At the beginning of August, the Etruscan kingdom welcomed a new royalty, and about a month passed since then.
In the Gallico kingdom, located further north than the Etruscan kingdom, autumn was already in full swing.
Even to Prince Alfonso, confined to the Palais de Montpellier and free only to look out the window, the changes in the weather were evident.
“At this point, even the Princess is waiting.”
Sir Manfredi joked, leaning on the windowsill next to Prince Alfonso.
The Palais de Montpellier changed its usual hospitality towards Prince Alfonso from that of a guest to that of a prisoner.
Not only did the security staff increase, but even the food that had been provided in abundance was reduced.
The meals served to Prince Alfonso and his dozen or so knights became increasingly sparse, to the point where they were reduced to corn soup without even bread.
They strangely only served liquid food.
“I guess I miss meat and bottles of wine more than people.”
“Oh my, I got caught?”
Whenever Princess Lariesa came, she would always bring a basket full of cheese, ham, and wine.
For Sir Manfredi, who enjoyed getting drunk and cavorting during his free time from work and training, the only way he could see meat and wine these days was through the Princess of Lariesa.
“Isn’t the one who gives food the best? These days, whenever I see that Princess, I feel like a dog licking its food bowl.”
Sir Manfredi climbed up on the windowsill and was about to bark like a dog.
'Wine! Give me wine! Awww-!'
“Your Highness. Please keep the line. Isn’t this too much?”
Alfonso's face was flushed with shame. But Lariesa didn't look sorry at all.
“I... Are you saying that it’s too much?”
She was purely resentful of Alfonso.
“Are you saying I’m being too much? I brought foie gras for the prince, and last time I brought caviar and wine, and fine cheese...”
“You're saying that now...”
Prince Alfonso finally exploded.
“Is that the favor I asked for?”
Alfonso was originally a person who couldn't say no.
Even though he grew up in an environment perfect for growing up as the only legitimate Prince and being arrogant, that was his innate personality.
If there was something he could bear, he endured it, and if there was something he could beat around the bush, he only said half of it, and he did it in a good way.
Basically, he felt pity for everyone and was good at finding good things in others.
But this Grand Duchess was truly beyond the bounds of Prince Alfonso's vastness, like the sea.
“Do you think of me as a pet dog, Grand Duchess? One that wags its tail when you give it food?”
The way Princess Lariesa treated Prince Alfonso was much like how she treated her own pet dog.
Buying favors with snacks, touching them when they feel like it, pampering them in their own way, whining when things don't go their way, and always maintaining the stance of 'I am your master and you are my property.'
“I have spoken from the beginning of my respect. Respect for the Etruscan kingdom, respect for royalty, respect for the customs of the country! The Grand Duchess, far from upholding these things, has now decided to stop even respecting human beings!”
“...”
“Even when you were in Etruscan, I thought the Grand Duchess's behavior was a bit strange. I thought you must have been anxious because you were so far away, and that it was my fault, so I usually let it go. But now that I see you in the Kingdom of Gallico, you are really being arrogant! I must commend your efforts. How did you hide this great personality when you were in Etruscan?”
Lariesa's hands were shaking. The napkin she had used to wipe Alfonso's trouser leg was crumpled.
“You just bring me a piece of bread and act as if you’re doing me some favor, doing whatever you want...”
“...Without knowing anything.”
Lariesa spat out between the teeth.
“Without knowing anything!!!”
Her eyes were filled with tears and her pale, flaky skin was flushed red.
“Just a piece of bread? This is your lifeline!”
Princess Lariesa picked up a large loaf of bread from her basket and waved it in the air. Alfonso was confused by her heated words.
If a normal person were to say something like that, there would be some kind of meaningful implication.
But the opponent was Lariesa.
If it were Princess Lariesa, whom he had recently gotten to know better, she would have said something like, 'I'd rather die than not be able to eat delicious food.'
“...What is that...”
Alfonso questioned in confusion.
When Prince Alfonso appeared to not trust her, Princess Lariesa, feeling aggrieved, made a bombshell announcement.
“There’s arsenic in your food!”
Alfonso blinked his blue-gray eyes, which were just like his mother's.
“Arsenic...?”
“Yes, arsenic. The same arsenic that killed your mother! If you eat a tiny amount of arsenic with every meal here, your lifespan will be shortened without anyone knowing! In three or four years, you will be so weak that it can be announced that you died of natural causes!”
A look of horror spread across Prince Alfonso's face.
“Then who killed my mother... Who called me here...”
It's all a conspiracy of the Kingdom of Gallico.
The assassination of Queen Marguerite and the summoning of Prince Alfonso to Montpellier were all carried out according to a pre-determined plan.
But what he didn't understand was this part.
“The Kingdom of Gallico... why me?”
The Etruscan kingdom was on friendly terms with the Gallico kingdom, and the King of Gallico and Prince Alfonso were cousins.
From Philip IV's point of view, Prince Alfonso was someone he could have placed on the throne without necessarily having to get rid of.
Lariesa hurled harsh words at Alfonso, who was in a state of confusion.
“Because he thought that if he could just get rid of you, the Etruscan throne would be in his hands! His Majesty King Philip IV has proposed to your cousin, Bianca of Taranto!”
Lariesa was feeling a strange sense of elation now.
Neither a direct descendant of royalty nor particularly intelligent, Lariesa could not participate as a player but rather as a pawn in the chess game of politics.
She had rarely had an information advantage over anyone, except in frivolous social gossip.
This was especially true when the opponent was a true royal like Alfonso.
Prince Alfonso was the object of an elusive desire throughout his time in San Carlo and Taranto.
Now the man is at her feet, trapped in the bars, with both wings broken.
During that time, she took care of Alfonso with a sense of superiority, believing that she was the only one who could save him.
But this broken-winged bird, not only ungrateful for its only salvation, is rebelling! How ungrateful!
Lariesa was determined to give Alfonso a good kick today, without even a tear coming out of his eye.
The habit of treating subordinates, such as friends and housemaids, cruelly was rearing its head.
Alfonso responded to Lariesa's revelation with a bewildered expression.
“My father... My father... There’s no way he would allow something like that.”
“Ha, ha, hahahahahahaha!”
Lariesa, who laughed out loud, seemed to resemble Philip IV, who was not even that close at that moment.
It seemed like she was imitating Princess Auguste, whom she had always admired but also hated.
“My innocent Prince. You haven’t heard from anyone. Your father has abandoned you!”
Prince Alfonso's pupils shook. Lariesa straightened her back and looked straight at Alfonso.
As if it were she who had abandoned Alfonso.
“His Majesty Leo III, King of the Etruscan Kingdom, has sent a reply to the Kingdom of Gallico! Let us slowly discuss the details of Princess Bianca’s marriage!”
Alfonso was in shock. His eyes were unfocused and his mouth was slightly open.
He did not particularly love Leo III, nor did he feel very close to him.
Leo III was a distant and unrespectable father, compared to the late Queen Marguerite.
However, Prince Alfonso, who had never directly encountered his father while under his mother's care, had in Leo III the same amount of faith and trust that a son in a normal family would have in his father.
In the Gallico kingdom, located further north than the Etruscan kingdom, autumn was already in full swing.
Even to Prince Alfonso, confined to the Palais de Montpellier and free only to look out the window, the changes in the weather were evident.
“At this point, even the Princess is waiting.”
Sir Manfredi joked, leaning on the windowsill next to Prince Alfonso.
The Palais de Montpellier changed its usual hospitality towards Prince Alfonso from that of a guest to that of a prisoner.
Not only did the security staff increase, but even the food that had been provided in abundance was reduced.
The meals served to Prince Alfonso and his dozen or so knights became increasingly sparse, to the point where they were reduced to corn soup without even bread.
They strangely only served liquid food.
“I guess I miss meat and bottles of wine more than people.”
“Oh my, I got caught?”
Whenever Princess Lariesa came, she would always bring a basket full of cheese, ham, and wine.
For Sir Manfredi, who enjoyed getting drunk and cavorting during his free time from work and training, the only way he could see meat and wine these days was through the Princess of Lariesa.
“Isn’t the one who gives food the best? These days, whenever I see that Princess, I feel like a dog licking its food bowl.”
Sir Manfredi climbed up on the windowsill and was about to bark like a dog.
'Wine! Give me wine! Awww-!'
Prince Alfonso snickered. If there weren't jokes like this, it would be hard to endure.
“Prince Alfonso!”
And Princess Lariesa was not a noblewoman.
As soon as he heard the loud voice, Sir Manfredi lifted his buttocks.
“Eek, the owner is here.”
He quickly escaped into the inner room.
“I will step aside for you. Good luck, Prince!”
“The owner? The owner is here, where did the dog run away?”
“Is it the Prince the big shot? This is what a captain is supposed to do. Good luck!”
The wine was good, but the people were too much for him. Alfonso, left alone, shook his head with a bitter smile.
What sin did I commit in my past life that I have to take responsibility for and deal with this situation?
And then Princess Lariesa entered the room where Sir Manfredi had left in high spirits.
“Prince Alfonso! I brought you some wine!”
Her expression clearly read, 'I did well, didn't I?' Did that Grand Duchess hear our conversation?
Prince Alfonso rose from the window where he was leaning, trying not to let out a grunt of disapproval, and pointed to the guest table.
“Please sit here, Princess Lariesa.”
It was a very polite manner. However, Lariesa refused to sit across from Prince Alfonso and sat right next to him.
Lately, Lariesa has always been like this. Alfonso shifted his body a little because he felt burdened, but she didn't care.
“We have a new chef from the Montpellier Palace as our mansion’s head chef. It’s a special foie gras. Ah, try it.”
These days, Lariesa is quite unreserved in many ways. She visits and speaks as she pleases.
She didn't even notice it.
Because she knew that Prince Alfonso was in a situation where he couldn't refuse, and at the same time, Alfonso felt uncomfortable because of it.
She put a piece of goose liver on a silver spoon and brought it to Prince Alfonso's mouth.
Alfonso slightly turned his head to avoid the spoon she offered him. However, Princess Lariesa was persistent in aiming for the spoon.
Exactly.
Finally, Prince Alfonso's cheek was stabbed by the spoon that Larriesa held out. The seasoned goose liver on the spoon fell and landed on Prince Alfonso's thigh.
Alfonso's brow furrowed for a moment, but Princess Lariesa laughed without even noticing.
“The Prince looks so cute when his cheek gets sunken in by the spoon.”
Lariesa, who was excited by herself, picked up a napkin and tried to wipe the food off Alfonso's mouth.
Alfonso wiped his mouth with his left hand before the Grand Duchess could reach him.
“Grand Duchess.”
“Oh my, look at this. It’s on your clothes too.”
Despite Alfonso's protests, Lariesa paid no attention. She reached out with her napkin-holding hand and reached for Alfonso's thigh.
It was the inside of the thigh. The leg cannot be avoided by turning the head.
Lariesa's hand eventually reached deep into Alfonso's thigh, and Prince Alfonso, unable to bear it any longer, raised his voice.
“Grand Duchess!”
The voice seemed quite loud. Lariesa looked at Alfonso in surprise.
But instead of apologizing, she blamed him in a voice that was on the verge of tears.
“Your Highness, did you just raise your voice...?”
“Prince Alfonso!”
And Princess Lariesa was not a noblewoman.
As soon as he heard the loud voice, Sir Manfredi lifted his buttocks.
“Eek, the owner is here.”
He quickly escaped into the inner room.
“I will step aside for you. Good luck, Prince!”
“The owner? The owner is here, where did the dog run away?”
“Is it the Prince the big shot? This is what a captain is supposed to do. Good luck!”
The wine was good, but the people were too much for him. Alfonso, left alone, shook his head with a bitter smile.
What sin did I commit in my past life that I have to take responsibility for and deal with this situation?
And then Princess Lariesa entered the room where Sir Manfredi had left in high spirits.
“Prince Alfonso! I brought you some wine!”
Her expression clearly read, 'I did well, didn't I?' Did that Grand Duchess hear our conversation?
Prince Alfonso rose from the window where he was leaning, trying not to let out a grunt of disapproval, and pointed to the guest table.
“Please sit here, Princess Lariesa.”
It was a very polite manner. However, Lariesa refused to sit across from Prince Alfonso and sat right next to him.
Lately, Lariesa has always been like this. Alfonso shifted his body a little because he felt burdened, but she didn't care.
“We have a new chef from the Montpellier Palace as our mansion’s head chef. It’s a special foie gras. Ah, try it.”
These days, Lariesa is quite unreserved in many ways. She visits and speaks as she pleases.
She didn't even notice it.
Because she knew that Prince Alfonso was in a situation where he couldn't refuse, and at the same time, Alfonso felt uncomfortable because of it.
She put a piece of goose liver on a silver spoon and brought it to Prince Alfonso's mouth.
Alfonso slightly turned his head to avoid the spoon she offered him. However, Princess Lariesa was persistent in aiming for the spoon.
Exactly.
Finally, Prince Alfonso's cheek was stabbed by the spoon that Larriesa held out. The seasoned goose liver on the spoon fell and landed on Prince Alfonso's thigh.
Alfonso's brow furrowed for a moment, but Princess Lariesa laughed without even noticing.
“The Prince looks so cute when his cheek gets sunken in by the spoon.”
Lariesa, who was excited by herself, picked up a napkin and tried to wipe the food off Alfonso's mouth.
Alfonso wiped his mouth with his left hand before the Grand Duchess could reach him.
“Grand Duchess.”
“Oh my, look at this. It’s on your clothes too.”
Despite Alfonso's protests, Lariesa paid no attention. She reached out with her napkin-holding hand and reached for Alfonso's thigh.
It was the inside of the thigh. The leg cannot be avoided by turning the head.
Lariesa's hand eventually reached deep into Alfonso's thigh, and Prince Alfonso, unable to bear it any longer, raised his voice.
“Grand Duchess!”
The voice seemed quite loud. Lariesa looked at Alfonso in surprise.
But instead of apologizing, she blamed him in a voice that was on the verge of tears.
“Your Highness, did you just raise your voice...?”
“Your Highness. Please keep the line. Isn’t this too much?”
Alfonso's face was flushed with shame. But Lariesa didn't look sorry at all.
“I... Are you saying that it’s too much?”
She was purely resentful of Alfonso.
“Are you saying I’m being too much? I brought foie gras for the prince, and last time I brought caviar and wine, and fine cheese...”
“You're saying that now...”
Prince Alfonso finally exploded.
“Is that the favor I asked for?”
Alfonso was originally a person who couldn't say no.
Even though he grew up in an environment perfect for growing up as the only legitimate Prince and being arrogant, that was his innate personality.
If there was something he could bear, he endured it, and if there was something he could beat around the bush, he only said half of it, and he did it in a good way.
Basically, he felt pity for everyone and was good at finding good things in others.
But this Grand Duchess was truly beyond the bounds of Prince Alfonso's vastness, like the sea.
“Do you think of me as a pet dog, Grand Duchess? One that wags its tail when you give it food?”
The way Princess Lariesa treated Prince Alfonso was much like how she treated her own pet dog.
Buying favors with snacks, touching them when they feel like it, pampering them in their own way, whining when things don't go their way, and always maintaining the stance of 'I am your master and you are my property.'
“I have spoken from the beginning of my respect. Respect for the Etruscan kingdom, respect for royalty, respect for the customs of the country! The Grand Duchess, far from upholding these things, has now decided to stop even respecting human beings!”
“...”
“Even when you were in Etruscan, I thought the Grand Duchess's behavior was a bit strange. I thought you must have been anxious because you were so far away, and that it was my fault, so I usually let it go. But now that I see you in the Kingdom of Gallico, you are really being arrogant! I must commend your efforts. How did you hide this great personality when you were in Etruscan?”
Lariesa's hands were shaking. The napkin she had used to wipe Alfonso's trouser leg was crumpled.
“You just bring me a piece of bread and act as if you’re doing me some favor, doing whatever you want...”
“...Without knowing anything.”
Lariesa spat out between the teeth.
“Without knowing anything!!!”
Her eyes were filled with tears and her pale, flaky skin was flushed red.
“Just a piece of bread? This is your lifeline!”
Princess Lariesa picked up a large loaf of bread from her basket and waved it in the air. Alfonso was confused by her heated words.
If a normal person were to say something like that, there would be some kind of meaningful implication.
But the opponent was Lariesa.
If it were Princess Lariesa, whom he had recently gotten to know better, she would have said something like, 'I'd rather die than not be able to eat delicious food.'
“...What is that...”
Alfonso questioned in confusion.
When Prince Alfonso appeared to not trust her, Princess Lariesa, feeling aggrieved, made a bombshell announcement.
“There’s arsenic in your food!”
Alfonso blinked his blue-gray eyes, which were just like his mother's.
“Arsenic...?”
“Yes, arsenic. The same arsenic that killed your mother! If you eat a tiny amount of arsenic with every meal here, your lifespan will be shortened without anyone knowing! In three or four years, you will be so weak that it can be announced that you died of natural causes!”
A look of horror spread across Prince Alfonso's face.
“Then who killed my mother... Who called me here...”
It's all a conspiracy of the Kingdom of Gallico.
The assassination of Queen Marguerite and the summoning of Prince Alfonso to Montpellier were all carried out according to a pre-determined plan.
But what he didn't understand was this part.
“The Kingdom of Gallico... why me?”
The Etruscan kingdom was on friendly terms with the Gallico kingdom, and the King of Gallico and Prince Alfonso were cousins.
From Philip IV's point of view, Prince Alfonso was someone he could have placed on the throne without necessarily having to get rid of.
Lariesa hurled harsh words at Alfonso, who was in a state of confusion.
“Because he thought that if he could just get rid of you, the Etruscan throne would be in his hands! His Majesty King Philip IV has proposed to your cousin, Bianca of Taranto!”
Lariesa was feeling a strange sense of elation now.
Neither a direct descendant of royalty nor particularly intelligent, Lariesa could not participate as a player but rather as a pawn in the chess game of politics.
She had rarely had an information advantage over anyone, except in frivolous social gossip.
This was especially true when the opponent was a true royal like Alfonso.
Prince Alfonso was the object of an elusive desire throughout his time in San Carlo and Taranto.
Now the man is at her feet, trapped in the bars, with both wings broken.
During that time, she took care of Alfonso with a sense of superiority, believing that she was the only one who could save him.
But this broken-winged bird, not only ungrateful for its only salvation, is rebelling! How ungrateful!
Lariesa was determined to give Alfonso a good kick today, without even a tear coming out of his eye.
The habit of treating subordinates, such as friends and housemaids, cruelly was rearing its head.
Alfonso responded to Lariesa's revelation with a bewildered expression.
“My father... My father... There’s no way he would allow something like that.”
“Ha, ha, hahahahahahaha!”
Lariesa, who laughed out loud, seemed to resemble Philip IV, who was not even that close at that moment.
It seemed like she was imitating Princess Auguste, whom she had always admired but also hated.
“My innocent Prince. You haven’t heard from anyone. Your father has abandoned you!”
Prince Alfonso's pupils shook. Lariesa straightened her back and looked straight at Alfonso.
As if it were she who had abandoned Alfonso.
“His Majesty Leo III, King of the Etruscan Kingdom, has sent a reply to the Kingdom of Gallico! Let us slowly discuss the details of Princess Bianca’s marriage!”
Alfonso was in shock. His eyes were unfocused and his mouth was slightly open.
He did not particularly love Leo III, nor did he feel very close to him.
Leo III was a distant and unrespectable father, compared to the late Queen Marguerite.
However, Prince Alfonso, who had never directly encountered his father while under his mother's care, had in Leo III the same amount of faith and trust that a son in a normal family would have in his father.
...He never even imagined that he would be thrown into enemy territory and abandoned like this.
“That’s not all.”
Lariesa's shrill, nasal voice struck Alfonso's ears cruelly.
“Do you know what your father did?”
More from here? There was no way. Alfonso, who had nothing to say, just stared ahead with his mouth shut.
When the desired reaction did not come, Lariesa, who was in a rage, stabbed Alfonso even more viciously.
“He recognized your handsome brother!”
At this point, Alfonso had no choice but to answer. A single, dejected word escaped his lips.
“What...?”
“Count Cesare de Como’s full name is now Cesare de Carlo! He is the rightful heir to the throne of the Etruscan kingdom!”
“That’s not all.”
Lariesa's shrill, nasal voice struck Alfonso's ears cruelly.
“Do you know what your father did?”
More from here? There was no way. Alfonso, who had nothing to say, just stared ahead with his mouth shut.
When the desired reaction did not come, Lariesa, who was in a rage, stabbed Alfonso even more viciously.
“He recognized your handsome brother!”
At this point, Alfonso had no choice but to answer. A single, dejected word escaped his lips.
“What...?”
“Count Cesare de Como’s full name is now Cesare de Carlo! He is the rightful heir to the throne of the Etruscan kingdom!”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment