Ariadne looked at the back of Alfonso, who was kneeling and sobbing in the dark cave for a moment, then quietly turned around. She was planning to leave the office.
Alfonso has just discovered that his previously unknown assistant is in fact, ,his deceased mother.
At the same time, he also found out that his mother, who had always been kind, loving, and a perfect Queen, was actually a politician who sucked the blood of the people.
Queen Marguerite's unforgivable actions were all for the sake of her son, Prince Alfonso himself.
Alfonso also shared in the fruits of that sin. In addition, he realized that there had never been any love between his parents.
Ariadne thought Alfonso needed time.
A time alone to piece together perception and reality, re-establish them, and build them up again.
He was the kind of person who would organize his thoughts on his own. She assumed Alfonso would be the same way.
Squeak.
But the sound of her office door opening was loud. The Rambouillet Relief Home was a poorly built building to begin with, so no matter how well it was managed, there was a limit to its effectiveness.
Ariadne, who was trying to leave quietly, flinched at the louder sound than she had expected.
“...Ariadne.”
Alfonso called her name in a low voice. Ariadne apologized reflexively.
“I’m sorry, Alfonso. I meant to leave you alone. I won’t bother you, so take your time, and when you’re ready to go, let me know...”
But she couldn't finish her words because he strode towards her and hugged her from behind.
“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
She could feel his solid muscles, and the scent of a man hit her. Ariadne froze in place at his completely unexpected reaction.
“...So that was the gift you brought. So that’s why...”
Ariadne's temples and cheeks were tickled by faded blond hair. She was frozen, unable to even breathe.
He gradually lowered his head while holding her close. Soon, Alfonso's tears fell down the nape of his neck. It was hot.
“Since I left San Carlo... Yes, since that day I last saw you on the ramparts... Every favor had a price.”
The Gallicans showed what they meant by 'the devils of the world' after they imprisoned Prince Alfonso and his party.
The treatment of his party was like that, and the torture of Lord Elko was like that. In addition, Philip IV tried to swallow up the neighboring country by murdering his cousin.
However, that does not mean that other foreigners are angels.
The pagans were terrible, and the greatest of them, the Grand Duke Yuldenberg, spared his life so as not to be ashamed of his own faith.
This could be called grace, but that was as far as it went.
In the army of the Grand Duke of Yuldenberg, nothing was given for free. Even to obtain food, Alfonso had to earn military merit.
He couldn't trust everyone just because they were his fellow countrymen.
He and his knights had many close calls with Etruscan merchants abroad.
What about the Prince's knights? He and his knights were bound to each other by oaths of loyalty.
In exchange for their absolute obedience and submission, Alfonso was obliged to reward the knights with worldly glory.
No, without going too far, wasn't it his biological father who abandoned him, the embodiment of the Etruscan kingdom?
The Sun and Father of the Etruscan Empire did not send a single penny of aid to his successor, whom he had driven to the brink of death, to keep him docile and only listen to the government's words.
Did he wish to beg in a foreign battlefield?
Even his father would be like that, and the 100,000 ducats of gold that the Prince received while he was suffering on the battlefield was truly a favor that the Prince would never forget for the rest of his life.
“Money like this never finds its owner. Even though it’s the gold left by my mother, it’s your money as well, Ariadne.”
Alfonso's deep breath tickled the back of her neck. His body temperature was dropping lower and lower, at her temples and cheeks.
It felt like a force like gravity, something humans could not resist.
Ariadne was also drawn by an irresistible force.
As soon as he hugged her, tears welled up in her eyes. It was because she felt like if she just closed her eyes, she could go back to the good old days.
To a bright past where the two loved each other, Queen Marguerite was alive and well, and there was no such thing as Lariesa.
Back to the beautiful days when Isabella could have become the Princess and lived happily ever after with Alfonso if she had just won the competition.
'Where did it go wrong?'
A teardrop fell from Ariadne's eye.
Alfonso's lips, which were very close to the nape of her neck, twitched. It was ticklish and wet.
Alfonso whispered, hugging her from behind.
“Ari, you were the only one who loved me for who I am, without expecting anything in return.”
But the content of that whisper hit her head hard.
'Where did it all go wrong? From the beginning, everything.'
A small voice whispered in her head. It wasn't the whisper of the Golden Rule.
Her conscience, disguised as the Golden Rule, whispered to her.
'You wanted the position of Princess from the beginning, so you targeted Alfonso de Carlo on purpose. In your past life, you killed that man with your own hands.'
Her mouth was dry, and her hands were shaking. Yes, that was it.
Ariadne de Mare is the furthest thing from a person who loved Alfonso without expecting anything in return.
“I shouldn’t have let go of your hand.”
Alfonso's lips traced the nape of her neck. He regretted so much the past when he had left Ariadne behind in favor of someone like the Princess of Lariesa.
All his nerves were focused on one point. Ariadne's knees also lost their strength. This situation was the most secret fantasy she had ever imagined in her past life.
While Cesare abandoned her in the mansion and went out to meet all sorts of women, Isabella, who had become the Princess, enjoyed happy days at the castle.
Isabella's face never lost its triumphant smile, and there was always an affectionate young Prince by her side.
Whenever Ariadne saw the couple at formal functions, she stood half a step behind Cesare and thought.
'I thought that if I could only receive Cesare's complete love, I could smile like that. If only he would come to his senses and get married, I could be happy like my sister.'
But the curiosity hidden behind it could not be hidden.
What would the affection of the man next to that girl feel like? Would it be soft like cotton candy? Hot like a cheese pie straight out of the oven? Would it be satisfying? Happy? Could she not want anything else?
'...I didn't need anything else.'
At that moment, when she was holding Alfonso's hand, she really didn't need anything else. She didn't even need the position of Princess.
If only she had Alfonso. If only she could hold his hand and whisper sweet nothings to him all day long. Tears welled up in her eyes.
'Isn't becoming the Prince's mistress the perfect ending for someone like you? What are you slacking off about? Give up. There's no way that man would love you even after he finds out the truth. How can he love the woman who killed him? Don't even dream of becoming a Princess, which doesn't suit your status, and beg to be accepted as a mistress. Since a worthless and lowly girl like you got things wrong from the start, the only place you can go is the back room. Government! Government! Hidden woman! Just like your mother!'
Alfonso felt Ariadne's tears as her heaving breasts and the saltiness of her lips touched his.
He hugged Ariadne's waist and turned her around. Her waist fit perfectly in his hands.
In his arms, which were like a stone pagoda, she, slender and graceful, swayed like a willow branch.
"Ari."
A smile spread across his large mouth. He couldn't wait to tell her the good news. Last time, he got slapped before he could speak properly.
“I never married Lariesa.”
Ariadne, who was in Alfonso's arms, raised her head in surprise.
Alfonso bent his knees to be at Ariadne's eye level, fearing that her neck would break.
“When we escaped from Gallico, Princess Lariesa asked me to sign a marriage contract as a condition of my escape. However, the document was incomplete... It didn’t have the effect of a proper marriage.”
However, proving its invalidity was difficult.
There were many reasons why he couldn't tell her right away last time, other than the reasons for the evidence.
Although the marriage contract did not establish a marriage, it had the effect of an engagement and had other political implications.
Moreover, Alfonso felt indebted to Lariesa, who had originally helped him but had fallen ill and become bedridden.
“While I was in Yesak, I received support from the Galician side, or more precisely, from the Grand Duke Odes’s side.”
It was mostly food and some weapons.
At first, they came with letters from the Grand Duchess of Lariesa, but after Prince Alfonso became more established, the scale of the letters increased slightly, and they came as messengers from the Grand Duke Odes.
After receiving such things, the amount began to increase significantly after Raphael and 10,000 Ducati arrived. The Prince increased the investment amount after doing well in Yesak.
“I was grateful for her help when I had nothing, so I tried to marry Princess Lariesa even though I knew that the marriage contract was invalid.”
Because he thought Ariadne was already another man's woman. Because he thought she already loved someone else.
But when he returned to the capital and saw her with his own eyes, she was not like that. He still had a chance.
“When I returned to San Carlo, I said something about being married. I said it in that context. Please don’t misunderstand me any further.”
His soft blue-gray eyes stared into her green ones.
It was the affectionate look he had given her when they were a lovely couple in San Carlo.
“I thought it was a sense of duty and gratitude to dedicate my life to a woman I didn’t even love...”
Alfonso grabbed Ariadne by the waist and lifted her into the air.
“Whoa!”
The hem of her skirt spread out in the air like double cherry blossoms, then fell back into Alfonso's arms. He kissed her right on the lips.
“Wait a minute... Ugh!”
The Prince was passionate. He did not even give Ariadne time to breathe. Her breathing was blocked, and her thoughts were blocked.
All she could feel was Alfonso's passion, which occupied her entire lips and did not let her go.
Only after she pounded Alfonso's chest hard did the Prince lift his head slightly.
It was a kiss that was enough to temporarily put Ariadne's guilt far away.
“Haa...”
He whispered in her ear as she gasped for breath in a dazed state.
“Originally, I wanted to confess to you after becoming more honest. Even though we’re not actually married, I wanted to come back with my status cleared up.”
Alfonso intended to meet with Grand Duke Odes and dissolve the shell of his invalid marriage with Grand Duchess Lariesa.
“I hesitated because I felt sorry for Princess Lariesa... I should have remembered that the Gallico guys were pure frauds! The gold they claimed to have sent was actually gold bars arranged by her!”
Now, he had no qualms about striking out at Lariesa. And he had a reason why he couldn't wait any longer.
The way Raphael looked at Ariadne today, and the way Elko acted toward Ariadne in front of the 'Room of Stars'. His eyes rolled back. He couldn't stand to see that any longer.
“I can’t stand it anymore.”
The woman before his eyes was too fascinating to be left alone. He must have been crazy to have left her alone in the capital for four years.
He couldn't even believe himself what he had done.
Alfonso kissed Ariadne again. Ariadne, whose lips were defenselessly crushed by Alfonso, raised her hand to stop him.
“Now, just a moment.”
The kiss with Alfonso was sweet as can be, but now, Ariadne felt like she heard something strange.
“Just now... What did you say?”
She asked Alfonso.
“Who said he sent what gold?”
Did I hear you correctly? If you had rolled that 100,000 ducats during the Great Plague, it would have been a lot of money, enough to support a country.
How dare you say such nonsense?
Alfonso, who was tired of the woman pushing her chest with both arms, answered.
“The Kingdom of Gallico gave the gold to the mother.”
Ariadne's expression turned grim. Alfonso wanted to answer quickly and definitely and continue the kiss.
“To be exact, the Grand Duchess of Lariesa and her father, Grand Duke Odes, claimed that the 100,000 ducats were the gold they had sent.”
Ariadne stood up, clenching her fists in Alfonso's arms.
“These XXXXs.”
Alfonso looked up at Ariadne, who was standing up from his embrace with a shocked expression on her face.
It was like a puppy that had its candy stolen. But Ariadne's voice quickened and became calmer.
“Alfonso. I sent Raphael to Yesak. After that, I sent money regularly through the upper house and the Holy See. Who was in charge of that?”
Alfonso's expression also became serious.
“...”
He too realized the situation after hearing Ariadne's question. He answered in a heavy voice.
“...Sir Elko.”
Alfonso clenched his fists. The outline of who was responsible for this bizarre situation was becoming clear. He also stood up.
"Let's go."
Alfonso has just discovered that his previously unknown assistant is in fact, ,his deceased mother.
At the same time, he also found out that his mother, who had always been kind, loving, and a perfect Queen, was actually a politician who sucked the blood of the people.
Queen Marguerite's unforgivable actions were all for the sake of her son, Prince Alfonso himself.
Alfonso also shared in the fruits of that sin. In addition, he realized that there had never been any love between his parents.
Ariadne thought Alfonso needed time.
A time alone to piece together perception and reality, re-establish them, and build them up again.
He was the kind of person who would organize his thoughts on his own. She assumed Alfonso would be the same way.
Squeak.
But the sound of her office door opening was loud. The Rambouillet Relief Home was a poorly built building to begin with, so no matter how well it was managed, there was a limit to its effectiveness.
Ariadne, who was trying to leave quietly, flinched at the louder sound than she had expected.
“...Ariadne.”
Alfonso called her name in a low voice. Ariadne apologized reflexively.
“I’m sorry, Alfonso. I meant to leave you alone. I won’t bother you, so take your time, and when you’re ready to go, let me know...”
But she couldn't finish her words because he strode towards her and hugged her from behind.
“Don’t apologize. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”
She could feel his solid muscles, and the scent of a man hit her. Ariadne froze in place at his completely unexpected reaction.
“...So that was the gift you brought. So that’s why...”
Ariadne's temples and cheeks were tickled by faded blond hair. She was frozen, unable to even breathe.
He gradually lowered his head while holding her close. Soon, Alfonso's tears fell down the nape of his neck. It was hot.
“Since I left San Carlo... Yes, since that day I last saw you on the ramparts... Every favor had a price.”
The Gallicans showed what they meant by 'the devils of the world' after they imprisoned Prince Alfonso and his party.
The treatment of his party was like that, and the torture of Lord Elko was like that. In addition, Philip IV tried to swallow up the neighboring country by murdering his cousin.
However, that does not mean that other foreigners are angels.
The pagans were terrible, and the greatest of them, the Grand Duke Yuldenberg, spared his life so as not to be ashamed of his own faith.
This could be called grace, but that was as far as it went.
In the army of the Grand Duke of Yuldenberg, nothing was given for free. Even to obtain food, Alfonso had to earn military merit.
He couldn't trust everyone just because they were his fellow countrymen.
He and his knights had many close calls with Etruscan merchants abroad.
What about the Prince's knights? He and his knights were bound to each other by oaths of loyalty.
In exchange for their absolute obedience and submission, Alfonso was obliged to reward the knights with worldly glory.
No, without going too far, wasn't it his biological father who abandoned him, the embodiment of the Etruscan kingdom?
The Sun and Father of the Etruscan Empire did not send a single penny of aid to his successor, whom he had driven to the brink of death, to keep him docile and only listen to the government's words.
Did he wish to beg in a foreign battlefield?
Even his father would be like that, and the 100,000 ducats of gold that the Prince received while he was suffering on the battlefield was truly a favor that the Prince would never forget for the rest of his life.
“Money like this never finds its owner. Even though it’s the gold left by my mother, it’s your money as well, Ariadne.”
Alfonso's deep breath tickled the back of her neck. His body temperature was dropping lower and lower, at her temples and cheeks.
It felt like a force like gravity, something humans could not resist.
Ariadne was also drawn by an irresistible force.
As soon as he hugged her, tears welled up in her eyes. It was because she felt like if she just closed her eyes, she could go back to the good old days.
To a bright past where the two loved each other, Queen Marguerite was alive and well, and there was no such thing as Lariesa.
Back to the beautiful days when Isabella could have become the Princess and lived happily ever after with Alfonso if she had just won the competition.
'Where did it go wrong?'
A teardrop fell from Ariadne's eye.
Alfonso's lips, which were very close to the nape of her neck, twitched. It was ticklish and wet.
Alfonso whispered, hugging her from behind.
“Ari, you were the only one who loved me for who I am, without expecting anything in return.”
But the content of that whisper hit her head hard.
'Where did it all go wrong? From the beginning, everything.'
A small voice whispered in her head. It wasn't the whisper of the Golden Rule.
Her conscience, disguised as the Golden Rule, whispered to her.
'You wanted the position of Princess from the beginning, so you targeted Alfonso de Carlo on purpose. In your past life, you killed that man with your own hands.'
Her mouth was dry, and her hands were shaking. Yes, that was it.
Ariadne de Mare is the furthest thing from a person who loved Alfonso without expecting anything in return.
“I shouldn’t have let go of your hand.”
Alfonso's lips traced the nape of her neck. He regretted so much the past when he had left Ariadne behind in favor of someone like the Princess of Lariesa.
All his nerves were focused on one point. Ariadne's knees also lost their strength. This situation was the most secret fantasy she had ever imagined in her past life.
While Cesare abandoned her in the mansion and went out to meet all sorts of women, Isabella, who had become the Princess, enjoyed happy days at the castle.
Isabella's face never lost its triumphant smile, and there was always an affectionate young Prince by her side.
Whenever Ariadne saw the couple at formal functions, she stood half a step behind Cesare and thought.
'I thought that if I could only receive Cesare's complete love, I could smile like that. If only he would come to his senses and get married, I could be happy like my sister.'
But the curiosity hidden behind it could not be hidden.
What would the affection of the man next to that girl feel like? Would it be soft like cotton candy? Hot like a cheese pie straight out of the oven? Would it be satisfying? Happy? Could she not want anything else?
'...I didn't need anything else.'
At that moment, when she was holding Alfonso's hand, she really didn't need anything else. She didn't even need the position of Princess.
If only she had Alfonso. If only she could hold his hand and whisper sweet nothings to him all day long. Tears welled up in her eyes.
'Isn't becoming the Prince's mistress the perfect ending for someone like you? What are you slacking off about? Give up. There's no way that man would love you even after he finds out the truth. How can he love the woman who killed him? Don't even dream of becoming a Princess, which doesn't suit your status, and beg to be accepted as a mistress. Since a worthless and lowly girl like you got things wrong from the start, the only place you can go is the back room. Government! Government! Hidden woman! Just like your mother!'
Alfonso felt Ariadne's tears as her heaving breasts and the saltiness of her lips touched his.
He hugged Ariadne's waist and turned her around. Her waist fit perfectly in his hands.
In his arms, which were like a stone pagoda, she, slender and graceful, swayed like a willow branch.
"Ari."
A smile spread across his large mouth. He couldn't wait to tell her the good news. Last time, he got slapped before he could speak properly.
“I never married Lariesa.”
Ariadne, who was in Alfonso's arms, raised her head in surprise.
Alfonso bent his knees to be at Ariadne's eye level, fearing that her neck would break.
“When we escaped from Gallico, Princess Lariesa asked me to sign a marriage contract as a condition of my escape. However, the document was incomplete... It didn’t have the effect of a proper marriage.”
However, proving its invalidity was difficult.
There were many reasons why he couldn't tell her right away last time, other than the reasons for the evidence.
Although the marriage contract did not establish a marriage, it had the effect of an engagement and had other political implications.
Moreover, Alfonso felt indebted to Lariesa, who had originally helped him but had fallen ill and become bedridden.
“While I was in Yesak, I received support from the Galician side, or more precisely, from the Grand Duke Odes’s side.”
It was mostly food and some weapons.
At first, they came with letters from the Grand Duchess of Lariesa, but after Prince Alfonso became more established, the scale of the letters increased slightly, and they came as messengers from the Grand Duke Odes.
After receiving such things, the amount began to increase significantly after Raphael and 10,000 Ducati arrived. The Prince increased the investment amount after doing well in Yesak.
“I was grateful for her help when I had nothing, so I tried to marry Princess Lariesa even though I knew that the marriage contract was invalid.”
Because he thought Ariadne was already another man's woman. Because he thought she already loved someone else.
But when he returned to the capital and saw her with his own eyes, she was not like that. He still had a chance.
“When I returned to San Carlo, I said something about being married. I said it in that context. Please don’t misunderstand me any further.”
His soft blue-gray eyes stared into her green ones.
It was the affectionate look he had given her when they were a lovely couple in San Carlo.
“I thought it was a sense of duty and gratitude to dedicate my life to a woman I didn’t even love...”
Alfonso grabbed Ariadne by the waist and lifted her into the air.
“Whoa!”
The hem of her skirt spread out in the air like double cherry blossoms, then fell back into Alfonso's arms. He kissed her right on the lips.
“Wait a minute... Ugh!”
The Prince was passionate. He did not even give Ariadne time to breathe. Her breathing was blocked, and her thoughts were blocked.
All she could feel was Alfonso's passion, which occupied her entire lips and did not let her go.
Only after she pounded Alfonso's chest hard did the Prince lift his head slightly.
It was a kiss that was enough to temporarily put Ariadne's guilt far away.
“Haa...”
He whispered in her ear as she gasped for breath in a dazed state.
“Originally, I wanted to confess to you after becoming more honest. Even though we’re not actually married, I wanted to come back with my status cleared up.”
Alfonso intended to meet with Grand Duke Odes and dissolve the shell of his invalid marriage with Grand Duchess Lariesa.
“I hesitated because I felt sorry for Princess Lariesa... I should have remembered that the Gallico guys were pure frauds! The gold they claimed to have sent was actually gold bars arranged by her!”
Now, he had no qualms about striking out at Lariesa. And he had a reason why he couldn't wait any longer.
The way Raphael looked at Ariadne today, and the way Elko acted toward Ariadne in front of the 'Room of Stars'. His eyes rolled back. He couldn't stand to see that any longer.
“I can’t stand it anymore.”
The woman before his eyes was too fascinating to be left alone. He must have been crazy to have left her alone in the capital for four years.
He couldn't even believe himself what he had done.
Alfonso kissed Ariadne again. Ariadne, whose lips were defenselessly crushed by Alfonso, raised her hand to stop him.
“Now, just a moment.”
The kiss with Alfonso was sweet as can be, but now, Ariadne felt like she heard something strange.
“Just now... What did you say?”
She asked Alfonso.
“Who said he sent what gold?”
Did I hear you correctly? If you had rolled that 100,000 ducats during the Great Plague, it would have been a lot of money, enough to support a country.
How dare you say such nonsense?
Alfonso, who was tired of the woman pushing her chest with both arms, answered.
“The Kingdom of Gallico gave the gold to the mother.”
Ariadne's expression turned grim. Alfonso wanted to answer quickly and definitely and continue the kiss.
“To be exact, the Grand Duchess of Lariesa and her father, Grand Duke Odes, claimed that the 100,000 ducats were the gold they had sent.”
Ariadne stood up, clenching her fists in Alfonso's arms.
“These XXXXs.”
Alfonso looked up at Ariadne, who was standing up from his embrace with a shocked expression on her face.
It was like a puppy that had its candy stolen. But Ariadne's voice quickened and became calmer.
“Alfonso. I sent Raphael to Yesak. After that, I sent money regularly through the upper house and the Holy See. Who was in charge of that?”
Alfonso's expression also became serious.
“...”
He too realized the situation after hearing Ariadne's question. He answered in a heavy voice.
“...Sir Elko.”
Alfonso clenched his fists. The outline of who was responsible for this bizarre situation was becoming clear. He also stood up.
"Let's go."
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment