The blond man remained silent for a long time. It was a spring garden, but it was cold in the late morning.
Only when Ariadne shivered in the cold wind did Alfonso open his mouth.
“...You didn’t want to see me.”
It wasn't something he could say with his bulky body and voice that was even thicker than she remembered.
"What?"
It was neither the questioning nor the anger, it was none of what Ariadne had expected.
“Me. Did you not want to see me?”
His pronunciation was unclear, and his tone was filled with affection disguised as a complaint. Ariadne questioned in bewilderment.
“Are you drunk?”
"Yes."
She laughed out loud. It wasn't the reunion she had expected at all.
It had been four years since they last met. He showed up in her garden in the middle of the night, looking so drunk and disheveled.
What she had imagined was the war hero of Yesak summoning her and solemnly questioning her about her infidelity.
Some might criticize her for being overly defensive, but her time with Cesare left scars on him.
In relationships between men and women, Ariadne was quick to defend herself even if there was just a speck of dirt.
She doesn't know about anything else, but she learned there that in a relationship between a man and a woman, the pros and cons don't balance out.
She was so used to the days when, just having tea with a male court noble, they would glare at her and ask what her relationship was with him.
But the evidence of infidelity—the official engagement and breakup—was made public to the world, and all he said was, "You didn't want to see me." It was so trivial that it made her laugh.
That doesn't mean that this was a pleasant encounter for Ariadne. She was as defensive as a hedgehog, but her pride was high.
Although she had never imagined that the Prince would be carried into the palace in a garland of flowers as soon as he returned to the capital, Ariadne had never been so mean as to tolerate a Prince rumored to be married sneaking into the house of an unmarried woman.
“Are you coming to me drunk right now?”
Alfonso raised his head at the coldness in Ariadne's voice that was louder than the joy.
“That’s...”
He opened his mouth in a voice that was still full of intoxication and affection. But Alfonso had no chance to finish his excuses.
A twinkle. The window of one of the rooms on the second floor lit up. Ariadne, who was standing at the pitch-black window, instinctively turned her head toward it. It was Ippolito's room.
Click.
There was the sound of a window sash opening. Ariadne's face turned pale.
“A! Get out!”
She shouted under her breath, unconsciously changing the way she was addressed.
It was unacceptable for Ippolito to find out that the Prince was here. Countless complications could have occurred.
But she soon regretted shouting like that. From where Alfonso was standing to the exit of the mansion, there were more than 200 piedades left.
No matter how fast he left, it was difficult for Ippolito not to notice him running to the exit.
Alfonso's judgment was the same. Despite Ariadne's cries, he jumped into the shadow of the eaves as soon as he saw the light in the second-floor window.
It would have been better to hide herself from the people inside the room.
'I have to hide him somehow and then send him out secretly...!'
After confirming that Alfonso was stuck to the wall of the house, Ariadne picked up the bunch of keys and ran down to the first floor.
“Gasp, gasp!”
The lady has no business running.
She was out of breath after only running down the central staircase and down the corridor that was only about 30 feet long, the heaviest object she could pick up being a pen.
But she gritted her teeth and ran to the side door on the first-floor kitchen side.
This was the entrance closest to the eaves through which Alfonso jumped. The kitchen and stables are Ariadne's territory.
Ippolito or the Cardinal's entourage had no business coming here, and if it was Ariadne's people, they could keep their mouths shut even if Alfonso caught their eye.
She deftly passed through a series of small rooms leading to a side door. It was a space where she could walk around with her eyes closed.
When she reached the smallest room with a side door, she locked the door behind her. This was to prevent anyone who might pass by from entering this room.
Carefully, she opened the small door on the side door, designed to allow dogs and cats to enter.
Knock knock!
And sure enough, there were men's boots made of high-quality leather.
It was leather that the de Mare family did not use. It must be Alfonso. She whispered under her breath.
“Come right inside!”
Ariadne opened the entire side door without waiting for an answer.
Clang!
And then, onto her like that, a blond young man with a towering build came crashing down.
“...”
Boom!
Slap.
As the side door slammed shut, Ariadne fell onto the pile of rags in the small room, and Alfonso fell on top of her.
Their bodies were completely overlapped. The sweet smell of alcohol mixed with walnuts wafted from between Alfonso's thick lips pressed against Ariadne's ear.
“Alfonso...!”
Ariadne tried to push him away with all her might, but he wouldn't budge.
“Alfonso!”
He didn't move at all, either because he was asleep or because he couldn't hear her.
Ariadne struggled desperately to push Alfonso away, for the back door was closed but not locked, which made her feel uneasy.
“Ugh!”
As she pushed Alfonso away for the third or fourth time and fell flat on her face, a low, small voice whispered in her ear.
“...Stay the same.”
It was a slow, quiet, and sorrowful voice.
“I won’t do anything.”
He said again.
“I won’t ask you anything.”
Alfonso should have asked her about her engagement to Cesare, about her relationship with Raphael, about the letters that had not been answered, about the clear evidence of her betrayal, but he would not ask.
Because the moment he asks, they can't be like this anymore.
Alfonso's hand, which had been hanging limply, gradually rose upward. The blue veins on the back of his hand throbbed, making his promise not to do anything meaningless.
The large hand ran up Ariadne's waist as if touching something very precious.
Ariadne took a breath, and his warm, bare hands found hers, cold though gloved, and interlocked with them.
“Let’s stay like this for a moment.”
His breathing became even as he reached for her hand and held it tightly.
Like a baby finding its mother, like an animal finding its home, it was a breath of relief at having reached where it belongs.
“...”
She, too, remained silent and still. She could not answer. The moment she opened her mouth, they could not be together.
Ariadne also had a lot to say. Did you forget about me as soon as you settled down?
With the gold she sent, he made a name for himself in Yesak, and then with that power, he left to find another woman who would give him even more power.
And if that he didn't like her as a woman, and came to Ariadne drunk to have fun, she could have stabbed Alfonso countless times.
But she didn't want to do that. In fact, the moment she found Alfonso standing in the garden, she realized that she couldn't question him.
'...I... you.'
When she opened the window, she couldn't believe it. Even when she saw his blond hair, she couldn't believe it was Alfonso.
Only when he opened his mouth could Ariadne be sure. That was Alfonso. Her Alfonso had come back to see her face.
And before hatred and resentment, warmth and longing came rushing in. The moment she realized that she felt like crying.
'...Maybe I'm you.'
I guess I loved you.
At first, she approached him with purpose. After her regression, she lured him away from her because she thought he was the man who would make her a Queen.
Then Ariadne fell in love with his uprightness. She was shaken by Alfonso, who came up through the snow in front of Arabella's death.
When she was put in danger by the Duke of Gallico, Alfonso rushed to her rescue without hesitation.
The boy Prince had no political assets to rescue her, and naturally, he had to pay a very high price for it, but he did it anyway.
Perhaps it was while she was locked in the cabinet of the deceased Queen that she fell in love with Alfonso.
Instead of loving him, Ariadne swore an oath of loyalty, saying that she would be a loyal subject and that she, who had sinned, could not be by his side, but wasn't it true that she had become greedy from that time on?
The horse proudly raised its front legs and trotted. Alfonso chuckled and tapped the horse's neck.
“You, Emma. It’s not something to be proud of. What if you do whatever you want?”
But the words were as majestic as 'I've been here so many times, how could I forget this road?'
It was a mistake to ride a white horse that he had ridden in the palace when he was young, rather than the military horse he had ridden in Yesak.
By the time we returned to Palazzo Carlo, having been talking and receiving advice, it was already breakfast time at the palace.
“Prince!”
Sir Dino, who was in charge of managing Alfonso's schedule instead of Elko, came to see him in a hurry.
“No, where the hell have you been!”
“...The Marquis of Guatirie.”
“After that! Do you know how long it took for the Prince to disappear alone?”
“Let’s say I came here wandering through the garden of a nobleman.”
Dino shook his head.
“I’ll nag you later. His Majesty the King is looking for you.”
"Suddenly?"
“It appears that the review of the marriage contract with Princess Lariesa has come back.”
Only when Ariadne shivered in the cold wind did Alfonso open his mouth.
“...You didn’t want to see me.”
It wasn't something he could say with his bulky body and voice that was even thicker than she remembered.
"What?"
It was neither the questioning nor the anger, it was none of what Ariadne had expected.
“Me. Did you not want to see me?”
His pronunciation was unclear, and his tone was filled with affection disguised as a complaint. Ariadne questioned in bewilderment.
“Are you drunk?”
"Yes."
She laughed out loud. It wasn't the reunion she had expected at all.
It had been four years since they last met. He showed up in her garden in the middle of the night, looking so drunk and disheveled.
What she had imagined was the war hero of Yesak summoning her and solemnly questioning her about her infidelity.
Some might criticize her for being overly defensive, but her time with Cesare left scars on him.
In relationships between men and women, Ariadne was quick to defend herself even if there was just a speck of dirt.
She doesn't know about anything else, but she learned there that in a relationship between a man and a woman, the pros and cons don't balance out.
She was so used to the days when, just having tea with a male court noble, they would glare at her and ask what her relationship was with him.
But the evidence of infidelity—the official engagement and breakup—was made public to the world, and all he said was, "You didn't want to see me." It was so trivial that it made her laugh.
That doesn't mean that this was a pleasant encounter for Ariadne. She was as defensive as a hedgehog, but her pride was high.
Although she had never imagined that the Prince would be carried into the palace in a garland of flowers as soon as he returned to the capital, Ariadne had never been so mean as to tolerate a Prince rumored to be married sneaking into the house of an unmarried woman.
“Are you coming to me drunk right now?”
Alfonso raised his head at the coldness in Ariadne's voice that was louder than the joy.
“That’s...”
He opened his mouth in a voice that was still full of intoxication and affection. But Alfonso had no chance to finish his excuses.
A twinkle. The window of one of the rooms on the second floor lit up. Ariadne, who was standing at the pitch-black window, instinctively turned her head toward it. It was Ippolito's room.
Click.
There was the sound of a window sash opening. Ariadne's face turned pale.
“A! Get out!”
She shouted under her breath, unconsciously changing the way she was addressed.
It was unacceptable for Ippolito to find out that the Prince was here. Countless complications could have occurred.
But she soon regretted shouting like that. From where Alfonso was standing to the exit of the mansion, there were more than 200 piedades left.
No matter how fast he left, it was difficult for Ippolito not to notice him running to the exit.
Alfonso's judgment was the same. Despite Ariadne's cries, he jumped into the shadow of the eaves as soon as he saw the light in the second-floor window.
It would have been better to hide herself from the people inside the room.
'I have to hide him somehow and then send him out secretly...!'
After confirming that Alfonso was stuck to the wall of the house, Ariadne picked up the bunch of keys and ran down to the first floor.
“Gasp, gasp!”
The lady has no business running.
She was out of breath after only running down the central staircase and down the corridor that was only about 30 feet long, the heaviest object she could pick up being a pen.
But she gritted her teeth and ran to the side door on the first-floor kitchen side.
This was the entrance closest to the eaves through which Alfonso jumped. The kitchen and stables are Ariadne's territory.
Ippolito or the Cardinal's entourage had no business coming here, and if it was Ariadne's people, they could keep their mouths shut even if Alfonso caught their eye.
She deftly passed through a series of small rooms leading to a side door. It was a space where she could walk around with her eyes closed.
When she reached the smallest room with a side door, she locked the door behind her. This was to prevent anyone who might pass by from entering this room.
Carefully, she opened the small door on the side door, designed to allow dogs and cats to enter.
Knock knock!
And sure enough, there were men's boots made of high-quality leather.
It was leather that the de Mare family did not use. It must be Alfonso. She whispered under her breath.
“Come right inside!”
Ariadne opened the entire side door without waiting for an answer.
Clang!
And then, onto her like that, a blond young man with a towering build came crashing down.
“...”
Boom!
Slap.
As the side door slammed shut, Ariadne fell onto the pile of rags in the small room, and Alfonso fell on top of her.
Their bodies were completely overlapped. The sweet smell of alcohol mixed with walnuts wafted from between Alfonso's thick lips pressed against Ariadne's ear.
“Alfonso...!”
Ariadne tried to push him away with all her might, but he wouldn't budge.
“Alfonso!”
He didn't move at all, either because he was asleep or because he couldn't hear her.
Ariadne struggled desperately to push Alfonso away, for the back door was closed but not locked, which made her feel uneasy.
“Ugh!”
As she pushed Alfonso away for the third or fourth time and fell flat on her face, a low, small voice whispered in her ear.
“...Stay the same.”
It was a slow, quiet, and sorrowful voice.
“I won’t do anything.”
He said again.
“I won’t ask you anything.”
Alfonso should have asked her about her engagement to Cesare, about her relationship with Raphael, about the letters that had not been answered, about the clear evidence of her betrayal, but he would not ask.
Because the moment he asks, they can't be like this anymore.
Alfonso's hand, which had been hanging limply, gradually rose upward. The blue veins on the back of his hand throbbed, making his promise not to do anything meaningless.
The large hand ran up Ariadne's waist as if touching something very precious.
Ariadne took a breath, and his warm, bare hands found hers, cold though gloved, and interlocked with them.
“Let’s stay like this for a moment.”
His breathing became even as he reached for her hand and held it tightly.
Like a baby finding its mother, like an animal finding its home, it was a breath of relief at having reached where it belongs.
“...”
She, too, remained silent and still. She could not answer. The moment she opened her mouth, they could not be together.
Ariadne also had a lot to say. Did you forget about me as soon as you settled down?
With the gold she sent, he made a name for himself in Yesak, and then with that power, he left to find another woman who would give him even more power.
And if that he didn't like her as a woman, and came to Ariadne drunk to have fun, she could have stabbed Alfonso countless times.
But she didn't want to do that. In fact, the moment she found Alfonso standing in the garden, she realized that she couldn't question him.
'...I... you.'
When she opened the window, she couldn't believe it. Even when she saw his blond hair, she couldn't believe it was Alfonso.
Only when he opened his mouth could Ariadne be sure. That was Alfonso. Her Alfonso had come back to see her face.
And before hatred and resentment, warmth and longing came rushing in. The moment she realized that she felt like crying.
'...Maybe I'm you.'
I guess I loved you.
At first, she approached him with purpose. After her regression, she lured him away from her because she thought he was the man who would make her a Queen.
Then Ariadne fell in love with his uprightness. She was shaken by Alfonso, who came up through the snow in front of Arabella's death.
When she was put in danger by the Duke of Gallico, Alfonso rushed to her rescue without hesitation.
The boy Prince had no political assets to rescue her, and naturally, he had to pay a very high price for it, but he did it anyway.
Perhaps it was while she was locked in the cabinet of the deceased Queen that she fell in love with Alfonso.
Instead of loving him, Ariadne swore an oath of loyalty, saying that she would be a loyal subject and that she, who had sinned, could not be by his side, but wasn't it true that she had become greedy from that time on?
...And all that has happened is now in the past. That greed was just greed and ended without bearing any fruit.
Alfonso is now someone else's man.
So Ariadne could not open her mouth.
The moment Ariadne learns of the existence of Alfonso's other woman, not his only woman, becomes shared between the two, he must return.
Because there is only one way for a married man to meet an unmarried woman in private.
And Ariadne isn't stupid enough to put herself in that situation.
But then she wouldn't be able to see Alfonso's face anymore.
'Ha...'
His even breathing tickled her ear. It was regular breathing as if he were in a deep sleep.
May this moment last forever. May time stop and be frozen like this forever.
Because there is no future for this relationship to advance any further, it cannot become more beautiful than this moment.
But such an absurd wish never comes true.
Clink clink.
Outside the side door, there was the sound of someone walking cautiously, the thick soles of their shoes pressing against the cobblestones of the walkway.
If it had reached Ariadne's ears, it must have reached Alfonso's ears as well. He straightened his posture as if he had never fallen down drunk and glared at the side door.
Ariadne debated whether to lock the side door. The keyring was with her, but the source of the footsteps was already too close to the side door.
She may not have enough time to find the right key in the box, put it in the hole, and turn it.
As Ariadne ran towards the kitchen, it was beginning to get dark, and her path roughly overlapped that of the sleepless maids.
While she was struggling to make a decision, Alfonso glanced at Ariadne, then unsheathed his longsword from his waist and prepared for any intruders coming in through the side door.
Click!
The side door opened, and Alfonso's longsword struck the intruder's nape with perfect timing.
But his scabbard stopped in midair just before it could hit the man who had opened the door.
“Whoa!”
Because the person who came in was a familiar red-haired maid.
“!”
Ariadne quickly grabbed the red-haired maid, Sancha, by the wrist and hid her behind her back.
“Miss, what the heck is this...?!”
Sancha also encountered an unexpected person and looked back and forth between Alfonso and Ariadne with eyes as dim as lanterns.
"Shhhh!"
She doesn't even know what the situation is right now.
Fortunately, Sancha was good at distinguishing between what she needed to know and what she didn’t need to know. Instead of asking about the situation, Sancha quickly reported it.
“Miss, I heard a noise outside and came out because you weren’t in your room.”
She glanced outside the side door.
“Master Ippolito was trying to go outside because he heard a noise in the backyard. I thought it wouldn’t be of much help, so I said the noise came from the front garden and guided him there, and I’m on my way back.”
Sancha looked at the Prince instead of her master and spoke loudly.
“I don’t know that man.”
It was a ridiculous statement. There was no way Sancha would not know Prince Alfonso's face.
The implications of what she said were obvious. I'll pretend not to know.
“I think you should leave now.”
Don't come back again.
Sancha added practical content.
“It’s almost time for the kitchen maids and gardeners to make their rounds, so if you don’t go now, you’ll be noticed. There’s a small door at the side of the garden that leads outside.”
It was a path Alfonso knew well. He unconsciously felt around. It wasn't there. He felt around his pockets again.
As expected, an old key made of copper was inside.
It was a key that he never gave up even when he offered his valuables and gold in exchange for military supplies at Yesak.
It seemed right to give it back now, but he didn't want to do it.
“Come on, Prince.”
The red-haired maid, losing her patience, urged him on. Alfonso nodded.
He looked at Ariadne before leaving. She, too, looked back at Alfonso. Her blue-gray eyes met his green ones.
But neither of them could say anything.
Alfonso, who had safely escaped the confines of the de Mare mansion, saw his white horse waiting quietly next to the side door in his memory.
Purur!
There were no reins or anything tied to the tree. The horse was just standing there, waiting naturally.
“...You. Did you bring me here?”
Tururu!
Alfonso is now someone else's man.
So Ariadne could not open her mouth.
The moment Ariadne learns of the existence of Alfonso's other woman, not his only woman, becomes shared between the two, he must return.
Because there is only one way for a married man to meet an unmarried woman in private.
And Ariadne isn't stupid enough to put herself in that situation.
But then she wouldn't be able to see Alfonso's face anymore.
'Ha...'
His even breathing tickled her ear. It was regular breathing as if he were in a deep sleep.
May this moment last forever. May time stop and be frozen like this forever.
Because there is no future for this relationship to advance any further, it cannot become more beautiful than this moment.
But such an absurd wish never comes true.
Clink clink.
Outside the side door, there was the sound of someone walking cautiously, the thick soles of their shoes pressing against the cobblestones of the walkway.
If it had reached Ariadne's ears, it must have reached Alfonso's ears as well. He straightened his posture as if he had never fallen down drunk and glared at the side door.
Ariadne debated whether to lock the side door. The keyring was with her, but the source of the footsteps was already too close to the side door.
She may not have enough time to find the right key in the box, put it in the hole, and turn it.
As Ariadne ran towards the kitchen, it was beginning to get dark, and her path roughly overlapped that of the sleepless maids.
While she was struggling to make a decision, Alfonso glanced at Ariadne, then unsheathed his longsword from his waist and prepared for any intruders coming in through the side door.
Click!
The side door opened, and Alfonso's longsword struck the intruder's nape with perfect timing.
But his scabbard stopped in midair just before it could hit the man who had opened the door.
“Whoa!”
Because the person who came in was a familiar red-haired maid.
“!”
Ariadne quickly grabbed the red-haired maid, Sancha, by the wrist and hid her behind her back.
“Miss, what the heck is this...?!”
Sancha also encountered an unexpected person and looked back and forth between Alfonso and Ariadne with eyes as dim as lanterns.
"Shhhh!"
She doesn't even know what the situation is right now.
Fortunately, Sancha was good at distinguishing between what she needed to know and what she didn’t need to know. Instead of asking about the situation, Sancha quickly reported it.
“Miss, I heard a noise outside and came out because you weren’t in your room.”
She glanced outside the side door.
“Master Ippolito was trying to go outside because he heard a noise in the backyard. I thought it wouldn’t be of much help, so I said the noise came from the front garden and guided him there, and I’m on my way back.”
Sancha looked at the Prince instead of her master and spoke loudly.
“I don’t know that man.”
It was a ridiculous statement. There was no way Sancha would not know Prince Alfonso's face.
The implications of what she said were obvious. I'll pretend not to know.
“I think you should leave now.”
Don't come back again.
Sancha added practical content.
“It’s almost time for the kitchen maids and gardeners to make their rounds, so if you don’t go now, you’ll be noticed. There’s a small door at the side of the garden that leads outside.”
It was a path Alfonso knew well. He unconsciously felt around. It wasn't there. He felt around his pockets again.
As expected, an old key made of copper was inside.
It was a key that he never gave up even when he offered his valuables and gold in exchange for military supplies at Yesak.
It seemed right to give it back now, but he didn't want to do it.
“Come on, Prince.”
The red-haired maid, losing her patience, urged him on. Alfonso nodded.
He looked at Ariadne before leaving. She, too, looked back at Alfonso. Her blue-gray eyes met his green ones.
But neither of them could say anything.
***
Alfonso, who had safely escaped the confines of the de Mare mansion, saw his white horse waiting quietly next to the side door in his memory.
Purur!
There were no reins or anything tied to the tree. The horse was just standing there, waiting naturally.
“...You. Did you bring me here?”
Tururu!
The horse proudly raised its front legs and trotted. Alfonso chuckled and tapped the horse's neck.
“You, Emma. It’s not something to be proud of. What if you do whatever you want?”
But the words were as majestic as 'I've been here so many times, how could I forget this road?'
It was a mistake to ride a white horse that he had ridden in the palace when he was young, rather than the military horse he had ridden in Yesak.
By the time we returned to Palazzo Carlo, having been talking and receiving advice, it was already breakfast time at the palace.
“Prince!”
Sir Dino, who was in charge of managing Alfonso's schedule instead of Elko, came to see him in a hurry.
“No, where the hell have you been!”
“...The Marquis of Guatirie.”
“After that! Do you know how long it took for the Prince to disappear alone?”
“Let’s say I came here wandering through the garden of a nobleman.”
Dino shook his head.
“I’ll nag you later. His Majesty the King is looking for you.”
"Suddenly?"
“It appears that the review of the marriage contract with Princess Lariesa has come back.”
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