After the royal decree for the breakup of the engagement was issued, Cardinal de Mare fell ill.
There was no way of knowing whether he was actually sick or was just staying home because he was upset, but Ariadne didn't really care.
You'll probably feel better after a few days. If not, so what? It's up to you.
The news that Duke Cesare and Countess de Mare had broken off their engagement spread like wildfire in San Carlo. Everyone was talking about it.
Duke Cesare of Pisano could not bear it any longer and left for the Pisano estate. It is said that he packed his bags and emptied Villa Sortone.
In contrast to Cesare, the Duke of Pisano, who fled the capital, Ariadne, Countess de Mare, acted as if she was unaware of the very existence of social gossip.
Since she didn't have a wide social circle, she didn't go out and attend social events.
But when it came time to go out to prepare for the next step, she didn't hesitate.
Ariadne bought land not far from the almshouse.
“Miss, what are you going to use that for?”
Sancha asked, worried.
“The land prices in such a backward neighborhood won’t go up at all...”
Ariadne answered with a smile.
“I’m going to build a school.”
“Yes? School?”
“Yes. A school that teaches simple letters and numbers, reading, and arithmetic.”
If you can't read and write, you'll end up in a job that requires physical labor. Farming was also a job that required land.
Children who have nothing but their bodies are forced into jobs that pay little and are extremely competitive, such as odd jobs or housework. This is the fate of an industry with low entry barriers.
“When I first got into top management, I realized there were very few good people.”
It is a loss for the parents to bring in a smart child, feed him, and teach him how to read.
It was easy to learn the trade if you could read basic ledgers. This was the reason why only the children of merchants who learned their father's trade over their shoulders at home became merchants.
“And the children in the relief home will also have to become independent someday.”
Not all the relief workers could become nurses. Now that the Black Death had passed, there was limited demand for nurses before the next plague struck.
Likewise, not everyone who learns letters and arithmetic can get a job at the top, but they can become teachers or go to other places to seek more opportunities.
Studying will open many doors for children.
It wasn't just about opening a school.
Ariadne divided the fortune she had made during the Black Death into several bundles and entrusted the management of one of them to Caruso, THE CEO of the Boccanegro Company.
“Please operate stably.”
During the Black Death, people who made money through aggressive, almost gambling activities were asked to manage their money conservatively after the Black Death.
It was difficult to figure out what kind of person he was thinking, but CEO Caruso was faithful to Ariadne's order.
Since ancient times, clients have been a people who are difficult to understand.
'If you want to build a building out of shit, just build it for me.'
CEO Caruso said that he would do business with an honest counterparty who would pay him with a sharp edge, even if the counterparty was the devil.
But even his main client, who is now close to being a business partner, was quite conscientious and made up most of his expenses through social contribution activities.
It also allowed him to make a fortune in business. It's just that he wants it a little strangely.
Ariadne did not only do positive and constructive things.
She sent someone to Taranto to find out what Lucrezia had done before Ippolito was born.
“There’s nothing useful.”
“I guess it was a long time ago.”
The most profitable one was the story about 'Lucrezia hanging out with a stranger who suddenly appeared in the village.'
Although he seemed to be the son of a nobleman, no one remembered exactly which family he came from.
“Lucrezia’s favorite flower...”
Ariadne didn't know what Lucrezia's favorite flower was.
Ippolito probably doesn't know either. I asked the maids, but the stories were mixed.
“I guess I should ask my father sometime.”
“How ironic.”
“I’m always worried about what to say so it doesn’t feel awkward.”
“Even if I think about it for a hundred years, I won’t find an answer.”
Moreover, with the information available so far, it is impossible to pinpoint Ippolito as the man's son.
There's a huge gap between being a bit of a match and being pregnant with that guy's child.
“Shouldn’t there be testimony from the family members? It’s a confidential story, so unless you’re very close to ‘Miss Rossi,’ you probably won’t know the inside story.”
“He didn’t get shot in the head with an arrow, so there’s no way that the family would tell us Ippolito’s secret.”
“That’s true too...”
“Let’s wait earnestly. We don’t know when the next opportunity will come.”
In the end, it was Ariadne who was after Ippolito's neck, grabbing the control and money of the household.
Ippolito continued to live his usual life in the capital, unaware that his half-sister was keeping an eye on him.
The only peculiar thing was that since his allowance was cut in half, he couldn't spend it as extravagantly as before and had to follow his friends around like a subordinate, paying attention to their reactions, and occasionally visiting his younger sister.
“I thought he wouldn’t go see Miss Isabella because of his personality, but he did?”
“But this is the last remaining blood relative, right?”
Cardinal de Mare was also aware that Ippolito occasionally visited the convent of Saint Angelo, but he did not bother to stop it.
Three years passed like that without any incident.
“Brother. Are you not going to the moratorium this year either?”
Julia asked, chewing on a piece of greenish* in the Baldessar children's living room.
Moratorium was a service that seminarians who wanted to become priests of the Presbyterian Church had to undergo for a period of one year at the shortest and up to five years at the longest.
Theologians who left the moratorium would go to pagan areas to spread the faith of the Presbyterian Church, or they would go to backward rural areas to teach the correct faith.
"Well."
“If you don’t go, you won’t be able to receive the priesthood.”
“I am currently serving as a private tutor, but won’t I be considered a priest?”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Raphael's wish to become a priest was a secret known only to the Marchioness Baldessar and Julia.
It was thanks to the Marchioness, who learned of this fact, that she strongly advised them, 'Never tell your father.'
Julia took out another piece of greenish and chewed it, speaking to her brother.
“Just stay in this world. Mom will like it too.”
“...”
“Do you like Ari, brother?”
Raphael looked at Julia in surprise.
“Who said that?”
“Who would know if I told you that? Your attitude is screaming. I! Love! Ariadne!”
“Ah.”
Raphael frowned and washed his face dry, but he did not deny his sister's words.
Raphael de Baldesar, who had decided to go to Padua to further his studies, ended up stuck in the capital, working as a teacher, something he had no destiny to do.
He was not even a tutor for royalty or nobles, but a school teacher for commoners.
The school for children from the orphanage that Ariadne had founded—Scuola di Greta (Greta's School)—grew to include children from nearby slums, and its total enrollment reached around 300 students.
It was too big to handle for her to take the time to teach little by little like Ariadne taught Sancha.
As soon as Ariadne's troubles began to fade, Raphael, who was half-white, actively stepped forward as a teacher at the Scuola di Greta.
At first, he was just a simple writing teacher, but as time passed and the number of people increased, Raphael took on the role of textbook developer and principal.
“How can you not notice that you’re wasting so much time by getting so absorbed in something that doesn’t help at all and that you run to Ari like a puppy when she calls you?”
Julia brushed off the dirt from her skin.
“My brother is famous for walking around with a poison dart in your mouth, but I haven’t seen you wagging your tongue in front of Ari even once in the past five years.”
“...Can’t we see this as a person being rehabilitated?”
“If you’re going to say something like that, try to act nicely in front of me, please.”
Julia was lying slumped on the sofa at home, giving her older brother a series of blows.
“Why don’t you just confess to Ari and submit a proposal to the Cardinal through Father?”
Ariadne has had no new partners in the past three years.
At first, it may have been because she did not want to be disliked by the Duke of Pisano, but as Cesare de Carlo became secluded in the Pisano estates on the border and did not appear in the capital even once for three years, his presence gradually faded.
There may be several reasons why Ariadne did not find a new spouse after that.
Ariadne did not actively participate in social events, so she had no opportunity to meet new people.
One of the reasons was that her father walked around with a fierce look in his eyes as if he was determined to never let his daughter get married.
Because not many people want to make a proposal that is sure to be rejected.
If they had to add one more thing, they would have to include the existence of Rafael de Baldesar.
There weren't many people who wanted to incur a grudge against the successor to the Baldessar family.
“Ari is getting older now.”
By 1127, Ariadne was twenty years old, an age when marriage was inevitable.
“It’s obvious why His Eminence the Cardinal doesn’t want to marry off his daughter.”
Because Ariadne was the only person in that house who held a title.
“It's a matter between our parents, but I'm sure the Cardinal wouldn't object if you told him that when Ariane and brother have a child, you'll give him the title of Count de Mare, and it's not like we need another Count in the family.”
There was no way of knowing whether he was actually sick or was just staying home because he was upset, but Ariadne didn't really care.
You'll probably feel better after a few days. If not, so what? It's up to you.
The news that Duke Cesare and Countess de Mare had broken off their engagement spread like wildfire in San Carlo. Everyone was talking about it.
Duke Cesare of Pisano could not bear it any longer and left for the Pisano estate. It is said that he packed his bags and emptied Villa Sortone.
In contrast to Cesare, the Duke of Pisano, who fled the capital, Ariadne, Countess de Mare, acted as if she was unaware of the very existence of social gossip.
Since she didn't have a wide social circle, she didn't go out and attend social events.
But when it came time to go out to prepare for the next step, she didn't hesitate.
Ariadne bought land not far from the almshouse.
“Miss, what are you going to use that for?”
Sancha asked, worried.
“The land prices in such a backward neighborhood won’t go up at all...”
Ariadne answered with a smile.
“I’m going to build a school.”
“Yes? School?”
“Yes. A school that teaches simple letters and numbers, reading, and arithmetic.”
If you can't read and write, you'll end up in a job that requires physical labor. Farming was also a job that required land.
Children who have nothing but their bodies are forced into jobs that pay little and are extremely competitive, such as odd jobs or housework. This is the fate of an industry with low entry barriers.
“When I first got into top management, I realized there were very few good people.”
It is a loss for the parents to bring in a smart child, feed him, and teach him how to read.
It was easy to learn the trade if you could read basic ledgers. This was the reason why only the children of merchants who learned their father's trade over their shoulders at home became merchants.
“And the children in the relief home will also have to become independent someday.”
Not all the relief workers could become nurses. Now that the Black Death had passed, there was limited demand for nurses before the next plague struck.
Likewise, not everyone who learns letters and arithmetic can get a job at the top, but they can become teachers or go to other places to seek more opportunities.
Studying will open many doors for children.
It wasn't just about opening a school.
Ariadne divided the fortune she had made during the Black Death into several bundles and entrusted the management of one of them to Caruso, THE CEO of the Boccanegro Company.
“Please operate stably.”
During the Black Death, people who made money through aggressive, almost gambling activities were asked to manage their money conservatively after the Black Death.
It was difficult to figure out what kind of person he was thinking, but CEO Caruso was faithful to Ariadne's order.
Since ancient times, clients have been a people who are difficult to understand.
'If you want to build a building out of shit, just build it for me.'
CEO Caruso said that he would do business with an honest counterparty who would pay him with a sharp edge, even if the counterparty was the devil.
But even his main client, who is now close to being a business partner, was quite conscientious and made up most of his expenses through social contribution activities.
It also allowed him to make a fortune in business. It's just that he wants it a little strangely.
Ariadne did not only do positive and constructive things.
She sent someone to Taranto to find out what Lucrezia had done before Ippolito was born.
“There’s nothing useful.”
“I guess it was a long time ago.”
The most profitable one was the story about 'Lucrezia hanging out with a stranger who suddenly appeared in the village.'
Although he seemed to be the son of a nobleman, no one remembered exactly which family he came from.
“Lucrezia’s favorite flower...”
Ariadne didn't know what Lucrezia's favorite flower was.
Ippolito probably doesn't know either. I asked the maids, but the stories were mixed.
“I guess I should ask my father sometime.”
“How ironic.”
“I’m always worried about what to say so it doesn’t feel awkward.”
“Even if I think about it for a hundred years, I won’t find an answer.”
Moreover, with the information available so far, it is impossible to pinpoint Ippolito as the man's son.
There's a huge gap between being a bit of a match and being pregnant with that guy's child.
“Shouldn’t there be testimony from the family members? It’s a confidential story, so unless you’re very close to ‘Miss Rossi,’ you probably won’t know the inside story.”
“He didn’t get shot in the head with an arrow, so there’s no way that the family would tell us Ippolito’s secret.”
“That’s true too...”
“Let’s wait earnestly. We don’t know when the next opportunity will come.”
In the end, it was Ariadne who was after Ippolito's neck, grabbing the control and money of the household.
Ippolito continued to live his usual life in the capital, unaware that his half-sister was keeping an eye on him.
The only peculiar thing was that since his allowance was cut in half, he couldn't spend it as extravagantly as before and had to follow his friends around like a subordinate, paying attention to their reactions, and occasionally visiting his younger sister.
“I thought he wouldn’t go see Miss Isabella because of his personality, but he did?”
“But this is the last remaining blood relative, right?”
Cardinal de Mare was also aware that Ippolito occasionally visited the convent of Saint Angelo, but he did not bother to stop it.
Three years passed like that without any incident.
***
“Brother. Are you not going to the moratorium this year either?”
Julia asked, chewing on a piece of greenish* in the Baldessar children's living room.
Moratorium was a service that seminarians who wanted to become priests of the Presbyterian Church had to undergo for a period of one year at the shortest and up to five years at the longest.
Theologians who left the moratorium would go to pagan areas to spread the faith of the Presbyterian Church, or they would go to backward rural areas to teach the correct faith.
"Well."
“If you don’t go, you won’t be able to receive the priesthood.”
“I am currently serving as a private tutor, but won’t I be considered a priest?”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Raphael's wish to become a priest was a secret known only to the Marchioness Baldessar and Julia.
It was thanks to the Marchioness, who learned of this fact, that she strongly advised them, 'Never tell your father.'
Julia took out another piece of greenish and chewed it, speaking to her brother.
“Just stay in this world. Mom will like it too.”
“...”
“Do you like Ari, brother?”
Raphael looked at Julia in surprise.
“Who said that?”
“Who would know if I told you that? Your attitude is screaming. I! Love! Ariadne!”
“Ah.”
Raphael frowned and washed his face dry, but he did not deny his sister's words.
Raphael de Baldesar, who had decided to go to Padua to further his studies, ended up stuck in the capital, working as a teacher, something he had no destiny to do.
He was not even a tutor for royalty or nobles, but a school teacher for commoners.
The school for children from the orphanage that Ariadne had founded—Scuola di Greta (Greta's School)—grew to include children from nearby slums, and its total enrollment reached around 300 students.
It was too big to handle for her to take the time to teach little by little like Ariadne taught Sancha.
As soon as Ariadne's troubles began to fade, Raphael, who was half-white, actively stepped forward as a teacher at the Scuola di Greta.
At first, he was just a simple writing teacher, but as time passed and the number of people increased, Raphael took on the role of textbook developer and principal.
“How can you not notice that you’re wasting so much time by getting so absorbed in something that doesn’t help at all and that you run to Ari like a puppy when she calls you?”
Julia brushed off the dirt from her skin.
“My brother is famous for walking around with a poison dart in your mouth, but I haven’t seen you wagging your tongue in front of Ari even once in the past five years.”
“...Can’t we see this as a person being rehabilitated?”
“If you’re going to say something like that, try to act nicely in front of me, please.”
Julia was lying slumped on the sofa at home, giving her older brother a series of blows.
“Why don’t you just confess to Ari and submit a proposal to the Cardinal through Father?”
Ariadne has had no new partners in the past three years.
At first, it may have been because she did not want to be disliked by the Duke of Pisano, but as Cesare de Carlo became secluded in the Pisano estates on the border and did not appear in the capital even once for three years, his presence gradually faded.
There may be several reasons why Ariadne did not find a new spouse after that.
Ariadne did not actively participate in social events, so she had no opportunity to meet new people.
One of the reasons was that her father walked around with a fierce look in his eyes as if he was determined to never let his daughter get married.
Because not many people want to make a proposal that is sure to be rejected.
If they had to add one more thing, they would have to include the existence of Rafael de Baldesar.
There weren't many people who wanted to incur a grudge against the successor to the Baldessar family.
“Ari is getting older now.”
By 1127, Ariadne was twenty years old, an age when marriage was inevitable.
“It’s obvious why His Eminence the Cardinal doesn’t want to marry off his daughter.”
Because Ariadne was the only person in that house who held a title.
“It's a matter between our parents, but I'm sure the Cardinal wouldn't object if you told him that when Ariane and brother have a child, you'll give him the title of Count de Mare, and it's not like we need another Count in the family.”
“...You know, Julia.”
Raphael's response to Julia's more pragmatic viewpoint was based on a completely different perspective.
“What do you think love is?”
"Love?"
Julia looked at Raphael with wide eyes.
She was about to answer with, 'That thing you're doing right now,' but decided to show a little sincerity.
“Love... I miss you?”
Julia thought of Francois as she told the story. They had become quite close over the years.
At first, Francois was sharp towards Julia because he thought she was a bad-tempered noblewoman, but now his attitude has softened considerably.
Because he had known Julia for a long time and had come to know her personality.
But there was an unbridgeable gap between them. Francois did not treat her as a woman.
Julia had no way of knowing whether it was because of their difference in status that he was reluctant to see her, or whether he simply did not see her as a woman because she lacked her natural charm.
“Or... an unquenchable thirst?”
The tip of Julia's tongue felt rough as she said those words. She suddenly felt that the greenish tasted bad and put it down.
Raphael looked at his sister with some pity.
“I think love is a heart that can accept anything.”
A heart that can embrace everyone, whether they are murderers, criminals, or crippled. Just as his parents did with their children.
And Raphael thought of himself, the way he had flinched when he saw Ariadne's arm.
Looking back, he was so embarrassed. Why was he so embarrassed then? Was it because his love was lacking?
“Do you know that? I am so lacking that I cannot confidently confess my feelings to the other person.”
Julia nodded. She felt something similar for Francois, although the direction and dimension were completely different.
“I want to tell her to come with me when I am no longer ashamed of her.”
Raphael said with a slightly dreamy look in his eyes.
“When I no longer have any shame.”
In contrast to her dreamy brother, practical Julia gave him a piece of her mind.
“But brother, time is limited.”
Julia returned Raphael's pitiful gaze.
The older brother was handsome and the younger sister was sharp-faced, but the way they glared at each other was the same.
“If you keep putting it off until you have the perfect environment, Ari and my brother will both grow old and die.”
Instead of listening to his sister's advice, Raphael lashed out and retorted.
“The same goes for you. How long are you going to keep rejecting all the prospective spouses?”
“Why are you bringing that up?”
Julia was also past her prime for marriage. In the past three years, she had rejected proposals from two Counts and a Marquis.
The last proposal was a pretty good one, so much so that the Marquis of Baldessar held her daughter and consoled her, asking, "Why on earth are you doing this?" and even shed tears.
But Julia just kept her mouth shut and insisted that she would never get married.
'I don't like anyone but him.'
Julia, who had become upset while talking to her brother, turned her head out the window and kept her mouth shut.
'If you don't like it, then don't say anything, Raphael de Baldessar.'
And Raphael soon regretted not having heeded his sister's advice.
Unprecedented news of victory spread throughout the Central Continent.
The Third Crusade captured the thousand-year-old city of God, Yesak.
* Greenish: A long, baked snack like Pepero, seasoned with rosemary, olives, and salt.
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