"I beg your pardon?"
Isabella's shrill scream echoed through the halls of Count Bartolini's residence.
“Who would benefit from this? This isn’t just for my own good!”
But Count Cesare answered coldly.
“What are you talking about? Lady de Mare is currently more concerned about her own safety than anyone else.”
Isabella could not agree. This was a false accusation. Count Cesare clearly had something to gain from this.
“Not at all! If you come to the royal ball with me, Count Cesare will gain my sister’s attention. Isn’t that a good deal?”
Cesare answered in a mocking tone.
“And by bringing Count Cesare into formal functions, you can boast to the society of San Carlo that ‘Isabella de Mare is not dead yet.’”
Isabella's face flushed.
“Well, I won’t deny that there is something like that. But, when has Count Cesare ever cared about the notoriety of others?”
He laughed heartily.
“That’s true.”
"Furthermore..."
Isabella didn't stop her questioning.
“Count Cesare knows best that the rumor that I am the Marquis of Campa’s mistress is completely false!”
“Hmm? Is that so?”
Isabella was taken aback by his calm indifference.
“The rumor spread through high society because I possessed the Marquis of Campa’s ruby. But Count Cesare knows best that the bracelet has nothing to do with the Count of Campa!”
“Hmm. Well. I guess you could look at it that way.”
“Then what do you have to lose? You didn’t really care about reputational damage.”
Isabella folded one finger.
“I don’t think you’d mind hanging out with an immoral mistress, but I’m not a mistress, so if you look at it that way, it’s not like that either.”
Isabella folded another finger. She looked up at Count Cesare's face with her clear, transparent face.
“There is nothing to lose and only gain. So why on earth do you hate it?”
Count Cesare pushed Isabella's forehead away from him, which was too close to his, with his fingers clad in deerskin gloves.
“What is it! Don’t touch it!”
“Haven’t you, Young Lady, gotten too close to another man?”
He took a half step to the side, looked at Isabella, and smirked.
“Unpleasant.”
"I beg your pardon?"
“I can clearly see a plan whirring inside that pretty little head of yours, and it bothers me that Young Lady is using me as a cog in that plan.”
He folded his arms proudly and looked down at Isabella.
“Do you think that Count Cesare is a half-ass who can’t even seduce a single woman unless he lays a hand on her sister? I can succeed without the Young Lady's help, so let’s go our separate ways.”
Cesare turned around.
“The offer is rejected.”
Isabella let out a shrill scream, her anger exploding.
“Count Cesare!”
But he did not look back.
***
Lariesa de Valoa had been in a bad mood since that morning. She was left alone in a foreign palace. All her compatriots were old men. The attendants, some twenty years older than her and some forty years older than her, did not entertain her to the extent that Lariesa could. She had not made any new friends in a foreign country where the language was difficult.
It was partly a language problem, and partly because Lariesa did not want to. She absolutely hated being in an awkward situation with strangers. In Lariesa’s opinion, the noble ladies she could meet in Etruscan should all be of lower status than her. However, Etruscan, or rather San Carlo, was a fashionable country with a dazzlingly rich culture compared to the Gallico kingdom and tended to look down on Gallico. Lariesa was afraid that the ladies of San Carlo, who had a lower birth than her, would look down on her, having come from a rural estate, so she did not go near them.
There were no Princesses of her age in the Etruscan royal court. The only one who could spend time with her was Prince Alfonso. But it had been more than three days since she had seen Prince Alfonso.
“Where did Prince Alfonso go?”
In response to Lariesa's bold request, the Prince's aide Bernardino responded slipperily, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess has arrived. His Royal Highness Prince Alfonso is meeting with the regional representatives to prepare for the ‘Spring Festival’.”
“I know that, but that was scheduled for around ten o’clock in the morning. I’m asking where Prince Alfonso is now.”
“Your Highness, there has been a slight change in the Prince’s morning schedule. He was originally scheduled to meet with the regional representative in the audience room of the palace, but an unscheduled local inspection was added to the schedule, so His Highness went to the regional district in person. The rest of his schedule was probably delayed by the travel time and the additional local inspection time.”
Lariesa bit her thin lips. Her thick lipstick was fading away, revealing her pale complexion. She knew that Prince Alfonso had some free time around lunchtime today. He had been refusing to meet her recently, using his busy schedule as an excuse. Lariesa had been unable to express her discontent because Prince Alfonso’s schedule was actually quite packed, but now there was a crack in his schedule. She had been waiting for this day without fail.
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
Lariesa was indignant. I waited like an idiot all by myself...!
“Where did Prince Alfonso go?”
In response to Lariesa's bold request, the Prince's aide Bernardino responded slipperily, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess has arrived. His Royal Highness Prince Alfonso is meeting with the regional representatives to prepare for the ‘Spring Festival’.”
“I know that, but that was scheduled for around ten o’clock in the morning. I’m asking where Prince Alfonso is now.”
“Your Highness, there has been a slight change in the Prince’s morning schedule. He was originally scheduled to meet with the regional representative in the audience room of the palace, but an unscheduled local inspection was added to the schedule, so His Highness went to the regional district in person. The rest of his schedule was probably delayed by the travel time and the additional local inspection time.”
Lariesa bit her thin lips. Her thick lipstick was fading away, revealing her pale complexion. She knew that Prince Alfonso had some free time around lunchtime today. He had been refusing to meet her recently, using his busy schedule as an excuse. Lariesa had been unable to express her discontent because Prince Alfonso’s schedule was actually quite packed, but now there was a crack in his schedule. She had been waiting for this day without fail.
“Why didn’t you tell me that?”
Lariesa was indignant. I waited like an idiot all by myself...!
But instead of apologizing, Sir Bernardino hardened his face and questioned Lariesa de Valoa.
“Your Highness, where did you get His Royal Highness’s schedule?”
Lariesa opened her eyes wide and glared at Bernardino.
'How dare you, how dare you...!'
She was the kind of person who couldn't admit that she was wrong. Besides, she hadn't even secretly looked at the schedule.
“Her Majesty the Queen’s maid of honor, Madame Carla, showed me! She said that if you want to become close with someone about to be engaged, you need to see their faces a lot.”
Prince Alfonso had declared to Queen Marguerite that he would abolish the marriage between him and Princess Lariesa, but Queen Marguerite had not yet accepted her son's intentions. Madame Carla knew all about this situation, but she did not interpret the Queen's silence as contemplation or observation, but rather as 'refusal' on her own. She tried to give the two young people as many opportunities as possible to be together so that Princess Lariesa could change Prince Alfonso's mind. However, that was Madame Carla's judgment, and Sir Bernardino's judgment was different.
“Your Highness, His Royal Highness Prince Alfonso’s schedule is a document that you, Your Highness, cannot officially view.”
"I beg your pardon?!"
“Madam Carla may have shown a favor, but it was not a proper procedure.”
Princess Larissa was shaking blue with rage. Bernardino pretended not to read her emotions and continued to explain the rules and procedures.
“If Your Highness the Grand Duchess wishes to see His Highness the Prince, please let me know in advance. I will check the available dates on His Highness the Prince’s schedule and respond as soon as possible.”
It was a blatant lie. When Lariesa asked Bernardino to meet Prince Alfonso, he would just say the following Monday, and then make some lame suggestion like, "Wouldn't it be better to meet him at an official function?"
"Ha!"
Princess Larissa, unable to control her anger, just snorted loudly and turned around at the entrance of the Prince's palace with rough steps.
'There's something... Something has changed... I can't accept it... I will make it go back to how it was before!'
***
That same day, Julia de Baldessar wondered why she had wanted to go out that day. Maybe it was because the weather was so nice, or maybe she wanted to set an example for her brother who was always stuck at home. She ignored her mother’s nagging to go out when the street fair began next week. Julia said that it would be too crowded and dangerous then, so she left the house with only a maid and a coachman, saying that she would go out now to see the daffodil altar.
“Get me off here.”
“You have to be within my sight.”
"Yes."
Julia, who had answered the coachman's words dryly, admired the daffodil altar in the center of Piazza Peter. Nearly ten thousand bright yellow daffodils covered the marble fountain that had been around since the days of the Latin Empire. The workers were installing a wooden arch, which, when completed, would also be covered with thousands of flower buds.
“This would look really spectacular if you were to eat a cannoli.”
“Miss, there’s a store right over there. Should I buy something?”
“Yes, come back quickly.”
The coachman would be watching her anyway. It wouldn't be dangerous to be left alone for a while. Julia was sitting by the fountain, enjoying the dazzling early spring sunshine. It was then.
'Daffodil...?'
“Get me off here.”
“You have to be within my sight.”
"Yes."
Julia, who had answered the coachman's words dryly, admired the daffodil altar in the center of Piazza Peter. Nearly ten thousand bright yellow daffodils covered the marble fountain that had been around since the days of the Latin Empire. The workers were installing a wooden arch, which, when completed, would also be covered with thousands of flower buds.
“This would look really spectacular if you were to eat a cannoli.”
“Miss, there’s a store right over there. Should I buy something?”
“Yes, come back quickly.”
The coachman would be watching her anyway. It wouldn't be dangerous to be left alone for a while. Julia was sitting by the fountain, enjoying the dazzling early spring sunshine. It was then.
'Daffodil...?'
A man with a face as beautiful as a daffodil was walking along the crowd, walking briskly. Julia knew who he was as soon as she saw his face. He was too handsome to forget.
'Francois...! The servant of the House of Leonati...!'
He was out on an errand, carrying a large basket with what looked like groceries. Julia hesitated for a moment whether to speak to him or not. She had no idea what she would say to him, or what the Marquis's daughter and a servant would talk about when they met. However, if she let him go today, she might never see him again. It was an impulsive decision.
"Hey!"
The servant of the Leonati family was walking indifferently in the direction he had been walking as if he had not heard Julia's voice. Julia called out again, raising her voice.
“Francois!”
As expected, he didn't seem to hear. He just quickened his pace. Oh, this is a disaster. Julia shouted loudly.
“Francois!”
It was a foreign language pronunciation that accurately conveyed the Gallico accent that she had learned. Only then did the tall young man look back. Julia smiled broadly. Her cold first impression was covered by a warm smile. However, the first words she said to the other person as she slowly approached were these.
“How much do you receive as salary from the Leonati family?”
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