Duke Cesare, defeated in the Battle of the Savoyard Plains, did not return to his Pisano fiefdom but returned directly to the capital.
It was by no means a desirable attitude for a lord.
However, Cesare, who had defeated all 7,000 troops that the Etruscan kingdom had gathered, did not have the confidence to remain alone in the Pisano territory and endure the scorn of the local people.
It was a forced return home, but he thought it was worth it if he could be freed from his duties and return home.
...But it soon became clear that it was a wrong judgment.
“Cesare! The Gallico army is within reach of San Carlo!”
It was not only Gallico's army that followed Cesare south.
Duchess Rubina also personally invaded Cesare's residence, Villa Sortone, located in the southern part of the capital, from the royal palace in the center of the capital.
She barged into her son's living room and scolded him harshly.
“Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?! You’ve got to do something, kid!”
Cesare looked down at the floor with a hardened face.
He was now trying his best to dismiss Rubina's words as mere noise rather than meaningful speech.
If he were five years younger, he would have covered his ears with both hands and cried.
“Are you listening to your mom?!”
He didn't even have the energy to go to the street.
Alcohol, I need alcohol.
He thought of his best friend, from whom he had been estranged, with a sense of responsibility.
He preferred sparkling wine, but on a day like today, he would rather have his nose twisted and his nose turned to stone and he'd better sleep.
As Cesare was daydreaming, a terrifying threat, like a cannonball on a battlefield, flew into his ear.
“His Majesty the King will summon you to the palace soon.”
He raised his head.
“What? Why?”
“Why, why! You are the commander-in-chief of the Etruscan kingdom! The defense of the country is in your hands!”
After Cesare returned to the capital, Leo III stopped calling his 'nephew' to the palace.
Perhaps the capital's magnates were gossiping that Duke Cesare had fallen out of favor with the King, but Cesare himself was quite content with the King's silence.
It would be a blessing if the King did not come looking for him. He wanted no more responsibility, no more burden, no more questioning.
“Could it be that my mother arranged this?”
Rubina shouted proudly.
“Yes! I did it!”
"Ha!"
Cesare's patience ended here.
He had to grit his teeth and endure Rubina's nagging because he had an army to feed, but it was a different story when he was dragged before the King because of his mother's tricks.
“Are you crazy?”
"What?"
“Is it because you want to see your son’s head blown off?”
Cesare's veins rose in his neck.
“Even if I am dragged to the main palace now, I will only be held responsible for the defeat. Why are you making a fuss when His Majesty the King has already let it go?”
“Why did my son lose his head?”
Duchess Rubina raised her voice in response without giving an inch of hesitation.
“That’s because you don’t know the rumors going around in the capital! Do you know what everyone is gossiping about these days?”
“Should I know that?”
Duchess Rubina had no intention of ignoring her son's evasions. She hammered each word into his ear.
“They are blaming the Duke of Pisano for having fallen out of His Majesty’s favor and for now being completely out of His Majesty’s favor!”
“Oh, come on!”
He didn't want to know. What was the meaning of conveying bad news when the person concerned didn't want to hear it?
“Mother, please!”
Despite Cesare's appeals, Duchess Rubina said only what she had to say.
“Yes, looking at His Majesty the King now, it is impossible not to hold you responsible for the defeat. But would your father really behead you?”
Cesare replied angrily.
“I don’t know! Who knows what’s inside?”
“I know, I know!”
She was pounding her chest in frustration at her son knowing only one thing and not two.
“You don’t know the nature of power. Life is like a battle between two people, and you can win or lose the battle.”
It is impossible to live a life of constant success. Even Rubina, who gave birth to the King's eldest son and was very proud, had her ups and downs.
She will never forget the feeling of the sky falling when the Emperor's foreign wife, Marguerite, gave birth to her son.
“But the key is to stand strong and not crumble when you lose!”
She will eventually outlive Marguerite and be the ultimate victor.
As Rubina knew, the Etruscan way of 'standing firm' was ultimately to gain the King's favor.
If you can't get recognition, you can at least hold on to the King's affection, or at least a little bit of his life.
A person who is constantly being trampled on cannot be ignored. If they can only survive in the close proximity of the King, the sun will never set on their small kingdom.
“At times like these, you should show up in front of His Majesty the King often, be nice to him, and even whine about how hard it is!”
For a grown son to rub his father's back and act friendly was something Cesare—no matter how good he was at it—was loath to do even at the risk of his life.
But Cesare's likes and dislikes were not a matter of consideration for Rubina.
“People don't just like people who benefit them; they like people who do them favors, people who do them favors, people who do them favors! Stand by them, ask them for favors, and then show your regrets!”
“That way, people will see you are alive and well and won’t dare to beat you up!”
Rubina raised her voice even further.
“That’s what the public opinion is! That’s what the public opinion is! And the decision-makers are ultimately influenced by what people say!”
Cesare muttered darkly.
"...Why on earth do I have to go through all that trouble?”
The endless hamster wheel. The endlessly spinning wheel. Rubina has a lot. But when will she ever be satisfied?
"Of course!"
Rubina screamed in disbelief.
The Hall of the Sun. What this mother wants is for his son to be crowned in the Hall of the Sun.
“Don’t you have any greed? Don’t you want to settle down in the capital and enjoy the freedom where no one can say anything to you? Yes, if it goes well, a throne, a throne!”
The throne. Yes, the throne. It was a timidly spoken sincerity. And she thought that now was a golden opportunity.
“Now that Alfonso is out of the way, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Do you know how much trouble your mother went through to keep that damned Alfonso in Yesak?”
Rubina must have dreamed of her son ascending to the throne ever since she found out that the child in her womb was a boy.
No matter what anyone says, Cesare was the eldest son of Leo III.
But that was just Rubina's dream. Her son didn't have the same dream.
“I’m not interested in that kind of thing!”
“You stupid son of a bitch!”
Duchess Rubina finally lost control of her anger and threw the teacup she was holding in her hand.
Clang!
With the sound of a broken teacup as background music, she vented her anger at her son.
“Yeah, you son of a bitch! The King’s illegitimate son!”
Every word pierced Cesare's heart like a knife.
“Do you think you’ll be able to live comfortably when Alfonso ascends to the throne?! He’ll be gnashing his teeth, Rubina, the bitch who ate his mother! You’re my son after all! That label can never be removed!”
Tired of picking sides. From birth, his team had been chosen. He was forced to side with Rubina.
An unbreakable umbilical cord connected Cesare and Rubina.
“You have no choice but to be enemies with that boy Alfonso, and in the competition for succession, only one winner will survive!”
Cesare's anger exploded.
“Go back!”
Rubina attempts to put Cesare as her avatar on a battlefield he never wanted to fight on.
This fact aroused in Cesare an unbearable rage, a rage of indescribable intensity.
“What the heck, is it all about doing something? If you start something and throw me in, I’ll always be the one cleaning up the mess!”
Cesare's verbal abuse of his mother was reaching a dangerous level.
“Is life that easy for you?”
“You ungrateful brat!”
But Rubina didn't give up either.
“I said I’d make a flower path for you, but why are you throwing a tantrum and saying you don’t want to do it because it’s so inconvenient and you don’t like it! You little punk who can’t even eat what’s being fed! Even a baby swallow on the street is better than you!”
A spark flew from Rubina's eyes. Cesare had no intention of giving in either.
Anger flashed from his water-colored eyes, which looked just like Rubina's.
“What the hell kind of person are you...!!”
He poured out all the world's criticisms on his mother in a chain reaction, but he couldn't bring himself to say one thing.
'Do you love me?'
Cesare really wanted to say that if she loved his son, she could not have put him in such a difficult situation, but the words would not leave his lips.
Because he was afraid that the answer might be 'I don't love you.'
Even the world's greatest Rubyna would not answer like that.
Instead, she would beat around the bush and attack him by calling him an ungrateful son or something. But Cesare could not allow even the slightest possibility.
Because it will fall apart the moment he hears it.
After a fierce battle, Duchess Rubina declared war.
“The audience date will probably be set in about two weeks. Until then, take care of yourself, stay home, and don’t go out!”
She quickly draped her cloak around her shoulders. The thick material suited to the chilly weather wrapped tightly around her shoulders.
“Useless kid.”
It was the final wedge for Duchess Rubina.
***
From then on, Duke Cesare developed a neurosis about visitors to his palace, because he never knew when an envoy would arrive demanding an audience with the King.
“Hey, sir!”
Cesare could not just close the main gate and reject all the guests. If an envoy came, he had to welcome him.
Normally, he would have been drinking alcohol, but because he was feeling a little prickly, he showed himself drunk to the King's envoy.
He had no choice but to endure it for a whole week with his mind blank. It was nothing short of torture.
“Your Highness, we have a visitor.”
“In the palace?”
To Cesare's barbed reply, the attendant said quietly.
“She is Miss Ariadne of the de Mare family.”
Unlike the servants of the Pisano estate, Cesare's personal servants knew where their master responded and where he did not.
Cesare's face brightened at the mention of Ariadne.
“Miss de Mare? Where is she now?”
Ariadne, she must have some brilliant ideas.
Cesare thought she would have the answer if he went to her, but he couldn't bring himself to contact her first.
No man wants to whine to the woman he loves. This was especially true for Duke Cesare, who lived and died by his looks.
If that was the case, he would not have sent a messenger to Ariadne first to ask for her strategy, even if it meant dying.
But today, Ariadne came to see me in person. She was... special.
He felt like it would be okay to lean on the hand that was extended to him. A little bit.
“I tried to invite her to the reception room, but she strongly declined and said she wanted to go out to the garden.”
In the garden? It was now too cold to take a long walk. But if she liked it, then so be it.
“I’ll go out right now. Tell the kitchen to prepare some warm tea.”
He added.
“Don’t make the young lady wait, hurry!”
***
Cesare was able to come out to meet Ariadne much more neatly and splendidly than last time.
This was because he always bathed and purified himself every morning while waiting for the King's edict.
Since they were meeting outdoors, the fact that he could wear a coat and hat also helped him to dress up.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Cesare greeted her with a bright smile.
Cesare was dressed like a peacock, but Ariadne was dressed in extreme frugality.
She was wearing a long black robe like those worn by plague doctors, so there was no indication of what dress she was wearing.
She also had a towel wrapped around her face.
Cesare was a little disappointed.
'What, you came to see me without any makeup on?'
He once again checked his appearance, dressed like a peacock. Should I have dressed more casually?
“Wasn’t it cold?”
But Cesare was best at not showing his feelings at all.
It was especially so when it was disappointing, and especially when the other person was someone who wanted to look good.
He took a step forward with a big smile on his face and offered Ariadne a cup of warm tea from the kitchen.
Steam rose from a beautiful porcelain cup engraved with silver.
“Don't come any closer.”
Ariadne took a step back. At this point, even the world-famous Cesare had failed to control his facial expressions.
At the look of disappointment that had emerged, Ariadne made her excuses with a slightly softened expression.
“I recently had to get a little close to a plague patient.”
Cesare was not reassured even after hearing this perfectly rational and reasonable reason.
Ariadne, who noticed the mood, added a word. She could read Cesare's expression even with her eyes closed.
“It’s for Duke Cesare. You shouldn’t be sick.”
At these words, Cesare felt the knot of anger that had been forming on the verge of breaking away melt away like cotton candy.
It was funny. This woman had the power to send his mood into the air with a simple act and then crash it down into the basement.
Cesare offered her another try, with some admiration.
“But listen to this. You’ve been outside for so long, you’re going to be cold.”
Cesare's voice dripped with tenderness, and his actions were full of respect.
He placed the teacup and saucer on the landscape rock and took a step back.
Ariadne reluctantly approached and picked up the porcelain teacup, holding it in both hands.
She only enjoyed the warmth of the teacup without putting down the towel on her face, but that alone made Cesare feel happy inside.
Because she muttered quietly.
“Hmm, it’s warm.”
She has an influence on the people who can move them. He can't believe how much fun something so trivial can be.
But that small satisfaction was completely forgotten by Ariadne's next words.
“Duke Cesare. I have come to you today with a plan to defeat the Gallico army.”
A rush of excitement as if a high concentration of grappa had been poured into his blood vessels, burst through his head.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment