~Chapter 15~
No matter how much she thought about it, such a thing couldn’t be true. James wasn’t that kind of person. In the past five years, he hadn’t once looked at any woman besides Daphne. He was always kind, polite, and never hesitated when it came to imagining a future together.
“I… I trust James. There must be some misunderstanding.”
Daphne’s response, which seemed more like she was avoiding reality, made Melody sigh with sympathy.
“I hope that’s the case too, but…” Melody bit her lip.
She hadn’t wanted to give too many details, but at this rate, Daphne was going to end up looking like a fool.
In the end, Melody closed her eyes and just said it.
“The two of them even kissed. What kind of misunderstanding could there be after that? I really don’t know.”
Daphne felt like she could hear the sound of a crack forming in the peaceful world she had lived in.
Bella smiled as she turned the diamond ring on her finger.
The princess-cut 5-carat diamond ring sparkled brilliantly, as if blessing her future.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful.”
James had surprised her with this ring, which cost 30,000 dirhams, as a token of his love. He even made a sweet promise to get her an even more beautiful ring when they got engaged.
‘Why is something stolen always sweeter than something freely given?’
Meeting with James in a private room at the Kingsley Viscount’s party had been a great decision, no matter how many times she thought about it. After some conversation, light touches, and ending with a fiery kiss, James had been completely captivated by her.
She wasn’t afraid of Daphne or any retaliation from the Laurel Earl’s family.
‘It’s the fault of the person who loses, for being stupid.’
According to James, Daphne was beautiful, but incredibly boring. All they ever did together was drink tea and talk or take walks in the garden or park. She was so prim and proper that even holding hands required a lot of cautious glances.
Bella clicked her tongue and sneered at Daphne.
“Daphne. If that’s how you were going to be, you should have married him quickly and tied him down. An engagement doesn’t hold any real weight.”
Even marriage couldn’t stop a man from being unfaithful, let alone an engagement.
Of course, the flame of passion burns bright, but only for a short time. There’s a limit to how long you can seduce someone with your body.
Knowing this well, Bella had been in a rush to get engaged to him.
‘Breaking off the engagement with Daphne will be easy, but it won’t be easy for him to throw me away after he chooses me over her.’
And of course, she wouldn’t let him even think about leaving her.
However, there was a small obstacle.
At that moment, the door clicked open, and John entered.
“Dad! Are you finished with your work?”
“I’m late, aren’t I? Sorry about that. That old man kept going on about useless things.”
He had just returned from a meeting with the Earl of Arens.
Though he was receiving favorable treatment in the Arens family’s business, the Earl was starting to get on his nerves by repeating the same things over and over.
That’s why the news that Bella had captivated the eldest son of the Cheslow family was such a relief.
“Of course, it’s Bella we’re talking about. It’s a shame it didn’t work out with Duke Kailas, but I wasn’t expecting much there anyway.”
From the start, his biggest hope had been for Bella to marry into a powerful earl’s family.
He had never even considered the Cheslow family, since they were connected to the Laurel family. But his clever daughter had a talent for turning the impossible into possible.
“So, what’s the urgent matter you wanted to discuss, Bella?”
“I think it’s about time we start preparing for the engagement.”
“Engagement? Are you sure about James’ feelings?”
“He said he’ll finish breaking off the engagement with the Laurel family by the end of this year.”
John’s face lit up with joy. There was so much to gain if they became in-laws with the Cheslow family.
However, Bella quickly calmed her father down.
“But before that, there’s something we need to take care of.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“His friends are worried that the idiot from the Listerwell family might start hitting on them, too.”
John frowned, remembering Harriet after so long.
“Ah, that girl.”
She hadn’t been on his mind because she wasn’t around, but Bella was right. It was time to cut ties with that now-useless connection.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
Bella flashed a charming smile.
Finally, it was time to throw Harriet into the depths.
“As soon as December hit, it got so cold.”
Breathing heavily from the cold wind, Harriet stepped into the soap workshop.
Sophia, who was tending the fire under the pot, looked her up and down and asked, “They say this winter will be even colder. Didn’t you bring a scarf or gloves?”
“I didn’t have time to pack things like that.”
“But you won’t survive the winter here like that. Why don’t you contact your family and ask them to send some?”
“I guess I’ll have to. It’s too cold.”
Harriet shivered as she held her hands close to the fire.
Since the monastery couldn’t afford to burn a lot of firewood, working in the workshop where the fire was lit felt like a stroke of luck.
‘They say the room I’m staying in is relatively warm, but how do other people endure the cold?’
Harriet shivered violently, letting out a groan of frustration at the freezing temperature. She didn’t want to ask her uncle for help, but at this rate, she felt like she’d freeze to death before spring came.
‘I’ll have to ask him to send me some thick socks and plenty of stockings. But it feels a bit awkward to write a letter just to ask for things. Is there some other excuse I can use?’
As if someone had read her thoughts, a letter bearing the Listerwell family seal arrived for Harriet. She was grateful to her uncle for the first time in a while.
‘He must’ve sent a letter to check in since it’s the end of the year. That’s good. I’ll write back and include the things I need.’
With a light heart, Harriet tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. She prepared herself to brush off any annoying comments about behaving herself and staying out of trouble.
But the letter contained something she never expected.
“Harriet, This may come as a surprise, but I must inform you that we are ending your guardianship. We originally intended to care for you only until you became an adult, but for various reasons, we delayed it until now. However, you’ll be turning twenty-two in the new year, so I believe you are more than capable of living independently. I noticed your jewelry box was empty, so I assume you’ve prepared enough funds to start your independent life…”
Harriet couldn’t believe her eyes.
“What? Ending the guardianship…?”
No matter how many times she reread it, the letter was clear. Her guardianship was being cut off. And on top of that, they weren’t giving her a single penny to support her independence!
“Ha…!”
Her mind went blank. This couldn’t be happening. Something had to be wrong. Didn’t they promise to provide a dowry and plenty of wedding gifts in exchange for her staying at the convent?
But the letter included a signed confirmation that her guardianship was officially terminated. It was proof that John had already severed the ties.
Harriet shot up from her seat and began pacing around the small room.
“This is impossible. How could they do this?”
As the shock, like being hit in the back of the head, faded, fear started to creep in.
“What am I supposed to do? How am I going to survive?”
Harriet, trembling, quickly opened her drawer and pulled out a small pouch she had hidden at the very back. Inside were the accessories she had brought with her when she came to the convent.
At the time, she had wondered if it was pointless to bring them, but now she was relieved she had. What would she have done without them?
The thought of her uncle rummaging through her jewelry box made her stomach turn. If she’d left the accessories behind, would he have sent her any money?
‘How much can I get if I sell these?’
The gold necklaces, bracelets, and earrings sparkled in Harriet’s hand. There were also a few diamonds and emeralds, but they weren’t very large, and the quality wasn’t particularly good, so they wouldn’t fetch a high price.
Thud.
Harriet sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the jewelry as if they were her lifeline, staring blankly into space. For a long time, she didn’t move.
No matter how much she thought about it, there was no solution.
Even if she managed to sell them for a high price—though she was sure she wouldn’t get more than 10,000 dirhams—what would she do after that?
She had nowhere to go.
She didn’t know any relatives well enough to rely on them, and there wasn’t even a friend she could ask to stay with temporarily. John surely knew that.
“This is the same as telling me to die!”
