Chapter 47 - Reorganized Power
Sister, I'm The Queen In This Life
Ariadne was not the only one to return to the banquet hall after winning. Isabella, who had been cruelly defeated in the battle, also crawled back into the banquet hall without any shame.
However, unlike Ariadne, who was closely escorted by Prince Alfonso in the very center of the banquet hall like a triumphal general, chatting with elderly and important nobles, Isabella was huddled together with girls her age in the corner of the powder room.
"Bad girl!"
Isabella gathered her personal guards and expressed her anger. It was a group of girls, a little over ten but less than fifteen. These were the core peer groups of San Carlo's social scene. The clothes they wore became a fashion for the ladies who could not join this group, and the fashion became the latest trend of San Carlo the following year, spreading across the Etruscan culture not only in each region of the Etruscan Kingdom but also beyond the Prinojac Mountains.
It spread to the Montpellier Palace of the Gallico Kingdom, which was not as developed as the Kingdom. They were such a group of noble ladies, but you ended up saying something like 'sissy' in front of them.
The girls of her age looked at Isabella in surprise at the harsh words she spat out, and Isabella cleared her throat and tapped her lips with her fan. She had been wanting to tell others about the crazy, terrible things that had happened to her, but these ladies had grown up so nicely.
If she says something like this happened, 'Couldn't you have dreamed it, Lady de Mare? Her own sister tried to push her down the stairs, saying such horrible things?'
It was obvious that Isabella was going to be a strange person. Moreover, she couldn't possibly tell her peer group that she had been treated badly by a child whom she had looked down on. That was too shameful. But she was just so frustrated with her patience that she couldn't bear it. So she called her friends, and she started gossiping about Ariadne, picking up every bit of her that she could, except for the fact that she herself was criticizing her.
"I really only wore a white dress because Ariadne said it was okay! I don't know why she talks like that!"
Since the ladies gathered there were all Isabella's friends, they had no choice but to take Isabella's words at face value. Some people secretly suspected that Isabella was talking nonsense or lying, but if they said anything while Isabella's maids were there and reported them to Isabella, they would be accused of being a traitor. They couldn't bring themselves to voice their doubts. And among the rest, a couple of them really believed in and followed Isabella with enthusiasm.
"The little Lady de Mare is really so mean. How could she do that to her own sister?"
Isabella shed tears.
"How good I have been to Ariadne! I lent her clothes, helped her adjust to San Carlo, and helped her study... But she is so ungrateful that when the Prince appears, I can see her face change immediately!"
And besides the followers, there were those who were burning with jealousy. Although they were not Isabella's 'maid, there were certainly some ladies who were intensely jealous of the fact that the daughter of a newly debuted farm maid came in holding the hand of the Prince and danced her first waltz with Count Cesare.
If another young Lady whom they had previously held in high regard held the Prince's hand, they would do so. They might admire it because it's cool.
But what about the illegitimate daughter of a Cardinal who lived on a farm in the countryside? She's not that pretty, is she? To make up for the cognitive dissonance, they spewed out conspiracy theories, behind-the-scenes maneuvers, and gossip about dishonest dealings.
Other than that, there were the ladies who made up the largest number and just wanted to follow the group. As Isabella let out her channel, the jealousy of other daughters and the desire to stand out and join her group grew in quantity and filled the channel to overflowing.
"Who wears clothes with such a deep neckline when they say they have a complex about their breasts? It's definitely a lie."
"I don't believe that she didn't do it. I wonder if clothes can tear that easily!"
"Why does the Prince take that girl's side so much? Didn't she really seduce him with her body?"
Isabella truly enjoyed the ladies' proclamation contest. She felt it like a painkiller was being administered to her soul. Isabella's wounded pride seemed to be healed by Ariadne's curse. She was teasing Isabella with small details that could be used as firewood, such as 'Ariadne is wearing cotton cloth' and 'The dress shop is Cheap In Ragione's dressmaker.
Julia de Baldesar, who had been sitting with her mouth shut, stood up from her seat.
"I said let's see for real."
Julia de Baldesar was one of Isabella's two young ladies whom she treated as 'best friends'. Isabella chose Camellia and Julia as her best friends. This was because Camellia had a handsome and wealthy boyfriend, Isabella was good at catering to her wishes, and Julia was a prestigious noblewoman with a reputation as a writer after Baldesar, and was from a fairly wealthy family, so she was of noble status.
Julia de Baldesar stood up and said one word to Isabella.
"Lady de Mare, I can see your shoulder straps."
Isabella heard those words and lowered her head to check the arrangement of her dress. Indeed, dark pink shoulder straps were sticking out from the side of the deep, pure white organza dress. It was the strap used to secure Isabella's 'breast pocket'.
"Oh!"
Isabella's face turned red. Julia de Baldesar was one of Isabella's best friends, to whom she confided several secrets. Among them, there was also talk about 'breast pockets'.
It said that an amazing product had arrived from the Moorish Empire, and they were encouraged to try it out. Julia ignored it with the bridge of her nose, but Camellia gave her cheers and promised that she would definitely buy it. She didn't take the picture after all. Isabella thought that she and Julia had become closer at that time.
'I believed you and this... You stab me in the back like this?!'
Leaving Isabella with a blushing face, Julia de Baldesar walked out of the powder room where the girls were gathered without looking back. At this, some of the girls looked at each other, got up, and followed Julia out of the powder room. The number of girls who left was four or five, which was less than half, but more than a third.
"Hey, here, traitors...!"
Isabella's anger soared through the sky. The Baroness Camellia de Castiglione looked around with her anxious eyes, and the remaining girls began swearing even louder at Ariadne and those who had left in an attempt to calm her anxiety.
Julia de Baldesar left her seat and headed to the central banquet hall. There was Ariadne, chatting and surrounded by her middle-aged women. Julia approached Ariadne and she greeted her directly.
"This is Julia, the eldest daughter of the Marquis Baldessar."
"Lady Julia...!"
Ariadne was surprised to be suddenly greeted by an unexpected person.
"I've heard a lot about you."
Julia glanced in the direction of the powder room where the Isabella group was gathered and muttered to herself.
"Well, there wasn't anything nutritious to say!"
Lady Baldesar simply said what she had to say.
"I hope we can become friends. Please take care of me in the future."
Ariadne didn't have many girlfriends in her past life. Because she rose to the high position too quickly, and because she didn't actually conduct herself very well, there was no one around her except those who were jealous and those who wanted to use her for their own gain.
So now, like Julia, she was really happy when she found a friend of her own age who took the initiative to approach her even though she had nothing to gain from it.
"I have heard a lot about the reputation of the Marquis de Baldesar. It is an honor to meet you."
Ariadne greeted Julia de Baldesar by holding her hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she added a word.
"Thank you for your kindness."
In some ways, saying 'Thank you for saying hello' may have been a ridiculous humility, but it was because she did not know what it meant that Isabella's friends were now talking to her in full name. Three or four ladies who had followed Julia from the powder room surrounded Ariadne and shouted loudly. After greeting her, Julia threw out an invitation in a casual tone as if nothing had happened.
"Well, it's not confirmed yet, but I'm thinking of holding a tea party at my house next week. It wasn't anything big, just a gathering of a few close friends. I wonder if you could grace the occasion."
Ariadne's face showed a joyful glow, as if she were happier than when she received her father's approval, or perhaps even when she was approached by men. Being invited to a girls' tea party was truly the first time in her life!
Moreover, rather than receiving an invitation to a confirmed tea party, she was asked to come from the planning stage. Doesn't this really feel like making a friend?
Ariadne smiled brightly.
"Of course, Lady de Baldesar. I will be happy to wait."
***
From that point on, Ariadne's debutante ball went as smoothly as possible. Count Cesare, who danced Ariadne's first waltz as the King's envoy, left first as soon as the waltz was over, feeling very disappointed that he had important only after completing his schedule until late in the afternoon. Even after Count Cesare left, Alfonso seemed to have had a premonition of something. He grabbed Ariadne and told her that he might not be able to see her for a while and that he would send her a letter, and he asked her to take care of herself in the meantime.
A long day came to an end after sending Alfonso away in disappointment and unable to take a step.
Then it was time to settle the profit and loss of the Debutante Ball. Ariadne left 12 ducatos out of the 150 ducatos that Cardinal de Mare had estimated in her budget and returned them to her father.
"Is this really what's left?"
Cardinal de Mare could not contain his surprise. Today was the first time in the 22 years since he began paying living expenses to his mistress Lucrezia that the remaining living expenses he had paid to someone were returned to him.
"It must have been tight, right?"
Cardinal de Mare thought it would cost around 300 ducatos if used sparingly and 500 ducatos if prepared lavishly, so he gave Ariadne only 150 ducatos in advance, which was half of the desirable budget he thought.
And yet, she give him money left! For a man who had been supporting his extravagant wife and children, this was simply surprising. The secret was a bold omission.
Tapestry that tells a story was not the only thing Ariadne omitted while preparing for this debutante ball. Ariadne, who was annoyed by Sancha because she did not decide on a meal menu until right before the prom, told Sancha the names of several farms a week before the prom date, and checked to see if any of them were producing too much produce due to lack of control over production, and chose that one. Ariadne told Sancha to buy ingredients.
"No, you don't even decide on a menu, just look at the ingredients?"
Sancha questioned the young lady because of the instructions that went beyond common sense, but despite this, she faithfully checked all the places she was told to and returned.
When Sancha looked at the farms, most of them refused at the last minute, saying they could not afford to supply large quantities other than to existing customers. However, one farm that raises black pigs said that the original supplier had canceled the contract at the last minute and sold the quantity they had secured at a very low price.
"Miss, did you know?"
Sancha, whose eyes were wide in surprise, asked Ariadne after completing the contract at the farm, and Ariadne answered politely.
"Even if I were from the future, how would I have known in advance that the contract at the pig farm would be canceled or not?"
It was just something that happened very often. Ariadne was well-versed in this type of purchasing method after managing the housekeeping of the Etruscan royal palace for nine years.
Although it cannot be applied to a large national event that completely sweeps away the output of a region, it can be useful when holding a medium-sized event. Ariadne's methods of controlling expenditures for various events were endless.
After cleaning up her household account, Ariadne presented the double-entry book to Cardinal de Mare.
"Yes, father. This was possible because I used it sparingly. The detailed ledger is here."
Cardinal de Mare's eyes widened once again when her young daughter, whom he had raised only at home, or more accurately, on a farm in the Bergamo estate, presented him with a ledger using double-entry bookkeeping, which had recently become popular among merchants in the Republic of Porto. He was also a double-entry bookkeeper, something he had only recently learned to read due to his work at the Temple.
"Where did you learn this again?"
"After looking at the book I found in my father's study..."
His daughter must be a genius. Cardinal de Mare, looking through the receipt, also confirmed that the calculations were correct. The invoice even included the loss incurred by cutting down the white crape myrtle bushes in the Bergamo estate. He shook his head and called the maid next to him.
"Bring Madame Lucrezia to this room right now."
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