“Sister. I am the acting landlady of this house.”
“Sister? Do you think of me as your sister?”
As she began to regain her footing in society, Isabella regained her former momentum.
Although not as good as before, the attitude was coming back quickly.
“Let me get this straight, you’re not the acting hostess, you’re just handling the money. Do you really think you’re my mom or something?!”
“Don’t show off with your father’s money.”
Ippolito, who returned home with Isabella, also took his younger sister's side with a grim expression.
When a loud noise was heard from the hallway, the servants began to gather around and watch the fight.
Ariadne was beginning to feel annoyed by this situation.
She thought the employees were very disciplined, but they came right away and pricked up their ears to listen in on her when they heard the siblings raising their voices. They were not properly trained.
She was more nervous because there were guests at home.
Surprisingly, Ariadne wasn't that annoyed by Isabella and Ippolito acting like that.
Just like a dog eats shit and a pig is unclean, those siblings are just being siblings.
“I am not your mother, but I have to monitor the inside and outside of the house for the health and well-being of the people in the house.”
Ariadne looked calmly at Isabella and Ippolito and said.
“There is an epidemic going on in the southern regions, including Taranto. It is moving north. The relief home is a place vulnerable to the disease. You never know when or where an outbreak will occur. For the time being, it is best to refrain from going outside, especially if you are volunteering at the relief home. Don’t put your family members at risk.”
“The Plague of Taranto? From here to Taranto is another 280 miglio (about 500 kilometers) away!”
Ippolito cried out in disbelief.
“You, a girl who stays at home all the time, don’t you have any sense of distance? Do you have any idea how long it would take for the plague to travel from Taranto to San Carlo? You’re just nitpicking!”
Ariadne had once observed and collated all the speed of military movements during Cesare's coup.
Ippolito's tantrums were just funny. She glared at the siblings without moving an inch.
“You, do you hate me that much...?”
Isabella, realizing that the servants were crowding around and watching, suddenly changed her attitude and spoke in a weak voice.
It was about her older sister.
"Yes?"
Ariadne be lying if she said she didn't hate Isabella, but this incident wasn't something she did because she hated her.
“I was falsely accused of something, and now I’m finally getting my life back on track with a rewarding career, and you wanted to get in the way of that so badly...?”
Ippolito added in a grumpy voice.
“Yes, you are keeping Isabella in check because she is becoming friendly with the Countess of Baljo!”
Countess Baljo was a woman of some standing in San Carlo, but she did not have the connections Ariadne desperately needed.
She snorted.
“They say that you only see what you want to see, but do you think that’s all you can think of? This is a real safety issue. Please be aware of this and refrain from going outside.”
Ariadne called out to her butler, Niccolo, who was waiting nearby.
“Nicolo.”
“Yes, little lady.”
“For the next month, do not give horses or carriages to Sister Isabella and Brother Ippolito.”
Isabella and Ippolito both gasped and got angry at the same time.
"What?"
“Are you kidding me?!”
Ariadne looked at them both calmly.
“What you said is right, sister. I’m not your mother or an adult, so I can’t ban you or kick you out of the house.”
She spoke without wavering.
“So I’ll do what I can. You won’t be able to use the horse and carriage. If you have to, you can walk.”
In San Carlo, no nobleman ever walks out of his house on his own two feet.
“Hey! Hey!”
Ariadne turned around and headed back to the reception room where her guests were waiting.
But at that moment, Ippolito stepped forward and blocked Ariadne's path.
“You little girl, do you think you’ll be okay after acting like this?”
It looked like he was going to hit her. Ariadne looked around.
Her direct subordinate, Giuseppe, looked ready to draw his sword and attack Ippolito at any moment, but most people, including his butler Nicolo, seemed to be wavering between the current power and the future master.
If Giuseppe were to pull out a knife inside the house and subdue Ippolito—in fact, it was doubtful whether Giuseppe would be able to do so, given Ippolito's considerable athletic ability—then things would get even worse.
Ariadne looked at Ippolito coldly.
He spoke with a sly air as if he thought that stopping Ariadne's steps was a display of his power.
“You are the one who will take care of my family, you little rat.”
Isabella hid behind Ippolito's back and glanced at Ariadne. Her eyes were filled with a delightful expression.
“When my father dies and I inherit this house, do you think I’ll leave you alone? What? Don’t tell Master Ippolito?”
He raised his fist as if he was going to hit his half-sister and shouted.
“You insolent thing. Behave properly before I send you away as the concubine of an old nobleman.”
Ippolito added.
“Because it seems like you and your Prince have crossed paths.”
Isabella's small laugh could be heard from behind.
At that moment, a stern voice was heard.
“What’s going on with this father?”
It was Cardinal de Mare. He strode into the house, dressed in his cardinal's uniform.
“Oh, Father!”
Ippolito was surprised and immediately lowered his threatening fist and hid it behind his back.
“You came back early.”
Isabella also lowered her tail in front of her father with a meek expression.
“You usually come back after sunset when you go to Saint Ercole Basilica, so I thought you’d be late today.”
“Today, I went to the royal palace, not there.”
The Cardinal was returning from speaking with the Marquis Baldessar.
And he returned home not feeling so good.
“There’s no room for silence in this damn house!”
Isabella did not miss her father's lament.
“It’s all Ariadne’s fault!”
The Cardinal narrowed his eyes and looked at his eldest daughter. He too was beginning to feel it.
Most of the troubles in this house are caused by the eldest daughter, not the second daughter.
Isabella could tell that her father was not very sympathetic, but she realized that he was still willing to listen.
“She’s just in charge of managing the house, but she acts like she’s our mother!”
“Father, he told us not to go out!”
Excerpts and distortions were the specialty of these siblings. Ariadne didn't even think of explaining it.
Ah, I wish all those people would just disappear into the ground.
But Cardinal de Mare looked at Ariadne with a face that demanded an explanation. She finally reluctantly opened her mouth.
“How could I dare do that? I know best that I have no authority.”
“Then why did this come out?”
“Did Father know that Brother Ippolito and Sister Isabella are doing volunteer work these days?”
It was the first time Cardinal de Mare had heard of this. He looked at his eldest son and daughter with an expression that asked, “What’s going on with you?”
“There is an epidemic going on in the south these days. It is moving northward slowly, but its momentum is not good.”
"Hmm."
This was a story the Cardinal had heard before.
The bishops and priests of the southern dioceses were crying out and begging for relief from San Carlo.
“The plague starts in the slums. For the time being, I think it would be appropriate to lock down people inside and outside their homes and prohibit entry to dangerous places.”
“So, did you try to convince Ippolito and Isabella not to go to the slums?”
Ariadne was momentarily speechless and looked at the cardinal.
“...That was the case at first.”
“Don’t lie!”
Isabella's shrill voice pierced the hallway ceiling.
“You told Isabella out of the blue, ‘You should stop volunteering!’”
Ippolito took advantage of the opportunity to speak to his sister. Isabella immediately added some spice to it.
It was only at times like this that the siblings got along so well.
“And when I asked, ‘Why are you deciding that?’, she told the butler to not let Brother Ippolito and Sister Isabella use the family horses and carriage!”
“That maid-turned-girl doesn’t know her place!”
Ippolito grumbled. Cardinal de Mare clicked his tongue. It was a picture of what had happened.
“Ariadne.”
“...Yes.”
“Your judgment is good. It’s not for your age.”
There will definitely be something to say next.
"But."
Then that's it.
“It’s so strong. It’s like looking at a battering ram.”
“...”
“A young girl must learn to be gentle as she grows into an adult woman. Only then can she become the mother of a family and a household, leading her household to virtue and properly supporting her husband and the head of her household?”
It was one of the first life lessons that Cardinal de Mare imparted to Ariadne.
But he tells her to be gentle and feminine.
It was completely different from what Cardinal de Mare had taught Isabella in her previous life.
Is this because the two have different personalities, because the father has different expectations for his two daughters, or is it discrimination?
The Cardinal said something to Ariadne, then looked at Ippolito and Isabella.
“But you see. Ariadne’s words may be harsh, but she is not wrong.”
"Dad!"
"Father!"
“Ippolito, Isabella. For the time being, refrain from visiting the slums. Not until we hear that the plague has subsided.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Isabella protested, her face turning bright red.
“If I want to maintain my friendship with Countess Baljo, I have to do volunteer work!”
Cardinal de Mare clicked his tongue inwardly. Then that's right.
There was no way his eldest daughter would go to the slums doing volunteer work barefoot.
“My social standing! This is an opportunity I have, and I can’t let it go no matter what Ariadne says! If I don’t marry into a good family, it’s all Ariadne’s fault!”
“Who ruined your social standing? Are you blaming others for your social standing being in shambles?”
"Dad!!"
When Cardinal de Mare brought up the story of the Marquis de Campa, Isabella was immediately moved to tears.
But Cardinal de Mare spoke coldly.
“I understand why your brother said that.”
“...Ugh!”
Isabella finally burst into tears and looked at Cardinal de Mare.
“Dad... This is too much...!”
She ran as fast as she could down the central staircase and ended up in her room on the second floor.
As Isabella left, Ippolito also tried to follow her up, glaring at Ariadne with fierce eyes.
“Ippolito.”
Cardinal de Mare's tired voice stopped him in his tracks.
“...Yes, Your Eminence, Cardinal.”
It was a minor rebellion on the part of Ippolito, and the Cardinal took notice of it immediately.
He sighed and said to his son, "The ground is falling apart."
“You are the child who will become the head of the household in the future. You must think carefully, behave properly, and be kind to other family members.”
What is this nonsense from Yesaq? The thought was floating across Ippolito's face.
The Cardinal sighed deeply and explained further to his son.
“And your little sister is one of those families that you have to treat well.”
“...”
“I don’t want to see you raise your fist or anything like that in my house again. Do you understand?”
“...Yes, Father.”
“Then go.”
The Cardinal shook his head and sent his son away.
He actually had a story he wanted to tell his eldest son.
Even if they are still too young to fully engage in politics, they should hear these kinds of stories from a young age so that they do not act rashly when they do something big later on.
But even if he were to forcefully grab that guy who is running wild like a loach and sit him down in the study and talk to him, Ippolito would think it was someone else's story that he wasn't interested in or the nagging of adults.
“Ariadne, follow me for a moment. I need a glass of Grappana.”
“Sister? Do you think of me as your sister?”
As she began to regain her footing in society, Isabella regained her former momentum.
Although not as good as before, the attitude was coming back quickly.
“Let me get this straight, you’re not the acting hostess, you’re just handling the money. Do you really think you’re my mom or something?!”
“Don’t show off with your father’s money.”
Ippolito, who returned home with Isabella, also took his younger sister's side with a grim expression.
When a loud noise was heard from the hallway, the servants began to gather around and watch the fight.
Ariadne was beginning to feel annoyed by this situation.
She thought the employees were very disciplined, but they came right away and pricked up their ears to listen in on her when they heard the siblings raising their voices. They were not properly trained.
She was more nervous because there were guests at home.
Surprisingly, Ariadne wasn't that annoyed by Isabella and Ippolito acting like that.
Just like a dog eats shit and a pig is unclean, those siblings are just being siblings.
“I am not your mother, but I have to monitor the inside and outside of the house for the health and well-being of the people in the house.”
Ariadne looked calmly at Isabella and Ippolito and said.
“There is an epidemic going on in the southern regions, including Taranto. It is moving north. The relief home is a place vulnerable to the disease. You never know when or where an outbreak will occur. For the time being, it is best to refrain from going outside, especially if you are volunteering at the relief home. Don’t put your family members at risk.”
“The Plague of Taranto? From here to Taranto is another 280 miglio (about 500 kilometers) away!”
Ippolito cried out in disbelief.
“You, a girl who stays at home all the time, don’t you have any sense of distance? Do you have any idea how long it would take for the plague to travel from Taranto to San Carlo? You’re just nitpicking!”
Ariadne had once observed and collated all the speed of military movements during Cesare's coup.
Ippolito's tantrums were just funny. She glared at the siblings without moving an inch.
“You, do you hate me that much...?”
Isabella, realizing that the servants were crowding around and watching, suddenly changed her attitude and spoke in a weak voice.
It was about her older sister.
"Yes?"
Ariadne be lying if she said she didn't hate Isabella, but this incident wasn't something she did because she hated her.
“I was falsely accused of something, and now I’m finally getting my life back on track with a rewarding career, and you wanted to get in the way of that so badly...?”
Ippolito added in a grumpy voice.
“Yes, you are keeping Isabella in check because she is becoming friendly with the Countess of Baljo!”
Countess Baljo was a woman of some standing in San Carlo, but she did not have the connections Ariadne desperately needed.
She snorted.
“They say that you only see what you want to see, but do you think that’s all you can think of? This is a real safety issue. Please be aware of this and refrain from going outside.”
Ariadne called out to her butler, Niccolo, who was waiting nearby.
“Nicolo.”
“Yes, little lady.”
“For the next month, do not give horses or carriages to Sister Isabella and Brother Ippolito.”
Isabella and Ippolito both gasped and got angry at the same time.
"What?"
“Are you kidding me?!”
Ariadne looked at them both calmly.
“What you said is right, sister. I’m not your mother or an adult, so I can’t ban you or kick you out of the house.”
She spoke without wavering.
“So I’ll do what I can. You won’t be able to use the horse and carriage. If you have to, you can walk.”
In San Carlo, no nobleman ever walks out of his house on his own two feet.
“Hey! Hey!”
Ariadne turned around and headed back to the reception room where her guests were waiting.
But at that moment, Ippolito stepped forward and blocked Ariadne's path.
“You little girl, do you think you’ll be okay after acting like this?”
It looked like he was going to hit her. Ariadne looked around.
Her direct subordinate, Giuseppe, looked ready to draw his sword and attack Ippolito at any moment, but most people, including his butler Nicolo, seemed to be wavering between the current power and the future master.
If Giuseppe were to pull out a knife inside the house and subdue Ippolito—in fact, it was doubtful whether Giuseppe would be able to do so, given Ippolito's considerable athletic ability—then things would get even worse.
Ariadne looked at Ippolito coldly.
He spoke with a sly air as if he thought that stopping Ariadne's steps was a display of his power.
“You are the one who will take care of my family, you little rat.”
Isabella hid behind Ippolito's back and glanced at Ariadne. Her eyes were filled with a delightful expression.
“When my father dies and I inherit this house, do you think I’ll leave you alone? What? Don’t tell Master Ippolito?”
He raised his fist as if he was going to hit his half-sister and shouted.
“You insolent thing. Behave properly before I send you away as the concubine of an old nobleman.”
Ippolito added.
“Because it seems like you and your Prince have crossed paths.”
Isabella's small laugh could be heard from behind.
At that moment, a stern voice was heard.
“What’s going on with this father?”
It was Cardinal de Mare. He strode into the house, dressed in his cardinal's uniform.
“Oh, Father!”
Ippolito was surprised and immediately lowered his threatening fist and hid it behind his back.
“You came back early.”
Isabella also lowered her tail in front of her father with a meek expression.
“You usually come back after sunset when you go to Saint Ercole Basilica, so I thought you’d be late today.”
“Today, I went to the royal palace, not there.”
The Cardinal was returning from speaking with the Marquis Baldessar.
And he returned home not feeling so good.
“There’s no room for silence in this damn house!”
Isabella did not miss her father's lament.
“It’s all Ariadne’s fault!”
The Cardinal narrowed his eyes and looked at his eldest daughter. He too was beginning to feel it.
Most of the troubles in this house are caused by the eldest daughter, not the second daughter.
Isabella could tell that her father was not very sympathetic, but she realized that he was still willing to listen.
“She’s just in charge of managing the house, but she acts like she’s our mother!”
“Father, he told us not to go out!”
Excerpts and distortions were the specialty of these siblings. Ariadne didn't even think of explaining it.
Ah, I wish all those people would just disappear into the ground.
But Cardinal de Mare looked at Ariadne with a face that demanded an explanation. She finally reluctantly opened her mouth.
“How could I dare do that? I know best that I have no authority.”
“Then why did this come out?”
“Did Father know that Brother Ippolito and Sister Isabella are doing volunteer work these days?”
It was the first time Cardinal de Mare had heard of this. He looked at his eldest son and daughter with an expression that asked, “What’s going on with you?”
“There is an epidemic going on in the south these days. It is moving northward slowly, but its momentum is not good.”
"Hmm."
This was a story the Cardinal had heard before.
The bishops and priests of the southern dioceses were crying out and begging for relief from San Carlo.
“The plague starts in the slums. For the time being, I think it would be appropriate to lock down people inside and outside their homes and prohibit entry to dangerous places.”
“So, did you try to convince Ippolito and Isabella not to go to the slums?”
Ariadne was momentarily speechless and looked at the cardinal.
“...That was the case at first.”
“Don’t lie!”
Isabella's shrill voice pierced the hallway ceiling.
“You told Isabella out of the blue, ‘You should stop volunteering!’”
Ippolito took advantage of the opportunity to speak to his sister. Isabella immediately added some spice to it.
It was only at times like this that the siblings got along so well.
“And when I asked, ‘Why are you deciding that?’, she told the butler to not let Brother Ippolito and Sister Isabella use the family horses and carriage!”
“That maid-turned-girl doesn’t know her place!”
Ippolito grumbled. Cardinal de Mare clicked his tongue. It was a picture of what had happened.
“Ariadne.”
“...Yes.”
“Your judgment is good. It’s not for your age.”
There will definitely be something to say next.
"But."
Then that's it.
“It’s so strong. It’s like looking at a battering ram.”
“...”
“A young girl must learn to be gentle as she grows into an adult woman. Only then can she become the mother of a family and a household, leading her household to virtue and properly supporting her husband and the head of her household?”
It was one of the first life lessons that Cardinal de Mare imparted to Ariadne.
But he tells her to be gentle and feminine.
It was completely different from what Cardinal de Mare had taught Isabella in her previous life.
Is this because the two have different personalities, because the father has different expectations for his two daughters, or is it discrimination?
The Cardinal said something to Ariadne, then looked at Ippolito and Isabella.
“But you see. Ariadne’s words may be harsh, but she is not wrong.”
"Dad!"
"Father!"
“Ippolito, Isabella. For the time being, refrain from visiting the slums. Not until we hear that the plague has subsided.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Isabella protested, her face turning bright red.
“If I want to maintain my friendship with Countess Baljo, I have to do volunteer work!”
Cardinal de Mare clicked his tongue inwardly. Then that's right.
There was no way his eldest daughter would go to the slums doing volunteer work barefoot.
“My social standing! This is an opportunity I have, and I can’t let it go no matter what Ariadne says! If I don’t marry into a good family, it’s all Ariadne’s fault!”
“Who ruined your social standing? Are you blaming others for your social standing being in shambles?”
"Dad!!"
When Cardinal de Mare brought up the story of the Marquis de Campa, Isabella was immediately moved to tears.
But Cardinal de Mare spoke coldly.
“I understand why your brother said that.”
“...Ugh!”
Isabella finally burst into tears and looked at Cardinal de Mare.
“Dad... This is too much...!”
She ran as fast as she could down the central staircase and ended up in her room on the second floor.
As Isabella left, Ippolito also tried to follow her up, glaring at Ariadne with fierce eyes.
“Ippolito.”
Cardinal de Mare's tired voice stopped him in his tracks.
“...Yes, Your Eminence, Cardinal.”
It was a minor rebellion on the part of Ippolito, and the Cardinal took notice of it immediately.
He sighed and said to his son, "The ground is falling apart."
“You are the child who will become the head of the household in the future. You must think carefully, behave properly, and be kind to other family members.”
What is this nonsense from Yesaq? The thought was floating across Ippolito's face.
The Cardinal sighed deeply and explained further to his son.
“And your little sister is one of those families that you have to treat well.”
“...”
“I don’t want to see you raise your fist or anything like that in my house again. Do you understand?”
“...Yes, Father.”
“Then go.”
The Cardinal shook his head and sent his son away.
He actually had a story he wanted to tell his eldest son.
Even if they are still too young to fully engage in politics, they should hear these kinds of stories from a young age so that they do not act rashly when they do something big later on.
But even if he were to forcefully grab that guy who is running wild like a loach and sit him down in the study and talk to him, Ippolito would think it was someone else's story that he wasn't interested in or the nagging of adults.
“Ariadne, follow me for a moment. I need a glass of Grappana.”
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