Dressed in a dress that graduated from crimson to orange and then yellow, Larissa looked like a single Apeldoorn tulip from a distance.
'Ari would look pretty wearing it.'
Prince Alfonso, feeling sorry for his girl who rarely wore bright-colored clothes, placed a hand on the waist of Princess Lariesa. They held each other’s hand in the air and began to step to the fast-tempo San Carlo waltz. As the couple of the Prince and Princess began their first dance, other young people began to join them on the floor.
“Why don’t young people go and dance?”
Count Bartolini offered it to Isabella. Isabella smiled and declined.
“No, I don’t want to dance from the first song, it’s embarrassing.”
The first dance at the ball was not something Isabella, who had swept all the first dances, should say. She did not want to show others the sight of dancing with Iacopo Attendolo. Isabella looked at the Prince of this country, who was leading the dance with manners, while his partner sat down next to her like a sack of barley and the foreign woman who was turning in front of him at a fast tempo. Everything in the world was unsatisfactory.
'I'll get you out of this pit soon!'
***
Isabella wasn’t the only one staring intently at the couple of Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa. Ariadne was also standing on one side of the ballroom, looking at her man and his official future wife.
Alfonso and Ariadne had promised not to show off their relationship at official functions, but fortunately or unfortunately, Alfonso was the only Prince of the Etruscan kingdom and was having his first dance at this royal ball. Ariadne’s staring intently at Alfonso didn’t seem unnatural at all in the crowd. However, the man standing next to her knew the whole story.
“Miss Ariadne.”
"Yes?"
“You look uncomfortable. Are you okay? Should we go out to the balcony for a moment to get some fresh air?”
Raphael wanted to change the location so that Ariadne would not see Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa dancing hand in hand. Ariadne wiped her face, wondering if he had noticed.
“No, no. It’s okay.”
Raphael looked at Ariadne intently.
“Are you really okay? You don’t have to pretend to be strong. No one would feel good.”
He had omitted the explanation of the situation, considering the number of people around him, but Ariadne understood immediately. Anyone would be upset if they saw their boyfriend dancing with another woman. But she shook her head. It was a kind of stubbornness. And Alfonso had made it a condition that they should never go out on the balcony or in the garden alone. It seemed that the only Prince of the Etruscan kingdom could not even trust his friends.
“No. I do it because I need to. I don’t mind.”
Raphael smiled, bent down, and held out his left hand.
“So, will you allow me to have the first dance?”
It would be better to dance than to stand there and watch that sight. In the huge hall, which was lit by thousands of candles, the mirrors that covered the walls reflected the light of the candles, and the pale face of Baldessar's heir came out with a yellow warmth. Ariadne smiled politely and placed her right hand on his. As she had promised Alfonso, it was a hand wearing the thickest ball glove.
“Let’s go, Lady.”
Raphael led Ariadne out to the center of the floor. He placed his hand on her waist and began to step to the music.
“Is the speed okay?”
He kept talking to Ariadne so that she wouldn't be distracted. Although it was a fast-paced San Carlo waltz, Raphael moved his feet as easily as if he had been dancing since birth.
“You dance very well.”
“I received intensive training from my grandmother when I was young.”
He shrugged. Ariadne realized this when the grandmother's story came up. It was the story of the old lady Baldessar that Julia had told her earlier. Raphael was a very eloquent storyteller, and Ariadne was absorbed in his story.
“My grandmother used to be a big star at balls and other places, but when she got old and went to her country estate to recuperate due to health issues, she must have felt lonely. She made us three siblings stand in the living room and dance the waltz all day long. If anything was off, she would hit the table and scream.”
Mrs. Baldessar wanted to make her sickly second grandson exercise. However, her second grandson had a peculiar constitution that caused him to break out in hives when he saw the sun. As a last resort, she gathered her three grandchildren in the living room and made them dance all day.
“Miss Ariadne.”
"Yes?"
“You look uncomfortable. Are you okay? Should we go out to the balcony for a moment to get some fresh air?”
Raphael wanted to change the location so that Ariadne would not see Prince Alfonso and Princess Lariesa dancing hand in hand. Ariadne wiped her face, wondering if he had noticed.
“No, no. It’s okay.”
Raphael looked at Ariadne intently.
“Are you really okay? You don’t have to pretend to be strong. No one would feel good.”
He had omitted the explanation of the situation, considering the number of people around him, but Ariadne understood immediately. Anyone would be upset if they saw their boyfriend dancing with another woman. But she shook her head. It was a kind of stubbornness. And Alfonso had made it a condition that they should never go out on the balcony or in the garden alone. It seemed that the only Prince of the Etruscan kingdom could not even trust his friends.
“No. I do it because I need to. I don’t mind.”
Raphael smiled, bent down, and held out his left hand.
“So, will you allow me to have the first dance?”
It would be better to dance than to stand there and watch that sight. In the huge hall, which was lit by thousands of candles, the mirrors that covered the walls reflected the light of the candles, and the pale face of Baldessar's heir came out with a yellow warmth. Ariadne smiled politely and placed her right hand on his. As she had promised Alfonso, it was a hand wearing the thickest ball glove.
“Let’s go, Lady.”
Raphael led Ariadne out to the center of the floor. He placed his hand on her waist and began to step to the music.
“Is the speed okay?”
He kept talking to Ariadne so that she wouldn't be distracted. Although it was a fast-paced San Carlo waltz, Raphael moved his feet as easily as if he had been dancing since birth.
“You dance very well.”
“I received intensive training from my grandmother when I was young.”
He shrugged. Ariadne realized this when the grandmother's story came up. It was the story of the old lady Baldessar that Julia had told her earlier. Raphael was a very eloquent storyteller, and Ariadne was absorbed in his story.
“My grandmother used to be a big star at balls and other places, but when she got old and went to her country estate to recuperate due to health issues, she must have felt lonely. She made us three siblings stand in the living room and dance the waltz all day long. If anything was off, she would hit the table and scream.”
Mrs. Baldessar wanted to make her sickly second grandson exercise. However, her second grandson had a peculiar constitution that caused him to break out in hives when he saw the sun. As a last resort, she gathered her three grandchildren in the living room and made them dance all day.
Ariadne smiled as she imagined that living room.
“Your grandmother was a Lady. It seems like the siblings had a good relationship.”
“It was fine until my brother was alive. The three of us were always together. Now... Julia and I just look at each other and growl at each other.”
“Your grandmother was a Lady. It seems like the siblings had a good relationship.”
“It was fine until my brother was alive. The three of us were always together. Now... Julia and I just look at each other and growl at each other.”
Ariadne smiled sociably, barely holding back the tip of her tongue as she wanted to say, 'You really haven't seen your brothers growling at all, have you?'
“You talk about your brother a lot.”
“Yes. The source of all my worries comes from my brother’s absence.”
“Oh, you must have been a mental supporter.”
“No, no.”
His next words were unexpected.
“I was a naive, foolish idiot.”
Raphael raved about how his dead brother Feliciano was clumsy, foolish, and naive. It was all insults, but ultimately it was a confession full of affection. After a long time of cursing Feliciano for his stupidity, Raphael added one more thing.
“I still wanted my brother to become the head of the household. That’s why I decided to become a priest at an early age.”
'I also tried to become a knight, but I was too weak,' Raphael added. In the Etruscan kingdom, the title and land were usually passed down to the eldest son, and the second son or younger would earn a living as a priest, soldier, or merchant.
However, this was only a normal case, and it was not uncommon for a particularly outstanding child to be passed down to the second son. Young Raphael stood out in many ways compared to his older brother, but he did not want to drive out his beloved older brother.
“The decision to become a priest was not a burning faith in God or anything like that. It was a decent career path to earn a living. But, Ariadne, as you know, the more you delve into theology, isn’t it really profound?”
Raphael spoke passionately, his steps unwavering.
“Where do humans come from and where are they going? Does original sin exist? Does God save us? If so, how should we live? Contemporary theology is an attempt to provide logical answers to these complex questions.”
It was the most common route for bright young people to become theologians. It was also the path that Cardinal de Mare took in his youth.
“Mystical theology must now be destroyed. The worship of miracles, supernatural powers, and natural phenomena. These things must now give way to the new-age culture.”
Ariadne just smiled silently. Outwardly, she was the most devout servant of the Gods and the guardian of logic and reason, but she had seen with her own eyes miracles and pagan powers that could not be explained by the Church. The world was a little more complicated than could be explained by logic.
“I really want to devote myself to teaching now. I have already decided to devote my life to research. In fact, I have already graduated from the major seminary in Padua without telling my parents.”
The major seminary of Padua was an institution of higher education that taught theology. Traditionally, to become a priest, one had to enter a monastery attached to the Holy See and learn theology step by step while doing odd jobs from a young age. That was the route Cardinal de Mare took.
“The decision to become a priest was not a burning faith in God or anything like that. It was a decent career path to earn a living. But, Ariadne, as you know, the more you delve into theology, isn’t it really profound?”
Raphael spoke passionately, his steps unwavering.
“Where do humans come from and where are they going? Does original sin exist? Does God save us? If so, how should we live? Contemporary theology is an attempt to provide logical answers to these complex questions.”
It was the most common route for bright young people to become theologians. It was also the path that Cardinal de Mare took in his youth.
“Mystical theology must now be destroyed. The worship of miracles, supernatural powers, and natural phenomena. These things must now give way to the new-age culture.”
Ariadne just smiled silently. Outwardly, she was the most devout servant of the Gods and the guardian of logic and reason, but she had seen with her own eyes miracles and pagan powers that could not be explained by the Church. The world was a little more complicated than could be explained by logic.
“I really want to devote myself to teaching now. I have already decided to devote my life to research. In fact, I have already graduated from the major seminary in Padua without telling my parents.”
The major seminary of Padua was an institution of higher education that taught theology. Traditionally, to become a priest, one had to enter a monastery attached to the Holy See and learn theology step by step while doing odd jobs from a young age. That was the route Cardinal de Mare took.
However, with the establishment of a theological school at the University of Padua, the major seminary of Padua emerged as a course that produced elite priests over the past decade or so. Instead of learning while getting by at the affiliated monastery, the children of nobles and the illegitimate children of high-ranking clergy grew up receiving expensive education at the major seminary.
But something was strange. Ariadne asked.
“Didn’t you graduate from military school in Padua?”
The military school in Padua was the one Ippolito had attended. That was also the reason why Ariadne had decided to meet Raphael in the first place.
“That’s what they know at home. They must have struggled so much over the military science report card I had to send home...”
“So you made a fake transcript and sent it home? Shouldn’t it have the dean’s seal stamped on it and be sent out by the university?”
Was it this easy to falsify transcripts at Padua's military academy? Ariadne thought it might be worth checking out her brother Ippolito.
“No, no. I double majored in theology and military science. I thought I was going to die from studying two unrelated subjects at the same time. I remember how sweaty my back was when my required graduation classes overlapped!”
“Ah... A double major? That’s amazing.”
“What’s so great about it? Miss Ariadne, who refuted the Apostle of Asereto without any formal education, is truly amazing!”
She felt a mixture of disappointment and amazement. She was a little disappointed because it seemed less likely that Ippolito had falsified his transcripts, but the person in front of her seemed more impressive than she had thought, having completed both theology and military science. Out of a sense of amazement and a desire to hide her weaknesses, she praised Raphael generously.
“I was just lucky. There were a lot of related books in the house. So, Raphael, are you now joining the ‘Verum Queritis’ of the Basilica of Saint Ercole?”
'Verum Queritis' was a theological study group hosted by the Basilica of Saint Ercole, and it was too high-level to be considered a hobby but too low-level to be considered a full-time job. It was also a group that Cardinal de Mare had previously recommended to Ariadne, but Ariadne had been furious and declined. Structurally, only nobles who could afford to study without worrying about their livelihood could participate. However, Raphael shook his head.
“No. I plan to devote myself to teaching rather than joining a hobby group like that.”
Ariadne asked back, not quite understanding what Raphael meant.
"Yes?"
“Didn’t you graduate from military school in Padua?”
The military school in Padua was the one Ippolito had attended. That was also the reason why Ariadne had decided to meet Raphael in the first place.
“That’s what they know at home. They must have struggled so much over the military science report card I had to send home...”
“So you made a fake transcript and sent it home? Shouldn’t it have the dean’s seal stamped on it and be sent out by the university?”
Was it this easy to falsify transcripts at Padua's military academy? Ariadne thought it might be worth checking out her brother Ippolito.
“No, no. I double majored in theology and military science. I thought I was going to die from studying two unrelated subjects at the same time. I remember how sweaty my back was when my required graduation classes overlapped!”
“Ah... A double major? That’s amazing.”
“What’s so great about it? Miss Ariadne, who refuted the Apostle of Asereto without any formal education, is truly amazing!”
She felt a mixture of disappointment and amazement. She was a little disappointed because it seemed less likely that Ippolito had falsified his transcripts, but the person in front of her seemed more impressive than she had thought, having completed both theology and military science. Out of a sense of amazement and a desire to hide her weaknesses, she praised Raphael generously.
“I was just lucky. There were a lot of related books in the house. So, Raphael, are you now joining the ‘Verum Queritis’ of the Basilica of Saint Ercole?”
'Verum Queritis' was a theological study group hosted by the Basilica of Saint Ercole, and it was too high-level to be considered a hobby but too low-level to be considered a full-time job. It was also a group that Cardinal de Mare had previously recommended to Ariadne, but Ariadne had been furious and declined. Structurally, only nobles who could afford to study without worrying about their livelihood could participate. However, Raphael shook his head.
“No. I plan to devote myself to teaching rather than joining a hobby group like that.”
Ariadne asked back, not quite understanding what Raphael meant.
"Yes?"
He spoke with the aforementioned complexion, his silver eyelashes and red eyes sparkling.
“I have taken and passed the deacon exam, and as soon as I receive a letter of recommendation from a priest and am ordained as a deacon, I will enter the church.”
It was a bombshell declaration that he would leave the secular world and become a priest. This man is the only remaining successor to the Marquis Baldessar family.
“Your family... don’t you know?”
She doesn't know. It was a stupid question, but Ariadne was so surprised that she could only respond with this.
“Of course. If they had known, my parents would have left me alone.”
Raphael laughed cheerfully.
“You won’t tell them, will you? It’s our secret?”
Among the many conditions Alfonso had set, 'do not make secrets with Raphael alone' was not included. Besides, the moment Ariadne told this story to Julia or any other member of the Marquis Baldessar, the house would be turned upside down. Ariadne's head was already complicated by her own household affairs. She had no desire to get involved in other people's household affairs.
“I'll keep your secret.”
She nodded gracefully as she took the final turn of the waltz.
“It’s a promise.”
Raphael felt her palm with his left hand, which was holding hers as they danced the waltz, and hooked their little fingers.
“!”
Suddenly, Ariadne looked up at Raphael de Baldessar in surprise at the feeling of his hand being grasped, and at the same time, the orchestra played the last note of the waltz.
Dadan.
Raphael took a step back as if he had always done so, bowed gracefully, and greeted his partner.
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