The Crown Prince hugged the girl before him and carried her onto his lap. The man recalled how cruelly Harriet had treated his lover, Cecilia Morganite, a helpless noblegirl in the capital's aristocratic social world.
The capital's elite circle was cruel, but with Harriet, things got more complicated. Ezekiel didn't understand why Harriet targeted Cecilia, a sweet, innocent girl, and isolated her from everyone.
Cecilia was young and naive, but did that allow Harriet to criticize her so much in the middle of a party, in front of everyone?
Ezekiel still remembers the incident from a year ago. After that, Cecilia came running out of the party with a face full of tears, and she didn't want to talk to him for almost a week.
The Emperor wanted Harriet to be Empress, but did that give her the right to bully Cecilia, the innocent girl with no power in the noble world?
Ezekiel had never liked Harriet, but he appreciated Cecilia.
Cecilia was a hard-w**********l, and although she was clumsy, she was sincere. He didn't understand why some even supported Harriet, the woman with no heart, over Cecilia, the girl full of empathy.
“Zeke, can't we annul Harriet Goldlane's marriage to that Almandine heir? Isn't there anything we can do?" the girl asked quietly.
The Crown Prince shook his head slowly. “Nothing, considering that even my father can't interfere with the regional autonomy of those monsters.”
In Ezekiel's arms, Cecilia lowered her head, furrowing her brows with a cold expression.
"Don't worry, Ceci. I will try to cut off all that woman's influence on this empire and won't let her expand her power,” Ezekiel said to Cecilia with a reassuring smile.
Cecilia, who had a cold expression before, turned a hundred and eighty degrees when she looked up at Ezekiel. She smiled cheerfully and understandingly. "Of course, I believe in Zeke; you can fight that snake woman!"
Ezekiel chuckled, and they kissed passionately.
***
After midnight, Harriet was starting to feel sleepy. But the line-up scheme of the total military power that the Euclase Empire had that she was working on wasn't finished yet.
This was Harriet's first time trying to understand the military. Even though she knew it would be more effective to ask someone who knew a lot about this to help her put it together, Harriet still tried what she could for herself.
After all, she knew the basics, thanks to her younger brother, who studied the military at a young age. Even after this, Harriet knew her actions would only be a rough idea. But she felt something like this was not in vain.
She was more suited to be a negotiator and speaker, but she should know what was at stake in her negotiations.
There was a knock on the door, and Harriet answered, asking whoever visited her to come in. Sir Russell opened the door and saw Harriet's back. She was facing the hotel room's desk.
"Madam," he called, coming over and placing a document on the table. He said, “This is an estimate of the military strength of the Duchy Almandine and Amaryllis, along with a comparison of our military strength with the military strength of ordinary humans.”
Harriet nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Sir Russell. Go and rest.”
Sir Russell bowed and saluted, leaving. But the man could see the exhaustion on Harriet's face.
Meanwhile, Harriet continued her work diligently until morning.
Harriet was surprised by a hotel maid about to clean the room but needed clarification to see that her bed had not been used. Harriet laughed a little and asked the servant to prepare bathwater for her.
Today, Harriet planned to shop for souvenirs that she would take back to the Duchy. She did not plan to linger in the capital, as she had to return before the next full moon.
Her brother had just gotten married, and Harriet wanted to buy many things for her brother and her new sister-in-law. Maybe for the Old Duke, too, and…
The woman dried her hair, assisted by hotel maids who came with her VIP room. She readied up and prepared to go to town.
Sir Russell was surprised to see Harriet up so early.
"Where is Madam going?" he asked after greeting and saluting her.
"Shopping. Come on, Sir Russell, I'll show you the capital with the others," said Harriet.
Sir Russell and the other Lycans chuckled and did as Harriet said.
Harriet's return to the capital, especially because she had stopped by the famous shops there, had the nobles in an uproar. Harriet was a renowned figure, and many admired her.
However, almost all of them did not dare to approach her. Harriet's reputation and the rumors surrounding her made her hard to approach.
Until last year, everyone thought Harriet would become the Empress. But suddenly, Harriet left the capital and received land to govern in the suburbs with her brother.
Harriet did not know that the capital's citizens were watching her life, and many people found out about her marriage to Almandine.
Of course, Harriet didn't want to or have time to pay attention to such things. She visited each of her old regulars to collect gifts to send back north until she saw a new men's suit design in a women's boutique.
Seeing that Harriet had been staring at the men's suit on a mannequin for more than five minutes, Sir Russell was bewildered.
The suit was white with gold thread embroidery, almost like a regular suit. However, there was a long tie at the neck, not a scarf like the capital's high fashion at this time.
Harriet finally spoke to the boutique owner. “I saw this type of tie being popular fifteen years ago. Has the trend finally returned?”
The boutique owner looked at Harriet in awe and with a gleam on her face. "Madam! I thought Madam would be able to see the beauty of this collar tie model!”
Harriet smiled and nodded. She knew that fashion trends were just recycled and returned to old trends again, with a modern twist. So she believed this trend would be a success.
"Why? This is great, so continue with the project. Do you need money? I can invest in this kind of potential new trend. I'm glad you guys are venturing into men's fashion."
The boutique owner who heard it became sad. “This is all because of that woman…”
At the boutique owner's words, Harriet raised an eyebrow.
“It's all because of that woman, Cecilia Morganite!”
Aksara