The daffodil garden was one of the easiest to find among the palace gardens. The daffodils were all short, so the entire path of the garden could be seen at a glance. Moreover, Ariadne lived in the Palazzo Carlo for nine years. She could find all the alleys of the palace with her eyes closed. She set foot in the daffodil garden at night, when the scent was strong.
"Ari!"
Alfonso's voice greeted her. He quickly picked up the sound and ran from under the vine arch in the center of the daffodil garden, extending his hand to her as she walked from the entrance.
“Wasn’t it hard to find your way? I was worried because it took so long.”
Ariadne stared blankly at Alfonso. The blue-purple sky was embroidered with stars like jewels, and Alfonso, wearing a light blue court dress and with hair that looked like melted gold, matched it well. Thinking of Alfonso’s blue dress and the orange dress of the Grand Duchess Lariesa walking the floor together for two songs, Ariadne briefly considered swatting his hand away, but she liked Alfonso too much for that. Ariadne did not hide her displeasure, but eventually, a moment too late, she took Alfonso’s outstretched hand.
"Fool."
Alfonso smiled and pulled Ariadne's hand toward him, placing his lips on her fingertips.
“Take off your gloves.”
"Why?"
“You danced with Count Cesare, holding hands? Take off your gloves now.”
He told her to take it off, but Alfonso, unable to bear it any longer, bit Ariadne's silk gloves with his teeth, pulled them off, and kissed her fingers.
“Hmm.”
The argument was meaningless. Alfonso must know that she is weak for him, Ariadne thought to herself. Alfonso’s lips broke Ariadne’s thoughts. He ran his lips down to the roots of her fingers and rubbed them against the soft part where they separated.
“Ahh...!”
Ariadne tried to clench her palm at the sensation of it touching her sensitive spot.
“Shh, stay still.”
Alfonso advanced toward the center of the palm. Ariadne twisted her body at the tickling breath.
“Hey, don’t do that.”
At her restraint, Alfonso looked up at Ariadne's face. He had already embraced her. Alfonso whispered in her ear.
“I thought I was going crazy when you danced with that old Cesare.”
Alfonso met her gaze with half-reasoned eyes and stared intently at Ariadne. Ariadne immediately answered.
“You too, Princess Lariesa...”
But Ariadne couldn't finish the sentence. Alfonso paused for a moment and then, without saying a word, covered Ariadne's lips.
"...Eup!"
It was a bold move. Alfonso clung to Ariadne fiercely, as if trying to make up for the torment he had endured all evening. His hot breath tickled her skin. In addition to the dense daffodil scent that filled the garden, Alfonso had a refined scent of sandalwood.
Ariadne felt pity for Raphael, but not only because he was weak.
“He has talent and will, but he has to change his career path because of objective limitations...”
And Alfonso would not stand by and watch his woman waste her sympathy on strange things.
“Do you keep talking about other men in front of me?”
“Alfonso, when you become King, you must create a world where everyone can blossom with their talents.”
Ariadne looked at Alfonso seriously.
“A society where anyone with ability, regardless of status, whether commoner, illegitimate, or female, can enter the Curia Regis and where talented people can continue the family line.”
Even as they were talking about their future, she was almost pressed against the Prince, leaning against the arch in the middle of the fragrant daffodil garden. Above the neckline of her deep blue dress, Ariadne’s pure white neckline, collarbone, and breasts rose and fell with her breath, perfectly seductively, right before Alfonso’s nose.
“This isn’t necessarily good for the marginalized. It’s bad for the people involved, too, when their paths are set for high-ranking nobles. Raphael actually wants to be a theologian, but he has to inherit the family name―”
Alfonso pulled Ariadne close and hugged her.
"...Eup!"
He didn't want to hear another man's name from Ariadne's pretty rabbit lips anymore. Without saying a word, he covered her lips and made her speechless. Ariadne tried to pat Alfonso's chest twice with her hand, but soon gave in to the sweet invasion of affection and devoted herself to a sweet kiss. The young lovers kissed passionately under the pale, broken moonlight. His golden hair shone in the white moonlight, and her jet-black hair and white skin glistened in the moonlight. Alfonso in his light blue robe and Ariadne in her dark blue dress were a pair of unparalleled handsome men and beautiful women.
“...!”
In a small garden filled with the fragrance of daffodils, a young woman saw a passionate young couple kissing. She was of medium height, with plain brown hair and skin as soft as flour. The dress she was wearing was a very bright dress of bright crimson and yellow, but it did not match her dull appearance at all. The woman in the crimson dress standing tall at the entrance of the daffodil garden thought herself to be a foreigner who did not belong there.
'Prince Alfonso...! And that woman...!'
The Lady of the Daffodil Garden, Princess Lariesa, looked at the pair of lovers kissing frantically, trying to figure out the identity of the other woman. The black hair and blue dress shone in the darkness, and after a long wait, the woman's side profile was revealed, reflected in the moonlight in a hazy manner.
'Cardinal de Mare's second daughter...! It was that woman after all...!'
The first emotion Lariesa felt when she witnessed the kiss between Prince Alfonso and the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare in the daffodil garden was an intense feeling of shame.
'I'm ugly and plain, so the Prince chose that woman over me.'
It didn't matter whether it was true or not. Lariesa truly believed it. The second emotion that came to her was burning jealousy.
'But what makes that woman better than me? Is she an unparalleled beauty? Is she of high status? What makes her worthy of being my fiancée's lover?'
This quickly led to anger.
'She must have done something dirty! That woman was flirting with my man!'
The hostility toward Prince Alfonso was unconsciously folded and closed. It was all that woman’s fault. If only that woman had disappeared, the Prince and the Princess would have lived happily ever after, it could have been said, but that woman ruined it all.
"Ari!"
Alfonso's voice greeted her. He quickly picked up the sound and ran from under the vine arch in the center of the daffodil garden, extending his hand to her as she walked from the entrance.
“Wasn’t it hard to find your way? I was worried because it took so long.”
Ariadne stared blankly at Alfonso. The blue-purple sky was embroidered with stars like jewels, and Alfonso, wearing a light blue court dress and with hair that looked like melted gold, matched it well. Thinking of Alfonso’s blue dress and the orange dress of the Grand Duchess Lariesa walking the floor together for two songs, Ariadne briefly considered swatting his hand away, but she liked Alfonso too much for that. Ariadne did not hide her displeasure, but eventually, a moment too late, she took Alfonso’s outstretched hand.
"Fool."
Alfonso smiled and pulled Ariadne's hand toward him, placing his lips on her fingertips.
“Take off your gloves.”
"Why?"
“You danced with Count Cesare, holding hands? Take off your gloves now.”
He told her to take it off, but Alfonso, unable to bear it any longer, bit Ariadne's silk gloves with his teeth, pulled them off, and kissed her fingers.
“Hmm.”
The argument was meaningless. Alfonso must know that she is weak for him, Ariadne thought to herself. Alfonso’s lips broke Ariadne’s thoughts. He ran his lips down to the roots of her fingers and rubbed them against the soft part where they separated.
“Ahh...!”
Ariadne tried to clench her palm at the sensation of it touching her sensitive spot.
“Shh, stay still.”
Alfonso advanced toward the center of the palm. Ariadne twisted her body at the tickling breath.
“Hey, don’t do that.”
At her restraint, Alfonso looked up at Ariadne's face. He had already embraced her. Alfonso whispered in her ear.
“I thought I was going crazy when you danced with that old Cesare.”
Alfonso met her gaze with half-reasoned eyes and stared intently at Ariadne. Ariadne immediately answered.
“You too, Princess Lariesa...”
But Ariadne couldn't finish the sentence. Alfonso paused for a moment and then, without saying a word, covered Ariadne's lips.
"...Eup!"
It was a bold move. Alfonso clung to Ariadne fiercely, as if trying to make up for the torment he had endured all evening. His hot breath tickled her skin. In addition to the dense daffodil scent that filled the garden, Alfonso had a refined scent of sandalwood.
Ariadne, who had seemed to push him away at first, soon responded passionately to Alfonso’s kiss. She hugged him with both arms as if hanging on his neck, and kissed him, and his hands slid into her nape as if to hold her. As Alfonso tightened his grip on Ariadne, she pressed even closer to him, and Alfonso could not come to his senses as her soft body touched his upper body.
"Ha...!"
His kiss became deeper and more intense. Ariadne took a deep breath, short of breath. Alfonso did not let her go and continued to follow her persistently. Ariadne’s half-tied hair was being tousled by Alfonso’s hands. Ariadne smelled good. Alfonso, who was not particularly interested in perfume, did not know what it was, but he remembered clearly that it was Ariadne’s scent. He inhaled every last drop of anything related to her.
“Ahh...”
Ariadne squirmed slightly in his arms. It seemed as if he was holding her too tightly, causing her pain. He barely regained his senses and looked up at the sky after holding her close to the point of breaking.
'Oh God in heaven, accept the burnt offering I offer to you...'
Ariadne sweetly parted her lips, unaware that Alfonso was reciting the Lord's Prayer in his mind, and looked up at him with her starry green eyes. He, too, stared back at her with deep-set eyes. The young lovers were embracing, their eyes locked in a garden of daffodils. Alfonso nuzzled Ariadne's cheek with his nose. He suddenly spoke.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hang up with Lariesa in time.”
Ariadne, who missed the timing to strike, looked up at Alfonso. If he apologizes first like this, there will be nothing she can say.
“I told her clearly that I don’t want to marry her.”
Then Ariadne's eyes widened and she looked straight at Alfonso.
“Are you okay? She wasn’t angry or anything?”
His temper seemed serious. Alfonso shook his head.
“No. She seemed shocked, but she didn’t cry or scream or anything.”
Ariadne sighed in relief. They had not expected much from Princess Lariesa in the first place. It was a success that she did not immediately start screaming or throwing a tantrum.
“Why did you say that at the ballroom? It could have gotten you in trouble.”
Ariadne couldn't help but say something harsh because she was worried about Alfonso. She hated seeing Alfonso in danger more than she would die. Alfonso tried to comfort Ariadne.
“You spoke well. You spoke so well that I had to dance one more song.”
Alfonso rubbed Ariadne's cheek with his own. Ariadne glared at Alfonso and pushed him away slightly. However, she could not hide the half-moon smile that was playing in her eyes.
“My makeup will come off.”
“So look at it.”
He clung to her in a coquettish manner.
“I had a really hard time talking to you without you yelling or causing trouble.”
This time, Ariadne couldn't hold it in anymore and giggled softly as she stroked Alfonso's hair.
“Well done, you worked hard, my puppy.”
A big smile appeared on Alfonso's face, confirming that her anger had subsided.
“But our cat, you know, sneaks out when the owner is away and dances with other men.”
Now that they have confirmed that the anger has subsided, it is time to punish the cat for its misdeeds, Alfonso demanded, ruffling Ariadne's hair.
“Why on earth did you dance with Count Cesare? Where was that Raphael and what was he doing that left you alone with him?”
“Ouch. Ouch.”
Ariadne complained exaggeratedly that her hair was tangled and pulling. Alfonso stopped his teasing hands and Ariadne replied with her lips pouting.
“The Prince is dancing with his fiancée, so how can I not dance a waltz with another man?”
Alfonso, who was at a loss for words, touched the nape of Ariadne's neck and protested silently. The blame on the Amen people was a bonus.
“Raphael was wrong.”
“He went to dance the second waltz with Julia.”
“Even if Julia was his sister, he should have stayed by your side!”
All he asked of Raphael was to escort her, and he never asked him to 'keep a close eye on my woman', but Alfonso was already angry. Ariadne danced with Cesare, so Alfonso's only option was to vent his anger on Raphael, who couldn't be angry at Ariadne. Ariadne continued the story, reading Alfonso's mood or wanting to tease him more.
“But Marquis Baldessar seems to be very weak. He has been sickly since childhood.”
“What? That guy? Didn’t he say he had the knighthood ready?”
“I heard he quit because he was weak.”
Alfonso stuck out his tongue, dumbfounded at his friend's weak disguise.
“Raphael is the best swordsman in the kingdom. No one can match Raphael in swordsmanship. He just stopped training outdoors because sunlight is bad for his eyes. What’s his weakness?”
"Poor him..."
"Ha...!"
His kiss became deeper and more intense. Ariadne took a deep breath, short of breath. Alfonso did not let her go and continued to follow her persistently. Ariadne’s half-tied hair was being tousled by Alfonso’s hands. Ariadne smelled good. Alfonso, who was not particularly interested in perfume, did not know what it was, but he remembered clearly that it was Ariadne’s scent. He inhaled every last drop of anything related to her.
“Ahh...”
Ariadne squirmed slightly in his arms. It seemed as if he was holding her too tightly, causing her pain. He barely regained his senses and looked up at the sky after holding her close to the point of breaking.
'Oh God in heaven, accept the burnt offering I offer to you...'
Ariadne sweetly parted her lips, unaware that Alfonso was reciting the Lord's Prayer in his mind, and looked up at him with her starry green eyes. He, too, stared back at her with deep-set eyes. The young lovers were embracing, their eyes locked in a garden of daffodils. Alfonso nuzzled Ariadne's cheek with his nose. He suddenly spoke.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hang up with Lariesa in time.”
Ariadne, who missed the timing to strike, looked up at Alfonso. If he apologizes first like this, there will be nothing she can say.
“I told her clearly that I don’t want to marry her.”
Then Ariadne's eyes widened and she looked straight at Alfonso.
“Are you okay? She wasn’t angry or anything?”
His temper seemed serious. Alfonso shook his head.
“No. She seemed shocked, but she didn’t cry or scream or anything.”
Ariadne sighed in relief. They had not expected much from Princess Lariesa in the first place. It was a success that she did not immediately start screaming or throwing a tantrum.
“Why did you say that at the ballroom? It could have gotten you in trouble.”
Ariadne couldn't help but say something harsh because she was worried about Alfonso. She hated seeing Alfonso in danger more than she would die. Alfonso tried to comfort Ariadne.
“You spoke well. You spoke so well that I had to dance one more song.”
Alfonso rubbed Ariadne's cheek with his own. Ariadne glared at Alfonso and pushed him away slightly. However, she could not hide the half-moon smile that was playing in her eyes.
“My makeup will come off.”
“So look at it.”
He clung to her in a coquettish manner.
“I had a really hard time talking to you without you yelling or causing trouble.”
This time, Ariadne couldn't hold it in anymore and giggled softly as she stroked Alfonso's hair.
“Well done, you worked hard, my puppy.”
A big smile appeared on Alfonso's face, confirming that her anger had subsided.
“But our cat, you know, sneaks out when the owner is away and dances with other men.”
Now that they have confirmed that the anger has subsided, it is time to punish the cat for its misdeeds, Alfonso demanded, ruffling Ariadne's hair.
“Why on earth did you dance with Count Cesare? Where was that Raphael and what was he doing that left you alone with him?”
“Ouch. Ouch.”
Ariadne complained exaggeratedly that her hair was tangled and pulling. Alfonso stopped his teasing hands and Ariadne replied with her lips pouting.
“The Prince is dancing with his fiancée, so how can I not dance a waltz with another man?”
Alfonso, who was at a loss for words, touched the nape of Ariadne's neck and protested silently. The blame on the Amen people was a bonus.
“Raphael was wrong.”
“He went to dance the second waltz with Julia.”
“Even if Julia was his sister, he should have stayed by your side!”
All he asked of Raphael was to escort her, and he never asked him to 'keep a close eye on my woman', but Alfonso was already angry. Ariadne danced with Cesare, so Alfonso's only option was to vent his anger on Raphael, who couldn't be angry at Ariadne. Ariadne continued the story, reading Alfonso's mood or wanting to tease him more.
“But Marquis Baldessar seems to be very weak. He has been sickly since childhood.”
“What? That guy? Didn’t he say he had the knighthood ready?”
“I heard he quit because he was weak.”
Alfonso stuck out his tongue, dumbfounded at his friend's weak disguise.
“Raphael is the best swordsman in the kingdom. No one can match Raphael in swordsmanship. He just stopped training outdoors because sunlight is bad for his eyes. What’s his weakness?”
"Poor him..."
Ariadne felt pity for Raphael, but not only because he was weak.
“He has talent and will, but he has to change his career path because of objective limitations...”
And Alfonso would not stand by and watch his woman waste her sympathy on strange things.
“Do you keep talking about other men in front of me?”
“Alfonso, when you become King, you must create a world where everyone can blossom with their talents.”
Ariadne looked at Alfonso seriously.
“A society where anyone with ability, regardless of status, whether commoner, illegitimate, or female, can enter the Curia Regis and where talented people can continue the family line.”
Even as they were talking about their future, she was almost pressed against the Prince, leaning against the arch in the middle of the fragrant daffodil garden. Above the neckline of her deep blue dress, Ariadne’s pure white neckline, collarbone, and breasts rose and fell with her breath, perfectly seductively, right before Alfonso’s nose.
“This isn’t necessarily good for the marginalized. It’s bad for the people involved, too, when their paths are set for high-ranking nobles. Raphael actually wants to be a theologian, but he has to inherit the family name―”
Alfonso pulled Ariadne close and hugged her.
"...Eup!"
He didn't want to hear another man's name from Ariadne's pretty rabbit lips anymore. Without saying a word, he covered her lips and made her speechless. Ariadne tried to pat Alfonso's chest twice with her hand, but soon gave in to the sweet invasion of affection and devoted herself to a sweet kiss. The young lovers kissed passionately under the pale, broken moonlight. His golden hair shone in the white moonlight, and her jet-black hair and white skin glistened in the moonlight. Alfonso in his light blue robe and Ariadne in her dark blue dress were a pair of unparalleled handsome men and beautiful women.
“...!”
In a small garden filled with the fragrance of daffodils, a young woman saw a passionate young couple kissing. She was of medium height, with plain brown hair and skin as soft as flour. The dress she was wearing was a very bright dress of bright crimson and yellow, but it did not match her dull appearance at all. The woman in the crimson dress standing tall at the entrance of the daffodil garden thought herself to be a foreigner who did not belong there.
'Prince Alfonso...! And that woman...!'
The Lady of the Daffodil Garden, Princess Lariesa, looked at the pair of lovers kissing frantically, trying to figure out the identity of the other woman. The black hair and blue dress shone in the darkness, and after a long wait, the woman's side profile was revealed, reflected in the moonlight in a hazy manner.
'Cardinal de Mare's second daughter...! It was that woman after all...!'
The first emotion Lariesa felt when she witnessed the kiss between Prince Alfonso and the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare in the daffodil garden was an intense feeling of shame.
'I'm ugly and plain, so the Prince chose that woman over me.'
It didn't matter whether it was true or not. Lariesa truly believed it. The second emotion that came to her was burning jealousy.
'But what makes that woman better than me? Is she an unparalleled beauty? Is she of high status? What makes her worthy of being my fiancée's lover?'
This quickly led to anger.
'She must have done something dirty! That woman was flirting with my man!'
The hostility toward Prince Alfonso was unconsciously folded and closed. It was all that woman’s fault. If only that woman had disappeared, the Prince and the Princess would have lived happily ever after, it could have been said, but that woman ruined it all.
Lariesa had both a surging anger and the confidence that she was right. However, she couldn’t bring herself to storm into this scene screaming. She also vaguely knew. Today, she had heard a firm declaration of separation from Prince Alfonso. If she had tried to attack him now, it would have been nothing more than a woman who had been kicked out and was going crazy over a normal couple. The just cause she had, the accusation that Prince Alfonso had ruined negotiations between countries, those things would only work when other people were around.
If Princess Lariesa had attacked them now, with only the three of them, it was obvious to Lariesa, who didn’t use her brain very well, what the outcome would be. Alfonso would treat Lariesa like a crazy person and protect his fox. At that thought, a flame of anger rose up in Lariesa's chest. She turned away from the daffodil garden and headed toward the palace with a rough, stomping pace.
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