Leo III set out to attend the August Mass in a state of extreme discomfort.
It had been three months since his wife died, and more than two and a half months since he had sent his only son to the kingdom of Gallico.
It was an act of blindness caused by the gunpowder of Mount Gallico.
But instead of gunpowder, the heavy cavalry and elite infantry of King Gallico have entered his borders and are threatening his homeland.
'How did it end up like this?'
Leo III prided himself on having made the best choice for his country and his crown in the twists and turns of events. But this is how things ended up.
He didn't feel like standing in front of others.
But even in this desperate situation, the King must show off his health to the people.
He had been suffering from headaches, thirst, and numbness in his hands and feet recently. His health was not what it used to be.
'The damn crown.'
He liked being King most of the time, but he couldn't like every aspect of it.
Living as a King had its good points, but it definitely had its grueling parts.
And the position of King, if held for a long time, makes a person's patience shallow.
Because in most cases, he had the freedom to not do things he didn't like.
Leo III rode in a magnificent golden carriage, swearing under his breath and flaunting his royal authority, through the courtyard of the Basilica of Sanit Ercole, which was packed with people. He then got out of the cast-in-coffin golden carriage and entered the porch of the Basilica of Sant'Ecole.
The nobles who had lined up stood up at once.
“His Majesty the King has arrived!”
“He came alone today.”
“Shh! Don’t talk nonsense!”
Leo III walked down the open corridor in the middle of the nave, his face flushed with pride.
Normally, he would have walked this path with his family, but now that Marguerite and Rubina were gone for their own reasons, Leo III was alone.
Alfonso was abroad, and Cesare had been claiming to be ill and had not been seen in public lately.
Leo III, who had passed the crossroads and reached the inner courtyard where the sanctuary was, breathed a sigh of relief.
If he goes up the spiral staircase next to the inner chamber, he will reach a balcony now exclusively for royal use.
Once he steps inside those stairs, he can avoid people's eyes while the mass is in progress.
It was the moment he placed his foot on the top of the revolving staircase.
“Your Majesty the King!”
A mass of blue dress leaped out from the front row of seats and flung itself at his feet. It was a young woman.
Everyone's attention was once again focused on Leo III, and he felt his irritation rising.
“What kind of impudence is this!”
He almost yelled at his escorting knights to drag the impertinent bitch away.
There was only one reason why it didn't happen.
The blue silk dress was extremely elaborate and luxurious. The exquisite embroidery was striking.
Leo III looked again at the owner of the dress, at the luxury that displayed his high power.
“Please speak to me!”
The woman who had thrown herself on the floor raised her head and cried out to get his attention.
Her upturned face was very pretty. Clear skin, slightly upturned eyes, high nose bridge. Lips that caught the eye.
Although her features were not sculpturally perfect, she had an attractive face that was full of youthful energy.
And it was a familiar face.
Leo III looked at her.
“You...?”
It was Ariadne de Mare, the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare.
“Just three minutes, just give me three minutes.”
It was a girl who was likely to be his son's lover. She stretched out her long neck like a deer and called his name desperately.
The smooth skin continued down to the chest.
The neckline of the blue dress was cut just short enough to be considered socially acceptable. It was a modest outfit.
But Leo III saw the fascinating curves beneath the modest fit of the dress.
The woman pleaded once more.
“Your Majesty the King, please...”
Her pleading voice was quite pitiful.
Leo III finally relented.
He said, taking a step inside the rotating staircase.
“Follow me.”
Although he gave in to the impulse of the moment, Leo III soon felt suffocated.
This girl is the cardinal's daughter, her son's lover, and this is the place in the cathedral where her father will soon be giving a sermon.
It wasn't a situation where he could do anything.
Leo III, slightly annoyed and not even sure why he had become so irritated, stood on the landing of the winding staircase and spoke rudely to the young girl at the bottom of the stairs.
“The Great Mass will begin soon. Just tell me what you want to say.”
Leo III thought he was banishing her by not allowing her onto the royal family's balcony, but this was just what Ariadne wanted.
Climbing up onto the royal family's balcony was out of her interest.
She got straight to the point.
“Your Majesty, we must not send Princess Bianca to the Kingdom of Gallico!”
Leo III felt a headache coming on at those first words.
The members of the Lesser Curia Regis, who had been called into emergency session after Count Le Vien of Gallico detonated his bomb yesterday, argued about it for six hours.
It's also a chance for Bianca of Taranto, if sending her can help break this situation, there's no reason not to...
No, if Bianca of Taranto is sent away and she gives birth to a child, the territory of Taranto may pass to the Kingdom of Gallico...
What Bianca had was only a title to rule that obliged her to obey the Etruscan King, and having children did not remove that obligation; if you think about it, it would be like giving the King of Gallico a title that obliged her to obey the Etruscan King...
It was a desk theory.
It couldn't be otherwise, because the nobles chose a calculation that was advantageous to them—either Bianca of Taranto would disappear or not disappear—and then presented a logic to enforce it, rather than stating the real reason itself.
'I'm sick of it.'
Leo III was also fully aware of his subjects' plot.
However, he needed time to think, and even if it was just listening to his subordinates' empty talk, it did provide him with food for thought.
But he heard too much yesterday, and he didn't see any clear breakthrough.
Leo III could not hide his annoyance when a topic he did not want to hear anymore came from someone he had not prepared for.
“Young Lady. Leave such matters to the thoughtful and excellent nobles of the court. Everyone has a talent that is given to them...”
The King was about to add, Young Lady, the dress you are wearing is pretty. Just worry about that.
The jewel would be better if it were a gorgeous diamond rather than an old pearl like the one you have today.
“Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Gallico intends to devour the Etruscan Kingdom in its entirety!”
Leo III stood tall and kept his mouth shut. Ariadne did not miss this opportunity.
“Princess Bianca is the second in line to the throne! If we send her to Gallico, the Kingdom of Gallico will have all the first and second in line to the throne in its grasp! How can they come out?”
As soon as Ariadne heard that Gallico had demanded Bianca of Taranto, she realized that Alfonso's life was in danger.
Even if she had been Philip IV, she would have killed Alfonso in some way that would prevent the arrows from returning to her.
And this was a fact that any wise man would recognize.
For example, even Cardinal de Mare had this in mind.
But none of the court nobles mentioned this to Leo III.
No, they couldn't. They couldn't guarantee what would happen to themself if they brought up the topic of the successor's order of succession.
“If Gallico marries Princess Bianca and then murders Prince Alfonso, the rightful heirs to the Etruscan kingdom will be King Gallico’s descendants!”
“How can that be true! It is so neat!”
As expected, Leo III exploded in anger on the spot. Successor, how dare she say successor.
But Ariadne distantly continued her speech. She was in no position to be picky now. Alfonso was in danger.
“No one lives forever!”
Leo III clenched his fists and his hands trembled.
“This... This girl...”
Veins stood out on the old King's nape and forehead. He cleared his throat.
“Young Lady’s thoughts are absurd!”
There was another reason why the King's advisers did not raise the possibility of Alfonso's assassination.
Their common thought was, ‘Surely King Gallico would not do something like that?’
Leo III also shared the same opinion about this possibility, which he had only just learned about.
“Philip of Gallico is a Jesuit Prince like me and a cousin of Alfonso. How can a noble Jesuit Prince murder the heir of a neighboring principality, and his own blood-brother! He is not a pagan barbarian!”
But Ariadne did not back down an inch.
Anything would have been done to save Alfonso's life and the last legacy left by Queen Marguerite.
A warm hand patting her shoulder. The first unconditional protection she had ever received since she was born.
“Your Majesty, Philip IV seized the throne with his brother’s blood on his hands.”
She shouted with her throat clenched.
“He will not even listen to the teachings of the <Meditation Record>. He has cut off his brother’s neck with his own hands, and he will kill hia cousin without even blinking an eye!”
Leo III began to feel uneasy as he listened to Ariadne's words.
Leo III suddenly remembered what Count Marquez had said: 'Prince Alfonso was held captive in a luxurious residence.'
When he first heard it, he thought the Count was exaggerating the situation.
He did not give Lariesa de Valoa the right to freely roam the entire Palagio Carlo.
But if that is an expression of Philip IV's intentions...
“Please, Your Majesty! Please spare Your Majesty’s flesh and blood!”
Ariadne pleaded with Leo III as if she was about to vomit blood. She was ready to kneel at his feet.
Leo III was very upset, although he didn't know exactly why.
It may have been because the woman's plea was not just pretty and pitiful, but also too ominous.
Leo III turned and began to climb the revolving staircase.
"your Majesty!"
The annoyed King spoke coldly without even looking at her.
“Go back. From now on, don’t get involved in things that are not your place.”
The King, who walked up the stairs one step at a time, leaving the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare, dressed in a blue dress, at the bottom, looked extremely cold on the outside.
As if his brief one-on-one time with Ariadne had had no effect on him whatsoever.
But there was already a trace of worry and doubt in his heart.
Leo III, seated on the balcony of the Basilica of Saint Ercole where the Great Mass was being celebrated, paid no attention to Cardinal de Mare's sermon and sat absorbed in thought, sinking into his thick velvet sofa.
But the time of worrying was not long.
He was a monarch who always overcame crises with 'creative' ideas.
The King spoke quietly to his secretary, Sir Delpiano.
“Delpiano.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Summon Cardinal de Mare. Secretly.”
It had been three months since his wife died, and more than two and a half months since he had sent his only son to the kingdom of Gallico.
It was an act of blindness caused by the gunpowder of Mount Gallico.
But instead of gunpowder, the heavy cavalry and elite infantry of King Gallico have entered his borders and are threatening his homeland.
'How did it end up like this?'
Leo III prided himself on having made the best choice for his country and his crown in the twists and turns of events. But this is how things ended up.
He didn't feel like standing in front of others.
But even in this desperate situation, the King must show off his health to the people.
He had been suffering from headaches, thirst, and numbness in his hands and feet recently. His health was not what it used to be.
'The damn crown.'
He liked being King most of the time, but he couldn't like every aspect of it.
Living as a King had its good points, but it definitely had its grueling parts.
And the position of King, if held for a long time, makes a person's patience shallow.
Because in most cases, he had the freedom to not do things he didn't like.
Leo III rode in a magnificent golden carriage, swearing under his breath and flaunting his royal authority, through the courtyard of the Basilica of Sanit Ercole, which was packed with people. He then got out of the cast-in-coffin golden carriage and entered the porch of the Basilica of Sant'Ecole.
The nobles who had lined up stood up at once.
“His Majesty the King has arrived!”
“He came alone today.”
“Shh! Don’t talk nonsense!”
Leo III walked down the open corridor in the middle of the nave, his face flushed with pride.
Normally, he would have walked this path with his family, but now that Marguerite and Rubina were gone for their own reasons, Leo III was alone.
Alfonso was abroad, and Cesare had been claiming to be ill and had not been seen in public lately.
Leo III, who had passed the crossroads and reached the inner courtyard where the sanctuary was, breathed a sigh of relief.
If he goes up the spiral staircase next to the inner chamber, he will reach a balcony now exclusively for royal use.
Once he steps inside those stairs, he can avoid people's eyes while the mass is in progress.
It was the moment he placed his foot on the top of the revolving staircase.
“Your Majesty the King!”
A mass of blue dress leaped out from the front row of seats and flung itself at his feet. It was a young woman.
Everyone's attention was once again focused on Leo III, and he felt his irritation rising.
“What kind of impudence is this!”
He almost yelled at his escorting knights to drag the impertinent bitch away.
There was only one reason why it didn't happen.
The blue silk dress was extremely elaborate and luxurious. The exquisite embroidery was striking.
Leo III looked again at the owner of the dress, at the luxury that displayed his high power.
“Please speak to me!”
The woman who had thrown herself on the floor raised her head and cried out to get his attention.
Her upturned face was very pretty. Clear skin, slightly upturned eyes, high nose bridge. Lips that caught the eye.
Although her features were not sculpturally perfect, she had an attractive face that was full of youthful energy.
And it was a familiar face.
Leo III looked at her.
“You...?”
It was Ariadne de Mare, the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare.
“Just three minutes, just give me three minutes.”
It was a girl who was likely to be his son's lover. She stretched out her long neck like a deer and called his name desperately.
The smooth skin continued down to the chest.
The neckline of the blue dress was cut just short enough to be considered socially acceptable. It was a modest outfit.
But Leo III saw the fascinating curves beneath the modest fit of the dress.
The woman pleaded once more.
“Your Majesty the King, please...”
Her pleading voice was quite pitiful.
Leo III finally relented.
He said, taking a step inside the rotating staircase.
“Follow me.”
***
Although he gave in to the impulse of the moment, Leo III soon felt suffocated.
This girl is the cardinal's daughter, her son's lover, and this is the place in the cathedral where her father will soon be giving a sermon.
It wasn't a situation where he could do anything.
Leo III, slightly annoyed and not even sure why he had become so irritated, stood on the landing of the winding staircase and spoke rudely to the young girl at the bottom of the stairs.
“The Great Mass will begin soon. Just tell me what you want to say.”
Leo III thought he was banishing her by not allowing her onto the royal family's balcony, but this was just what Ariadne wanted.
Climbing up onto the royal family's balcony was out of her interest.
She got straight to the point.
“Your Majesty, we must not send Princess Bianca to the Kingdom of Gallico!”
Leo III felt a headache coming on at those first words.
The members of the Lesser Curia Regis, who had been called into emergency session after Count Le Vien of Gallico detonated his bomb yesterday, argued about it for six hours.
It's also a chance for Bianca of Taranto, if sending her can help break this situation, there's no reason not to...
No, if Bianca of Taranto is sent away and she gives birth to a child, the territory of Taranto may pass to the Kingdom of Gallico...
What Bianca had was only a title to rule that obliged her to obey the Etruscan King, and having children did not remove that obligation; if you think about it, it would be like giving the King of Gallico a title that obliged her to obey the Etruscan King...
It was a desk theory.
It couldn't be otherwise, because the nobles chose a calculation that was advantageous to them—either Bianca of Taranto would disappear or not disappear—and then presented a logic to enforce it, rather than stating the real reason itself.
'I'm sick of it.'
Leo III was also fully aware of his subjects' plot.
However, he needed time to think, and even if it was just listening to his subordinates' empty talk, it did provide him with food for thought.
But he heard too much yesterday, and he didn't see any clear breakthrough.
Leo III could not hide his annoyance when a topic he did not want to hear anymore came from someone he had not prepared for.
“Young Lady. Leave such matters to the thoughtful and excellent nobles of the court. Everyone has a talent that is given to them...”
The King was about to add, Young Lady, the dress you are wearing is pretty. Just worry about that.
The jewel would be better if it were a gorgeous diamond rather than an old pearl like the one you have today.
“Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Gallico intends to devour the Etruscan Kingdom in its entirety!”
Leo III stood tall and kept his mouth shut. Ariadne did not miss this opportunity.
“Princess Bianca is the second in line to the throne! If we send her to Gallico, the Kingdom of Gallico will have all the first and second in line to the throne in its grasp! How can they come out?”
As soon as Ariadne heard that Gallico had demanded Bianca of Taranto, she realized that Alfonso's life was in danger.
Even if she had been Philip IV, she would have killed Alfonso in some way that would prevent the arrows from returning to her.
And this was a fact that any wise man would recognize.
For example, even Cardinal de Mare had this in mind.
But none of the court nobles mentioned this to Leo III.
No, they couldn't. They couldn't guarantee what would happen to themself if they brought up the topic of the successor's order of succession.
“If Gallico marries Princess Bianca and then murders Prince Alfonso, the rightful heirs to the Etruscan kingdom will be King Gallico’s descendants!”
“How can that be true! It is so neat!”
As expected, Leo III exploded in anger on the spot. Successor, how dare she say successor.
But Ariadne distantly continued her speech. She was in no position to be picky now. Alfonso was in danger.
“No one lives forever!”
Leo III clenched his fists and his hands trembled.
“This... This girl...”
Veins stood out on the old King's nape and forehead. He cleared his throat.
“Young Lady’s thoughts are absurd!”
There was another reason why the King's advisers did not raise the possibility of Alfonso's assassination.
Their common thought was, ‘Surely King Gallico would not do something like that?’
Leo III also shared the same opinion about this possibility, which he had only just learned about.
“Philip of Gallico is a Jesuit Prince like me and a cousin of Alfonso. How can a noble Jesuit Prince murder the heir of a neighboring principality, and his own blood-brother! He is not a pagan barbarian!”
But Ariadne did not back down an inch.
Anything would have been done to save Alfonso's life and the last legacy left by Queen Marguerite.
A warm hand patting her shoulder. The first unconditional protection she had ever received since she was born.
“Your Majesty, Philip IV seized the throne with his brother’s blood on his hands.”
She shouted with her throat clenched.
“He will not even listen to the teachings of the <Meditation Record>. He has cut off his brother’s neck with his own hands, and he will kill hia cousin without even blinking an eye!”
Leo III began to feel uneasy as he listened to Ariadne's words.
Leo III suddenly remembered what Count Marquez had said: 'Prince Alfonso was held captive in a luxurious residence.'
When he first heard it, he thought the Count was exaggerating the situation.
He did not give Lariesa de Valoa the right to freely roam the entire Palagio Carlo.
But if that is an expression of Philip IV's intentions...
“Please, Your Majesty! Please spare Your Majesty’s flesh and blood!”
Ariadne pleaded with Leo III as if she was about to vomit blood. She was ready to kneel at his feet.
Leo III was very upset, although he didn't know exactly why.
It may have been because the woman's plea was not just pretty and pitiful, but also too ominous.
Leo III turned and began to climb the revolving staircase.
"your Majesty!"
The annoyed King spoke coldly without even looking at her.
“Go back. From now on, don’t get involved in things that are not your place.”
The King, who walked up the stairs one step at a time, leaving the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare, dressed in a blue dress, at the bottom, looked extremely cold on the outside.
As if his brief one-on-one time with Ariadne had had no effect on him whatsoever.
But there was already a trace of worry and doubt in his heart.
***
Leo III, seated on the balcony of the Basilica of Saint Ercole where the Great Mass was being celebrated, paid no attention to Cardinal de Mare's sermon and sat absorbed in thought, sinking into his thick velvet sofa.
But the time of worrying was not long.
He was a monarch who always overcame crises with 'creative' ideas.
The King spoke quietly to his secretary, Sir Delpiano.
“Delpiano.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Summon Cardinal de Mare. Secretly.”
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