Gabriele made no effort to hide why she was there.
“Does the Princess of Taranto really come to your house every day?”
"Oh!"
The couple, CEO Caruso and Camellia were so good that they silenced even those who complained about Camellia's husband being a commoner or being old.
CEO Caruso was so devoted that his young wife never set foot on the ground, and his devotion was expressed in gold that flowed like water.
But it seemed that the night was also filled with sincerity, not just gold.
“It hasn’t been that long since there was no moon, so I can’t be sure it’s a baby, but I still need to be careful.”
"Yes."
After that, Gabriele chattered about how she was jealous of what CEO Caruso did to Camellia, and how her own husband was, and then she looked at Ariadne with a secret look in her eyes.
“So, how is your relationship with Prince Alfonso?”
The way she was taking her time and the way she was smiling bashfully seemed to be the main topic of today's visit.
“We used to play a game where we had to choose between Prince Alfonso and Count Cesare, and we ended up getting both!”
Gabriele poured out her thoughts without giving anyone time to express her feelings.
“What do women who have met both of them think?”
She seemed to become more agitated as she asked the question.
“Who is more affectionate? Of course, it’s Prince Alfonso, right? But you can’t tell by looking at the outside, right? It might actually be Duke Cesare! Who’s a better kisser? Whoa! It seems like it’s Duke Cesare, but you still don’t know that either!”
Her eyes sparkled and she asked a question that seemed out of place with her innocent excitement.
“So who is better at night work?”
“Gabi!”
Ariadne cut off Gabriele's question in horror, but Gabriele skillfully countered.
“Hey. There’s no need for that between us.”
Ariadne cut it decisively.
“I didn’t do it!”
Gabrielle's eyes widened. She didn't give up.
“Both?”
“Both!”
Gabrielle was originally a bit of a brat, but after she became a married woman, her charm reached the sky.
But it was actually a good thing that she asked that question because Ariadne could firmly answer, 'I didn't do it.'
Gabriele was not a woman of few words. If she had spread the word in the neighborhood that Ariadne had never done it, Ariadne's shoulders would have been relieved.
If the question had been vague, like, "Which kisser is better, Alfonso or Cesare?", it would have been pointless and just unpleasant.
It had been quite some time since they last kissed. No, not really, not that long ago.
Because there was a kiss between her and Alfonso on the day of Bianca's debutante. But after they decided to date, Alfonso never laid a finger on Ariadne.
Ariadne thought it was after she had met Duke Cesare on the back road to the stables.
She could have been thinking this because she was the only one who got stabbed, but that's what happened.
'I wonder if Alfonso is bothered by the fact that I was engaged to Cesare?'
Ariadne thought of Cesare in her past life, who would have fits if she tried to even talk to a man.
It wasn't just the well-to-do nobles that he was wary of. Cesare hated all men, including shepherds, servants, and coachmen.
Alfonso was a gentleman by comparison, but it might have been too much to expect him to completely ignore the fact that his woman was engaged to another man.
'If he knew that His Majesty the King was trying to make me his second wife, he would turn the palace upside down.'
Ariadne sighed. It wasn't her fault, and she couldn't change what had happened.
But she couldn't help feeling suffocated. The past can't be bleached.
“So who do you think will do better?”
“How would I know!”
Duchess Rubina was up as soon as she got the medicine.
It was the young Count Contarini who arranged for Cesare to meet him so that he could separate from his wife, but Countess Contarini came back to life like a phoenix.
'The permanent royal court must have been created because of the Countess Contarini!'
It was a woman's intuition. Leo III was a man of few words, and he always talked about his policy ideas in front of Rubina.
And she had never heard of a permanent royal court.
But why did he suddenly create it and entrust it to Ottavio de Contarini? This was an impromptu gift from Leo III to Isabella de Contarini.
'And those eyes!'
Duchess Rubina had seen that look before. It had been over 25 years ago.
It was the same look that Leo III, then a bachelor, had given to Rubina, then a virgin when he was passionately in love with her.
Rubina felt indescribably bad. She had to do something.
'If Isabella de Contarini is divorced and banished to a convent, will His Majesty forget her?'
The Duchess walked down the palace corridor to the bathroom, lost in thought. It was a rare opportunity for her to walk alone.
'Or maybe it would be better if she became close with Count Contarini and had at least one child?'
This was a possibility. If she grew fat and bloated, she would become ugly and Leo III would lose interest in Isabella de Contarini.
It was not for nothing that Duchess Rubina had only one child, Cesare, despite having maintained her favor for so many years.
Once you've got her pregnant, you can send her out of the capital and somehow keep her out of Leo III's sight.
'Ah! But who would like that!'
Isabella should be able to have a second child and live happily ever after because she is on good terms with Ottavio? It was when Duchess Rubina was struggling with internal conflict.
“Oh my God!”
Rubina screamed as she hit something sharp.
As she stepped back and raised her head, Prince Alfonso and his knights were passing in front of her.
The object that Rubina was stabbed with was a wooden training spear that they were carrying.
"Prince!"
Duchess Rubina, who was already in a bad mood, screamed with venom filling her.
“Does the Princess of Taranto really come to your house every day?”
“...”
“You said you were close friends?”
But she wasn't completely oblivious. Ariadne seemed to be displeased, so she quickly apologized and changed the subject.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself! I’m just curious! I came here because I have something big to tell you! Have you heard about your sister’s husband?”
Not calling your 'brother-in-law' was Gabriele's last consideration for Ariadne, but it was not enough.
Ariadne's preferred title was 'Count Contarini'.
Seeing Ariadne's eyebrows rise, Gabriele gave up on further explanation and got straight to the point.
“Did you know that the Remuin merchant who secretly ran away and went bankrupt?”
Ariadne nodded.
“I know.”
It's been the number one topic of conversation in San Carlo for the past week.
Everyone was gossiping that the world was truly a dying world, that such a prestigious and ancient family as the Contarini family could fall into ruin at the hands of a merchant because of one wrong woman.
Isabella's future was also bleak. It was unclear whether the house would take responsibility for her, or if it could.
When Cardinal de Mare heard the news, he drank half a bottle of grappa alone that evening.
Was it a reflection on raising his child poorly? Unfortunately, Ippolito was also absent, so there was no one to share the Cardinal's sorrow.
Ippolito had returned once after running away from home, but he must have felt the urge to go out again as he noticed Bianca's daily visits.
It was also a bit awkward for Ariadne and Isabella to share the sadness of their separation.
The younger daughter was a well-known rival of her older sister, and her relationship with her father was not particularly close.
In fact, Ariadne was nervous that Cardinal de Mare might help the Contarini family.
Fortunately, this was just a worry, because the cost-benefit calculation was clear and Cardinal Marae would not have done anything that was not profitable.
He just drank half a bottle of wine and became absorbed in his emotions, and he didn't even think about sending someone to help his eldest daughter.
But if the Cardinal had known what would happen next, he would have regretted his decision.
“But, it was a huge hit!”
Ariadne frowned at Gabriele's words.
"What?"
Is this a structure that can be reversed? Isn't it just a mess? But in the world of San Carlo, anything is possible.
“Well, His Majesty the King has created a new permanent court of the palace and has appointed Count Contarini as its judge!”
...If Leo III gets involved.
Until now, the palace courts were held on an ad hoc basis when individual cases arose.
But the plan was to keep the palace court open at all times and send all cases there.
The problem is that the biggest case that could be brought to the royal court right now is Count Contarini's own default on debts.
“He saved the Contarini family.”
“Yes! Let Camellia sue the King’s court, where Ottavio de Contarini sits as a judge. Will she win?”
“Normally, it would be common sense to pay 8,000 ducats in exchange for saving the Contarini family.”
“...I see?”
Ariadne thought this was a very Leo III-like thing to do. It was like removing the lower stone to support the upper stone, which was worse than the Duchess Rubina.
It may seem like a temporary benefit now, but in the long run, it destroys more important values such as social trust.
“Is Camellia okay?”
If it was Gabriele, she would have definitely stopped by Camellia. As expected, Gabriele nodded.
“I'm already on my way from the Caruso mansion, and Camellia is incredibly angry, but Baron Castiglione is calming her down.”
Camellia was young. She had never seen her rightful rights trampled upon by those in power like this.
But the Baron of Castiglione was a man who had seen it all.
He was essentially a merchant and a man of lower-class birth who had settled in the capital and had seen all sorts of ugly things. To him, this was just cute.
“It’s not like I lost what I had. It was money I wasn’t supposed to get anyway.”
"Dad!"
“It was an investment that made my grandson a Count. Investments are money that you put in with the expectation that you will lose it.”
“But! It said in the contract that it was a loan!”
Camellia's husband also joined in the effort to appease his wife who was upset.
An ordinary man might have been offended by words like 'grandson' or 'Count', but CEO Caruso was no ordinary person.
“Yes, Camellia. There is no world where everything goes as written in the contract. If it did, my wealth would have increased by a hundred times.”
“Your husband is right. He’s smart. You married well. Be thankful you didn’t get hacked and just let it go.”
Camellia's anger subsided as the two closest men tried to stop her wholeheartedly. It's embarrassing to keep your anger to yourself, Gabriele added.
“Besides, Camelia keeps telling me she's not getting any?”
“You said you were close friends?”
But she wasn't completely oblivious. Ariadne seemed to be displeased, so she quickly apologized and changed the subject.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself! I’m just curious! I came here because I have something big to tell you! Have you heard about your sister’s husband?”
Not calling your 'brother-in-law' was Gabriele's last consideration for Ariadne, but it was not enough.
Ariadne's preferred title was 'Count Contarini'.
Seeing Ariadne's eyebrows rise, Gabriele gave up on further explanation and got straight to the point.
“Did you know that the Remuin merchant who secretly ran away and went bankrupt?”
Ariadne nodded.
“I know.”
It's been the number one topic of conversation in San Carlo for the past week.
Everyone was gossiping that the world was truly a dying world, that such a prestigious and ancient family as the Contarini family could fall into ruin at the hands of a merchant because of one wrong woman.
Isabella's future was also bleak. It was unclear whether the house would take responsibility for her, or if it could.
When Cardinal de Mare heard the news, he drank half a bottle of grappa alone that evening.
Was it a reflection on raising his child poorly? Unfortunately, Ippolito was also absent, so there was no one to share the Cardinal's sorrow.
Ippolito had returned once after running away from home, but he must have felt the urge to go out again as he noticed Bianca's daily visits.
It was also a bit awkward for Ariadne and Isabella to share the sadness of their separation.
The younger daughter was a well-known rival of her older sister, and her relationship with her father was not particularly close.
In fact, Ariadne was nervous that Cardinal de Mare might help the Contarini family.
Fortunately, this was just a worry, because the cost-benefit calculation was clear and Cardinal Marae would not have done anything that was not profitable.
He just drank half a bottle of wine and became absorbed in his emotions, and he didn't even think about sending someone to help his eldest daughter.
But if the Cardinal had known what would happen next, he would have regretted his decision.
“But, it was a huge hit!”
Ariadne frowned at Gabriele's words.
"What?"
Is this a structure that can be reversed? Isn't it just a mess? But in the world of San Carlo, anything is possible.
“Well, His Majesty the King has created a new permanent court of the palace and has appointed Count Contarini as its judge!”
...If Leo III gets involved.
Until now, the palace courts were held on an ad hoc basis when individual cases arose.
But the plan was to keep the palace court open at all times and send all cases there.
The problem is that the biggest case that could be brought to the royal court right now is Count Contarini's own default on debts.
“He saved the Contarini family.”
“Yes! Let Camellia sue the King’s court, where Ottavio de Contarini sits as a judge. Will she win?”
“Normally, it would be common sense to pay 8,000 ducats in exchange for saving the Contarini family.”
“...I see?”
Ariadne thought this was a very Leo III-like thing to do. It was like removing the lower stone to support the upper stone, which was worse than the Duchess Rubina.
It may seem like a temporary benefit now, but in the long run, it destroys more important values such as social trust.
“Is Camellia okay?”
If it was Gabriele, she would have definitely stopped by Camellia. As expected, Gabriele nodded.
“I'm already on my way from the Caruso mansion, and Camellia is incredibly angry, but Baron Castiglione is calming her down.”
Camellia was young. She had never seen her rightful rights trampled upon by those in power like this.
But the Baron of Castiglione was a man who had seen it all.
He was essentially a merchant and a man of lower-class birth who had settled in the capital and had seen all sorts of ugly things. To him, this was just cute.
“It’s not like I lost what I had. It was money I wasn’t supposed to get anyway.”
"Dad!"
“It was an investment that made my grandson a Count. Investments are money that you put in with the expectation that you will lose it.”
“But! It said in the contract that it was a loan!”
Camellia's husband also joined in the effort to appease his wife who was upset.
An ordinary man might have been offended by words like 'grandson' or 'Count', but CEO Caruso was no ordinary person.
“Yes, Camellia. There is no world where everything goes as written in the contract. If it did, my wealth would have increased by a hundred times.”
“Your husband is right. He’s smart. You married well. Be thankful you didn’t get hacked and just let it go.”
Camellia's anger subsided as the two closest men tried to stop her wholeheartedly. It's embarrassing to keep your anger to yourself, Gabriele added.
“Besides, Camelia keeps telling me she's not getting any?”
"Oh!"
The couple, CEO Caruso and Camellia were so good that they silenced even those who complained about Camellia's husband being a commoner or being old.
CEO Caruso was so devoted that his young wife never set foot on the ground, and his devotion was expressed in gold that flowed like water.
But it seemed that the night was also filled with sincerity, not just gold.
“It hasn’t been that long since there was no moon, so I can’t be sure it’s a baby, but I still need to be careful.”
"Yes."
After that, Gabriele chattered about how she was jealous of what CEO Caruso did to Camellia, and how her own husband was, and then she looked at Ariadne with a secret look in her eyes.
“So, how is your relationship with Prince Alfonso?”
The way she was taking her time and the way she was smiling bashfully seemed to be the main topic of today's visit.
“We used to play a game where we had to choose between Prince Alfonso and Count Cesare, and we ended up getting both!”
Gabriele poured out her thoughts without giving anyone time to express her feelings.
“What do women who have met both of them think?”
She seemed to become more agitated as she asked the question.
“Who is more affectionate? Of course, it’s Prince Alfonso, right? But you can’t tell by looking at the outside, right? It might actually be Duke Cesare! Who’s a better kisser? Whoa! It seems like it’s Duke Cesare, but you still don’t know that either!”
Her eyes sparkled and she asked a question that seemed out of place with her innocent excitement.
“So who is better at night work?”
“Gabi!”
Ariadne cut off Gabriele's question in horror, but Gabriele skillfully countered.
“Hey. There’s no need for that between us.”
Ariadne cut it decisively.
“I didn’t do it!”
Gabrielle's eyes widened. She didn't give up.
“Both?”
“Both!”
Gabrielle was originally a bit of a brat, but after she became a married woman, her charm reached the sky.
But it was actually a good thing that she asked that question because Ariadne could firmly answer, 'I didn't do it.'
Gabriele was not a woman of few words. If she had spread the word in the neighborhood that Ariadne had never done it, Ariadne's shoulders would have been relieved.
If the question had been vague, like, "Which kisser is better, Alfonso or Cesare?", it would have been pointless and just unpleasant.
It had been quite some time since they last kissed. No, not really, not that long ago.
Because there was a kiss between her and Alfonso on the day of Bianca's debutante. But after they decided to date, Alfonso never laid a finger on Ariadne.
Ariadne thought it was after she had met Duke Cesare on the back road to the stables.
She could have been thinking this because she was the only one who got stabbed, but that's what happened.
'I wonder if Alfonso is bothered by the fact that I was engaged to Cesare?'
Ariadne thought of Cesare in her past life, who would have fits if she tried to even talk to a man.
It wasn't just the well-to-do nobles that he was wary of. Cesare hated all men, including shepherds, servants, and coachmen.
Alfonso was a gentleman by comparison, but it might have been too much to expect him to completely ignore the fact that his woman was engaged to another man.
'If he knew that His Majesty the King was trying to make me his second wife, he would turn the palace upside down.'
Ariadne sighed. It wasn't her fault, and she couldn't change what had happened.
But she couldn't help feeling suffocated. The past can't be bleached.
“So who do you think will do better?”
“How would I know!”
***
Duchess Rubina was up as soon as she got the medicine.
It was the young Count Contarini who arranged for Cesare to meet him so that he could separate from his wife, but Countess Contarini came back to life like a phoenix.
'The permanent royal court must have been created because of the Countess Contarini!'
It was a woman's intuition. Leo III was a man of few words, and he always talked about his policy ideas in front of Rubina.
And she had never heard of a permanent royal court.
But why did he suddenly create it and entrust it to Ottavio de Contarini? This was an impromptu gift from Leo III to Isabella de Contarini.
'And those eyes!'
Duchess Rubina had seen that look before. It had been over 25 years ago.
It was the same look that Leo III, then a bachelor, had given to Rubina, then a virgin when he was passionately in love with her.
Rubina felt indescribably bad. She had to do something.
'If Isabella de Contarini is divorced and banished to a convent, will His Majesty forget her?'
The Duchess walked down the palace corridor to the bathroom, lost in thought. It was a rare opportunity for her to walk alone.
'Or maybe it would be better if she became close with Count Contarini and had at least one child?'
This was a possibility. If she grew fat and bloated, she would become ugly and Leo III would lose interest in Isabella de Contarini.
It was not for nothing that Duchess Rubina had only one child, Cesare, despite having maintained her favor for so many years.
Once you've got her pregnant, you can send her out of the capital and somehow keep her out of Leo III's sight.
'Ah! But who would like that!'
Isabella should be able to have a second child and live happily ever after because she is on good terms with Ottavio? It was when Duchess Rubina was struggling with internal conflict.
“Oh my God!”
Rubina screamed as she hit something sharp.
As she stepped back and raised her head, Prince Alfonso and his knights were passing in front of her.
The object that Rubina was stabbed with was a wooden training spear that they were carrying.
"Prince!"
Duchess Rubina, who was already in a bad mood, screamed with venom filling her.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment