Chapter 347 - Reasonable Doubt

A long time passed as they greeted each other and talked about various recent events. It was only after this that Julia cautiously began to cry.

“Actually, the reason I asked to meet you today is because I have something to tell you.”

“What...?”

Ariadne's eyes were rather bright, but Julia always thought her face was innocent.

She seemed to know everything about the world, yet she was vulnerable in the most absurd places.

“I thought for a long time about whether I should tell you or not...”

Julia paused for a moment.

“I think I need to know to prepare.”

She finally opened her mouth. Her voice was heavy.

"The Duchess of Rubina has been talking to Prince Alfonso the other day. I hear you and the Duke of Cesare are friends and that... You must have a deep connection."

Ariadne's green eyes widened dramatically. Her first emotion was astonishment.

"What?"

Whatever her circumstances, Rubina was the Duchess of Pisano and the most senior woman in the Etruscan kingdom. She had a certain dignity to uphold.

Besides, Alfonso was—if Rubina was so inclined—her son.

It was definitely not a topic the Duchess would bring up with a member of the royal family who was young enough to be her son.

Julia completely agreed with Ariadne's initial impressions, but she remained calm and focused on conveying the situation.

“Didn’t you remember that time when Duke Cesare and my brother fought at the ball hosted by Duchess Rubina?”

Ariadne's expression distorted.

“There was. But?”

“She distorted it into something like a fight over love and other things.”

That day, Ariadne had been noticed by others for her shabby attire. It was also true that she thought it might harm her reputation.

But in the end, what happened that day was not a decisive blow. It was on a different level from being caught red-handed in front of everyone like Isabella.

So Ariadne thought that at best this would be nothing more than a rumor spread secretly in high society by mobilizing noble ladies.

She never dreamed that it would come out of Rubina's mouth and that it would be used so directly.

“You crazy person!”

Aftershock came anger.

Rubina, she was a woman who had no dignity whatsoever. Furthermore, it was certain that her mind was full of lustful demons.

“They say that when someone has jaundice, the whole world looks yellow!”

“She must have been like that at balls when she was young.”

Julia spat out sarcastically.

“There’s a lot of talk about Duchess Rubina’s previous job. And about the place where she first met His Majesty the King.”

Ariadne, whose parents were Cardinal de Mare, who had come up from the provinces, did not know the details, but Julia, who was the daughter of a noble family in the capital, had heard rumors about the city from her parents.

And she, who never liked Ariadne's ex-boyfriend, added a word.

“Just by looking at her home education, the Duchess’ usual beliefs are obvious.”

The man who created the most famous ball scandal in San Carlo, or rather in the Central Continent, was the son of the Duchess Rubina.

If Ariadne's recent incident is considered a ball scandal, it would be her second criminal offense.

Of course, Cardinal de Mare, who implicated both of his daughters, cannot escape the suspicion of a shoddy upbringing, but at least he was not the one in charge of their upbringing.

Julia returned to the story of that day.

“Fortunately, the Prince dismissed it by saying, ‘I already know everything because she told me all about it.’”

But something about this part was off. Something about the puzzle didn't fit.

This was because Julia was certain that if Ariadne had become intimate with Duke Cesare, she would have told her.

Despite the risk of making things awkward for her friend, the fear that Ariadne might be completely unaware of the situation is what brought her here today.

“Actually... you two didn’t talk, did you?”

After her anger subsided, Ariadne could not hide her shock. Her face was on the verge of tears. She threw herself.

“We didn’t have that kind of conversation.”

It was a heartbreaking scene. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“There’s no way I could have said such an ugly thing.”

She had to explain to the man she loved that she had never had sex with his older brother... It was embarrassing and sad to even imagine.

But if she were to just pretend not to know and move on, she couldn't help but feel concerned that Alfonso hadn't even laid a finger on her lately.

She hated Rubina so much that she wanted to kill her for pushing everything to this point. Julia consoled Ariadne.

“Do you want to talk to me? Or do you want to take a break?”

Julia couldn't even imagine Ariadne's feelings.

If it were Julia, she would have stayed in bed and not shown her face to the social world for about six years.

Julia knew Ariadne could handle anything, but this was something that would directly affect her reputation.

It was something closer to the essence, something like the root of the noble daughter's fundamental pride.

It was fundamentally different from things like politics or business, which are cool if you can do them, but you don't necessarily have to do them well.

“No, no no.”

Ariadne stood up, wiping away her tears.

“Alfonso and... I need to talk to Alfonso.”

Julia looked at Ariadne in surprise.

“Like this?”

Ariadne nodded. Julia didn't even dare to dissuade her. After all, it was something she had to go through at least once.

It was the day when Ariadne first chose to confront Alfonso head-on.

*** 

“Ari, is there something urgent?”

From Alfonso's perspective, it was a situation where his girlfriend, who he had broken up with less than an hour ago, had asked to meet again. It was natural for him to ask that question.

But from Ariadne's point of view, every little word was regrettable.

“Let’s talk.”

The voice was noticeably quiet. Alfonso's blue-gray eyes also sank at Ariadne's expression.

He asked.

“Shall we go somewhere quiet?”

The place Alfonso led her to in the Prince's palace was his audience room, which further fueled Ariadne's frustration.

'It's not a reception room, it's not a private space, it's a meeting room...'

This is the space where the petitioners come in. It is not a private place at all.

Ariadne's mood became extremely low at the thought that Alfonso was drawing a line against her.

The palace servant left after serving two cups of tea, and she quietly moistened her lips.

But her mouth wouldn't open. She couldn't just shout, 'I've never slept with Cesare.' After sitting there for a while, she finally said the following:

“...Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Alfonso, on the other hand, doubted his own ears. He finished his date without incident in the morning and safely returned Ariadne to the Countess's residence.

He even gave her a ring as a gift. This change in his girlfriend's attitude was like a bolt from the blue.

Did you not like the ring? Should I have bought you a necklace and earrings as a set? Was it too hard to ride the carriage too far?

Should I have focused only on dating rather than going to inspect the people's lives and do other things?

Countless thoughts passed through Alfonso's mind, but none of them seemed right.

“Well... I don’t know?”

Alfonso's low voice answered carefully.

“Nothing in particular, I have nothing to say.”

But to Ariadne's ears, this sounded like a firm evasion. She bit her lip to suppress the emotions that were surging up.

Tears welled up in her large green eyes. Alfonso grabbed Ariadne's hand in shock.

“Ari, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

This was an unexpected action.

Alfonso's bare hand felt thick and warm beyond her gloves, and his body temperature gave Ariadne courage.

“...A few days ago.”

She opened her mouth cautiously. Alfonso listened attentively and held Ariadne's hand tightly.

Just enough that she didn't feel sick, but enough that she felt affection. Ariadne's sentences were powerful.

“...I heard that you spoke to Duchess Rubina. She talked about Cesare.”

At those words, Alfonso's expression immediately turned cold.

The strength left Alfonso's hand, which was holding Ariadne's. Ariadne's heart thumped and shook.

She managed to pull her hand out of Alfonso's grasp before he could let go of hers.

After a brief moment of silence—which to Ariadne felt like an eternity—Alfonso spoke briefly.

“Can you call that a ‘conversation’?”

From Alfonso's perspective, it was more like Rubina's excretion than a conversation.

However, Ariadne, who was watching Alfonso's expression closely, had sweat dripping down her temples.

She struggled to put the words together, fighting both a sense of guilt and fear.

“About that... I think I have something to explain.”

Ariadne came here vowing never to use the word 'explanation' again.

No matter how much she thought about it, there was no 'explanation' for this matter.

Her engagement with Cesare was a result of external forces majeure, and the incident at the ballroom that Rubina took issue with was ultimately caused by her refusal to accept Cesare's request for a relationship.

She was going to 'explain' but not clarify.

But when she saw Alfonso unable to hide his anger right in front of her, she felt like a sinner for no reason and took a step back before he could say anything.

“As the Duchess said, it is true that I had a deep relationship with Cesare...”

“That’s it.”

Alfonso unexpectedly raised his hand to stop Ariadne from speaking. He looked at Ariadne and spoke carefully.

“That’s something that’s already been sorted out inside me.”

His turquoise eyes were so deep that it was difficult to tell whether Alfonso was telling the truth or a well-crafted lie.

Alfonso continued speaking slowly, looking at Ariadne's shaking pupils.

“If I had been so concerned about your engagement to the Duke of Pisano, I would not have returned to San Carlo and never seen you again.”

After saying this, he let out a short sigh.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing. I don’t want to know the details, so let’s just end the conversation here.”

Ariadne opened her mouth slightly and looked at Alfonso. It was a pleasant story to hear.

It was a story that fit perfectly. It sounded like the dictionary definition of a 'good man', something she had never even imagined.

But one mystery remained unsolved. Ariadne couldn't hold back any longer and asked:

“Then let me ask you one thing.”

She took a deep breath.

“Why don’t you touch me these days?”

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