SMR | Chapter 122

~Chapter 122~

The content was similar.

It claimed that Harriet had been exploiting the monastery while pretending to help, that she had been deceiving everyone by posing as a model, and that her bold deception had even fooled the royal family. The article even questioned whether Clarissa’s products were truly reliable.

“These… these people…!”

As Harriet read, her anger began to rise.

“These reporters didn’t even bother to check the facts, they just reported the interview as if it was the truth. Anyone can see that Clarissa’s products are of excellent quality!”

“Do you still not see? This is a deliberate smear campaign. Unfortunately, people are too quick to believe these kinds of slanders, just because they’re in the newspaper.”

Even those who claim to remain neutral would now view her with suspicion.

Even if it were proven that the article was false, Clarissa would still suffer major damage.

Harriet opened the last newspaper without much thought. She expected it to contain similar content to the others.

But there was something in it that the other two newspapers didn’t include.

[……Harriet Listerwell is reportedly spending her accumulated wealth on attending wild parties. At a place known as the ‘En○○ Party,’ she associates with multiple men and spends large amounts of money…]

Harriet’s eyes widened.

[It’s Tez Roark!]

The fact that she had attended the Anghelic Party was known only to Cedric and Tez.

But there was no way Cedric would have released such an article, so Tez must have been the culprit, or at least an accomplice.

“Everything he’s done for me so far… was all to ruin me?”

The absurdity of it all almost made her laugh.

She had thought he wasn’t a bad person. How naïve and foolish she had been!

She had convinced herself not to trust him, but now, the sting of betrayal made her realize she had actually trusted him a little. Maybe she had been hoping for someone to apologize for the past and build a better relationship with her.

As Harriet buried her face in her hands, Roxana quietly approached and patted her shoulder awkwardly.

“Don’t be so down. You can sue them. Legally, you’ll win for sure.”

“…Roxana, you’re not very good at comforting me.”

Roxana gave a playful tap on Harriet’s shoulder with her hand and crossed her arms.

“From what you just said, I can see you’re not feeling defeated. Now, let’s go see Lady Pellon.”

Harriet let out a small smile and stood up.

That’s right, this wasn’t the time to feel down. It was time to get angry, grit her teeth, and face the challenge head-on.

When Harriet entered the Countess’s bedroom, Trisha, sitting in an armchair sipping tea, glanced at her and gestured for her to sit on the opposite side.

Harriet sat down in silence.

“You look gloomy, like someone who’s just been hit in the back of the head.”

Harriet didn’t know how to respond and just awkwardly smiled.

After taking another sip of tea, Trisha spoke softly.

“Did you not know that the world works like this?”

“I know. But it still hurts. If my grandmother weren’t here, I’d probably be dragged to the square and stoned by now.”

Trisha chuckled at her response.

“No, even if I weren’t here, you’d be fine. You’re stronger than you think. Buying a good lawyer and suing those irresponsible newspapers is something you can easily do by yourself.”

Trisha spoke as if this incident was no big deal, but the discomfort in her expression suggested there was more she was worried about.

“But it’s true that you’ve been really unlucky. I feel like it’s my fault.”

She paused, lifted a small pouch from the tea table, and handed it to Harriet.

“I’m sorry for remembering this so late, but I’ll give it back to you now.”

“What is this…?”

Harriet looked at Trisha, who had a kind smile, then carefully opened the pouch.

Inside, there was a smooth, round stone. It was obviously old.

There was nothing else inside, just the stone.

“Grandmother, what is this stone?”

“Looks like you don’t remember.”

Trisha sighed deeply, with a nostalgic expression on her face.

She then told Harriet the story of how, when Harriet was a child, she had given Trisha her “lucky stone” to wish for the recovery of Ouster and Trisha’s good fortune.

“At that time, I kept the gift because it was such a pure and sweet gesture. Maybe I was even hoping that Ouster would get better, relying on a child’s luck.”

“I completely forgot about it…”

“I had forgotten too. But after reading your letter from the convent, I remembered the stone. And when I thought about it, it didn’t seem like it was entirely useless.”

“Really?”

Harriet asked, thinking it was a joke, but Trisha answered seriously.

“After receiving the stone, I became the head of the Pellon family. Every business I touched turned out profitable, and I gained trustworthy people. But on the other hand, for you… things have just been unlucky.”

“That’s just a coincidence.”

“Is it? But I can’t forget what you said to me, ‘I’ll give you all my luck.’ If I really took your luck, how could I ever repay that debt?”

“Grandmother…”

Trisha’s eyes were filled with mixed emotions as she looked at the stone.

“Harriet, I’m giving your luck back to you. Thank you for everything.”

“Don’t say that! I’ve had plenty of luck. If I hadn’t, how could I have received your guardianship? How could I have succeeded in business with no experience or obtained the land I didn’t even know I had?”

Harriet fought back tears and forced a smile. But Trisha looked so much like she was near the end that Harriet wanted to beg her not to say such things.

“So please, keep the stone. If my luck can make you healthier, I don’t mind at all.”

“Harriet…”

“You’re my benefactor and my parents. Please don’t make me an orphan again.”

Harriet wiped away the tears that had finally fallen and returned the stone to Trisha.

She wasn’t afraid of the people who ignored the truth and thrived on scandals. Those people didn’t even matter compared to the frail woman sitting in front of her.

“What I was afraid of after reading today’s newspapers wasn’t the judgment of others. I was worried you might be disappointed in me.”

Trisha motioned for her to come closer and sit before her.

As Harriet knelt before her, Trisha carefully stroked her cheek with her dry, worn hand.

“Harriet, I’m not disappointed in you.”

“I’ll try harder. I’ll never disappoint you.”

“No. From the moment I first saw you in the drawing room 10 months ago, I’ve considered you my daughter. And through everything, I’ve come to understand—parents can never be disappointed in their children.”

She wiped away the wetness from Harriet’s eyes with her finger and gently stroked her brown hair.

“Thank you for letting me experience something so wonderful, Harriet.”

Unable to hold back, Harriet threw herself into Trisha’s arms and sobbed. Trisha gently patted her back, smiling warmly.

When Harriet finally stopped crying, Trisha grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

Harriet awkwardly leaned on Trisha’s lap, and Trisha spoke firmly.

“Now that you’ve cried, it’s time to act. With today’s article, public criticism of you will reach new heights. But a bigger problem is that Clarissa’s sales will plummet.”

Harriet’s tear-filled eyes slowly cleared and focused.

“You know that if the sales drop, it’ll cause major problems for the monastery, right? We need to find a solution as soon as possible. Of course, you can handle it on your own, but if you accept help from others, the process will be faster and more effective.”

Harriet hesitated for a moment, and Trisha spoke again, more firmly.

“Look at what’s truly important. Now is not the time to be ashamed to ask for help.”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

Harriet nodded reluctantly, then clenched her teeth.

“If I’m going to rely on others, I’ll make sure this grows into something big. I won’t let anyone trample me again.”