Ippolito marked another day on the calendar. It had been quite some time since Cardinal de Mare had left for Trevero.
Not only did his father not return, but there was no word that he had even set off from Trevero for San Carlo.
The father could return only after the conclave that opened when the Pope died was over, but this happened because Pope Ludovico was holding out for so long in the same state as he was today.
'Hey, can you just die now?'
Perhaps, if his father became the next Pope, he would imagine himself as the Pope's son, but Ippolito no longer had any such grand hopes.
He was desperately waiting for his father to return. Living in this house without him was like eating and sleeping on a bed of thorns.
After he heard that Isabella had returned to San Carlo—that damned sister had been saying all sorts of things like “Brother, Brother” while she was locked up in the convent, and when she finally got out she didn’t even announce that she was escaping—he set out to visit her new mansion on the family’s best horse.
It wasn't that he wanted to show off his authority to Isabella now, but rather to show off his authority to his brother-in-law, Ottavio.
But even his damn half-sister Ariadne wouldn't allow it, not even after she died.
“That’s a horse that only the Cardinal and his family ride.”
If it were the old days, he would have shouted at her arrogantly and run straight to his mother to tell her, but these days, Ippolito's fate is not so good.
He cowardly persuaded his sister.
“Oh, don’t be so picky. Do you think you’ll wear out just from riding a horse once?”
Of course, there was some difference between Ippolito's 'cowardice' and 'persuasion' and what the general public thinks of as persuasion.
“Can you take responsibility if an accident happens while you’re coming and going?”
The bad guy was also very good at arguing and never gave in.
'Oh, you unlucky girl!'
According to Ippolito, not swearing to someone's face was the only thing that was considered 'cowardly'.
“Hey, if that doesn’t make sense, then a silver carriage with the family crest on it... I’m not driving it myself, a coachman is driving it, so it’s the same as you riding it...”
“Giuseppe! Master Ippolito is leaving!”
He left his half-sister's office, grumbling. His pride would not allow him to ride any horse he pleased.
So he decided that when his father came back, Ippolito would ask for permission to ride that horse, but his father still hadn't come back.
'I haven't been to my sister's house for too long now. Things have piled up so late that I think I should buy a big present and go...'
Not only did his father not return, but there was no word that he had even set off from Trevero for San Carlo.
The father could return only after the conclave that opened when the Pope died was over, but this happened because Pope Ludovico was holding out for so long in the same state as he was today.
'Hey, can you just die now?'
Perhaps, if his father became the next Pope, he would imagine himself as the Pope's son, but Ippolito no longer had any such grand hopes.
He was desperately waiting for his father to return. Living in this house without him was like eating and sleeping on a bed of thorns.
After he heard that Isabella had returned to San Carlo—that damned sister had been saying all sorts of things like “Brother, Brother” while she was locked up in the convent, and when she finally got out she didn’t even announce that she was escaping—he set out to visit her new mansion on the family’s best horse.
It wasn't that he wanted to show off his authority to Isabella now, but rather to show off his authority to his brother-in-law, Ottavio.
But even his damn half-sister Ariadne wouldn't allow it, not even after she died.
“That’s a horse that only the Cardinal and his family ride.”
If it were the old days, he would have shouted at her arrogantly and run straight to his mother to tell her, but these days, Ippolito's fate is not so good.
He cowardly persuaded his sister.
“Oh, don’t be so picky. Do you think you’ll wear out just from riding a horse once?”
Of course, there was some difference between Ippolito's 'cowardice' and 'persuasion' and what the general public thinks of as persuasion.
“Can you take responsibility if an accident happens while you’re coming and going?”
The bad guy was also very good at arguing and never gave in.
'Oh, you unlucky girl!'
According to Ippolito, not swearing to someone's face was the only thing that was considered 'cowardly'.
“Hey, if that doesn’t make sense, then a silver carriage with the family crest on it... I’m not driving it myself, a coachman is driving it, so it’s the same as you riding it...”
“Giuseppe! Master Ippolito is leaving!”
He left his half-sister's office, grumbling. His pride would not allow him to ride any horse he pleased.
So he decided that when his father came back, Ippolito would ask for permission to ride that horse, but his father still hadn't come back.
'I haven't been to my sister's house for too long now. Things have piled up so late that I think I should buy a big present and go...'
He had run out of pocket money. But he didn't want to beat his half-sister to death and ask for money.
'When are you coming, Dad...'
Ippolito lay down on his bed with a sad face. It would be nice if lightning fell from the sky and struck Pope Ludovico in the bed.
No, if he were to strike down a bolt from the sky, he would rather land on Ariadne de Mare's bed than on Pope Louis's bed.
Ariadne was still single, which meant she had no family other than the de Mare people.
The Cardinal is a clergyman and cannot inherit the title, and Isabella is married and an outsider.
Ippolito looked with his overflowing imagination at the westernmost room of Ariadne and then at the stables.
Ariadne, who was finally preparing for Princess Bianca's debutante ball, had a lot to do.
Sir Bernardino, who oversees the administration of the Prince's Palace, said that since the Palace had no plans drawn up in advance, the progress of this matter should be discussed with the Duke of Taranto and done entirely according to Countess de Mare's wishes.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Ariadne was on her way to meet with the representative of the Duke of Taranto, who was stationed in the capital.
Heeheeheeeeeeeek!!
Hehehe!!
Two horses tied to a cart bleated pitifully.
The axle of the rear wheel of Ariadne's silver chariot broke off from the main body of the chariot. The chariot was overturning.
Kukung... Boom!
The carriage hit a tree on the side of the road and came to a stop at an angle. The good wheel, floating diagonally in the air, spun aimlessly.
"Miss-!!"
The sound of panicked subordinates running toward her could be heard from afar.
“Tear down the door!”
“Lift the body!”
Ariadne blinked, trying to stay awake. The carriage shook violently, but she felt like she was not hurt anywhere.
“Miss! Are you okay, Miss?”
She heard Giuseppe's voice looking for her sadly.
“It’s okay, Giuseppe.”
Ariadne answered calmly through the wooden door that was twisted and wouldn't open. Her voice was surprisingly calm.
“There’s no way you’re okay! I’ll take you out right now!”
Giuseppe, who had been showing off his might in front, and his men following behind immediately rushed in and tore off the door to rescue Ariadne and picked up the coachman who had been thrown out.
Ariadne, leaning against a tree stump by the roadside, asked Giuseppe about the circumstances.
“What on earth is going on?”
Giuseppe answered with his head bowed.
“I’m sorry. I have nothing to say.”
“I don’t mean to judge right from wrong.”
“The rear axle of the carriage was loose. It was like...”
“As if someone had let it go on purpose?”
Giuseppe looked at Ariadne in surprise.
“How did you know?”
Ariadne clicked her tongue and did not answer. Giuseppe, perhaps thinking that this was a sign of distrust in him, hastily added:
“I personally inspect the harness and equipment that the Countess and the Cardinal will use at least once a week. This carriage too...”
He counted the days with his fingers.
“I checked it myself three days ago. It was fine then. I swear on God and my mother.”
Ariadne realized that Giuseppe was nervous and trembling. She softened her voice.
“I’m not chastising you, Giuseppe.”
Of course, the stable manager cannot deny his incompetence in allowing two consecutive horse-related accidents to occur.
However, Giuseppe was in charge of all male servants belonging to Ariadne and was not only in charge of the stables or the security.
The reason he personally inspected the stables was purely because he wanted to do something more for Ariadne, and because he was originally a stable keeper.
“Stop trying to do everything yourself.”
This was said for Giuseppe.
“If you want to become a superior, you must also know how to divide and distribute the work appropriately.”
“But we can’t cut this part out. Isn’t it a matter of the young lady’s safety?”
“If you think that checking the stables is the most important thing for my safety right now, then you should temporarily delegate the general manager’s duties to someone else.”
Giuseppe heard only the part about 'delegating the work of a responsible person to someone else' and thought that this meant that Ariadne did not trust him.
He went back to cleaning up the mess with a sad look on his face. Ariadne sighed.
'The most difficult thing is the relationship between people.'
She clearly said what she wanted to say without twisting it, but it still didn't reach the intended audience.
It was just simple advice that Giuseppe should just do his work in the order he thinks it should be prioritized and leave the less important stuff to others.
When she said it as his superior, it became pressure rather than advice, and the consideration to reduce the workload became the sharp eye of a judge who doubted Giuseppe's abilities rather than consideration.
She sighed.
'I should ask Sancha to tell Giuseppe clearly so that there are no misunderstandings later.'
This was the great thing about working with Giuseppe. He wasn't the best listener, but he was always able to communicate with Sancha.
Giuseppe and Sancha have been bickering, whispering, and being close for some time now.
A smile appeared on Ariadne's lips as she thought of the two.
But it is not possible to have a go-between in every human relationship. She sighed again.
'Yeah. You can't have a sanity in every human relationship.'
Alfonso looks completely different now than back then, and anyone can tell that he's grown up, but he has the same sunny smile as back then. The little circle under his eyes gets slightly thicker when he's in trouble.
What does that smiling man think about her?
Why is it that, like the hot, rainy season, even though it pours down bright sunlight, the next moment it darkens as if clouds have covered the sky?
“Your Grace.”
"Yes?"
Ariadne, who had been thinking about something else, returned to the real world at Giuseppe's words.
“Then, should I notify the Duke of Taranto that our carriage has overturned and that today’s meeting will be canceled?”
As soon as Ariadne heard this, she got a headache that didn't even come on when the carriage overturned.
"No!"
“Yes? Yes? But if you continue like this...”
If you tell the agent of the Duke of Taranto, "The carriage has overturned, so let's postpone today's appointment," all of San Carlo will know that something has happened to Countess de Mare.
Even if such a rumor had spread, the only person who would have liked it would have been Duchess Ruby or something.
“No matter what happens today, we have to proceed according to schedule.”
Ariadne examined her clothes.
The carriage overturned, and the original door and wall boards were shattered and stuck to the hem of the skirt and hair, but there were no serious injuries and no serious tears.
She jumped up and shook her clothes and hair.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
As she ran after Giuseppe's words, Ariadne finally thought.
Who the hell keeps targeting me? If it's Ippolito, why isn't the surveillance system I have set up for him working properly?
"Miss!"
When Ariadne returned home in the evening, Sancha cried out while washing her.
“There’s another bruise here!”
The angry Sancha's nagging pierced the heavens.
“In that case, you should cancel everything and come back home!”
“No, that couldn’t be possible.”
Ariadne shook her head.
“How did you get the seat of Princess Bianca’s Guidata?”
She dodged Sancha's glares and dove deep into the bubbly bath, sticking out her mouth to create bubbles.
She had a look of discontent on her face as if she had done nothing wrong.
“If word gets out that I’m sick, Rubina will do whatever it takes to get the chaperone job.”
After a long time, Sancha, wearing the apron of an apprentice maid, looked down at Ariadne pitifully. Ariadne got angry and shouted.
"Why!"
A large soap bubble burst right in front of her face.
“Don’t act cute like that in front of me. Go outside and act cute.”
Sancha lamented as she scrubbed Ariadne's back with a large soapy brush.
“You’re just leaving this up to me. It’s a waste of aegyo on a national level, a waste of aegyo.”
“Ouch! It hurts!”
“If you did the same to others as you did to me, you would have three kids by now.”
Sancha continued to nag.
“If I were you, I would have spread a rumor in the neighborhood that the carriage had overturned and made the Prince come to visit me!”
“Prince?”
Ariadne's eyes widened. Her soap-soaked hair tangled like seaweed around her round shoulders and collarbone and stuck to her round upper chest.
“Oh my! I’m sitting here watching this!”
Sancha tightened her grip on Ariadne's back.
“Ouch! But what did you hear? A Prince?”
Previous Next
'When are you coming, Dad...'
Ippolito lay down on his bed with a sad face. It would be nice if lightning fell from the sky and struck Pope Ludovico in the bed.
No, if he were to strike down a bolt from the sky, he would rather land on Ariadne de Mare's bed than on Pope Louis's bed.
Ariadne was still single, which meant she had no family other than the de Mare people.
The Cardinal is a clergyman and cannot inherit the title, and Isabella is married and an outsider.
Ippolito looked with his overflowing imagination at the westernmost room of Ariadne and then at the stables.
***
Ariadne, who was finally preparing for Princess Bianca's debutante ball, had a lot to do.
Sir Bernardino, who oversees the administration of the Prince's Palace, said that since the Palace had no plans drawn up in advance, the progress of this matter should be discussed with the Duke of Taranto and done entirely according to Countess de Mare's wishes.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Ariadne was on her way to meet with the representative of the Duke of Taranto, who was stationed in the capital.
Heeheeheeeeeeeek!!
Hehehe!!
Two horses tied to a cart bleated pitifully.
The axle of the rear wheel of Ariadne's silver chariot broke off from the main body of the chariot. The chariot was overturning.
Kukung... Boom!
The carriage hit a tree on the side of the road and came to a stop at an angle. The good wheel, floating diagonally in the air, spun aimlessly.
"Miss-!!"
The sound of panicked subordinates running toward her could be heard from afar.
“Tear down the door!”
“Lift the body!”
Ariadne blinked, trying to stay awake. The carriage shook violently, but she felt like she was not hurt anywhere.
“Miss! Are you okay, Miss?”
She heard Giuseppe's voice looking for her sadly.
“It’s okay, Giuseppe.”
Ariadne answered calmly through the wooden door that was twisted and wouldn't open. Her voice was surprisingly calm.
“There’s no way you’re okay! I’ll take you out right now!”
Giuseppe, who had been showing off his might in front, and his men following behind immediately rushed in and tore off the door to rescue Ariadne and picked up the coachman who had been thrown out.
Ariadne, leaning against a tree stump by the roadside, asked Giuseppe about the circumstances.
“What on earth is going on?”
Giuseppe answered with his head bowed.
“I’m sorry. I have nothing to say.”
“I don’t mean to judge right from wrong.”
“The rear axle of the carriage was loose. It was like...”
“As if someone had let it go on purpose?”
Giuseppe looked at Ariadne in surprise.
“How did you know?”
Ariadne clicked her tongue and did not answer. Giuseppe, perhaps thinking that this was a sign of distrust in him, hastily added:
“I personally inspect the harness and equipment that the Countess and the Cardinal will use at least once a week. This carriage too...”
He counted the days with his fingers.
“I checked it myself three days ago. It was fine then. I swear on God and my mother.”
Ariadne realized that Giuseppe was nervous and trembling. She softened her voice.
“I’m not chastising you, Giuseppe.”
Of course, the stable manager cannot deny his incompetence in allowing two consecutive horse-related accidents to occur.
However, Giuseppe was in charge of all male servants belonging to Ariadne and was not only in charge of the stables or the security.
The reason he personally inspected the stables was purely because he wanted to do something more for Ariadne, and because he was originally a stable keeper.
“Stop trying to do everything yourself.”
This was said for Giuseppe.
“If you want to become a superior, you must also know how to divide and distribute the work appropriately.”
“But we can’t cut this part out. Isn’t it a matter of the young lady’s safety?”
“If you think that checking the stables is the most important thing for my safety right now, then you should temporarily delegate the general manager’s duties to someone else.”
Giuseppe heard only the part about 'delegating the work of a responsible person to someone else' and thought that this meant that Ariadne did not trust him.
He went back to cleaning up the mess with a sad look on his face. Ariadne sighed.
'The most difficult thing is the relationship between people.'
She clearly said what she wanted to say without twisting it, but it still didn't reach the intended audience.
It was just simple advice that Giuseppe should just do his work in the order he thinks it should be prioritized and leave the less important stuff to others.
When she said it as his superior, it became pressure rather than advice, and the consideration to reduce the workload became the sharp eye of a judge who doubted Giuseppe's abilities rather than consideration.
She sighed.
'I should ask Sancha to tell Giuseppe clearly so that there are no misunderstandings later.'
This was the great thing about working with Giuseppe. He wasn't the best listener, but he was always able to communicate with Sancha.
Giuseppe and Sancha have been bickering, whispering, and being close for some time now.
A smile appeared on Ariadne's lips as she thought of the two.
But it is not possible to have a go-between in every human relationship. She sighed again.
'Yeah. You can't have a sanity in every human relationship.'
Alfonso looks completely different now than back then, and anyone can tell that he's grown up, but he has the same sunny smile as back then. The little circle under his eyes gets slightly thicker when he's in trouble.
What does that smiling man think about her?
Why is it that, like the hot, rainy season, even though it pours down bright sunlight, the next moment it darkens as if clouds have covered the sky?
“Your Grace.”
"Yes?"
Ariadne, who had been thinking about something else, returned to the real world at Giuseppe's words.
“Then, should I notify the Duke of Taranto that our carriage has overturned and that today’s meeting will be canceled?”
As soon as Ariadne heard this, she got a headache that didn't even come on when the carriage overturned.
"No!"
“Yes? Yes? But if you continue like this...”
If you tell the agent of the Duke of Taranto, "The carriage has overturned, so let's postpone today's appointment," all of San Carlo will know that something has happened to Countess de Mare.
Even if such a rumor had spread, the only person who would have liked it would have been Duchess Ruby or something.
“No matter what happens today, we have to proceed according to schedule.”
Ariadne examined her clothes.
The carriage overturned, and the original door and wall boards were shattered and stuck to the hem of the skirt and hair, but there were no serious injuries and no serious tears.
She jumped up and shook her clothes and hair.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
As she ran after Giuseppe's words, Ariadne finally thought.
Who the hell keeps targeting me? If it's Ippolito, why isn't the surveillance system I have set up for him working properly?
***
"Miss!"
When Ariadne returned home in the evening, Sancha cried out while washing her.
“There’s another bruise here!”
The angry Sancha's nagging pierced the heavens.
“In that case, you should cancel everything and come back home!”
“No, that couldn’t be possible.”
Ariadne shook her head.
“How did you get the seat of Princess Bianca’s Guidata?”
She dodged Sancha's glares and dove deep into the bubbly bath, sticking out her mouth to create bubbles.
She had a look of discontent on her face as if she had done nothing wrong.
“If word gets out that I’m sick, Rubina will do whatever it takes to get the chaperone job.”
After a long time, Sancha, wearing the apron of an apprentice maid, looked down at Ariadne pitifully. Ariadne got angry and shouted.
"Why!"
A large soap bubble burst right in front of her face.
“Don’t act cute like that in front of me. Go outside and act cute.”
Sancha lamented as she scrubbed Ariadne's back with a large soapy brush.
“You’re just leaving this up to me. It’s a waste of aegyo on a national level, a waste of aegyo.”
“Ouch! It hurts!”
“If you did the same to others as you did to me, you would have three kids by now.”
Sancha continued to nag.
“If I were you, I would have spread a rumor in the neighborhood that the carriage had overturned and made the Prince come to visit me!”
“Prince?”
Ariadne's eyes widened. Her soap-soaked hair tangled like seaweed around her round shoulders and collarbone and stuck to her round upper chest.
“Oh my! I’m sitting here watching this!”
Sancha tightened her grip on Ariadne's back.
“Ouch! But what did you hear? A Prince?”
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