“Let’s talk.”
At the first words spoken by Cardinal de Mare upon his return from the palace, Ariadne had a gut feeling.
What was meant to happen has come.
She answered with a pretended, calm smile.
“What’s wrong, father?”
But Cardinal de Mare was also a formidable expert.
“I have left all the housework up to you, but I wonder if it wasn’t a heavy burden to place on a young daughter.”
He spoke in detail.
“Let me see how you’ve been doing, and I’ll teach you what I have to teach you. Should I bring the ledger? Let’s look at it together in Father’s study.”
Oh, my. It will come out like this.
Just hearing these words, Ariadne understood what Cardinal de Mare was trying to say.
Leo III would most likely have been talking about grain, and Cardinal de Mare would have been looking for a way to get his spoon into that grain.
Since Ariadne would have no money, he probably thought that the money she saved to buy grain was family money, and he was trying to threaten her into finding useful items and offering them to him by pretending to look at the ledgers together with her.
She felt sad, but at the same time, she thought it was natural. She felt sad because she had some expectations of her father.
Ariadne decided to just think positively. It was ridiculous to have expectations now.
In Lucrezia's time, Cardinal de Mare used to inspect the ledgers as if they were a meal, saying, "Lucrezia!! Bring the ledgers!!" and when he started a conversation by sprinkling condiments on them, he decided Ariadne had grown too big to ignore.
She answered with a smile.
“Of course, father. Just wait a moment. I’ll bring it up right away.”
It was a good thing that he had sent her on an errand to bring the ledger before calling her to the study.
Ariadne already had one or two more things in her study besides the ledgers to take to her father.
For example, diploma, etc.
And before Ariadne went to the study of the picture, she called Sancha and whispered to her.
“Bring it...”
“Yes, I understand, Miss.”
“Tell him I asked him to come as soon as possible.”
“Don't worry.”
Some evidence is much more shocking when heard from a person's mouth than when seen in writing.
Cardinal de Mare turned the pages of the account books one by one while his daughter sat in front of him.
Ariadne felt as if she was being tortured.
If you turn another 50 pages, you will find that she borrowed 5,000 ducats from the de Mare family's budget and gave it to Caruso, the CEO of the Boccanegro company. Of course, she had already filled it out.
Why don't you just say it out loud, what are you doing?
“Father, should I stay outside while you watch?”
After sitting in Cardinal de Mare's study for nearly an hour, Ariadne decided that there was no point in enduring it any longer and asked the Cardinal.
The Cardinal did not answer but simply pushed up his monocle.
Sitting the person in front of him and going over his work was a tactic Cardinal de Mare used to tame his subordinates.
Even if you just review it without saying anything, your subordinates will start to feel uneasy. It was a great way to tame people without saying anything.
But his second daughter said, "If there's no work, I'll go out." Either she's immature and doesn't understand the current situation, or she's not afraid of Cardinal de Mare.
Cardinal de Mare, realizing that the ledger search was not working either way, slammed the lid of the ledger shut.
“No. I’ll finish this later. Let’s talk first.”
Ariadne laughed brightly. The Cardinal found that laugh annoying.
"Great."
It was a luxury that she had acquired while working as the temporary regent of Palazzo Carlo, not as the illegitimate second daughter of the de Mare family.
“...There is a word in the capital that you have grain on a very large scale.”
“I guess it’s a typical exaggeration in the capital.”
She smiled. It's not like it could pass as modesty, but it's polite to show humility once in a while.
“I thought so too, but His Majesty the King himself mentioned it. How big is it?”
Cardinal de Mare cut to the chase and got straight to the point.
He was offended by Ariadne's smile and no longer cared for his daughter.
Spice things up by talking about people around you. This is the attitude you take when dealing with people who are less familiar to you, people who require courtesy, and people who are superior to you.
In the Cardinal's opinion, Ariadne was none of those three.
But Ariadne remained steadfast and endured the Cardinal's questions.
“Why does the exact size matter? We have enough to feed the relief center for the time being, but we’re going to spend it all there.”
“Ariadne.”
The Cardinal's green eyes narrowed.
“You came up to San Carlo from the Bergamo farm penniless early last year. Your mother...”
The Cardinal who habitually addressed Lucrezia remained silent.
Lucrezia is no longer the mistress of the house, nor is she Ariadne's mother.
“...I stopped Lucrezia from harassing you about your living expenses.”
'Not all of them.'
Ariadne muttered to herself. As expected, people tend to overestimate what they have done.
But it was not the personal vice of Cardinal de Mare, but the vice of the human species.
She decided to give her father this much credit.
The Cardinal did indeed protect his second daughter to some extent from her stepmother's clutches.
“As far as I know, you have no personal property except the gifts of Her Majesty the late Queen and a few gold ducats. But where did all this wealth come from? And it was accumulated after I entrusted the household accounts to you.”
He squinted his eyes and looked at his second daughter.
“I didn’t say anything to you until now because you seemed to be managing the household well.”
The Cardinal threw the main point.
“If the source of your wealth is your family’s property, isn’t what you earn also ultimately your family’s property?”
He spoke firmly.
“If it’s family property, it’s right for me to know its size. There must be a ledger related to grain. Hand over the ledger.”
Ariadne stood upright before him and smiled.
“That was a good guess, Father.”
A deep wrinkle formed between Cardinal de Mare's eyebrows.
“But the money to buy grain is not the property of the de Mare family.”
"What?"
“It is false to say that I have no other property than the gifts of Her Majesty the Queen.”
When Ariadne entered Cardinal de Mare's study, she was carrying a large box with her.
She opened the lid of the box and took out the first of today's weapons. A dazzling light filled the room.
“This, this is... Isn’t this the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep Sea’?”
It was the 'Heart of the Blue Deep Sea' that Ariadne had entrusted to CEO Caruso on the condition that he would lend her 70,000 ducats.
As soon as her share of the proceeds from the grain sales exceeded 70,000 ducats, she paid the amount to CEO Caruso and received back the 'Heart of the Blue Deep Sea'.
She didn't trust anyone. Anything that could tie her neck had to be removed as quickly as possible.
“Yes, Father, it is the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep Sea.’ It is truly my personal property.”
Cardinal de Mare could not understand why Ariadne had taken out the necklace.
By any chance... Are you saying that you sold the necklace to pay for the grain? But isn't the necklace here!
Ariadne soon satisfied Cardinal de Mare's curiosity.
“I pawned this necklace and used the money to buy wheat all over the country starting last spring.”
“Are you really crazy?! How can you fool the King...!”
Cardinal de Mare was horrified. If this reached Leo III's ears, he would not remain silent.
He was already looking for an excuse to touch Ariadne, and if the King found out about this, there was a good chance he would do something like imprison her for lese majeste.
But Ariadne was not surprised.
“I got it back as soon as I had the means. I burned all the related documents. Those who know this owe me a debt of gratitude.”
Strictly speaking, they are taking hostages.
Ariadne has not yet sent Petruchia home.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to spend the family money safely. But didn’t my father say no?”
Before the death of Queen Marguerite, Ariadne had asked Cardinal de Mare,
I want to buy wheat to help the people, but can I use my family's assets?
“To be exact, you said I could spend up to 1000 Ducats. That would be about 1000 of the money I had to mobilize. By the way, I used that to pay for the warehouse rental fee.”
Ariadne was willing to vomit that much out at home. But not everything.
“But that was the extent of my father’s permission. In the end, I took care of raising the money myself and buying it myself. In the end, the grains I own and the money I make from selling them are my personal property. They are my own assets that I created.”
"Ha!"
Cardinal de Mare laughed.
“Do you think you could have made that fortune without the protection of your family?”
Ariadne answered slowly, her eyes scanning the dazzling brilliance of the sapphire on the desk in the study.
“It must have been difficult, but wouldn’t I have managed it somehow?”
She said, fiddling with her ledger.
“I will confess honestly. I borrowed about 5,000 ducats in the meantime. Of course, I filled it all up. The 6,000 ducats came from the de Mare family. I am grateful for your kindness, Father. I will reward you appropriately. However.”
Ariadne looked straight at Cardinal de Mare and said,
“The final proceeds are my property.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“What kind of picture are you drawing with that?”
Cardinal de Mare did not answer questions about the calculations and burst into laughter.
“As long as you are in the family, your life and expenses must follow the orders of the head of the family!”
But his second daughter didn't budge an inch.
“Can I leave after I get married?”
"Ha!"
Now, at this moment, it was the thing Cardinal de Mare feared most.
How can you lose the goose that lays the golden eggs to someone else?
He again pushed his daughter hard against the river.
“Don’t you know that a marriage without a father’s consent is invalid?”
It was true.
A marriage without the father's permission was not blessed, and if the father formally protested to the family that had taken his daughter, the marriage could be annulled and the daughter could be brought back to the family.
Likewise, the property that was taken away will also return home.
But there is no rule without exception.
“If His Majesty the King so orders, I can get married without the head of the household’s order.”
“You're saying that now!”
Even more so with the man Ariadne wants. The man she wants is on the battlefield across the sea.
There were also more realistic options.
Ariadne said with a smile.
“Besides, doesn’t the father’s ‘right of recovery’ disappear if you have a child with a husband you married without permission?”
This is also the reason why couples who run away in the middle of the night start having children.
If they could just stay hidden until their child was born, they could become a full-fledged couple.
“Are you saying whatever you want with your mouth open?”
Even the usually calm Cardinal de Mare could not stand it here and hit the table with the palm of his hand.
“You’re threatening to grab any guy and run away from home right now in front of your father!”
“Since you won’t give me a place in the house, I have no choice but to resort to desperate measures!”
Ariadne's voice also grew louder.
“Father, do you think of me as your child?”
“What?”
Cardinal de Mare looked at his daughter with a strange expression at the attack from a completely unexpected direction.
“I fed you, clothed you, brought you to the capital, and raised you like the daughter of a respectable noble family.”
He did everything he could for Ariadne, his illegitimate daughter.
The Cardinal considered this to be an act of insubordination and an ungrateful protest.
“I could have left you at the Bergamo farm for the rest of your life! Of course, I thought of you as my child, so I took care of you. Why are you saying such nonsense now?”
But Ariadne's cold voice did not soften.
“During a private meeting with His Majesty the King, His Majesty said, ‘I have promised Cardinal de Mare a title.’”
A deep wrinkle appeared on Cardinal de Mare's forehead, like an earthworm.
“I heard that His Majesty is planning to give it to you this winter. My father didn’t even tell me. That means.”
Ariadne looked straight at Cardinal de Mare.
“Isn’t it true that Father intends to give the title to Ippolito, not me?”
Cardinal de Mare, who had been frowning grimly, burst into laughter here.
“Ha, hahahahahahahahaha!”
Ariadne glared at her father, frowning.
It was the exact same expression her father had just made. The expressions the father and daughter were making changed in an instant.
“Is that why you came out like this?”
Cardinal de Mare suppressed his laughter and said to his daughter.
“Aren’t you a daughter?”
At the first words spoken by Cardinal de Mare upon his return from the palace, Ariadne had a gut feeling.
What was meant to happen has come.
She answered with a pretended, calm smile.
“What’s wrong, father?”
But Cardinal de Mare was also a formidable expert.
“I have left all the housework up to you, but I wonder if it wasn’t a heavy burden to place on a young daughter.”
He spoke in detail.
“Let me see how you’ve been doing, and I’ll teach you what I have to teach you. Should I bring the ledger? Let’s look at it together in Father’s study.”
Oh, my. It will come out like this.
Just hearing these words, Ariadne understood what Cardinal de Mare was trying to say.
Leo III would most likely have been talking about grain, and Cardinal de Mare would have been looking for a way to get his spoon into that grain.
Since Ariadne would have no money, he probably thought that the money she saved to buy grain was family money, and he was trying to threaten her into finding useful items and offering them to him by pretending to look at the ledgers together with her.
She felt sad, but at the same time, she thought it was natural. She felt sad because she had some expectations of her father.
Ariadne decided to just think positively. It was ridiculous to have expectations now.
In Lucrezia's time, Cardinal de Mare used to inspect the ledgers as if they were a meal, saying, "Lucrezia!! Bring the ledgers!!" and when he started a conversation by sprinkling condiments on them, he decided Ariadne had grown too big to ignore.
She answered with a smile.
“Of course, father. Just wait a moment. I’ll bring it up right away.”
It was a good thing that he had sent her on an errand to bring the ledger before calling her to the study.
Ariadne already had one or two more things in her study besides the ledgers to take to her father.
For example, diploma, etc.
And before Ariadne went to the study of the picture, she called Sancha and whispered to her.
“Bring it...”
“Yes, I understand, Miss.”
“Tell him I asked him to come as soon as possible.”
“Don't worry.”
Some evidence is much more shocking when heard from a person's mouth than when seen in writing.
***
Cardinal de Mare turned the pages of the account books one by one while his daughter sat in front of him.
Ariadne felt as if she was being tortured.
If you turn another 50 pages, you will find that she borrowed 5,000 ducats from the de Mare family's budget and gave it to Caruso, the CEO of the Boccanegro company. Of course, she had already filled it out.
Why don't you just say it out loud, what are you doing?
“Father, should I stay outside while you watch?”
After sitting in Cardinal de Mare's study for nearly an hour, Ariadne decided that there was no point in enduring it any longer and asked the Cardinal.
The Cardinal did not answer but simply pushed up his monocle.
Sitting the person in front of him and going over his work was a tactic Cardinal de Mare used to tame his subordinates.
Even if you just review it without saying anything, your subordinates will start to feel uneasy. It was a great way to tame people without saying anything.
But his second daughter said, "If there's no work, I'll go out." Either she's immature and doesn't understand the current situation, or she's not afraid of Cardinal de Mare.
Cardinal de Mare, realizing that the ledger search was not working either way, slammed the lid of the ledger shut.
“No. I’ll finish this later. Let’s talk first.”
Ariadne laughed brightly. The Cardinal found that laugh annoying.
"Great."
It was a luxury that she had acquired while working as the temporary regent of Palazzo Carlo, not as the illegitimate second daughter of the de Mare family.
“...There is a word in the capital that you have grain on a very large scale.”
“I guess it’s a typical exaggeration in the capital.”
She smiled. It's not like it could pass as modesty, but it's polite to show humility once in a while.
“I thought so too, but His Majesty the King himself mentioned it. How big is it?”
Cardinal de Mare cut to the chase and got straight to the point.
He was offended by Ariadne's smile and no longer cared for his daughter.
Spice things up by talking about people around you. This is the attitude you take when dealing with people who are less familiar to you, people who require courtesy, and people who are superior to you.
In the Cardinal's opinion, Ariadne was none of those three.
But Ariadne remained steadfast and endured the Cardinal's questions.
“Why does the exact size matter? We have enough to feed the relief center for the time being, but we’re going to spend it all there.”
“Ariadne.”
The Cardinal's green eyes narrowed.
“You came up to San Carlo from the Bergamo farm penniless early last year. Your mother...”
The Cardinal who habitually addressed Lucrezia remained silent.
Lucrezia is no longer the mistress of the house, nor is she Ariadne's mother.
“...I stopped Lucrezia from harassing you about your living expenses.”
'Not all of them.'
Ariadne muttered to herself. As expected, people tend to overestimate what they have done.
But it was not the personal vice of Cardinal de Mare, but the vice of the human species.
She decided to give her father this much credit.
The Cardinal did indeed protect his second daughter to some extent from her stepmother's clutches.
“As far as I know, you have no personal property except the gifts of Her Majesty the late Queen and a few gold ducats. But where did all this wealth come from? And it was accumulated after I entrusted the household accounts to you.”
He squinted his eyes and looked at his second daughter.
“I didn’t say anything to you until now because you seemed to be managing the household well.”
The Cardinal threw the main point.
“If the source of your wealth is your family’s property, isn’t what you earn also ultimately your family’s property?”
He spoke firmly.
“If it’s family property, it’s right for me to know its size. There must be a ledger related to grain. Hand over the ledger.”
Ariadne stood upright before him and smiled.
“That was a good guess, Father.”
A deep wrinkle formed between Cardinal de Mare's eyebrows.
“But the money to buy grain is not the property of the de Mare family.”
"What?"
“It is false to say that I have no other property than the gifts of Her Majesty the Queen.”
When Ariadne entered Cardinal de Mare's study, she was carrying a large box with her.
She opened the lid of the box and took out the first of today's weapons. A dazzling light filled the room.
“This, this is... Isn’t this the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep Sea’?”
It was the 'Heart of the Blue Deep Sea' that Ariadne had entrusted to CEO Caruso on the condition that he would lend her 70,000 ducats.
As soon as her share of the proceeds from the grain sales exceeded 70,000 ducats, she paid the amount to CEO Caruso and received back the 'Heart of the Blue Deep Sea'.
She didn't trust anyone. Anything that could tie her neck had to be removed as quickly as possible.
“Yes, Father, it is the ‘Heart of the Blue Deep Sea.’ It is truly my personal property.”
Cardinal de Mare could not understand why Ariadne had taken out the necklace.
By any chance... Are you saying that you sold the necklace to pay for the grain? But isn't the necklace here!
Ariadne soon satisfied Cardinal de Mare's curiosity.
“I pawned this necklace and used the money to buy wheat all over the country starting last spring.”
“Are you really crazy?! How can you fool the King...!”
Cardinal de Mare was horrified. If this reached Leo III's ears, he would not remain silent.
He was already looking for an excuse to touch Ariadne, and if the King found out about this, there was a good chance he would do something like imprison her for lese majeste.
But Ariadne was not surprised.
“I got it back as soon as I had the means. I burned all the related documents. Those who know this owe me a debt of gratitude.”
Strictly speaking, they are taking hostages.
Ariadne has not yet sent Petruchia home.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to spend the family money safely. But didn’t my father say no?”
Before the death of Queen Marguerite, Ariadne had asked Cardinal de Mare,
I want to buy wheat to help the people, but can I use my family's assets?
“To be exact, you said I could spend up to 1000 Ducats. That would be about 1000 of the money I had to mobilize. By the way, I used that to pay for the warehouse rental fee.”
Ariadne was willing to vomit that much out at home. But not everything.
“But that was the extent of my father’s permission. In the end, I took care of raising the money myself and buying it myself. In the end, the grains I own and the money I make from selling them are my personal property. They are my own assets that I created.”
"Ha!"
Cardinal de Mare laughed.
“Do you think you could have made that fortune without the protection of your family?”
Ariadne answered slowly, her eyes scanning the dazzling brilliance of the sapphire on the desk in the study.
“It must have been difficult, but wouldn’t I have managed it somehow?”
She said, fiddling with her ledger.
“I will confess honestly. I borrowed about 5,000 ducats in the meantime. Of course, I filled it all up. The 6,000 ducats came from the de Mare family. I am grateful for your kindness, Father. I will reward you appropriately. However.”
Ariadne looked straight at Cardinal de Mare and said,
“The final proceeds are my property.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“What kind of picture are you drawing with that?”
Cardinal de Mare did not answer questions about the calculations and burst into laughter.
“As long as you are in the family, your life and expenses must follow the orders of the head of the family!”
But his second daughter didn't budge an inch.
“Can I leave after I get married?”
"Ha!"
Now, at this moment, it was the thing Cardinal de Mare feared most.
How can you lose the goose that lays the golden eggs to someone else?
He again pushed his daughter hard against the river.
“Don’t you know that a marriage without a father’s consent is invalid?”
It was true.
A marriage without the father's permission was not blessed, and if the father formally protested to the family that had taken his daughter, the marriage could be annulled and the daughter could be brought back to the family.
Likewise, the property that was taken away will also return home.
But there is no rule without exception.
“If His Majesty the King so orders, I can get married without the head of the household’s order.”
“You're saying that now!”
Of course, Leo III was not going to give Ariadne a consort.
There were also more realistic options.
Ariadne said with a smile.
“Besides, doesn’t the father’s ‘right of recovery’ disappear if you have a child with a husband you married without permission?”
This is also the reason why couples who run away in the middle of the night start having children.
If they could just stay hidden until their child was born, they could become a full-fledged couple.
“Are you saying whatever you want with your mouth open?”
Even the usually calm Cardinal de Mare could not stand it here and hit the table with the palm of his hand.
“You’re threatening to grab any guy and run away from home right now in front of your father!”
“Since you won’t give me a place in the house, I have no choice but to resort to desperate measures!”
Ariadne's voice also grew louder.
“Father, do you think of me as your child?”
“What?”
Cardinal de Mare looked at his daughter with a strange expression at the attack from a completely unexpected direction.
“I fed you, clothed you, brought you to the capital, and raised you like the daughter of a respectable noble family.”
He did everything he could for Ariadne, his illegitimate daughter.
The Cardinal considered this to be an act of insubordination and an ungrateful protest.
“I could have left you at the Bergamo farm for the rest of your life! Of course, I thought of you as my child, so I took care of you. Why are you saying such nonsense now?”
But Ariadne's cold voice did not soften.
“During a private meeting with His Majesty the King, His Majesty said, ‘I have promised Cardinal de Mare a title.’”
A deep wrinkle appeared on Cardinal de Mare's forehead, like an earthworm.
“I heard that His Majesty is planning to give it to you this winter. My father didn’t even tell me. That means.”
Ariadne looked straight at Cardinal de Mare.
“Isn’t it true that Father intends to give the title to Ippolito, not me?”
Cardinal de Mare, who had been frowning grimly, burst into laughter here.
“Ha, hahahahahahahahaha!”
Ariadne glared at her father, frowning.
It was the exact same expression her father had just made. The expressions the father and daughter were making changed in an instant.
“Is that why you came out like this?”
Cardinal de Mare suppressed his laughter and said to his daughter.
“Aren’t you a daughter?”
Comments
Post a Comment