SMR | Chapter 115

~Chapter 115~

Harriet’s head was spinning. What if Tez presses me about my relationship with Cedric? What on earth would I say?

But luckily—or maybe unluckily—Tez just shrugged, breaking the awkward tension.

“Forgive me. I should have looked after you better.”

It was true, but Harriet couldn’t very well answer rudely. At the same time, she didn’t want to just giggle like some clueless fool.

“I understand—it must have been nice seeing your acquaintances again. But…”

Her voice trailed off, and Tez lifted his brows.

“…what exactly did you all talk about? About me, I mean.”

“Hm?”

“The way they looked at me wasn’t exactly… respectful. And Duke Kailas even mentioned you’d spoken of me before at the polo match.”

For a brief moment, Tez’s jaw tightened.

But instead of showing irritation, he softened his expression, giving a smile that carried an air of apology.

“At that time, it was your sudden departure to the convent that people were talking about. To be honest, it was a hot topic everywhere. But I swear, I didn’t say a word about you.”

“…Is that so.”

“And as for how my friends behaved just now—please let me apologize on their behalf. They probably couldn’t help themselves. It’s rare to see someone as beautiful as you up close.”

It wasn’t the most convincing explanation, but Harriet figured at least they’d think twice before criticizing her again.

“All right. I’ll believe you.”

At her short reply, Tez carefully guided her under the shade of a tent, as if wanting the cool drinks and sweet cookies there to lighten her mood.

By the time Harriet had neatly finished a cookie, Tez leaned in, voice lower and sly, as though returning the earlier interrogation.

“But now, I have a question for you. Many people claim to know, but few seem certain…”

Harriet tilted her head, sipping champagne to show he could continue.

“…why exactly did Her Majesty the Empress invite you? I also heard Duke Kailas was with you.”

The unexpected question almost made Harriet choke.

She coughed lightly, stalling as she dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief before shaking her head.

“It wasn’t anything important.”

“You may be the only person in the Empire who could call a private audience with the Empress ‘nothing important.’”

As expected, her excuse didn’t work.

Harriet sighed as if she had no choice but to confess.

“To be honest, I just went in my grandaunt’s place.”

“Is Countess Pellon unwell?”

“Not exactly. She wanted to give me the chance to meet Her Majesty. Honestly, if not for her, when else would I ever see the Empress?”

Tez’s eyebrows rose slightly—he seemed convinced.

“So the one Duke Kailas was escorting that day wasn’t you, but Countess Pellon.”

“Exactly.”

“And that’s why you left separately.”

His casual remark made Harriet’s skin prickle.

He even knows I left separately? Why does this man know so much about me?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized—he seemed to know far more about her than she knew about him. And that was the real reason she couldn’t lower her guard.

Fiddling with her glass, Harriet decided to turn the tables.

“By the way, Sir Roark, who are you seeing these days?”

“Me? I see plenty of people. You don’t earn a reputation as society’s rake without keeping up your friendships.”

“I wasn’t talking about friends.”

“Oh?”

His brows lifted, a playful spark in his eyes.

“You mean women, don’t you? Why do you ask—are you curious? Or… jealous?”

“I’m just concerned your lover might misunderstand. You do have one, don’t you?”

“Don’t worry. It’s no secret I’ve always had plenty of lovers.”

“…I see. Though I must say, for someone who claims to want to be my friend, you don’t share much about yourself.”

Harriet sipped her drink with an indifferent air, ignoring the way Tez’s gaze lingered on her profile.

Her silence worked. After a moment, Tez admitted sheepishly:

“…Yes. There is someone. I wasn’t hiding it, really. I just assumed everyone already knew I never lack for a companion.”

“Then perhaps I’m asking a bit late, but—does she know you came here today with me as your partner?”

“There was no need to tell her. She doesn’t mind when I see other people. That’s one of the things that makes us… compatible.”

“That almost sounds as if she has other men of her own. Perhaps she’s married? Or already engaged?”

The sharpness in Harriet’s question made Tez pause for just a heartbeat.

Years of watching her uncle’s household politics had sharpened Harriet’s instincts. She caught things quickly—and this pause spoke volumes.

Feigning nonchalance, she smiled lightly.

“In that case, I don’t need to feel guilty about being your partner today. That’s a relief.”

“Ha, ha ha! Do you think I’d ever put you in an awkward position? Of course not—rest assured.”

Tez laughed boldly, but Harriet had already seen it: that tiny crack in his composure. For once, he’d been caught off balance.

Even if she’d learned only a little more about him, it wasn’t enough to lower her guard.

* * *

The Alberman Bank picnic ended before sunset. It wasn’t a rowdy, drunken affair—no one expected it to be. But everyone who attended always left satisfied.

Cedric, who had been attending for several years now, also found himself in good spirits as he returned home. Naturally, it was thanks to a certain “little squirrel” who never failed to surprise him.

Though that man at her side is really irritating…

Tez Roark.

Cedric had already been keeping an eye on him ever since Harriet showed up with him at the Anghelic party.

Rumor painted him as the Roark family’s troublesome second son—too fond of drinking, gambling, women, and parties, to his father’s endless frustration.

But Cedric had dug deeper, and what he found suggested otherwise.

The very fact that he attended today’s picnic instead of his father or elder brother says a lot.

On the surface, it looked like Tez was “filling in” for them. But Cedric, who had close ties with Earl Alberman, had overheard something more.

“I can’t share details, but that young man seems to be the real pillar of the Roark family. Very capable.”

Not yet a giant, but with the potential to become one.

Of course, Cedric wasn’t concerned with Tez’s potential.

‘What bothers me is—why is someone so sharp being kind to Harriet without asking for anything in return?’

In Cedric’s world, there was no such thing as kindness without strings attached. Even his own kindness to Harriet had its price.

If his intentions are the same as mine, that’s annoying enough. But if he has some other motive… that’s worse.

What Harriet herself thought of Tez was another thorn in his mind.

If her old wounds still ached, she wouldn’t be spending time with him. Yet she had chosen to go out with him twice already.

And yet, there was no sign she had truly “fallen” for him either—outside of those specific occasions, she avoided him.

Cedric loosened his collar, sank into a single armchair, and stared out the window.

Harriet Listerwell… there’s something about you that stirs my competitive spirit.

He doubted she even realized it. But that made her all the more dangerous.

Without even trying, she fascinated people. As if she had a natural gift for drawing others in.

Does that run in the Listerwell family?

He snorted at his own thought. As if I’d compare her to someone like Bella. Ridiculous.

Leaning back, he recalled Harriet at the picnic—her light sky-blue dress, the wide-brimmed hat with matching ribbons, her pale ivory skin glowing under the sun.

She had been dazzling.

But why… why did she turn away from me like that?