To the extent that “holistic” means anything at all, essays do count, but (and this is a big “but”,) the 14% already assumes that you are ranked academically among the best applicants to Harvard. I’d tend to assume that “captivating” essays are expected from academically outstanding applicants, and short of being so outstanding that it is one of the best they receive in the upcoming admissions cycle, unlikely to move the needle.
If you are are looking for Merit$ you need to look outside the IVY’s + Standford + MIT which only offer need based aid.
UChicago, Vanderbilt, Duke and WUSTL are among the more selective schools that offer merit scholarships.