SMR 07

~Chapter 07~

“If you go out of your room and keep going to the right, you’ll see stairs on your left. Go down there, and it’s on the left. I’ll tell you what you’ll need to do tomorrow after breakfast. Please finish unpacking by the end of the day.”

Harriet nodded. She had a lot of questions out of anxiety, but she felt like if she asked more, she’d be looked down upon for no reason.

Emma didn’t add any further explanation and immediately walked away.

Harriet stood there dazed for a while and only sat down on the bed slowly when her hands started to feel numb from carrying her bags.

“It’s so hard…”

The bed was nothing more than a wooden plank with a thick blanket on top. It didn’t feel soft at all.

All the furniture in the room was crude and old, and the only window, small and covered with shutters, didn’t seem like it would let much sunlight in.

“Here… for a whole year…”

One year, 365 days, 8,760 hours.

“Sigh…!”

As she counted the time, the reality hit her hard, and a laugh escaped her, followed by tears.

Harriet quickly took out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes, worried that Emma might come back at any moment. But the moment her eyes were covered by the handkerchief, loneliness and despair rushed in as if they had been waiting.

“Mom… Dad…”

She missed their faces so much that they flickered in front of her eyes. The people she had tried so hard not to think about because she feared missing them even more.

She missed her parents terribly, the ones who had left her behind, only twelve years old, when they passed away so suddenly.

“Mom, what do I do? I’m so scared. Dad, please take me with you, too, I beg you!”

The sorrow she had held back for so long poured out, breaking the dam of her heart.

Ever since her parents died, Harriet’s life had gone off course, beyond her control. She had tried to protest, saying it was unfair, but the only response she got was an empty echo.

“Mom… sob, sob…”

She collapsed on the bed, crying when someone knocked on the door.

Harriet swallowed her breath and quieted her sobs.

“I’ll leave your clothes and food here.”

It was Emma.

She heard something being placed on the floor, and then Emma walked away.

Harriet, who had been pressing her handkerchief to her mouth for a long time, slowly got up and opened the door.

On the wooden tray set on the floor was a neatly folded brown nun’s robe, a bowl of thin vegetable soup, a piece of dry bread, some pickled olives, a small pot of honey, and a glass of water.

Harriet brought the tray into her room and sat at the small table. Outside the window, the weather was bright and clear, in contrast to her mood.

‘Crying won’t change anything, so why do the tears keep coming?’

The world always felt so cold at times like this.

She wanted to run away, but she was too afraid to choose death, and although she wanted to live a better life, she didn’t know what to do or where to start.

No matter what she did, people always misunderstood her in the worst way possible, and no one bothered to listen to her side of the story.

‘I don’t have much of an appetite, but I should eat something. If I leave this untouched, they’ll just accuse me of being picky again…’

Not wanting to be misunderstood, Harriet weakly tore a piece of the dry bread. Unlike the soft white bread she was used to, it split into two with no chewy texture at all.

‘It looks dry.’

This kind of bread usually had a sour, unpleasant taste. She spread a thick layer of honey on it to mask the flavor with sweetness.

‘Let’s just finish eating and get it over with.’

Harriet put the bread into her mouth, chewing mechanically just to fill her stomach. The sweet taste of the honey quickly disappeared, but there was no sour or strange taste as she expected. In fact, it was…

‘Surprisingly, it’s not bad?’

The crust, though crunchy, had no burnt taste and was pleasantly salty, while the inside, though rough, released a mild, nutty flavor the more she chewed. The bread was a bit dry, but when eaten with the soup, it was just right.

‘The soup is tastier than I expected. What’s it made of?’

As she stirred the soup with her spoon, she saw cabbage, a couple of types of beans, tomatoes, onions, carrots, and some squash.

There wasn’t a trace of meat, but she liked it much better than the heavy stews she had eaten at the mansion.

As Harriet continued to eat the bread and soup, she picked up a piece of pickled olive and popped it into her mouth.

“Mmm!”

It must have been made with fresh ingredients because the olive was tangy and salty, with a clear olive taste that was strong enough to make her let out a small sound of appreciation.

When she took another bite of the honey-covered bread, the sweet and salty flavors blended together perfectly.

“Wow, this is delicious!”

Harriet unknowingly became absorbed in her meal. She had never enjoyed food this much while living in the Listerwell household.

After using the last piece of bread to wipe the soup bowl clean, Harriet felt a little embarrassed seeing how spotless her tray was. Then she found herself laughing at her own behavior.

‘The same girl who was sobbing her heart out just moments ago is now devouring her food like this because it tastes good.’

Laughing like that, her mood began to lighten. It felt like a faint sense of hope was creeping into the future that had seemed so bleak.

She had just confirmed that one of the things she had imagined to be terrible had turned out to be surprisingly good. Maybe other things she was worried about would turn out to be better than expected, too.

‘Let’s look on the bright side. At least while I’m staying here, I won’t have to be Bella’s plaything.’

Suddenly, she remembered the time she had vowed to herself that she’d marry an old man if it meant she could escape her uncle’s house.

In that sense, this current situation wasn’t so bad after all.

‘As long as I don’t get tangled up with Bella, my life should improve. For at least a year, there won’t be any scandals with my name attached, and maybe, as Uncle said, a decent marriage proposal will come my way.’

She still felt anxious, not knowing what kind of “work” she would have to do here, but she reassured herself that they wouldn’t make a noblewoman do anything too extreme.

‘Plus, these people aren’t involved in high society, so as long as I work hard and behave, maybe they’ll be kind to me.’

Thinking this way, the overwhelming feeling she had began to fade, and life here didn’t seem so bad after all.

‘Yes, let’s stay positive!’

Harriet took a deep breath, got up, and opened her suitcase. She needed to finish unpacking and get familiar with the layout of the convent.

***

By the time June arrived, the sun had grown hotter and harsher. This didn’t bother those who could relax in the shade with a cool drink, casually chatting away.

“By the way! Have you heard the rumors?”

Someone sitting next to Cedric under the tent spoke to him as they watched a polo match.

Cedric wasn’t particularly interested, but he instinctively raised his eyebrows, pretending to be intrigued. That small gesture alone made the other person excited as he continued talking.

“It’ll be good news for you, Your Grace. Do you know that girl who was rude to you at the victory banquet? She’s been sent off to a convent. You know Saint Clarissa’s Convent, right?”

Cedric’s expression stiffened slightly at that remark.

But no one around him noticed the change and instead kept chatting away excitedly.

“Looks like Viscount Listerwell really made up his mind this time.”

“Well, that niece of his has caused him quite a lot of trouble.”

“That’s right. What was her name again? Bella?”

“Bella’s the Viscount’s daughter. The niece’s name is Harriet. They’re both famous but for different reasons. Haha!”

“Bella Listerwell is incredibly popular among the young men. She’ll probably make a good match.”

As the conversation turned to women, the once quiet tent became lively with chatter. Especially when Bella Listerwell, known as the “Golden Rose of Genoa,” was mentioned, the men’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“She really is beautiful. Those luscious lips of hers…”

“Is it just her lips? Her chest and hips are incredible, and her waist is so tiny.”

“She’s got such a sensual appearance, yet I hear she’s pure and innocent. Unlike her ugly cousin, who’s obsessed with men, she knows nothing about that kind of thing.”

“It’s always the pretty girls who are sweet and the ugly ones who turn out nasty. Oh, by the way! Tez, you know this well, don’t you? Didn’t Harriet Listerwell give you some trouble?”

The man they pointed to was Tez Roark, a handsome man with dark hair and striking blue eyes, infamous as a rogue in society.

He gave a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s not really a story I want to go into.”

At that, everyone burst out laughing and patted him on the shoulder.

“Well, it’s not every day that Tez Roark fails to tell the difference between two women!”

“How could you mistake Harriet Listerwell for Bella Listerwell, even if it was dark?”

“Did you even have time to check her face? You must’ve been too busy with other things.”

“Hahaha!”

Tez just smiled bitterly and stayed quiet, but the men continued to joke and gossip about Bella and Harriet, carelessly making judgments about the two women.