Chapter 62

Harriet, weakly denying it, slowly raised her head to look at him again. Golden hair and mysterious gray eyes. A sharply defined nose and moderately full lips. He was a man so beautiful that anyone would be captivated.

Appearance, ability, family. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a flaw in him. Many desired the man before her. Not just Angela Donovan.

“Would you be going through this situation if you had married another woman?”

“Coco.”

“A huge stain has appeared on your otherwise flawless life. Because of me. Because of my birth.”

“As I said before, I already had a vague idea. Yet I still wanted to marry you.”

“Then what about now, when it’s revealed to the whole world?”

Harriet tightly shut her eyes. She had pretended not to care in front of Yvonne, but she couldn’t completely ignore the gazes directed at her. Curiosity, pity, and hidden contempt, disdain. The looks that drew a line, saying she was different from them.

In the closed aristocratic society, the fact of being an illegitimate child was a fatal weakness.

“Because of me, many gatherings must have been canceled. Most of the invitations piled up will become useless.”

“It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t planning to go.”

Lennox, who spoke firmly, reached out and cupped Harriet’s cheek. Then he fixed her gaze on him, preventing her from looking away.

“Coco. It took 15 years. To have you completely.”

“…”

“I wanted you desperately, more than anything. And I barely managed to keep you by my side. You’re the most important to me. Nothing is more important or precious than you.”

It was a calm yet fervent confession. Watching her trembling golden eyes intently, Lennox embraced her.

“I love you, Coco.”

The moment the confession seeped into her ears, Harriet widened her eyes and held her breath.

The world seemed to stop. The crackling of the stove’s firewood was no longer audible, and the storm outside had ceased. As Lennox gently released the embrace and faced the frozen Harriet, he spoke softly.

“I love you. I can say it over and over. Until you’re tired of hearing it.”

“Why…?”

Blinking, Harriet quietly watched him, forgetting even the tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I’m not such an exceptional woman.”

“What do you mean you’re not exceptional? You don’t even think that yourself.”

Lennox chuckled and reached out to wipe her tears.

“You’re beautiful, wise, and warm-hearted. You seem strong on the outside, but you’re more tender than anyone inside. And you’re generous enough to willingly embrace others.”

“I’m not that kind of person…”

Harriet, sobbing, leaned her face against his chest.

“I pretended to be strong. Otherwise, everyone would see the reality inside my shell.”

“…”

“As the eldest daughter of the Vanetti family, as the representative successfully leading a department store, all of these… are just a facade. The real me is just a pathetic woman who was abandoned by her birth mother and even had her fiancé taken by her younger sister.”

“Coco,”

Lennox, embracing her tightly, stroked her shoulder.

“Do you really think your mother abandoned you?”

“Then? If she didn’t abandon me, what did she do?”

Harriet struggled to break free from the embrace. As if it were impossible, Lennox held her tighter, imprisoning her in his broad chest.

“There’s a story you don’t know.”

“A story I don’t know?”

“Rosemary could have stayed by your side. But she sent you to the Vanetti family for your future.”

“What…?”

“Rosemary didn’t receive any financial compensation from your father. She simply wrapped you, a newborn, in a blanket and left you in a basket. In front of the Vanetti family’s gate.”

It was a story she had never heard before. In fact, she hadn’t tried to find out in detail. Surprised, Harriet stopped crying and listened to Lennox’s words.

“If she had given birth to you to extort money, why would she be buried so humbly in such a communal cemetery? Franz said when he found her, it was just before she passed.”

“…”

“He offered to move her to a hospital so she could pass peacefully. But Rosemary refused and chose the cemetery herself. She didn’t want to be a burden to you until the end.”

“…”

“You weren’t abandoned; you were protected.”

“Hic…”

Tears flowed like a flood, wetting her cheeks again, and a sob escaped between her clenched lips. Lennox, embracing Harriet’s trembling shoulders, kissed her soothingly several times. Until the flowing tears stopped and the rain ceased.

* * *

After crying for a long time, Harriet must have fallen asleep without realizing it, because when she opened her eyes again, the surroundings were bright, unlike before when it was dark.

“You’re awake?”

“Lennox…”

His familiar back came into view. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Harriet looked around.

“The rain has stopped?”

“Not long ago.”

Lennox smiled and approached, extending his hand. With his help, Harriet staggered to her feet and stepped outside. At the same time, she exclaimed in admiration.

“My goodness…!”

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

A rainbow stretched across the brilliantly clear sky. Standing behind her, Lennox wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

“After a heavy rain, a rainbow always appears.”

Instead of answering, Harriet nodded and covered the hands embracing her. She felt something that had been long knotted in her chest melt away. Her body felt light and more refreshed than ever.

“I guess we should head back now.”

Just then, the coachman was leading the horses out of the stable. Harriet, feeling a twinge of reluctance, turned to look back at the cabin, when a playful question caught her off guard.

“Are you ready to fight back?”

“Ready to fight back?”

Harriet, puzzled, soon lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Of course.”

She couldn’t live just taking it quietly. Neither could he.

* * *

Not long after the two returned, newspapers began to publish entirely different articles instead of corrections.

<Harriet Speaks Out About Her Birth!>

<The Secret of the Duchess’s Birth Was First Revealed by None Other Than Marianne and Earl Eiden?>

<From Unfortunate Birth to Successful Entrepreneur and Duchess! About Harriet Coco Diorne!>

People, who naturally thought Harriet would deny being an illegitimate child, were caught off guard by her confident revelation and soon began to cheer.

The timing was impeccable when the scandals about Earl Eiden and his senior officials broke out.

“My goodness… How painful it must have been for you all this time.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Mason. I’m actually relieved now that it’s out in the open.”

Harriet kindly replied to the lady who kept wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

“Thanks to ladies like you comforting and supporting me… I’m not alone.”

“Of course. We will always be on the Duchess’s side. Earl Eiden’s attempt to spread your secret to secure his nephew’s position was truly… disgraceful.”

One by one, others nodded in agreement with Mrs. Mason’s words.

“Indeed. There should be a line to maintain even among family members. The bribes Earl Eiden and the senior officials received were enormous, weren’t they?”

“Moreover, the items the Duchess donated to our ladies’ society were truly thoughtful and warm. Come to think of it, you even held a charity party for the orphanage children on your birthday.”

“It was nothing. It was something I should have paid attention to and listened to all along, but I was too late.”

“Such kindness and warmth!”

Just as the ladies were about to shower her with more praise, Yvonne, who had been observing from a few steps away, approached Harriet and whispered.

“Director, should we wrap things up here? You have another appointment.”

Nodding, Harriet excused herself from the ladies and stood up.

“It seems I have to leave due to an urgent matter.”

“We understand you’re busy. Thank you for making time for us.”

“Not at all. Well then.”

Harriet smiled and turned away from the ladies.