Julia de Baldessar read the new letter she had received with a subtle expression.
She sat at her desk in the public study and spoke to the person sitting in front of her.
“I don’t have any business interfering with other people’s business.”
At her words, a young man with soft blue-gray eyes looked at her.
“Is it sometimes necessary to say that Ariadne is too soft?”
She said, snapping her fingers.
“It might not be a good thing for them to let their family members loose like this. Won’t they get into trouble?”
The man's expression was subtle. When the response she had expected did not come, Julia added sheepishly.
“No. The heart is kind, but it takes care of its owner.”
But she couldn't hide her true feelings.
“But isn’t it crossing the line for a maid to send a letter to her master’s friend?”
What was on Julia's desk was a letter from Sancha.
The letter was written in a polite tone, identifying herself as Sancha, Ariadne's maid, and saying that it would be of great gratitude if the young lady's close friend, Lady Julia, could visit and console her, as she had been feeling very depressed lately.
“An employee has his/her place within the company. I indeed want to go see Ari, but I’m not the type of person Ari’s maid would tell me to come and go.”
Francois, a young man and domestic of the Baldessar family, asked quietly.
“Do I look that way to you?”
Only then did Julia realize she had made a slip of the tongue and covered her mouth.
Although Francois was the domestic of the Baldessar family, he effectively served as Julia's personal servant.
He tried his best to fulfill his duty as a domestic, which was to take care of the courtesy of visiting guests, but the young lady's invitations were persistent.
Moreover, because of the Black Death, there were no more outside guests, so the main business was gone, and there was no way to decline any longer.
“You are different.”
Julia hurriedly made an excuse and chose her words.
“You... You are much more refined than most nobles, and you are also very knowledgeable about etiquette. You would never have done something so presumptuous.”
“It’s different. I’m just a domestic servant in the young lady’s house.”
Francois answered with a slightly contemptuous expression.
“That doesn’t change the fact that I can read and write Latin or that I can joust.”
His handsome forehead and eyes beneath his long eyelashes looked somewhat angry.
“Where do I draw the line? If you are sick and your family cannot be reached, can I get a doctor for you without your order?”
“That’s different! It’s something you can do when I'm sick!”
He answered cynically.
“Your friend’s maid just did the same thing.”
Francois spat out in a slightly angry tone.
“Your friend is sick and she needs help. If you can see the substance and not the form.”
At that moment, someone's voice flew in cheerfully.
“Who is sick?”
It was Julia's older brother, Raphael, who came into the study to look for a book.
When he saw Raphael appear, Francois couldn't hide his discomfort and bowed deeply before immediately leaving the room.
Julia looked at her brother with a defeated expression.
“That’s...”
Raphael clicked his tongue after hearing a brief explanation from his younger sister.
'You've blatantly scratched my pride.'
He vaguely sensed the tension between his sister and her servant but didn't add much.
It didn't seem like anything would happen, so he didn't want to make a fuss by scratching it.
In his view, this spark was not likely to come to fruition because of Il Domestico's strangely arrogant and stubborn wall rather than his younger sister's discernment.
However, what he was interested in was something else.
“So, are you going?”
“I think I should go see Ari since she’s not feeling well...”
“Are you hurt in your pride?”
Julia didn't answer. That was the point.
The aristocratic nature of the Baldessar family was not limited to Raphael, as Julia also received the same education and grew up.
In fact, it was a series of coincidences that made her friends with Ariadne, the illegitimate daughter of a cardinal.
If Isabella de Mare, who had been harassing Ariadne, had not been so disgusting, and if Ariadne had not overcome the process so nobly, Julia would never have done anything to belittle Ariadne de Mare—in fact, Julia actually thought it was Ariadne Mare, strictly speaking.
“How dare a maid ask me to come and go? Am I right?”
“...If you go obediently, it seems like you’re the kind of person who would really go if called.”
Julia didn't deny it but made excuses with a sheepish look on her face.
“If Ari had called me directly, of course, I would have gone! Seriously!”
“Then let’s do it like this.”
Raphael presented a solution with a calm face.
“I’ll go instead of you.”
"Yes?"
“This maid’s invitation is for you, not me. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s true.”
“You just heard that your friend was feeling unwell and went to see her. However, the Baldessar family clearly sent a representative, so I guess you didn’t ignore your friend’s plight. What do you think?”
“Ah...It’s okay.”
Julia, who couldn't even guess at her brother's sinister intentions, seemed to be feeling uneasy no matter what.
“Brother, when you get there, be sure to ask Ari.”
“What should I say?”
“Do you want Julia to come too?”
Julia, who wanted to go see Ariadne but was reluctant to accept the maid's invitation, helped out diligently.
“Get Ari to tell me that she wants to see me!”
"Yes."
Raphael smiled prettily.
“It’s just an errand. I’ll ask. It’s not my business what the answer will be.”
Julia frowned and shot a slap in the face.
“What does that mean? Are you saying Ari won’t like seeing me?”
“No, no. I can’t make that kind of prediction. Whether or not to invite you is entirely up to her.”
Raphael added.
“I’ll ask, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the answer you want. How could I possibly force her to do this or that?”
But he was determined to get her permission. If the meeting between Ariadne and her sister could happen, wouldn't he be able to join in and see her one more time?
“I’ll be back right away.”
***
Sancha, the maid of the de Mare family, was surprised three times.
Firstly, because the reply to her letter to the Baldessar family came back so quickly; secondly, because it was not a letter in reply, but appeared in the form of a visitor; and thirdly, because the person who appeared was not Lady Julia, whom she had invited, but the Marquis Raphael de Baldessar.
“I received an invitation and came to visit.”
Raphael bowed his head and greeted Sancha. Sancha stuttered in surprise.
“Ah, ah, hello. I sent a letter without even knowing the topic, but thank you so much for stopping by...”
“No. It was a heartfelt letter expressing concern for your lord.”
Raphael answered with a refreshing smile. Sancha, whose face seemed to be shining and dizzy, barely managed to keep her wits about her and asked.
“But why Marquis Baldessar and not Miss Julia...”
“I thought she should come sooner, but Julia had something to do.”
Raphael smiled brightly once more. It was a finishing move. As expected, the red-haired maid couldn't ask any more questions.
“So I quickly got it for you. Is Miss Ariadne at home?”
“Oh, yes yes. The young lady is in her room. I’ll bring her over quickly...”
Raphael stopped Sancha as she was trying to leave in a hurry.
“By the way, how is Miss Ariadne?”
Raphael showed off the basket of ivory and the lap blanket he had brought.
“If it’s okay with Miss Ariadne, I’d like to go out for a drink.”
When Duke Cesare came, Sancha was sharp as a knife, but in front of the harmless-looking Raphael, her guard naturally went down. Sancha answered absentmindedly.
“Oh, I’ll go ask.”
Raphael added, smiling brightly once more.
“Yes, yes. Don’t worry. If she’s uncomfortable, I’ll be fine with a cup of tea in the living room.”
I really didn't mean to do that.
***
“Miss...”
Ariadne, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion last night due to depression, just turned her head from her bed.
She felt stuffy from head to toe. Because of the thick curtains, no sunlight could enter, making it impossible to tell what time it was.
“What time is it now?”
“It’s a little past lunchtime. Aren’t you hungry?”
"...I don’t want to eat.”
Ariadne didn't have even an ounce of appetite.
Sancha was not at all surprised by Ariadne's refusal to eat.
She delivered the message instead. She planned to have finger food prepared in the living room instead of a meal.
“A guest has arrived.”
"What?"
“From the Baldessar family.”
Sancha strategically did not reveal who her guests were from the Baldessar family.
Because if he was a man, she would be worried that the girl might reject him.
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“I heard they came because they were worried since they hadn’t heard from you for a long time...”
At the introduction that omitted the subject, Ariadne groaned and got up from her bed, thinking that it was Julia who had come to visit.
She can't just send away a socialite friend who came to visit her in these times without even seeing her face, because she was so worried.
Julia didn't know if Ariadne was really terminally ill, but she was just depressed.
“I’ll get ready and go down. Call Anna so I can get ready.”
Ariadne added.
“Tell Anna to make sure to bring the gloves. No, don’t ask Anna to do it. Why don’t you bring them yourself?”
Ariadne looked extremely depressed as she said those words.
If the opportunity arose, Sancha would have liked to ask the young lady, "Would you like to go out with the guest?", but given the situation, she was not in a position to bring up such a question.
Sancha was glad they sent him home and she didn't try to finish him off.
Sancha rationalized the situation and smiled positively at Ariadne.
“I’ll bring all kinds of gloves. Just pick the pretty ones, please.”
***
Ariadne went down to the reception room and asked stupidly.
"...Why is Raphael there?”
“Didn't you hear that?”
Raphael smiled dazzlingly, revealing his white teeth. His red eyes and white skin were extremely beautiful.
Ariadne thought that the man might be prettier than her.
“I came instead of Julia.”
"Yes?"
You said Julia was worried and came without an invitation, and she sent someone else instead of herself? Is it Julia's errand? What are you talking about?
Ariadne, who was completely unaware of the invitation to Sancha, was confused.
Raphael threw a lap blanket over Ariadne before she had time to understand the situation.
“Yes, let’s go out and play.”
"Yes?"
“I get damp if I stay at home. Let’s go on a picnic.”
Raphael gestured to Ariadne.
“Please bring just one coat. I have prepared the rest.”
Instead of forcing the dumbfounded Ariadne to do the work of calling the maid herself, Raphael pulled the rope and called the person himself.
“Hey, young lady, please bring just one coat. We’re going out for a while.”
“Yes? Yes?”
“You don’t have to change into riding clothes since we’re going light. I’ll ask them to bring out the horse too.”
From then on, things were smooth sailing.
This is how Raphael ended up on an outdoor date that even the Duke of Cesare thought about, but didn't quite succeed.
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