Chapter 55 - The Truth Whispered By Count Cesare
Sister, I'm The Queen In This Life
"How to make gunpowder in a cannon? You're just trying to eat it raw!"
Count Le Vien shouted in an angry voice. Gunpowder was an asymmetrical power that had recently begun to be imported into the central continent from alchemists of the Moorish Empire. Stability was the key to guns using gunpowder, and although no country or mercenary group had yet successfully incorporated individual firearms into battle, cannons as siege weapons were often successfully put into practical use. And the Kingdom of Gallico was evaluated as doing it best.
"Then, as the daughter of a Grand Duke, and not as Grand Duchess Susanne, did you intend to be the spouse of the first-ranking heir to the throne of the Etruscan Kingdom?"
This time Count Marquez did not back down either.
"I admit that the Kingdom of Gallico has developed remarkably over the past 20 years, but the Kingdom of Gallico is not an Empire!"
Count Marquez, who had been pushing the other person up to this point, changed his attitude this time and began to gently appease Count Le Vien.
"About 20 years ago, when Queen Margaret got married, she received the province of Gaeta as a dowry and instead sent 20,000 ducatoes to her bride and lent her a loan of 80,000 ducatos. Isn't that what brought about the prosperity of the Gallico Kingdom today? We will be able to draw good conclusions by following the good examples of 'cooperation' from our predecessors."
"A good example of 'cooperation'? As if!"
Count Le Vien snorted.
"Even if the Kingdom of Gallico had not been strong at the time, it would not have exchanged 100,000 ducatos for the Gaeta region even if it died! Exchanging territory for cash and at such a low price! Is that a reasonable amount of money?"
As a financially developed Etruscan, he could never agree with the Gallico countryman's position that land was more sacred than money.
"If it weren't for those 100,000 ducatos, would the Briand dynasty be holding the throne now? Wasn't that money provided in a timely manner that allowed the Kingdom of Gallico to quell the civil war and maintain its dynasty? The fact that we received the province of Gaeta as a dowry and returned it to the bride instead was the lifeline of the 'Briand dynasty' and not simply cash. If you really think like that, Count Le Vien has no sense of the importance of 'time' at all!"
The arguments on both sides were tense. If they were not going to call for a breakup and go home like this, both sides had to make concessions somewhere. Count Le Vien proposed a compromise.
"You keep saying that Grand Duchess Lariesa rather than Grand Duchess Susanne is not enough, so we propose that Grand Duchess Lariesa come in person and visit the Etruscan Kingdom."
This was an extremely rare case in diplomatic practice. Royals with the right to succeed to the throne rarely went outside the borders of their Kingdom for reasons such as threats to their personal lives, and royals who entered into strategic marriages chose their spouses based on a portrait and public reputation. This was an exception, regardless of whether the person involved in the marriage was the King of Gallic or an Etruscan Prince.
"Please meet her in person and find out what Grand Duchess Lariesa is really like. I'm sure she's not who you think."
Is Count Marquez really confident in the card that the Kingdom of Gallico has as Grand Duchess Lariesa? And, since she is a Grand Princess with no right to inherit the throne, isn't it okay to let her out? He had a suspicion at the same time. Count Le Vien must have noticed this and quickly came up with a complementary solution.
"The problem with the Grand Duchess's status can be resolved by upgrading her status. It is also natural to do so. His Majesty Philip IV is considering sending the Grand Duchess of Lariesa to Etruscan after registering her as his adopted daughter. This is a type of enrolment that grants her the same right to succeed to the throne as his own children."
When he bounced, he had to bounce until the end. Count Marquez gave the most obvious rebuttal.
"If that happens, Grand Duchess Larissa will be 5th cousins with Prince Alfonso! It is a violation of the Temple's rule prohibiting incestuous marriage."
"They're not really close relatives. This is a problem that can be resolved by receiving an 'exception ordinance from His Holiness Pope Ludovico."
The density of talks remained tight and the atmosphere on both sides was rough.
Count Marquez found water and drank it in one gulp. A lot of time had passed and it was already approaching late afternoon, or rather early evening.
"It goes without saying, but it's something I can't decide on my own. For now, it seems like everything that will come out today has been covered, so let's report it to the higher-ups and discuss it again."
"I agree. I understand that the next meeting will be held according to the pre-determined schedule."
Representatives from both countries left the barracks, wiping their temples, which were soaked with oil and sweat, with wet towels given to them by servants. It was time to hear the intentions of the real decision-makers.
***
"Oh, isn't this good? The sun sets faster than I thought."
Cesare and Ariadne eventually found their way back, with Ariadne riding a horse and Cesare walking with the horse leading the horse.
"I feel like I walked south for a long time, and the forest is getting more and more dense."
"You might meet other hunting competition participants."
The hunting competition was a one-day event, and of course, they were only equipped with clothes and preparations for a day's outdoor activity. There was no equipment for camping or spending the night in the forest.
"Hey, don't you think you can hear the sound of water?"
Cesare listened quietly to Ariadne's words.
"That's right. I think there's a stream or something."
He dragged the reins in the direction of the sound of water.
"You'd better go over there."
As he walked, he began to grumble.
"No, but how can Lady de Mare let the man who was injured while trying to save her pull the reins like a squire while she herself rides the horse like a slut? Oh, my arm is so swollen I'm going to die,"
He said, shaking his left arm exaggeratedly, then grimacing, "Ouch," as if it really hurt.
Ariadne's lips popped out in shame and dissatisfaction.
"Then I'll get off! You get on! I said I wouldn't ride in the first place, but you forced me to ride!"
"How can I be a gentleman, take a Lady, and ride a horse by myself! All you have to do is sit quietly in front of me. Wow, you're so picky."
Cesare's grumbling knew no bounds.
"No, why don't you take the saddle! sent and give me this four months? If you had come riding the saddle sent, the top of the stirrup would have been open, so your foot would have fallen off right away."
Cesare was a master of horseback riding and had a hobby of modifying saddles and harnesses to suit his tastes.
"Was there a part like that? I didn't even open it."
He kept grumbling.
"And, huh? Why are you getting on my cousin's nerves and making him look like this? If Count Cesare hadn't saved us so well, we would have been in big trouble."
Ariadne was already irritated by his grumbling, and with these words, she decided to treat Cesare as having repaid the debt she had incurred for helping her by even breaking his arm.
"So you're telling me to listen to that and stay quiet?"
Cesare chuckled at Ariadne's sharp rebuke.
"With a temperament. You should have stuck the knife in that horse's ass first."
He stopped pulling the reins and looked up at Ariadne.
"You almost got into big trouble if you fought for no reason."
Cesare added a word.
"If you have a problem, come running to Count Cesare. I will show up in style and take care of everything."
Ariadne answered with a bitter smile. I have seen you dozens and hundreds of times in my past life.
"Liar. You're not that kind of person."
At Ariadne's answer, Cesare acted exaggeratedly surprised.
"No, how did you know I was a liar?"
He walked holding the reins and sat right next to Arladne on the saddle as best as he could, looking up at her. Cesare's horse was a particularly tall course, so Cesare's face only came up to the level of her thighs. It was at a distance where she could feel his breath on her thighs.
"Miss, aren't you actually more interested in me than anyone else? I noticed you were wearing a club the other day."
Ariadne took a breath. Cesare got the point right.
Yes, I care about you more than anyone else. I know everything about you. I watched your every move for 14 years. I just looked. I won't live like that anymore.
"That's not true. Please stop caring."
"Wow, it's cold."
Cesare stuck out his tongue at Ariadne, who did not break down the iron wall even though she was fighting with all her might.
"Do you know that the Lady is the only one here in San Carlo who treats me like this?" It's a shame I couldn't join in on the trend."
Seeing Ariadne's upright attitude, Cesare gave up and told his story.
"I came today to catch the 'golden deer.' If you catch just that, winning the hunting competition is a breeze!"
Ah, that 'golden deer'. It was the 'golden deer' that Cesare had mentioned in his letter. Apart from Cesare's obsession with the 'Golden Stag', the story of the 'Golden Stag' was a very well-known story. This was a story passed down like a legend in the Orte Forest. In Orte Forest, there lives a 'golden deer that drank water from the spring of eternal life. It is said that this 'golden deer' gave an olive branch to Justin I, the first King of the Etruscan Kingdom.
The story goes that if you bathe your body with this spring of eternal life, you will gain a charm that no one can resist, that the person who catches the 'golden deer' will ascend to the throne and that those who have nothing to do with the throne will achieve success in life.
Of course, Orte Forest is a forest in the northern part of the capital, so a lot of people come and go, if there was a true spring of eternal life, a water pipe would have already been laid and connected to the Royal Palace of San Carlo.
Ariadne thought that the story of the 'Golden Deer' was nothing more than a legend. However, in her previous life, Cesare repeatedly claimed that he had seen a 'golden deer' in the Forest of Orte when he was young and that the reason he was so handsome was that he wiped his face with water from the spring from which the 'golden deer' drank.
Even at the time when Ariadne was longing for Cesare, she thought it was nonsense. Her guess was that Cesare, who lacked legitimacy for her succession to the throne, had made up a story to tie himself to the founding myth of his country. Cesare was a handsome man with delicate lines and a sculpture rarely seen in the human world. But his beauty was innate.
"You are a liar, but you are also a bluff."
"Oh, how did you know that?"
As they walked along the sound of water, exchanging trivial sounds, a small stream appeared before their eyes.
"There's a stream. If we follow this downstream, we will be able to escape the forest!"
"Shh!"
Cesare grabbed Ariadne's shins while she was on a horse and interrupted her. Ariadne looked in front of him, saying, "What a human," and covered his mouth with both hands.
'It's a golden deer!'
It was a large golden stag with handsome, symmetrical antlers. The color of the deer's fur, which should have been light brown, was a brilliant golden color with each strand of fur emitting light. Instead of white spotted patterns, silver dots shone on its sleek body. Ariadne was in awe when she saw the 'golden deer, which she thought did not exist, showing off its noble appearance before her eyes. Then she glanced at Cesare again.
'I thought he was just a braggart, but there were times when he told the truth...'
She felt a little sorry. Of course, his regret was not as much as the blood on his feet for what he had done to Ariadne. Ariadne made up her mind to relent and glared at Cesare once more. He may say some decent things sometimes, but no, that person is trash. The deer, as alert as Ariadne, was drinking water from the stream while carefully observing its surroundings. The way he quietly lowered his head exuded dignity. Suddenly, the 'Golden Deer' raised its head and looked towards Ariadne and Cesare. The eyes of a deer and two humans met.
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