Ariadne, wearing a blue-purple dress, smiled with the corners of her lips raised.
'Oh, I thought there wouldn't be an audience so I didn't wear the Blue Deep Sea Heart today.'
If she had known this would happen, she would have worn it around her neck like a display.
But even without it, her presence was overwhelming.
The midday sun shone on her as she stood at the entrance to the banquet hall, and the gold and silver embroidery on her bluish-purple dress radiated a dazzling brilliance.
It was so beautiful that some of the ladies of Rubina's side forgot where they were and were looking closely at Ariadne's dress.
“Ahem!”
When Duchess Rubina showed signs of displeasure, the flaxen-haired lady sitting next to the Duchess in an empty chair in the middle coughed loudly.
This noble lady, who was like a leader of the agitators and maintaining order, was none other than Countess Isabella Contarini, clutching her pregnant belly that seemed ready to burst.
'How did she end up sitting there?'
Ariadne thought Isabella was very talented.
Isabella is probably the person Rubina hates as much as she does.
Wasn't she the one who gave Rubina's son the reputation of a debaucher who would spread across the continent and force her to stay in the Pisano estate?
Her stepsister was very talented and pleasant.
Isabella also thought she had a good stomach. But when it came to money, there was nothing she wouldn't do.
The reason Isabella became Rubina's pawn goes back to Camellia's bill.
"What's this!"
On the day she was supposed to go and greet the Duchess of Rubina, Isabella cried as she held the bill from the Baron of Castiglione in her hand.
It was a bill with the words, 'If full payment is not possible by the end of this month, you will be seen in the palace court.'
At the end of the bill was the seal of the Baron of Castiglione, together with the seal of the lawyer. How scary.
“I told you not to worry!”
The response of those who have nothing to say is always the same.
“Why are you opening other people’s letters without permission?!”
“Why is this someone else’s letter?! It’s from the Contarini family! I’m the landlady of the Contarini family!”
However, whenever Ottavio argued with Isabella, he always ended up losing money.
“By the way, 12,000 ducats?! Do you want me to pay it back by the end of this month? Does that make any sense?”
Ottavio didn't answer and just held his head. Isabella was right.
Paying 12,000 ducats by the end of the month was ridiculous, he muttered as an excuse.
“In the first place, the principal amount was only 8,000 ducats...”
“What about the rest?!”
The interest that had been compounded for eight years and the cost of Isabella's wedding mess. Isabella cried, not even thinking about her own sins.
“They’re not loan sharks either!”
It was an anger that exploded while she was constantly applying cosmetics in front of the vanity table.
Ottavio was going in the wrong direction, but he couldn't say anything in front of his intuitive wife. In fact, the Contarini family was in charge of the usury business.
Ottavio's father, the late Count Contarini, was a moneylender who borrowed 8,000 ducats from his prospective in-laws.
Of course, a great believer in the Church of the Holy See could not do such a thing, so he sent a merchant from the Republic of Porto, a Remunist, as his agent and made a fortune with 40% interest.
So where did all that money go? Of course, since he thought Camellia would be his daughter-in-law, he spent it all on living expenses and maintaining dignity.
The Contarini family was not originally wealthy.
Although they were an old aristocracy based on fiefs, they did not have fertile or large territories, nor were they well-located, so there was not much usable cash generated from their fiefs each year.
That is why his eldest daughter, Clemente, had to be sent to be the second wife of the wealthy Count Bartolini, and his successor, Ottavio, chose a daughter from a baronial family as his wife.
But the reckless Ottavio thought he had the choice to live as he pleased.
Now he was an adult, shedding tears of blood and remorse as he dealt with the aftermath of his actions.
Ottavio thought as he heard his wife indirectly insulting his father.
'Hold on, hold on, my child is in that woman's stomach.'
Fortunately, Ottavio was spared Isabella's cruelty forever.
Now, these two had a limited amount of time to meet Duchess Rubina.
No matter how much Isabella tried to leave, she couldn't break her promise to Rubina.
In the shaking carriage, Ottavio was so busy looking at Isabella that he forgot one thing.
The fact that Duchess Rubina really, really hates Isabella de Mare.
And that fact quickly became a reality.
As soon as Count Contarini entered the reception room of Duchess Rubina and bowed, Duchess Rubina did not even glance at Isabella and just looked at Ottavio.
“My expectations of you were greater than ‘that.’”
In context, 'that' was Isabella.
Isabella's eyes immediately widened, but heaven help Ottavio, and Isabella could not speak to Rubina first due to etiquette.
Duchess Rubina remained expressionless and continued to pour out her words to Ottavio.
“I’ve heard rumors, but is it really ‘that’? Are you that blind?”
Ottavio almost said, “Yes, that’s right,” and then bit his tongue. He was afraid of Rubina, but he was doubly afraid of Isabella.
Rubina continued to pound Isabella indirectly without raising her voice.
“I heard a rumor that you might go bankrupt.”
Ottavio laughed heartily.
“Has the rumor spread that far already?”
Isabella bit her lip and kicked the heel of her husband's shoe, but Ottavio had already admitted it. Rubina glared at Ottavio.
“My eyes are upon every corner of San Carlo. What have you done by bringing in the wrong woman?”
While Ottavio was hesitating, not knowing what to say, Duchess Rubina's maid entered the room. The Duchess was very annoyed.
“I told you not to come in when I have guests!”
“Ah, that’s... The Duchess told me to report this immediately because something had happened...”
The maid whispered to the Duchess. Rubina's expression darkened, and Ottavio and Isabella watched her nervously.
Rubina spat out at Isabella with a distorted face.
“Blood is thicker than water.”
Isabella blinked her pretty eyes, not knowing what was going on. Rubina finished speaking.
“Your sister has accepted the position of Princess Bianca’s chaperone.”
Duchess Rubina's blazing eyes seemed ready to devour Isabella.
“How can two sisters act like this without knowing what’s right or wrong? Did they receive home education from a crazy woman?”
Duchess Rubina's voice, which had been low and steady, finally grew irritated and she began to growl.
At that moment, a honey-dripping, pretty voice, in stark contrast to his, answered.
“Duchess, no, Ma’am.”
Isabella was looking at Rubina with a devilish smile that even captivates women.
It was a lovely smile that didn't care about her mother's scolding.
In return for listening to Rubina's harsh words, Countess Isabella was granted the right to speak to Rubina, who held the title of Duchess.
“I don’t misbehave like my sister. Of course, I declined Princess Bianca’s offer to be her chaperone.”
Rubina roared like a tiger.
“That’s something a human being should do, so why are you making a fuss about it?”
But Isabella accepted it without even blinking.
“Oh, my little sister is really a tough kid. She doesn’t know her place.”
It was an unspoken pressure to get stabbed in the back for what you did to Cesare.
But Isabella must have understood, but she smiled brightly as if her face was covered in iron plates and looked at Rubina.
If it weren't for Isabella's next words, she would have stood Ottavio up next to her and snapped, "That's not something a woman should say, shaking her butt in front of my son Cesare."
“Duchess Rubina, you should not remain a Duchess, but should ascend to the position of Queen.”
'Look at this?'
“The first step is to be fully recognized as a member of the royal family. The Duchess of Taranto’s current behavior is truly outrageous, as it does not recognize His Majesty the King’s consort, the Duchess!”
Isabella raised her voice as if burning with a sense of justice.
“Princess Bianca will have to have Duchess Rubina as her chaperone, whether she likes it or not.”
Rubina was secretly angry, but outwardly she laughed.
“How can you do that?”
Isabella smiled her characteristically charming eyes. Something was compelling about it.
“I know my sister best. I will make it happen for her.”
Rubina narrowed her eyes at Isabella. She must be acting like that because she wants something. She leaned her head forward.
“Tell me more.”
The story seemed like it would be long. The Duchess adjusted her posture in her chair to make herself more comfortable.
Isabella opened her pretty mouth and began to whisper her plans into Rubina's ear.
Rubina was like the King of the mountains, a tiger whose momentum and drive were unrivaled by anyone, but who suffered because she did not have a smart strategist by her side.
Count Contarini had played that role during his lifetime, but his son was a total mess.
She regretted that she had chosen him for no reason, but surprisingly, the wife she used to hate turned out to be a swindler?
Duchess Rubina, who had heard Isabella's plan, slowly opened her mouth.
“The Barons of Castiglione are suing the Counts of Contarini before the ‘Palace Court’? It is His Majesty the King who will appoint the judges of the courts of the kingdom. If you succeed in this, I will use my power to appoint the judges of the nobles of your choice.”
Ottavio's face brightened immediately.
The Contarini family was running a very safe money lending business, so they preserved most of their principal.
The only problem was that there was no way to pay off the interest of 4,000 ducats.
As for the principal, even if Ottavio himself were to sit as a judge, there is no way he wouldn't pay it, but as for the interest, if the judge makes a biased ruling, he could get away without paying a single penny.
Even if the sky falls, there is a way out! He instinctively squeezed his wife's hand.
'Oh, I thought there wouldn't be an audience so I didn't wear the Blue Deep Sea Heart today.'
If she had known this would happen, she would have worn it around her neck like a display.
But even without it, her presence was overwhelming.
The midday sun shone on her as she stood at the entrance to the banquet hall, and the gold and silver embroidery on her bluish-purple dress radiated a dazzling brilliance.
It was so beautiful that some of the ladies of Rubina's side forgot where they were and were looking closely at Ariadne's dress.
“Ahem!”
When Duchess Rubina showed signs of displeasure, the flaxen-haired lady sitting next to the Duchess in an empty chair in the middle coughed loudly.
This noble lady, who was like a leader of the agitators and maintaining order, was none other than Countess Isabella Contarini, clutching her pregnant belly that seemed ready to burst.
'How did she end up sitting there?'
Ariadne thought Isabella was very talented.
Isabella is probably the person Rubina hates as much as she does.
Wasn't she the one who gave Rubina's son the reputation of a debaucher who would spread across the continent and force her to stay in the Pisano estate?
Her stepsister was very talented and pleasant.
***
Isabella also thought she had a good stomach. But when it came to money, there was nothing she wouldn't do.
The reason Isabella became Rubina's pawn goes back to Camellia's bill.
"What's this!"
On the day she was supposed to go and greet the Duchess of Rubina, Isabella cried as she held the bill from the Baron of Castiglione in her hand.
It was a bill with the words, 'If full payment is not possible by the end of this month, you will be seen in the palace court.'
At the end of the bill was the seal of the Baron of Castiglione, together with the seal of the lawyer. How scary.
“I told you not to worry!”
The response of those who have nothing to say is always the same.
“Why are you opening other people’s letters without permission?!”
“Why is this someone else’s letter?! It’s from the Contarini family! I’m the landlady of the Contarini family!”
However, whenever Ottavio argued with Isabella, he always ended up losing money.
“By the way, 12,000 ducats?! Do you want me to pay it back by the end of this month? Does that make any sense?”
Ottavio didn't answer and just held his head. Isabella was right.
Paying 12,000 ducats by the end of the month was ridiculous, he muttered as an excuse.
“In the first place, the principal amount was only 8,000 ducats...”
“What about the rest?!”
The interest that had been compounded for eight years and the cost of Isabella's wedding mess. Isabella cried, not even thinking about her own sins.
“They’re not loan sharks either!”
It was an anger that exploded while she was constantly applying cosmetics in front of the vanity table.
Ottavio was going in the wrong direction, but he couldn't say anything in front of his intuitive wife. In fact, the Contarini family was in charge of the usury business.
Ottavio's father, the late Count Contarini, was a moneylender who borrowed 8,000 ducats from his prospective in-laws.
Of course, a great believer in the Church of the Holy See could not do such a thing, so he sent a merchant from the Republic of Porto, a Remunist, as his agent and made a fortune with 40% interest.
So where did all that money go? Of course, since he thought Camellia would be his daughter-in-law, he spent it all on living expenses and maintaining dignity.
The Contarini family was not originally wealthy.
Although they were an old aristocracy based on fiefs, they did not have fertile or large territories, nor were they well-located, so there was not much usable cash generated from their fiefs each year.
That is why his eldest daughter, Clemente, had to be sent to be the second wife of the wealthy Count Bartolini, and his successor, Ottavio, chose a daughter from a baronial family as his wife.
But the reckless Ottavio thought he had the choice to live as he pleased.
Now he was an adult, shedding tears of blood and remorse as he dealt with the aftermath of his actions.
Ottavio thought as he heard his wife indirectly insulting his father.
'Hold on, hold on, my child is in that woman's stomach.'
Fortunately, Ottavio was spared Isabella's cruelty forever.
Now, these two had a limited amount of time to meet Duchess Rubina.
No matter how much Isabella tried to leave, she couldn't break her promise to Rubina.
In the shaking carriage, Ottavio was so busy looking at Isabella that he forgot one thing.
The fact that Duchess Rubina really, really hates Isabella de Mare.
And that fact quickly became a reality.
As soon as Count Contarini entered the reception room of Duchess Rubina and bowed, Duchess Rubina did not even glance at Isabella and just looked at Ottavio.
“My expectations of you were greater than ‘that.’”
In context, 'that' was Isabella.
Isabella's eyes immediately widened, but heaven help Ottavio, and Isabella could not speak to Rubina first due to etiquette.
Duchess Rubina remained expressionless and continued to pour out her words to Ottavio.
“I’ve heard rumors, but is it really ‘that’? Are you that blind?”
Ottavio almost said, “Yes, that’s right,” and then bit his tongue. He was afraid of Rubina, but he was doubly afraid of Isabella.
Rubina continued to pound Isabella indirectly without raising her voice.
“I heard a rumor that you might go bankrupt.”
Ottavio laughed heartily.
“Has the rumor spread that far already?”
Isabella bit her lip and kicked the heel of her husband's shoe, but Ottavio had already admitted it. Rubina glared at Ottavio.
“My eyes are upon every corner of San Carlo. What have you done by bringing in the wrong woman?”
While Ottavio was hesitating, not knowing what to say, Duchess Rubina's maid entered the room. The Duchess was very annoyed.
“I told you not to come in when I have guests!”
“Ah, that’s... The Duchess told me to report this immediately because something had happened...”
The maid whispered to the Duchess. Rubina's expression darkened, and Ottavio and Isabella watched her nervously.
Rubina spat out at Isabella with a distorted face.
“Blood is thicker than water.”
Isabella blinked her pretty eyes, not knowing what was going on. Rubina finished speaking.
“Your sister has accepted the position of Princess Bianca’s chaperone.”
Duchess Rubina's blazing eyes seemed ready to devour Isabella.
“How can two sisters act like this without knowing what’s right or wrong? Did they receive home education from a crazy woman?”
Duchess Rubina's voice, which had been low and steady, finally grew irritated and she began to growl.
At that moment, a honey-dripping, pretty voice, in stark contrast to his, answered.
“Duchess, no, Ma’am.”
Isabella was looking at Rubina with a devilish smile that even captivates women.
It was a lovely smile that didn't care about her mother's scolding.
In return for listening to Rubina's harsh words, Countess Isabella was granted the right to speak to Rubina, who held the title of Duchess.
“I don’t misbehave like my sister. Of course, I declined Princess Bianca’s offer to be her chaperone.”
Rubina roared like a tiger.
“That’s something a human being should do, so why are you making a fuss about it?”
But Isabella accepted it without even blinking.
“Oh, my little sister is really a tough kid. She doesn’t know her place.”
Rubina glared at Isabella. “Fractions.” Who doesn't know fractions?
But Isabella must have understood, but she smiled brightly as if her face was covered in iron plates and looked at Rubina.
If it weren't for Isabella's next words, she would have stood Ottavio up next to her and snapped, "That's not something a woman should say, shaking her butt in front of my son Cesare."
“Duchess Rubina, you should not remain a Duchess, but should ascend to the position of Queen.”
'Look at this?'
“The first step is to be fully recognized as a member of the royal family. The Duchess of Taranto’s current behavior is truly outrageous, as it does not recognize His Majesty the King’s consort, the Duchess!”
Isabella raised her voice as if burning with a sense of justice.
“Princess Bianca will have to have Duchess Rubina as her chaperone, whether she likes it or not.”
Rubina was secretly angry, but outwardly she laughed.
“How can you do that?”
Isabella smiled her characteristically charming eyes. Something was compelling about it.
“I know my sister best. I will make it happen for her.”
Rubina narrowed her eyes at Isabella. She must be acting like that because she wants something. She leaned her head forward.
“Tell me more.”
The story seemed like it would be long. The Duchess adjusted her posture in her chair to make herself more comfortable.
Isabella opened her pretty mouth and began to whisper her plans into Rubina's ear.
Rubina was like the King of the mountains, a tiger whose momentum and drive were unrivaled by anyone, but who suffered because she did not have a smart strategist by her side.
Count Contarini had played that role during his lifetime, but his son was a total mess.
She regretted that she had chosen him for no reason, but surprisingly, the wife she used to hate turned out to be a swindler?
Duchess Rubina, who had heard Isabella's plan, slowly opened her mouth.
“The Barons of Castiglione are suing the Counts of Contarini before the ‘Palace Court’? It is His Majesty the King who will appoint the judges of the courts of the kingdom. If you succeed in this, I will use my power to appoint the judges of the nobles of your choice.”
Ottavio's face brightened immediately.
The Contarini family was running a very safe money lending business, so they preserved most of their principal.
The only problem was that there was no way to pay off the interest of 4,000 ducats.
As for the principal, even if Ottavio himself were to sit as a judge, there is no way he wouldn't pay it, but as for the interest, if the judge makes a biased ruling, he could get away without paying a single penny.
Even if the sky falls, there is a way out! He instinctively squeezed his wife's hand.
Honey! You are the head of our household today! Good job! Cheer up!
In this situation, the noble ladies gathered in the banquet hall came to their senses as Isabella, who had become Rubina's personal guard, tried to keep discipline.
They were so dazzled by Ariadne's presence that they pulled themselves together again and straightened their posture.
And they began to chat among themselves as if Ariadne had come in. It was as if this had been arranged in advance.
'Oh my, it's coming out like this.'
Ariadne laughed in vain. It was a petty trick, but she had to admit it.
Duchess Rubina struck Ariadne quickly, isolating her and attacking her.
'It's a bit disadvantageous to be taken by surprise.'
Ariadne looked around the seating arrangements.
It was a long oval table with somewhere between thirty and forty ladies sitting around it, and there were only three empty seats in the entire table.
'There are a few familiar faces, but there's no one I can call close to.'
It was the worst structure. The only familiar faces were those she had seen passing by on her way to and from the ball.
The human composition is such that if you are shamed, word will spread quickly, but there will be no one to help you.
There was no one in sight whom she could ask to sit next to her out of friendship.
'Tsk.'
Ariadne decided to think positively.
Even if there is such a person, asking for a favor would only mean asking them to be bullied together. It is right to get through this situation alone.
She observed the seating arrangements closely.
There were three vacancies: one between the Countess and the Marchioness, one between the Marchionesses, and the last between the Duchess Rubina and Isabella.
'...This is a psychological game.'
Ariadne realized that this arrangement was very familiar. It was a number that Isabella had often used in her previous life.
The position between the Marchioness and the Marchioness is a basic trap. Since Ariadne is a Countess, she cannot speak to either of them.
If she just sits there, she'll be a thug who takes up a seat without an invitation. She'll be chewed out for not knowing manners for a long time.
At first glance, the position between the Countess and the Marchioness seems like the right answer.
But the pitfall was that the Marchioness sitting there was the Marchioness Guatieri, who was quite close to the Duchess Rubina.
If Ariadne were to ask Countess Bartolini, who was also one of Cesare's mistresses in a previous life and not a very likable person, to put it politely, near the Marchioness Guatieri, "Is there an empty seat next to you?", it was obvious that the Marchioness Guatieri would reply, "No, I am waiting for a friend," and not let her sit down.
Isabella and her friends linked arms and laughed at the sight of the person who had been kicked out, blushing and struggling to find her seat.
'Then the correct answer is the seat next to Duchess Rubina.'
Ariadne began to walk towards the throne.
***
In this situation, the noble ladies gathered in the banquet hall came to their senses as Isabella, who had become Rubina's personal guard, tried to keep discipline.
They were so dazzled by Ariadne's presence that they pulled themselves together again and straightened their posture.
And they began to chat among themselves as if Ariadne had come in. It was as if this had been arranged in advance.
'Oh my, it's coming out like this.'
Ariadne laughed in vain. It was a petty trick, but she had to admit it.
Duchess Rubina struck Ariadne quickly, isolating her and attacking her.
'It's a bit disadvantageous to be taken by surprise.'
Ariadne looked around the seating arrangements.
It was a long oval table with somewhere between thirty and forty ladies sitting around it, and there were only three empty seats in the entire table.
'There are a few familiar faces, but there's no one I can call close to.'
It was the worst structure. The only familiar faces were those she had seen passing by on her way to and from the ball.
The human composition is such that if you are shamed, word will spread quickly, but there will be no one to help you.
There was no one in sight whom she could ask to sit next to her out of friendship.
'Tsk.'
Ariadne decided to think positively.
Even if there is such a person, asking for a favor would only mean asking them to be bullied together. It is right to get through this situation alone.
She observed the seating arrangements closely.
There were three vacancies: one between the Countess and the Marchioness, one between the Marchionesses, and the last between the Duchess Rubina and Isabella.
'...This is a psychological game.'
Ariadne realized that this arrangement was very familiar. It was a number that Isabella had often used in her previous life.
The position between the Marchioness and the Marchioness is a basic trap. Since Ariadne is a Countess, she cannot speak to either of them.
If she just sits there, she'll be a thug who takes up a seat without an invitation. She'll be chewed out for not knowing manners for a long time.
At first glance, the position between the Countess and the Marchioness seems like the right answer.
But the pitfall was that the Marchioness sitting there was the Marchioness Guatieri, who was quite close to the Duchess Rubina.
If Ariadne were to ask Countess Bartolini, who was also one of Cesare's mistresses in a previous life and not a very likable person, to put it politely, near the Marchioness Guatieri, "Is there an empty seat next to you?", it was obvious that the Marchioness Guatieri would reply, "No, I am waiting for a friend," and not let her sit down.
Isabella and her friends linked arms and laughed at the sight of the person who had been kicked out, blushing and struggling to find her seat.
'Then the correct answer is the seat next to Duchess Rubina.'
Ariadne began to walk towards the throne.
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