"What? Prince Alfonso is coming to Montpellier?!"
Princess Lariesa straightened up from her slanted chair as soon as she heard the news.
She quickly recovered her health after returning home and settling down in the arms of familiar people. Her stubborn temperament and unstable mood were also much better than when she was in San Carlo.
"Get your bearings right, Princess!"
Madame Eugenie warned Princess Lariesa, who had moved suddenly. Madame Eugenie, a maid who had followed her from the parents' house of Princess Bernadette, was the nanny of her deceased older sister Suzanne, and the closest confidant of her mother, Princess Bernadette. She was the highest a non-noble woman could rise to, and the most powerful person in the family.
Princess Lariesa straightened up from her slanted chair as soon as she heard the news.
She quickly recovered her health after returning home and settling down in the arms of familiar people. Her stubborn temperament and unstable mood were also much better than when she was in San Carlo.
"Get your bearings right, Princess!"
Madame Eugenie warned Princess Lariesa, who had moved suddenly. Madame Eugenie, a maid who had followed her from the parents' house of Princess Bernadette, was the nanny of her deceased older sister Suzanne, and the closest confidant of her mother, Princess Bernadette. She was the highest a non-noble woman could rise to, and the most powerful person in the family.
Princess Lariesa immediately bowed her head in fear.
Princess Bernadette, who was next to her, spoke up.
“You’re here, my dear.”
He nodded to the Grand Duchess Bernadette and glared at his daughter with stern eyes.
“Don’t act rashly, Lariesa!”
“...Yes?”
As soon as her father entered the room, she was scolded. She thought she had done nothing wrong. Lariesa’s face turned red with injustice.
However, Grand Duke Odes, unusually for his daughter, raised his stern voice to Lariesa without a shred of pity.
“Don’t even think about coming near the Prince!”
“Yes? Father?”
Grand Duchess Lariesa’s slitted eyes widened.
Grand duchess Bernadette asked instead of her, who was frozen in fear of her father.
“Why, my dear? Isn’t His Majesty inviting the Etruscan Prince for the purpose of a marriage alliance? Do you have another match besides our Lariesa?”
Behind him, Madame Eugenie muttered words like, “The little Grand Duchess is acting like that, so she’s a simpleton.” But Grand Duke Odes paid no attention to her and only answered Grand Duchess Bernadette.
“You too, don’t bother with that. Make sure Lariesa doesn’t wander out of the house.”
Grand Duchess Bernadette was an obedient woman. She was curious, but she didn’t press her husband further. She bowed her head and answered.
“Yes, my dear.”
Lariesa was burning inside.
“No way... Does the Prince have another wife besides me? In this kingdom of Gallico?”
“It’s nice to see you again.”
Ariadne smiled broadly and glanced at the middle-aged man with a goatee sitting in front of her. He answered “hmm” neither politely nor rudely as if he didn’t know why this place was set up.
Ariadne was currently visiting Camellia’s house and meeting Baron Castiglione alone.
“What kind of fun things have brought you to visit your friend’s father today?”
The Baron of Castiglione was definitely able to take revenge on the Margrave of Gaeta thanks to Ariadne's tip last time. The Margrave of Gaeta, a member of the old noble family with a high sense of pride, was being dragged around and humiliated by the new master who suddenly appeared in his own corner of the house.
The Marquis of Montefeltro, who had a bold personality, happened to be a military expert, and outside the walls of the Gaeta fiefdom, the elite knights of Gallico were encamped. The Marquis of Montefeltro also had the excuse that he had come to resolve the Gallico situation under the orders of Leo III. The Marquis of Montefeltro was furious at the fact that the elite knights of Gallico were stationed right in front of him, while the infantry of Gaeta Castle was a rabble and the walls were in a state of ruin. He began harsh military training for the soldiers of the Count of Gaeta without caring about the honor of the Marquis of Gaeta.
When the Marquis of Gaeta tried to dissuade the Marquis of Montefeltro, citing the budget or the morale of the soldiers, the Marquis of Montefeltro treated him like human garbage. It was the first humiliation that the Marquis of Gaeta, who had been the leader of the border, had ever experienced.
‘I never thought I would be thanked for the work of the Margrave of Gaeta, but are you going to let it pass without a word of praise?’
Ariadne tilted her head, maintaining a smiling face.
“I wanted to talk about money.”
It wasn’t something a priest’s daughter should be talking about. It wasn’t something a ‘girl who sees through the truth’, praised for her great theology, should be talking about, it wasn’t something the greatest talent in San Carlo should be talking about, and it certainly wasn’t something an issue-maker with rumors of an affair between a Prince and a King’s illegitimate child should be talking about.
“Huh, talking about money?”
The expression on Baron Castiglione’s face reflected his feelings.
“Do you need some pocket money, my lady?”
Baron Castiglione’s tone was becoming more and more comfortable.
Of course, it was true that a Baron had a higher status than a commoner’s daughter in terms of title and age, but she wasn’t just any commoner’s daughter; she was ‘My Lady de Mare.’ Baron Castiglione had never treated Ariadne as his daughter’s friend, so it was hard to say that he was comfortable with her as his daughter’s friend. Ariadne simply shook her head without wiping the smile off her face.
“Don’t you plan on making a lot of money?”
Baron Castiglione must have thought that this was very absurd, so he let out a short ‘huh’ and then started laughing loudly.
“Hahahahahahaha, hahahahahaha!”
He laughed so hard that it was hard to even describe it as rude. Ariadne sat in front of him without losing her expression and watched his ramblings.
“Ah, please forgive my rudeness. You're so cute, like my own children.”
Compared to Ariadne’s age before her return, Baron Castiglione was only seven or eight years older than her, and he looked at Ariadne with eyes that looked like he was looking at a child who wasn’t even ten years old.
“If only our youngest daughter was this smart, I wouldn’t have any other wishes. I shouldn’t have a daughter who grows up to be so good and obedient.”
He didn’t bother to add that he didn’t want a daughter like Ariadne.
“A lot of money? How much do you think it would be? One ducat?”
Ariadne’s eyebrows were furrowing. This man had no intention of acknowledging her as an equal business partner.
Ariadne stood up.
“You’re really small.”
As she stood up, her gaze was higher than that of Baron Castiglione, who was sitting on the chair. Looking down at the middle-aged man with a goatee, Ariadne chewed it out.
“The investment required is ten thousand ducats. (About 10 billion won).”
“What? Ten thousand ducats?”
Baron Castiglione asked back to confirm whether he had heard correctly the absurd amount.
“Ten thousand ducats. If ten thousand ducats had been enough, I would have said ten thousand ducats.”
“Look, young lady. Ten thousand ducats is not child’s play. What on earth are you going to do with that much money? A dress?”
Princess Bernadette, who was next to her, spoke up.
“Don’t be so mean to a sick child, Eugenie.”
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess is too soft! Shouldn’t you strictly set her up so that she can show her dignity no matter where she is?”
It was a scolding of Lariesa for not conducting herself well in the Etruscan kingdom. Madame Eugenie persistently criticized Lariesa, who returned from the Etruscan kingdom without being able to arrange a marriage, because of how the story spread. Grand Duchess Bernadette had nothing to say about Lariesa’s conduct in the Etruscan kingdom. Amid the awkward atmosphere, Lariesa broke the heavy air.
“Your Highness the Grand Duchess is too soft! Shouldn’t you strictly set her up so that she can show her dignity no matter where she is?”
It was a scolding of Lariesa for not conducting herself well in the Etruscan kingdom. Madame Eugenie persistently criticized Lariesa, who returned from the Etruscan kingdom without being able to arrange a marriage, because of how the story spread. Grand Duchess Bernadette had nothing to say about Lariesa’s conduct in the Etruscan kingdom. Amid the awkward atmosphere, Lariesa broke the heavy air.
She could see it, but the ‘Golden Prince’ was back! She couldn’t stand it.
“Mother, is His Highness the Prince coming to Montpellier to see me?”
Grand duchess Bernadette answered her daughter kindly.
“I don’t know much about the outside world, but according to what I heard from the Montpellier Knights, that’s what happened. His Majesty King Philip IV has requested that Prince Alfonso personally visit Montpellier to finalize the marriage alliance.”
“Ahh!”
Grand duchess Lariesa exclaimed in joy. Her face as white as dough turned bright red all the way to the nape of her neck.
‘He...! To see me...!’
Grand Duchess Lariesa’s mind, which was about to depart for another world, was stopped by Madame Eugenie. It was accompanied by a loud shout.
“Grand Duchess! Behave yourself!”
“Stop!”
Carrying her mother on her back, Lariesa suddenly became irritated. To be precise, she was trying to express her irritability properly. However, a heavy voice interrupted her.
“Lariesa!”
A short man with broad shoulders strode boldly into Grand Duchess Bernadette’s inner chamber. It was Archduke Odes, whose gray hair was gradually outnumbering his black hair.
“Father!”
“Mother, is His Highness the Prince coming to Montpellier to see me?”
Grand duchess Bernadette answered her daughter kindly.
“I don’t know much about the outside world, but according to what I heard from the Montpellier Knights, that’s what happened. His Majesty King Philip IV has requested that Prince Alfonso personally visit Montpellier to finalize the marriage alliance.”
“Ahh!”
Grand duchess Lariesa exclaimed in joy. Her face as white as dough turned bright red all the way to the nape of her neck.
‘He...! To see me...!’
Grand Duchess Lariesa’s mind, which was about to depart for another world, was stopped by Madame Eugenie. It was accompanied by a loud shout.
“Grand Duchess! Behave yourself!”
“Stop!”
Carrying her mother on her back, Lariesa suddenly became irritated. To be precise, she was trying to express her irritability properly. However, a heavy voice interrupted her.
“Lariesa!”
A short man with broad shoulders strode boldly into Grand Duchess Bernadette’s inner chamber. It was Archduke Odes, whose gray hair was gradually outnumbering his black hair.
“Father!”
“You’re here, my dear.”
He nodded to the Grand Duchess Bernadette and glared at his daughter with stern eyes.
“Don’t act rashly, Lariesa!”
“...Yes?”
As soon as her father entered the room, she was scolded. She thought she had done nothing wrong. Lariesa’s face turned red with injustice.
However, Grand Duke Odes, unusually for his daughter, raised his stern voice to Lariesa without a shred of pity.
“Don’t even think about coming near the Prince!”
“Yes? Father?”
Grand Duchess Lariesa’s slitted eyes widened.
Grand duchess Bernadette asked instead of her, who was frozen in fear of her father.
“Why, my dear? Isn’t His Majesty inviting the Etruscan Prince for the purpose of a marriage alliance? Do you have another match besides our Lariesa?”
Behind him, Madame Eugenie muttered words like, “The little Grand Duchess is acting like that, so she’s a simpleton.” But Grand Duke Odes paid no attention to her and only answered Grand Duchess Bernadette.
“You too, don’t bother with that. Make sure Lariesa doesn’t wander out of the house.”
Grand Duchess Bernadette was an obedient woman. She was curious, but she didn’t press her husband further. She bowed her head and answered.
“Yes, my dear.”
Lariesa was burning inside.
“No way... Does the Prince have another wife besides me? In this kingdom of Gallico?”
***
“It’s nice to see you again.”
Ariadne smiled broadly and glanced at the middle-aged man with a goatee sitting in front of her. He answered “hmm” neither politely nor rudely as if he didn’t know why this place was set up.
Ariadne was currently visiting Camellia’s house and meeting Baron Castiglione alone.
“What kind of fun things have brought you to visit your friend’s father today?”
The Baron of Castiglione was definitely able to take revenge on the Margrave of Gaeta thanks to Ariadne's tip last time. The Margrave of Gaeta, a member of the old noble family with a high sense of pride, was being dragged around and humiliated by the new master who suddenly appeared in his own corner of the house.
The Marquis of Montefeltro, who had a bold personality, happened to be a military expert, and outside the walls of the Gaeta fiefdom, the elite knights of Gallico were encamped. The Marquis of Montefeltro also had the excuse that he had come to resolve the Gallico situation under the orders of Leo III. The Marquis of Montefeltro was furious at the fact that the elite knights of Gallico were stationed right in front of him, while the infantry of Gaeta Castle was a rabble and the walls were in a state of ruin. He began harsh military training for the soldiers of the Count of Gaeta without caring about the honor of the Marquis of Gaeta.
When the Marquis of Gaeta tried to dissuade the Marquis of Montefeltro, citing the budget or the morale of the soldiers, the Marquis of Montefeltro treated him like human garbage. It was the first humiliation that the Marquis of Gaeta, who had been the leader of the border, had ever experienced.
‘I never thought I would be thanked for the work of the Margrave of Gaeta, but are you going to let it pass without a word of praise?’
Ariadne tilted her head, maintaining a smiling face.
“I wanted to talk about money.”
It wasn’t something a priest’s daughter should be talking about. It wasn’t something a ‘girl who sees through the truth’, praised for her great theology, should be talking about, it wasn’t something the greatest talent in San Carlo should be talking about, and it certainly wasn’t something an issue-maker with rumors of an affair between a Prince and a King’s illegitimate child should be talking about.
“Huh, talking about money?”
The expression on Baron Castiglione’s face reflected his feelings.
“Do you need some pocket money, my lady?”
Baron Castiglione’s tone was becoming more and more comfortable.
Of course, it was true that a Baron had a higher status than a commoner’s daughter in terms of title and age, but she wasn’t just any commoner’s daughter; she was ‘My Lady de Mare.’ Baron Castiglione had never treated Ariadne as his daughter’s friend, so it was hard to say that he was comfortable with her as his daughter’s friend. Ariadne simply shook her head without wiping the smile off her face.
“Don’t you plan on making a lot of money?”
Baron Castiglione must have thought that this was very absurd, so he let out a short ‘huh’ and then started laughing loudly.
“Hahahahahahaha, hahahahahaha!”
He laughed so hard that it was hard to even describe it as rude. Ariadne sat in front of him without losing her expression and watched his ramblings.
“Ah, please forgive my rudeness. You're so cute, like my own children.”
Compared to Ariadne’s age before her return, Baron Castiglione was only seven or eight years older than her, and he looked at Ariadne with eyes that looked like he was looking at a child who wasn’t even ten years old.
“If only our youngest daughter was this smart, I wouldn’t have any other wishes. I shouldn’t have a daughter who grows up to be so good and obedient.”
He didn’t bother to add that he didn’t want a daughter like Ariadne.
“A lot of money? How much do you think it would be? One ducat?”
Ariadne’s eyebrows were furrowing. This man had no intention of acknowledging her as an equal business partner.
Ariadne stood up.
“You’re really small.”
As she stood up, her gaze was higher than that of Baron Castiglione, who was sitting on the chair. Looking down at the middle-aged man with a goatee, Ariadne chewed it out.
“The investment required is ten thousand ducats. (About 10 billion won).”
“What? Ten thousand ducats?”
Baron Castiglione asked back to confirm whether he had heard correctly the absurd amount.
“Ten thousand ducats. If ten thousand ducats had been enough, I would have said ten thousand ducats.”
“Look, young lady. Ten thousand ducats is not child’s play. What on earth are you going to do with that much money? A dress?”
“If you want to end up selling cheap silks all your life, then there’s no choice. How can someone who is content with a life of hard work and a pittance?”
Ariadne looked down at him coldly and continued.
“It’s worth asking for what you get back.”
“...Is young lady planning to change the throne? What are you going to do with that kind of money, unless you’re going to hire a condottiero?”
Ariadne did not answer the Baron Castiglione’s question. Instead, she turned and opened the door to the drawing room.
“You will regret today.”
She walked briskly down the hallway without looking back, leaving Baron Castiglione sitting behind her.
Clack clack clack!
Inside the silver chariot of the de Mare family, Ariadne rubbed her temples as a headache slowly began to creep up on her.
Although she had kicked the Castiglione Baron’s heels in, it was rare to find a lender who would lend her that much money. This was because the commerce of the Etruscan kingdom, or rather the commerce of the central continent, had not yet deviated greatly from the guild system.
‘I can’t borrow from several people in installments.’
She only had one collateral. She couldn’t split it up and entrust it to others, and above all, she had to avoid rumors spreading that ‘Ariadne de Mare put the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep Sea’ up as collateral.’
‘Dellatorre... Marquez... Montefeltro...’
Ariadne shook her head as she thought about several of the wealthy nobles. Their wealth was based on land. They had no cash. She needed ducats, not land or castles. And now.
‘Just a moment...’
Ariadne thought to herself.
‘How big would Boccanegro’s firm be by now?’
Boccanegro. It was the firm that had pushed out the Baron of Castiglione in its previous life and established itself as the undisputed top Etruscan merchant.
For a business founded by commoners, it was unusual in that it had no guild support, and because of that, it had been able to grow so large without being constrained by the interests of the cooperative.
It was also the place where the Margrave of Gaeta had ripped off the distribution rights for the Gaeta Rose from the Castiglione firm.
Their full prosperity was since they had become attached to the palace, whose administrative power had been weakened since Cesare’s coup, and had become its arms and legs. Thanks to this, Ariadne knew their situation very well.
‘They haven’t yet reached the point where they have a nationwide distribution network. That’s because Boccanegro’s company collected taxes for Palazzo Carlo on their behalf.’
However, Boccanegro’s company was special. Unlike other merchants who needed a distribution network to make money, Boccanegro didn’t have a distribution network yet, but they would be overflowing with cash.
That’s because they were born as cigarette smugglers.
‘Addictive drugs have high margins, and drug dealers will flock to them like clouds.’
And what Ariadne needed was cash, not a distribution network.
‘If Boccanegro gets involved in this and makes a lot of money, the Baron of Castiglione will be happy to see him.’
Ariadne’s face finally showed a mischievous smile that was typical of her age.
Ariadne looked down at him coldly and continued.
“It’s worth asking for what you get back.”
“...Is young lady planning to change the throne? What are you going to do with that kind of money, unless you’re going to hire a condottiero?”
Ariadne did not answer the Baron Castiglione’s question. Instead, she turned and opened the door to the drawing room.
“You will regret today.”
She walked briskly down the hallway without looking back, leaving Baron Castiglione sitting behind her.
***
Clack clack clack!
Inside the silver chariot of the de Mare family, Ariadne rubbed her temples as a headache slowly began to creep up on her.
Although she had kicked the Castiglione Baron’s heels in, it was rare to find a lender who would lend her that much money. This was because the commerce of the Etruscan kingdom, or rather the commerce of the central continent, had not yet deviated greatly from the guild system.
‘I can’t borrow from several people in installments.’
She only had one collateral. She couldn’t split it up and entrust it to others, and above all, she had to avoid rumors spreading that ‘Ariadne de Mare put the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep Sea’ up as collateral.’
‘Dellatorre... Marquez... Montefeltro...’
Ariadne shook her head as she thought about several of the wealthy nobles. Their wealth was based on land. They had no cash. She needed ducats, not land or castles. And now.
‘Just a moment...’
Ariadne thought to herself.
‘How big would Boccanegro’s firm be by now?’
Boccanegro. It was the firm that had pushed out the Baron of Castiglione in its previous life and established itself as the undisputed top Etruscan merchant.
For a business founded by commoners, it was unusual in that it had no guild support, and because of that, it had been able to grow so large without being constrained by the interests of the cooperative.
It was also the place where the Margrave of Gaeta had ripped off the distribution rights for the Gaeta Rose from the Castiglione firm.
Their full prosperity was since they had become attached to the palace, whose administrative power had been weakened since Cesare’s coup, and had become its arms and legs. Thanks to this, Ariadne knew their situation very well.
‘They haven’t yet reached the point where they have a nationwide distribution network. That’s because Boccanegro’s company collected taxes for Palazzo Carlo on their behalf.’
However, Boccanegro’s company was special. Unlike other merchants who needed a distribution network to make money, Boccanegro didn’t have a distribution network yet, but they would be overflowing with cash.
That’s because they were born as cigarette smugglers.
‘Addictive drugs have high margins, and drug dealers will flock to them like clouds.’
And what Ariadne needed was cash, not a distribution network.
‘If Boccanegro gets involved in this and makes a lot of money, the Baron of Castiglione will be happy to see him.’
Ariadne’s face finally showed a mischievous smile that was typical of her age.
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