Chapter 53

Thanks to the quick action of a servant, Marianne fortunately escaped death. However, several bones were fractured or broken, and her entire body had to be bandaged.

“If she had been trampled by the horse, she would have died instantly. She’s lucky it ended like this.”

The attending physician, who regularly examined Marianne, packed his medical bag. Harriet, looking at Marianne’s bloodless face with a complicated expression, asked carefully.

“When will she wake up?”

“I don’t know. It seems she suffered a head injury when she fell… It’s a relief she survived, but as for when she’ll wake up…”

The physician, adjusting his glasses, replied with difficulty. Harriet nodded, holding back a sigh.

“I see… We have no choice but to wait. Thank you.”

“Yes, then.”

The physician bowed and left the bedroom. Sitting in the chair by the bedside, Harriet quietly looked down at Marianne.

“You’re not pretending you can’t wake up, are you?”

“…”

“You’re not running away because you’re afraid of the criticism and punishment that will come your way, are you?”

She deliberately provoked coldly, but there was no response.

“What am I doing, talking to an unconscious person…”

Sighing in self-reproach, Harriet swept her face and was about to get up when someone knocked on the door.

Thinking it was the maid attending to Marianne, she allowed them to enter, but immediately regretted it upon seeing who it was.

“…Harriet.”

“Mikhail…”

Unable to pretend she hadn’t seen him, Harriet quietly called her former fiancé’s name. Mikhail, awkwardly rubbing his neck, spoke quietly.

“You were here.”

“I was just about to leave. Sit here.”

Harriet, who offered her seat without hesitation, brushed past him to leave the room, but Mikhail urgently grabbed her arm.

“I actually came to see you.”

“…Why?”

“It’s awkward to talk here. Let’s talk outside.”

“No, let’s talk here. There’s no one to eavesdrop anyway.”

Glancing at the unconscious Marianne, Harriet pulled his arm down and stepped back. Mikhail sighed softly and nodded.

“Alright. At least let’s talk on the couch over there.”

Feeling it would be impolite to refuse this as well, Harriet nodded and sat on the couch he indicated. As soon as she sat down, Mikhail, sitting opposite her, bowed his head and apologized.

“Though it’s late, I’m really sorry, Harriet.”

“…”

“I did something unforgivable to you.”

His voice was filled with regret. Harriet quietly watched her former fiancé, who had his head bowed, without moving.

She was curious. Just a few months ago, she thought she might faint from intense emotions if she saw him again, but when they finally met, it was the complete opposite.

Surprisingly, no emotions arose. No anger, betrayal, or contempt. Not even faint longing or affection. 

Whether Mikhail interpreted her silence as rejection, his expression gradually twisted.

“It shouldn’t have happened. To fall for Marianne’s temptation just before the wedding, no matter how careless I was, I have no excuse even if I die ten times…”

With his head bowed, clutching his head as if to tear his hair out, he painfully continued his confession.

“I’m sincere. If I could turn back time, I would…”

“Such hypotheticals are meaningless, Mikhail. It’s already in the past.”

Cutting off Mikhail’s words, Harriet took a deep breath and exhaled. Surprised by her calmer-than-expected reaction, Mikhail slowly raised his head, confirming her face, and widened his eyes.

Harriet calmly spoke to him.

“I’m fine now. Even though your apology came too late.”

“…Sorry.”

With nothing else to say, Mikhail lowered his gaze, repeatedly apologizing.

“I’ll consider your apology accepted.”

Indeed, Mikhail was a sinner who committed an unforgivable act, but at the same time, he was also a victim caught in Marianne’s scheme. With a calm heart, Harriet changed the subject.

“There’s something I’m curious about.”

“Huh?”

“About the day you and Marianne spent a night together…”

Mikhail’s face blurred as if he didn’t want to imagine it. Harriet continued without concern.

“Can I ask how it happened? I want to know what happened between you two. In detail.”

“Do I really have to?”

“Yes.”

Nodding, Harriet waited seriously for his response. Asking this wasn’t just about resolving past doubts. Even if she no longer felt the same way about Mikhail, the events from three years ago still left a significant scar on her. It would be painful to hear, but there was something she needed to confirm.

“Marianne said she had something urgent to tell me about you. So we met separately.”

“In a hotel room?”

“No. In the lounge of the hotel.”

“What did Marianne say about me?”

“She said you…”

“She said I was an illegitimate child, didn’t she?”

Mikhail nodded heavily. Harriet brushed aside her fallen bangs.

“I didn’t intend to keep it a secret from you. Still, I wanted to tell you myself.”

“…Yeah.”

Harriet lowered her eyes. At the time, she lacked confidence in herself. She feared how her closest friend and the man she liked, Mikhail, might see her differently. Still, she had planned to muster the courage to tell him. She believed that Mikhail might say it was okay. She believed it.

But she never imagined Marianne would preempt her.

In the ensuing silence, Mikhail, who had clasped his hands together as if searching for words, continued his story calmly.

“Honestly, I was a bit surprised. But then I said it was okay. I wanted to take you as my wife, not because of your lineage.”

“…”

Harriet nodded slightly at his gaze, which seemed to assert her innocence. Her belief back then wasn’t wrong.

“And then what happened?”

“Marianne seemed a bit flustered by my words, but then she smiled brightly and said it was a relief. I thought she was just relieved, worrying about you… back when I thought you two were close sisters.”

Harriet listened to him without saying anything. It wasn’t because she was unaware; Mikhail had every reason to be mistaken.

She wanted to show only her best side to Mikhail, so she deliberately acted friendly with Marianne in front of him. Marianne, for some reason, also behaved as she did during the days she followed her.

“I was about to get up and go see you, but Marianne offered me a congratulatory drink and poured me some alcohol. I couldn’t refuse and drank it… After that…”

Mikhail, who had stopped speaking, looked down at his hands. Harriet urged him with a firm face.

“Continue.”

“Harriet…”

Mikhail, looking up pleadingly, stared at her. Harriet, with a face that wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, pressed him.

“I’m the one who deserves to hear it, aren’t I?”

“…Yes.”

Unable to deny it, Mikhail nodded. Harriet, not missing the opportunity, continued the conversation.

“What happened after that?”

“Strangely, with each drink, my body grew hot, and my mind became hazy. Honestly, my memory is fuzzy after that… When I woke up the next morning, Marianne and I were lying n*ked in the same bed.”

Having finished his painful recollection, Mikhail waited for Harriet’s reaction like a criminal awaiting judgment. But no response came.

“…Harriet?”

He expected her to slap him or tell him it was okay now, but Harriet stood up and walked towards the door.

“Harriet.”

Mikhail hurriedly followed and grabbed her arm. Harriet shook off his arm as if swatting away a bothersome insect.

“Let go.”

“Forgive me.”

“Why should I?”

“Harriet…”

Harriet twisted her lips and whispered softly.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not because I have any lingering feelings for you.”

“…”

“It’s your freedom to ask for forgiveness, but it’s my freedom to decide whether to forgive.”

Mikhail closed his eyes tightly at her words, which were undeniably true. Harriet, who watched him without any emotion, turned around. And she opened the door.

“I just don’t want to see you anymore. That’s all.”

“Harriet…”

“Coco.”

Just as Mikhail reached out to her again, he was blocked by a cold gaze. Mikhail lowered his outstretched arm in the face of the icy stare.

“There you are, darling.”

Lennox smiled broadly and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, as if to show off.

“I’ve come to take you home.”

“…”

Seeing Lennox, Harriet felt the mental fatigue accumulated while staying by Marianne’s side slowly dissolve. Harriet nodded instead of answering and held the hand wrapped around her shoulder as if seeking comfort.

Ignoring Mikhail, who stood like a ghost, Lennox supported her and led her outside.