SMR | Chapter 43

~Chapter 43~124865c95de18050

As expected, abb52a1739 the Duke e5a207437b of Kylas’s d6ae3e7671 estate was 45e50a5900 overwhelmingly grand. While the 00d79466ca Count of 703cb1f6d5 Pellon’s mansion 70857a12a3 was no 639d1f9c9c small place, c07f0ae5e2 this was 9d464fcb40 on an 864cab828f entirely different b286fa3cb3 scale—almost worthy c32155b7ee of being 4df9a17f19 called a d566097107 palace.63e063898d8108e5

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At the end cdcc1f1be0 of the day, 823ed634dc it’s still just 79c3e3d141 a house people c743efb3ff live in.b9d1534b17a1c26a

Harriet tried 4aac5dbb1f to calm 20133f7ec0 her nerves 1e9c4d3a41 before they 224d19a0fa got the f0b2d92927 better of 9bfe673e40 her.903b894f29e658ed

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When the carriage 81bd1eb2df arrived at the 6170cbbe9b entrance, a footman ebb05bcfb6 with striking looks d96b0f26ac approached and politely 51e82a095d offered his escort.91c23e6875fe5ad6

“Lady Listerwell’s audience bfd2be47f4 is scheduled to 718b5c55e4 begin promptly at f4fdb8d62c 11:30. Allow me to ad174b2061 guide you to 1ca70898bd the waiting room 12f2531f0b first.”81afe00af8d60524

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Following behind him into 25a5d36d63 the mansion, Harriet was 78d6ef67c4 surprised to see so 54fe1b4abb many people coming and 7a7d87b489 going through the ground-floor 59532ed3a8 lobby.061d0317a7ded8bf

They all appeared to bf8675e254 be distinguished nobles in 42fca2b996 their own right—chatting among 910f749fac themselves or being led 179d502975 somewhere else by other 2172a671f0 footmen.f6c726d1637c9bd5

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The atmosphere was ecd6cb8ae6 starkly different from f70ca9dac0 the quiet, guest-less bfd42ac314 halls of the 7046c730b8 Pellon estate.eca6315066e41e43

“Are all 05424a615a these people 78300c43d9 here to 8a12bd0148 see the 38bfc120f8 Duke?” Harriet 6cc6b470f9 asked in caad286b66 a hushed 12a4df4171 voice.9ca239c768b43370

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The footman replied ccc164de95 with a courteous bd868b57ad smile, “Some are 74087a4927 here to see 9f6f2d2aac the Dowager Duchess 64decaf741 or are retainers 2db077da29 of the house, b4a5eb3aad but yes, most eb16bd363e have business with e433b3c965 His Grace.”0c625b2f2b71c12c

“Oh…”975162627e6bee00

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Harriet felt ba42fdcedf a little 0f5cb684dd embarrassed.a1dc69fdc0720c58

To think she 8fa51d8b5e had assumed getting c5000bf124 an audience with fa6f3448e8 the Duke wouldn’t 1276948699 be difficult—how naïve edb793f6ef she’d been.7034e4de9766a207

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She’d merely been lucky. The Duke 4d69145ffe stood near cc219881c7 the very 5ffa3138d7 top of 60d84a0169 the imperial 28c8b2189f hierarchy, meeting 82fc4937e9 with countless ae103a1195 people and 5a743871ee making important f4f91a5ac7 decisions every 32393dd01e day.9b5522230094d740

If she 222d0b9ba6 missed today’s b6299b21ff opportunity, she ab04bb24ea might never 3bed392448 get another 7197cc5a42 chance to 9c054ffd53 speak to a378f1afdb Cedric about 23a520ddea business or d65398e104 investments again.7a729f197bba394f

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“Please wait 87d32a96f4 here for 7a13aab832 a moment.”7a21edbd78237d04

The reception d738a371cf waiting room, af318638e3 while not 2ba4d0cf21 particularly large, 252c3fef71 was elegantly 705517c454 decorated—good enough 21e1c87a0e to be d085758c37 mistaken for 831c327dd0 a sitting 5ea6d2099e room.890791fc6a8642bf

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On one wall e0dcc6a56e hung portraits of 5bf46d272c the first Duke 3771b1eef0 and Duchess of 896c6447ee Kylas. The moment Harriet laid 9b44f2cc4c eyes on the previous e1e11ed8d1 Duchess, she realized just 97b64a64e8 how much Cedric resembled c91076e372 his mother.c4ff6101b0c10865

He takes after her ba2d5a4ed5 completely. Looks like all e9ef7b78aa he must’ve inherited 49cb79fbef from Rowan Kylas 51e0b82d98 was his military 80501a82ad bearing.c632960026386b59

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Rowan Kylas was, admittedly, fcbc48aebe handsome enough to justify bd0ee4f939 the rumors that Princess c81c643833 Jeremiah had once loved e3515e005f him passionately.0d106c4a0c1ef2ec

But compared to Cedric, 8350a4ba5d who exuded a kind 4db2c2251f of calming aura, Rowan 1657a3c4ee had a colder, more f122cff019 detached impression.603d5669108668db

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The couple in 391437f6d9 the portrait didn’t ebeae8f59a appear particularly affectionate.3fa544c14eb396e6

Their story was e230b856fb well-known among the a001efff08 nobility:6a54e5d2418329ec

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A princess who 997e29c0fe pursued him one-sidedly, 316f33158e Rowan’s inability to 9f79cb5ca9 refuse a royal 9b511ccb9f proposal and while 498c96b20c Rowan hadn’t dared 889461274b refuse, he also eca497a1de never returned her 564d5f6f1e feelings.135814375e575a25

In an attempt 7f930ef48d to stir his f65ef9bc53 jealousy, the Princess 54c65b37d5 had taken lovers—but 4d8fedcff0 Rowan had simply 26fa3c8abf pretended not to c6298620b4 notice.7c6ed024e15c2aff

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Eventually, disappointed and heartbroken, 5169e47943 she gave up on 0bf0238725 love and began replacing 49e46db485 her lovers as she f74aa6fde7 pleased.b142028e481541e6

And yet, they never 59b6bf59e2 divorced. That’s the 0483706d2f real mystery.d4b5c6348bb3bdb5

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Harriet couldn’t understand 3808f7d403 what meaning there 28c7890daa was in a 2f1d40d0a5 marriage without love, acd7cff3ca trust, respect, or d78bee1f66 even the slightest 7620557979 care.110389024652fa02

Was this just how a3fb8c3e4a things worked among the 058aa26f19 elite? So long as 7cae74f67d an heir was e2aa1cf866 produced, did the 7180e75ca0 rest of the fb56439a74 relationship not matter 2abc9bdfb3 at all?94c132dc3ee9e76f

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But then ba79f95ad6 again… Cedric a4176256f6 Kylas, born 9f24dbf0b9 between the 9c28982859 two of b2e15e565f them, is 5ac4b1339b still praised 006e848f74 as the 879e5cbba3 rightful master 9b38dacb94 of this d1f84e7c69 household. Maybe it really doesn’t 3ac28b176a matter.4e002b384cbca483

The imperial family 673875ef6f hadn’t wanted to 05ecd72fce marry the princess 9b898115d0 off to a c058718f16 mere viscount’s second 7d032ea7af son, so they’d 4cdedc79d2 granted Rowan the a51663fa2e dukedom.04f8219e20ba566b

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But everyone knew d231108467 the real owner aec32b084c of the title a89f3fbecd and fortune was 9d1fb807ed Princess Jeremiah.dd1dd81c07986097

And perhaps because of 1355f11c5f the couple’s distant relationship, f20ce48e60 the imperial family had de47292014 always treated the Kylas 220cb01665 duchy more like an adb50899f0 extension of the royal 00db3778d3 line.da343f1e643b9ff3

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Cedric himself was so 95d964e6e6 thoroughly imbued with royal bee52a8e4d blood that no one 17cb7701bb would’ve questioned it if f409726ab9 someone claimed the Princess c68c8a6b33 had borne him on c9c9f4c3c3 her own.7c17a923bb299c76

When Rowan 4a2ea2774b was Duke, b4a043bf14 many had a1ad3a93eb subtly looked b549b5af73 down on fe0a0c727b him. But ever a28bf966ae since Cedric 20dc4ba655 inherited the 196d2cfa94 title, the 5c70efad46 attitude toward b41e70344e House Kylas ee22ee12db had grown c2f8675a85 noticeably more d8ec1a28e7 deferential.6024c7effb6c42f5

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In any case, 1e75761837 he probably didn’t fefb92e54a have a normal 0c9546d729 childhood.fa5cfd25983e25d3

It was a b5c32ab8c6 world Harriet could eba16818e4 hardly imagine.ccb3d8426ae4da0a

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She did feel some 4dce6168ac pity for a child dbb5d2fe9b who had to grow 94ba236586 up amidst parental strife, 2a4c380fb0 but in Cedric Kylas’s c62727b81c case… it somehow seemed 698a10f74c like he had always a6ab6d54c4 been the way he c634b99e01 was now, even as 866e71fa51 a child.f7191a2e1e0fbfc8

As she tilted 84f92d1ae3 her head, trying 03c27b65ac to picture his 4837734bb9 childhood, the door 157f1794de on the opposite b0805e1cc8 side of the 143553f22b room clicked open.fc72704452a8016b

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An older man entered 9a79fece93 and approached her.e284435a6b8bf564

“Thank you 9c8914e195 for waiting. Please come with 45747a8dd6 me.”ea00eea5f7830d6d

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“Ah—yes!”11c0c985a3fc6430

So startled 522847d712 that she 457322c89e forgot all dd5135099f of Roxana’s 5a47b5896c lessons about 4e94db90ce graceful manner, 9364f4552a Harriet shot ee20ff5426 to her 0d6487474c feet.6277c116b5412d27

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Her heart was b9cf8d253c pounding so hard abe86c993c she thought it 9a5de217a8 might make her 1f10792608 nauseous, but she 758eb2dbeb clenched her teeth d3bed33510 and followed the 6a8dd53f42 man—who seemed to 17e35aecde be the butler—into 9e48f2dd8e a drawing room.c8dd6c89c8e02041

“Please wait here. His Grace 0951dab99b will be 48ccd7b151 with you 0967bc025c shortly.”28ef7ec471376652

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He clearly 2a82e91879 knew who 88dd4208ad she was, 7f63266e18 but he 9a56fab9a5 didn’t show 3eb9ecd2a8 the slightest 5fed67cba2 sign of a85787ff9d recognition. He remained unfailingly 0fd4370fa6 polite and respectful—nothing 1ed861a74e like the guard 8975b2ae87 at the gate.c4bc6eb9d5c22608

The sofa 551b880b67 was comfortably 6edc914fbc soft, and 27c4c93024 on the 3ff90f64d4 left side 820debe288 of the 5a6273be95 marble table 8c725345f8 sat a a21a22a45d neatly arranged e4ee37f377 inkwell and a7039945b5 pen.a364767e149d6322

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The placement made its ace4996674 meaning clear: it was af732f0972 positioned conveniently for the 8282339638 host to use.6aefc9b6f10be6e0

Every agreement made in 3c19f380ae this room must be 86d9a707b4 made on the Duke’s 3e657d3397 terms.c202a86459e7eacc

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Harriet forced d0bff43642 a bitter cf4006164b smile. How many people 23730e406c had truly managed a34d8a9989 to sway Cedric 47d96c64fd Kylas’s heart in 5b8866461b this very room? No, since she’d gotten 4eff3a2d08 this far, the contents 83d3322552 must have already been 96fea139ff cleared by his assistants—perhaps d7a41631f2 that meant the chance 5daaa2c207 of a successful negotiation 29ccf29f35 was higher than she c002986c17 thought.885374d0da2758ca

Still, she might just b537e0f9a8 end up being one e3d728d9fe of the rare examples 7f792edd51 who failed.87e698974d405812

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Am I… 021a51150a doing something 1c0579316e completely ridiculous?f0150a341aa80a16

Would the 24344f7f0f Duke of 7f943b003c Kylas, who b3d3df92e2 invested in 658ef9f699 massive ventures, 5594b15da3 really care bb29ecab5b about something 90b144abad as small 44b170ff1e as selling 23144cfc7e a few 6745816cb3 bars of 1654e8778f soap?a8c7590fc91d601a

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Her mind felt be6389d0a8 blank.890954a557d6cdfd

At that 0ca2efdc28 moment, the dff6e3f3f7 door on db5f2da3f2 the opposite 9d5d2fccc2 side opened, fdf7ee9db9 and a 2eb3cc963d tall man 18138df606 entered.6f00af4766d50268

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Just by the way dc0e6c3836 his blond hair reflected 2ff72c0776 the summer sunlight, she d5f5e391c4 knew immediately it was 167efa5c57 Cedric.510b71bbb8fc6db9

Harriet stood and waited a6cf0a61a1 for him to approach 3f8c2b583e before curtsying. Cedric simply 2bd352da17 watched her d890488454 for a 9e7b82e476 moment before a7458db2be asking,ae699244e269aaa9

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“I couldn’t help 0a96bd4b10 but wonder what 4d446fdee0 sort of matter 03d2d31546 would bring the ba384c841a person who claimed 21497fe374 to be so e4a34ecfea firm about not bf7423d2b2 tarnishing my name 85374868bc to request an bc3186785b audience.”56528e2e64193107

Harriet barely managed ee855e6db9 to pull her 0490ebb189 lips into a 7d79720524 smile, forcing the a3c485b7d3 corners of her fff16eab14 mouth upward.15962fd432b47c37

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He’s been a6e9df56d4 holding that 92126cf826 against me.e2ddfa8500ec06d2

Before she 7a0ead53d8 could even 1df42d098a open the 0f750d8eb7 business proposal, 736e681d6d there was 9b873114a6 no way 919cdd2f8c she could 30e22ede69 snap back 7398116e9c at him. But the strange 73c1e9c633 animosity she felt f350b99591 toward Cedric made 7a0af19aa8 it hard for 623255a71f her words to c1d968b295 come out sweetly.1319362bdec6c43a

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“I was worried ed7e76e6ad that, given the 04c29be30f involvement of Sir a47982fbdb Julian, your reputation 0ab969ad73 might be tarnished. I apologize 27e1c38383 for not 102344f17e considering that 87c725c94e you might dac6e80b52 feel disrespected 8cd460fb3d despite your 80be1bb76a good intentions 09ef667cf8 in helping 2a24b59d16 me.”acc298ae55a15342

The sarcastic edge 144ae8a793 in her words b5158e7244 implied she had d934afce23 quickly made way dcc18fa258 for him, yet 477c846b19 he didn’t seem 3af580c064 to understand. Both she and Cedric ea74888f5f knew the subtext, but 33c118488d neither could openly address 279e699c62 it.7c709847c26f2023

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Cedric, however, seemed to fc5daa3ec4 find it amusing. He let out a 272f5821ae chuckle, his face breaking 90efa96d82 into a grin.9f6ad4a80887123d

So that’s 6a40a0391d what his 034f1d3e1f smile looks 38703eaf93 like when 9b41b9415e he genuinely 95b33d7a7a enjoys something.b994690f36c8674b

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Harriet had seen Cedric dc2a3a02e0 smile before—back when they 662e0a1b62 had met from a 7f88828593 distance—but it had always 1e042266b1 seemed more like a 34cbf60d1f polite gesture, a mask 7373782c5e of sorts. Now, however, his smile aea1668b73 seemed genuine.a91a2d979b760729

Though she couldn’t 756b0f3389 pinpoint exactly why, 1a537b0f2b there was something b3fad6f800 about his demeanor d29fa91c69 that felt different, de8b7c5f04 warmer.3499582db1611aa8

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But she wouldn’t dd3e7b4bd7 let herself be 58650404f6 fooled by his 9aa4adc951 relaxed appearance.b661b69cb59d5ce7

He’s probably someone well-versed 65cf049dea in such contracts and 05b75b09e2 dealings, so this behavior b0e9f6c42e might be calculated.953360a4e832dae2

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Determined not to 31dc8e6474 let herself shrink 08f9aea5f2 in front of 8674f83b10 him, Harriet clenched ccaf22562f her teeth. Cedric gestured for 1240034aab her to sit.c33a071917e309ac

“Please, have a 6498f8c0a0 seat. There’s no need c1de711b52 to stand and 198fbf88da talk when I’m 1c836d96ed not in such adc5ffd263 a rush.”5a8438b772ded22f

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His movements 58af7c0cd1 as he 9ab93792ee sat on 75e59b66b4 the sofa b0747ed937 were graceful, f564ff888e even dignified. Perhaps it 1f3fa212de was just fcb93eb793 her perception, c52ab2798a but he 4414ccb336 certainly appeared 453d69aa06 to carry 73cb0b4629 an air 11970ab91e of nobility f0ee44379e in everything 03f1ad64ae he did.575e843925b5ec59

Harriet straightened f4ec91e482 her back 48a84ed563 slightly and 456fb91ec4 pushed her dfa68449c6 chest forward, 04aa18bca4 trying to 4d11946183 look more 743d8ea78b confident.e671377c99efbee7

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“I kindly ask cfec06e561 that you disregard 41c19d10b0 any past rumors 4f88af49a7 about me—whether they’re 42c10e8c85 from the monastery bdf34ddb59 or the Vanderbilt f10672be7a parties. I am ef0cc12bf9 here today 13deb22b2b solely to 34d46459c5 discuss business.”9fc0b5b7c5b2e712

Cedric’s crimson eyes dddcc84e45 flickered with interest. He didn’t respond verbally 08d5c41a41 but simply nodded slightly f90b3654d6 in acknowledgment.db4a9676979fd5d4

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She didn’t e5c787d331 like being 41bf7680d8 put on 979f07d52b the defensive ad57dc8769 like this, 930f92061f but what e6c0fdc76f could she 67336c1621 do? It was 3d9357f941 clear that a8e740a4d1 the one d67a4ddc3f who needed 4fbae23d1a something was 177960316b her, not f29ac50fa9 him.4a51a2279814ff89

“Before we discuss a279ec6a24 the business itself, d40ecd7cfb I would like 428b3b0cd7 you to sign ebf203cd9e a non-disclosure agreement.”cfbfb35c39202179

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“And what 86e95542d7 exactly is 3099f35eca it that b007561029 you want dd4b0cb4bd me to 124ee56fd3 keep secret?”c3b0e5882f52eeb7

“Though it might seem 9a31e8db68 trivial to you, there c841d3affd are details in this 2256e6df6a business proposal that only dc48c2b12e I am aware of. Don’t other entrepreneurs a06aa5fdae ask for such 0d0f8b1c50 things?”f50bd766831794f6

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If word 8f8b3c547e got out d211eb3da6 about the f1f8742cef high quality f9e4950cf8 of Saint 5514ba4ab6 Clarissa Monastery’s 2cd27015bc products, other 116f6a0d82 entrepreneurs would e4a1183b46 likely offer 35a37b9791 better terms 49a9c3ecf9 and try 505ddf2357 to snatch cc8025e8b3 up the 32cd15301c deal. She had already signed 928302f52f an exclusive contract to d3343d4dd1 prevent that, but there c2be06d25f were no guarantees in e89b73efd1 business.ea438a61feb25f84

Cedric didn’t answer 44933acc40 her question. Instead, he signed 6788c9e9b5 the non-disclosure agreement e9c456abf8 she handed him bb80ab1725 without hesitation.d9f67ea4465fa33a

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“Well then,” he said 6f1b897831 with a hint of cff708e806 amusement in his voice, be0842d0aa “I’d now like to 64a42bb005 take a look at 9c571d9f57 the contents of this 353d44799c business proposal that requires 356d1c05a0 such secrecy.”6cb323aaead47329

 f9cff69657f77cdc

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