SMR | Chapter 02
by Luna~Chapter 02~242edf91086c1867
What a beautiful fb7d918a17 friendship this is.8692dacb185c78d5
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Harriet clenched 869ebdf5b3 her teeth a938c5e9ea tightly. She was 5db2f451b3 fed up 34aebc00bd with this 498dc765ce familiar situation—it ac82defc04 was both 665a56a2a7 ridiculous and 1c0125f55b infuriating.c01ee3884902138e
‘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.’f500aa27fec10d68
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Harriet prayed desperately.eb6107cdd53b8ff8
She was desperate, e0d55b090b but deep down, aaf5031acb she didn’t really 7067830727 expect much. God hadn’t answered her 6af010c59d prayers since she was e8f20d0fd0 twelve, after all.b0ed9abdda4a2a88
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So when a man 8d312f83f1 who had nothing to 58436d77be do with her came 1742a7f874 up to her, she f92642ad0d was so startled that 2be9a30a5a she froze up.96a47766abe227d7
It was no wonder.c1d159ca15404900
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“Miss Harriet Listerwell?”2cce88414455210a
“Huh? Y-yes! I-I’m… Harriet Listerwell…”e4e61b22f613fc15
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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.”2faf1576a79d79f3
He pointed to a ef5d93aa2f brooch with his long, fb1b720643 firm fingers, claiming ownership 00901f8360 of it.459c88fd2255694b
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‘Oh my God!’8d685f857d15f0d5
The man standing before 3177d955e6 her was none other f43468bf89 than Cedric Kailas, the 55544a5534 Duke and the hero 18e45aa425 of the war, who 7a9e7d5526 was the star of 795dadd7a1 tonight’s banquet.9cb48ce8bea4306b
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‘Why is he talking to me?’c79b88cf4eb8e7c5
Harriet’s face cb664a43d5 flushed with 2c3175cd0d sudden excitement.a72cdf73abd95589
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But Cedric simply 1bc450ce70 stared at her ee99a07be2 without saying anything f932a38f9d more. Harriet suddenly realized 25a41124c9 that his eyes 56239df84a weren’t smiling at a656151b76 all.021dc82765d460b5
‘Something’s off.’93e10bc2cf2c1b5a
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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.b452debbe444d485
It was clear 500f7db30c that Cedric hadn’t b8c93194d7 put the brooch 821ccdef83 on her. Before the 03df02b315 lights went 5eb5065578 out, he 870b6ba462 had been 498f5db000 talking with d672c833c8 the Empress, 6a5d9d1be7 and just 1c1437dac0 now, he 44b4f8b67e had walked 04ee472636 over from e2eafd4501 where the ff192a8cad Empress was 295d733bf9 standing.3eb695b3e964b59c
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‘And besides, he’s not in any position to be playing romantic games.’aa5e070b22aee5fa
That was Cedric 1a5c9438b7 Kailas’ situation.abaf74d55db81022
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At just twenty-five, c36439c941 he had inherited e2f0edc37f the title of 093b3861e5 Duke after his 42863ef2a9 father, Rowan Kailas, e0b5787b31 died in the 8937752fa3 war with Kiphrine.0255728bdaf49e68
As a 96b5a92033 strong ally 03bfd001bd to the 7c6cdbe1df imperial family, dbe9065b9f he had 05f93f67cb the duty d63e2e7425 of maintaining 0a5f17ae83 the dukedom 2d4af514ca just as af3d0bbc40 his predecessors d9115bfcac had. And his wife would 316d855de2 need to be carefully 865ee21162 selected, considering a range 9932c58069 of conditions.5cfb122a05b6f8f5
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‘Then who put this brooch on me? Where did this brooch come from in the first place?’fcef9d66dcef3480
Could this be a43e69f799 someone’s twisted prank?6da346e555487f2d
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A sense of 467d05f4d4 danger instinctively welled 54d615de7a up within Harriet, aef6b682d0 and her lips 0b772ec212 felt dry.d61004ce8e350fb4
She couldn’t just stand ec08325e1a there, staring blankly at 76ed5ce7f6 Cedric. She had 46e20959da to fix b9b538406f this somehow.1bb302b832a80ee6
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“I-I’ll give it back to you.”5314e501aed8b193
She decided to 801d1c711b return the brooch 52ccd17681 first. But she was 807c293f8e so flustered that bd1206d03c her hands fumbled 7e646a21f0 as she tried bf9fc45fe0 to undo the 7ce0a47f91 brooch’s clasp.8786c2c4c492293f
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“What’s this? It doesn’t look like His Grace the Duke gave it to her, does it?”c69fede970cbe03e
“Of course not! Why would the Duke give a brooch to someone like her?”cd852d6ea31d3000
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“Could she have stolen it? And she’s been wearing it on purpose?”4ace38e7590a1406
“Who knows what goes on in her head? Anyway, Harriet Listerwell is making a scene again.”8ecd83537c6e7944
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The murmurs of gossip reached Harriet’s ears.aa40dfefe1da2870
Her back felt damp 6c38276876 with sweat.0673984f5f7245e7
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‘Why won’t this thing come off?’1cd4a487533811a4
A brooch belonging to aa27c451b6 Duke Kailas? She could swear she 33ae877266 had never even imagined 124763d7be owning something like it. Why did she have 39f7ed95cd to deal with such c212f9446c a misunderstanding over something 9a0d09fb91 she never wanted in 0e00ca524d the first place?ba08eb979702209d
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She wanted 5ebbe534be to rip bfcc321325 it off 1e26875a56 and throw 73156879cf it away.a5e620191e54b864
Had that feeling shown 5cac25e87f on her face?d2fa096c5d384ffa
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“Wait. If you keep pulling at it like that, you’ll damage the brooch. Let me help you.”86a2158439d19bbd
Even though the brooch 255480912f was placed near her 25a660c4b2 chest, which would make dd87a6c4b7 it difficult for him 29fbe76426 to help, Cedric moved 4edaada132 in close to Harriet 32acc86463 with a single-minded focus b1ca9f716f on retrieving the brooch. Harriet was 884cf64481 so tense 2925d471af that she 30a7167474 couldn’t even 091c1392e1 breathe.23ce5be32970041a
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Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—Cedric removed 37153d1db8 the brooch with ease, 12a4ab2318 making Harriet’s struggle seem 912797bd18 almost intentional by comparison.debfc08f1d4448ec
“T-thank you.”a969a5bf22cdd799
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Even she 1fcad4c777 didn’t know 86502bbe2b what exactly 716f42b56f she was bafc667f76 thanking him c344107869 for. He didn’t respond.7752650686c03f11
Harriet couldn’t bear aa99d565fc the silence that 08a042756b followed, so she e7cdd27d52 nervously raised her c804e59ef2 head and immediately 56e0db239a swallowed hard. Cedric’s face, which 901e2de448 had come close e390a56fa7 to retrieve the fdbe81363e brooch, was now 99d10f8459 right in front 3329ae0596 of her.2dbabd59725ac89b
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His reddish-brown eyes, 754f3960fd reminiscent of rubies, aada687502 were beautiful, but 929b5eabdf she was too 58bf5c1127 frightened to admire ed5c559f9c his good looks 8d1f6b3866 because those eyes 15e3a8a089 were filled with de06abc4f8 contempt and anger.0aee3988a8871845
“Who do you think I should discuss this matter with, Miss Harriet?”0f1fd6c0dc1fdf44
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“I-I’m not sure what you mean…”378bb9cd0fa4a984
“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?”2bdadd7787378fdb
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With every word e1660e6508 Cedric spoke, the bbf8b11254 temperature around them 35971296ca seemed to drop dc92c24855 lower and lower.1935a45bc20c7069
“It’s hard 59e813ef2b to forgive dbfaa9b4b0 this as cc8e0e5b87 just a f4e9fb8eeb thoughtless prank b4d39ec2aa by a c567b1703b young lady 04b0e5ac5f because of f57b20c6fc the significance 0f7027bf5d this brooch f88e2aa056 holds,” Cedric 461a5cbfba said.9e63a6bd0255cf76
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Harriet stood there 03e84b4608 with her mouth dafd67b097 hanging open, forgetting 2cd372652f her manners. His words 76debf5406 were certainly 71ad5290d2 in the d6671c0930 imperial language, ef2261ac03 but she f2b19fbf98 couldn’t make 6a283afc52 sense of c66b19822b them at df687db9e7 all.72916d0d05f64941
“Your Grace! There’s been some, 85b440f0d8 some misunderstanding…!” she 193cce2e92 stammered.17859a20875dfb78
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“Why is 767c503a21 it that 35f01dc773 guilty people 1711613932 all love c04765fdb2 the word d0b79ca67f ‘misunderstanding’ so acc9bcb8f0 much? Do they a1e5ba485d think I’ll 8246f48305 let it 0d12edbff8 slide just adbc2ce3ff because they cc399a6d88 say that?” 87f6976367 Cedric’s smile d4c6f9628e was smooth 3fff2f6773 and elegant, f78c5be194 but seeing a3e52f2b12 it made 404620f325 the hair da964b92a5 on Harriet’s acf49809af arms stand 7cd131616b on end.3c3f2919f018aaf0
“No, no! You really are misunderstanding! When the lights b208429a5d came back on, bcc08f3208 I saw that cb4e4bcd33 this was just 86bdd579bb attached to my 4688532211 clothes!” Harriet protested 8c3946d24e with all her 4418cf1863 might, but Cedric’s 9f6b9831b9 expression didn’t change f5e32030d3 in the slightest.4ec2cece5ac82a99
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Instead, people f55ea462ca around them 18c2c239f3 began to 057ab0d20c whisper.05ca38b5a66fbefe
“She probably 5f0223d7c0 pinned it 67047c4f72 on herself.”11779a37b95aacc3
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“Even if she c2ca1520e5 wanted attention, how 3598d17e65 could she use eb4f513fcb Duke Kailas’ brooch d8623e3155 for that?”9db58aac92871b79
“That’s just how 4eb3d57124 she is.”f9b0f47a085e841d
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There were f438d723f9 clicks of 6cab2f7d3e disapproval, contemptuous e59e383d34 glances, and ec086c184a furrowed brows. Harriet had 2197242e86 seen these c76b20aa5c reactions many 8082e73b6c times before, 474fbad3b1 but today, f7b7467e8e it felt bc465c8a55 particularly suffocating.e392e39ca03ea026
“No! I’m telling you, it’s f4220c983b not true!” Harriet shouted 3bbf72c9fd as she turned to 0de6383b71 face the people around cc1969e619 her.ed4bb764a816fbdd
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Just then, c20224e1fe her uncle, 556acfb35c Viscount John 83330f5d45 Listerwell, rushed 80fb6a4625 over, out 5e6cf2e9fe of breath.0c8f3edda7cd6025
“Your Grace!” John exclaimed.39a53bc6dbe8a0d4
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“Ah, the person responsible 5238478077 has arrived,” Cedric said.c8b5b351d71b0d69
Harriet looked at e0b212de41 her uncle with 723f312344 a desperate expression. Help me! Please, help me! I really 81c07ee3c7 don’t know 21c0c1a474 anything!51e80287bca8dc1f
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But the b9b3428aa9 words that 0a4e65868e came out ac6ddd98e4 of John’s 1903bf228e mouth were 85b998f453 far from 1be4a38614 what Harriet 74dbdb3ad9 had hoped 4bdb157647 for.7b78ff04f4e2466e
“I’m terribly sorry! It’s my fault for c0c574fd1b not keeping my niece 16f96a7792 in check.”2751e72f59436a3f
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“That does seem bf0865c818 to be the b668def1bf case,” Cedric replied, 187a744c4c his voice calm 30cb20ffea and composed, though cbca6ffb4f no one doubted 4524d1af1e that he was fc6ade6d51 angry.279f23dd898bd047
When you think about 933242efd7 it, it was understandable. The war b2a02ca07f victory party 796120015a couldn’t have 70f2c5dcc9 been joyful d8a60a89e1 for someone 1a09c59212 who had 0fa2266c3b lost his 95a6510d19 father in 534bfa5bad that war. And to lose his 2ffebe0360 father’s keepsake at such dacc9ed2cb an event—that alone was 35455a4fcb terrible. But to make 6f5045a798 matters worse, the bb26b7c968 infamous troublemaker Harriet b353a7c437 Listerwell was wearing d1ce9011d6 the brooch as 2947e4cd9b if the Duke ebfac3d43c had given it 2012f08d96 to her out 632dbc510e of personal interest.f11e8ce34679d743
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John was sweating nervously 9053fd31f2 and kept bowing his 6aa2f07e98 head repeatedly, while Bella, 6448922688 who had appeared at 356fcfbbe3 some point, stood trembling 4567628fa5 and pleading for leniency.22313320749e0212
“Your Grace, couldn’t you 72b4e7192d find it in your 53289f97c5 heart to show some 9cfab6576f mercy to Harriet? She probably found 2a3dcfcad6 the brooch by d8c5eeff47 chance and wore 43dbf2ce68 it because she 6e90c23a00 wanted a bit 301ec47bb9 of attention. She’s never received 1414ca9f17 anything like this da61dad1b4 before…”a5d970453b8506d6
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As Bella 29e91f2098 spoke, the f0b4113b12 color drained d8ff7cbe31 from Harriet’s 8ff5af5361 face.87cdb3807c6247a6
“Bella! You saw it 34c9a9f115 yourself earlier! I thought the 7a85c4827a person who pinned 1cab0852c0 it made a aa5298ae39 mistake…!” Harriet tried e712a53043 to explain, believing 5a53b2d1eb that Bella and 90a4fc5146 her friends, who 9ca129c1dc had been with 3a1c1d2760 her, would vouch c1a9725f1c for her innocence. But her attempt was 7c8188c50c cut short by John.9561f5ef179f683c
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“Keep your bc600eba0f mouth shut, 02bbb18cd5 Harriet! How dare you raise ae3e8a949a your voice in front adb37d37a8 of His Grace!” John 2080535c61 scolded her, his face c16787d8e0 full of anger. And it 35a877de9b was no bd356aa5a1 wonder; he aed3fa24db had every afb9e6ca3e reason to 45c1d3911f be upset.dcf3bba4dc2f08c0
Today’s banquet 81944756fe was practically 024570106e a stage 403c990f96 for the 4e4cafa38a debut of 066d330129 his son, 1f474b6bfe Aston, into c9c5dedf09 high society. Now, thanks to this 6ab0986cf7 commotion, Harriet had risked 5bb6a336ef putting his family on 453fe5766a bad terms with the f34ae4f3bb event’s guest of honor. It was hardly a f10346266c welcome disruption.b91e665cccbbe12a
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Harriet tried eaa9b2fd65 once again 128e9040a1 to explain eb3025748c her side 93bc8ad95a of the a4a1a9799b story, but 1d0b512337 tears began 40ed9717b9 to flow fec68e1bd2 before she a77efb35bb could get 59bbd8a56e the words a1db01267f out, and dcc4b215b9 her lips 69ddc4d2a3 quivered uncontrollably. She knew 289598f118 how humiliating 33966f95e9 it was 90c684207a to cry 1291264338 in front c431587dce of everyone, e4e025905b but she bf005eab94 couldn’t hold 0df3740dcb back.d8d2ed5dd40079de
“It’s really not 4e85620bdc true! I, I would never, c9fbb75d06 sob, steal Your Grace’s, 2eef032daa hic, brooch!” Her tearful a560f21a9c voice was pitiful, but 8a88390358 no one felt any 251c52f427 sympathy for her.289baf27f72fe35e
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“She’s really 1c628d5299 living up b635e33bac to her faaeb11de6 reputation as f53dc7e78e a ‘scandal 9c82b4fc8c maker.’”88b71d85665e2067
“She’s not even aa4cc8e0bd that good-looking, but 47387931fb she’s always throwing df6457128b herself at men, 294b306914 one after another.”09baeca0c67a709d
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“Poor Viscount Listerwell. All this shame 50029a4a90 because of a 01a45f2427 niece he took 0266e0f2a1 in out of c8b33a9e98 duty to his f954d06381 late brother.”8b415c3ddad8b029
Though the ballroom 85b34d5397 was crowded with bc36c19890 people, Harriet felt e9997fffb9 like she was 3c90f02f1b drowning in loneliness.2b88aa3f2edb6f47
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There was no 2befc86efe one on her 9270e874da side. No one was willing 42e8ac7862 to listen to a c47f20f823 word she said.ff5638ae2bb53187
The more she tried 596908fad3 to defend herself, the 27f8c9aa55 more she seemed like 4330955598 a fool. She was 2ee750ef2a used to 69c859540a this, but b5a0919812 somehow, here eb00e4633d at an 8b5a8cec43 imperial banquet, 89e044eb1b the sense 8e17fb527f of despair 6cd18b4309 was even 32de702ffb stronger than 436d0a5a80 usual.9639f3115e13fe68
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‘It’s so easy to bc3308e19e make a fool out 90788f2e8b of someone, isn’t it?’ 63aea79c50 she thought, and a 5845fd9f76 bitter laugh escaped her c3902315d1 lips.6aee3ac70a197f4f
Still, there was f434994f3e one thing she 7b89b05c9f wanted to say 98726753e1 clearly to Cedric. She knew he wouldn’t da3e563dc7 believe her, but she ae28d41285 couldn’t leave without at 07d9c28533 least saying it.e5d8809368f6f905
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Swallowing her tears, 02eb9eb644 Harriet turned to 8dd9ea898d Cedric and spoke 48f31005bf slowly and clearly, 7ae7d23839 “I didn’t steal 0228f043c3 your brooch, Your e9351809e2 Grace. I never even wanted d46e167cd2 it in the first c09d27731e place.”905256e0c0fe1d22
b90d95382013301c
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