Today's groom, CEO Caruso, was embarrassed to see a pregnant woman walking past him without answering him, holding her swollen belly and raising her head.
It's unheard of for a wedding guest to ignore the groom.
If it were the bride's ex-boyfriend who would shout, "I object to this marriage!", it might be possible, but if the other person is a pregnant woman, it is impossible by any stretch of the imagination.
The people around them also noticed the strange atmosphere and started gossiping.
The groom who greets is always the center of attention, and Isabella is a very conspicuous person. Even more so because she is pregnant.
Camellia, who was greeting guests from a distance, also noticed the commotion. And she was shocked.
“Isabella!”
The bride in a white dress ran up to block Isabella's path.
“What are you doing here!”
The pure white, top-quality dress that had been tailored by Collezione sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. Isabella snorted.
She couldn't get the dress she was going to wear today made at Collezione because of the time constraints, and she couldn't wear a bright-colored dress because she'd put on weight but had just given birth to a baby.
Isabella is a Countess. From now on, there will not be a single dress she wears that is less than Collezione.
Camellia asked Isabella again, who did not answer.
“How did you get in here?”
But instead of answering the furious Camellia, Isabella linked arms with Ottavio, who had followed her behind.
Camellia was so shocked that she almost fainted when she saw Ottavio's face.
“Camellia!”
As the bride, dressed in a pure white dress, tried to fall backward, the groom, CEO Caruso, ran over and quickly supported his wife.
“You, you...!”
Camellia shook her head and raised her finger at Isabella.
“It was you...!”
Only then did Camellia realize.
The reason why Ottavio delayed marrying her. The reason why he broke off the engagement without giving any particular reason. The reason why he got married in secret.
Camellia was about to cry out, "Since when did it start?" when she realized that this was her wedding hall and that her new groom was standing there holding her arm.
She took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible.
“Isabella de Mare. Will you please leave my wedding?”
Isabella was slightly offended by the title 'de Mare', but she smiled and glanced at Camellia.
Isabella opened her mouth slowly but did not answer Camellia. She spoke to Ottavio.
“Ottavio, as expected from a merchant’s party, the hospitality, and etiquette are terrible.”
Ottavio answered while looking at Camellia who was holding the back of his neck.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Where does a Baron’s daughter speak to a Countess first? I’ve never heard of such a high society party.”
By this point, the party atmosphere had become chaotic. The guests gathered in a circle around Camellia and Isabella, their eyes wide open.
“Isn’t this really how nobles’ parties are?”
“I thought this was top-notch enough...”
“This is food brought by the palace chef. The bride’s side is the Baron’s.”
“The Baron is a low-ranking noble. Real nobles might not be like that...”
Camellia, who heard this story, felt like steam was coming out of her ears because she was so angry.
"Hey!"
But no matter how much Camellia tried to speak to her first, Isabella as if she had an iron plate on her face—it was clear that it was—never answered Camellia's words.
“It’s really uncivilized to yell at a pregnant woman. Isn’t it, Ottavio?”
“Well, you could say that.”
“Didn’t you say that Camellia was so strong that it was hard for you? I said that Camellia was so feminine that it couldn’t be like that, and today I see that you were right.”
“Did I, did I?”
CEO Caruso came out and shouted at them to get out of there immediately, but Isabella, who ignored even the words of the Baron's daughter, would never respond to the words of a mere merchant.
But if they were to drag her out by force, she was pregnant. There was no such thing as an invincible shield.
Just as Camellia was about to collapse from high blood pressure, a rescue force appeared. It was Julia de Baldessar.
“Isabella de Mare!”
Julia was the daughter of a Countess. Even though she had become a Countess, Isabella had to answer to Julia.
Isabella then answered with a fresh, displeased expression.
“Lady Julia.”
But she didn't forget to add one more thing.
“Isn’t that Countess Contarini? Not Isabella de Mare? Call me that.”
“I don’t care if it’s Concheese or Di Melanzane. What the hell are you doing here!”
Julia screamed. Isabella stumbled backward. Ottavio, startled, helped her up.
"Honey!"
Julia, who had screamed, was also surprised. Isabella, who had only a mouth, chirped while being held by Ottavio.
“This place is really bad at treating guests. Are you going to take responsibility if a guest who came to congratulate you miscarries? Oh, I’m dizzy... My ears hurt...”
But it was hard to dismiss it as just a joke because she was definitely standing for too long for a full-term pregnant woman.
Someone brought a chair and Isabella sat down on it.
"Thank you."
Isabella smiled kindly at the person who brought her the chair. Julia sighed and said to Isabella.
“Isabella. Stop shivering and get out.”
Isabella pouted.
“Julia, I don’t know what you heard, but don’t take sides.”
“All I know is that you were taken to a convent and locked up for trying to steal your sister’s fiancé, and now you’re at your friend’s wedding after stealing his fiancé. Are you human?”
There was a stir all around. The story of Duke Cesare, Countess de Mare, and her older sister was so famous that there was no one in all of San Carlo who did not know it.
But most of the common people didn't even know Isabella's face. Today, they finally got to see the face of that famous person.
“Is that guy that guy?”
“But she’s so incredibly pretty that it’s the first time I’ve seen her since her hair grew out.”
“She's full, but whose baby is that in her stomach?”
“Is that the boy next to you?”
“Who is the man next to you?”
“I don’t know.”
But Isabella was Isabella.
“Yes. I’m human.”
She gave Julia a victorious smile without batting an eye.
“I am doing everything a human being should do when the time comes. Am I a human being? If not, what am I?”
Isabella leaned back in her chair, hugging her swollen belly, and looked Julia up and down in triumph as she stood there.
“Julia, you’re pretty old, and I haven’t heard you’ve even gotten engaged?”
Julia also received several marriage proposals, but she resisted them all strongly with her parents.
“When the time comes, a person must get married and have children before becoming an adult.”
Isabella's smile became vulgar.
“Julia, how long do you think this beautiful and wonderful time will last?”
Isabella chuckled.
“Ah. Well, I’ll cancel it when it’s pretty.”
Julia was about to snap, "Are you crazy!"—she was Raphael's more feisty blood relative—but bit her lip and barely held herself back, not wanting to ruin Camellia's wedding because of her.
Isabella, who was really putting her maternity shield to good use, kept chattering nonstop.
“As the woman who couldn’t find a man to take her said, in the end, it was a convent.”
Isabella smiled, closing her eyes prettily.
“You better do it before you get dragged away, Julia.”
“It was a good story about the convent.”
A low, husky female voice echoed through the garden. It was Ariadne, who had arrived late.
“It’s been a while, sister.”
Isabella glared at Ariadne with a frown on her face.
“I wondered why you didn’t show up.”
“I didn’t know you’d show up here.”
“Everyone acts like I’m in a place they shouldn’t be.”
“Because you came to a place you shouldn’t have come to.”
“I will be traveling often from now on. I am now Countess Contarini.”
Isabella looked straight at Ariadne.
What she wanted to say was, 'I'm going to show my father, who chose you over me, that it was the wrong choice,' but she swallowed it.
Because she didn't want to reveal to people that she had been pushed away by Ariadne.
“Don’t tell me where I can and can’t go, and just take care of yourself. Aren’t you the one who doesn’t have a man to take you with?”
Isabella tried again the attack that had worked so well on Julia.
“I really didn’t know you would break off your engagement with Duke Cesare.”
Ariadne's eyebrows twitched as she looked at Isabella, who was bringing up a story that had already passed.
“Why are you so proud that you threw away such a good match? I didn’t do anything with him. Really.”
As she spoke, Isabella glanced at Ottavio.
When Ottavio didn't seem to be saying much, Isabella took a step forward, thinking she could do more.
“But you broke off the engagement because of such an absurd misunderstanding, and so much time has passed since then, and you’re still alone. What are you going to do?”
Isabella was now smiling brightly.
“They say that for women, the hourglass runs out. If you miss the right time, you won’t be able to have a baby. Are you going to live without knowing the happiness of having a baby?”
Isabella threw everything she could, not knowing what happiness a baby could bring since her own baby was still in her womb.
“You’re already a bit pretentious. You’re not even that easygoing. Men find women who are talented burdensome. If you don’t know how to bend, you won’t be able to get married. I’m giving you advice because I really care about you as your older sister. The love of a normal family is the most important thing in a person’s life.”
“...If you value the love of a normal family, why don’t you say hello to your father?”
"What?"
“You came to San Carlo and never said hello to Father?”
It was true. But Isabella didn't want to be pushed around, so she just gave in.
Who would know other people's intimate family circumstances anyway? It's not like they'd go ask Cardinal De Mare.
“I did it! I sent the letter! Don’t interfere when you don’t know!”
“Then you didn’t get a reply from your father?”
Isabella held on tight until the very end.
“Why do you think so?”
Ariadne shook her head.
“My father was originally supposed to officiate at Camellia’s wedding today. Something urgent came up and he couldn’t come. If my sister had contacted my father, there’s no way you wouldn’t have known.”
Isabella hesitated. Ariadne said.
“It’s not that you didn’t get a reply, it’s that my sister didn’t contact him?”
Isabella's earlobes began to turn red. Ottavio, who was standing behind her, also became embarrassed.
“I apologize. Please contact me. If you’re going to preach human nature, let’s act like humans and live.”
And then another clear voice joined in.
“The saying, ‘If you don’t know, don’t interfere’ is so true.”
A thin man with silver hair walked up to Ariadne and linked arms with her. Ariadne looked around in surprise.
“Raphael?”
"Ari."
She tried to slowly pull her arm away, but the man wouldn't let go.
“I’m not qualified to speak for men in general, but I personally dislike bad people, and I don’t feel burdened by talented women.”
Raphael glanced at Ottavio standing behind Isabella.
“Oh, I hate ugly men.”
Ottavio, who knew what he was like now, slowly averted his gaze. Isabella, who saw her man being pushed around, was furious.
“Ottavio!”
But if it had been possible for Isabella's shout to change things, then it wouldn't have been pushed in the first place.
Raphael, who was easily able to deal with both Ottavio and Isabella at the same time, smiled and looked at them both at the same time.
“Isn’t there something more unfortunate than living alone, being someone else’s second-best option, and sitting around and consoling yourself that you’re happy?”
It was a word that made someone think about something.
Ariadne barely managed to pull her arm away from Raphael. Even though she had refused, she felt uncomfortable holding his arm in public like this.
Raphael didn't even apologize or say anything. Ariadne just rubbed her arm.
But Raphael was definitely a great help to Camellia.
Camellia, who had come to her senses while Ariadne and Raphael bought her time, approached her, wiping away her tears.
This time she didn't target the incompetent Isabella.
“Ottavio.”
The bride's makeup was smudged and blotchy.
“The reason I’m crying now is definitely not because I miss you.”
She said through gritted teeth.
“I’m crying because I’m so upset that you ruined my wedding.”
Sure, it was understandable to be upset.
“Why don’t you respond to my bill?”
Isabella finally responded to Camellia's words.
“Bill...? What bill?”
But this time Camellia ignored Isabella's words.
“Ottavio de Contarini. Tear up that bill.”
Ottavio's face brightened.
'Are you looking at it?'
But that's not what Camellia was trying to say.
“I’ll consult with my father’s lawyer and recalculate the borrowed money, the interest, damages for the broken engagement, damages for the wedding expenses, emotional distress, and all other incidental expenses, and send it to you, so just wait patiently.”
* Di Melanzane : egg plant
It's unheard of for a wedding guest to ignore the groom.
If it were the bride's ex-boyfriend who would shout, "I object to this marriage!", it might be possible, but if the other person is a pregnant woman, it is impossible by any stretch of the imagination.
The people around them also noticed the strange atmosphere and started gossiping.
The groom who greets is always the center of attention, and Isabella is a very conspicuous person. Even more so because she is pregnant.
Camellia, who was greeting guests from a distance, also noticed the commotion. And she was shocked.
“Isabella!”
The bride in a white dress ran up to block Isabella's path.
“What are you doing here!”
The pure white, top-quality dress that had been tailored by Collezione sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. Isabella snorted.
She couldn't get the dress she was going to wear today made at Collezione because of the time constraints, and she couldn't wear a bright-colored dress because she'd put on weight but had just given birth to a baby.
Isabella is a Countess. From now on, there will not be a single dress she wears that is less than Collezione.
Camellia asked Isabella again, who did not answer.
“How did you get in here?”
But instead of answering the furious Camellia, Isabella linked arms with Ottavio, who had followed her behind.
Camellia was so shocked that she almost fainted when she saw Ottavio's face.
“Camellia!”
As the bride, dressed in a pure white dress, tried to fall backward, the groom, CEO Caruso, ran over and quickly supported his wife.
“You, you...!”
Camellia shook her head and raised her finger at Isabella.
“It was you...!”
Only then did Camellia realize.
The reason why Ottavio delayed marrying her. The reason why he broke off the engagement without giving any particular reason. The reason why he got married in secret.
Camellia was about to cry out, "Since when did it start?" when she realized that this was her wedding hall and that her new groom was standing there holding her arm.
She took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible.
“Isabella de Mare. Will you please leave my wedding?”
Isabella was slightly offended by the title 'de Mare', but she smiled and glanced at Camellia.
Isabella opened her mouth slowly but did not answer Camellia. She spoke to Ottavio.
“Ottavio, as expected from a merchant’s party, the hospitality, and etiquette are terrible.”
Ottavio answered while looking at Camellia who was holding the back of his neck.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Where does a Baron’s daughter speak to a Countess first? I’ve never heard of such a high society party.”
By this point, the party atmosphere had become chaotic. The guests gathered in a circle around Camellia and Isabella, their eyes wide open.
“Isn’t this really how nobles’ parties are?”
“I thought this was top-notch enough...”
“This is food brought by the palace chef. The bride’s side is the Baron’s.”
“The Baron is a low-ranking noble. Real nobles might not be like that...”
Camellia, who heard this story, felt like steam was coming out of her ears because she was so angry.
"Hey!"
But no matter how much Camellia tried to speak to her first, Isabella as if she had an iron plate on her face—it was clear that it was—never answered Camellia's words.
“It’s really uncivilized to yell at a pregnant woman. Isn’t it, Ottavio?”
“Well, you could say that.”
“Didn’t you say that Camellia was so strong that it was hard for you? I said that Camellia was so feminine that it couldn’t be like that, and today I see that you were right.”
“Did I, did I?”
CEO Caruso came out and shouted at them to get out of there immediately, but Isabella, who ignored even the words of the Baron's daughter, would never respond to the words of a mere merchant.
But if they were to drag her out by force, she was pregnant. There was no such thing as an invincible shield.
Just as Camellia was about to collapse from high blood pressure, a rescue force appeared. It was Julia de Baldessar.
“Isabella de Mare!”
Julia was the daughter of a Countess. Even though she had become a Countess, Isabella had to answer to Julia.
Isabella then answered with a fresh, displeased expression.
“Lady Julia.”
But she didn't forget to add one more thing.
“Isn’t that Countess Contarini? Not Isabella de Mare? Call me that.”
“I don’t care if it’s Concheese or Di Melanzane. What the hell are you doing here!”
Julia screamed. Isabella stumbled backward. Ottavio, startled, helped her up.
"Honey!"
Julia, who had screamed, was also surprised. Isabella, who had only a mouth, chirped while being held by Ottavio.
“This place is really bad at treating guests. Are you going to take responsibility if a guest who came to congratulate you miscarries? Oh, I’m dizzy... My ears hurt...”
But it was hard to dismiss it as just a joke because she was definitely standing for too long for a full-term pregnant woman.
Someone brought a chair and Isabella sat down on it.
"Thank you."
Isabella smiled kindly at the person who brought her the chair. Julia sighed and said to Isabella.
“Isabella. Stop shivering and get out.”
Isabella pouted.
“Julia, I don’t know what you heard, but don’t take sides.”
“All I know is that you were taken to a convent and locked up for trying to steal your sister’s fiancé, and now you’re at your friend’s wedding after stealing his fiancé. Are you human?”
There was a stir all around. The story of Duke Cesare, Countess de Mare, and her older sister was so famous that there was no one in all of San Carlo who did not know it.
But most of the common people didn't even know Isabella's face. Today, they finally got to see the face of that famous person.
“Is that guy that guy?”
“But she’s so incredibly pretty that it’s the first time I’ve seen her since her hair grew out.”
“She's full, but whose baby is that in her stomach?”
“Is that the boy next to you?”
“Who is the man next to you?”
“I don’t know.”
But Isabella was Isabella.
“Yes. I’m human.”
She gave Julia a victorious smile without batting an eye.
“I am doing everything a human being should do when the time comes. Am I a human being? If not, what am I?”
Isabella leaned back in her chair, hugging her swollen belly, and looked Julia up and down in triumph as she stood there.
“Julia, you’re pretty old, and I haven’t heard you’ve even gotten engaged?”
Julia also received several marriage proposals, but she resisted them all strongly with her parents.
“When the time comes, a person must get married and have children before becoming an adult.”
Isabella's smile became vulgar.
“Julia, how long do you think this beautiful and wonderful time will last?”
Isabella chuckled.
“Ah. Well, I’ll cancel it when it’s pretty.”
Julia was about to snap, "Are you crazy!"—she was Raphael's more feisty blood relative—but bit her lip and barely held herself back, not wanting to ruin Camellia's wedding because of her.
Isabella, who was really putting her maternity shield to good use, kept chattering nonstop.
“As the woman who couldn’t find a man to take her said, in the end, it was a convent.”
Isabella smiled, closing her eyes prettily.
“You better do it before you get dragged away, Julia.”
“It was a good story about the convent.”
A low, husky female voice echoed through the garden. It was Ariadne, who had arrived late.
“It’s been a while, sister.”
Isabella glared at Ariadne with a frown on her face.
“I wondered why you didn’t show up.”
“I didn’t know you’d show up here.”
“Everyone acts like I’m in a place they shouldn’t be.”
“Because you came to a place you shouldn’t have come to.”
“I will be traveling often from now on. I am now Countess Contarini.”
Isabella looked straight at Ariadne.
What she wanted to say was, 'I'm going to show my father, who chose you over me, that it was the wrong choice,' but she swallowed it.
Because she didn't want to reveal to people that she had been pushed away by Ariadne.
“Don’t tell me where I can and can’t go, and just take care of yourself. Aren’t you the one who doesn’t have a man to take you with?”
Isabella tried again the attack that had worked so well on Julia.
“I really didn’t know you would break off your engagement with Duke Cesare.”
Ariadne's eyebrows twitched as she looked at Isabella, who was bringing up a story that had already passed.
“Why are you so proud that you threw away such a good match? I didn’t do anything with him. Really.”
As she spoke, Isabella glanced at Ottavio.
When Ottavio didn't seem to be saying much, Isabella took a step forward, thinking she could do more.
“But you broke off the engagement because of such an absurd misunderstanding, and so much time has passed since then, and you’re still alone. What are you going to do?”
Isabella was now smiling brightly.
“They say that for women, the hourglass runs out. If you miss the right time, you won’t be able to have a baby. Are you going to live without knowing the happiness of having a baby?”
Isabella threw everything she could, not knowing what happiness a baby could bring since her own baby was still in her womb.
“You’re already a bit pretentious. You’re not even that easygoing. Men find women who are talented burdensome. If you don’t know how to bend, you won’t be able to get married. I’m giving you advice because I really care about you as your older sister. The love of a normal family is the most important thing in a person’s life.”
“...If you value the love of a normal family, why don’t you say hello to your father?”
"What?"
“You came to San Carlo and never said hello to Father?”
It was true. But Isabella didn't want to be pushed around, so she just gave in.
Who would know other people's intimate family circumstances anyway? It's not like they'd go ask Cardinal De Mare.
“I did it! I sent the letter! Don’t interfere when you don’t know!”
“Then you didn’t get a reply from your father?”
Isabella held on tight until the very end.
“Why do you think so?”
Ariadne shook her head.
“My father was originally supposed to officiate at Camellia’s wedding today. Something urgent came up and he couldn’t come. If my sister had contacted my father, there’s no way you wouldn’t have known.”
Isabella hesitated. Ariadne said.
“It’s not that you didn’t get a reply, it’s that my sister didn’t contact him?”
Isabella's earlobes began to turn red. Ottavio, who was standing behind her, also became embarrassed.
“I apologize. Please contact me. If you’re going to preach human nature, let’s act like humans and live.”
And then another clear voice joined in.
“The saying, ‘If you don’t know, don’t interfere’ is so true.”
A thin man with silver hair walked up to Ariadne and linked arms with her. Ariadne looked around in surprise.
“Raphael?”
"Ari."
She tried to slowly pull her arm away, but the man wouldn't let go.
“I’m not qualified to speak for men in general, but I personally dislike bad people, and I don’t feel burdened by talented women.”
Raphael glanced at Ottavio standing behind Isabella.
“Oh, I hate ugly men.”
Ottavio, who knew what he was like now, slowly averted his gaze. Isabella, who saw her man being pushed around, was furious.
“Ottavio!”
But if it had been possible for Isabella's shout to change things, then it wouldn't have been pushed in the first place.
Raphael, who was easily able to deal with both Ottavio and Isabella at the same time, smiled and looked at them both at the same time.
“Isn’t there something more unfortunate than living alone, being someone else’s second-best option, and sitting around and consoling yourself that you’re happy?”
It was a word that made someone think about something.
Ariadne barely managed to pull her arm away from Raphael. Even though she had refused, she felt uncomfortable holding his arm in public like this.
Raphael didn't even apologize or say anything. Ariadne just rubbed her arm.
But Raphael was definitely a great help to Camellia.
Camellia, who had come to her senses while Ariadne and Raphael bought her time, approached her, wiping away her tears.
This time she didn't target the incompetent Isabella.
“Ottavio.”
The bride's makeup was smudged and blotchy.
“The reason I’m crying now is definitely not because I miss you.”
She said through gritted teeth.
“I’m crying because I’m so upset that you ruined my wedding.”
Sure, it was understandable to be upset.
“Why don’t you respond to my bill?”
Isabella finally responded to Camellia's words.
“Bill...? What bill?”
But this time Camellia ignored Isabella's words.
“Ottavio de Contarini. Tear up that bill.”
Ottavio's face brightened.
'Are you looking at it?'
But that's not what Camellia was trying to say.
“I’ll consult with my father’s lawyer and recalculate the borrowed money, the interest, damages for the broken engagement, damages for the wedding expenses, emotional distress, and all other incidental expenses, and send it to you, so just wait patiently.”
* Di Melanzane : egg plant
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