The first letter the King picked up began as follows:
"To my beloved Ari.
The wind in Taranto is warm today, but I miss the cold wind of San Carlo even more.”
The handwriting was strong and written in dark blue ink.
“This, this is...”
Ariadne nodded.
“A letter from Your Majesty’s son. Oh, and your other son, of course.”
Leo III asked back.
“What on earth are you doing handing me this now?”
Ariadne smiled strangely and said.
“Your Majesty the King has a good image in the social world at the moment.”
She tried to say 'very' but changed the word because that didn't seem right.
“You have highly praised the achievements of Duke Pisano, who defeated the Gallico forces and have given him the prestigious title of Lady... I am embarrassed to say this myself. In any case, it is said that you have arranged my marriage, and have generously forgiven the offense that Duke Cesare has committed against Your Majesty the King.”
Ariadne made a big gesture in the air as if she were giving a presentation.
“It is said in high society that the reason Duke Cesare raised his voice to Your Majesty the King was because of your treatment of Duchess Rubina.”
She smiled faintly.
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. If Your Majesty the King takes in a new Queen, Duchess Rubina’s position will be very difficult.”
Her story continued.
“Anyway, the social circles believe that Your Majesty the King’s affection for Duchess Rubina is genuine. You have treated her well, and although she is not your wife but your mistress, isn’t it the first time in the Central Continent that the King has looked after one woman for so long? They think you are setting an example as a monarch. But...”
Ariadne looked straight at the King.
“If it is revealed that you had your eye on your son’s woman and tried to oust the government that had ruled for 20 years and make her your Queen, only to be betrayed by your other son and come back in vain, how shameful would that be?”
Leo III snorted at the impudent woman in front of him.
“Young Lady. Socialites and politicians have different positions. Do you think I would blink an eye at mere rumors from socialites?”
“Your Majesty’s words are correct.”
Ariadne immediately responded with a bright smile.
“It’s true that social rumors are nothing to a politician. The money is yours and you control the military as you please, so what does it matter if you get a few complaints from your wife? However, Your Majesty is a politician, but at the same time, you are a monarch. You are the father of a country, the king.”
Her green eyes sparkled.
“Your Majesty the King collects taxes from the Barons and uses them. The Barons also collect taxes from the commoners to send to Your Majesty. Isn’t it already difficult to collect them?”
Ariadne's face was covered with mockery and laughter as she told this story.
“Of course, you can send the military and collect the money by force. Right now, the administrative and military power in the southern part of the country, not around the capital, is... What happened?”
“Hey you bitch!”
At this point, Leo III's roar echoed through the room.
“Get out now!!”
He shouted at the top of his voice.
“Hey, is anyone there?! Get that brat out of here right now...!”
“If you send me away now, you will regret it!”
Ariadne jumped up from her chair, fire blazing from her eyes.
“The moment I return home, I will leave a will and commit suicide. I will go because I do not want to become the old King’s Queen!”
"What?"
Leo III looked at Ariadne in bewilderment at the absurd words of a priest's daughter.
The Yesak Church considered it a great sin to take one's own life.
This is because they taught that if you commit suicide with your own hands, you will fall into hell, be tormented by evil spirits, and lose the opportunity to be reincarnated under the protection of the gods forever.
“Are you crazy? Would you do something so outrageous?”
“Isn’t it better to be a second wife to a man 50 years older than you and have your lover be your son?”
She snapped venomously.
Ariadne's last act of self-control was to refrain from telling Leo III in person that she would rather die than marry a syphilitic man.
“Of course, I don’t think there will be an immediate popular uprising because of my death. The kingdom will run very well, and the overdue taxes will eventually be collected. What is that?”
Ariadne's smile grew colder.
“But Your Majesty, have you ever considered what your son and sole legitimate successor will think when he returns from the battlefield?”
Leo III looked at Ariadne as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer.
He felt that his revered father's position had never been shaken.
Of course, he wasn't a perfectly exemplary father, but compared to most of the Central Continent monarchs whose private lives were quite scandalous, Leo III, who had one mistress and one illegitimate child, wasn't particularly bad, he thought to himself.
Alfonso was a son who obeyed his father's words. He never rebelled or asserted himself.
Although Leo III did not like Queen Marguerite, he spoke highly of her in this regard.
He said she gave birth to a well-behaved son and raised him well.
Ariadne again pressed Leo III.
“He barely escaped from the country his father had sent him to, and after struggling on the battlefield for several years, he returned to find that his lover had already died, having taken her own life just as she was about to marry his father!”
A fire burned in her green eyes.
“How will you handle the resentment and anger that your successor will feel?”
Ariadne, who had been glaring at Leo III while standing up, suddenly turned around.
“I’m going to go die now.”
She strode out of the room, then stood in the doorway, turned around, and uttered one last curse.
“Kill one of your sons with your own hands, become enemies with the other son, and enjoy a comfortable old age.”
Leo III was frozen in place, speechless.
He wanted to say, 'Stop for a moment,' but his pride wouldn't even let those words out.
Fortunately for him, Ariadne, standing in the doorway, turned around just before walking out.
The firelight from the fireplace illuminated her elongated silhouette, casting a very long shadow behind her.
She, as graceful as a willow tree, gazed at Leo III with blank stares like a winter lark.
"Your Majesty."
She continued quietly.
“I’m not asking for much. Just promise me that you’ll spare my fiancé’s life.”
Ariadne bowed her head before Leo III.
“I beg you sincerely, sincerely.”
Leo III, who had been silent for a moment, asked Ariadne.
“...What are you thinking, doing something like this?”
Leo III seemed to lose all his energy in an instant.
“The daughter of a priest is willing to go to hell by her own hand while begging for someone else’s life. Besides, while you talk about my successor, what you are trying to save is the life of my eldest son.”
Leo III suddenly asked as if throwing the question out.
“Which of you two is it?”
It was a completely unexpected question. For the first time today, Ariadne was left speechless.
The fireplace crackled. The cold air and hot fire met and turned into smoke that disappeared up the chimney.
She stared at the flames in the fireplace for a very long time, then answered slowly.
“...I just want to deal with the task at hand.”
As she was choosing her thoughts that had not yet been organized, her speech speed naturally slowed down.
“Duke Cesare... saved me from an unwanted marriage. So I just want to save his life.”
But Leo III's questions were persistent.
“Why did that guy save Young Lady's life... no, why did he save the Countess’s life?”
Ariadne's lie came out spontaneously here.
“...Wasn’t it for his little brother?”
She knew better than anyone that the kiss she had shared with Cesare less than three hours ago was not the one that was still fresh in her mind.
But she did not want to tell Leo III the truth, and she also wanted to lie to herself.
“He even saved me once when I was in a difficult situation at a ball.”
As she was trying to tell a story that was not true, the story naturally became long. Leo III, who had been through a lot, laughed out loud.
“That can’t be. That guy clearly has dark intentions toward the Countess.”
The King looked at her with his blue eyes.
“And there’s no way you didn’t know that.”
It was a ghostly look. Ariadne, whose wet hair had not yet dried when she kissed Cesare in the rain, lowered her head to avoid the King’s gaze.
“Anyway, I'll go back.”
Leo III said:
“I understand what you mean, Countess.”
Ariadne bowed deeply in respect and left the King's office.
A palace servant approached and guided her. She followed him down the long corridors of the palace, thinking deeply.
'Now... What will happen?'
The King made no promises.
Even if it was decided to spare Cesare, there was no way to clearly confirm that the King had changed his mind, since Cesare was not going to be beheaded today anyway.
Uncertainty was the greatest source of fear.
She left the palace with a nervous heart and returned to the de Mare mansion in a carriage.
When she returned home, she called Sancha and checked to see if the Duke of Pisano was safe and had not run away.
“Is he well in the guest room?”
“Yes, I think he is sleeping.”
The next thing Ariadne took care of was the status of Villa Sortone.
“Tell Giuseppe to send someone and have him update me on the situation of the guards surrounding Villa Sortone by the hour.”
Will the King withdraw his troops?
After roughly finishing up some urgent business, Ariadne waited for the results of her study with Sancha and Giuseppe.
She didn't even feel like sitting down. She walked around the study.
Fortunately, Ariadne's wait didn't last long. She didn't even have to go to Giuseppe's men.
Because Cesare's family was already watching from outside.
“Where is Your Highness the Duke?”
He came rushing into the de Mare mansion in a daze. Sancha put her finger to her lips.
“Shh, he's sleeping!”
Cesare's family cried out in joy.
“The guards are retreating!!”
Ariadne sighed in relief after hearing that story.
She must have been so tense that all the strength in her body suddenly disappeared.
She sank into the chair right next to her. Gasol asked with shining eyes.
“Countess! What on earth did you do?”
"Well."
"To my beloved Ari.
The wind in Taranto is warm today, but I miss the cold wind of San Carlo even more.”
The handwriting was strong and written in dark blue ink.
“This, this is...”
Ariadne nodded.
“A letter from Your Majesty’s son. Oh, and your other son, of course.”
Leo III asked back.
“What on earth are you doing handing me this now?”
Ariadne smiled strangely and said.
“Your Majesty the King has a good image in the social world at the moment.”
She tried to say 'very' but changed the word because that didn't seem right.
“You have highly praised the achievements of Duke Pisano, who defeated the Gallico forces and have given him the prestigious title of Lady... I am embarrassed to say this myself. In any case, it is said that you have arranged my marriage, and have generously forgiven the offense that Duke Cesare has committed against Your Majesty the King.”
Ariadne made a big gesture in the air as if she were giving a presentation.
“It is said in high society that the reason Duke Cesare raised his voice to Your Majesty the King was because of your treatment of Duchess Rubina.”
She smiled faintly.
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. If Your Majesty the King takes in a new Queen, Duchess Rubina’s position will be very difficult.”
Her story continued.
“Anyway, the social circles believe that Your Majesty the King’s affection for Duchess Rubina is genuine. You have treated her well, and although she is not your wife but your mistress, isn’t it the first time in the Central Continent that the King has looked after one woman for so long? They think you are setting an example as a monarch. But...”
Ariadne looked straight at the King.
“If it is revealed that you had your eye on your son’s woman and tried to oust the government that had ruled for 20 years and make her your Queen, only to be betrayed by your other son and come back in vain, how shameful would that be?”
Leo III snorted at the impudent woman in front of him.
“Young Lady. Socialites and politicians have different positions. Do you think I would blink an eye at mere rumors from socialites?”
“Your Majesty’s words are correct.”
Ariadne immediately responded with a bright smile.
“It’s true that social rumors are nothing to a politician. The money is yours and you control the military as you please, so what does it matter if you get a few complaints from your wife? However, Your Majesty is a politician, but at the same time, you are a monarch. You are the father of a country, the king.”
Her green eyes sparkled.
“Your Majesty the King collects taxes from the Barons and uses them. The Barons also collect taxes from the commoners to send to Your Majesty. Isn’t it already difficult to collect them?”
Ariadne's face was covered with mockery and laughter as she told this story.
“Of course, you can send the military and collect the money by force. Right now, the administrative and military power in the southern part of the country, not around the capital, is... What happened?”
“Hey you bitch!”
At this point, Leo III's roar echoed through the room.
“Get out now!!”
He shouted at the top of his voice.
“Hey, is anyone there?! Get that brat out of here right now...!”
“If you send me away now, you will regret it!”
Ariadne jumped up from her chair, fire blazing from her eyes.
“The moment I return home, I will leave a will and commit suicide. I will go because I do not want to become the old King’s Queen!”
"What?"
Leo III looked at Ariadne in bewilderment at the absurd words of a priest's daughter.
The Yesak Church considered it a great sin to take one's own life.
This is because they taught that if you commit suicide with your own hands, you will fall into hell, be tormented by evil spirits, and lose the opportunity to be reincarnated under the protection of the gods forever.
“Are you crazy? Would you do something so outrageous?”
“Isn’t it better to be a second wife to a man 50 years older than you and have your lover be your son?”
She snapped venomously.
Ariadne's last act of self-control was to refrain from telling Leo III in person that she would rather die than marry a syphilitic man.
“Of course, I don’t think there will be an immediate popular uprising because of my death. The kingdom will run very well, and the overdue taxes will eventually be collected. What is that?”
Ariadne's smile grew colder.
“But Your Majesty, have you ever considered what your son and sole legitimate successor will think when he returns from the battlefield?”
Leo III looked at Ariadne as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer.
He felt that his revered father's position had never been shaken.
Of course, he wasn't a perfectly exemplary father, but compared to most of the Central Continent monarchs whose private lives were quite scandalous, Leo III, who had one mistress and one illegitimate child, wasn't particularly bad, he thought to himself.
Alfonso was a son who obeyed his father's words. He never rebelled or asserted himself.
Although Leo III did not like Queen Marguerite, he spoke highly of her in this regard.
He said she gave birth to a well-behaved son and raised him well.
Ariadne again pressed Leo III.
“He barely escaped from the country his father had sent him to, and after struggling on the battlefield for several years, he returned to find that his lover had already died, having taken her own life just as she was about to marry his father!”
A fire burned in her green eyes.
“How will you handle the resentment and anger that your successor will feel?”
Ariadne, who had been glaring at Leo III while standing up, suddenly turned around.
“I’m going to go die now.”
She strode out of the room, then stood in the doorway, turned around, and uttered one last curse.
“Kill one of your sons with your own hands, become enemies with the other son, and enjoy a comfortable old age.”
Leo III was frozen in place, speechless.
He wanted to say, 'Stop for a moment,' but his pride wouldn't even let those words out.
Fortunately for him, Ariadne, standing in the doorway, turned around just before walking out.
The firelight from the fireplace illuminated her elongated silhouette, casting a very long shadow behind her.
She, as graceful as a willow tree, gazed at Leo III with blank stares like a winter lark.
"Your Majesty."
She continued quietly.
“I’m not asking for much. Just promise me that you’ll spare my fiancé’s life.”
Ariadne bowed her head before Leo III.
“I beg you sincerely, sincerely.”
Leo III, who had been silent for a moment, asked Ariadne.
“...What are you thinking, doing something like this?”
Leo III seemed to lose all his energy in an instant.
“The daughter of a priest is willing to go to hell by her own hand while begging for someone else’s life. Besides, while you talk about my successor, what you are trying to save is the life of my eldest son.”
Leo III suddenly asked as if throwing the question out.
“Which of you two is it?”
It was a completely unexpected question. For the first time today, Ariadne was left speechless.
The fireplace crackled. The cold air and hot fire met and turned into smoke that disappeared up the chimney.
She stared at the flames in the fireplace for a very long time, then answered slowly.
“...I just want to deal with the task at hand.”
As she was choosing her thoughts that had not yet been organized, her speech speed naturally slowed down.
“Duke Cesare... saved me from an unwanted marriage. So I just want to save his life.”
But Leo III's questions were persistent.
“Why did that guy save Young Lady's life... no, why did he save the Countess’s life?”
Ariadne's lie came out spontaneously here.
“...Wasn’t it for his little brother?”
She knew better than anyone that the kiss she had shared with Cesare less than three hours ago was not the one that was still fresh in her mind.
But she did not want to tell Leo III the truth, and she also wanted to lie to herself.
“He even saved me once when I was in a difficult situation at a ball.”
As she was trying to tell a story that was not true, the story naturally became long. Leo III, who had been through a lot, laughed out loud.
“That can’t be. That guy clearly has dark intentions toward the Countess.”
The King looked at her with his blue eyes.
“And there’s no way you didn’t know that.”
It was a ghostly look. Ariadne, whose wet hair had not yet dried when she kissed Cesare in the rain, lowered her head to avoid the King’s gaze.
“Anyway, I'll go back.”
Leo III said:
“I understand what you mean, Countess.”
Ariadne bowed deeply in respect and left the King's office.
A palace servant approached and guided her. She followed him down the long corridors of the palace, thinking deeply.
'Now... What will happen?'
The King made no promises.
Even if it was decided to spare Cesare, there was no way to clearly confirm that the King had changed his mind, since Cesare was not going to be beheaded today anyway.
Uncertainty was the greatest source of fear.
She left the palace with a nervous heart and returned to the de Mare mansion in a carriage.
When she returned home, she called Sancha and checked to see if the Duke of Pisano was safe and had not run away.
“Is he well in the guest room?”
“Yes, I think he is sleeping.”
The next thing Ariadne took care of was the status of Villa Sortone.
“Tell Giuseppe to send someone and have him update me on the situation of the guards surrounding Villa Sortone by the hour.”
Will the King withdraw his troops?
After roughly finishing up some urgent business, Ariadne waited for the results of her study with Sancha and Giuseppe.
She didn't even feel like sitting down. She walked around the study.
Fortunately, Ariadne's wait didn't last long. She didn't even have to go to Giuseppe's men.
Because Cesare's family was already watching from outside.
“Where is Your Highness the Duke?”
He came rushing into the de Mare mansion in a daze. Sancha put her finger to her lips.
“Shh, he's sleeping!”
Cesare's family cried out in joy.
“The guards are retreating!!”
Ariadne sighed in relief after hearing that story.
She must have been so tense that all the strength in her body suddenly disappeared.
She sank into the chair right next to her. Gasol asked with shining eyes.
“Countess! What on earth did you do?”
"Well."
I risked my life, threatened, and begged, throwing away all my pride. Why did I go to such lengths?
She shook her head and gave Giuseppe one more task.
“Giuseppe. Get the grain ready to be shipped out.”
“Yes? Where are you sending it...”
“Tell Boccanegro that I will settle his share out of my own pocket. Send 40,000 cantaros to the Palagio Carlo.”
It was enough to feed ten thousand soldiers for half a year and was also a significant amount of Ariadne's remaining grain.
“Huh? Suddenly...”
“I have to show my sincerity. This is a good enough block.”
From the beginning, it was extremely reckless for a merchant to rush into power.
It was unusually generous of Leo III to go this far.
She didn't know what kind of aftermath this would bring, but at least Cesare's life was saved.
So she hoped to comfort Leo III by sending him some grain so he would not return as a swindler.
“Shall I inform the Duke of Pisano immediately that the siege of Villa Sortone has been lifted?”
“Yes. Let him sleep.”
Ariadne closed her eyes.
“I need to take a nap too.”
She shook her head and gave Giuseppe one more task.
“Giuseppe. Get the grain ready to be shipped out.”
“Yes? Where are you sending it...”
“Tell Boccanegro that I will settle his share out of my own pocket. Send 40,000 cantaros to the Palagio Carlo.”
It was enough to feed ten thousand soldiers for half a year and was also a significant amount of Ariadne's remaining grain.
“Huh? Suddenly...”
“I have to show my sincerity. This is a good enough block.”
From the beginning, it was extremely reckless for a merchant to rush into power.
It was unusually generous of Leo III to go this far.
She didn't know what kind of aftermath this would bring, but at least Cesare's life was saved.
So she hoped to comfort Leo III by sending him some grain so he would not return as a swindler.
“Shall I inform the Duke of Pisano immediately that the siege of Villa Sortone has been lifted?”
“Yes. Let him sleep.”
Ariadne closed her eyes.
“I need to take a nap too.”
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