SMR 55

~Chapter 55~

No one had liked it, but Bella often invited Harriet to her gatherings.

 That day, at one of Bella’s tea parties, Harriet took a bite of the food on her plate—then immediately gagged and spit it out.

“What the hell are you doing?” Caroline snapped.

 Harriet, panicking, tried to wipe her mouth with a napkin, unable to even respond properly.

 Of course, everyone frowned at the scene.

“The… the taste was weird,” Harriet mumbled.

 “What are you saying? We’re all eating the same thing, but yours is weird?”

 “It tasted… kind of rotten.”

 “What? Are you saying the rest of us are pigs eating rotten food?”

Only then did Bella ask what was going on.

 And even then, she wore that same sad, tearful expression—just like now.

 Back then, Viviana and the others had rushed to Bella’s side and joined in blaming Harriet.

Now, that memory hit Viviana like a slap in the face.

“I didn’t mean it like that! Please! Just listen to me!”

That was Harriet, begging them to believe her.

 And Viviana remembered vividly how she and her friends had painted her as a liar.

The guilt hit her hard—her breath caught in her throat.

Why didn’t I listen to Harriet back then?

Now that she thought about it, maybe Harriet had just been unlucky—maybe only her plate had spoiled food.

 Or… maybe someone had put it there on purpose.

“Viviana, are you really not going to apologize to Bella?” someone asked again.

But should she apologize?

No—Viviana was sure of it now.

 She shook her head firmly.

“It’s not me who should apologize. It’s Caroline. And Bella… why did you look away earlier when I tried to explain?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Bella blinked in surprise.

“You and I definitely made eye contact.”

 “I was so distracted… I didn’t even realize. I’m sorry, Viviana.”

Her friends quickly jumped in to defend Bella.

“She didn’t call your name—are you sure you didn’t just think she saw you?”

 “Bella’s hosting this whole party. Of course she’s busy. Even if you’re her friend, she can’t pay attention to everyone.”

 “Viviana, seriously, what’s with you today? Just say sorry and let’s end this. Everyone’s watching.”

Viviana slowly stepped backward.

Her friends—girls she’d known for years—suddenly felt unfamiliar.

 And the image of herself, once laughing along with them, made her skin crawl.

She could already hear what they’d say once she left the room.

“What’s wrong with her?”

 “Totally lost it.”

 “Jealous, maybe?”

What should I do?

It would be easy to apologize and end it. But if she did… she knew she’d never forgive herself.

 Her pride, already stepped on today, wouldn’t recover from that.

Then she heard a voice beside her.

“Wait—did that girl just say something rude to Miss Bella?”

Viviana slowly turned her head.

 She knew that voice too well.

Adam.

Adam Hoffner. The guy she’d secretly liked for years.

He was the reason she’d tried so hard to become Bella’s friend.

 If she stayed close to Bella, she’d get to see Adam often.

‘No matter how hard I tried, to Adam I was just another nameless girl.’

She’d begged Harriet for extra soap to improve her skin—hoping to match the kind of beauty Adam liked.

 It was pathetic. Embarrassing.

Had it been four years? Five?

Ever since the first time she saw him, she’d quietly kept her feelings to herself, enduring so many moments of heartache.

But now… she knew she’d never forget how it felt to be humiliated in front of him because of Bella.

It’s really time to let this go.

Her first love was ending—leaving behind only a deep scar.

 But ironically, that realization gave her peace.

There’s nothing left to lose.

She looked up at the ceiling, holding back tears.

 Then lifted her head and looked Bella straight in the eye.

“If it weren’t for Caroline, none of this would’ve gotten so out of hand. I really don’t think I have anything to apologize for.”

“I understand, Viviana,” Bella said softly. “Maybe I did something wrong. I’m really sorry.”

Bella’s gentle, wounded response made the other girls glare at Viviana even harder.

But Viviana had made up her mind.

“Bella, you didn’t do anything wrong. But I don’t think I can be your friend anymore.”

“Viviana!”

“I’ll head back first. Goodbye, everyone.”

Viviana gave a polite curtsy and turned away without hesitation.

 She was scared to walk away—but pretending everything was fine and staying among them felt impossible.

***

Being recognized in the aristocratic shopping district came with a price: constant attention.

 Every time Harriet went out, she had to deal with people whispering and pointing at her.

That wouldn’t have been so bad—if only some people didn’t act like they knew her or make unnecessary comments.

 Others even mocked her in subtle ways.

“They said that poster was really popular…”

Harriet gave Cedric a sharp look when he brought it up.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I did. I said the product sold well thanks to the poster.”

“That’s not what you really meant though, is it?”

“Why would you think that?”

Because of that faint smirk on his lips, obviously.

Harriet sighed and turned back to the sales ledger for St. Clarissa Soap & Herb.

 She was at the duke’s estate today because Cedric had asked to check the store’s records.
He’d brought up the poster because the sales had done even better than expected.

‘They sold well. I didn’t even expect this much.’

On opening day, they’d planned to pretend they sold out before 6 p.m.

 The goal was to create urgency and boost the product’s reputation.

But the soaps really had sold out before 3 p.m.

 Just now, they’d had to rush to bring out extra stock from the warehouse to restock the shelves.

“For two weeks, people were lining up early in the morning. The lines have died down now, but I think we’ve made a strong impression.”

“How’s the expansion of the monastery’s workshop coming along?”

“It’s hectic. If we hadn’t followed your advice to expand, we’d be overwhelmed right now.”

Thanks to Cedric’s donation, they were expanding both the soap and herb workshops.

 Construction wasn’t finished yet, but in the meantime, they were making soaps in unused monastery spaces.

Before, they made about 100 bars per week.

 Now, they were making 100 bars every three days.

 Once the new facilities were ready, they could produce over 100 bars per day, possibly up to 300.

“Herb products are harder to produce—they’re not something you just throw in a pot. But with the expanded workshop, we’ll be able to triple or even quadruple output.”

“At that point, we won’t run out of space—we’ll run out of people.”

“That’s why we’re bringing in girls from the orphanage. The older ones will work in the herb workshop—and they’ll be properly paid.”

They could save up, move out, and live on their own someday. Or they could keep working at the workshop long-term.

This was the future Harriet and Kathrine envisioned:

 A workshop that gave the monastery girls a chance to live independently.

“At this rate, I think we’ll be able to open a second shop next year.”

“That’s if nothing goes wrong.”

“Are you saying I might be the one who causes problems?”

“Sharp as ever. You read between the lines well.”

“You didn’t hide it very deeply…”

Harriet gave a wry smile. Cedric smiled too—but it was clear he meant what he said.

‘My past scandals were never cleared up.’

If someone wanted to stir up trouble, they easily could.

 Right now, Harriet was only known as the face of St. Clarissa Soap & Herb.

But if people found out she was the true owner behind the business…

‘They’d probably insult the products and the monastery too.’

That’s why she hadn’t revealed her involvement publicly.

Not that she didn’t have a plan in place.

“Don’t worry. Once the business is stable, I’ll hand it over to St. Clarissa Monastery.”

“The Vatican won’t be happy if a monastery runs a commercial business.”

“The monastery will just play a supporting role. I’ve already chosen someone else to take over the business.”

“Someone connected to the monastery?”