Chapter 1.3

Book I: Chapter I Part 3

Time went by slowly. It had almost been a year since Harrieta had come to Labant.

Meanwhile, she had turned sixteen and had made her debut as an adult. A debut was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that all aristocratic women valued. However Harrieta wasn’t very interested in it and was just plain bored throughout the ceremony. She couldn’t even remember the name of her partner who had escorted her.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason why she had attended the ball.

‘Maybe we might meet again today.’

Even though she knew it was impossible, she never gave up. But every night, she was discouraged. She repeated this infinite times, torturing herself with hope.

On their way back home, Lillian clicked her tongue as she watched her niece climb into the carriage, looking very depressed. Even she, a woman with great pride, couldn’t help but admit that her predictions were completely wrong.

Half a year had already passed. Nevertheless, Harrieta still clung to Edwin’s shadow.

Lillian couldn’t understand her niece. No matter how attractive he was, how could she be so crazy about him after just seeing him once? She tried to introduce her to many children of aristocratic families, but it was all useless. Without Edwin, Harrieta showed very little interest.

“Rose sent me a letter. She was wondering when you’ll be back.”

As per the original plan, Harrieta should have gone back to her hometown a long time ago. But after being smitten with Edwin, she refused to leave Labant. It was really surprising to see how determined she was even when she missed Philioche so much.

“I’ll stay here a little longer.”

Harrieta leaned against the back of the chair and answered helplessly.

~Rattle! Rattle! 

The carriage running on the stone road shook rhythmically.

“How much is your ‘little longer’? Do you mean until Sir Edwin leaves Labant for the capital?”

“…….”

“Sir Edwin is famous for not attending social gatherings. Haven’t you witnessed it already? You haven’t ever met him since that night.”

“That’s not true. I saw him not too long ago.”

Harrieta replied with a sullen look, which made Lillian snort.

“Are you talking about the day you hid and waited in front of Marquis Ritchie Cornell’s mansion?”

“It was a long shot, but……I did see him.”

Harrieta’s voice became smaller and smaller.

Having not seen a single shred of Edwin for such a long time, she trembled with impatience. When she heard that Edwin frequently visited Marquis Ritchie Cornell, she began to visit Marquis Ritchie Cornell’s mansion. Of course, she didn’t know anyone there and couldn’t enter the high metal grate doors. So she could only wander in front of the mansion.

She visited the Marquis’ house like that every day for about fifteen times.  By the time she began to feel deep skepticism about her actions, Harrieta was finally able to see Edwin. When she saw the carriage with the golden lion, the symbol of Redford, approaching, she jumped up and down with joy.

She was soaked in that joy only for a while. She quickly hid herself because she was worried that she might look suspicious for wandering around without any reason.

The grate doors, which seemed unlikely to ever open, opened and let the carriage inside. The carriage drove into the garden and stopped right in front of the magnificent mansion. The mansion looked so large and majestic that it could not be even compared to the Mackenzie house.

Maybe he was expecting Edwin’s visit, Marquis Ritchie Cornell had personally come out of the mansion and was waiting for him.

Soon the carriage door opened, and a tall man got out of it. Because she was far away from him, she couldn’t see his face properly. But she could tell who it was without even having to check.

The time it took for him to follow the Marquis into the mansion was really short, but Harrieta was content with that alone. It felt like welcoming rain on a dry land after a very long drought.

“Harrieta, I’m really worried about you. I’m truly scared of the feelings of loss and pain that you will have to endure when you finally realize that you and him cannot be together.”

Lillian said to Harrieta, who was lost in her memories. She was genuinely worried about Harrieta. Lillian had tried her best to advise her not to fall in love with him, but seeing that she refused to listen, she gave up a long time ago. She just wished her niece wouldn’t get seriously hurt.

‘I would have stopped myself if I could.’

Harrieta murmured in her mind. She didn’t know how reckless and ignorant she looked. But if she could have stopped it on her own will, she would have done it a long time before. Leaning weakly against the back of the chair, she closed her eyes. Another day had passed away wasted like this.

* * *

Most people liked to interfere and get involved in other people’s affairs. And even more so when the subject was an immensely famous person.

Perhaps that was why the news of the perfect successor of the Duke Redford and the beautiful daughter of the Marquis Ritchie Cornell spread rapidly throughout the kingdom. Only then people understood why Edwin had left the capital for so long.

The purpose behind his stay in Labant and his several visits to the Mansion of Marquis Ritchie Cornell became clear to everyone.

The combination of the two people was absolutely perfect. Although the Cornell family was not as affluent as the Redfords, they were still famous for being one of the most prestigious families in Brimdell. Furthermore, Vivian, the only daughter of Marquis Ritchie Cornell, was so beautiful that there were rumors that she had dozens of suitors waiting in line for her, even before her debut.

All the people of the kingdom had sincerely blessed the two and were delighted with their union.

Except for only one person.

Harrieta Mackenzie.

When she first heard the news, Harrieta felt like the world was falling apart. She felt as if her vision was darkening and the floor was falling apart. If this is a terrible nightmare, then I want to wake up. Please, I just want to wake up from this nightmare quickly. But sadly, it was a terrible reality.

The wounds of a broken heart were painful beyond words. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to properly confess her feelings. It was not enough to describe her state as just sad and empty.

“That’s why I warned you earlier. Now it’s all useless.”

“…….”

“Time will solve everything. Harrieta, no matter how sad and hard it is now, nothing lasts forever in this world. Soon, you will also forget this sadness and will eventually overcome it. You’ll be back to your old self. You will be fine, dear.”

Lillian pitied Harrieta. She tried to comfort her, but Harrieta just kept on crying.

She cried every day and night, refusing to eat any food. She even fainted several times because of exhaustion. Realising that the situation was getting worse than what she expected, Lillian reached out to the Mackenzie couple for help.

Viscount Mackenzie’s wife, Rose had come at once after being informed of this. Seeing the condition of her daughter, she was really frightened. No matter how long the time had passed, everything was just unrecognizable. It was hard to recognize her daughter, who had been now reduced to the shell of her previous self.

“Harrieta, oh my dear daughter! How did you end up like this? At this rate, your body really won’t be able to last for long.”

Rose was really sad seeing her precious daughter like this.

“Let’s go back to Philioche together. The air is clear and clean there. It will help you heal your tired mind and body.”

Rose seriously made a suggestion. She knew that her daughter was having a hard time because of her broken heart. She didn’t know exactly who it was who broke her dear daughter’s heart. She looked at Lillian for answers but Lillian intentionally kept silent, only scratching her head with a worried look.

“And we all miss you. The mansion is so lonely without you. Everyone misses our little troublemaker. Especially Hugo. That kid really misses you a lot.”

Harrieta, who was lying on the bed with a blanket laid over her, responded to the name of her younger brother, from whom she hadn’t heard for a long time. He was six years younger than her, only nine years old when she left Philioche.

Harrieta recalled Hugo, who chased her around saying “sister, sister” like a duckling on the water. The affection and longing for her hometown, which she had buried somewhere deep inside her, rose up again like a spring.

It was only because of Edwin that she had insisted on staying in Labant from the beginning anyway. But now since he was another woman’s man, and had left for the capital immediately after his engagement ceremony, she didn’t have any other reason to stay in Labant.

After thinking for a long time, Harrieta finally climbed into the carriage headed for Philioche with Rose.