If we were to compare Leo III to an animal, he would be a rabbit.
The rabbit wasn't just any rabbit, he was a cunning rabbit. He always dug three holes, and today was no exception.
If the first method doesn't work, he can try the second route.
“Call Cardinal de Mare.”
Leo III gritted his teeth, his expression clearly marked.
First, he bought 20,000 cantaro worth of food for the reckless girl she wanted.
This prevented grain from being exported to the Republic of Porto.
What this meant was that the remaining grain he did not purchase remained within the Etruscan kingdom.
Time has been saved. Just apply pressure and get it.
'Someho... If I don't get my hands on that food...'
Leo III was feeling the administrative power of his kingdom slowly crumbling due to the Black Death that swept through the country. Tax collection was the biggest problem.
When the King's tax collectors visited the provinces, they often encountered empty cities, which had been devastated by the Black Death.
If the city really was ruined, it would be better.
Because it was an act of God. However, local lords used the Black Death as an excuse to not send taxes to the central government.
'Because taxes aren't being collected...'
'Look at the situation in the city, we may have to abandon the city and run away at any moment.'
'There is no way to send the collected taxes. There is no one I can trust, so it will be robbed on the way.'
'I already sent it, but you didn't receive it? Oh no, it looks like the delivery man has caught the plague!'
There were often places where the gates were closed and no one was allowed to enter, even the tax collectors.
They also know that Leo III cannot set an example for the local governments.
Ugh.
The King ground his teeth. He hated to admit it, but Ariadne de Mare was right.
If he were to send his troops to rob grain from the 'Etruscan Saviours', the 'Saint of Rambouillet', and the 'Mother of the Poor', the poor of the capital would rise up in revolt at the slightest fault.
There is no way to know for sure whether Ariadne de Mare threw it knowingly or unknowingly, but King had additional concerns that the uprising of the poor in the capital city might get out of control if supported by the local lords.
'Grain to sustain the capital guard, or at least gold coins...!'
First of all, he hoped for a voluntary donation from the person himself, but that went down the drain.
But even if he could not use violence, there were countless means at the King's disposal.
'No matter how good a girl is, she is still dependent on her family.'
Leo III was not the only one who had to worry about public opinion. Ariadne de Mare was no exception.
'If I pressure that father, she won't be able to endure it.'
The King's influence over the young girl was surprisingly limited. His influence was limited to the public sphere.
There was no room for the King to exert pressure on a young lady who did not have a title, did not pay taxes with the produce of her land, and did not engage in commercial activities.
Because a King without a Queen could not directly participate in the girls' social circle.
But his father was different.
As he was a priest belonging to the Holy See, he was not strictly a vassal of Leo III, but since he had a lot of work to do, he would be able to exert some influence.
Once that happens, everything goes smoothly from there.
The head of a clan has strong coercive power over the clan members. If you can't hit them straight away, you can just step aside and hit them from the side.
But what Leo III did not consider was that the father was an even greater businessman than his daughter.
“No, did that happen?”
In his private meeting with Leo III, Cardinal de Mare showed genuine surprise and gave the King a round of applause.
“That’s right. So, the Cardinal should speak well to his daughter and...”
Despite the King's request, Cardinal de Mare nixed it in its bud.
“That’s my daughter’s private property. It’s not the family’s property.”
It's not that he didn't have various thoughts.
If I had the full support of the Etruscan King, could I become Pope in the next conclave?
Will Leo III give me his full support with this? When will the next conclave be held?
But the calculation result, which was completed in an instant, was negative.
Cardinal de Mare concluded that there would be little benefit in offering Ariadne's fortune to Leo III.
Pope Louis was not much older than Cardinal de Mare and was in relatively good health. The conclave would be ten years away at the earliest.
Would Leo III be the kind of person who would remember today's grace for ten years? Cardinal de Mare's final conclusion was 'no'.
“I have no authority.”
Leo III, now dismayed, rebuked Cardinal de Mare.
“No, Cardinal, how can you so confidently say that there is no spirit in your house?”
For Leo III, it was a matter of face and pride.
“She is not a noblewoman, so where on earth does she have any personal money? She did not inherit her dead mother’s dowry, did she? Everything the daughter of a family has was given to her by the head of the family! It is a shameful thing for her not to be able to manage it!”
But Cardinal de Mare was a pragmatist among pragmatists, believing that saving face and pride do not feed one.
“Your Majesty, we are not nobles, we are commoners.”
He answered with a calm smile.
“Naturally, the voice of the commoner’s wife is louder and has more authority. Whether it’s through farming or selling fish, isn’t the person who earns the most money the one who earns the most power?”
“What, what?”
Leo III felt dizzy and grabbed the back of his neck.
He thought that the daughter of that house was acting strange, but it seemed like it was the family tradition to look around when talking about money.
But Cardinal de Mare had no intention of backing down today, no matter what Leo III thought.
He was already very dissatisfied with the King.
The flat refusal of Leo III's request was influenced by the fact that there was nothing to receive from the King immediately, but also by the lack of trust in him.
If a merchant goes on credit, he has to pay it back. If it's his first transaction, he has to pay it back quickly, and with interest.
“Do you remember our promise?”
He reminded Leo III of his promise of the title.
“I thought I would be able to become a noble father by the time the weather got chilly at the latest.”
“Oh, Cardinal! Why are you so impatient? You have to consider all the circumstances, and you have to think about the backlash...”
Cardinal de Mare was tempted to complain that a King who couldn't even control himself and was only concerned about what his subjects thought was a fool, but he barely managed to hold back his wit.
I'm not going to immigrate, I just have to live here, so I have to do it moderately.
“Even if I make a hundred concessions and say that’s true, shouldn’t you have told me in advance what title you’re going to award and when you’re going to give it?”
Leo III had nothing to say except a cough.
There were good reasons why he did not contact Cardinal de Mare in advance.
The King wanted to wash his mouth and give up his title.
A Cardinal would naturally want a countship or something.
The proper independent titles began there, but Leo III found it burdensome to add Counts to the capital.
A new prestigious family that has the support of the religious world, but is not entirely on their side? And now they are a new rich family that monopolizes grain in the country.
“Dear Cardinal. In consideration of your future devotion...”
“Future devotion.”
Cardinal de Mare pursed his lips, a habit he had with his second daughter.
“I pride myself on having served San Carlo as well as I could between Trevero and San Carlo.”
The kind of ceremonial favors the Etruscan kingdom received from the Holy See were certainly more generous than the amount of royal tribute it received.
“As the representative of the Holy See and as His Holiness the Pope’s right-hand man, I would like to tell you that it was not an easy task. And of all the desperate measures I have taken for His Majesty the King, the greatest is...”
Cardinal de Mare stared at Leo III. There was no specific reference, but they both knew what the other was thinking.
The Cardinal did not bother to utter cheap threats like, "If it is discovered that I have falsified the records of the Holy See for the benefit of Duke Cesare..."
From the beginning, the two were accomplices on the same boat.
When Cardinal de Mare exposes the King's actions, he, who has tampered with the official records of the Holy See, will eventually be dragged into the scandal.
There was no way to know who would get hurt more. It would be a close fight.
“I will do my best to provide you with sufficient dedication in the future.”
Although Cardinal de Mare said with his mouth what Leo III wanted to hear, his expression was not like that at all. Leo III knew it.
“But you must do an interim settlement.”
The idea was to first give up the title and then discuss the grain.
“Once the weather gets colder, I’ll have a conversation with my daughter. But don’t you think that the relief supplies for the poor will increase in the winter?”
The threat was that the later it got, the more there would be nothing left.
Leo III clicked his tongue, thinking that the women were doing the same thing.
“I have an appointment later. If Your Majesty permits, I will rise first.”
Cardinal de Mare looked at Leo III with his green eyes.
“If you have any questions, please call me anytime. I will be happy to come running.”
Even to the point of daring to ask the King to stand up first, yes, the father and daughter were definitely very similar. It was like they were stamped out of a mold.
“Oh, and.”
Leo III, in no mood to answer, glared at Cardinal de Mare.
“The issue of the Rambouillet Relief Center that you mentioned as soon as I arrived today.”
Leo III had brought up the story of the Rambouillet Center today as an excuse and icebreaker for a private meeting.
It was an institution that the deceased Queen had overseen, but since there was no suitable administrator among the royal family after the death of Queen Margaret, there was a request from the Etruscan Diocese of the Holy See, which took the lead in providing relief to the poor, to take over and manage the relief home.
“Come to think of it, we are currently carrying out many relief projects independently, so it seems difficult to build a relief home in Rambouillet.”
At the beginning of the private meeting, Cardinal de Mare was unable to firmly refuse because he did not know what would happen in the future, and only gave a response such as, "I will consider it."
But when he looks back on today's conversation, the more he looks at it, the more annoyed he becomes at the King.
The Rambouillet Relief Center would have to be run entirely on the palace budget if his daughter were to leave, but he didn't want to spend money, so he tried to pass it on to the Imperial Court.
“The current situation is such that relief work for the poor is piling up. I hope you understand.”
The Cardinal rose from his seat, his white cardinal's uniform fluttering. He bowed politely, but his appearance was too unpleasant.
“Ugh!”
When Cardinal de Mare left, Leo III sighed and vented all his pent-up resentment.
Who said that being a King means that one can do whatever one wants? Those who envy the King's position are definitely those who have never been King!
As Cardinal de Mare returned home, he decided that it was time to have a conversation with his second daughter.
He knew from rumors in social circles that his second daughter was managing a considerable fortune.
But didn't believe the rumors about social development at face value.
'In the social world, even if there's just one gust of wind, people start making a fuss about it being the strongest cold spell ever.'
Besides, as soon as he heard rumors that his daughter had earned money, it was not in his nature to raid her like a tax collector and interrogate her about how and where she earned the money.
It's not like they don't have money at home. She just foolishly tried to do well on her own.
But he really didn't know that it would catch the King's eye. Then it would have been a different story.
'You wouldn't have been able to start your first business without using your family's assets.'
As someone who unintentionally provided business funds and as a father to a daughter, shouldn't some of it be incorporated into the family's assets?
He gave me protection from the hateful King.
But is Ariadne's money really property independent of her family?
Cardinal de Mare, although a much more enlightened man than most fathers of his time, did not think so.
'If I do well, I might be able to create a successful family of Counts in my generation...'
Since he had just beaten the King today, it was best to give up any hope of the best-case scenario where the King would grant him a countship with a fief. The King wasn't the kind of guy to give it to him anyway.
But even if only a title without a fief is given out... No, even if the King completely wipes his mouth...
'If you have a lot of money, you can just buy it, right?'
You could buy the estate, or you could save the only daughter of the fallen estate of Ippolito. With a generous bride, anything was possible.
His lifelong dream was close to coming true.
A respectable Count with a great estate. A blue dolphin emblem to decorate the mansion located in the center of the estate. The name of de Mare will last for generations. Cardinal de Mare's palms sweated at the thrilling thought.
But he didn't know that his daughter was also preparing to have a talk with her father.
The rabbit wasn't just any rabbit, he was a cunning rabbit. He always dug three holes, and today was no exception.
If the first method doesn't work, he can try the second route.
“Call Cardinal de Mare.”
Leo III gritted his teeth, his expression clearly marked.
First, he bought 20,000 cantaro worth of food for the reckless girl she wanted.
This prevented grain from being exported to the Republic of Porto.
What this meant was that the remaining grain he did not purchase remained within the Etruscan kingdom.
Time has been saved. Just apply pressure and get it.
'Someho... If I don't get my hands on that food...'
Leo III was feeling the administrative power of his kingdom slowly crumbling due to the Black Death that swept through the country. Tax collection was the biggest problem.
When the King's tax collectors visited the provinces, they often encountered empty cities, which had been devastated by the Black Death.
If the city really was ruined, it would be better.
Because it was an act of God. However, local lords used the Black Death as an excuse to not send taxes to the central government.
'Because taxes aren't being collected...'
'Look at the situation in the city, we may have to abandon the city and run away at any moment.'
'There is no way to send the collected taxes. There is no one I can trust, so it will be robbed on the way.'
'I already sent it, but you didn't receive it? Oh no, it looks like the delivery man has caught the plague!'
There were often places where the gates were closed and no one was allowed to enter, even the tax collectors.
They also know that Leo III cannot set an example for the local governments.
Ugh.
The King ground his teeth. He hated to admit it, but Ariadne de Mare was right.
If he were to send his troops to rob grain from the 'Etruscan Saviours', the 'Saint of Rambouillet', and the 'Mother of the Poor', the poor of the capital would rise up in revolt at the slightest fault.
There is no way to know for sure whether Ariadne de Mare threw it knowingly or unknowingly, but King had additional concerns that the uprising of the poor in the capital city might get out of control if supported by the local lords.
'Grain to sustain the capital guard, or at least gold coins...!'
First of all, he hoped for a voluntary donation from the person himself, but that went down the drain.
But even if he could not use violence, there were countless means at the King's disposal.
'No matter how good a girl is, she is still dependent on her family.'
Leo III was not the only one who had to worry about public opinion. Ariadne de Mare was no exception.
'If I pressure that father, she won't be able to endure it.'
The King's influence over the young girl was surprisingly limited. His influence was limited to the public sphere.
There was no room for the King to exert pressure on a young lady who did not have a title, did not pay taxes with the produce of her land, and did not engage in commercial activities.
Because a King without a Queen could not directly participate in the girls' social circle.
But his father was different.
As he was a priest belonging to the Holy See, he was not strictly a vassal of Leo III, but since he had a lot of work to do, he would be able to exert some influence.
Once that happens, everything goes smoothly from there.
The head of a clan has strong coercive power over the clan members. If you can't hit them straight away, you can just step aside and hit them from the side.
But what Leo III did not consider was that the father was an even greater businessman than his daughter.
***
“No, did that happen?”
In his private meeting with Leo III, Cardinal de Mare showed genuine surprise and gave the King a round of applause.
“That’s right. So, the Cardinal should speak well to his daughter and...”
Despite the King's request, Cardinal de Mare nixed it in its bud.
“That’s my daughter’s private property. It’s not the family’s property.”
It's not that he didn't have various thoughts.
If I had the full support of the Etruscan King, could I become Pope in the next conclave?
Will Leo III give me his full support with this? When will the next conclave be held?
But the calculation result, which was completed in an instant, was negative.
Cardinal de Mare concluded that there would be little benefit in offering Ariadne's fortune to Leo III.
Pope Louis was not much older than Cardinal de Mare and was in relatively good health. The conclave would be ten years away at the earliest.
Would Leo III be the kind of person who would remember today's grace for ten years? Cardinal de Mare's final conclusion was 'no'.
“I have no authority.”
Leo III, now dismayed, rebuked Cardinal de Mare.
“No, Cardinal, how can you so confidently say that there is no spirit in your house?”
For Leo III, it was a matter of face and pride.
“She is not a noblewoman, so where on earth does she have any personal money? She did not inherit her dead mother’s dowry, did she? Everything the daughter of a family has was given to her by the head of the family! It is a shameful thing for her not to be able to manage it!”
But Cardinal de Mare was a pragmatist among pragmatists, believing that saving face and pride do not feed one.
“Your Majesty, we are not nobles, we are commoners.”
He answered with a calm smile.
“Naturally, the voice of the commoner’s wife is louder and has more authority. Whether it’s through farming or selling fish, isn’t the person who earns the most money the one who earns the most power?”
“What, what?”
Leo III felt dizzy and grabbed the back of his neck.
He thought that the daughter of that house was acting strange, but it seemed like it was the family tradition to look around when talking about money.
But Cardinal de Mare had no intention of backing down today, no matter what Leo III thought.
He was already very dissatisfied with the King.
The flat refusal of Leo III's request was influenced by the fact that there was nothing to receive from the King immediately, but also by the lack of trust in him.
If a merchant goes on credit, he has to pay it back. If it's his first transaction, he has to pay it back quickly, and with interest.
“Do you remember our promise?”
He reminded Leo III of his promise of the title.
“I thought I would be able to become a noble father by the time the weather got chilly at the latest.”
“Oh, Cardinal! Why are you so impatient? You have to consider all the circumstances, and you have to think about the backlash...”
Cardinal de Mare was tempted to complain that a King who couldn't even control himself and was only concerned about what his subjects thought was a fool, but he barely managed to hold back his wit.
I'm not going to immigrate, I just have to live here, so I have to do it moderately.
“Even if I make a hundred concessions and say that’s true, shouldn’t you have told me in advance what title you’re going to award and when you’re going to give it?”
Leo III had nothing to say except a cough.
There were good reasons why he did not contact Cardinal de Mare in advance.
The King wanted to wash his mouth and give up his title.
A Cardinal would naturally want a countship or something.
The proper independent titles began there, but Leo III found it burdensome to add Counts to the capital.
A new prestigious family that has the support of the religious world, but is not entirely on their side? And now they are a new rich family that monopolizes grain in the country.
“Dear Cardinal. In consideration of your future devotion...”
“Future devotion.”
Cardinal de Mare pursed his lips, a habit he had with his second daughter.
“I pride myself on having served San Carlo as well as I could between Trevero and San Carlo.”
The kind of ceremonial favors the Etruscan kingdom received from the Holy See were certainly more generous than the amount of royal tribute it received.
“As the representative of the Holy See and as His Holiness the Pope’s right-hand man, I would like to tell you that it was not an easy task. And of all the desperate measures I have taken for His Majesty the King, the greatest is...”
Cardinal de Mare stared at Leo III. There was no specific reference, but they both knew what the other was thinking.
The Cardinal did not bother to utter cheap threats like, "If it is discovered that I have falsified the records of the Holy See for the benefit of Duke Cesare..."
From the beginning, the two were accomplices on the same boat.
When Cardinal de Mare exposes the King's actions, he, who has tampered with the official records of the Holy See, will eventually be dragged into the scandal.
There was no way to know who would get hurt more. It would be a close fight.
“I will do my best to provide you with sufficient dedication in the future.”
Although Cardinal de Mare said with his mouth what Leo III wanted to hear, his expression was not like that at all. Leo III knew it.
“But you must do an interim settlement.”
The idea was to first give up the title and then discuss the grain.
“Once the weather gets colder, I’ll have a conversation with my daughter. But don’t you think that the relief supplies for the poor will increase in the winter?”
The threat was that the later it got, the more there would be nothing left.
Leo III clicked his tongue, thinking that the women were doing the same thing.
“I have an appointment later. If Your Majesty permits, I will rise first.”
Cardinal de Mare looked at Leo III with his green eyes.
“If you have any questions, please call me anytime. I will be happy to come running.”
Even to the point of daring to ask the King to stand up first, yes, the father and daughter were definitely very similar. It was like they were stamped out of a mold.
“Oh, and.”
Leo III, in no mood to answer, glared at Cardinal de Mare.
“The issue of the Rambouillet Relief Center that you mentioned as soon as I arrived today.”
Leo III had brought up the story of the Rambouillet Center today as an excuse and icebreaker for a private meeting.
It was an institution that the deceased Queen had overseen, but since there was no suitable administrator among the royal family after the death of Queen Margaret, there was a request from the Etruscan Diocese of the Holy See, which took the lead in providing relief to the poor, to take over and manage the relief home.
“Come to think of it, we are currently carrying out many relief projects independently, so it seems difficult to build a relief home in Rambouillet.”
At the beginning of the private meeting, Cardinal de Mare was unable to firmly refuse because he did not know what would happen in the future, and only gave a response such as, "I will consider it."
But when he looks back on today's conversation, the more he looks at it, the more annoyed he becomes at the King.
The Rambouillet Relief Center would have to be run entirely on the palace budget if his daughter were to leave, but he didn't want to spend money, so he tried to pass it on to the Imperial Court.
“The current situation is such that relief work for the poor is piling up. I hope you understand.”
The Cardinal rose from his seat, his white cardinal's uniform fluttering. He bowed politely, but his appearance was too unpleasant.
“Ugh!”
When Cardinal de Mare left, Leo III sighed and vented all his pent-up resentment.
Who said that being a King means that one can do whatever one wants? Those who envy the King's position are definitely those who have never been King!
***
As Cardinal de Mare returned home, he decided that it was time to have a conversation with his second daughter.
He knew from rumors in social circles that his second daughter was managing a considerable fortune.
But didn't believe the rumors about social development at face value.
'In the social world, even if there's just one gust of wind, people start making a fuss about it being the strongest cold spell ever.'
Besides, as soon as he heard rumors that his daughter had earned money, it was not in his nature to raid her like a tax collector and interrogate her about how and where she earned the money.
It's not like they don't have money at home. She just foolishly tried to do well on her own.
But he really didn't know that it would catch the King's eye. Then it would have been a different story.
'You wouldn't have been able to start your first business without using your family's assets.'
As someone who unintentionally provided business funds and as a father to a daughter, shouldn't some of it be incorporated into the family's assets?
He gave me protection from the hateful King.
But is Ariadne's money really property independent of her family?
Cardinal de Mare, although a much more enlightened man than most fathers of his time, did not think so.
'If I do well, I might be able to create a successful family of Counts in my generation...'
Since he had just beaten the King today, it was best to give up any hope of the best-case scenario where the King would grant him a countship with a fief. The King wasn't the kind of guy to give it to him anyway.
But even if only a title without a fief is given out... No, even if the King completely wipes his mouth...
'If you have a lot of money, you can just buy it, right?'
You could buy the estate, or you could save the only daughter of the fallen estate of Ippolito. With a generous bride, anything was possible.
His lifelong dream was close to coming true.
A respectable Count with a great estate. A blue dolphin emblem to decorate the mansion located in the center of the estate. The name of de Mare will last for generations. Cardinal de Mare's palms sweated at the thrilling thought.
But he didn't know that his daughter was also preparing to have a talk with her father.
***
Conclave (from Latin Cum Clavis): A meeting to elect a new Pope after the death of the current Pope. The electoral college, the Cardinals, lock themselves in a voting booth and hold a marathon meeting until a two-thirds majority is reached. They provide meals at first, but as the meeting drags on, the portions are reduced to encourage a quick agreement.
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