Isabella's statement that the invitation to the ball of the Duchess of Taranto that she held in her hand was not because of her relationship with her sister, but because of her husband's status, seemed to have some truth to it.
Ariadne definitely didn't send the invitation because she thought Isabella was pretty.
This debutante ball was a rare one attended by the King himself, and its star was Princess Bianca of Taranto.
With Prince Alfonso as her guardian, it was only natural that all the capital's leading dignitaries would attend.
Ariadne had initially pushed for a plan to hold a small party with only a few nobles in attendance to lessen the burden on Princess Bianca, but due to the Princess's nanny, Baroness Giannelli's strong opposition, the decision was made to hold a grand ball in the end.
So, there was no way that an invitation would not be sent to Count Contarini's family.
Unfortunately, Ottavio was only one of the three members of the King's cabinet, and Isabella was his legitimate wife.
“But the invitation hasn’t been extended to Baron Leonati’s family yet?”
Leticia's face turned red. Isabella spoke as if bestowing a favor.
“It’s okay. Just wait a little longer. The invitations are distributed in several batches, divided into different levels. It might be included in the next invitation.”
But this was a subtle statement in many ways.
It is embarrassing that a noble family, a Viscount who is of lower rank but still noble, received an invitation lower in priority than the merchant Caruso Vitelli, who was already invited.
Isabella spoke again, her voice cracking.
“Or I’ll ask my brother to take you as a partner. Of course, the de Mare family received an invitation.”
This time, Leticia's face flushed with a slightly different meaning. It was the kind of blush that would have terrified Ippolito himself if he had seen it.
But Isabella had no idea that she was pretending to be a high-level figure in society.
That invitations to after-parties that she wasn't invited to were secretly circulating.
And the invitations to that after-party were being circulated by none other than her sister-in-law, Clemente de Bartolini.
Isabella should have watched Clemente more closely.
Because a few days ago, when Isabella had brought the money she had asked for, Clemente's attitude had been different from her usual.
About ten days ago.
The day after her audience with Duchess Rubina, Countess Bartolini appeared at her parents' house late in the afternoon.
She had her brother and sister-in-law sit down in the living room and handed them an envelope.
"...Oh, Ottavio, uh, the promissory note and the documents... Take, take, stand, sign.”
“Sister, what is this? Hmm?”
Ottavio's eyes widened as he looked inside the envelope.
“Four thousand ducats? From whom? Duchess Rubina?!”
Just a few days ago, his sister was turned away from even the request to help appoint judges for the palace court, so how did she get money from Duchess Rubina?
“No, how is this possible?!”
Clemente instinctively avoided his brother's jubilant gaze.
How can I tell you that I sold your wife? She hesitated for a long time, then slowly began to speak as if she had made a difficult decision.
“...Actually... I, I, I stood guarantor for the contract.”
“My older sister?”
It was a big decision, but... Ottavio tilted his head to the side, not convinced.
A 'guarantor' is someone who takes responsibility for paying back money when the borrower is unable to pay it back. In other words, it is a position that only capable people can take on.
But you accepted your sister, who was just a Countess and not a noble brother-in-law with property in his own name, as your guarantor?
Ottavio was even more confused, so he checked the documents Clemente had brought again.
There, it is clearly stated that '4000 ducats are lent to the Contarini family, headed by Ottavio de Contarini.
It was written, 'Clemente de Bartolini certifies this in solidarity.' There was not a single lie in Clemente's words.
Countess Bartolini snatched the bill and the documents, along with the envelope, away, fearing that her brother would pry further.
Ottavio was shocked, thinking that the promissory note would be torn.
In the end, he didn't even think to tighten his grip in front of his sister, and the bill and documents flew out of Ottavio's grasp like butterfly wings.
“...Hey, go quickly. Go, the head of the household, the seal.”
"Ah."
“...Before the Duchess changes her mind!”
“That, that’s right!”
Clemente let out a shallow sigh as Ottavio dashed out of the reception room to retrieve the family seal he had placed in the study safe.
Finally, she was alone with Isabella.
She was silent for a while, then finally said something.
“...Hey, keep your promise.”
But Isabella smiled thinly.
“Sister, wasn’t it 12,000 ducats that you promised to bring? It was only 4,000 ducats...”
Clemente's eyes immediately turned sharp. She thought it might turn out like this. It was a do-or-die situation.
“...Well, then...”
Isabella thought that Clemente might burst into tears.
She smiled broadly with her arms crossed. But the small dog cornered in the corner reacted unexpectedly.
“This money... It’s as if it never existed...”
Clemente stood up, holding the promissory note in his hand.
Isabella crossed her arms and stared at her sister-in-law with an expression that said, 'Oh my, look at this.'
But, Clemente actually got up and grabbed a shawl to drape over her shoulders.
'Huh?'
But the first one to tell the truth was the loser.
As Isabella glared at Clemente with a fierce expression, Clemente began to pack her things, tucking the envelope containing the promissory note and documents under her arm.
Isabella couldn't stand it anymore and started screaming.
“Hey! Clemente de Bartolini!”
It was not the sister-in-law herself but her husband who answered those words.
He came back in a hurry holding the seal of the family head, and found his sister standing up after gathering all her belongings, and his wife calling his sister's name.
“Who, Sister? Where are you going?”
Clemente answered without even making eye contact with his younger brother.
“...I, I can’t be a guarantor... and I’ll have to tell the Duchess to pretend the loan never happened...”
Ottavio didn't know what was going on, but he thought he knew what was going on. He immediately screamed.
“Isabella!”
Isabella was so startled by the tone she had heard so often that she missed the timing to take the initiative.
No, the sound and tone were the same as she had heard before, but the content was completely different.
Her father only yelled at her after he found out the whole story, but this guy takes his sister's side without knowing anything about it!
But Ottavio, who was shocked by the news that the bill had run away, forgot his fear of Isabella and continued to attack her.
“What are you doing to my sister!”
Clemente looked at Ottavio with her round eyes wide open in surprise.
“...Oh, Ottavio. How is the principal?”
Ottavio was puzzled as to why his sister was asking him this, but he answered obediently since it was the person who had borrowed the money asking the question.
The original amount of 8,000 ducats was the money the Contarini family used for usury.
Suddenly, money was being taken from the market, so it was obvious that there would be complaints among the people who had borrowed the money.
“If you add that up, you can pay back the 12,000 ducats you owe your ex-fiancée... right?”
“We’ll have to wait and see what the royal court decides, but this should be enough! I’ve avoided the bailiff coming and giving me a red tag!”
Clemente looked at Isabella haughtily against the backdrop of Ottavio's excited voice.
'Look, I may not have borrowed 12,000 ducats, but it's a lifeline that will keep the Count Contarini family from getting a red tag,' she said.
Isabella bit her lip.
Ottavio, oblivious to the tension between his wife and sister, excitedly turned the note over and over.
“If I do it right, wouldn’t there be some left? Surely the interest would have filled up the full 4,000 ducats?”
Clemente spoke slowly.
“...4, 4 thousand ducats can be repaid to Duchess Rubina over ten years... It would be better if you could repay it a little earlier... Bring me as much as you can repay me at that time...”
In fact, Duchess Rubina said she would forgive her for what she did, so if Ottavio gave her the amount he had to pay back, she would be able to swallow up the amount forgiven.
The reason Clemente got caught cheating on her husband was that she was short on money and had to use it to cover household expenses. But if she had this kind of extra money, she would have more freedom of movement.
Clemente, feeling better, looked especially at Isabella and said:
“I hope we can remain on good terms until then... If I, if I say I won’t be a guarantor...”
Ariadne definitely didn't send the invitation because she thought Isabella was pretty.
This debutante ball was a rare one attended by the King himself, and its star was Princess Bianca of Taranto.
With Prince Alfonso as her guardian, it was only natural that all the capital's leading dignitaries would attend.
Ariadne had initially pushed for a plan to hold a small party with only a few nobles in attendance to lessen the burden on Princess Bianca, but due to the Princess's nanny, Baroness Giannelli's strong opposition, the decision was made to hold a grand ball in the end.
So, there was no way that an invitation would not be sent to Count Contarini's family.
Unfortunately, Ottavio was only one of the three members of the King's cabinet, and Isabella was his legitimate wife.
“But the invitation hasn’t been extended to Baron Leonati’s family yet?”
Leticia's face turned red. Isabella spoke as if bestowing a favor.
“It’s okay. Just wait a little longer. The invitations are distributed in several batches, divided into different levels. It might be included in the next invitation.”
But this was a subtle statement in many ways.
It is embarrassing that a noble family, a Viscount who is of lower rank but still noble, received an invitation lower in priority than the merchant Caruso Vitelli, who was already invited.
Isabella spoke again, her voice cracking.
“Or I’ll ask my brother to take you as a partner. Of course, the de Mare family received an invitation.”
This time, Leticia's face flushed with a slightly different meaning. It was the kind of blush that would have terrified Ippolito himself if he had seen it.
But Isabella had no idea that she was pretending to be a high-level figure in society.
That invitations to after-parties that she wasn't invited to were secretly circulating.
And the invitations to that after-party were being circulated by none other than her sister-in-law, Clemente de Bartolini.
Isabella should have watched Clemente more closely.
Because a few days ago, when Isabella had brought the money she had asked for, Clemente's attitude had been different from her usual.
***
About ten days ago.
The day after her audience with Duchess Rubina, Countess Bartolini appeared at her parents' house late in the afternoon.
She had her brother and sister-in-law sit down in the living room and handed them an envelope.
"...Oh, Ottavio, uh, the promissory note and the documents... Take, take, stand, sign.”
“Sister, what is this? Hmm?”
Ottavio's eyes widened as he looked inside the envelope.
“Four thousand ducats? From whom? Duchess Rubina?!”
Just a few days ago, his sister was turned away from even the request to help appoint judges for the palace court, so how did she get money from Duchess Rubina?
“No, how is this possible?!”
Clemente instinctively avoided his brother's jubilant gaze.
How can I tell you that I sold your wife? She hesitated for a long time, then slowly began to speak as if she had made a difficult decision.
“...Actually... I, I, I stood guarantor for the contract.”
“My older sister?”
It was a big decision, but... Ottavio tilted his head to the side, not convinced.
A 'guarantor' is someone who takes responsibility for paying back money when the borrower is unable to pay it back. In other words, it is a position that only capable people can take on.
But you accepted your sister, who was just a Countess and not a noble brother-in-law with property in his own name, as your guarantor?
Ottavio was even more confused, so he checked the documents Clemente had brought again.
There, it is clearly stated that '4000 ducats are lent to the Contarini family, headed by Ottavio de Contarini.
It was written, 'Clemente de Bartolini certifies this in solidarity.' There was not a single lie in Clemente's words.
Countess Bartolini snatched the bill and the documents, along with the envelope, away, fearing that her brother would pry further.
Ottavio was shocked, thinking that the promissory note would be torn.
In the end, he didn't even think to tighten his grip in front of his sister, and the bill and documents flew out of Ottavio's grasp like butterfly wings.
“...Hey, go quickly. Go, the head of the household, the seal.”
"Ah."
“...Before the Duchess changes her mind!”
“That, that’s right!”
Clemente let out a shallow sigh as Ottavio dashed out of the reception room to retrieve the family seal he had placed in the study safe.
Finally, she was alone with Isabella.
She was silent for a while, then finally said something.
“...Hey, keep your promise.”
But Isabella smiled thinly.
“Sister, wasn’t it 12,000 ducats that you promised to bring? It was only 4,000 ducats...”
Clemente's eyes immediately turned sharp. She thought it might turn out like this. It was a do-or-die situation.
“...Well, then...”
Isabella thought that Clemente might burst into tears.
She smiled broadly with her arms crossed. But the small dog cornered in the corner reacted unexpectedly.
“This money... It’s as if it never existed...”
Clemente stood up, holding the promissory note in his hand.
Isabella crossed her arms and stared at her sister-in-law with an expression that said, 'Oh my, look at this.'
But, Clemente actually got up and grabbed a shawl to drape over her shoulders.
'Huh?'
But the first one to tell the truth was the loser.
As Isabella glared at Clemente with a fierce expression, Clemente began to pack her things, tucking the envelope containing the promissory note and documents under her arm.
Isabella couldn't stand it anymore and started screaming.
“Hey! Clemente de Bartolini!”
It was not the sister-in-law herself but her husband who answered those words.
He came back in a hurry holding the seal of the family head, and found his sister standing up after gathering all her belongings, and his wife calling his sister's name.
“Who, Sister? Where are you going?”
Clemente answered without even making eye contact with his younger brother.
“...I, I can’t be a guarantor... and I’ll have to tell the Duchess to pretend the loan never happened...”
Ottavio didn't know what was going on, but he thought he knew what was going on. He immediately screamed.
“Isabella!”
Isabella was so startled by the tone she had heard so often that she missed the timing to take the initiative.
No, the sound and tone were the same as she had heard before, but the content was completely different.
Her father only yelled at her after he found out the whole story, but this guy takes his sister's side without knowing anything about it!
But Ottavio, who was shocked by the news that the bill had run away, forgot his fear of Isabella and continued to attack her.
“What are you doing to my sister!”
Clemente looked at Ottavio with her round eyes wide open in surprise.
“...Oh, Ottavio. How is the principal?”
Ottavio was puzzled as to why his sister was asking him this, but he answered obediently since it was the person who had borrowed the money asking the question.
“You're talking about eight thousand ducatos, right? I've instructed the Lemurian merchant to collect them all and bring them back to me, and they should be here by the end of the month.”
Suddenly, money was being taken from the market, so it was obvious that there would be complaints among the people who had borrowed the money.
“If you add that up, you can pay back the 12,000 ducats you owe your ex-fiancée... right?”
“We’ll have to wait and see what the royal court decides, but this should be enough! I’ve avoided the bailiff coming and giving me a red tag!”
Clemente looked at Isabella haughtily against the backdrop of Ottavio's excited voice.
'Look, I may not have borrowed 12,000 ducats, but it's a lifeline that will keep the Count Contarini family from getting a red tag,' she said.
Isabella bit her lip.
Ottavio, oblivious to the tension between his wife and sister, excitedly turned the note over and over.
“If I do it right, wouldn’t there be some left? Surely the interest would have filled up the full 4,000 ducats?”
Clemente spoke slowly.
“...4, 4 thousand ducats can be repaid to Duchess Rubina over ten years... It would be better if you could repay it a little earlier... Bring me as much as you can repay me at that time...”
In fact, Duchess Rubina said she would forgive her for what she did, so if Ottavio gave her the amount he had to pay back, she would be able to swallow up the amount forgiven.
The reason Clemente got caught cheating on her husband was that she was short on money and had to use it to cover household expenses. But if she had this kind of extra money, she would have more freedom of movement.
Clemente, feeling better, looked especially at Isabella and said:
“I hope we can remain on good terms until then... If I, if I say I won’t be a guarantor...”
Clemente waved the papers around.
“According to the contract... The Duke and Duchess can demand immediate repayment of the full amount, disregarding the ten-year deadline...”
“Oh my, what are you talking about, sis! Of course! I really only have family!”
Ottavio glanced at Isabella, who was of no help in this mess.
When he suggested that she go ask his father-in-law for help, his wife vehemently refused, and even though his daughter was the first to bow down and come in, his father-in-law didn't even bother to call him to say hello, which was frustrating.
In the end, it was Clemente who helped, not Isabella.
Ottavio took his sister's hand and spoke with a nail in his mouth.
“My blood-mixed family!”
“Countess de Mare!”
Ariadne's daily routine was to receive calls from the angry Baroness Giannelli.
There was a limit to how much damage could be done, but it was impossible to hide everything. Ariadne asked, unable to hide her irritation.
“What’s going on now?”
“The RSVP rate is terrible!”
RSVP was a procedure for those who received an invitation to confirm their attendance.
Those who were willing to attend sent the flowers included in the invitation back to the host who had invited them with their reply note, while those who did not plan on coming either did not respond or sent a letter of apology without flowers.
It was polite to reply before the flowers withered, if possible. The flowers enclosed in Princess Bianca's invitation this time were yellow tulips.
'Again...'
Baroness Giannelli caused a commotion from the first day the invitations were sent out because there weren't enough RSVPs.
The Marchioness Chibo had initially politely expressed her intention to be unable to attend, but Baroness Giannelli caused a commotion that lasted nearly an hour.
For example, the Marchioness Chibo was ignoring the Duke of Taranto, was being arrogant and not wanting to associate with southerners, and was saying that it was rude to immediately reject an invitation after thinking about it for three days.
She didn't even give Ariadne a chance to intervene and started jumping around until Ariadne told her, "It hasn't been long since the Marquis Chibo passed away, and her house is in mourning right now, so she is not in a position to attend the party," and "It would be rude not to send an invitation at all, so I put her on the invitation list out of courtesy, but I didn't send it with the expectation of her attending," so she shut her mouth tightly, perhaps embarrassed, and quietly left.
But that awkwardness didn't last even a day. Similar things kept happening.
Baroness Giannelli kept causing trouble by changing people, and Ariadne was busy running away from the Baroness later on.
In Taranto, whenever Baroness Giannelli held a tea party, everyone would drop their knitting and come running, so Ariadne tried to think positively that she was unfamiliar with the situation in the capital, but it was very tiring to keep up with her every time she burst into commotion.
Baroness Giannelli shouted in a huff.
“I must tell you now. Is it not because the Countess invited the Vitelli couple?”
Ariadne sighed and began to explain again.
“The RSVP rate for the Capital Ball is usually low. Don’t think of it as Taranto standards, Baroness Giannelli. If about 50% of people confirm their attendance, it’s average, but if 70% of people confirm their attendance, it’s a huge success...”
“I’m telling you this because it’s less than 50%!”
Baroness Giannelli blurted out the guest list to Ariadne.
The invitation was sent out in the name of Princess Bianca of Taranto, and the reply was also addressed to the Princess of Taranto, so this was the first time Ariadne had seen this list.
Ariadne's expression turned pale as she turned over the guest list. She said nothing and remained silent as she turned over the list again and again.
“Well! Even if you had ten mouths, you wouldn’t have anything to say, would you? Say something with your eloquence, Countess!”
The first thing Ariadne wanted to say was, 'You should have told me this a long time ago. Why are you sharing it with me now?' But that only served as a pretext for a fight.
Princess Bianca's ball is two days away.
The urgent matter now was not to fight and win against Baroness Giannelli but to ensure that Princess Bianca's ball went off without a hitch.
A cold sweat ran down Ariadne's spine.
'Is it really because of the Vitelli couple?'
Ariadne racked her brain to figure out what connections there might be between the families that had confirmed their attendance, the families that had not yet announced their absence, and the families that had not yet revealed whether they would attend.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a knock and Sancha's voice were heard on the door.
“Miss, a guest has arrived.”
“...Sancha, you are with the guests.”
“It’s urgent... You don’t have much time, but you must meet her...”
Ariadne asked for Baroness Giannelli's understanding with a troubled face.
“Excuse me for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
"Oh!"
Ariadne left Baroness Giannelli in the study and went into the drawing room, where she was surprised by the visit from an unexpected person.
The young woman, whose sandy hair peeked out from under her cream-colored hood, only took it off when she saw Ariadne enter the room.
"Ari!"
“Gabrielle! What brings you here all of a sudden?”
The daughter of Count Gabrielle dellactore, Ariadne's friend who married into the Marquis of Montefeltro.
There she stood, now the Marchioness of Gabrielle de Montefeltro.
“According to the contract... The Duke and Duchess can demand immediate repayment of the full amount, disregarding the ten-year deadline...”
“Oh my, what are you talking about, sis! Of course! I really only have family!”
Ottavio glanced at Isabella, who was of no help in this mess.
When he suggested that she go ask his father-in-law for help, his wife vehemently refused, and even though his daughter was the first to bow down and come in, his father-in-law didn't even bother to call him to say hello, which was frustrating.
In the end, it was Clemente who helped, not Isabella.
Ottavio took his sister's hand and spoke with a nail in his mouth.
“My blood-mixed family!”
***
“Countess de Mare!”
Ariadne's daily routine was to receive calls from the angry Baroness Giannelli.
There was a limit to how much damage could be done, but it was impossible to hide everything. Ariadne asked, unable to hide her irritation.
“What’s going on now?”
“The RSVP rate is terrible!”
RSVP was a procedure for those who received an invitation to confirm their attendance.
Those who were willing to attend sent the flowers included in the invitation back to the host who had invited them with their reply note, while those who did not plan on coming either did not respond or sent a letter of apology without flowers.
It was polite to reply before the flowers withered, if possible. The flowers enclosed in Princess Bianca's invitation this time were yellow tulips.
'Again...'
Baroness Giannelli caused a commotion from the first day the invitations were sent out because there weren't enough RSVPs.
The Marchioness Chibo had initially politely expressed her intention to be unable to attend, but Baroness Giannelli caused a commotion that lasted nearly an hour.
For example, the Marchioness Chibo was ignoring the Duke of Taranto, was being arrogant and not wanting to associate with southerners, and was saying that it was rude to immediately reject an invitation after thinking about it for three days.
She didn't even give Ariadne a chance to intervene and started jumping around until Ariadne told her, "It hasn't been long since the Marquis Chibo passed away, and her house is in mourning right now, so she is not in a position to attend the party," and "It would be rude not to send an invitation at all, so I put her on the invitation list out of courtesy, but I didn't send it with the expectation of her attending," so she shut her mouth tightly, perhaps embarrassed, and quietly left.
But that awkwardness didn't last even a day. Similar things kept happening.
Baroness Giannelli kept causing trouble by changing people, and Ariadne was busy running away from the Baroness later on.
In Taranto, whenever Baroness Giannelli held a tea party, everyone would drop their knitting and come running, so Ariadne tried to think positively that she was unfamiliar with the situation in the capital, but it was very tiring to keep up with her every time she burst into commotion.
Baroness Giannelli shouted in a huff.
“I must tell you now. Is it not because the Countess invited the Vitelli couple?”
Ariadne sighed and began to explain again.
“The RSVP rate for the Capital Ball is usually low. Don’t think of it as Taranto standards, Baroness Giannelli. If about 50% of people confirm their attendance, it’s average, but if 70% of people confirm their attendance, it’s a huge success...”
“I’m telling you this because it’s less than 50%!”
Baroness Giannelli blurted out the guest list to Ariadne.
The invitation was sent out in the name of Princess Bianca of Taranto, and the reply was also addressed to the Princess of Taranto, so this was the first time Ariadne had seen this list.
Ariadne's expression turned pale as she turned over the guest list. She said nothing and remained silent as she turned over the list again and again.
“Well! Even if you had ten mouths, you wouldn’t have anything to say, would you? Say something with your eloquence, Countess!”
The first thing Ariadne wanted to say was, 'You should have told me this a long time ago. Why are you sharing it with me now?' But that only served as a pretext for a fight.
Princess Bianca's ball is two days away.
The urgent matter now was not to fight and win against Baroness Giannelli but to ensure that Princess Bianca's ball went off without a hitch.
A cold sweat ran down Ariadne's spine.
'Is it really because of the Vitelli couple?'
Ariadne racked her brain to figure out what connections there might be between the families that had confirmed their attendance, the families that had not yet announced their absence, and the families that had not yet revealed whether they would attend.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a knock and Sancha's voice were heard on the door.
“Miss, a guest has arrived.”
“...Sancha, you are with the guests.”
“It’s urgent... You don’t have much time, but you must meet her...”
Ariadne asked for Baroness Giannelli's understanding with a troubled face.
“Excuse me for a moment. I’ll be right back.”
"Oh!"
Ariadne left Baroness Giannelli in the study and went into the drawing room, where she was surprised by the visit from an unexpected person.
The young woman, whose sandy hair peeked out from under her cream-colored hood, only took it off when she saw Ariadne enter the room.
"Ari!"
“Gabrielle! What brings you here all of a sudden?”
The daughter of Count Gabrielle dellactore, Ariadne's friend who married into the Marquis of Montefeltro.
There she stood, now the Marchioness of Gabrielle de Montefeltro.
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