Kirik.
Palagio Carlo. The main gate of the Etruscan palace opened as if by magic.
She knew this door would open.
Ariadne had a smirk on her lips.
'He's a man who can't do anything about it.'
At first, she was hesitant, but the moment she entered the Hall of the Sun and heard that Leo III, dressed in pure white, was the groom-to-be for the day, she was sure.
Leo III was romantically attracted to her.
The way the King looked at her when they met alone in the Basilica of Saint Ercole, the tolerance with which he let her cross the line, even though he was not a lenient monarch.
It was all a byproduct of that rational attraction.
'Let me imitate Sister Isabella.'
Isabella's specialty was manipulating men who had feelings for her to get the results she wanted.
It wasn't exactly an area that Ariadne had expertise in.
But even sparrows near the school can recite the alphabet. She's seen them countless times.
“Countess de Mare, please come inside.”
A palace servant politely escorted her out of the carriage and guided her toward the King's quarters.
She asked the servant, unable to erase the arsenic.
“Would His Majesty allow me to see him right away?”
“Yes. He has asked me to bring you to His Majesty the King’s office.”
Unlike last time, this is the King's official office, not his personal study.
'I guess you know how to be ashamed.'
Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing could only be determined by looking at the King's face.
If he summoned her to his private study again, it meant that the King had not yet given up on her.
Ariadne's goal of rescuing Cesare could become difficult to achieve.
A jealous man, whether old or young, is like a ball that bounces unpredictably, and it is difficult to direct him in the direction you want.
But if he had just given up cleanly, her influence would have been limited.
'No, if he had given up, he wouldn't have let me in.'
If the King had really given up so cleanly, she would have been treated badly from the moment she left the main gate.
Ariadne reaffirmed her confidence by looking at the mirrors hanging in the palace hallway.
She wore a pearl ornament on top of her high hair and a modest blue dress that reached all the way to her neck.
However, it was a dress that clung tightly and showed off her silhouette without any hesitation, and it brought out her best features very well.
It was just right. To the good-hearted, it would seem elegant, and to the unthinking,g it would stimulate the imagination.
Ariadne was almost certain that Leo III would be the latter.
“The Countess de Mare has entered!”
The royal attendant announced her arrival loudly.
“Tell her to come in.”
The servant opened the door and let her in.
It was a luxurious office. Leo III was looking down at the stack of papers on the desk with his head down.
But she noticed that the King was engaged in a war of nerves, suppressing his desire to look at her.
Because Leo III was looking at the documents without a magnifying glass.
“I see the sun of the Etruscan kingdom.”
Only after her pleasant low voice filled the room did Leo III slowly raise his head to look at her.
Ariadne snorted inwardly as the King's eyes scanned her silhouette.
Leo III spoke with a mocking majesty.
“What brings you here?”
Ariadne thought about Isabella's flowing peony smile and tried to smile brightly herself, but she didn't think it would suit her at all.
So she looked straight at Leo III with a slight smile on her lips.
“I believe His Majesty the Wise King knows all.”
But the cunning rabbit put out his flippers.
“All I know is that the Countess de Mare has asked for an audience with me about the Rambouillet Center. Tell me, what is the matter with you?”
Ariadne ground her teeth inwardly.
'You want me to bring up Cesare first and bow down to you, you damn old man.'
Despite this, she bowed deeply before Leo III, never forgetting to smile.
“This is the story of my unfaithful fiancée. I have come to ask for help on his behalf.”
“Young Lady... No, it seems that the Countess has also accepted the fact that the Duke is your fiancé?”
It seemed like he was really hurt. What a petty brat. Ariadne cursed inwardly.
“Your Majesty has given me this marriage, so how can I express my dissatisfaction?”
Leo III said with a cold expression.
“Then I even more... I don’t understand why the Countess came to see me. If you are not dissatisfied with the marriage I gave you, then it wouldn’t be okay if I took it back, right?”
The first crack appeared in Ariadne's smiling face.
She managed to pull herself together and give a smooth answer.
“Once we’ve made a connection, how can I let it go so easily? I think a fiancée has to do my best to help him.”
“I guess you’ve become attached to each other.”
The King looked at Ariadne with a displeased expression. He asked again.
“Is it really good to be young? A handsome face, fresh skin? Huh?”
It is certain that if you remain on the throne for too long, you will become senile.
Once every ten years, they should capture them and send them on a pilgrimage to a holy place or make them beg in the slums.
Ariadne did not fall for Leo III's nonsense and recited a model answer in a bright voice.
“How can one be distracted by such wicked things? They are against one’s character and virtue.”
Leo III chuckled.
“That child is my son, but he has nothing but a half-and-half face.”
It was an objectivity that was demonstrated in a strange place.
“You are joking too much about character and virtue, Countess.”
Ariadne returned it unwaveringly.
“He is my fiancé, so shouldn’t I look for his good points and cherish them, Your Majesty?”
“Hahahaha. You’re a good woman. You’re a good match.”
He stopped talking there, but if he had anything else to add, it would have been 'what I missed.' Ariadne smiled.
“Your Majesty the King.”
She paused for a moment and then continued.
“It is true that the Duke of Pisano is short-sighted and has a stubborn personality. But on the other hand, isn’t he the type of person who thinks seriously about something or has any lasting feelings?”
Leo III's facial muscles relaxed slightly.
It seemed that Ariadne liked to gossip about Cesare.
“If you release him from house arrest, I will bring him here and make hi. kneel at the feet of His Majesty the King and apologize profusely.”
Cesare was in fact free to escape or come to the palace regardless of whether he was under house arrest or not, but Leo III did not need to know that.
She appealed with her head bowed.
“I will teach him to live a quiet life and not to do anything out of his power again, so please be merciful and look down on him just this once. I beg you earnestly.”
As Ariadne bowed her upper body and even lowered her head, the silhouette of her upper body was clearly revealed.
That's why she didn't come wearing deep-cut clothes.
She waited for three seconds with her head bowed.
'Please... Let's go well.'
But, to no avail, Leo III answered coldly.
“There’s nothing to do. Countess, stop wasting your time.”
Ariadne looked up at the King, surprised by his determination.
She thought he could bounce back or show some guts, but she didn't know it would cut it off so quickly.
Ariadne looked up at Leo III's face, which was filled with unconcealed anger.
“You’re saying that he's not going overboard? The Duke of Pisano should never have crossed the line in the first place!”
The veins on his forehead stood out.
“What kind of son would put a knife to his father’s throat?”
Anger flowed from his aquamarine eyes.
“And he’s crazy about a mere woman! On the King’s neck!”
Leo III shouted in a ferocious tone.
“I can never stand by and watch him wield a sword in the palace! Duke Pisano will pay the price! He should be grateful that I don’t take his life right away!”
Leo III firmly believed that the only merciful measure was to confine him to his home rather than immediately sending troops to publicly arrest him.
Of course, it was not because he was showing leniency to Cesare, but because he could not imprison the second in line to the throne while the first in line to the throne was abroad. However, this fact had already been washed away and entered into Leo III's mind as his leniency.
Leo III thought the woman before him would tremble and retreat.
But Ariadne raised a corner of her mouth in disapproval at Leo III's words.
“...Isn’t that father crazy about a ‘mere woman’ too?”
“What?!”
Leo III glared at Ariadne as if his blood pressure was rising and he was about to collapse.
“What did you just say?”
“I am telling you that His Majesty the King has also become obsessed with women and taken reckless actions.”
Leo III slammed the table down!
“Oh, you were acting all docile, but now you’re finally showing your true colors! How rude! How impudent!”
“Your Majesty, it is you who has permitted that ‘impudent thing’ to have exclusive access.”
Ariadne relaxed her posture and crossed her legs comfortably.
Leo III's eyes couldn't help but scan the inside of her dress. Ariadne let out a bitter laugh.
“My title, honestly, wasn’t it given to me to elevate me to Queen? An illegitimate child of a priest is not fit to become the Queen of the nation.”
"Hmm!"
“Your Majesty the King has been lusting after me. Don’t deny it. It will only make you look uglier.”
“Don’t hold your head up high and act like you’re some kind of person, Countess de Mare!”
Leo III glared at her, but he couldn't meet her gaze.
“It is true that I had considered making you the Queen of the nation. However, it was not because you were good, but because of the grain you had!”
He rationalized himself out loud.
As he spoke, he seemed to be becoming more and more convinced, so he gradually raised his voice.
“Because you do not willingly offer up your country’s wealth out of loyalty to it, I wanted to console you by giving you this as a gift to the national treasury and at the same time bestowing you with the highest honor as a woman!”
It was a logic that he really liked, but the new blue thing in front of him didn't support it one bit.
“If it is any consolation to me, please reduce the punishment for my fiancé.”
She looked straight at Leo III, her green eyes shining brightly.
“If it ends with house arrest, I’ll gladly accept it. That rascal should rot away at home. But Your Majesty, you have more in mind, don’t you?”
Ariadne recited all her doubts.
“I understand that Duchess Rubina has restricted access to the areas within the palace. Am I wrong?”
“The affairs of the palace are not for outsiders to interfere with!”
“You will soon become my family. Isn’t that right, my father who ordered the engagement?”
She didn't stop questioning.
“Count Contarini has been excluded from all internal meetings, and Your Majesty has dismissed the Duke of Pisano from his post as Commander-in-Chief. Moreover, you have sent a temporary administrator to the Pisano estates?”
These were all things that Cesare's family had reported in a hurry. She said with a frown.
“Your Majesty has cut off all of Duke Cesare’s limbs. It is to prevent his rebirth. And...”
She took a breath.
“I see that you have sent a caretaker to the Pisano estate, so I think you are preparing for Duke Cesare’s absence for a very long time.”
Ariadne spat heavily.
“Once the heir to the throne returns home and Princess Bianca’s marriage is secured, what will happen to the Duke of Pisano, Your Majesty?”
Leo III did not answer. It was a silent affirmation. It was an extension of what he had said earlier, 'I might take back the engagement.'
Leo III intends to kill Cesare as soon as his usefulness declines.
“Do you really have to go that far?”
“...”
After a moment of silence, Leo III declared:
"Get out."
The old King looked at Ariadne with angry eyes and said, It was an irrational anger.
It was anger at the damage to his dignity as a King, and the anger of a male who had his heart set on a woman stolen by another man.
“It’s none of your business.”
He seemed to be barely holding on to his surging anger, his last shred of dignity.
The number was wrong, Ariadne muttered to herself. This was not a situation that could be melted with beauty and wit.
She was on the verge of begging Leo III to spare Cesare's life, saying that she would abandon Cesare and become the King's second wife.
It was much more complicated than she thought, and she was shaking with betrayal more than she thought.
Ariadne straightened her posture. It was not to get up from her seat as the King had ordered her to do.
'Isabella imitation, what am I?'
Ariadne decided to completely revise her strategy for today.
She was a tiger, not a fox. No matter how hungry a tiger is, it never eats grass.
She didn't want to go this far, but in the end, threats were the answer.
Rustle.
A wad of parchment appeared silently from her bosom. She threw it on Leo III's desk.
“I won’t fall for your tricks. I won’t watch.”
“If you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to read it.”
Her voice was relaxed.
“You can hear it when the story spreads through social circles.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Ariadne answered calmly.
“If my fiancé dies, won’t I be left to fend for myself without ever getting married?”
She muttered to herself. Being engaged without getting married once was enough, and twice was a no-no.
It wasn't necessarily a story of marrying Cesare.
“It would be better if my fiancé was secretly poisoned at home, but what would my reputation be if he was dragged away and executed for being disloyal to the King and a coup d’état?”
Ariadne laughed bitterly.
“Before that, I must save myself. If Your Majesty does not promise to spare Duke Cesare today, I will scatter that bundle of letters all over San Carlo tomorrow.”
Only then did Leo III pick up the letter.
Palagio Carlo. The main gate of the Etruscan palace opened as if by magic.
She knew this door would open.
Ariadne had a smirk on her lips.
'He's a man who can't do anything about it.'
At first, she was hesitant, but the moment she entered the Hall of the Sun and heard that Leo III, dressed in pure white, was the groom-to-be for the day, she was sure.
Leo III was romantically attracted to her.
The way the King looked at her when they met alone in the Basilica of Saint Ercole, the tolerance with which he let her cross the line, even though he was not a lenient monarch.
It was all a byproduct of that rational attraction.
'Let me imitate Sister Isabella.'
Isabella's specialty was manipulating men who had feelings for her to get the results she wanted.
It wasn't exactly an area that Ariadne had expertise in.
But even sparrows near the school can recite the alphabet. She's seen them countless times.
“Countess de Mare, please come inside.”
A palace servant politely escorted her out of the carriage and guided her toward the King's quarters.
She asked the servant, unable to erase the arsenic.
“Would His Majesty allow me to see him right away?”
“Yes. He has asked me to bring you to His Majesty the King’s office.”
Unlike last time, this is the King's official office, not his personal study.
'I guess you know how to be ashamed.'
Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing could only be determined by looking at the King's face.
If he summoned her to his private study again, it meant that the King had not yet given up on her.
Ariadne's goal of rescuing Cesare could become difficult to achieve.
A jealous man, whether old or young, is like a ball that bounces unpredictably, and it is difficult to direct him in the direction you want.
But if he had just given up cleanly, her influence would have been limited.
'No, if he had given up, he wouldn't have let me in.'
If the King had really given up so cleanly, she would have been treated badly from the moment she left the main gate.
Ariadne reaffirmed her confidence by looking at the mirrors hanging in the palace hallway.
She wore a pearl ornament on top of her high hair and a modest blue dress that reached all the way to her neck.
However, it was a dress that clung tightly and showed off her silhouette without any hesitation, and it brought out her best features very well.
It was just right. To the good-hearted, it would seem elegant, and to the unthinking,g it would stimulate the imagination.
Ariadne was almost certain that Leo III would be the latter.
“The Countess de Mare has entered!”
The royal attendant announced her arrival loudly.
“Tell her to come in.”
The servant opened the door and let her in.
It was a luxurious office. Leo III was looking down at the stack of papers on the desk with his head down.
But she noticed that the King was engaged in a war of nerves, suppressing his desire to look at her.
Because Leo III was looking at the documents without a magnifying glass.
“I see the sun of the Etruscan kingdom.”
Only after her pleasant low voice filled the room did Leo III slowly raise his head to look at her.
Ariadne snorted inwardly as the King's eyes scanned her silhouette.
Leo III spoke with a mocking majesty.
“What brings you here?”
Ariadne thought about Isabella's flowing peony smile and tried to smile brightly herself, but she didn't think it would suit her at all.
So she looked straight at Leo III with a slight smile on her lips.
“I believe His Majesty the Wise King knows all.”
But the cunning rabbit put out his flippers.
“All I know is that the Countess de Mare has asked for an audience with me about the Rambouillet Center. Tell me, what is the matter with you?”
Ariadne ground her teeth inwardly.
'You want me to bring up Cesare first and bow down to you, you damn old man.'
Despite this, she bowed deeply before Leo III, never forgetting to smile.
“This is the story of my unfaithful fiancée. I have come to ask for help on his behalf.”
“Young Lady... No, it seems that the Countess has also accepted the fact that the Duke is your fiancé?”
It seemed like he was really hurt. What a petty brat. Ariadne cursed inwardly.
“Your Majesty has given me this marriage, so how can I express my dissatisfaction?”
Leo III said with a cold expression.
“Then I even more... I don’t understand why the Countess came to see me. If you are not dissatisfied with the marriage I gave you, then it wouldn’t be okay if I took it back, right?”
The first crack appeared in Ariadne's smiling face.
She managed to pull herself together and give a smooth answer.
“Once we’ve made a connection, how can I let it go so easily? I think a fiancée has to do my best to help him.”
“I guess you’ve become attached to each other.”
The King looked at Ariadne with a displeased expression. He asked again.
“Is it really good to be young? A handsome face, fresh skin? Huh?”
It is certain that if you remain on the throne for too long, you will become senile.
Once every ten years, they should capture them and send them on a pilgrimage to a holy place or make them beg in the slums.
Ariadne did not fall for Leo III's nonsense and recited a model answer in a bright voice.
“How can one be distracted by such wicked things? They are against one’s character and virtue.”
Leo III chuckled.
“That child is my son, but he has nothing but a half-and-half face.”
It was an objectivity that was demonstrated in a strange place.
“You are joking too much about character and virtue, Countess.”
Ariadne returned it unwaveringly.
“He is my fiancé, so shouldn’t I look for his good points and cherish them, Your Majesty?”
“Hahahaha. You’re a good woman. You’re a good match.”
He stopped talking there, but if he had anything else to add, it would have been 'what I missed.' Ariadne smiled.
“Your Majesty the King.”
She paused for a moment and then continued.
“It is true that the Duke of Pisano is short-sighted and has a stubborn personality. But on the other hand, isn’t he the type of person who thinks seriously about something or has any lasting feelings?”
Leo III's facial muscles relaxed slightly.
It seemed that Ariadne liked to gossip about Cesare.
“If you release him from house arrest, I will bring him here and make hi. kneel at the feet of His Majesty the King and apologize profusely.”
Cesare was in fact free to escape or come to the palace regardless of whether he was under house arrest or not, but Leo III did not need to know that.
She appealed with her head bowed.
“I will teach him to live a quiet life and not to do anything out of his power again, so please be merciful and look down on him just this once. I beg you earnestly.”
As Ariadne bowed her upper body and even lowered her head, the silhouette of her upper body was clearly revealed.
That's why she didn't come wearing deep-cut clothes.
She waited for three seconds with her head bowed.
'Please... Let's go well.'
But, to no avail, Leo III answered coldly.
“There’s nothing to do. Countess, stop wasting your time.”
Ariadne looked up at the King, surprised by his determination.
She thought he could bounce back or show some guts, but she didn't know it would cut it off so quickly.
Ariadne looked up at Leo III's face, which was filled with unconcealed anger.
“You’re saying that he's not going overboard? The Duke of Pisano should never have crossed the line in the first place!”
The veins on his forehead stood out.
“What kind of son would put a knife to his father’s throat?”
Anger flowed from his aquamarine eyes.
“And he’s crazy about a mere woman! On the King’s neck!”
Leo III shouted in a ferocious tone.
“I can never stand by and watch him wield a sword in the palace! Duke Pisano will pay the price! He should be grateful that I don’t take his life right away!”
Leo III firmly believed that the only merciful measure was to confine him to his home rather than immediately sending troops to publicly arrest him.
Of course, it was not because he was showing leniency to Cesare, but because he could not imprison the second in line to the throne while the first in line to the throne was abroad. However, this fact had already been washed away and entered into Leo III's mind as his leniency.
Leo III thought the woman before him would tremble and retreat.
But Ariadne raised a corner of her mouth in disapproval at Leo III's words.
“...Isn’t that father crazy about a ‘mere woman’ too?”
“What?!”
Leo III glared at Ariadne as if his blood pressure was rising and he was about to collapse.
“What did you just say?”
“I am telling you that His Majesty the King has also become obsessed with women and taken reckless actions.”
Leo III slammed the table down!
“Oh, you were acting all docile, but now you’re finally showing your true colors! How rude! How impudent!”
“Your Majesty, it is you who has permitted that ‘impudent thing’ to have exclusive access.”
Ariadne relaxed her posture and crossed her legs comfortably.
Leo III's eyes couldn't help but scan the inside of her dress. Ariadne let out a bitter laugh.
“My title, honestly, wasn’t it given to me to elevate me to Queen? An illegitimate child of a priest is not fit to become the Queen of the nation.”
"Hmm!"
“Your Majesty the King has been lusting after me. Don’t deny it. It will only make you look uglier.”
“Don’t hold your head up high and act like you’re some kind of person, Countess de Mare!”
Leo III glared at her, but he couldn't meet her gaze.
“It is true that I had considered making you the Queen of the nation. However, it was not because you were good, but because of the grain you had!”
He rationalized himself out loud.
As he spoke, he seemed to be becoming more and more convinced, so he gradually raised his voice.
“Because you do not willingly offer up your country’s wealth out of loyalty to it, I wanted to console you by giving you this as a gift to the national treasury and at the same time bestowing you with the highest honor as a woman!”
It was a logic that he really liked, but the new blue thing in front of him didn't support it one bit.
“If it is any consolation to me, please reduce the punishment for my fiancé.”
She looked straight at Leo III, her green eyes shining brightly.
“If it ends with house arrest, I’ll gladly accept it. That rascal should rot away at home. But Your Majesty, you have more in mind, don’t you?”
Ariadne recited all her doubts.
“I understand that Duchess Rubina has restricted access to the areas within the palace. Am I wrong?”
“The affairs of the palace are not for outsiders to interfere with!”
“You will soon become my family. Isn’t that right, my father who ordered the engagement?”
She didn't stop questioning.
“Count Contarini has been excluded from all internal meetings, and Your Majesty has dismissed the Duke of Pisano from his post as Commander-in-Chief. Moreover, you have sent a temporary administrator to the Pisano estates?”
These were all things that Cesare's family had reported in a hurry. She said with a frown.
“Your Majesty has cut off all of Duke Cesare’s limbs. It is to prevent his rebirth. And...”
She took a breath.
“I see that you have sent a caretaker to the Pisano estate, so I think you are preparing for Duke Cesare’s absence for a very long time.”
Ariadne spat heavily.
“Once the heir to the throne returns home and Princess Bianca’s marriage is secured, what will happen to the Duke of Pisano, Your Majesty?”
Leo III did not answer. It was a silent affirmation. It was an extension of what he had said earlier, 'I might take back the engagement.'
Leo III intends to kill Cesare as soon as his usefulness declines.
“Do you really have to go that far?”
“...”
After a moment of silence, Leo III declared:
"Get out."
The old King looked at Ariadne with angry eyes and said, It was an irrational anger.
It was anger at the damage to his dignity as a King, and the anger of a male who had his heart set on a woman stolen by another man.
“It’s none of your business.”
He seemed to be barely holding on to his surging anger, his last shred of dignity.
The number was wrong, Ariadne muttered to herself. This was not a situation that could be melted with beauty and wit.
She was on the verge of begging Leo III to spare Cesare's life, saying that she would abandon Cesare and become the King's second wife.
It was much more complicated than she thought, and she was shaking with betrayal more than she thought.
Ariadne straightened her posture. It was not to get up from her seat as the King had ordered her to do.
'Isabella imitation, what am I?'
Ariadne decided to completely revise her strategy for today.
She was a tiger, not a fox. No matter how hungry a tiger is, it never eats grass.
She didn't want to go this far, but in the end, threats were the answer.
Rustle.
A wad of parchment appeared silently from her bosom. She threw it on Leo III's desk.
“I won’t fall for your tricks. I won’t watch.”
“If you don’t want to read it, you don’t have to read it.”
Her voice was relaxed.
“You can hear it when the story spreads through social circles.”
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
Ariadne answered calmly.
“If my fiancé dies, won’t I be left to fend for myself without ever getting married?”
She muttered to herself. Being engaged without getting married once was enough, and twice was a no-no.
It wasn't necessarily a story of marrying Cesare.
“It would be better if my fiancé was secretly poisoned at home, but what would my reputation be if he was dragged away and executed for being disloyal to the King and a coup d’état?”
Ariadne laughed bitterly.
“Before that, I must save myself. If Your Majesty does not promise to spare Duke Cesare today, I will scatter that bundle of letters all over San Carlo tomorrow.”
Only then did Leo III pick up the letter.
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