But the fact that Isabella had a grandchild in her womb did not change the old Count's mind.
Ottavio was still young enough to produce more heirs, and his son's fiancee Camelia was now past the age of marriage and in no position to abandon hia son and break off the engagement even if his son had an illegitimate child.
There was also the Baron of Castiglione's desire for a second wife and the Contarini family's financial problems.
In many ways, this marriage was not meant to be that messed up.
“Never before have I got dirt in my eyes!”
However, dirt really got into Count Contarini's eyes. He died.
“...We can get married right after father’s funeral.”
Count Contarini died last night, or perhaps it would be better to call it early this morning.
The cause of death was a cough, a chronic disease that had recurred every winter for the past several years.
Ottavio wasn't exactly an unfilial son, but he was currently blinded by women.
The first thing he did upon learning of his father's death was to send a carriage to the Convent of Saint Angelo.
His mother, Countess Contarini, had died several years ago, and his older sister, Countess Bartolini, had no say in his affairs, so there was no one to stop Ottavio's escapades.
He apologized and kissed Isabella on the forehead.
“I’m sorry I made you get married on a full stomach.”
Isabella answered with a bright smile.
“No, Ottavio. I was just worried that our child would not receive the blessing of the gods. I don’t care about weddings or anything like that.”
Isabella bit her tongue, almost saying, 'I'm glad your father passed away before the baby was born.'
Ottavio might clap his hands and agree with Isabella now, but later on when their relationship goes sour, who knows when her filial piety toward his father will come through.
Hold on, hold on. Not yet.
At the very least, she must hide her horse's legs until Ottavio has officially succeeded to the countship, married her, and conceived a son for her.
Isabella spoke as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.
“But Ottavio, do we really have to get married in a big, public way?”
“Huh? I think it would be better to have a grand wedding when you are at least a little more comfortable...”
Isabella behaved like a wise wife sent from heaven.
“No. Are you having a grand wedding just because it’s been a few days since your father passed away?”
She was actually afraid that if Ottavio broke off his engagement to Camellia and became the subject of gossip, Leo III might not grant Ottavio the title of Count of Contarini.
The easiest way for a King to tame his subjects is to refuse to allow succession to the title by making excuses for one thing or another.
And Leo III was a very active user of his power.
If Ottavio fails to inherit the title, the bet she made in life, including having a child, will all go down the drain.
“I would be happy to have a secret wedding ceremony with just the two of us, with only the priest present.”
Isabella smiled sweetly once again.
“No need to prepare, just the two of us make a vow to the heavenly god tonight.”
“Is that really okay? You like flashy things, don’t you?”
“Ugh.”
Isabella flinched again.
“That was when I was immature.”
Ottavio was very excited to see Isabella's new side. He prepared himself and brought Isabella into his home.
Luxury, pleasure, and extravagance. These were all things Isabella loved and suited her very well.
He was prepared to give everything to Isabella, even if it meant pulling out the pillars of his household, and he took her hand, but when Isabella changed her mind and became ready to become a wonderful wife and mother, it was like a gift from the heavens to him.
“I’ll ask the priest right away. And if we were to get married tonight, I don’t have a wedding gift, so how about we have a secret ceremony using the tiara I gave you a while ago as a gift?”
Isabella's expression hardened at that story. She had no idea where the tiara had gone. Isabella decided to make a vague excuse.
“Ottavio, when I was kicked out of my house, I was kicked out naked... Sigh! I didn’t bring anything with me. Not even the tiara you gave me...”
“Ah...”
A look of deep thought appeared on Ottavio's face.
“Honey, how about stopping by the de Mare mansion while you’re looking for the tiara? Even if it’s not right now, I’ll have to pay my respects to His Eminence Cardinal de Mare sometime... After all, he’s your father.”
Ottavio knew that Isabella had been driven out of her home and taken from her castle, but now that she had returned to San Carlo and had a child, he thought that perhaps their relationship could be rekindled.
It was not that he coveted power through Cardinal de Mare.
He purely wanted his wife to have a father and his children to have a maternal grandfather. But his wife did not think so.
“Ottavio!”
Isabella's voice became sharp for the first time today. As the good mood turned sour, Ottavio looked at Isabella in surprise.
“Why, why, honey?”
“I won’t forgive you if you do something useless.”
Isabella returned to San Carlo to seek revenge. Ottavio was her instrument.
It was outrageous that the tool was urging her to stop her revenge.
Ottavio flinched at Isabella's sharp stance. Isabella soon returned to her gentle expression and comforted Ottavio.
“The tiara you gave me is such a precious thing, but it’s okay. It’s okay if it’s gone. Now I have you, the most precious thing in the world to me.”
“Isabella...”
Ottavio's face turned pale again. Isabella added brightly.
“Please buy a new wedding gift later, and take your time. In any case, large-carat gems will take a long time to come on the market.”
A large carat gem...? Ottavio felt something was a little off, but decided to just ignore it.
Isabella originally liked flashy things. This was like an angel.
“We waited a little longer to notify the Baron of Castiglione of our break-up.”
Only the head of the household could announce the break-up. Ottavio could not break off his engagement with Camellia while his father, Count Contarini, was still alive.
It was only eight hours ago that he had the authority to give notice of the breakup.
“Just in case, let’s notify them after we have confirmed the succession to the earldom.”
“Isabella... Are you okay?”
Ottavio asked his new wife cautiously.
Ottavio, who had been trained by Camellia, the embodiment of jealousy, naturally thought that his wife would not tolerate the existence of his fiancée for even a second.
But Isabella looked up at Ottavio with a worried expression and said.
“Of course. You never know what trouble the Baron of Castiglione might put in your way.”
Isabella looked at Ottavio with innocent eyes.
“I can’t ask my husband to take risks just because I feel like it.”
“Isabella...”
Ottavio's face was filled with emotion.
How could such a beautiful woman be so deep inside! Isabella must have been deeply in love with Ottavio.
That's why she makes so many sacrifices for me. She pretends not to, but how hard it must be to suppress her jealousy!
Compared to Camellia, she was a thousand, ten thousand times kinder. And on top of that, his own child was growing inside her stomach!
He must have been the luckiest man in the world. Ottavio shivered with joy.
In Ottavio's arms, Isabella had other thoughts. When she warmed up in early summer, she would be able to go out into San Carlo society again.
She doesn't know how the power landscape has changed now, but with Prince Alfonso's return, there will be a tectonic shift soon.
It was a shame that she couldn't stand at the site of history, but she could have waited a while and slowly melted away. Maybe it was a good thing.
After a lifetime of being sucked into it and two betrayals, Isabella had lost her peers to Ariadne, and she had never felt it was her fault that her Silver Cross friends stopped contacting her after she was thrown into the convent, she was beginning to get a feel for how San Carlo society worked.
'Now I have a husband from a good family and infinite time on my hands.'
She hopes the child in her womb is a boy. A boy would secure Isabella a permanent position in the Contarini family. Isabella bit her lip.
'Wait, Ariadne. Wait, House de Mare!'
“Prince! Prince! Let us talk!”
After his audience with Leo III, Alfonso returned to the princely palace and was caught by his entourage who had followed him in a hurry.
He didn't even have time to enjoy his return to his bedroom after a long time.
He looked at the knights with a hardened expression. His expression seemed to ask if it was really necessary to talk about this now.
Sir Bernardino, reading Alfonso's expression, squeezed his body through the crack in the door.
“Of course it’s urgent! Prince, your wife?!”
Upon hearing the word 'wife', Alfonso opened the door bluntly.
The knights, Bernardino, Manfredi, and Sir Elko, swarmed through the door that Alfonso had opened.
Sir Bernardino, sitting down on his bed where even Alfonso had not yet sat, cried out.
“Yes, Prince. Your wife!”
Sir Manfredi also asked.
“Your Majesty, you got married without us knowing?”
Alfonso remained silent. Instead, it was Elko who answered.
“Haven’t you two seen it?”
"Ah?"
“What are we watching? We saw a wedding?”
Sir Dino, who was swearing that he had never seen it before, and Sir Manfredi, who was looking at Sir Elko with a dumbfounded expression, were surprised by Sir Elko's next words.
“The Prince signed a document on the day he escaped from the Gallico palace.”
Dino Lord was still wandering.
“Wasn’t it free for us to board the Prince of Yuldenburg’s ship? Did we even sign a contract for post-payment of the fare?”
But Sir Manfredi seemed to have realized something.
“Didn’t Princess Lariesa come with a piece of paper that day? Could it be that the paper she brought that day...”
Sir Elko did not answer. Sir Manfredi and Sir Dino looked at Prince Alfonso.
Prince Alfonso paused for a moment, receiving the gazes of the two knights, and then nodded heavily. Sir Manfredi shouted.
“Prince! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Are you sure that was a marriage contract?”
Sir Manfredi shouted in disbelief.
“That Archduchess, she’s so cute, what is this...!”
Dino also took a stab at it.
“I thought it was some kind of gold loan contract! A creditor... No, it looked like a loan shark!”
The two knights' complaints continued.
“What effect can a marriage contract signed under such coercive circumstances have?”
“That’s right! Isn’t that a threat?”
Only Lord Elko defended the marriage contract.
“No matter what the circumstances, the weight of the signature is heavy. We cannot annul the marriage now.”
“Elko! Whose side are you on? Now, if the heir to the Etruscan throne marries the Grand Duchess of Gallico, it will only benefit Gallico!”
“You say it’s convenient? If we can marry the Duke of Gallico and become his close associates, they will support the Prince. And, are you going to wash your mouths about all the support you’ve received from the Duke of Gallico up until now?”
Sir Manfredi shouted in agitation.
“You’ve been acting strangely since before! Are you a spy for Gallico?!”
Alfonso's stock price was currently skyrocketing.
The Etruscan kingdom indeed treated the Prince coldly, but if you visit any country in the Central Continent now, the streets will be swarmed with people waiting to see the face of the famous general who restored the thousand-year-old capital and raised the name of the gods.
With his pairing, the Gallico royal family, whose national power had clearly weakened in the absence of the King in recent years, and the Archduchess, who was not even a Princess, had certainly fallen in status.
But Sir Elko answered in a cold tone.
“No one hates the Kingdom of Gallico as much as I do.”
Ottavio was still young enough to produce more heirs, and his son's fiancee Camelia was now past the age of marriage and in no position to abandon hia son and break off the engagement even if his son had an illegitimate child.
There was also the Baron of Castiglione's desire for a second wife and the Contarini family's financial problems.
In many ways, this marriage was not meant to be that messed up.
“Never before have I got dirt in my eyes!”
However, dirt really got into Count Contarini's eyes. He died.
“...We can get married right after father’s funeral.”
Count Contarini died last night, or perhaps it would be better to call it early this morning.
The cause of death was a cough, a chronic disease that had recurred every winter for the past several years.
Ottavio wasn't exactly an unfilial son, but he was currently blinded by women.
The first thing he did upon learning of his father's death was to send a carriage to the Convent of Saint Angelo.
His mother, Countess Contarini, had died several years ago, and his older sister, Countess Bartolini, had no say in his affairs, so there was no one to stop Ottavio's escapades.
He apologized and kissed Isabella on the forehead.
“I’m sorry I made you get married on a full stomach.”
Isabella answered with a bright smile.
“No, Ottavio. I was just worried that our child would not receive the blessing of the gods. I don’t care about weddings or anything like that.”
Isabella bit her tongue, almost saying, 'I'm glad your father passed away before the baby was born.'
Ottavio might clap his hands and agree with Isabella now, but later on when their relationship goes sour, who knows when her filial piety toward his father will come through.
Hold on, hold on. Not yet.
At the very least, she must hide her horse's legs until Ottavio has officially succeeded to the countship, married her, and conceived a son for her.
Isabella spoke as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.
“But Ottavio, do we really have to get married in a big, public way?”
“Huh? I think it would be better to have a grand wedding when you are at least a little more comfortable...”
Isabella behaved like a wise wife sent from heaven.
“No. Are you having a grand wedding just because it’s been a few days since your father passed away?”
She was actually afraid that if Ottavio broke off his engagement to Camellia and became the subject of gossip, Leo III might not grant Ottavio the title of Count of Contarini.
The easiest way for a King to tame his subjects is to refuse to allow succession to the title by making excuses for one thing or another.
And Leo III was a very active user of his power.
If Ottavio fails to inherit the title, the bet she made in life, including having a child, will all go down the drain.
“I would be happy to have a secret wedding ceremony with just the two of us, with only the priest present.”
Isabella smiled sweetly once again.
“No need to prepare, just the two of us make a vow to the heavenly god tonight.”
“Is that really okay? You like flashy things, don’t you?”
“Ugh.”
Isabella flinched again.
“That was when I was immature.”
Ottavio was very excited to see Isabella's new side. He prepared himself and brought Isabella into his home.
Luxury, pleasure, and extravagance. These were all things Isabella loved and suited her very well.
He was prepared to give everything to Isabella, even if it meant pulling out the pillars of his household, and he took her hand, but when Isabella changed her mind and became ready to become a wonderful wife and mother, it was like a gift from the heavens to him.
“I’ll ask the priest right away. And if we were to get married tonight, I don’t have a wedding gift, so how about we have a secret ceremony using the tiara I gave you a while ago as a gift?”
Isabella's expression hardened at that story. She had no idea where the tiara had gone. Isabella decided to make a vague excuse.
“Ottavio, when I was kicked out of my house, I was kicked out naked... Sigh! I didn’t bring anything with me. Not even the tiara you gave me...”
“Ah...”
A look of deep thought appeared on Ottavio's face.
“Honey, how about stopping by the de Mare mansion while you’re looking for the tiara? Even if it’s not right now, I’ll have to pay my respects to His Eminence Cardinal de Mare sometime... After all, he’s your father.”
Ottavio knew that Isabella had been driven out of her home and taken from her castle, but now that she had returned to San Carlo and had a child, he thought that perhaps their relationship could be rekindled.
It was not that he coveted power through Cardinal de Mare.
He purely wanted his wife to have a father and his children to have a maternal grandfather. But his wife did not think so.
“Ottavio!”
Isabella's voice became sharp for the first time today. As the good mood turned sour, Ottavio looked at Isabella in surprise.
“Why, why, honey?”
“I won’t forgive you if you do something useless.”
Isabella returned to San Carlo to seek revenge. Ottavio was her instrument.
It was outrageous that the tool was urging her to stop her revenge.
Ottavio flinched at Isabella's sharp stance. Isabella soon returned to her gentle expression and comforted Ottavio.
“The tiara you gave me is such a precious thing, but it’s okay. It’s okay if it’s gone. Now I have you, the most precious thing in the world to me.”
“Isabella...”
Ottavio's face turned pale again. Isabella added brightly.
“Please buy a new wedding gift later, and take your time. In any case, large-carat gems will take a long time to come on the market.”
A large carat gem...? Ottavio felt something was a little off, but decided to just ignore it.
Isabella originally liked flashy things. This was like an angel.
“We waited a little longer to notify the Baron of Castiglione of our break-up.”
Only the head of the household could announce the break-up. Ottavio could not break off his engagement with Camellia while his father, Count Contarini, was still alive.
It was only eight hours ago that he had the authority to give notice of the breakup.
“Just in case, let’s notify them after we have confirmed the succession to the earldom.”
“Isabella... Are you okay?”
Ottavio asked his new wife cautiously.
Ottavio, who had been trained by Camellia, the embodiment of jealousy, naturally thought that his wife would not tolerate the existence of his fiancée for even a second.
But Isabella looked up at Ottavio with a worried expression and said.
“Of course. You never know what trouble the Baron of Castiglione might put in your way.”
Isabella looked at Ottavio with innocent eyes.
“I can’t ask my husband to take risks just because I feel like it.”
“Isabella...”
Ottavio's face was filled with emotion.
How could such a beautiful woman be so deep inside! Isabella must have been deeply in love with Ottavio.
That's why she makes so many sacrifices for me. She pretends not to, but how hard it must be to suppress her jealousy!
Compared to Camellia, she was a thousand, ten thousand times kinder. And on top of that, his own child was growing inside her stomach!
He must have been the luckiest man in the world. Ottavio shivered with joy.
In Ottavio's arms, Isabella had other thoughts. When she warmed up in early summer, she would be able to go out into San Carlo society again.
She doesn't know how the power landscape has changed now, but with Prince Alfonso's return, there will be a tectonic shift soon.
It was a shame that she couldn't stand at the site of history, but she could have waited a while and slowly melted away. Maybe it was a good thing.
After a lifetime of being sucked into it and two betrayals, Isabella had lost her peers to Ariadne, and she had never felt it was her fault that her Silver Cross friends stopped contacting her after she was thrown into the convent, she was beginning to get a feel for how San Carlo society worked.
'Now I have a husband from a good family and infinite time on my hands.'
She hopes the child in her womb is a boy. A boy would secure Isabella a permanent position in the Contarini family. Isabella bit her lip.
'Wait, Ariadne. Wait, House de Mare!'
***
“Prince! Prince! Let us talk!”
After his audience with Leo III, Alfonso returned to the princely palace and was caught by his entourage who had followed him in a hurry.
He didn't even have time to enjoy his return to his bedroom after a long time.
He looked at the knights with a hardened expression. His expression seemed to ask if it was really necessary to talk about this now.
Sir Bernardino, reading Alfonso's expression, squeezed his body through the crack in the door.
“Of course it’s urgent! Prince, your wife?!”
Upon hearing the word 'wife', Alfonso opened the door bluntly.
The knights, Bernardino, Manfredi, and Sir Elko, swarmed through the door that Alfonso had opened.
Sir Bernardino, sitting down on his bed where even Alfonso had not yet sat, cried out.
“Yes, Prince. Your wife!”
Sir Manfredi also asked.
“Your Majesty, you got married without us knowing?”
Alfonso remained silent. Instead, it was Elko who answered.
“Haven’t you two seen it?”
"Ah?"
“What are we watching? We saw a wedding?”
Sir Dino, who was swearing that he had never seen it before, and Sir Manfredi, who was looking at Sir Elko with a dumbfounded expression, were surprised by Sir Elko's next words.
“The Prince signed a document on the day he escaped from the Gallico palace.”
Dino Lord was still wandering.
“Wasn’t it free for us to board the Prince of Yuldenburg’s ship? Did we even sign a contract for post-payment of the fare?”
But Sir Manfredi seemed to have realized something.
“Didn’t Princess Lariesa come with a piece of paper that day? Could it be that the paper she brought that day...”
Sir Elko did not answer. Sir Manfredi and Sir Dino looked at Prince Alfonso.
Prince Alfonso paused for a moment, receiving the gazes of the two knights, and then nodded heavily. Sir Manfredi shouted.
“Prince! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Are you sure that was a marriage contract?”
Sir Manfredi shouted in disbelief.
“That Archduchess, she’s so cute, what is this...!”
Dino also took a stab at it.
“I thought it was some kind of gold loan contract! A creditor... No, it looked like a loan shark!”
The two knights' complaints continued.
“What effect can a marriage contract signed under such coercive circumstances have?”
“That’s right! Isn’t that a threat?”
Only Lord Elko defended the marriage contract.
“No matter what the circumstances, the weight of the signature is heavy. We cannot annul the marriage now.”
“Elko! Whose side are you on? Now, if the heir to the Etruscan throne marries the Grand Duchess of Gallico, it will only benefit Gallico!”
“You say it’s convenient? If we can marry the Duke of Gallico and become his close associates, they will support the Prince. And, are you going to wash your mouths about all the support you’ve received from the Duke of Gallico up until now?”
Sir Manfredi shouted in agitation.
“You’ve been acting strangely since before! Are you a spy for Gallico?!”
Alfonso's stock price was currently skyrocketing.
The Etruscan kingdom indeed treated the Prince coldly, but if you visit any country in the Central Continent now, the streets will be swarmed with people waiting to see the face of the famous general who restored the thousand-year-old capital and raised the name of the gods.
With his pairing, the Gallico royal family, whose national power had clearly weakened in the absence of the King in recent years, and the Archduchess, who was not even a Princess, had certainly fallen in status.
But Sir Elko answered in a cold tone.
“No one hates the Kingdom of Gallico as much as I do.”
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