 0dda201056 her dress, she 711444759d would marry them 5a6791c0b1 without hesitation—unless they dfa328f1c2 had a truly 25a3211f8b terrible flaw. Anything to escape dcb3b7a9cf her life as 939d1f38fe an unwanted guest ff81ada5ab in her uncle’s a878eb3762 home.83586695bbbe3db1
But there 6835622b67 was no 86b07f8557 chance of 5cccb49747 that happening.42c24b6ba7600eb7
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“Oh my! Who’s this?”0cfe4d9648813561
“Kyaa!”b7224ea2d32228dc
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Screams filled the air 85bf043ec4 as women reacted with e49d55c7bf a mix of shyness 16469b7936 and charm. Harriet sighed lightly, waiting 52144424dd for the lights to 4d075bd217 come back on, indifferent abb0c45e2a to an event that c526903c1c had nothing to do 09f4324eab with her.040ee6a153ba561a
About five minutes later, 80802bd146 the chandeliers flickered and cba4006a7a then illuminated the hall 039766ee0a once more.0ce9c72318f303a1
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The orchestra seamlessly 8f05b7ed37 resumed its previous 738c1316fb piece, while the 08f31f2859 guests eagerly checked 465fbaf1df their dresses to d4c2a876dc see the results 4f808f7834 of the game.760319f0dae7812a
Harriet let out fb610a2f1b a small, unnoticed 9d071bc836 chuckle and resumed d23583467f her quiet exit—until 0671dee2f6 Bella suddenly called 13f02ed5e3 out.970360198b9c4720
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“Oh my, Harriet! What’s that?”52df321bed15a260
Bella, who had been 7e7676696b quite far away just 884b9c2e03 moments ago, was now 5e8cac62af only a few steps c55606718f from her, pointing at bfdb2b0832 her dress.6624b89f37299939
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‘When did f057b308f7 she get eba626e0bd here?’74aacb1d750a4324
Harriet couldn’t 248519e6fe hide her 676d88ad73 surprise and d1948753cd looked down 567d388cd5 at the c52544772a spot Bella d670ee9e8f was pointing 862b6941e2 to.1005b95f96061881
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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.14b1488b87b18402
“What, what’s this?”0c26a80cf561c039
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Frozen in shock, Harriet a9589416e6 stared wide-eyed at the 47465eed11 brooch, while Bella approached 5492974eb2 with a delighted grin.15786d2765e3b98d
“Someone must want to 851b622d12 confess to you! A ruby this red—it 274ff34cf9 must be someone very 3f9cd31539 passionate!”80779fa062886f42
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“Huh? N-No way…”7353d38bf3319559
“Do you have any a029211bbf idea who it might 83fdd349db be?”260bedffc5c0f491
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“N-No! Not at all! They must da9eb133f8 have made a7a1ba31cc a mistake. It was 4af895182c really dark.”b6324227a0676e88
“No way! Harriet, you’re so f29fd82bf2 humble.”a28c552a29960f98
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Bella laughed 6a2b8b23f4 like she 679bea1d83 had just 7cae6d91e9 heard the 3f448491e1 funniest joke, 7b70771b04 playfully nudging 68b2a51fd0 Harriet’s shoulder.eff00cc0b5d0cdfb
Her laughter b7ffc000da drew the 0a5a16691e attention of caa7d46536 her friends ba427af325 and admirers, c6596ff522 who quickly 94549cb1c0 gathered around.eaf60ebaca2b4050
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Of course, 36212ae969 their gazes f04de29a9a toward Harriet 63fd001356 were far 7ef0dd0076 from friendly.367d382103d300e8
“How interesting. Who could ceed8f1008 it be? The man who wants 38255068f1 to confess to Harriet.”04ffcb6ba1d7aa1b
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“Well, people f9af6d217d do have f1ef6d0dba all sorts 03666230b1 of tastes.”5f5f1401266eedad
“Well, everyone has b1eacfb09c different tastes.”19c98fc5c72aaf92
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“Is this really a c0f8da252c matter of taste? It’s about reputation.”16ce454cdf96f0e3
Each joke 5ff34b5fa6 thrown her 855d930148 way had a19e48958d a sharp 60d9264453 edge, making 516642c9e4 it hard b77521dbd2 to ignore. But as always, dc0327706a Harriet had no f6abd7fc0d choice but to f5e70f443a pretend she didn’t 8543272dfa understand. There was no one 06bffa138d here who would take 8acdd19db5 her side anyway.222588ee6b523f90
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Instead, she carefully 0c8d97d7dc removed the bright 12ebd617e6 red ruby brooch 4f8af988b7 from her dress d330f4f20f and examined it.1ce63d21a2163580
The large ruby itself aa289d24de was worth a lot, 90431e0ba8 but the craftsmanship of 59d968d48c the platinum setting and 86ddd92b82 the quality of the edfbbdd5dc diamonds embroidered on it 83a385f669 were also exceptional.c00fda87f7e4f200
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‘The design is 48b179d0ef a bit outdated. So, it’s probably 4e8a98a42e an older man.’3dd34987d88a50ea
Of course. There was no way 3c5d4d5e5d a decent man her 5f9beb177a age would gather the 2deed3446c courage to confess to 73bb97a217 her.c961c2de101af446
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The man 942b68fbc6 was likely 5ad42c4289 much older, f38a565564 possibly someone 5113fa452f who had 2f4381fac7 already been 0d26ab4d8a married. He might have e77391fe67 children, be disabled, c90e835d92 or even be bc177883ab unattractive.21581cd24ae692d1
‘But he must 2b8ca84794 be rich.’27b80b51b9ccb1c6
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The brooch alone ad40ce3282 would be worth c2663823a2 a lot, and 4714cf5d89 someone who could 0e2ac0156a afford to lose d2a3bf2b88 it without a dd6464fa04 second thought would f219ca0867 have money.b818887620dfbd74
That’s enough for 1c8b6a73e7 her.79642129a2339578
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If the owner 20ce792e23 of this brooch 9014430aec had given it c6c8cc4b45 to her intentionally 6dcbab3437 and not by 64bdc01c3d mistake, Harriet decided 5ce94ef81a she would gladly 81829cb2da accept his proposal.6226336cd2a1fe87
Even if a 50-year-old 8e95b5ff99 man approached her, she 48e3db9cc7 wouldn’t be surprised.7491fc6726e55e8d
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A marriage where 9baefbe9b8 a man’s wealth 04dd3574fe and a woman’s 1ae84a290e youth were exchanged 3ad6720d84 was considered crude 843e24bb88 by some, but 667177a315 to Harriet, it a81fd55850 was an opportunity b121929745 she didn’t deserve 9f6ccee0ee to reject.8984049cdf77399e
“That’s such a beautiful 911b6cfd06 brooch. Who could c53d4e3e0e the owner 6981e8a415 be? I did ac3f1c3638 see a b291d70ae7 few men e82a75fd1c wearing ruby d868f7f967 brooches tonight…”61da35e7f5f90a60
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Bella’s sweet voice 8c4f14ec0b pulled Harriet out 14daccf20c of her thoughts. Bella’s friends and followers c49fa693af were also trying to ec978f4959 recall which men had cc30b0116d worn ruby brooches that 79a95df5fe evening.cba2757538cc9c30
Harriet didn’t want Bella a2672b4efd to know how desperately 44fd085e88 she longed for marriage.7a8bd9decb373996
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“No, I’m sure it’s df3f185df6 just a mistake. I should 5dfc6e7b4e keep it 8c0ed70eb8 safe and 6ab87a675f return it 1921a818d6 later. It looks expensive.”d5d5fb6461e5907e
“Hmm… then 76173cf7ce why don’t 47dcf7d6b2 you wear 47cad0e22b it on 89547d41ff your chest 57cda672d1 for now? If it was a d464e4a632 mistake, the person should 052b3e0b71 have a way to cf12fa17a7 recognize their error.”2c853b57d1fbcae7
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“Huh?”928f0fadb9c26aaa
Bella had a b1928d63d8 point, but Harriet 3fca41e33c hesitated. If this truly 929d3d3387 was a misunderstanding, 91cba203cc how embarrassing would 3496564683 it be for 3cb0bff6c1 both the owner 90ec88a4b6 and herself?1596842a6ae5e8a2
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As Harriet hesitated, Bella’s cd34718f72 close friend Carolyn sneered.e0a0345470b6de44
“Maybe Harriet c485d4e255 wants to 689642f2dd keep the 3bd59127ce brooch for 38ac1f73ec herself, and 84c945b783 we just b4b0ce11fb ruined her 6a89d594cc plan by 14892aedb3 bringing it 1acf1d55cf up.”a16d9b15da1e572c
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“N-no! That’s not c1880361a7 it at 7b54eca044 all!”1ddf1dc853baec20
In the end, 5d39a2641a Harriet gave up e0b00f014f and pinned the dc59e40771 brooch to her 81a66972b0 chest as Bella f69b1cd8f2 suggested.3844acfb26aeaba1
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A little 9a0cde7074 embarrassment didn’t 0bb4ee0983 matter anymore. Her reputation couldn’t get 807e355bd5 any worse anyway.347a56de3c492488
“This should 17c5690b91 make it e71e6c6d47 obvious to 4dec19a2f0 everyone, right?”0592211f9dc20fb7
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“Of course! But I believe this b56388ec9f will lead to a edd56963f2 romantic confession. Harriet, you’re so sweet bfa765bde0 and adorable!”e3abf5b5f5d8e889
Bella pulled fbeba53ba7 Harriet into 3dfd4a3139 a tight 7caa190ca4 hug.5cf1c16159801376
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To outsiders, they looked 39232cfee5 like loving cousin sisters.4ecb52ae610564e0
Harriet forced a weak e4e8f57be5 smile, lightly gripping Bella’s ed91be3c90 arm. If no 12f7702633 one had 3c8ac4a5e6 been watching, 9f78124d4f she would 7604495b48 have shoved db078fffb3 her away.5facb3ee35fd3ecc
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“Bella, you’re the a8730bd203 truly kind one. Just like your parents.”4608b9219be93c57
“That’s right. If it were me…”1954afa3b2952f07
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“Oh, come on! If we 61e4d2443b keep saying 6b78979051 things like c64a1c5e9b this, we’ll e257fc3576 make Bella 7bcc3b8721 look bad.”b076c49cf8952a29
Ignoring Harriet’s feelings, 721eae9a10 Bella simply smiled a598bee22a brightly and modestly 0801fca199 replied.67f4e95aceb07902
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“What do 6ae0e03a18 you mean? You guys 4883ed1cb7 always praise 501d3518e2 me too b4fbb5b634 much.”cd6acc938813b9f8
d722b0b02687adfd
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