Ariadne looked back and forth between Leo III, dressed in his new bride's white robes, and Cesare, covered in blood and carrying a real sword over his splendid clothes.
“Cesare...?”
He answered with a smile.
“Welcome to our wedding.”
Leo III invited only a very small number of guests and even gave them the wrong time.
He told them to come on time for the second part of the wedding party, not the wedding itself.
This was to quell any possible opposition from the bride's father or others.
So, the 'Hall of the Sun' was only filled with a few servants, excluding the bride, Candidate Groom 1, and the groom's father, Candidate Groom 2.
“Are there no priests here?”
In response to Cesare's question, Leo III waved his hand.
“No need.”
He said, waving the parchment he was clutching in his hand.
“Stand in front.”
Ariadne looked between Leo III and Cesare, Duke of Pisano, with a questioning look.
A marriage contract that is not witnessed by a priest is invalid, even if it is performed by the King himself.
However, Ariadne had no intention of stepping forward and giving legal effect to this situation, and the atmosphere within the Hall of the Sun was so tense that it was not a time to bring up such a topic.
Cesare took Ariadne's arm and stepped forward.
As Ariadne stood close to Cesare, she whispered to him.
“What the hell is going on right now?”
Cesare answered with a faint smile.
“One of the craziest things I’ve ever done.”
“Please explain.”
Although the son had mercilessly ignored his mother Rubina's request, his attitude was different in front of women. He opened his mouth obediently.
“Do you see the clothes of our father, the master of ceremonies, in front of me?”
“It’s pure white. Stained with blood.”
“Yes. He was originally supposed to be today’s groom.”
“What did you say?”
Ariadne's green eyes widened in astonishment.
“Oh my God...”
Now all the puzzle pieces fit together.
The appointment as director of Rambouillet the relief center, the award of the higher rank of Count than expected, and the award of the title to Ariadne rather than Ippolito - all fell into place perfectly.
“This time, I saved the young lady.”
Ariadne did not ask in detail how he saved her.
The bloodstains that splattered across Leo III's face and on Cesare's forehead may be evidence of that method.
“I have repaid the debt you owe me for saving me at the Pisano border.”
Cesare felt awkward saying, 'I couldn't see anything because my eyes were turned upside down when I heard you were going to be my father's second wife,' so he changed the subject.
And as soon as he said this, Cesare regretted not having just confessed with sweet words.
Because no matter how he heard it, it sounded stiff and uncool.
Sweet-talking in front of women was Duke Cesare's specialty.
Why doesn't that easy thing come out here?
Leo III called out to them as they whispered in his ear.
“Duke of Pisano, Countess of de Mare. Come forward.”
The King's eyes were glaring with anger and his hands were trembling.
He looked at Cesare and Ariadne who had stepped forward and quickly unfolded his coat of arms.
“I, Leo III of the Etruscan Kingdom.”
He read his position with particular force in his tone.
“The Duke of Pisano, Cesare, and the Countess of de Mare, Ariadne...”
Leo III paused for a moment and then continued reciting.
“I commend the ‘engagement.’”
And he immediately went to the nearest brazier among those burning in every corner of the 'Hall of the Sun' and threw the edict he was holding in his hand.
Hururuk!
The parchment caught fire and burst into flames. Cesare threw back his head and laughed loudly.
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
Despite Cesare's laughter, the King did not look back and strode out of the Hall of the Sun.
Boom!
The sound of the door closing was loud.
“How petty!”
It was a single word from Cesare, who had been laughing for a long time.
Since the edict was burned, the fact that it stated 'marriage' rather than 'engagement' was lost forever.
All that remains is an engagement by a verbal declaration from the King.
He held out his arms and escorted Ariadne.
“Everyone, get out of the way. The King’s wedding is over, and the Duke’s engagement ceremony is over.”
He looked around ominously.
“When the guests arrive, tell them that the engagement ceremony between the Duke of Pisano and the Countess de Mare was celebrated with great splendidness and beauty.”
He kissed Ariadne on the cheek as if for others to see.
It was a ceremony of firm determination that no one, not even the King, could take her away from him anymore.
Blood was also splattered on Cesare's face. Ariadne shuddered at the feeling of the cooled blood on her cheek.
“Let's go.”
He took Ariadne and left the Hall of the Sun.
Cesare's soldiers followed him with heavy steps, but in perfect order.
Cesare came on horseback leading his soldiers to storm the palace, and Ariadne was dragged away as if she were being held captive in the royal golden chariot.
There was no carriage for them to return in.
Cesare eventually had Ariadne ride on his black horse.
“The faithful and chaste Lady de Mare. No, the Countess.”
He put his hand around Ariadne's waist. She tried to slap him away but soon sprained her ankle.
It was a hand that helped Ariadne, who was wearing layers of whalebone underwear, to keep her balance, because it was impossible for her to keep her balance on the front of the saddle alone while wearing a full dress and farthingale.
“Are you still trying to push me away? I’m your fiancé now. Just give me some leeway to ride along with you.”
This refers to her being reluctant to mount a horse during a hunting competition.
Ariadne understood what he was saying, but she said something else.
“My attendant is still in the palace. I must take her with me.”
Cesare gestured to his subordinate as if he was annoyed.
“Find out who it is and bring her with you.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
After giving the instructions, he lightly kicked the spur and started the horse.
His interest was not in the servants. He spoke to Ariadne again, speaking to her.
“Isn’t it a shame? You could have been a Duchess, but you ended up just being the Duke’s fiancée.”
She answered sarcastically.
“If that’s the case, I missed the crowning of the Queen right before my eyes today, so how could I possibly regret losing the position of Duchess?”
“Hahahahahahahahahaha!”
Cesare laughed loudly again from his horse.
“That’s right. That’s right.”
The early winter wind was now quite chilly. Ariadne was only wearing her wedding dress.
She shivered as the cold wind blew by, and Cesare opened the front of his cloak and pulled her close to him.
...Don’t you usually take it off in times like this?”
“Why should I, when there is a way to keep both of us warm and still be able to hug?”
Cesare held back from saying, 'Don't put me on the same level as a gentleman like Alfonso, he's a bastard.'
He didn't want to bring up Alfonso's story first. It was a manifestation of a slight inferiority complex. Instead, he told a different story.
“The Duke’s fiancée might be better than the Duchess. If you were a Duchess, you would die with the Duke when his head is cut off, but if you were a fiancée, you would be able to return to her own family.”
He paused for a moment, then added.
“What should we do tomorrow?”
Ariadne was dumbfounded and asked back.
“You did it without even thinking about it?”
Cesare finally became honest.
“Yeah. I didn’t see anything.”
There was a moment of silence between them.
Ariadne didn't know what to say in the face of this honest confession.
She hesitated for a moment before saying the words that were on the tip of her tongue, but she was unable to spit them out.
She, too, like the first Cesare, changed her words.
“Tell me everything that happened, from beginning to end. Don’t skip over anything.”
Cesare had a habit of not speaking properly. It was a habit of a son that made Rubina shudder.
He was an unrivaled orator when he wanted to talk, but when he didn't really want to talk or was not focused, he would omit subjects or skip over events that had occurred in the middle, which would make the listeners' hearts beat.
But the bride in white was demanding an explanation from him. It was time to show off some talent he didn't have.
Cesare did his best to list in order the events of that morning.
“Really, you gathered all the soldiers stationed on the outskirts and invaded?”
“I didn’t mobilize many people, just 500.”
“Do you have two necks?”
“It is widely known that Count Cesare is crazy about women... No, the Duke has two heads, one above his neck and one between his thighs.”
Ariadne just laughed.
“If His Majesty the King sentences you to death, you can just ask him to cut off the thing in your stomach.”
“I’d rather stick my neck out.”
Cesare answered with a half-joking laugh and asked,
“Are His Majesty really coming to cut it?”
Ariadne asked him.
“Isn’t it better to be safe?”
“What’s so good about being safe? Isn’t there a trade-off?”
She laughed bitterly.
“You may have to give back what you got today.”
The only thing Cesare got today was Ariadne in his arms.
If he were to bow down here, would that mean he would have to break off his engagement with her and offer Ariadne up as the King's concubine again?
Cesare refused firmly.
“Since I did something crazy, I might as well keep what I gained. If I’m going to return everything, I’ll just end up being hated for nothing. What kind of stupid thing is that?”
Cesare said.
“Let’s go dangerously.”
There was a smile on his lips.
“I don’t know. I’m just going with the flow.”
He stretched out his right arm and held Ariadne in his left arm.
“Do you live once or twice?”
Ariadne had no intention of spoiling Cesare's fun, but she had to convey some important information to him.
“If you wanted to go safely, I was going to tell you to resign from your position as commander-in-chief right away, disband your army, and go up to Pisano’s fiefdom.”
“Then what about now?”
“We have to take everything and hold out in the capital.”
But the siege would not be easy.
“His Majesty the King will soon remove you from your position as Commander-in-Chief.”
“Oh, my. Mom is going to cry.”
“Then, aside from the private soldiers of the Pisano estate, soldiers from other estates will be out of your command.”
“The Black Death is running rampant, so should we send them back to their respective territories?”
“His Majesty will appoint someone else and put him in that position.”
The key issue was who to appoint.
“So, right now, consolidate those who have lost their commanders or whose units have been reduced in number and place them under Private Pisano.”
Ariadne's thoughts continued.
“Your mother, please make active use of her as well. If His Majesty the King still has favor, it would be best to go before him and bow to him. If the atmosphere is not like that, try to lay the groundwork through her social circle of friends.”
"What?"
“His Majesty the King and Duchess Rubina had a fight, and the Duke of Pisano barged in to confront his father, causing a small commotion in the palace.”
She looked up at Cesare.
“Remember, what happened today was not a fight between two rich men over a woman, but a matter of the Duke’s filial piety towards his mother. You need a justification.”
Ariadne added.
“And, His Majesty the King was so impressed by his son’s filial piety that he generously ordered the engagement, even though he had talked back to him. His Majesty needs to be praised. People are not good at turning back when others praise them for a specific action.”
Cesare looked down at her in his arms.
“Do you really hate getting involved with me that much?”
“There is something like that too.”
Ariadne took it lightly, but Cesare took it seriously.
“...Miss. I know you hate me.”
"...”
Ariadne was silent at the sudden change in topic.
Because Ariadne was completely unprepared to talk about Cesare and his feelings.
Cesare thought about the last time he saw Ariadne when she had been so angry that she had pushed him away.
“Is it because of my past?”
The infamous Count de Como, the Baroness of Santa Rosa, the Lady of Gentilini, the Lady of the Viscountess Vanedetto, the Lady of Ragusa, and even Ottavio's sister, the Countess Clemente de Bartolini.
Cesare's past and present lives and their counterparts flashed through Ariadne's mind.
“Trust me. I only played around when I was free. I’m not a bastard who plays around with my lower body while I have a fiancée.”
The list of women has been narrowed down once more.
It was a list of the women that Count Cesare de Como had played with while he was engaged to his wife.
Baroness Santa Rosa, Madame Gentilini, Countess Bartolini, and Isabella de Mare, the widow of the Crown Prince.
“I risked my life to save you.”
Past and present intersect. Cesare tightened his grip on Ariadne's hand.
“I’m serious. I unexpectedly became engaged, but I think it’s a good thing.”
He whispered softly.
“I will do well so that you can trust me.”
A pleasant tenor tone of voice rang out as if singing.
“Just watch.”
Ariadne stared blankly ahead while being held in Cesare's arms.
A man who once relegated the binding nature of engagement to the trash can is now declaring that he will hold it sacred.
Can a debaucher from a past life be reborn as a lover in this life?
“Cesare...?”
He answered with a smile.
“Welcome to our wedding.”
Leo III invited only a very small number of guests and even gave them the wrong time.
He told them to come on time for the second part of the wedding party, not the wedding itself.
This was to quell any possible opposition from the bride's father or others.
So, the 'Hall of the Sun' was only filled with a few servants, excluding the bride, Candidate Groom 1, and the groom's father, Candidate Groom 2.
“Are there no priests here?”
In response to Cesare's question, Leo III waved his hand.
“No need.”
He said, waving the parchment he was clutching in his hand.
“Stand in front.”
Ariadne looked between Leo III and Cesare, Duke of Pisano, with a questioning look.
A marriage contract that is not witnessed by a priest is invalid, even if it is performed by the King himself.
However, Ariadne had no intention of stepping forward and giving legal effect to this situation, and the atmosphere within the Hall of the Sun was so tense that it was not a time to bring up such a topic.
Cesare took Ariadne's arm and stepped forward.
As Ariadne stood close to Cesare, she whispered to him.
“What the hell is going on right now?”
Cesare answered with a faint smile.
“One of the craziest things I’ve ever done.”
“Please explain.”
Although the son had mercilessly ignored his mother Rubina's request, his attitude was different in front of women. He opened his mouth obediently.
“Do you see the clothes of our father, the master of ceremonies, in front of me?”
“It’s pure white. Stained with blood.”
“Yes. He was originally supposed to be today’s groom.”
“What did you say?”
Ariadne's green eyes widened in astonishment.
“Oh my God...”
Now all the puzzle pieces fit together.
The appointment as director of Rambouillet the relief center, the award of the higher rank of Count than expected, and the award of the title to Ariadne rather than Ippolito - all fell into place perfectly.
“This time, I saved the young lady.”
Ariadne did not ask in detail how he saved her.
The bloodstains that splattered across Leo III's face and on Cesare's forehead may be evidence of that method.
“I have repaid the debt you owe me for saving me at the Pisano border.”
Cesare felt awkward saying, 'I couldn't see anything because my eyes were turned upside down when I heard you were going to be my father's second wife,' so he changed the subject.
And as soon as he said this, Cesare regretted not having just confessed with sweet words.
Because no matter how he heard it, it sounded stiff and uncool.
Sweet-talking in front of women was Duke Cesare's specialty.
Why doesn't that easy thing come out here?
Leo III called out to them as they whispered in his ear.
“Duke of Pisano, Countess of de Mare. Come forward.”
The King's eyes were glaring with anger and his hands were trembling.
He looked at Cesare and Ariadne who had stepped forward and quickly unfolded his coat of arms.
“I, Leo III of the Etruscan Kingdom.”
He read his position with particular force in his tone.
“The Duke of Pisano, Cesare, and the Countess of de Mare, Ariadne...”
Leo III paused for a moment and then continued reciting.
“I commend the ‘engagement.’”
And he immediately went to the nearest brazier among those burning in every corner of the 'Hall of the Sun' and threw the edict he was holding in his hand.
Hururuk!
The parchment caught fire and burst into flames. Cesare threw back his head and laughed loudly.
“Hahahahahahahaha!”
Despite Cesare's laughter, the King did not look back and strode out of the Hall of the Sun.
Boom!
The sound of the door closing was loud.
“How petty!”
It was a single word from Cesare, who had been laughing for a long time.
Since the edict was burned, the fact that it stated 'marriage' rather than 'engagement' was lost forever.
All that remains is an engagement by a verbal declaration from the King.
He held out his arms and escorted Ariadne.
“Everyone, get out of the way. The King’s wedding is over, and the Duke’s engagement ceremony is over.”
He looked around ominously.
“When the guests arrive, tell them that the engagement ceremony between the Duke of Pisano and the Countess de Mare was celebrated with great splendidness and beauty.”
He kissed Ariadne on the cheek as if for others to see.
It was a ceremony of firm determination that no one, not even the King, could take her away from him anymore.
Blood was also splattered on Cesare's face. Ariadne shuddered at the feeling of the cooled blood on her cheek.
“Let's go.”
He took Ariadne and left the Hall of the Sun.
Cesare's soldiers followed him with heavy steps, but in perfect order.
***
Cesare came on horseback leading his soldiers to storm the palace, and Ariadne was dragged away as if she were being held captive in the royal golden chariot.
There was no carriage for them to return in.
Cesare eventually had Ariadne ride on his black horse.
“The faithful and chaste Lady de Mare. No, the Countess.”
He put his hand around Ariadne's waist. She tried to slap him away but soon sprained her ankle.
It was a hand that helped Ariadne, who was wearing layers of whalebone underwear, to keep her balance, because it was impossible for her to keep her balance on the front of the saddle alone while wearing a full dress and farthingale.
“Are you still trying to push me away? I’m your fiancé now. Just give me some leeway to ride along with you.”
This refers to her being reluctant to mount a horse during a hunting competition.
Ariadne understood what he was saying, but she said something else.
“My attendant is still in the palace. I must take her with me.”
Cesare gestured to his subordinate as if he was annoyed.
“Find out who it is and bring her with you.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
After giving the instructions, he lightly kicked the spur and started the horse.
His interest was not in the servants. He spoke to Ariadne again, speaking to her.
“Isn’t it a shame? You could have been a Duchess, but you ended up just being the Duke’s fiancée.”
She answered sarcastically.
“If that’s the case, I missed the crowning of the Queen right before my eyes today, so how could I possibly regret losing the position of Duchess?”
“Hahahahahahahahahaha!”
Cesare laughed loudly again from his horse.
“That’s right. That’s right.”
The early winter wind was now quite chilly. Ariadne was only wearing her wedding dress.
She shivered as the cold wind blew by, and Cesare opened the front of his cloak and pulled her close to him.
...Don’t you usually take it off in times like this?”
“Why should I, when there is a way to keep both of us warm and still be able to hug?”
Cesare held back from saying, 'Don't put me on the same level as a gentleman like Alfonso, he's a bastard.'
He didn't want to bring up Alfonso's story first. It was a manifestation of a slight inferiority complex. Instead, he told a different story.
“The Duke’s fiancée might be better than the Duchess. If you were a Duchess, you would die with the Duke when his head is cut off, but if you were a fiancée, you would be able to return to her own family.”
He paused for a moment, then added.
“What should we do tomorrow?”
Ariadne was dumbfounded and asked back.
“You did it without even thinking about it?”
Cesare finally became honest.
“Yeah. I didn’t see anything.”
There was a moment of silence between them.
Ariadne didn't know what to say in the face of this honest confession.
She hesitated for a moment before saying the words that were on the tip of her tongue, but she was unable to spit them out.
She, too, like the first Cesare, changed her words.
“Tell me everything that happened, from beginning to end. Don’t skip over anything.”
Cesare had a habit of not speaking properly. It was a habit of a son that made Rubina shudder.
He was an unrivaled orator when he wanted to talk, but when he didn't really want to talk or was not focused, he would omit subjects or skip over events that had occurred in the middle, which would make the listeners' hearts beat.
But the bride in white was demanding an explanation from him. It was time to show off some talent he didn't have.
Cesare did his best to list in order the events of that morning.
“Really, you gathered all the soldiers stationed on the outskirts and invaded?”
“I didn’t mobilize many people, just 500.”
“Do you have two necks?”
“It is widely known that Count Cesare is crazy about women... No, the Duke has two heads, one above his neck and one between his thighs.”
Ariadne just laughed.
“If His Majesty the King sentences you to death, you can just ask him to cut off the thing in your stomach.”
“I’d rather stick my neck out.”
Cesare answered with a half-joking laugh and asked,
“Are His Majesty really coming to cut it?”
Ariadne asked him.
“Isn’t it better to be safe?”
“What’s so good about being safe? Isn’t there a trade-off?”
She laughed bitterly.
“You may have to give back what you got today.”
The only thing Cesare got today was Ariadne in his arms.
If he were to bow down here, would that mean he would have to break off his engagement with her and offer Ariadne up as the King's concubine again?
Cesare refused firmly.
“Since I did something crazy, I might as well keep what I gained. If I’m going to return everything, I’ll just end up being hated for nothing. What kind of stupid thing is that?”
Cesare said.
“Let’s go dangerously.”
There was a smile on his lips.
“I don’t know. I’m just going with the flow.”
He stretched out his right arm and held Ariadne in his left arm.
“Do you live once or twice?”
Ariadne had no intention of spoiling Cesare's fun, but she had to convey some important information to him.
“If you wanted to go safely, I was going to tell you to resign from your position as commander-in-chief right away, disband your army, and go up to Pisano’s fiefdom.”
“Then what about now?”
“We have to take everything and hold out in the capital.”
But the siege would not be easy.
“His Majesty the King will soon remove you from your position as Commander-in-Chief.”
“Oh, my. Mom is going to cry.”
“Then, aside from the private soldiers of the Pisano estate, soldiers from other estates will be out of your command.”
“The Black Death is running rampant, so should we send them back to their respective territories?”
“His Majesty will appoint someone else and put him in that position.”
The key issue was who to appoint.
“So, right now, consolidate those who have lost their commanders or whose units have been reduced in number and place them under Private Pisano.”
Ariadne's thoughts continued.
“Your mother, please make active use of her as well. If His Majesty the King still has favor, it would be best to go before him and bow to him. If the atmosphere is not like that, try to lay the groundwork through her social circle of friends.”
"What?"
“His Majesty the King and Duchess Rubina had a fight, and the Duke of Pisano barged in to confront his father, causing a small commotion in the palace.”
She looked up at Cesare.
“Remember, what happened today was not a fight between two rich men over a woman, but a matter of the Duke’s filial piety towards his mother. You need a justification.”
Ariadne added.
“And, His Majesty the King was so impressed by his son’s filial piety that he generously ordered the engagement, even though he had talked back to him. His Majesty needs to be praised. People are not good at turning back when others praise them for a specific action.”
Cesare looked down at her in his arms.
“Do you really hate getting involved with me that much?”
“There is something like that too.”
Ariadne took it lightly, but Cesare took it seriously.
“...Miss. I know you hate me.”
"...”
Ariadne was silent at the sudden change in topic.
Because Ariadne was completely unprepared to talk about Cesare and his feelings.
Cesare thought about the last time he saw Ariadne when she had been so angry that she had pushed him away.
“Is it because of my past?”
The infamous Count de Como, the Baroness of Santa Rosa, the Lady of Gentilini, the Lady of the Viscountess Vanedetto, the Lady of Ragusa, and even Ottavio's sister, the Countess Clemente de Bartolini.
Cesare's past and present lives and their counterparts flashed through Ariadne's mind.
“Trust me. I only played around when I was free. I’m not a bastard who plays around with my lower body while I have a fiancée.”
The list of women has been narrowed down once more.
It was a list of the women that Count Cesare de Como had played with while he was engaged to his wife.
Baroness Santa Rosa, Madame Gentilini, Countess Bartolini, and Isabella de Mare, the widow of the Crown Prince.
“I risked my life to save you.”
Past and present intersect. Cesare tightened his grip on Ariadne's hand.
“I’m serious. I unexpectedly became engaged, but I think it’s a good thing.”
He whispered softly.
“I will do well so that you can trust me.”
A pleasant tenor tone of voice rang out as if singing.
“Just watch.”
Ariadne stared blankly ahead while being held in Cesare's arms.
A man who once relegated the binding nature of engagement to the trash can is now declaring that he will hold it sacred.
Can a debaucher from a past life be reborn as a lover in this life?
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