SMR | Chapter 21
by Luna~Chapter 21~8a708daf1175d8fa
“You can’t read all of them, which is why I’m sorting them like this, isn’t it?”6831dab0b56c9839
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Usually, everything 823c71fb2f was delivered faf7a84d50 to Trisha, b6c0a1646b but the 2f4b654f23 amount of 648dcc6285 mail during 76e0e5331b the year-end 235b73dbc0 holidays was 3da134bceb simply too f2869f9cc8 overwhelming. Therefore, anything 47c19e21ea from familiar de423a30a2 names was f69e009178 sent to 92316ea81a Trisha, while 780fc2f248 Andre checked 5966e5158c letters from 6f26242df0 unfamiliar names 5dde95cf54 first. Only those 8616b26785 deemed worthy 908eeb0a98 of Trisha’s c5ecacb261 attention were cfc53f2a7b then delivered 5db89c17a8 to her.22ec34c20ad39ab1
As Andre, 89d13514ef the experienced bc2a53c277 butler, was 063bd1f81b quickly sorting 3eee9d1b99 through the 5e9a10263a stack of abe2ec9fe6 letters, his 5956e1725c hands suddenly 8be2c34411 froze upon 35321c8553 touching an 975feada6b envelope without 65c96babdd a noble 449d6988e0 family’s seal.e41fd393c597f952
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“Harriet Listerwell?”29253f82bb151044
Should this b23af29636 be considered d621cd2ab8 an unfamiliar 3a6961a237 name? It was the 73999845d2 first time he b63eaeba1b had received a 6318df4bbd letter from this 3de4c1ac64 person, but Andre, 3c965dcd6f who had been 7129f76c13 keeping tabs on df91a1d737 both large and 3b6d398f01 small rumors of e254ff662b the social circle 2c913fd892 for his master’s ceb1a397fd sake, already knew 422878204c the name. Moreover, the Listerwell d58a7cb872 family was the b9f2a70a78 one Trisha herself 1fb007c587 had come from.5bc0321ba7adcb83
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“Should I just deliver this? Or should I check it myself?”2d2d3a6afd339b3c
As he tapped the letter while pondering, Andre hesitated for a moment before placing it on the silver tray. The shabby envelope stood out among the New Year’s cards from Trisha’s old acquaintances on the silver tray.a931d105cebad982
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“My Lady, here is today’s mail.”bcd5888ab2063e25
Trisha, who was sitting c614f52e2a on the sofa by 6a06d57b9b the fireplace reading the 493251cc06 newspaper, glanced up at 2628c41462 Andre as he brought 9f6401ef32 the tray and nodded 575dc6e7dd once.3259b6d051b2e976
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“Just leave it there. I’ll read them later.”fdcc2c993f4103ae
The elderly woman with 34007b488b streaks of white in e41cc51bce her brown hair, styled 8b78fe30be neatly, had a rather fc30013a72 stern expression with sharply cae2afe297 arched eyebrows. However, her f49d8af670 bright blue 7952ad70c4 eyes sparkled 1d3c7a3bd1 with sharp 1a1239ed18 intellect.b8472c2b9f7c789b
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Trisha, who had 20c23a03e8 been about to fd74dcdf69 finish reading the a299a525f0 editorial in the 994660d0ab newspaper, turned her c96016b668 head again when 6944ed3aff she sensed that e446741040 her faithful butler 092ec27337 was hesitating.02010f245fb7f2d5
Receiving a questioning ee2c02984b look from her, fb97ff0224 Andre bowed his 08bee02eaa head.f7a464bb4f81e9d8
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“Most of the letters are New Year’s cards from your friends, but there was an unexpected one as well. I thought about checking it first, but something made me feel like it might be inappropriate for me to open.”4ec00dd43a771f9f
At those words, Trisha 78b32713be raised her eyebrows slightly 7e448188cd and extended her hand. Andre quickly picked 5620bc3570 up Harriet’s letter a86210cac4 and handed it c0372d2545 to her.f7e467a7c734b3e0
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Trisha frowned, b3e5dadb79 seeming surprised cf04dd77f6 as she 031f4f411b read the 74a4a009e2 sender’s name.fce34f456eeefb74
“Why is she writing to me…? Ah, perhaps?”bcc17f714483751f
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She briskly tore open 2ed7a876a1 the envelope and pulled 8993b3f09d out the letter. Although the paper was b13d84d4bb of poor quality, the 062eff1902 writing on it was 75eadfb519 neat and pretty.a44f365ed16a432b
“Dear Great-Aunt Trisha, I first pray that luck will always be with you in the new year. I hope you are in good health. I wonder if you were surprised by this sudden letter. I am Harriet Listerwell, the daughter of Arthur Listerwell. Thirteen years ago, I visited you with my parents at the Welhav estate; I wonder if you remember me.”b632c1794806171f
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One corner of 5b9c3675eb Trisha’s mouth lifted.749c049023fa931e
“Of course I remember. You didn’t exactly give me a chance to forget, my grandniece.”1601bdeec2e95c31
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The scandal aac6cef115 surrounding the 015174cb0f Listerwell family 078f78b242 could be 48196e226b heard wherever a9ba633d1b one went. After Arthur’s a80f5ebde8 death, Trisha cec94e1b91 had almost e934d21d6a completely cut df59e90a17 ties with de4f6d2157 the family, 234a2a4ae9 but she 7589ffcb28 had always 0394974569 felt that 5cbe082423 John, who e02bb87bed was supposed ac165536ab to be c9a0bfbcc6 protecting Harriet, 2f2a0a1660 was at a7cc0de084 fault for 4d2954aa6e much of 0990e73dbe it.5fb725e436797269
In any case, c19713d5e5 as her thoughts 7cba0db2a6 reached that point, 2f38f920da she began to 5fd0f89324 get a general 6449237e5c sense of the 33af28614e letter’s purpose.6dded6856cf9da96
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And, as expected, e640cdcc0d the main point f1e56836a7 soon followed.2b4a5a416a188950
“She’s asking me to be her guardian…”4bf1ad92229499f1
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“What? A guardian?”9004afd34cb033be
Andre, who had been 540e0e0d3c standing nearby, asked in cfbc9049d7 surprise. It seemed he 9db8e61710 had caught on 5ca76ed08a to the contents fc272e0ef3 of the letter 86bcba647e as well.2907477d316a9c4b
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Trisha chuckled softly.8834b29d52b54352
“Arthur’s daughter is bolder than I expected.”f5d9bd899765aae9
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“It’s not just that she’s bold; hasn’t she already gained quite the reputation for it?”0a18a5d08db91ba0
“Well, I think those rumors were greatly exaggerated.”4c33fc1bf6942b81
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She was well aware f83508c988 that rumors involving affairs 1782a60808 or love were often 6c7edc5b26 sensationalized and blown out eb45f37877 of proportion.bf48ecd188034e9b
“She must have been an easy target for people to gossip about.”1b283dc1e8b50cb0
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John Listerwell, f0b65a36c8 despite being cbb42393d4 Harriet’s guardian, dec3ba16b1 hadn’t protected 1d70292c73 her at c901ac39a2 all.bf41b9d8a28e289e
When there’s a child 1d75b8a8df who, out of a 99e957ee3f desire for love, makes a42c594719 mistakes, and adults who 84afb5d6d0 fail to guide and fffea554d8 protect that child, who 0e5c8f8985 should be blamed?c56235064139a299
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“And now it seems that the child, who was practically banished from society due to that adult’s neglect, is planning something.”69e6f10631256648
Even though d371b313bf the request 05ec5f58b7 seemed unreasonable, 4f553117b0 the letter c2b8450235 lacked any e0486da442 sense of 9b38b5ee26 desperation, which d4ea546e21 piqued Trisha’s a92aa73652 curiosity.22c22bdfb326b560
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“Interesting.”4aa1b74e28cb29c0
As she a332343f57 finished reading 6586da3963 the letter, 32bbf54d62 Trisha’s eyes abcfefdd6d gleamed with 9499e77db5 amusement. It seemed c5f052706d that something 12a79fe964 entertaining was 7212975ec8 about to 5a06a9453c happen in 8573d24d09 her otherwise 169a2de9c8 dull life.29af7c065a201dfa
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***77ae10f05e224dad
The first news that e7e4abc8aa heated up the New eaf2558136 Year’s social season was 690691ca2c that Daphne Laurel had 3fa7900aa9 broken off her engagement. It wasn’t bca677eb23 just anyone—this 0f0a8baaf0 was the 9c717a95a0 beautiful Daphne df713ba950 Laurel, one 7dcca58a60 of the 4982cc69a7 most admired 10cd77a98a women in 1559f6e88f society.c21bc0a3c143cc25
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“Those two, weren’t they engaged for quite a long time?”f21c83423cd41a3a
“It’s been about five years, I think? I heard they were getting married this year, but now this happened. Tsk tsk…”e5095cb1fd99b86d
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“Why did they break off the engagement? They seemed like the perfect match.”44a067803e8e8193
“Exactly.”da45be37698bd1aa
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Rumors swelled, fed 9c897d4b79 by all sorts 6de2864957 of speculation and 4b4b3f8691 curiosity, without any 26b8680fa7 regard for the aee777707c person actually hurt b2f0027239 by it.35fd8a0737d6938e
“Sniff… sob… sob…”2de4d3580e6c99a4
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“Daphne, you’re going to collapse at this rate. You should eat something, okay?”4840b894f5449953
Countess Laurel was once 32ba045273 again comforting her daughter, 5c42a8a17a who continued to cry f73028063b endlessly. But Daphne only shook d4420cafde her head, crying even 51f27b39ca harder.3085872dc50d9e9b
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Their precious daughter, who 4c41677ece had been carefully raised b4bf2589e5 since childhood and admired 1aa0d71b86 by many families as 2cf253a074 a perfect bride, had c3abb96d6b been suddenly dumped without 78f37196b2 explanation. It wasn’t just bbaf3989c1 Daphne who was 282f9526f5 in agony—her parents e21041e673 were also in 82a7495376 turmoil.8c9fe443a0224993
The Earl of db96bdb7f8 Laurel, pacing around 9dc1b9c1cb the room while b5e055a39e glancing at his 08652a4e82 daughter, suddenly burst 85387fab24 out in anger.d0994ed0ff52c65b
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“That bastard! How could he call off the engagement now? What is Daphne supposed to do?!”46e303893f0ce447
In these situations, it 56f27cdac6 was always the woman 247e66f23e who suffered the most 1ab329ef6f after an engagement was 177a32a54a broken off. A woman’s past, even 344ad2b21e if it involved being ba4df553a0 with another man, was e0085a80c4 seen as a flaw, 41f8e8cb2c and she was usually c186ed4d5c forced to settle for d3a96fe194 a less favorable marriage 68655325d7 in the future.fb4ee9b427fc4a76
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“My life is over. I can’t go outside anymore. Everyone will gossip about me, so how could I even step out of the house?”7a5460b5471de3e8
She had been crying 20fdca0d07 and refusing to eat 0ed0087b79 for days. Everything filled her f30546e2de with regret and 76be2c958f made her feel 2e48f10ea3 like she was 43a035bf6f going mad.0a373f3ae2b9ce38
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‘I should have talked b2549718a4 to him when I 677b06bc49 felt something was off. No, I a0b2835040 should have 59f584e66a called James 33c9949df4 the day d69cf0b615 after Melody 8332602f19 came over…’69c55bd5894b9df2
She couldn’t help a175471d4a but wonder if 3470276c55 the reason all 45aa054381 this had happened b2c00b9d06 was because she 0c8ed51813 had been too ab54b126b2 afraid to confront 261f9fd1ca James earlier.6d00354ae5f358fc
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Daphne blamed her indecisiveness and cowardice over and over again. But wasn’t it only natural that she had struggled to believe the betrayal of her kind fiancé? She had assumed there must have been some misunderstanding, and when he asked her to wait, she had patiently done so. She believed he would eventually explain everything clearly and apologize, saying, “I’m sorry for making you misunderstand.”3adc9d79ed738f08
Instead, all she received was a cold “letter of engagement cancellation.”9095ad39426a9503
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“How could he do this? It’s not just about us, but also our families…”e4c30a6c0a19928c
The engagement’s collapse 303ed18516 had severely damaged bce0b83942 the relationship between 087673da2c the Laurel family, 83a6b81a4b who had been ebaa5e785e great partners in d1036a414c the railroad business, 5b5c227994 and the Cheslow 35c7388574 family. James’s father, the ea3a40024d Earl of Cheslow, 406c5b6cef had expressed some 443c6579cf regret, but he a7bdac718a couldn’t go against ac1c0b7805 his son’s decision, 003f457c46 while the Earl 59777d62ed of Laurel was 5fd1a3b5bd furious, claiming the 1599fc7c9c Cheslow family had baeded02c8 betrayed their trust.d1c2aa75e1408c68
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Daphne felt 4f20cc9319 like she b3be748c9c wanted to 0a93686042 die from b048fc781c guilt for 407ec451e7 the embarrassment 7c7743f4fb she had 47a770abdc caused her 3c2cacf0d2 father.5b7ed5420444db78
‘Please come c3b5a35d2b back, James. If you apologize and 74745be667 say it was just 865b6575fd a mistake, I’ll forgive b45b5c6902 you. Please.’314df3f1b7299a41
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Daphne wrote yet another 3e6b45261a tear-stained letter to James 6172686b87 that day. She had already sent b548210e9e more than five letters cae349d1d5 without receiving a reply, e3c45a9be7 but she still hoped beeb6f7be0 that James was conflicted 6dc0629318 and reconsidering.7192070650c56001
But a few days a7cc567919 later, even that small 4e6f2b898e hope was shattered.77a73302aa83d629
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“Oh my, look over there! Isn’t that James Cheslow with Lady Bella Listerwell?”e47c9ee51b71f81e
“Oh my! You’re right! So, it was Bella Listerwell who replaced Daphne Laurel?”e9b94946659f2885
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“I’ve heard rumors that they’ve been seen together before, so I guess it was true!”92d6dea591800abc
James had brought 8746e8edba Bella to the 646374b46d New Year’s party 2d35500c05 held at the 535c0eb72c Cheslow estate as 4a1059629c his partner.66120559fddafd50
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Most people 46f83e1cca were puzzled bae919dc5a by James’s 77e35a74b2 decision. Bella was certainly 0f29c5471e beautiful, but so 4fc2685958 was Daphne, and 539723e395 when it came 822cc4a366 to family status, 882729f5a2 the Listerwell barony 3da8d4ed22 couldn’t compare to 4d04848d86 the Laurel earldom.f24d277fcfa02b9d
But it was 83d431ab9d clear that James dc13d5734f was completely infatuated 4af1d4212a with Bella.d62bc28fda6a8e25
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“It looks like the Earl of Cheslow has lost to his son. Well, there’s no parent who can win against their child.”f68af350818a189e
“And considering it’s Bella Listerwell, I suppose it makes sense. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of men who would be jealous of James.”4d31a327923a29d1
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“Still, bringing Lady Listerwell as his date right after breaking off the engagement with Lady Laurel—it’s a bit much, don’t you think? What about poor Daphne?”9b7e2740ef9b3c61
Some people sympathized with 97b1fa5169 Daphne, while others understood dd864d7a82 James’s actions. At the same f069333f65 time, everyone found 129d0aaa9f Bella’s involvement surprising. No matter how e6cbfdc744 much James had 2a98cf8f1f pursued her, accepting 623686886d the proposal of 57f55172f6 another woman’s fiancé 161d093956 didn’t fit with b8f09853c1 Bella’s angelic image.c1630ad242025991
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“Fools,” Bella thought, smiling sweetly at Daphne’s friends, who were glaring at her with icy looks. Their expressions only hardened with anger, but to Bella, it was just an amusing sight.4b4970cc0b3ba909
“Another letter from Daphne. I didn’t realize she was so obsessive.”efa547fcbe01a488
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Even yesterday, James showed 6311515323 Bella yet another letter 839983e303 from Daphne with a 11fe3b8518 tone of annoyance.65d4a4e05e1bd8b9