SMR 94

~Chapter 94~ 

The day after Cedric met with the Empress, Harriet received a letter from the palace.

It was an invitation—from the Empress herself.

Harriet could hardly believe it. She stared at the envelope in her hands, her heart pounding. The royal seal on the letter shone brightly, and even the butler who delivered it, Andre, looked serious and a little nervous.

That alone told Harriet how important this was.

Without wasting a second, Harriet ran to find her grandmother, Trisha.

“Grandmother! I—I’m invited to have tea with the Empress!”

Trisha, caught off guard by the sudden news, frowned and held out her hand.

“Let me see that invitation. You must be mistaken. Meeting with the Emperor or Empress isn’t something that happens so easily—”

She trailed off mid-sentence, not wanting Harriet to be disappointed. But the moment she read the words clearly written—“Next Wednesday, you are invited to visit the Empress’s Palace”—her mouth fell open in disbelief.

“You… did you cause some sort of scandal?”

Harriet quickly shook her head. “N-No! I didn’t do anything bad! I swear!”

“Then why would the Empress invite you?” Trisha muttered, still reading the letter again as if she couldn’t believe it. “This makes no sense…”

“I really don’t know! What should I do? I don’t know anything about royal etiquette!”

“Don’t worry about that. The etiquette at the palace isn’t so different from what you’ve already learned. What’s more important is understanding why you were invited in the first place.”

Trisha read the invitation again carefully, her eyes narrowing as she considered all the possibilities.

“To meet someone from the royal family, especially the Empress, a lower noble must have either contributed greatly to the empire or been highly recommended by someone close to the court. You haven’t done anything major yet, so someone must have spoken on your behalf.”

“But who would do that?”

Just then, Andre knocked at the door again—this time with more urgency.

“My lady, a messenger has arrived from House Kailas.”

Both women immediately understood. There was only one person who might have spoken Harriet’s name to the Empress: Cedric Kailas.

Sure enough, the messenger brought a letter from Cedric. In it, he wrote that she should expect an invitation from the palace soon, and not to be alarmed. He also mentioned that he would personally come to escort her to the tea.

“What? He’s coming to escort me?”

Harriet was stunned by that part, but Trisha focused on something else.

“Why would he recommend you to the Empress?”

“Huh? I… I don’t really know?”

“This kind of introduction is no small thing. Even Cedric Kailas would have needed to speak humbly to the Empress. So why would he go that far for you?”

Trisha’s eyes suddenly widened as if she realized something important.

“Was he the one you were with that night?”

She didn’t need to say which night. Harriet knew exactly what she meant.

Harriet should’ve played dumb, but she had been caught off guard and didn’t respond quickly enough. That silence was enough of an answer for Trisha.

Trisha sighed and scolded her gently.

“What kind of trouble would make a man like him to hide behind your shawl? He must’ve known the kind of rumors that would follow you. And yet, he used you as a shield?”

“No, Grandmother! It wasn’t like that. It was… it was a situation he couldn’t control.”

“Oh? And what sort of emergency would force a Duke to act like that?” Trisha crossed her arms, clearly not convinced.

She looked displeased, even angry. Trisha didn’t like that Harriet—who already had a fragile reputation—was once again being talked about as a scandalous girl. All because of Cedric.

Harriet felt grateful for her grandmother’s protectiveness, but at the same time, she didn’t want her to dislike Cedric.

“He’s a victim too,” she said quietly. “I can’t tell you everything, because it’s not my place… but his family situation seems complicated. As messy as mine.”

“Family problems?” Trisha repeated, now curious.

Harriet had tried to be vague, but that was a very specific clue. Trisha, who had spent decades navigating noble families and gossip, connected the puzzle pieces almost instantly.

The Kailas family was new. Cedric didn’t have many relatives. His mother was from the royal family, and his father’s side was only connected to the Kingsley family.

‘Benedict Kingsley,’ Trisha thought. Now that makes sense. That man’s been seen with my brother’s political enemies.

She finally understood—and her anger faded.

“I misjudged you,” she said. “Don’t speak of that night to anyone else. There’s nothing good that can come from telling people.”

“O-Okay.”

Trisha looked thoughtful. “It seems the Kingsleys tried to harm Cedric… but they failed because of you. If Lord Kingsley finds out your part in it, you’ll be in danger.”

Harriet stared at her in shock. She hadn’t said anything, yet her grandmother had figured it all out.

Roxana had once warned her—never underestimate old noblewomen. And now Harriet understood what that meant.

Trisha gave a small, proud smile.

“You were right. You helped someone very powerful. And now, you’re receiving your reward.”

“Reward?”

“Yes. As I said, being invited to tea with the Empress is no small thing. Cedric Kailas is repaying his debt.”

Harriet didn’t understand what kind of benefit meeting with the Empress could bring her. But Trisha noticed that and smiled gently.

“If I explain everything, you’ll only get nervous. Just go and be yourself. Be honest, kind, and thoughtful. That’s all.”

Harriet hesitated. “Do you think… the Empress wants to scold me? I mean, I have a bad reputation…”

“No. If she wanted to lecture you, she wouldn’t invite you at all. The Empress doesn’t waste her time.”

Trisha then began teaching her everything she needed to know. What to say, how to bow, how to act, what to wear. She even picked out the jewelry herself.

“After you return from the palace, things will change.”

Harriet still looked unsure, but Trisha said nothing more and let her go.

***

The morning of the tea party arrived.

Cedric was getting dressed with the help of his personal assistant. He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his coat, then examined the new silk tie he had chosen.

He looked good—almost too good.

‘Is this too flashy?’ he wondered.

He didn’t want to outshine Harriet. Worse, he didn’t want her to think he was some arrogant, flashy nobleman. He didn’t usually care about that sort of thing—but with Harriet, it mattered.

“I’ll wear the old one,” he said.

“Forgive me, sir,” the assistant said, “but this tie looks better with your outfit. If we use a simple tie, it won’t look too good.”

Cedric appreciated the advice, but he shook his head.

“No. I’ll use the old tie. I’m going to wear a brooch anyway. It won’t look too plain.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Cedric said no twice, there was no more discussion. He quickly fetched Cedric’s usual tie.

It was simpler, but that was fine. Cedric planned to wear his father’s ruby brooch, which was a bit more eye-catching. The balance would be perfect.

Once the room was quiet, Cedric went to his bedside drawer and opened the first compartment.

He had a drawer divided into forty neat sections, each holding a piece of jewelry. The ruby brooch was always kept in the very center.

So when he opened the drawer and saw an empty space—it immediately caught his attention.

‘It’s gone?’

Cedric froze.

He tried to remember the last time he wore it. It was ten days ago, during a meeting at the estate about the Alkinis land project.

‘I definitely had it when I changed clothes that day…’

He searched the drawer again, then the room—but it was nowhere to be found.

Just then, his butler knocked.

“Sir, it’s time to leave.”

There wasn’t enough time to search more. Cedric quietly closed the drawer and opened the door.

His face was calm, but cold. The butler sensed that something was wrong.

“Sir… has something gone missing?”

“Yes,” Cedric said simply. “My father’s brooch. A ruby. Only that. It’s disappeared.”

The butler’s eyes widened.

“Prepare a list of everyone who has entered this room in the last ten days.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Cedric’s voice was low but firm.

This was no ordinary missing object. It was personal. And someone had stolen it.

He intended to find out who.