Isabella handed Cesare a sheet of parchment from the bundle she was holding.
Cesare unconsciously thought he shouldn't look any further, but he couldn't stop.
He took the next page with trembling hands without realizing it.
"My Alfonso,
You must be hanging between life and death in the dry desert. It's definitely winter in San Carlo. The weather is very cold.
I went on a trip to the suburbs today. I saw a really interesting valley.
Actually, I knew about this place, but I had forgotten about it for a long time. I was glad to have the chance to visit it again.
There, the silver bells bloom. They are in full bloom in May, and they bloom even behind the waterfall, in a place where the sun never shines.
Isn't it amazing how flowers bloom even without a single ray of sunlight?
I thought of you... (continued)."
It was clearly a diary she wrote on the day she went to the Valley of Silverbells with him.
That day, Ariadne thought of Alfonso all the time she was with him. His hands trembled when he saw it with his own eyes.
In his precious hideout, she smiled as she thought of his younger brother, his mortal enemy, whom he had no equal in the world.
He had trusted her and let her into his realm, into his boundaries. Ariadne had neatly betrayed that expectation.
He couldn't stop and continued reading the letter.
'Something... I have to find a way...'
Knock knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Isabella looked around in surprise. Judging from the politeness of the knock, it was a servant.
“Young Lady. May I come in?”
Even the male servant was there. Isabella hurriedly pulled the sheet over her to cover her body.
The person who knocked came into the room without even waiting.
“Young Lady, it is time for you to go back.”
It is an order to expel guests without even seeing their faces. Even the King's government would not be treated like this.
Isabella was furious with shame.
“What about Duke Cesare?! I have to go see him and then go back!”
The servant answered without wavering. It seemed that this situation was very familiar.
“The Duke has gone out due to an urgent external engagement. If you leave your contact information, I will pass it on to the Duke.”
How could there be an urgent external schedule! When you're eating like a drunkard!
And what's more, it's not a note or a message, it's a contact number. This means that he won't be contacting her.
Cesare unconsciously thought he shouldn't look any further, but he couldn't stop.
He took the next page with trembling hands without realizing it.
"My Alfonso,
You must be hanging between life and death in the dry desert. It's definitely winter in San Carlo. The weather is very cold.
I went on a trip to the suburbs today. I saw a really interesting valley.
Actually, I knew about this place, but I had forgotten about it for a long time. I was glad to have the chance to visit it again.
There, the silver bells bloom. They are in full bloom in May, and they bloom even behind the waterfall, in a place where the sun never shines.
Isn't it amazing how flowers bloom even without a single ray of sunlight?
I thought of you... (continued)."
It was clearly a diary she wrote on the day she went to the Valley of Silverbells with him.
That day, Ariadne thought of Alfonso all the time she was with him. His hands trembled when he saw it with his own eyes.
In his precious hideout, she smiled as she thought of his younger brother, his mortal enemy, whom he had no equal in the world.
He had trusted her and let her into his realm, into his boundaries. Ariadne had neatly betrayed that expectation.
He couldn't stop and continued reading the letter.
"...My Alfonso has managed to make his own place in his home country without the support of his father. My Alfonso, who is as strong as a silver bell.
I heard about your specialty through Raphael. 'Undefeated Knight', I really believed in you from the moment I first saw you.
I'm so proud of you. And most of all, I'm glad you're healthy and injury-free.
January 29, 1124,
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Your beloved Ariadne. "
..
I heard about your specialty through Raphael. 'Undefeated Knight', I really believed in you from the moment I first saw you.
I'm so proud of you. And most of all, I'm glad you're healthy and injury-free.
January 29, 1124,
Looking forward to seeing you soon,
Your beloved Ariadne. "
..
It was a treatment so different from the treatment given to Cesare himself. He had no choice but to admit it.
Ariadne was cold, but she was never bad with Cesare. She always took care of him, seemingly or not.
He always felt comfortable with Ariadne. From the little favors she gave him to the big favors she gave him.
She also knew that he always carried a club at his waist, and she remembered whether he drank his tea hot or slightly cooled.
Beyond such trivial matters, it was she who played a leading role in defeating the Gallico forces and who risked her own life to save Cesare, who was almost imprisoned in his home, by speaking out against the King, Leo III.
So Cesare was able to continue to advance towards Ariadne despite her lack of response.
Because he could believe that Ariadne had affection and interest in him.
But whether Ariadne respected Cesare was a completely different matter. Cesare himself knew it.
Ariadne cared for Cesare as if he were her own little brother or her own young son, but did not look up to him or worship him as a man.
Cesare didn't particularly like it, but he didn't think much of it.
Ariadne was too smart. And the girl he liked happened to be pretty. That's why it happened.
He believed that there was no man, not even himself, who could earn the respect and adoration of the woman he loved.
Because if you are not outstanding enough to crush her, you do not deserve that respect. Where on earth would you find such a man in the Central Continent?
But then, he suddenly appeared before his eyes. Wearing the skin of his half-brother, whom he hated the most in the world.
Cesare's hands trembled like aspen leaves.
'It must be because I'm drunk. Yes, I drank too much.'
His thoughts were spinning. The best way to calm his shaking hands was to have another drink.
Cesare fumbled for his glass. With a clank, it slid across the table and into his hand.
Gulp, gulp, he emptied the glass cleanly in one gulp.
And when he looked belatedly in the direction where the glass had appeared, he saw Isabella smiling shyly with a pretty face.
“Yes, here you go.”
She approached him gently, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped the poison from Cesare's lips.
The thin flax handkerchief was soft and warm.
“Duke Cesare, you have no idea how wonderful you are.”
The world was spinning around and around, and the woman who came right in front of his nose smelled good.
“Is that the rose water from Mount Gaeta?” Cesare thought absentmindedly.
“You are the Prince of society. When you appear at a ball, the girls go crazy and stare at you. You are the only man in all of San Carlo who can keep the eyes of the whole hall fixed on him.”
Ah. That sounds good.
“My sister is a fool. She doesn’t understand how lucky she is to be loved by such a big thing, and she’s just hanging out between two men.”
Isabella came very close to Cesare, crawling onto his lap as he stretched out on the sofa.
The front of Cesare's loosely draped robe opened, exposing his entire chest.
Isabella was completely on top of Cesare, with both knees on the sofa, and she whispered into his ear.
“You’re ungrateful.”
Isabella's lips brushed Cesare's earlobe. Her breath was hot.
“When Prince Alfonso returns, you will be abandoned.”
“!”
Isabella's whispered words spread through Cesare's mind like a witch's poison.
“Isn’t that annoying? You gave your all, and she’s measuring two men on the palm of her hand.”
A bright laughter like rolling jade beads was heard.
“You were used.”
Cesare turned his head away, not wanting to hear.
But there was little correlation between turning his head and blocking out the sound, and to make matters worse, his drunkenness and her determined mobility were similar.
Isabella followed him all the way and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t you want revenge?”
Isabella met Cesare's eyes directly. Isabella's sharp features emerged from Cesare's blurred vision.
She was pretty. She had skin as white as porcelain, and her facial features were shockingly deep.
Her eyes were a soft, pale color, but they burned with desire. She was looking at him. There was not a single thing that bothered him.
The porcelain doll opened her red lips and spoke.
“I can’t do it alone, right?”
Isabella spoke again to Cesare, who was trying to suppress his drunkenness.
“To that arrogant girl who thinks she has it all, show her that you are not tied down to just one person.”
Isabella moved around on top of Cesare, the hem of her skirt fluttering, and the strong scent of rose water wafted in once again.
Is that the scent coming from the hem of your skirt? No. It's a scent coming from a more intimate place, mixed with body odor.
Cesare shook his head to regain his senses, but the shaking of his skull seemed to make him even more confused.
The woman's head followed his. It was only a moment too late that Cesare felt the warmth of her lips touching his.
“..!”
Isabella was kissing Cesare. Her bright red lips opened slightly and she was the first to invade Cesare's mouth.
In fact, it was objectively a clumsy attempt at a kiss.
Among the women Cesare met, there was one who deserved to be left for posterity as a textbook on kissing, complete with illustrations of each step.
By comparison, Isabella's current attempt was pathetic.
But the beautiful girl was trying her best to kiss him, and he thought it was really cute.
Isabella whispered again.
“Take me.”
Her lips came crashing down on his. This time, the kiss was more aggressive than before. But it was still inevitable that she was still clumsy.
...I have to show you what a real kiss is.
Cesare grabbed the wrist of the woman in front of him and threw her down on the sofa.
The woman let out a "Kyaa," something that was either an exclamation or a scream.
It didn't matter. Cesare pressed his weight against her and kissed her deeply.
The woman who had been squirming underneath soon stopped resisting and complied with the kiss. The woman seemed to feel his kiss with her whole body.
Ah, this is the feeling. This omnipotence.
When Cesare felt that the woman leaning against the sofa had completely melted, he picked her up in both arms and carried her to his bed right behind him.
The woman was lighter than expected, and her clothes were also lighter.
Although it was still the cold season, the partlet was only a single layer of fabric as thin as a dragonfly's wing, and the corpique opened with a snap when touched.
Although he had come in with a completely determined look on his face, Cesare didn't even have the presence of mind to judge it.
He searched frantically through the clothes, searching for the female body inside. A warm, smooth, soft body.
It was Cesare's drug.
As soon as Isabella opened her eyes, she felt a dull pain run through her body.
“Uh...”
Especially her lower body and thighs hurt as if she had been beaten with a club.
Even the slightest movement made her feel tingly, so it took Isabella a while to control her body.
So she realized it was a little late.
She was left alone in the Duke of Pisano's bedroom.
She looked around in confusion.
'What, did he really leave?'
The next morning, she had no hope of finding the Duke of Pisano suddenly in love, showering her with kisses and confessing his love.
But still, it was her first time, and when she opened her eyes, he wasn't there? And it was even her own house?
Isabella tried to sit up, but her lower body hurt so much that she screamed.
“Ah..."
She hoped that Cesare, who was in the bathroom, would come out after hearing the sound, but it was a vain hope.
Isabella limped through the entire bedroom and its attached outbuildings, but she was definitely alone.
'He ran away!'
Isabella gaped in amazement. It was a gamble for her.
San Carlo, or rather the Central Continent, is a place that is strict about female virginity.
Once a relationship became this deep, the man had to take responsibility for the woman.
If the man turns away... Isabella is now in big trouble. It’s a convent ending without a choice.
'Oh my God...'
But Isabella also had a corner of her that she believed in.
The Central Continent is a place that enforces chastity on women but also has a good reputation for men.
It was obvious how a man who had not taken responsibility for a good daughter from a good family, whom he had touched, would be treated in the social world, and even more so in the court that was directly connected to politics.
Besides, Isabella had already made adequate preparations for Cesare's washing out.
'...Are you afraid that I won't be able to do anything if you don't volunteer?'
Isabella's greedy purple eyes flashed. She looked over the rickety bed.
There were red stains all over the white blanket. It was the first blood Isabella had shed. Isabella smiled in repentance.
The blood wasn't on the comforter. To be exact, it was on the white handkerchief that was stuck between the comforter and the blanket.
Yesterday, when Isabella went out with Cesare, she quickly grabbed Cesare's handkerchief from the drawer of the nightstand next to her bed and put it under her.
The handkerchief will most likely have Cesare's initials embroidered on it.
Handkerchiefs were originally used as a symbol of love. Virgin blood on top of that?
It is perfect evidence that Cesare de Carlo should be responsible for Isabella de Mare.
She crawled onto the bed and grabbed the handkerchief. Yesterday, she was in such a hurry that she didn't even bother to check if her initials were embroidered.
'It would be a disaster if it was just a plain handkerchief without embroidery.'
She muttered and unfolded the blood-stained handkerchief.
'Cesare... C... C...'
She examined the handkerchief carefully, mumbling the initials she was looking for. There they were, embroidered initials.
'Yes!'
She squinted her eyes excitedly as she read the embroidered initials.
Ari... d. Mare
“...Why is this here?!”
Isabella ended up screaming out loud.
She looked at the handkerchief again in horror, but the tightly placed embroidery had not changed into Cesare's initials.
Now that she thinks about it, the structure of the desk drawer where the handkerchief was yesterday was a bit strange.
Usually, several handkerchiefs are stacked, but this one had just one in a silk pouch.
'This guy! It wasn't his handkerchief, it was his seal, so he kept it carefully in the closet!'
Isabella started rolling her eyes in embarrassment. This shouldn't be happening.
If you are going to use the loss of your first experience as a weapon to hold Duke Cesare responsible for you, you must have clear evidence.
However, the proof of her virginity was on her sister's handkerchief.
Ariadne was cold, but she was never bad with Cesare. She always took care of him, seemingly or not.
He always felt comfortable with Ariadne. From the little favors she gave him to the big favors she gave him.
She also knew that he always carried a club at his waist, and she remembered whether he drank his tea hot or slightly cooled.
Beyond such trivial matters, it was she who played a leading role in defeating the Gallico forces and who risked her own life to save Cesare, who was almost imprisoned in his home, by speaking out against the King, Leo III.
So Cesare was able to continue to advance towards Ariadne despite her lack of response.
Because he could believe that Ariadne had affection and interest in him.
But whether Ariadne respected Cesare was a completely different matter. Cesare himself knew it.
Ariadne cared for Cesare as if he were her own little brother or her own young son, but did not look up to him or worship him as a man.
Cesare didn't particularly like it, but he didn't think much of it.
Ariadne was too smart. And the girl he liked happened to be pretty. That's why it happened.
He believed that there was no man, not even himself, who could earn the respect and adoration of the woman he loved.
Because if you are not outstanding enough to crush her, you do not deserve that respect. Where on earth would you find such a man in the Central Continent?
But then, he suddenly appeared before his eyes. Wearing the skin of his half-brother, whom he hated the most in the world.
Cesare's hands trembled like aspen leaves.
'It must be because I'm drunk. Yes, I drank too much.'
His thoughts were spinning. The best way to calm his shaking hands was to have another drink.
Cesare fumbled for his glass. With a clank, it slid across the table and into his hand.
Gulp, gulp, he emptied the glass cleanly in one gulp.
And when he looked belatedly in the direction where the glass had appeared, he saw Isabella smiling shyly with a pretty face.
“Yes, here you go.”
She approached him gently, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped the poison from Cesare's lips.
The thin flax handkerchief was soft and warm.
“Duke Cesare, you have no idea how wonderful you are.”
The world was spinning around and around, and the woman who came right in front of his nose smelled good.
“Is that the rose water from Mount Gaeta?” Cesare thought absentmindedly.
“You are the Prince of society. When you appear at a ball, the girls go crazy and stare at you. You are the only man in all of San Carlo who can keep the eyes of the whole hall fixed on him.”
Ah. That sounds good.
“My sister is a fool. She doesn’t understand how lucky she is to be loved by such a big thing, and she’s just hanging out between two men.”
Isabella came very close to Cesare, crawling onto his lap as he stretched out on the sofa.
The front of Cesare's loosely draped robe opened, exposing his entire chest.
Isabella was completely on top of Cesare, with both knees on the sofa, and she whispered into his ear.
“You’re ungrateful.”
Isabella's lips brushed Cesare's earlobe. Her breath was hot.
“When Prince Alfonso returns, you will be abandoned.”
“!”
Isabella's whispered words spread through Cesare's mind like a witch's poison.
“Isn’t that annoying? You gave your all, and she’s measuring two men on the palm of her hand.”
A bright laughter like rolling jade beads was heard.
“You were used.”
Cesare turned his head away, not wanting to hear.
But there was little correlation between turning his head and blocking out the sound, and to make matters worse, his drunkenness and her determined mobility were similar.
Isabella followed him all the way and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t you want revenge?”
Isabella met Cesare's eyes directly. Isabella's sharp features emerged from Cesare's blurred vision.
She was pretty. She had skin as white as porcelain, and her facial features were shockingly deep.
Her eyes were a soft, pale color, but they burned with desire. She was looking at him. There was not a single thing that bothered him.
The porcelain doll opened her red lips and spoke.
“I can’t do it alone, right?”
Isabella spoke again to Cesare, who was trying to suppress his drunkenness.
“To that arrogant girl who thinks she has it all, show her that you are not tied down to just one person.”
Isabella moved around on top of Cesare, the hem of her skirt fluttering, and the strong scent of rose water wafted in once again.
Is that the scent coming from the hem of your skirt? No. It's a scent coming from a more intimate place, mixed with body odor.
Cesare shook his head to regain his senses, but the shaking of his skull seemed to make him even more confused.
The woman's head followed his. It was only a moment too late that Cesare felt the warmth of her lips touching his.
“..!”
Isabella was kissing Cesare. Her bright red lips opened slightly and she was the first to invade Cesare's mouth.
In fact, it was objectively a clumsy attempt at a kiss.
Among the women Cesare met, there was one who deserved to be left for posterity as a textbook on kissing, complete with illustrations of each step.
By comparison, Isabella's current attempt was pathetic.
But the beautiful girl was trying her best to kiss him, and he thought it was really cute.
Isabella whispered again.
“Take me.”
Her lips came crashing down on his. This time, the kiss was more aggressive than before. But it was still inevitable that she was still clumsy.
...I have to show you what a real kiss is.
Cesare grabbed the wrist of the woman in front of him and threw her down on the sofa.
The woman let out a "Kyaa," something that was either an exclamation or a scream.
It didn't matter. Cesare pressed his weight against her and kissed her deeply.
The woman who had been squirming underneath soon stopped resisting and complied with the kiss. The woman seemed to feel his kiss with her whole body.
Ah, this is the feeling. This omnipotence.
When Cesare felt that the woman leaning against the sofa had completely melted, he picked her up in both arms and carried her to his bed right behind him.
The woman was lighter than expected, and her clothes were also lighter.
Although it was still the cold season, the partlet was only a single layer of fabric as thin as a dragonfly's wing, and the corpique opened with a snap when touched.
Although he had come in with a completely determined look on his face, Cesare didn't even have the presence of mind to judge it.
He searched frantically through the clothes, searching for the female body inside. A warm, smooth, soft body.
It was Cesare's drug.
***
As soon as Isabella opened her eyes, she felt a dull pain run through her body.
“Uh...”
Especially her lower body and thighs hurt as if she had been beaten with a club.
Even the slightest movement made her feel tingly, so it took Isabella a while to control her body.
So she realized it was a little late.
She was left alone in the Duke of Pisano's bedroom.
She looked around in confusion.
'What, did he really leave?'
The next morning, she had no hope of finding the Duke of Pisano suddenly in love, showering her with kisses and confessing his love.
But still, it was her first time, and when she opened her eyes, he wasn't there? And it was even her own house?
Isabella tried to sit up, but her lower body hurt so much that she screamed.
“Ah..."
She hoped that Cesare, who was in the bathroom, would come out after hearing the sound, but it was a vain hope.
Isabella limped through the entire bedroom and its attached outbuildings, but she was definitely alone.
'He ran away!'
Isabella gaped in amazement. It was a gamble for her.
San Carlo, or rather the Central Continent, is a place that is strict about female virginity.
Once a relationship became this deep, the man had to take responsibility for the woman.
If the man turns away... Isabella is now in big trouble. It’s a convent ending without a choice.
'Oh my God...'
But Isabella also had a corner of her that she believed in.
The Central Continent is a place that enforces chastity on women but also has a good reputation for men.
It was obvious how a man who had not taken responsibility for a good daughter from a good family, whom he had touched, would be treated in the social world, and even more so in the court that was directly connected to politics.
Besides, Isabella had already made adequate preparations for Cesare's washing out.
'...Are you afraid that I won't be able to do anything if you don't volunteer?'
Isabella's greedy purple eyes flashed. She looked over the rickety bed.
There were red stains all over the white blanket. It was the first blood Isabella had shed. Isabella smiled in repentance.
The blood wasn't on the comforter. To be exact, it was on the white handkerchief that was stuck between the comforter and the blanket.
Yesterday, when Isabella went out with Cesare, she quickly grabbed Cesare's handkerchief from the drawer of the nightstand next to her bed and put it under her.
The handkerchief will most likely have Cesare's initials embroidered on it.
Handkerchiefs were originally used as a symbol of love. Virgin blood on top of that?
It is perfect evidence that Cesare de Carlo should be responsible for Isabella de Mare.
She crawled onto the bed and grabbed the handkerchief. Yesterday, she was in such a hurry that she didn't even bother to check if her initials were embroidered.
'It would be a disaster if it was just a plain handkerchief without embroidery.'
She muttered and unfolded the blood-stained handkerchief.
'Cesare... C... C...'
She examined the handkerchief carefully, mumbling the initials she was looking for. There they were, embroidered initials.
'Yes!'
She squinted her eyes excitedly as she read the embroidered initials.
Ari... d. Mare
“...Why is this here?!”
Isabella ended up screaming out loud.
She looked at the handkerchief again in horror, but the tightly placed embroidery had not changed into Cesare's initials.
Now that she thinks about it, the structure of the desk drawer where the handkerchief was yesterday was a bit strange.
Usually, several handkerchiefs are stacked, but this one had just one in a silk pouch.
'This guy! It wasn't his handkerchief, it was his seal, so he kept it carefully in the closet!'
Isabella started rolling her eyes in embarrassment. This shouldn't be happening.
If you are going to use the loss of your first experience as a weapon to hold Duke Cesare responsible for you, you must have clear evidence.
However, the proof of her virginity was on her sister's handkerchief.
'Something... I have to find a way...'
Knock knock.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Isabella looked around in surprise. Judging from the politeness of the knock, it was a servant.
“Young Lady. May I come in?”
Even the male servant was there. Isabella hurriedly pulled the sheet over her to cover her body.
The person who knocked came into the room without even waiting.
“Young Lady, it is time for you to go back.”
It is an order to expel guests without even seeing their faces. Even the King's government would not be treated like this.
Isabella was furious with shame.
“What about Duke Cesare?! I have to go see him and then go back!”
The servant answered without wavering. It seemed that this situation was very familiar.
“The Duke has gone out due to an urgent external engagement. If you leave your contact information, I will pass it on to the Duke.”
How could there be an urgent external schedule! When you're eating like a drunkard!
And what's more, it's not a note or a message, it's a contact number. This means that he won't be contacting her.
“No, wait a minute!”
“Please go back.”
The servant bowed his head.
“We have prepared a carriage on the first floor to take you to your home.”
Behind him, a line of maids came in, doing chores.
It seemed that if Isabella did not leave voluntarily, they would dress her in a sack, put her in a carriage, and send her away.
“...!”
Isabella tried to leave a message for Duke Cesare, but she kept her mouth shut because she thought it would not be delivered anyway.
This was truly the first humiliation she had ever experienced. But Isabella was sure. She would get through it somehow.
For men, the outcome had never been as Isabella de Mare had wished.
Her violet eyes blazed with desire and anger.
“Please go back.”
The servant bowed his head.
“We have prepared a carriage on the first floor to take you to your home.”
Behind him, a line of maids came in, doing chores.
It seemed that if Isabella did not leave voluntarily, they would dress her in a sack, put her in a carriage, and send her away.
“...!”
Isabella tried to leave a message for Duke Cesare, but she kept her mouth shut because she thought it would not be delivered anyway.
This was truly the first humiliation she had ever experienced. But Isabella was sure. She would get through it somehow.
For men, the outcome had never been as Isabella de Mare had wished.
Her violet eyes blazed with desire and anger.
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