Cesare had been quite pleased with the last escort, which had no carriage.
So today he came with only one horse. Ariadne could clearly see his dark insides.
“You don’t even have a carriage, so why on earth are you riding a horse in this weather?”
“That’s why I brought just one. If you’re cold, I can hold you.”
Cesare lifted the cloak he was wearing. He could see that the inside of the cloak was lined with thick fox fur.
“I thought you might be cold, so I came dressed warmly.”
Ariadne shook her head and raised her hand to call someone. Since Giuseppe had left, another coachman came.
“Please prepare a carriage.”
Cesare protested, his big picture broken.
“Carriage? No, then how are you going to take my Leopoldo? If I get in the carriage, will Leopoldo follow by himself?”
It seemed that the black horse that Cesare cherished was named Leopoldo. It was a different horse from the one in her previous life.
Ariadne answered calmly, but Cesare thought he saw a faint smile on her lips.
“I’m the only one riding in the carriage?”
"What?"
“Your Highness, you must come with Leopoldo. As you said, Leopoldo cannot follow the carriage alone.”
"Ha!"
Cesare could not possibly defeat Ariadne in a fight, but he had no intention of saying anything.
It was because her slightly excited and triumphant face looked so cute.
He was sick at this point because she looked cute even though she was so skinny.
In the end, Ariadne rode alone in a warm carriage, while Cesare set off shivering on his horse.
Fortunately, the journey was not long, and the two soon arrived at Cesare's magnificent mansion, Villa Sortone.
As soon as the two arrived at the mansion, the first place they entered was not the reception room, bedroom, or greenhouse, but Cesare's study.
Contrary to Isabella's prediction, they met for work, not on a date.
In the study, which had been preheated for guests, a fireplace was crackling, and the faint scent of perfume mixed with the smell of wood.
“A glass of wine?”
“Yes.”
Cesare, who wanted to create a date atmosphere rather than work, sat down on the chair, licking his lips.
There's no way around it. He began to report obediently.
“Mother returned safely to the palace. It seems she wasn’t kicked out.”
“Nothing much has happened since then?”
“I didn’t even get a chance to hear anything. I didn’t even get to see her face. My father was so shocked by his son stealing his bride away from him that he locked himself in his room and hasn’t come out.”
Although it was not a laughing matter, Cesare could not help but laugh at his father.
“Your mother is faithfully doing what you tell her to do.”
The Black Death in the capital had subsided with the cold weather.
In the first place, San Carlo was not hit as hard by the Black Death as the southern cities, thanks to the efforts of the Ariadne and Rambouillet nurses as well as Leo III's spasmodic quarantine measures.
But even that momentum has been broken, and not a single case of the Black Death has been reported within the walls for the past two weeks.
People in the capital quietly came out of their homes to visit shops and markets, and the capital's social circles also began to stir.
Small gatherings and small tea parties were gradually beginning to appear.
“They are spreading the rumor all over the place that His Majesty the King and Duchess Rubina were fighting, and that Duke Cesare rushed in and took his mother’s side.”
It was just the kind of activity Rubina would enjoy.
To propagandize that one is showered with love from one's son. To be the envy, admiration, and attention of all.
After the lights go down on stage, it will be the leftover actors who will be left to languish in loneliness in the waiting room.
“I hope she hasn’t forgotten to praise His Majesty the King, has she?”
“Isn’t that our mother’s specialty? Taking care of our father. Even though his son was a dog, our father was so impressed by his son’s filial piety that he ordered his son to be engaged to the best bride in San Carlo, and they are even going around telling people about that.”
Instead, he looked at her intently.
But it didn't seem to work. Ariadn ine smiled.
“Stop trying to set the mood without notice.”
“It didn’t work?”
“It doesn’t work.”
Cesare was about to say, 'Young ladies, if you do this, you'll get a 100% success rate,' but then closed his mouth.
She was an iron wall, like a veteran who had been through all kinds of hardships.
But a spear that can pierce an impenetrable shield is truly a divine object. He was confident.
Ariadne, annoyed, went straight back to work.
“Make sure that the story spread by Duchess Rubina reaches His Majesty the King’s ears.”
"Yes."
“It should be emphasized in social circles that His Majesty the King is praised for ordering his son to get engaged so that His Majesty will not do anything foolish.”
Cesare smiled broadly.
“You don’t want your engagement to be called off either, do you?”
Ariadne asked back, dumbfounded.
“Why is the story so out of place?”
“No, you said that we must prevent His Majesty from doing foolish things. If His Majesty the King were to do foolish things, wouldn’t he be breaking off the engagement?”
“Well, why are you so sure that I would like an engagement to a Duke while disliking the crowning of a Queen?”
“The groom is different!”
A 60-year-old King and a lively, handsome Duke of the same age are on different levels.
“You are not the groom, you are the fiancé.”
Ariadne corrected Cesare's mistake.
“It’s all the same to me, whether it’s this guy or that guy. If they all get canceled, I’d be better off.”
Ariadne answered calmly. She said it as a joke, but she was serious.
“The only nonsense His Majesty is worried about is the imprisonment or confinement of Duke Cesare. Since one of his sons is already outside the border, I suppose he will not banish you.”
Ariadne thought that at this point Cesare would stop.
But the man who had two heads, one above his neck and one between his legs, seemed to have decided not to wear the head above his neck today.
“Imprisonment is a bit like that, but if I’m locked up, I want to go in with you. If I’m locked up, I can stay in my house, so I don’t think it’ll be so bad...”
“Oh, come on!”
***
“Raphael! Sit over there. Thank you for coming.”
Raphael entered Alfonso's tent and sat down on a wooden chair covered with wool.
Rather than a chair, it was just a roughly cut log with a backrest left.
But this is the best piece of furniture in the room. He looked around.
As Raphael moved from the Commander-in-Chief's quarters to Alfonso's, he was greeted more politely than he had expected by many more people.
It was a greeting of sincere respect and love.
Alfonso's barracks were also much larger than expected.
The interior decoration was simple, even shabby, but the spirit and excitement of the people was genuine.
“Alfonso. When you escaped from the Kingdom of Gallico, didn’t you only take the knights directly under the Prince with you? Did you take the entire guard with you as well?”
Raphael gestured outside the barracks.
“There must be at least 200 people. Who are they?”
Alfonso, who gave the guest a wool chair and threw himself on a bench roughly covered with a rug woven by a local person, stretched and said.
“It just happened to increase. Like knights who lost their commanders, or people from units that suffered a major defeat and had their numbers reduced.”
Although he didn't tell Raphael, there were also deserters. They were mainly those who would be in trouble if he didn't take them in.
Alfonso gathered members of the crusade who had no place to go, like picking up chicks that had fallen from the nest.
It was something that Sir Elko, who was in charge of the household affairs, hated with trepidation, but he had no choice.
A soldier without an affiliation is a scoundrel. Alfonso knew that better than anyone.
“Are you feeding them all?”
“It’s tight.”
Alfonso smiled, showing his teeth. His white, straight teeth stood out even more against the sun-tanned skin.
“I’m somehow managing to get by. These days, I can’t tell if I’m a unit commander or a bounty hunter!”
If a unit gained loot or captured valuable prisoners, the unit that performed the deed was entitled to its share.
Since Alfonso had been making a fortune from the ransom trade, he had been strategically targeting enemy commanders.
This suited his nature better than the loot-hunting that required pillaging cities.
Raphael said with a smile.
“Hey, my friend, your hardships are over and happiness is starting. We have support from our home country.”
Alfonso replied with a smile.
“Oh, yes! I heard about it. It’s money from the Etruscan diocese. How much is it?”
“Ten thousand ducats.”
“Ten thousand ducats?”
Alfonso was surprised by the amount, which was much larger than he had expected and asked in return.
“Really, ten thousand ducats?”
“Yeah. The gold was so heavy I thought I was going to die carrying it!”
Raphael smiled and cooed.
“Take it right now. I couldn’t even sleep properly because I was afraid someone would steal it.”
“Did the Etruscan parish have that much money?”
In response to Alfonso's question, Raphael tried to tell him that in fact, this was money sent privately by Ariadne, not by the Etruscan diocese.
By the time Alfonso left the Etruscan kingdom, Ariadne was no longer a powerful magnate who controlled the kingdom, but merely the illegitimate daughter of a cardinal with some social standing, so the explanation would have been lengthy.
“That’s...”
“Commander!”
Outside the barracks, Alfonso's men pulled back the curtain and rushed in. Raphael didn't recognize their faces.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
“Commander-in-Chief, the order to mobilize has come from the barracks! Everyone is to stand by.”
A deep wrinkle formed on Alfonso's forehead.
“Are they the enemy?”
“We don’t know yet. They say there’s been suspicious activity nearby.”
The subordinate added.
“I will come back to you immediately if there are any further instructions.”
Alfonso nodded and sent his men out of the barracks.
“Things seem to be a little bit bad.”
Raphael could only nod.
Alfonso jumped up from his seat and started gathering his armor.
It was an old armor that had been polished with care but showed signs of use.
“I guess I can change it to a new one now.”
Alfonso laughed.
“An old crown is a good crown, so you have to use it for a long time.”
He expertly put the armor on his body, piece by piece.
Alfonso's troops were still fully prepared for battle, and Raphael clicked his tongue and helped his friend as the Prince himself put on his armor.
“I’ve lived my life and I’ve even done things like this.”
"Haha."
Alfonso didn't bother to tell Raphael, who was grumbling about what he had done to survive.
Before putting on his helmet, Alfonso asked Raphael.
“Over there...”
"Hmm?"
“...Ari, is she well?”
Raphael stopped in his tracks for a moment.
Raphael should have told him that Ariadne was doing well, that she was always thinking of him, that in his arms was a heartfelt love letter from her beautiful self, and that these 10,000 ducats of military funds were all made by her own talents, but Raphael just couldn't open his mouth.
It felt like someone—the demon of jealousy—was holding his tongue and not letting go.
While Raphael was unable to answer, the same subordinate came in again, holding up the barracks curtain.
“Commander! We must depart!”
Alfonso nodded. He put on his helmet and spoke to Raphael.
“I’ll tell you the rest when I get back. If you need anything while I’m away or have anything to convey to me, don’t hesitate to tell Sir Elko.”
He should have said, 'She's fine,' but Raphael had already missed the opportunity.
Raphael nodded his head reluctantly.
“I’ll be back soon. See you later.”
“Yes...”
We can talk about it when we get back. It'll be a long day.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment