SMR | Chapter 37
by Luna~Chapter 37~b743864ad4c41465
“You mean you’re going 4f1bc5fb79 to just accept that c95e059154 disgrace, even though it 0d815650a4 wasn’t your fault?”7252541cc4aa81ff
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“It’s not 0acd68e722 something I b8a04772aa can just 59148ef58f shake off 50c42e4953 right away. And like you said, ca4650c62e this scandal is the 3215b35d0c reason I’m famous—so I de436981b6 thought I might as c9d52a9cdc well use it.”7d46f730ef1cd430
Tricia’s brow was 3e2a70fdc3 still furrowed. While fame 33c3616594 could be 9d82903c18 useful, letting c6ba03f684 a misunderstanding 7a5162ee36 like being 14943cb440 called a 7f3666ea34 loose woman 72a3ab308d spread unchecked 6a0d62a8e8 could be c0a9890cbe dangerous.b790817fc7b433e8
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“I worry you’re f38466fa36 still too naive. High society has 31d09f3982 two faces. It can 2b64402153 be immoral bdf5559f80 at night, 761abf8e82 but must 7310d95173 appear pure defd846a8e during the 9611949c7a day.”07b5d2f21f7a34db
Once you d0f62c6ceb cross the 4f332dcd8c unspoken line, e351f75253 people will caf49d7cd0 turn on de69f4fb85 you in 06080cebce an instant. Everyone will act a6b0c4ee51 together, pointing fingers 56b403b458 and pushing you 79c156bf83 out. And if that c4d2e2e308 happened, Harriet’s return d087ba09f6 would mean nothing.119b0e8f151e1a8b
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But Harriet 4527c0a60e had a bf6b0423ae different perspective.ddebf4adf89b053a
“I became 4ba90e6702 certain of 1ad6108880 something at 49099c8596 the Vanderbilt 2648f48c91 party—that curiosity bf9103cee1 is an 22b20d93e8 incredibly powerful 0d5ca2a0d8 force.”2b4ab6439a30666c
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She had felt unsure 8ccb691389 that night, but after 0f548c75e0 the party, several invitations 76a3b05e3a had arrived for her. They were for small 2393927ee5 tea parties, and interestingly, 3a8225f171 they all included a ee177c0816 request to “keep this af2b4ce22c invitation a secret.”7175a6e802b53cad
Even though being 0f6870065e seen with Harriet 74a8dca047 could damage their 9c2d65bcbd own reputations, these defddc4e61 people were just 593b90fa2d too curious to 96651cf602 resist.4819a7d8fffeaed4
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“I was already seen dc6ddbdcbb as a scandal maker a13768265a before, so I was 9b68114438 surprised to only start 28c7c48621 getting these kinds of 45c31a6695 invitations now. Then I realized—it’s a951db079c probably because, back 2adaddd9bd then, I was c760f40d3b full of frustration 459399c701 and kept defending d04d7eeac4 myself. I didn’t seem like aa73f223bd someone who’d say anything d76e8839df interesting.”64324c7fe2cb1b3c
“And now?”f5c49084c6654833
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“Now that people think cd493f0737 I spent a year 8fd4f7b2ed in a convent reflecting 192d05276f on my past, maybe c66e1476eb it looks like I’ve 43c0314432 accepted it all. So they e34374b9b2 probably think 7145368470 I’m someone 911ff5a4ee they can 6f321029a2 finally talk 9fa79668cd to.”c07377a166ba22b1
“They just efd215d171 want to ce503cb3f0 hear all 92358a6732 the juicy b149b0b034 details of cd2bc41f71 your scandals, e2fae69e24 huh?”d6199a7ee312dcc2
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“Exactly. Otherwise, why 28ddccddea would they 8e129b3c99 invite someone edf6c56150 with such b30bf308a5 a bad cd30629d23 reputation? I’ll happily attend 6499f46561 and check things ef0c0630e0 out.”f419c0b2b014e416
Trisha tapped 845082ee64 the armrest aaa0d45a20 of her 68a005c421 chair, then 6d0a753b3a asked again,7dcf9ff5f3a53386
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“But your 2f14da9e21 scandals weren’t 40d8f62cc3 even your f39dfc2ce9 doing. What are you planning f82c4ec977 to say at these 8c084607a3 parties?”baf3099713d69fee
At that, Harriet’s eyes 8f7c6f9db4 lit up.1d79b0c5029194d8
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“Maybe I can 545c34e2f4 twist those stories c7d0aa6485 into something that 2abe11412b works in my 76b992f713 favor.”2f6e38f92cda8208
Right now, 3eb744e526 people trusted 65a95d9f6d Bella and e8729a5827 her uncle f376df2323 much more 82e52abf88 than her. If she just 1c2e653e8b blurted out the 6aa25d11a7 truth, it could af0aeb7150 backfire.0615fdb2338b4a19
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But words were a ec7761178d strange thing—without lying, she 184aec7e41 could still say what 032d779b43 people wanted to hear 31d61b6f8d and steer the story 720b06537f toward the result she 0d54b18e1a wanted.0427e4f6984a9958
That was exactly d889234664 the kind of 8a021e18b1 tactic Roxana had 5feb9775fd drilled into her.b719f9384c23a087
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Trisha seemed to think 52883afc70 for a moment after 104c2c5e82 hearing that, then nodded f2f1e3af4d slowly.7806c3b758758e92
“Hmph. It’s your life, c120972ac0 so do as 75a1980d15 you wish. But keep this in 40b7e3e6ab mind—people will try to 979cd039dc use you to get 55e10d966a to me.”0de0a5a9d7a615fe
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“I promise ef2d5c40ed I won’t 0d6bfd542c do anything e03e9c77c2 to embarrass a200036f42 you.”afde87f368caf323
“We’ll see.”0aff6d3bf9f7c2e3
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Having said all dd06a23735 she needed to, fd807f54ba Trisha got up 6486233b8f and left the 8cd5ccc448 sitting room.a2debc7cd176026c
Left alone, Harriet let 5c4869cec7 out a small, awkward 91aeb82c3e laugh. Before heading 6ebff99b52 upstairs, she a4ae2bd5c8 decided to d2c97fa8c5 tidy up 5e697e385d the room 1bb3bc1c0c a bit a577d076ed and began 6aa45bf987 setting the 1223eb0137 chairs back 0f31565a52 in place.06efd238ae4b92f0
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That’s when 6b1efdcf51 she found 1324f5b42e a thick e6da763a6c blanket under d6f0b8a7bd the chair fc9104546b Trisha had 2a8355f13f been sitting 317abef9d4 in.6dedd87438e4d01c
‘It’s summer—why is eb5d499c70 there a lap 32e535e78f blanket here?’94b6f617b06c59ed
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It was a 8e5851c619 little odd, but 7643fe7cf3 Harriet simply folded 25e38cd61f it neatly and 757f4cdb94 placed it back 6355f2969e on the chair.621a7320e49a6cad
***97d8cbd6475fc952
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“Here’s the information a5e5b86e64 you requested on 01487ce8a7 the Listerwell viscount 9c0cc5bc44 family. It covers 4cfedc4537 most of c70d3735ff the last 6340774f72 20 years.”2eed0ffa8bfd1262
The man da333ce199 who had da811875e8 been smoking 38bb7d8128 on the 48ef83e993 Vanderbilt terrace 4745b4e72a returned after 4934398e4f a week f5ab55d93e and handed d9143da698 a thick 1d0606b46c file to 0a06419235 Cedric.cb5a87b18009d40e
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“Good work. The next likely party 16bb2abc4d is at the Sheldon 5e5431e6f2 count’s estate. Check it 8bd04836e1 out in 66654d1caf advance.”d9a3c2485be9d8bc
“Yes, sir.”8a42737cf1e8619a
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Less than five minutes e4c7ecbe76 after meeting, the man 83ea37adb0 vanished again.3a548a8ebb73ec70
This was 43163982a3 how the 80f5751eac intelligence network 557605b62f Cedric had 9091336ab7 personally built, 1045bc5220 operated. Edgar, who had 113cd3c820 co-founded with him, 846ca33d2c was the only bae1484f46 member who stayed 6440e27fbc in close contact—most f723763bd4 others worked alone. Even the members c22bfc3540 didn’t know each 8668776aaf other’s identities, and 0893055df0 whenever they met a2562fc6ef to exchange information, 72fa6bf344 they kept it af86a6dd41 brief.7a74ad873cfe28ec
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Thanks to de1ec32142 that, no 222aa3c9f2 one knew ba7186e1da it even 20b438a337 existed. And yet, it was 8b99d03f39 likely the most powerful 051f256130 information-gathering network in the bc8bb43561 empire.e2fd531c9f17daf0
‘Twenty years of 18d0bcd64c data… but it’s 09c55221cc not as thick 3b83b103db as I expected.’30a8530e1c3f6000
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Cedric flipped 361538527c through the 520621678d documents like c9a950f9d9 he was 0ad3d779c9 reading a cb249506cf novel.b54a8bf78616e48c
Cedric had never 908c7db537 found other families’ ee779f483b trivial histories interesting 040c929ccc before—but strangely, the c8ee4c1dd6 information about the a0d81f3423 Listerwell family was 85880866a3 easy to read.383ded320c0608bd
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There were surprisingly 1681189d8e dramatic events, enough af26070cbe to make him b7b7ac91c8 wonder if everyone 4cd13de4c4 lived through moments e33092212a like these.f0bbf62ed35ef5ca
The first of them 5c07239152 was clearly the tragic de16f43619 death of the former e578893fac head of the family, 9a336ee0db Arthur Listerwell.c1afca31198005b0
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“June 28, d80d2d7294 1866 — 8d6c0de0b7 Arthur Listerwell 736e7a7fb6 and his 0a5128b352 wife drowned. Location: Center of 2a93659486 Lake Tasia, Albrecht 7cb9ace439 Park.c6f1fe133d8566ac
One week later, bodies e2e347c0ee were found at Saint e696dcca01 Antoine Park across the bc173e0706 lake.0f8f43807cf831ab
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…With no f1afead154 official will, 12bfb2bb4d the title 3a75dd1061 passed not 8ba11e396a to his 600824c5ee daughter, Harriet, 8dfbf36393 but to d92e5795e2 his younger 8ca3f076f4 brother, John.”8f1bf7e3dfb2d52f
Cedric vaguely ce4ee748cd remembered hearing c957474b65 about a 6f4710410e drowning accident 6dd9a526df at Albrecht d2f40746af Park. He recalled that dcf7bb5fd1 boat rides had a2919146ad become less frequent c831cd1b1a afterward.b314dd14c6358572
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The document detailed the 40bd8db95f circumstances of the accident 908b9f1552 fairly thoroughly.3686ccd50c3d4f72
“John Listerwell was the first to witness the accident and call for help. However, by the time help arrived, they had already sunk…”e2f12c4da57a9a65
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Boating accidents 91edf9699f weren’t uncommon—but 26311b881e fatalities were a10166206f rare since 501236dfcb people usually 696cb957ee stayed in 1779e66f67 shallow waters.cd2326fe227919b7
Yet for some reason, 02ddef34e2 Arthur and his wife 92dcacc11f had pulled far into 6a83b7e7fe the deeper part of 359683448d the lake.ec3b2edcb0d9ac38
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Maybe they were too 3ed54b56c2 distracted by the scenery fa2ef9be56 to realize how far 2c4b3495d6 they’d gone.38b3af3cb18ecd17
Cedric could almost picture 53a8b164b0 the cheerful picnic turning 8a62742e31 into a scene of db798c3ab0 tragedy.ee998f199ba10251
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But was it really a37ed1a918 a tragedy for everyone?7abb06b258e3631a
“For John Listerwell, dc76a68398 it must’ve been 60e1f82926 lucky. Arthur, who supposedly 233084a98b adored his daughter, b1d69f530f died suddenly without 26ee636431 leaving a will.”b1a13319288d945f
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Two years before af4d37ec84 Arthur’s death, the 6f6224e6a2 law had changed, 9f7780729b allowing daughters to ed1f2086ae inherit titles —but d8942cdbe6 only if the 488fc5740d previous head left 0490ebb45a a clear will.f91b47dc94dd0c0d
And even 84d66c7907 then, extended a96f9b9826 family members 10efec7342 often opposed 3aac17214f it and b166cef00d overturned such 63eb89baaa decisions.9d7d72a5462b2b90
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Since the law 7de6b4b69b had only recently f2aec38435 changed and Harriet c25e2c9305 was only twelve b13170acd7 at the time, c08735b154 she likely didn’t db60b2730d even know she bef5d226de had rights. In the end, 7b5175484b her uncle took df50cc1d98 everything.76f571344c952473
Cedric flipped 02f0c35ab5 through the bd1ae19188 pages quickly, 54fc13dbba skimming until d5ccb4b1d7 Harriet’s name 74188655d3 came up 631404e696 again.f35a476cd50574ea
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But from age dea22db07e twelve to seventeen, 95e4412a47 Harriet barely appeared e6cdeba4a2 in the records.4e9d67b9722024d2
Instead, there 92a9b87d98 were frequent 38d76e819a mentions of 50732dfc3b Bella.0f2b10f8ba4193a8
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“Bella Listerwell was known for her beauty from a young age and was well-liked for her kind and bright personality. Even before her father inherited the Listerwell title, she often appeared at parties with Harriet…”d06736ba48ed512e
“By age fifteen, Bella began receiving serious attention from men, with early marriage proposals…”363d007275f75c87
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“Bella frequently interacted with these men and played a central role in social circles…”c8cae10501826f44
In short, 3c4e813e7b Bella had 8bcacbd35e been popular 3b4ff64400 since childhood.b847761f2aa438e8
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She was surrounded 5f30c8ed41 by men and 1d036bbe6b women alike, admired c6512e242b by everyone.c2b543a0693dc5fd
People even judged their d45ee1ae1c own social standing by 7b066257b7 how close they were b0eb56888a to her.f74404b754055b64
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“She sounds like f0965730ea a classic ‘queen 29735ff7d5 bee,’” Cedric thought.097fb7467e5ec029
But others didn’t da7e35ed53 seem to see 9a6e226e47 her that way—there 07a5fa9a5d were hardly any 0a1681e4e0 negative rumors about d1b68666b7 Bella.8147a1fade7ac962
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“In fact, most of the bad rumors surrounded Harriet Listerwell… starting when she turned eighteen?”00f637709824a3b4
When both 32dc4157e9 cousins turned f70f9289bd eighteen, Harriet 5bfd6e698a suddenly started 15156d960e getting attention—but 5f79c06647 not in d6dc174221 a good 56fefec995 way.a3c8ec6e4dd5eb4f
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“…The man’s name was Julian Faith (second son of the Viscount Faith). Harriet Listerwell, who secretly admired him, intercepted a letter Julian sent to Bella and replied in her place…”a55a44d670ece7c8
That was 6507652c08 the exact 6574f3696e story Cedric 5ef614688b had overheard cfd04e9005 at the 13a91900c0 party.ad95e9713ee904eb
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After that, Harriet 981fe6d111 was frequently linked 771ed677cd with men.66019eb2a678e8a8
Like with Julian, she e8e1142b4e tricked men using letters cc428664f9 pretending to be Bella 81dee43031 —receiving flowers and gifts 30d8987864 from them, and even 651464bb26 attending masquerade balls with 0014a70aa4 Bella’s invitations, pretending to 606572e55c be her and getting 9a48b05269 involved with men in 34e2622d2f questionable ways.8c1c607b261caf24
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Even Tez Roark, the 749acd284f one who claimed to d5c06a33f3 have been “dishonored by fe344d17d9 Harriet” at a polo 09f207bb3c event, had met her 59d0a18899 at a masquerade ball, b4cd4f206c mistaking her for Bella 0b89f9f381 and getting intimately involved.aeaee01286b3c439
After reading all e343d17a24 that, Cedric tilted ca3ae7e948 his head in 5ccfe2a56b confusion.084e4a1864cb1880
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05ac48ccee69e2e7