Ariadne was very familiar with the look on Cesare's face. It was the expression Cesare makes when he shows some interest in an insignificant person. An indescribable shame and anger welled up from the depths of her stomach. Ariadne's feelings appeared as her determination to have <The Virgin of the Narcissus>.
"10 Ducato is out! Anyone?"
Perhaps it was the effect of Ariadne's glaring at Cesare once to kill him, but he shrugged his shoulders once and put it down without reattaching the lace from there.
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"
The merchant pointed with one hand to <The Virgin of the Narcissus> neatly placed on the table and dramatically stamped a larger-than-necessary brown seal on the parchment.
"The bid was won by Lady De Mare!!"
Ariadne took a deep breath and covered her face with her hands. The next work was also by Bernardo of Urbino. When Ariadne bid at the starting price of 5 Ducato, Cesare immediately followed. Cesare called the price in a soft tenor tone that was easy to hear.
"10 Ducatos!"
Ariadne glared coldly at Cesare next to her, then stopped raising her hand.
"10 ducatos! The auction was won by Count de Como!"
The cheerful sound of the seal and the second piece went back to Cesare. The third and last piece was something that Ariadne could not concede. In today's auction, a total of three paintings by Bernardo of Urbino came out. The first two were approached for financial purposes, but this last work was valuable as a gift or bribe to a specific person. She needed this last piece to tie her strings to herself.
"The work of a new artist is very popular! Good, good! Here is the last work of the day by this artist. <Our Lady of the Urbino Citadel>!"
This painting was modeled after the late Duchess Catarina of Taranto, mother of Blanca of Taranto. Bernardo of Urbino had probably never left Urbino at this point in his life, but Catarina, the former Duchess of Taranto, had been in Urbino for several months to visit her cousin, the Marquis of Urbino. At that time, the young Bernardo was inspired by seeing the Young Duchess of noble status from a distance and completed <Our Lady of the Castle of Urbino>.
But to Bernardo, who was not her unofficial court painter, there was no way to give the painting to her by giving her lady's name or publicizing that she was his model. It was because there was nothing to say about where and how he saw her in the first place, and the noble lady's reputation could be damaged.
So he made the presentation by naming her the place where he had seen her and calling her a religious painting of the Virgin. Who the real model of the painting was will become known years later. Ariadne had no contact with Bianca of Taranto, neither in her previous life nor in her current life, but she wanted to see her face someday. Bernardo of Urbino, who became a world-class painter, painted a portrait of her mother who is now gone and is a perfect gift.
"Any ladies and gentlemen willing to bid? It starts at 5 Ducato!"
"15 Ducatos!"
Ariadne's husky voice filled the hall of the Marquis de Chibo.
"She is a complete rookie, is it worth investing that much?"
"Isn't Count Cesare losing pace?"
"She is brave..."Everyone in the audience seemed tired of Ariadne's momentum. Cesare also seemed to be thinking about it for a while. Certainly, 15 ducatos (approximately 15 million won) was an excessive amount for a young artist in his 20s who had not yet taken off his student clothes. Cesare shrugged his shoulders and didn't respond. Anyway, doesn't she already own one of this artist's works?
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1! The bid was won by Lady De Mare!"
What on earth! The sound of the seal was cheerful.
'There were obstructions, but with this, the purpose of coming here has been achieved.'
Ariadne sighed and sank into her chair. Now she could just watch it in peace. It was a light outing, but it was already a harder day than she thought.
In addition to Bernardo of Urbino, works by several other artists were auctioned off. One or two pieces were rejected because no one bid and one or two pieces were sold at a high price, far beating the bid price due to competition among nobles. Some were sold at low prices, some at outrageous prices.
And finally, the highlight of the day, <Vittoria Nike>, came up on the podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! It is <Vittoria Nike>!"
The nobles paid attention to the statue on the podium with bated breath. The marble statue, which was carried on a wheeled pedestal and managed to be moved by eight workers, turned pink overall. It was the color of warm human skin. It was a stone statue of a young woman with her hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a crown woven of olive branches, with her arms outstretched and a step in front of her.
"Oh, that's amazing!"
"This is the first time I have ever seen such a well-preserved piece of ancient art excavation!"
"Usually marble pieces from the Hellenic period are a bit dull gray, but this is a really lovely pink."The Porto merchant looked confident.
"When it comes to <Vittoria Nike>, I have nothing more to say! A masterpiece from the Hellenic era recently excavated from the ruins of the northern city of Lastera! The very statue that was mentioned in the historian Halicardotos' <Hellenian Travels>! Let's get started right away!"
The Porto merchants announced the start of the auction vigorously.
"The starting price is 1200 ducato (about 1.2 billion won)!"
The crowd groaned. Both the people who bought it and the people who couldn't buy it and came to see it seemed to be interested.
"Wait a minute, the starting price is cheaper than I thought?"
"I know, right? Why does something so good start so cheap?"
"Then, if you can get a successful bid, aren't you doing something completely right? Who will win the bid for this?"
Ariadne was going to go for a snack. Her memory was fuzzy, but it seemed that the one who won the artist was the Marquis of Baldesar.
"No, was it Count Marquez?"
Ariadne tilted her head and ate another snack. It was because there was no one from the Marquis of Baldesar in the crowd today. The scandal was so interesting that she remembered it, but after a long time, there were some vague details about it.
"Nobody is there!"
At the merchant's cry, the person sitting at the very front and center of the hall raises his hand.
"I will bid."
It was Prince Alfonso, with golden hair and a purple cloak, the symbol of the royal family. Ariadne almost spits out the candy she was eating.
'Why are you out there!'
Not knowing how fast Ariadne was riding, the Prince calmly raised his hand and the auctioneer proceeded to count.
"The start is out! But wouldn't it be too sad to leave such a valuable item alone so that it becomes a successful bid right from the starting price? Are there any other Ladies and Gentlemen?"
The crowd was buzzing, but no one was paying attention.
"I'm going to count!"
"5!"
"4!"
"3!"
"2!"
"1300 Dukatos!"
A hand was raised from the corner of the hall, and a middle-aged man's voice hailed.
"What kind of person are you!...... Oh, you are Count Marcelo! 1300 Ducato is out!"
Ariadne let out a breath that had been driven by tension. It was fortunate that someone submitted a bid. But it was too confusing. Although the family of Count Marcelo is a family with a long history in the capital, it was definitely not the family that won the bid for <Vittoria Nike> in Ariadne's memory.
'Was it Baldesar? Or was it Marquez?
It doesn't matter who it is, where the hell is it!
Ariadne looked around the hall, but no one of the two Marquesses was anywhere to be seen. It was something she had prepared for her cause and effect to change due to her own actions. She thought, for example, that the change in the power structure within the Holy Emperor's Office could be so because she had stopped the Apostle of Aseretto. The Bishop who was supposed to be promoted to Cardinal rank was dethroned, and his family weakened due to that Bishop's resignation, and the rival family was highlighted, and the butterfly effect in which changes occurred in completely unrelated places was also within Ariadne's calculation or determination.
However, she did not know that something would change at an early point when the Holy Office had not yet issued an official personnel appointment, and from a trivial matter that had nothing to do with it. Ariadne had not even dreamed of the fact that the little walk she had taken in the garden with Prince Alfonso in the morning had stirred the Prince's mind so that he would inadvertently make an impulsive bid.
Prince Alfonso, unaware of Ariadne's speed, followed Count Marcelo's bid and re-bid.
"1500 Ducatos!"
"1500 Ducato is out! Is there anyone else!"
The screams of the Porto merchants filled the hall. Spectators who had nothing to do with the race watched the game excitingly with their hands sweating.
"1600!"
"1700!"
The race bid for <Vittoria Nike> between Prince Alfonso and Count Marcelo was tight. Neither of them seemed willing to give up <Vittoria Nike>.
Alfonso exclaimed excitedly.
"2000 Ducatos!"
At that time, Ariadne, who had been anxiously looking around the hall throughout the competition in front of her, finally caught Count Marquez and Countess Marquez in her field of vision. Count Marquez, who wanted to bid, was stopped by Countess Marquez.
'Oh, Countess Marquez is Her Majesty Queen Margaret's closest friend!'
Suddenly, a piece of the puzzle that hadn't been captured came to mind, and her memory was put together. Countess Marquez was the one who won the bid for that piece in her previous life. She even remembered the unnecessarily grand pedestal on which the sculpture was built after tearing down the fountain in front of the main gate. In this life, it was a defeat that Prince Alfonso suddenly bid for <Vittoria Nike>. It seemed that the Countess of Marquez, who was close to the Queen, was blocking the bidding for <Vittoria Nike> by persuading her husband to allow Alfonso, the Prince born from Queen Marguerite's belly, to win the bid. It was a delicate loyalty, but Ariadne couldn't let it go like that.
"No, the Countess Marquez has to buy that."
It was the moment when Ariadne was about to sneak away to stop Countess Marquez, muttering to herself.
"Why can't Prince Alfonso buy that piece, little girl?"
Count Cesare, who had been watching the auction with his hat all the way down in the seat next to her, spoke up. Ariadne opened her eyes and looked at him. Before she could utter a word of reproach, Count Cesare raised his voice loudly and called out to the whole hall.Previous Next
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