Duke Cesare passed through the main gate of the fe Mare mansion again today.
Now it was like his own home. The gatekeeper didn't bother to stop him, and Duke Cesare didn't bother to reveal who he was.
The servant he met at the entrance was not as formal or embarrassed as before, because it was obvious that he would come again soon.
Cesare took off his cloak, handed it to a servant, and leisurely went up to the second floor, west wing.
"Knock knock."
The place he headed was not the drawing room, but Ariadne's study.
“Are you here?”
He answered with a shrug.
“Who else would come but me, my lady?”
Ariadne's life these days feels like a déjà vu of her past life, but it isn't.
When she opened her eyes, Cesare was always nearby, which reminded her of her engagement in her previous life.
Cardinal de Mare and Lucrezia, who were Ariadne's guardians at the time, sent young Ariadne to Count Cesare's mansion sometime after their engagement.
Count Cesare's stock was rising, for they were afraid that this engagement, in which they had brought in a chicken instead of a pheasant, would be broken off.
'If you send the girl to that house, you won't be able to kick her out because you're afraid of her reputation, right?'
'Is Count Cesare the kind of person who would do something like that?'
'But you're still holding on! Living with your fiancée and then kicking her out means you're completely ruining your reputation.'
In the unlikely event that the child was to be divorced and break up, the decision was made unilaterally, without any consideration for the harm caused, and the child was sent to her fiancé's house before the wedding.
It was good at first though.
It was because she was able to escape the oppression of the poor and have her own space, become the temporary mistress of a house, and be with Cesare at all times.
Even then, Ariadne was always by Cesare's side.
The only difference was that back then Ariadne circled around Cesare, but now Cesare circles around Ariadne.
They were stuck together, but the entity trying to stick together was different.
“I’m so used to seeing you like this, but I can’t seem to get used to it.”
She said it as a joke, but it was serious.
“Then let’s get more familiar with it.”
This was also true.
Cesare approached the desk—he had to come because Ariadne would not rise from her desk to greet him—and stood beside her. He stroked Ariadne's loose hair and said at once.
“Let’s get married.”
Ariadne froze in place.
But Cesare was so impatient that he missed that subtle detail.
No, actually, even if she had known, she might have just passed it off as 'it's human nature for a woman to be surprised when she receives a proposal'.
A deadline also had to be set.
That way, things will get done quickly, and the long-awaited date when she will be his forever, unable to run away, will arrive sooner.
“The date is this fall.”
He wanted to say 'tomorrow right away', but he held back and gave a realistic date.
“Let’s wake up in the same bed every day, get up together, eat together, and sit across from each other in the same study to work.”
He brought his cheek to Ariadne's, who was bowing her head.
“Then you will get used to me.”
Ariadne did not move. She did not answer.
After a moment, she gently pushed Cesare's face away with her hands.
“...Your Highness.”
The very title was ominous. It was the first signal to Cesare that something was wrong.
Ariadne moved her body slightly away from Cesare's arms.
“I like things the way they are now.”
Ariadne did not raise her head.
Because when she looked at Cesare's face when she saw his sweet smile, she was afraid that she would break down and fall over.
“Wasn’t our engagement a sham?”
She spoke in as plain a voice as possible.
“It’s a temporary measure to survive under His Majesty the King’s sword. His Majesty is already wary of you, so will he just let you get married?”
'I don't trust you.'
“Let’s take some time to get engaged. We can’t do it now. It’s not possible. There’s nothing to gain.”
'Give me some time. I need some more time to think.'
In fact, she wasn't confident that she could make the right decision even if she was given more time.
She had gathered enough materials to make a decision and had thought about it enough, but her heart was wavering like a reed.
And above all, there were moments when Cesare would just come in.
He can transform even the most ordinary moments into a sparkling eternity.
Even a kiss in the garden on a rainy day was an advance that the usual Ariadne would never have permitted.
She was so caught up in that magical moment that she was afraid she would make a foolish decision that would throw her entire life into the pit once more.
But Cesare took Ariadne's words at face value.
“Miss. Why do you turn everything into politics?”
He sat down on her desk, his voice sullen.
Cesare sat on Ariadne's account books, leaving her without a place to look.
“If this is politics, what on earth do you think I had to gain by jumping into the ‘Hall of the Sun’ that day?”
“...”
Cesare had absolutely nothing to gain politically from the events of that day. He had only something to lose.
“Unlike anyone else, I don’t covet your position, your gold, or your political influence.”
But Ariadne blurted it out cynically.
Because she felt like she was being dragged away if she just listened without saying anything.
“Is that really so? If Duke Cesare were to marry me, your political influence would instantly rise to that of an Grand Duke.”
Although the relationship between Cesare and Leo III appears to have been mended on the surface, in reality, it is like putting sand on a bomb, so it will not be easy for him to be promoted.
She will never do it.
However, if Alfonso does not return for a long time, the Duke and Duchess, who are popular with the people and have been carrying out relief work for a long time, will become quite dangerous people.
What if the Prince dies in a foreign land? Leo III will have no other choice.
“...Politics, politics, politics. Can we stop talking about that?”
He said as if he was fed up with her cold distance.
“Why don’t you believe me when I say I have no desire for anything? If I had been after the throne, would I have saved you that day?”
Cesare's voice gradually rose in tone.
“You seem to know me, but you don’t. You don’t care about the throne or political influence. Playing around with the throne? Succession planning? Let Father do all that troublesome stuff.”
Cesare looked at Ariadne.
“I like you.”
She remained still, her head bowed. Soon a quiet whisper came from Ariadne's lips.
“This is... Not a clever idea...”
In fact, it was more like a soliloquy about not falling for a bad man, but to Cesare, it sounded like an extension of considering political advantages and disadvantages.
"Shit!"
He grabbed Ariadne's chin, who was trying to avoid eye contact, and looked her straight in the eye.
Anger and sadness simultaneously fell from Cesare's watery eyes.
“Fuck, I’m courting you right now!”
Know me, know my heart. His voice lowered a tone.
“I don’t need anything but you.”
...Why don't you know?
Ariadne slowly opened her mouth to Cesare's tearful confession.
Maybe it was because she looked straight into his eyes that she was entranced by his magic and ended up talking about his feelings.
“...You.”
Ariadne continued speaking with difficulty.
“...You're a person who doesn’t know how to love. And don’t bring up marriage so lightly. It won’t sound serious.”
"Ari!"
Eventually, his voice became louder.
“What on earth do I have to do to get you to accept my sincerity? Do I have to split open my chest and show you my heart?!”
But she thought... Only three months. Cesare had only shown his 'sincerity' for three months at most.
And the total time she had to endure the suffering in her previous life was 9 years. It was not enough time for her wounds to heal.
If you forget something like this, you're stupid.
“...You should go back today.”
She gave Cesare an order to leave. Cesare got angry and shouted.
“What about today? Have you ever seriously thought about our future? If today is like this, what about tomorrow? Will we have an answer next week?”
Ariadne did not answer at all, but stood up and left the study.
Click.
The black-haired girl glided out of the room, the door closing with an annoyingly smooth slam.
Cesare left alone, suddenly felt his energy drained as if the lights in the room had gone out.
He remained alone in the study, where her scent still lingered, and stared blankly at the door through which she had left.
“Hehehehe.”
Ottavio laughed happily and took a sip of his sparkling wine.
“You were acting like you knew everything.”
Cesare's choice for the day was grappa. He drank the liquor in one gulp, his brow furrowed.
“Is that so hard to deal with? All the Dukes of Cesare in the world are dead.”
“It’s noisy.”
Cesare poured more grappa into the glass in his hand.
“What on earth do you think was the cause of your defeat, Your Excellency Duke Cesare, the champion of continuous victories?”
Cesare took another sip of grappa and snapped back curtly.
“If I knew that, would I still be doing this?”
An excited Ottavio began to lecture in front of Cesare.
“In my opinion, you missed the basics. That’s why.”
"Basic?"
“Who else but you would be a crazy enough man to barge into a woman’s study and propose to her while sitting miserably on her desk?”
Ottavio liked it so much that he even applauded.
“Women are creatures that are weak to the atmosphere.”
His eyes sparkled.
“If you were going to propose, you should have gone to a nice place, shared some good wine, and given her some jewels!”
“...”
It was a well-known fact that Ottavio would talk nonsense whenever he opened his mouth, but this story seemed like it would be okay to make an exception.
It certainly made sense.
“It’s a jewel...”
Cesare put his hand on his chin. Something came to mind.
'The Swan of Linville'.
It was the jewel that Ariadne had shown interest in when she first met him at the Marquise of Chibo's mansion.
“Where was that...”
“Oh, does anything come to mind?”
“Hmm. So-so.”
Ottavio licked his lips, realizing that Cesare's sudden energy had made the teasing less fun.
Cesare began to concentrate on something, and even the speed at which he drank his wine slowed down.
But Ottavio, who could not give up teasing Cesare, made one last move.
“Anyway, do your best. The whole capital will be laughing with laughter at the fact that the world-famous Duke Cesare is being rejected in a marriage proposal.”
Cesare, who fell for the provocation, immediately raised his eyebrows and said.
“You wouldn’t trust San Carlo?”
“The opponent is the opponent! Ariadne de Mare, the richest person in the capital!”
When the story of Ariadne's wealth came up, Cesare felt bad because he remembered the way she had looked at him, and he rebuked Ottavio.
“Be quiet, I’m not doing this for money.”
"Really?"
But even his friends did not believe in Cesare's innocence.
“Then what are you looking at? Honestly, among the women you’ve touched, many were much prettier than that girl.”
“Your eyes are swollen.”
“It’s you who’s blind, not me!”
Ottavio was confident that his aesthetic was universally valid.
“What is that incredible charm? Maybe at night...”
"Hey!"
Cesare held back from throwing a cushion at Ottavio.
“Ah, just grab that!”
If you throw a punch, word will get out. Then your fiancee will find out that you drank during the day.
Cesare, who had suppressed the urge to punch that was welling up in him for that very reason, threw it out.
“Stop talking like that. I haven’t even lifted a finger yet.”
A kiss was practically untouched by the world's greatest debaucher, Duke Cesare, so he just let it slide.
But Ottavio thought he had caught a good ingredient and burst out laughing, holding his stomach.
“Hey, so maybe that’s why you got in trouble?”
"What?"
“It’s been over three months since you got engaged and you haven’t lifted a finger yet? I wonder if your fiancee thought you were a pervert and thought, ‘Oh, if I entrust my life to this man, I’m in big trouble.’”
"What?!"
“I thought you were a total playboy, but you’re actually a swindler. I’m so disappointed, ugh!”
Ottavio pretended to be cool, imitating a woman's voice.
“What good is a pretty shell, what good is the inside...”
"Get out!!!"
Cesare ended up picking up the cushion and throwing it.
“Get out!!!! Get out of my house!!!!”
Now it was like his own home. The gatekeeper didn't bother to stop him, and Duke Cesare didn't bother to reveal who he was.
The servant he met at the entrance was not as formal or embarrassed as before, because it was obvious that he would come again soon.
Cesare took off his cloak, handed it to a servant, and leisurely went up to the second floor, west wing.
"Knock knock."
The place he headed was not the drawing room, but Ariadne's study.
Instead of knocking on the door, she heard the click of his mouth, and Ariadne answered without looking up.
He answered with a shrug.
“Who else would come but me, my lady?”
Ariadne's life these days feels like a déjà vu of her past life, but it isn't.
When she opened her eyes, Cesare was always nearby, which reminded her of her engagement in her previous life.
Cardinal de Mare and Lucrezia, who were Ariadne's guardians at the time, sent young Ariadne to Count Cesare's mansion sometime after their engagement.
Count Cesare's stock was rising, for they were afraid that this engagement, in which they had brought in a chicken instead of a pheasant, would be broken off.
'If you send the girl to that house, you won't be able to kick her out because you're afraid of her reputation, right?'
'Is Count Cesare the kind of person who would do something like that?'
'But you're still holding on! Living with your fiancée and then kicking her out means you're completely ruining your reputation.'
In the unlikely event that the child was to be divorced and break up, the decision was made unilaterally, without any consideration for the harm caused, and the child was sent to her fiancé's house before the wedding.
It was good at first though.
It was because she was able to escape the oppression of the poor and have her own space, become the temporary mistress of a house, and be with Cesare at all times.
Even then, Ariadne was always by Cesare's side.
The only difference was that back then Ariadne circled around Cesare, but now Cesare circles around Ariadne.
They were stuck together, but the entity trying to stick together was different.
“I’m so used to seeing you like this, but I can’t seem to get used to it.”
She said it as a joke, but it was serious.
“Then let’s get more familiar with it.”
This was also true.
Cesare approached the desk—he had to come because Ariadne would not rise from her desk to greet him—and stood beside her. He stroked Ariadne's loose hair and said at once.
“Let’s get married.”
Ariadne froze in place.
But Cesare was so impatient that he missed that subtle detail.
No, actually, even if she had known, she might have just passed it off as 'it's human nature for a woman to be surprised when she receives a proposal'.
A deadline also had to be set.
That way, things will get done quickly, and the long-awaited date when she will be his forever, unable to run away, will arrive sooner.
“The date is this fall.”
He wanted to say 'tomorrow right away', but he held back and gave a realistic date.
“Let’s wake up in the same bed every day, get up together, eat together, and sit across from each other in the same study to work.”
He brought his cheek to Ariadne's, who was bowing her head.
“Then you will get used to me.”
Ariadne did not move. She did not answer.
After a moment, she gently pushed Cesare's face away with her hands.
“...Your Highness.”
The very title was ominous. It was the first signal to Cesare that something was wrong.
Ariadne moved her body slightly away from Cesare's arms.
“I like things the way they are now.”
Ariadne did not raise her head.
Because when she looked at Cesare's face when she saw his sweet smile, she was afraid that she would break down and fall over.
“Wasn’t our engagement a sham?”
She spoke in as plain a voice as possible.
“It’s a temporary measure to survive under His Majesty the King’s sword. His Majesty is already wary of you, so will he just let you get married?”
'I don't trust you.'
“Let’s take some time to get engaged. We can’t do it now. It’s not possible. There’s nothing to gain.”
'Give me some time. I need some more time to think.'
In fact, she wasn't confident that she could make the right decision even if she was given more time.
She had gathered enough materials to make a decision and had thought about it enough, but her heart was wavering like a reed.
And above all, there were moments when Cesare would just come in.
He can transform even the most ordinary moments into a sparkling eternity.
Even a kiss in the garden on a rainy day was an advance that the usual Ariadne would never have permitted.
She was so caught up in that magical moment that she was afraid she would make a foolish decision that would throw her entire life into the pit once more.
But Cesare took Ariadne's words at face value.
“Miss. Why do you turn everything into politics?”
He sat down on her desk, his voice sullen.
Cesare sat on Ariadne's account books, leaving her without a place to look.
“If this is politics, what on earth do you think I had to gain by jumping into the ‘Hall of the Sun’ that day?”
“...”
Cesare had absolutely nothing to gain politically from the events of that day. He had only something to lose.
“Unlike anyone else, I don’t covet your position, your gold, or your political influence.”
But Ariadne blurted it out cynically.
Because she felt like she was being dragged away if she just listened without saying anything.
“Is that really so? If Duke Cesare were to marry me, your political influence would instantly rise to that of an Grand Duke.”
Although the relationship between Cesare and Leo III appears to have been mended on the surface, in reality, it is like putting sand on a bomb, so it will not be easy for him to be promoted.
She will never do it.
However, if Alfonso does not return for a long time, the Duke and Duchess, who are popular with the people and have been carrying out relief work for a long time, will become quite dangerous people.
What if the Prince dies in a foreign land? Leo III will have no other choice.
“...Politics, politics, politics. Can we stop talking about that?”
He said as if he was fed up with her cold distance.
“Why don’t you believe me when I say I have no desire for anything? If I had been after the throne, would I have saved you that day?”
Cesare's voice gradually rose in tone.
“You seem to know me, but you don’t. You don’t care about the throne or political influence. Playing around with the throne? Succession planning? Let Father do all that troublesome stuff.”
Cesare looked at Ariadne.
“I like you.”
She remained still, her head bowed. Soon a quiet whisper came from Ariadne's lips.
“This is... Not a clever idea...”
In fact, it was more like a soliloquy about not falling for a bad man, but to Cesare, it sounded like an extension of considering political advantages and disadvantages.
"Shit!"
He grabbed Ariadne's chin, who was trying to avoid eye contact, and looked her straight in the eye.
Anger and sadness simultaneously fell from Cesare's watery eyes.
“Fuck, I’m courting you right now!”
Know me, know my heart. His voice lowered a tone.
“I don’t need anything but you.”
...Why don't you know?
Ariadne slowly opened her mouth to Cesare's tearful confession.
Maybe it was because she looked straight into his eyes that she was entranced by his magic and ended up talking about his feelings.
“...You.”
Ariadne continued speaking with difficulty.
“...You're a person who doesn’t know how to love. And don’t bring up marriage so lightly. It won’t sound serious.”
"Ari!"
Eventually, his voice became louder.
“What on earth do I have to do to get you to accept my sincerity? Do I have to split open my chest and show you my heart?!”
But she thought... Only three months. Cesare had only shown his 'sincerity' for three months at most.
And the total time she had to endure the suffering in her previous life was 9 years. It was not enough time for her wounds to heal.
If you forget something like this, you're stupid.
“...You should go back today.”
She gave Cesare an order to leave. Cesare got angry and shouted.
“What about today? Have you ever seriously thought about our future? If today is like this, what about tomorrow? Will we have an answer next week?”
Ariadne did not answer at all, but stood up and left the study.
Click.
The black-haired girl glided out of the room, the door closing with an annoyingly smooth slam.
Cesare left alone, suddenly felt his energy drained as if the lights in the room had gone out.
He remained alone in the study, where her scent still lingered, and stared blankly at the door through which she had left.
***
“Hehehehe.”
Ottavio laughed happily and took a sip of his sparkling wine.
“You were acting like you knew everything.”
Cesare's choice for the day was grappa. He drank the liquor in one gulp, his brow furrowed.
“Is that so hard to deal with? All the Dukes of Cesare in the world are dead.”
“It’s noisy.”
Cesare poured more grappa into the glass in his hand.
“What on earth do you think was the cause of your defeat, Your Excellency Duke Cesare, the champion of continuous victories?”
Cesare took another sip of grappa and snapped back curtly.
“If I knew that, would I still be doing this?”
An excited Ottavio began to lecture in front of Cesare.
“In my opinion, you missed the basics. That’s why.”
"Basic?"
“Who else but you would be a crazy enough man to barge into a woman’s study and propose to her while sitting miserably on her desk?”
Ottavio liked it so much that he even applauded.
“Women are creatures that are weak to the atmosphere.”
His eyes sparkled.
“If you were going to propose, you should have gone to a nice place, shared some good wine, and given her some jewels!”
“...”
It was a well-known fact that Ottavio would talk nonsense whenever he opened his mouth, but this story seemed like it would be okay to make an exception.
It certainly made sense.
“It’s a jewel...”
Cesare put his hand on his chin. Something came to mind.
'The Swan of Linville'.
It was the jewel that Ariadne had shown interest in when she first met him at the Marquise of Chibo's mansion.
“Where was that...”
“Oh, does anything come to mind?”
“Hmm. So-so.”
Ottavio licked his lips, realizing that Cesare's sudden energy had made the teasing less fun.
Cesare began to concentrate on something, and even the speed at which he drank his wine slowed down.
But Ottavio, who could not give up teasing Cesare, made one last move.
“Anyway, do your best. The whole capital will be laughing with laughter at the fact that the world-famous Duke Cesare is being rejected in a marriage proposal.”
Cesare, who fell for the provocation, immediately raised his eyebrows and said.
“You wouldn’t trust San Carlo?”
“The opponent is the opponent! Ariadne de Mare, the richest person in the capital!”
When the story of Ariadne's wealth came up, Cesare felt bad because he remembered the way she had looked at him, and he rebuked Ottavio.
“Be quiet, I’m not doing this for money.”
"Really?"
But even his friends did not believe in Cesare's innocence.
“Then what are you looking at? Honestly, among the women you’ve touched, many were much prettier than that girl.”
“Your eyes are swollen.”
“It’s you who’s blind, not me!”
Ottavio was confident that his aesthetic was universally valid.
“What is that incredible charm? Maybe at night...”
"Hey!"
Cesare held back from throwing a cushion at Ottavio.
“Ah, just grab that!”
If you throw a punch, word will get out. Then your fiancee will find out that you drank during the day.
Cesare, who had suppressed the urge to punch that was welling up in him for that very reason, threw it out.
“Stop talking like that. I haven’t even lifted a finger yet.”
A kiss was practically untouched by the world's greatest debaucher, Duke Cesare, so he just let it slide.
But Ottavio thought he had caught a good ingredient and burst out laughing, holding his stomach.
“Hey, so maybe that’s why you got in trouble?”
"What?"
“It’s been over three months since you got engaged and you haven’t lifted a finger yet? I wonder if your fiancee thought you were a pervert and thought, ‘Oh, if I entrust my life to this man, I’m in big trouble.’”
"What?!"
“I thought you were a total playboy, but you’re actually a swindler. I’m so disappointed, ugh!”
Ottavio pretended to be cool, imitating a woman's voice.
“What good is a pretty shell, what good is the inside...”
"Get out!!!"
Cesare ended up picking up the cushion and throwing it.
“Get out!!!! Get out of my house!!!!”
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