Chapter 80

The sound of knocking woke Harriet. Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed and opened the door. A plump woman with a warm smile stood there, holding a basket.  

“Good morning, dear. Try this.”  

“Good morning… Rose. What is this?”  

Harriet, still half-asleep, accepted the basket and sniffed the fragrant aroma curiously. Rose removed the handkerchief covering the basket.  

“I baked some bread at home. It’s my specialty. Not that it’s as good as what they sell in stores, so don’t expect too much.”  

“Oh… How did you know I love bread? Thank you so much.”  

Smiling softly, Harriet cradled the basket in her arms. Rose, pleased with her reaction, peeked over Harriet’s shoulder into the house.  

“Your husband hasn’t returned yet, has he?”  

“No, his business trip got extended.”  

The house, still in disarray from the recent move, made Harriet feel a bit self-conscious. She tried to hide her discomfort as she explained,  

“It’s been hard to unpack properly in my condition.”  

“I can imagine… Oh dear, it must be tough for you, especially while pregnant.”  

“I’m managing fine. Thank you for your concern. Would you like to come in for a drink?”  

“No, I have errands to run. Just return the basket when you’re done.”  

“Alright. Thank you, Rose.”

Even as she answered, Harriet couldn’t help but yawn, sleep creeping up on her. Embarrassed by what seemed impolite, she blushed. Rose, however, smiled kindly.  

“Well, when you’re pregnant, you tend to be sleepy. Sorry for waking you up. Go back inside and rest. The bread I baked will still taste good even when it cools down.”  

“Thank you for being so considerate.”  

“It’s only natural for a landlord to look after her tenant. Well, I’ll be going now.”  

“Yes, see you later.”  

Smiling, Harriet carefully closed the door. Then, she pressed her ear against it. Only after hearing Rose’s footsteps grow distant did she feel relieved enough to walk back to her bed.  

Placing the basket of bread on the bedside table, Harriet sat on the bed and slowly surveyed the room.  

To her, who had grown up in a massive mansion and later lived in a townhouse after becoming independent, calling this place “home” felt almost laughable.  

It was a small, rectangular room with no separate spaces. On one side, there was a bed and a bedside table. On the opposite side, there was a small stove that doubled as a heater and a simple cooking area. A tiny dining table with four chairs completed the furnishings.  

But even finding this kind of place hadn’t been easy. The issue wasn’t money but the fact that she was living in hiding.  

Whenever she ventured into town, wrapped up tightly to buy groceries, she would see posters with her face on shop windows or headlines in newspapers at the stands, reading: “Duchess Harriet Coco Diorne Still Missing…”  

Finding a better place was difficult because landlords who were more in touch with the capital’s news could easily recognize her. That’s why she had chosen this room, rented out by Rose, an older landlord with a kind and gentle demeanor who reminded her of Ellen.  

At first, it had felt fine. Rose, who said Harriet reminded her of her daughter married far away, had been kind to her.  

But the problem was Harriet’s lie about her husband being away on a business trip to avoid suspicion about a pregnant woman living alone. Rose kept asking about her husband’s whereabouts and even peeked into her home today.  

“It’s probably just nosiness and curiosity, but I don’t think I can stay here much longer…”  

Although it was comfortable not being recognized and living alone was surprisingly manageable, staying longer than planned risked exposing her identity.  

This was why Harriet had contacted Yvonne—to find another place to hide until she could file for divorce through her lawyer and hand the papers to Lennox. As her body grew heavier, having Yvonne’s help would be a great relief.  

“I’m sorry. You’re suffering even before being born. You’ve done nothing wrong.”  

As she stroked her belly while lost in thought, someone knocked on the door again. Thinking it might be Rose returning, Harriet quickly opened it and widened her eyes in surprise.  

“Yvonne!”  

Yvonne, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, smiled warmly.  

“Have you been well, Senior?”  

“Of course. Come in quickly. No one followed you, right?”  

“No one. I checked multiple times—there was no one tailing me.”  

Following Harriet inside, Yvonne took off her coat and hung it on the rack by the door. She glanced around the room and blinked in surprise.  

“Well… this place is… quite bare.”  

“It’s just a temporary place, so I didn’t bother bringing in furniture. The bed and table were already here.”  

“Oh…”  

“Sit down. It’s a bit chilly outside, isn’t it?”  

Harriet led Yvonne to a chair at the dining table and started boiling tea on the stove.  

Yvonne silently watched Harriet’s back. The woman who had always been flawless and composed now appeared disheveled, her face bare and slightly swollen from sleep, wearing a worn-out dressing gown. Seeing her like this stirred an inexplicable sadness in Yvonne.  

“Are you… really okay, Senior?”  

“What do you mean?”  

“Living alone in a place like this…”  

“That’s not a nice thing to say about the landlord. Being between buildings, it’s not as cold as you’d think, and the landlord has been kind to me.”  

Harriet chuckled softly and brought the teapot to the table. She quickly retrieved two clean teacups from the cupboard, poured the tea, and handed a cup to Yvonne.  

“How’s the department store? You don’t look too well.”  

Shadows that hadn’t been there before now stretched from under Yvonne’s eyes down to her cheeks.  

“The department store? Don’t even get me started.”  

Yvonne waved her hand dismissively and let out a deep sigh.  

“I’ve come to realize just how amazing you are, Senior. How did you manage that kind of schedule every single day? Not to mention your duties as a Duchess.”  

“Right after I got married, I reduced my workload a bit. It was manageable then.”  

“This is what you call reduced?”  

Yvonne gaped in disbelief.  

“If my workload gets any heavier than this, I’m quitting. I’ll run away.”  

“There’s no rush. Take your time. If there’s anything you find too difficult to handle on your own, bring it to me.”  

Although it was better for Yvonne not to visit this place often, there would be no choice in truly unavoidable situations.  

“I feel sorry for dragging you into my personal problems.”  

“Don’t say that. Since when have we drawn such lines between us?”  

“Yvonne…”  

“I’ll handle the work for now. You’ve got enough to think about with the divorce.”  

“Thank you. Really…”  

Harriet trailed off, reaching across the table to hold Yvonne’s hand tightly. Yvonne, slightly embarrassed, cleared her throat and joked,  

“People say pregnancy changes you, and it’s true. You’ve gotten so much softer, Senior. I’ve never seen you make that kind of face before.”  

“Have I?”  

Harriet smiled faintly and withdrew her hand. Taking a sip of tea, warmth spread through her body, melting away the chill in the air.  

“What’s the current situation? With my family… and him?”  

“For now, the Vanetti Estate is still actively looking for you. They’ve deployed not just the security forces but also hired people to search thoroughly. They’ve even visited me multiple times. I’ve given them the same answer every time.”  

“Sigh…”  

Harriet let out a long sigh, biting her lip in guilt. Thinking about her elderly parents made her feel like the worst daughter. But there was no other way.  

If she explained what Lennox had been doing for the past three years, they might scold him at first. But as soon as she mentioned divorce, her entire family would vehemently oppose it.  

From her parents’ perspective, as long as her spouse wasn’t gambling, cheating, or drowning in alcohol, divorce was unthinkable.  

Even Olivia, whose husband Theodore openly had an affair and fathered an illegitimate child, hadn’t considered divorce.  

No matter how much the world changed and societal perceptions shifted, deeply ingrained prejudices and stereotypes didn’t disappear easily. That was the reality of the world.  

“And as for the Duke…”  

Harriet swallowed nervously and focused on Yvonne’s words. 

After a brief pause, Yvonne spoke words that caught Harriet off guard.  

“It seems strange… Recently, there hasn’t been any movement. While they’re cooperating with the security forces’ search, it feels like they’re not as active as your family.”  

A chilly wind blew through the cracked windowpane, brushing Harriet’s neck.  

Lennox isn’t taking action?  

It was a reaction she hadn’t anticipated. She should have felt relieved, but instead, an ominous feeling crept up, wrapping around her like a shackle.  

“Really? He’s handling it so passively?”  

“Maybe it’s just for appearances, to maintain the Duke’s family’s dignity. I think he’s probably looking for you behind the scenes.”  

“He hasn’t come looking for you?”  

“Once. But he didn’t say anything special. I just repeated what I told the security office.”  

Recalling the memory, Yvonne hugged her shoulders as the memory resurfaced. Though it had been a short meeting, it left an indelible mark. The gaze she had encountered was emptier and more deranged than any she had ever seen.