Chapter 21

Just as Harriet, having made up her mind, slammed the desk and stood up, there was a commotion outside, followed by rapid footsteps approaching. The uninvited guest was none other than ‘another sibling opposing this engagement’ whom she had momentarily forgotten.

“Sister! We need to talk.”

“…Marianne.”

Marianne, having shaken off the secretaries trying to stop her, stormed into the office. Harriet, who was about to grab her coat and leave, crossed her arms and faced her unrelated younger sister.

“You have a knack for barging in unannounced and uninvited.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll say what I need to and leave immediately.”

Gone was the Marianne Vanetti who had tearfully apologized last night, claiming she had committed an unforgivable sin. The real Marianne had stripped off her mask.

“Say what?”

Harriet also discarded the pretense she had shown in front of others.

“Go ahead.”

Waiting silently for her to speak, Harriet was met with an outrageous accusation.

“No matter how much you covet the inheritance Father will leave, isn’t it too much to fabricate an engagement out of greed?”

“What?”

“Looking at you, it seems you can’t hide your origins, Sister. Do you love money that much? Enough to deceive your parents?”

Rather than anger, Harriet felt a rush of incredulity. She blinked in disbelief.

“Hey! There are things you should say and things you shouldn’t.”

Yvonne, angered on Harriet’s behalf, stepped forward to confront Marianne, who had suddenly appeared and was spouting nonsense.

Harriet shook her head and raised her hand to stop Yvonne. Marianne continued with her insults.

“If it’s all fabrication anyway, why didn’t you just get engaged to that emerging artist Jeremy from the working class? It would have been easier to clean up afterward, and there would be no issues with a divorce later. Isn’t that more your level?”

“My level?”

The air in the room suddenly dropped. Harriet, who had been listening intently to what else Marianne had to say, repeated the words as if chewing them.

“You said my level?”

She was clearly referring to Harriet’s origins. It was a confidential matter that Franz Vanetti, the head of the Vanetti Earl family and their father, had strictly forbidden.

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“…”

“You’re just spouting off without thinking.”

Intimidated by the unusual aura, Marianne involuntarily shrank back. Harriet, arms crossed, calmed her excitement and asked with a blank expression.

“Alright, Marianne. Let’s say everything you said is true. What are you going to do about it?”

“What?”

“Let’s assume I’m marrying Young Master to please Father and get a larger inheritance later. What can you do about it?”

With a faint smile, Harriet stepped forward.

“What can you do now? It’s already been announced, and it can’t be taken back.”

“…”

“What? Are you going to interfere again this time?”

Though it was like stabbing her own wound, speaking it aloud in front of the person responsible surprisingly didn’t bother her. Whether it was because time had eroded her emotions or because of the recent whirlwind of events, she didn’t know, but it was a good thing.

Marianne, momentarily stunned by Harriet’s indifferent expression, hesitated before speaking again.

“What kind of deal did you make? How did you manage to lure that man?”

“So you barged in here because you were curious about that. But what can I do? I’m a bit busy right now and don’t have time to entertain your jealousy.”

Without waiting for a response, Harriet signaled to Yvonne.

“The way out is this way, Miss Marianne.”

Receiving the signal, Yvonne opened the door as if to escort her out. At the cold dismissal, Marianne clenched and unclenched her fists. Realizing something, she let out a hollow laugh.

“Jealousy, huh. So that’s what it was?”

“What?”

“You were so envious of me marrying Mikhail that you wanted to show off a more impressive husband?”

At Marianne’s words, Harriet closed her eyes.

Of course, she didn’t like what Marianne was doing. It was true she was angry, and there was still lingering resentment from the incident three years ago. It was also true that the provocation led to this mess. But it wasn’t as if she intentionally orchestrated this because of that one reason alone.

The more they talked, the more absurd it became. The anger that had reached the top of her head dissipated, leaving only incredulity.

“Think whatever you want.”

“What?”

“You seem to think the world revolves around you, so what can I say? There’s no cure for that kind of delusion. Yvonne.”

At Harriet’s firm call, Yvonne nodded and approached Marianne.

“Please leave. It’s troublesome when you visit without prior notice…”

“Get your hands off me! How dare a secretary touch me!”

Marianne coldly shrugged off Yvonne’s hand from her shoulder and glared at Harriet.

“No matter how you dress it up or mix it with noble blood, you’ll never escape the gutter.”

“Leave.”

Instead of answering, Harriet, perched on her desk, pointed to the door with her index finger. Her attitude was as if she were dismissing a peddler, causing Marianne’s eyebrows to twitch. She opened her mouth to retort but was met with Harriet’s icy gaze, which was cold enough to send shivers down her spine.

In the end, Marianne, fuming and unable to get her point across, left the office in a huff.

Bang!

As soon as the door slammed shut, Yvonne let out a heavy sigh.

“It feels like a hurricane just swept through.”

“Thanks to that, I’m wide awake.”

In the gutter. Instead, it fueled her determination. She would climb even higher. Even if the secret of her birth was revealed to the world, she would ensure no one dared to touch her.

To do that, meeting Lennox Diorne was the priority. They needed to discuss future plans.

As soon as she finished her thoughts, Harriet moved immediately. Yvonne followed closely behind.

* * *

“You don’t have much time left.”

At that moment, the attending physician diagnosed with a somber expression.

“You will become increasingly weak, and eventually, even sitting up will be difficult. If the symptoms worsen to affect your respiratory muscles, breathing will become labored. When that happens…”

A cautious gaze turned to the patient lying in bed. The Duke of Diorne, whose hair had turned white at seventy, shifted his body.

“There is a high possibility of death due to acute respiratory failure.”

Though expected, it was devastating news. Lennox, who had been silent with his hands clasped, spoke carefully.

“Is there currently no treatment?”

“Unfortunately, with the current level of medical science, the best we can do is slow the progression slightly through consistent rehabilitation and medication. However, given the Duke’s age… as I mentioned, he doesn’t have much time left, so I’m hesitant to recommend it.”

“I see.”

A bitter taste rose in his throat. Lennox scanned his father, who lay with his eyes closed. The Duke of Diorne, who had been robust and full of vitality for his age, was no more.

The first symptoms had appeared three months ago. The Duke had complained that his vision was deteriorating, seeing objects doubled. He frequently reported fatigue, feeling better one day and worse the next, and steadily lost weight. Muscles began to atrophy, rendering his entire body unable to function properly.

He had returned urgently from abroad, where he had planned to stay longer, because of this. His father had kept his illness a secret, even from his only son, until it was at its worst. By the time Lennox learned the truth and returned home, the disease had already progressed significantly.

There was a man behind how things had come to this. Lennox, after taking a deep breath, quietly requested the doctor.

“Please keep this matter confidential.”

“Of course. I have told no one and will continue to do so.”

“Thank you for your efforts.”

“Yes. I will take my leave then.”

The attending physician, who had risen from his seat, gathered his medical bag and stood up.

“It’s been a while, Doctor.”

A man entering through the door greeted him.

“Long time no see, Earl.”

The physician smiled and bowed his head.

“How is your frozen shoulder these days?”

“It’s much better, thanks to the exercises you recommended.”

“That’s a relief. Ha ha.”

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes, I’ll see you again.”

“Take care.”

The physician bowed excessively in response to the kind farewell.

It was only natural, as the man before him was the Duke’s only younger brother and a powerful figure who positioned himself as the second-in-command of the Diorne Duke’s family. Had the Duke not had a son in his fifties, he would have become the 13th Duke.

Though his momentum had waned after the birth of the Young Master, Earl Eiden held the most lucrative part of the Diorne family’s business, the trade industry.

“I hear your daughter is getting engaged.”

“Yes, I was planning to send an invitation. I hope you can attend.”

“It would be an honor.”

The physician’s eyes sparkled as he swallowed dryly. Earl Eiden’s daughter’s fiancé was none other than the eldest son of the central bank’s governor. Publicly, it was said that the heads of the two families were close, leading to the natural union of their children, but no one believed that story. Since last year, Earl Eiden had been openly ambitious, clearly strengthening his position within the Duke’s family.