SMR | Chapter 74

~Chapter 74~

As soon as Bella walked out of her father’s study, the smile on her face disappeared.

‘Father is so small-minded. If he was going to give it to me anyway, why not give me the whole thing? Why split it in half?’

Last time, she hadn’t thought too deeply and was happy to get just a pair of earrings. But now, the more she thought about it, the more she realized—even in small things like this—Harriet always ended up with more.

Even though her father claimed to love her, he always considered the pros and cons. In contrast, her uncle Arthur had given away a massive estate to his daughter without any hesitation.

‘Maybe that land was supposed to be Harriet’s birthday gift. The return date is June 25, and her birthday is July 5…’

What would it feel like to receive 165 hectares of land and a mansion as a birthday gift at 22? To be called “the Lady of Perillas,” living in wealth and admiration forever?

She would’ve been considered a top match on the marriage market. These days, people value money more than noble titles. And if news spread that a young lady owned that kind of estate, men would line up to marry her.

If that had really happened, Bella thought she might’ve fainted from rage and frustration.

‘Well, it’s not like she actually received it. Half of that land will be mine. That means I’ve won.’

She had to take at least half—because she had already decided to take everything from Harriet.

‘Once the ownership is legally mine, I’ll tell you, Harriet. I’ll show you what else I’ve stolen from you.’

Just imagining Harriet’s shocked and furious face brought a smile back to Bella’s lips. Once again, she realized that dragging her cousin into misery was her favorite game in the world.

***

Around the end of January, Harriet received a surprise visit from Daphne.

“Miss Daphne! What brings you here?”

Harriet was clearly surprised—there had been no letter or message in advance. Daphne smiled shyly and pulled an envelope from her coat.

“I’m delivering party invitations personally to close friends. I would be really happy if you came.”

It was an invitation from the Laurel family. At first, Harriet thought it must’ve been for Trisha. But to her surprise, the card also had her name written on it.

‘That’s strange. The Earl of Laurel didn’t seem to like me much. Did Daphne ask him to include me?’

Harriet didn’t ask further. What mattered was that this was a personal invitation—not one she received as someone’s representative.

As Daphne turned to leave quickly, Harriet reached out and stopped her.

“If you’re not too busy, would you like to have some tea? The wind is cold today.”

“I really don’t want to trouble you. I didn’t even let you know I was coming…”

“Actually, I didn’t have any plans today. I was getting a bit bored.”

Daphne smiled warmly, clearly relieved by Harriet’s kindness, and nodded.

“I’d love to, then.”

Harriet led her to a small round table by the window in her bedroom.

“Sorry, I’m not taking you to the main drawing room. I try not to disturb my grandaunt unless necessary.”

“You’re letting me visit your personal space. That’s even better! Thank you.”

Harriet smiled. The window table was her favorite place in the room. Outside the window stood a large tree that changed beautifully with each season. Sometimes birds would perch on the branches and sing. Occasionally, they woke her too early, but she liked them anyway.

As they settled down, Harriet poured warm tea into delicate cups.

“I knew you were planning a party, but I didn’t expect the invitations so soon. Is there a reason for the timing?”

“Ah… well…”

Daphne looked a bit uncomfortable. Harriet quickly waved her hand, flustered.

“You don’t have to say! I didn’t mean to pry into your family matters.”

“No, it’s alright. Honestly, I’d feel better talking about it with you.”

Even so, it seemed hard for Daphne to bring it up. She held her teacup in both hands and took a silent breath before speaking.

“There’s going to be an engagement ceremony for James and Bella around mid-March.”

Harriet’s expression turned serious. That one sentence explained everything.

If Daphne held her party after the engagement, everyone would see it as a reaction. People would compare her with Bella, pity her, or even gossip cruelly.

To avoid that, she had to host her party before the engagement announcement.

Harriet sighed inwardly. How unfair that the people who caused pain moved freely, while the one who suffered had to carefully consider every step.

But Daphne didn’t look broken or pitiful this time.

“I didn’t host any parties last year. So I thought… I should just get it done. Once you make up your mind, better to do it quickly.”

She still looked a little thin, but her smile was genuine. Clear. Bright.

Harriet could tell—Daphne had grown stronger.

“You seem lighter. Like you’ve let go of something heavy.”

“That’s because of you,” Daphne said kindly.

Harriet smiled, grateful. Daphne had been kind enough to listen to her, and now it was Harriet’s turn to help someone else—someone else who had been hurt.

After a moment of hesitation, Harriet spoke carefully.

“Um, Miss Daphne… This might be rude, but… would it be possible to ask for one more invitation?”

“For a friend of yours? Of course.”

“Well… she used to be close with Bella. Her name is Viviana Deluce. You may have heard of her.”

Daphne’s smile froze for a moment. Harriet noticed, but she had expected that reaction. Viviana had been through a rough time recently, and Harriet had already decided—if anyone invited her to a party, she would ask if Viviana could come too.

“She cut ties with Bella,” Harriet explained. “She’s even become friends with me. So I don’t think she has any connection to Bella anymore.”

Then, Harriet briefly explained Viviana’s situation—how she had become friends with Bella because of a boy she liked, how she found out Bella’s true nature and ended their friendship, how the boy still hurt her, and worst of all, how she was now excluded from social gatherings because of that past.

“I just want to give her a chance to return to normal. But I understand if you’d rather not. What matters most is your comfort.”

Daphne didn’t answer right away. She quietly sipped her tea, deep in thought. Harriet waited patiently, holding her own cup, reminded once more how unpredictable human relationships could be.

Finally, Daphne looked up and said,

“I’ve heard the rumors about Miss Viviana, and I believe you. So sending her an invitation won’t be a problem. But…”

Harriet tilted her head. Daphne added carefully,

“Wasn’t the man she liked… Adam Hofner?”

“That rumor spread, too?”

“I’m afraid so. And the Hofner family has already been sent an invitation.”

So Adam was likely to attend the party. Daphne wanted to know if that would be okay.

“I don’t think it’s up to me to decide. But if Viviana chooses not to attend, I’m sure she’ll remember your kindness either way.”

“Then I’d be grateful if she did.”

Thanks to Daphne’s thoughtfulness, Viviana would now receive a proper invitation to the Laurel family’s party—along with a warning that Adam might be present.

***

Later that evening…

When Harriet handed the square envelope to Viviana, she suddenly felt unsure. Was she meddling too much? Viviana’s face didn’t change right away. She stared at the invitation longer than expected.

“If this was something you didn’t want, I’m sorry…”

“Oh—no, it’s not that. Thank you. Really. No one’s invited me to anything in a while. And you were right. Bella and I were never equals. I understand that now.”

Even though she said it, Viviana’s expression wasn’t bright. Harriet wondered if Adam was still the reason.

She gently held Viviana’s hand.

“I told Daphne you might not come. If you don’t feel up to it, you can just say no.”

Harriet thought Viviana might refuse.

But after tracing her fingers over the embossed emblem of the Laurel family, Viviana straightened her shoulders and looked up with a firm gaze.

“I’ll go. You worked hard for this, didn’t you? And I don’t want to disappoint Miss Daphne either.”

“Are you sure?”

Viviana nodded.

“I’ve been running away from everything for too long. Maybe it’s time I stop.”