Queen Marguerite, who had risen from her seat with Leo III in the middle of the ball, returned to the royal palace and took off her makeup. She had her servants take off her earrings when she received a message from her maid, Madame Carla.
“Your Majesty the Queen... Prince Alfonso has arrived.”
“Alfonso? At this hour?”
She had changed from her elaborate ball gown into a dressing gown, but she had not yet washed or removed her makeup.
“Aren’t he saying we’ll see each other tomorrow?”
“His Highness wait outside.”
Queen Marguerite sighed.
“It’s late... Then why don’t you tell him to come back in an hour? Tell him I’m going to go wash up and go out.”
“Your Majesty, I think it is... that you should come out now.”
Madame Carla, who never easily offended Queen Marguerite, bowed deeply. Queen Marguerite was a little surprised and asked back.
“What's going on?”
“It’s complicated for me to explain it myself... For now, everyone left and I told the two to wait in the ‘Queen’s Reception Room.’”
Queen Marguerite, who sensed something was wrong, dismissed all the maids who were helping to prepare the wedding with a single gesture. Whenever Alfonso came to see Queen Marguerite, he always went straight into the inner room and never met him in the 'Queen's Drawing Room', which was the place where guests were received outside. And 'those two'?
Queen Marguerite stumbled and then collapsed.
“Does this make any sense!”
Queen Marguerite, having regained her composure, rebuked Prince Alfonso.
“The Duke of Mireille!”
Alfonso let out a sigh.
“... In that situation, there was nothing I could do, oh my.”
He explained carefully.
“The culprit was strangling Ariadne. She was on the verge of suffocation. I first cut his from behind with a sword and then checked his face.”
Ariadne's first words were spoken after she entered the room to help Alfonso.
“...Your Majesty, you really didn’t know who he was. Who would have imagined that someone as big as the Duke of Mireille would commit such a crime in a foreign land?”
But Madame Carla did not miss this opportunity.
“If the Prince didn’t know, you should have known!”
Madame Carla had previously addressed Ariadne as a “young lady” when she had been a guest of Queen Marguerite, but in this situation today, she seemed to have no intention of treating her with any respect. In fact, Madame Carla, a foreigner, was more of a court official than a member of society. If they set aside the religious courtesy toward the cardinal and the connections in society, Ariadne was no different from a commoner, and Madame Carla had no need to treat her with respect.
“...”
This was clearly an unfair accusation. Ariadne had never even met the Duke of Mireille, not in her past life or in this life. But unlike Prince Alfonso, she was in no position to defend herself.
“How are we going to deal with this mess that happened because of you!”
Madame Carla scolded Ariadne harshly.
“Your Majesty, since the person you’re dealing with is the Duke of Mireille, we can’t just bury this as if it never happened. Even if we were to throw his body into the Tiber River without anyone finding out, His Majesty the King and the Kingdom of Gallico would not stay still!”
"Hmm."
Queen Marguerite could only let out a sigh.
“As soon as it becomes known that the Duke of Mireille is missing, the castle will be swarmed with dogs.”
The Queen asked.
“Sir Elko. Where did you hide the body of Duke Mireille?”
“...I put the garden tools in the shed attached to the palace and locked the door.”
It seems that this was a measure taken because the only place where Alfonso's men could completely control access was the Prince's palace. However, it was actually a bad move. Queen Marguerite laughed in vain. If the hunting dogs smelled it and followed it, they would immediately storm Alfonso's palace.
“Your Majesty, have you heard?”
Madame Carla raised her voice.
“There is only one way.”
She glanced at Ariadne.
“You must cast a shadow, Your Majesty the Queen. Find a loyal subordinate and have him confess to assassinating the Duke of Mireille. If he asks why he killed him, tell him that the Duke of Mireille was planning to do something terrible to that young lady and that he did it to save her.”
The Prince was completely out of the way, and the shadow servant was also pushing Ariadne to the brink of death instead of saving her life. Queen Marguerite slowly looked at Ariadne. Her calm blue-gray eyes met Ariadne's tired green eyes in the air. Ariadne's heart pounded. If the Queen approved that, Ariadne would be immediately ostracized in society and among the de Mare family. A woman who had caused a conflict between the Etruscan and Gallico kingdoms because she couldn't even keep her bearings right, a woman who had been through a bad thing and was no longer suitable as a marriage partner, a daughter with no commercial value.
'You're wagging your tail at the same time to the Prince and Count Cesare, how cute! The only place you'll go is to a convent!'
A virtual voice of accusation rang in her head. Ariadne closed her eyes. Finally, Queen Marguerite opened her mouth.
“...It’s one way...”
“Your Majesty the Queen... Prince Alfonso has arrived.”
“Alfonso? At this hour?”
She had changed from her elaborate ball gown into a dressing gown, but she had not yet washed or removed her makeup.
“Aren’t he saying we’ll see each other tomorrow?”
“His Highness wait outside.”
Queen Marguerite sighed.
“It’s late... Then why don’t you tell him to come back in an hour? Tell him I’m going to go wash up and go out.”
“Your Majesty, I think it is... that you should come out now.”
Madame Carla, who never easily offended Queen Marguerite, bowed deeply. Queen Marguerite was a little surprised and asked back.
“What's going on?”
“It’s complicated for me to explain it myself... For now, everyone left and I told the two to wait in the ‘Queen’s Reception Room.’”
Queen Marguerite, who sensed something was wrong, dismissed all the maids who were helping to prepare the wedding with a single gesture. Whenever Alfonso came to see Queen Marguerite, he always went straight into the inner room and never met him in the 'Queen's Drawing Room', which was the place where guests were received outside. And 'those two'?
Queen Marguerite said to Madame Carla with an ominous feeling.
“Let’s go out right away.”
“Let’s go out right away.”
***
As soon as Alfonso arrived at the Queen's palace, he called Madame Carla and told her that he must see his mother, and immediately sent someone to the Prince's palace to bring Sir Bernardino. Madame Carla immediately sent a servant, but Sir Bernardino, the Prince's secretary, was away because it was close to midnight, so instead, the Prince's knight, Sir Elko, was on duty.
He was the gray-haired knight who had escorted Ariadne to her secret meeting with Alfonso. Prince Alfonso ordered Sir Elko, who had rushed to the Queen's palace, to dispose of the body. He told him where the body of the Duke of Mireille was and told him to collect it without anyone noticing and put it in a safe place. Sir Elko answered without asking any questions.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“After you’ve stored it in a safe place, come to me immediately and report.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Since Sir Elko left to collect the body of the Duke of Mireille, Alfonso and Ariadne kept their mouths shut and said nothing. They waited in silence for Queen Marguerite to come out of the queen's drawing room. As the silence grew longer, Alfonso held Ariadne's hand tightly.
'...'
Ariadne's marks from being hit by Duke Mireille were now starting to swell properly. The bruises that had been red and then blue were now turning a deep purple, almost black. Her appearance was miserable, with purple bruises all around her neck and the blood drying on her lips from the fight. Her fever seemed to be rising. Or maybe it was because of the tension. Ariadne's body began to tremble. Alfonso noticed her, pulled off his cloak, and wrapped it around Ariadne. He wrapped her in the purple cloak, carefully checked that there were no places that were still open, and stroked her forehead.
“Are you cold?”
Ariadne, who was about to answer Alfonso’s question, stopped. Alfonso, who was looking at her without saying anything, also felt something strange and followed Ariadne’s gaze and looked back. There stood Queen Marguerite with her eyes wide open.
'...This.'
Ariadne clicked her tongue. Queen Marguerite’s expression was not good. She had to tell her the bad news verbally anyway—that her son was in love with a low-ranking girl and that he had killed a high-ranking nobleman because of her—but there was no need to tell him so vividly.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“After you’ve stored it in a safe place, come to me immediately and report.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Since Sir Elko left to collect the body of the Duke of Mireille, Alfonso and Ariadne kept their mouths shut and said nothing. They waited in silence for Queen Marguerite to come out of the queen's drawing room. As the silence grew longer, Alfonso held Ariadne's hand tightly.
'...'
Ariadne's marks from being hit by Duke Mireille were now starting to swell properly. The bruises that had been red and then blue were now turning a deep purple, almost black. Her appearance was miserable, with purple bruises all around her neck and the blood drying on her lips from the fight. Her fever seemed to be rising. Or maybe it was because of the tension. Ariadne's body began to tremble. Alfonso noticed her, pulled off his cloak, and wrapped it around Ariadne. He wrapped her in the purple cloak, carefully checked that there were no places that were still open, and stroked her forehead.
“Are you cold?”
Ariadne, who was about to answer Alfonso’s question, stopped. Alfonso, who was looking at her without saying anything, also felt something strange and followed Ariadne’s gaze and looked back. There stood Queen Marguerite with her eyes wide open.
'...This.'
Ariadne clicked her tongue. Queen Marguerite’s expression was not good. She had to tell her the bad news verbally anyway—that her son was in love with a low-ranking girl and that he had killed a high-ranking nobleman because of her—but there was no need to tell him so vividly.
From Queen Marguerite’s perspective, it was like being struck by lightning in the middle of the night. She had rushed to the reception room because her son was waiting for her at this late hour, only to find her son with a girl who must have been beaten up somewhere. To make matters worse, her son was affectionately touching the girl. She felt dizzy and stumbled, holding her forehead.
“Your Majesty the Queen!”
Madame Carla, who had followed Queen Marguerite, hurriedly helped her up. Madame Carla could not bring herself to speak first while the Queen remained silent, but she glared at Ariadne with fierce eyes and revealed her feelings without hesitation.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
After taking a moment to catch her breath, Queen Marguerite first asked Prince Alfonso.
“You didn’t do it, did you?”
She asked, pointing to the disheveled Ariadne with her chin. Both Alfonso and Ariadne were startled.
“No, no.”
Alfonso replied with a big wave of his hand. Ariadne wanted to explain the situation further, but she kept her mouth shut because she thought that if she intervened here, there would be a bad outcome.
“How did this happen...”
Prince Alfonso explained to Queen Marguerite that an unknown man had kidnapped Ariadne in the palace carriage and assaulted her and that he had rescued her. Queen Marguerite sighed in relief at the knowledge that her son was not a scoundrel who beat up women and asked,
“So, what happened to the assailant? Did you catch him?”
The two were looking down at the floor without saying a word. Alfonso was a child who had no secrets from his mother, and the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare next to him was a child whose mouth would open even if she fell into the water. Queen Marguerite, who felt ominous at the fact that the two of them were both keeping their mouths shut and not saying a word, urged them again.
“Did he run away? Did you miss it?”
“... he died.”
Alfonso spoke heavily.
“...I killed him.”
Queen Marguerite covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. Madame Carla also looked at Alfonso in great surprise.
“Our Prince... !”
Madame Carla screamed.
“What should I do with this!”
This is the first murder committed by Alfonso de Carlo. Alfonso felt the heavy weight of the weight and silently looked down at the floor. Madame Carla glared at Ariadne, who was just bowing her head next to Prince Alfonso and shouted sharply.
“You...! Because of you, our prince...! If it weren’t for you... !”
"Stop."
It was Queen Marguerite who stopped Madame Carla.
“Don’t be so excited, Carla. Alfonso is the monarch of the Etruscan kingdom and a proud knight. It is only a matter of time before blood is shed on the hands of a monarch who must defend his country.”
“Your Majesty the Queen...!”
“Get there.”
Queen Marguerite spoke firmly and looked at her son, who was bowing his head.
“Alfonso. If you had not killed him then, wouldn’t you have been able to save the child?”
“...Yes, Mother.”
The queen approached her son and embraced him gently.
“Then you did the right thing. You don’t have to feel guilty.”
She hugged her son warmly and patted him. Alfonso, who had been frozen in embarrassment, excitement, and the responsibility to protect his woman, belatedly began to cry. He barely held back his tears, not wanting to look bad in front of Ariadne. It was disqualifying for a man to cry in his mother’s arms in front of his girlfriend.
“How did you deal with the dead person?”
But when Queen Marguerite asked them a question, the two were once again speechless and kept their mouths shut.
“You said that kid was dragged away and beaten?”
Queen Marguerite looked at Ariadne with sharp eyes. In addition to being beaten, her collar was torn.
“If this gets out to people, that kid won’t be in good company in society either.”
She had a keen insight into the ecology of the San Carlo aristocracy.
“They’ll just talk about bad things regardless of the truth.”
Ariadne only lowered her head further towards the floor.
“And I don’t want my son to be publicly displayed for killing someone. I feel sorry for the dead man, but let’s just wrap things up and move on.”
The Queen looked at the two young men who were staring at the floor without answering a word and asked them.
“Why, is there the problem?”
At that moment, there was a knock outside the Queen's reception room. The servants had clearly been told to leave, so they all turned their heads in surprise toward the door. The voice of the person who had knocked was heard from outside.
“Your Majesty the Queen!”
Madame Carla, who had followed Queen Marguerite, hurriedly helped her up. Madame Carla could not bring herself to speak first while the Queen remained silent, but she glared at Ariadne with fierce eyes and revealed her feelings without hesitation.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
After taking a moment to catch her breath, Queen Marguerite first asked Prince Alfonso.
“You didn’t do it, did you?”
She asked, pointing to the disheveled Ariadne with her chin. Both Alfonso and Ariadne were startled.
“No, no.”
Alfonso replied with a big wave of his hand. Ariadne wanted to explain the situation further, but she kept her mouth shut because she thought that if she intervened here, there would be a bad outcome.
“How did this happen...”
Prince Alfonso explained to Queen Marguerite that an unknown man had kidnapped Ariadne in the palace carriage and assaulted her and that he had rescued her. Queen Marguerite sighed in relief at the knowledge that her son was not a scoundrel who beat up women and asked,
“So, what happened to the assailant? Did you catch him?”
The two were looking down at the floor without saying a word. Alfonso was a child who had no secrets from his mother, and the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare next to him was a child whose mouth would open even if she fell into the water. Queen Marguerite, who felt ominous at the fact that the two of them were both keeping their mouths shut and not saying a word, urged them again.
“Did he run away? Did you miss it?”
“... he died.”
Alfonso spoke heavily.
“...I killed him.”
Queen Marguerite covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. Madame Carla also looked at Alfonso in great surprise.
“Our Prince... !”
Madame Carla screamed.
“What should I do with this!”
This is the first murder committed by Alfonso de Carlo. Alfonso felt the heavy weight of the weight and silently looked down at the floor. Madame Carla glared at Ariadne, who was just bowing her head next to Prince Alfonso and shouted sharply.
“You...! Because of you, our prince...! If it weren’t for you... !”
"Stop."
It was Queen Marguerite who stopped Madame Carla.
“Don’t be so excited, Carla. Alfonso is the monarch of the Etruscan kingdom and a proud knight. It is only a matter of time before blood is shed on the hands of a monarch who must defend his country.”
“Your Majesty the Queen...!”
“Get there.”
Queen Marguerite spoke firmly and looked at her son, who was bowing his head.
“Alfonso. If you had not killed him then, wouldn’t you have been able to save the child?”
“...Yes, Mother.”
The queen approached her son and embraced him gently.
“Then you did the right thing. You don’t have to feel guilty.”
She hugged her son warmly and patted him. Alfonso, who had been frozen in embarrassment, excitement, and the responsibility to protect his woman, belatedly began to cry. He barely held back his tears, not wanting to look bad in front of Ariadne. It was disqualifying for a man to cry in his mother’s arms in front of his girlfriend.
“How did you deal with the dead person?”
But when Queen Marguerite asked them a question, the two were once again speechless and kept their mouths shut.
“You said that kid was dragged away and beaten?”
Queen Marguerite looked at Ariadne with sharp eyes. In addition to being beaten, her collar was torn.
“If this gets out to people, that kid won’t be in good company in society either.”
She had a keen insight into the ecology of the San Carlo aristocracy.
“They’ll just talk about bad things regardless of the truth.”
Ariadne only lowered her head further towards the floor.
“And I don’t want my son to be publicly displayed for killing someone. I feel sorry for the dead man, but let’s just wrap things up and move on.”
The Queen looked at the two young men who were staring at the floor without answering a word and asked them.
“Why, is there the problem?”
At that moment, there was a knock outside the Queen's reception room. The servants had clearly been told to leave, so they all turned their heads in surprise toward the door. The voice of the person who had knocked was heard from outside.
“Your Highness, this is Elko.”
Since Alfonso had ordered him to report to him immediately after hiding the body of the Duke of Mireille in a safe place, the honest Lord Elko must have returned straight to the Queen's palace. Prince Alfonso said with a sigh of relief.
“Come in.”
The ash-haired knight entered, knelt on one knee, and addressed Prince Alfonso.
“As Your Highness the Prince commanded, the body of the Duke of Mireille has been hidden in a safe place.”
Queen Marguerite's eyes widened. Madame Carla also looked around, wondering what she had heard wrong.
“Now, what are you saying...”
Prince Alfonso answered on behalf of Sir Elko.
“Mother. The person I killed was the Duke of Mireille of the Kingdom of Gallico.”
Since Alfonso had ordered him to report to him immediately after hiding the body of the Duke of Mireille in a safe place, the honest Lord Elko must have returned straight to the Queen's palace. Prince Alfonso said with a sigh of relief.
“Come in.”
The ash-haired knight entered, knelt on one knee, and addressed Prince Alfonso.
“As Your Highness the Prince commanded, the body of the Duke of Mireille has been hidden in a safe place.”
Queen Marguerite's eyes widened. Madame Carla also looked around, wondering what she had heard wrong.
“Now, what are you saying...”
Prince Alfonso answered on behalf of Sir Elko.
“Mother. The person I killed was the Duke of Mireille of the Kingdom of Gallico.”
Queen Marguerite stumbled and then collapsed.
***
“Does this make any sense!”
Queen Marguerite, having regained her composure, rebuked Prince Alfonso.
“The Duke of Mireille!”
Alfonso let out a sigh.
“... In that situation, there was nothing I could do, oh my.”
He explained carefully.
“The culprit was strangling Ariadne. She was on the verge of suffocation. I first cut his from behind with a sword and then checked his face.”
Ariadne's first words were spoken after she entered the room to help Alfonso.
“...Your Majesty, you really didn’t know who he was. Who would have imagined that someone as big as the Duke of Mireille would commit such a crime in a foreign land?”
But Madame Carla did not miss this opportunity.
“If the Prince didn’t know, you should have known!”
Madame Carla had previously addressed Ariadne as a “young lady” when she had been a guest of Queen Marguerite, but in this situation today, she seemed to have no intention of treating her with any respect. In fact, Madame Carla, a foreigner, was more of a court official than a member of society. If they set aside the religious courtesy toward the cardinal and the connections in society, Ariadne was no different from a commoner, and Madame Carla had no need to treat her with respect.
“...”
This was clearly an unfair accusation. Ariadne had never even met the Duke of Mireille, not in her past life or in this life. But unlike Prince Alfonso, she was in no position to defend herself.
“How are we going to deal with this mess that happened because of you!”
Madame Carla scolded Ariadne harshly.
“Your Majesty, since the person you’re dealing with is the Duke of Mireille, we can’t just bury this as if it never happened. Even if we were to throw his body into the Tiber River without anyone finding out, His Majesty the King and the Kingdom of Gallico would not stay still!”
"Hmm."
Queen Marguerite could only let out a sigh.
“As soon as it becomes known that the Duke of Mireille is missing, the castle will be swarmed with dogs.”
The Queen asked.
“Sir Elko. Where did you hide the body of Duke Mireille?”
“...I put the garden tools in the shed attached to the palace and locked the door.”
It seems that this was a measure taken because the only place where Alfonso's men could completely control access was the Prince's palace. However, it was actually a bad move. Queen Marguerite laughed in vain. If the hunting dogs smelled it and followed it, they would immediately storm Alfonso's palace.
“Your Majesty, have you heard?”
Madame Carla raised her voice.
“There is only one way.”
She glanced at Ariadne.
“You must cast a shadow, Your Majesty the Queen. Find a loyal subordinate and have him confess to assassinating the Duke of Mireille. If he asks why he killed him, tell him that the Duke of Mireille was planning to do something terrible to that young lady and that he did it to save her.”
The Prince was completely out of the way, and the shadow servant was also pushing Ariadne to the brink of death instead of saving her life. Queen Marguerite slowly looked at Ariadne. Her calm blue-gray eyes met Ariadne's tired green eyes in the air. Ariadne's heart pounded. If the Queen approved that, Ariadne would be immediately ostracized in society and among the de Mare family. A woman who had caused a conflict between the Etruscan and Gallico kingdoms because she couldn't even keep her bearings right, a woman who had been through a bad thing and was no longer suitable as a marriage partner, a daughter with no commercial value.
'You're wagging your tail at the same time to the Prince and Count Cesare, how cute! The only place you'll go is to a convent!'
A virtual voice of accusation rang in her head. Ariadne closed her eyes. Finally, Queen Marguerite opened her mouth.
“...It’s one way...”
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