“Our Bella Bella is ugly!”
Duchess Rubina instinctively reflexively refuted the King's words, then bit the tip of her tongue when she realized her mistake.
The secret of her long and enduring favor was that she never, under any circumstances, ever stood in opposition to Leo III when he did anything—including praising another woman. She quickly changed the subject.
“But Countess Contarini is really cute. She has daisies on her dog ears!”
Rubina tried her best to hide the nuance of 'That flower is the size of a fingernail, it wouldn't even get caught in a dog's ear'.
And Leo III answered with a smile from ear to ear, wondering if his efforts had been successful.
“Really? Do you think it’s cute?”
The men of the de Carlo family had very consistent tastes in women.
“She may be small, but her ideas are sparkling and she is a very promising talent!”
The Duchess of Rubina chewed on her tongue, wanting to say, 'Resources is a word reserved for unmarried women. Not her mother,' she bit her tongue, wanting to reply.
Duchess Rubina instinctively reflexively refuted the King's words, then bit the tip of her tongue when she realized her mistake.
The secret of her long and enduring favor was that she never, under any circumstances, ever stood in opposition to Leo III when he did anything—including praising another woman. She quickly changed the subject.
“But Countess Contarini is really cute. She has daisies on her dog ears!”
Rubina tried her best to hide the nuance of 'That flower is the size of a fingernail, it wouldn't even get caught in a dog's ear'.
And Leo III answered with a smile from ear to ear, wondering if his efforts had been successful.
“Really? Do you think it’s cute?”
The men of the de Carlo family had very consistent tastes in women.
“She may be small, but her ideas are sparkling and she is a very promising talent!”
The Duchess of Rubina chewed on her tongue, wanting to say, 'Resources is a word reserved for unmarried women. Not her mother,' she bit her tongue, wanting to reply.
And she smiled kindly, suppressing the twitching coming up at the corner of her mouth.
“As expected... Young people play in unique ways.”
And Leo III had no sense of humor even when he was about to eat and die.
“Unique and creative!”
He blurted out without hesitation, either not noticing the hostess's reluctance or not caring.
“I lifted the dog up high, and he was so excited, and then you know what that child did?”
The title had changed from Countess Contarini to 'that child'.
“Just pick up the dog and throw it into the air! It doesn’t take much effort and you can throw it high, so the dog has fun!”
“Oh my...”
“That dog looks so cute flailing its limbs! Hehehehe!”
“Hohohohohoho...”
Leo III shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.
“Very clever, very smart! Oh, not the dog, but the Countess Contarini.”
“Of course...”
Rubina knew she should be praising Isabella more here, but her instinctive resistance held her back.
In times like these, the way for the older woman to survive was to pretend to be generous.
If you smiled affectionately and showered the young woman with compliments, the child would inevitably end up making a mistake and fall on her own.
Duchess Rubina prided herself on being better at this job than anyone else.
She had talent and a long career in government work.
The girl smiled brightly and made it so that even Duchess Rubina was confused as to whether she really liked her or not, and then at a point not far from where Rubina expected, a 'slap' like that would explode.
If the child was pretty, it would usually try to bully Leo III, and if the child was stupid, it would usually turn to other young men and end up being rejected.
But in the case of Isabella de Contarini, she couldn't figure it out at all.
When you think she's just a brat who's relying on her looks, she surprisingly shows a cunning side, and when you think she's stupid, she shows off her tenacity and toughness as if she were crawling out of hell.
Rubina began to feel a sense of discomfort and concern that if she continued to shower her with praise, Leo III might really think that Isabella de Contarini was a wonderful woman.
At Rubina's serious expression, Leo III smiled inwardly.
In fact, Isabella had more to say in her compliments, but she kept them to herself, unsure whether she should say more or not.
But seeing Rubina's reaction, she felt better and thought it was a good idea not to tell the whole story.
“Thank you for looking at my husband so kindly.”
Countess Contarini, Isabella, bowed to Leo III in a dignified manner while her husband Ottavio was away for a moment to use the bathroom.
Leo III laughed heartily and praised Ottavio.
“There is an old saying, ‘A husband sings like his wife.’ So, if a husband has a great wife, wouldn’t he naturally be a great young man?”
Leo III added slyly.
"You can be proud of yourself for having appointed Count Contarini to a high position because of my Countess Contarini.”
Although he praised the couple, it was a puzzling story that he had given the position not because Ottavio was outstanding, but because he saw Isabella as pretty.
Leo III saw the so-called 'liver'.
“Oh my...”
Isabella blushed and lowered her head slightly. She smiled coquettishly, but her amethyst eyes were surprisingly expressionless.
Leo III tilted his head. Although he was an old rabbit who prided himself on his understanding of human psychology, he was unable to read the young woman’s emotional state very well.
However, Isabella in front of him was surprisingly beautiful. Her slender body, which made him think she was a woman who had given birth, swayed as she moved.
There was a smile on her angelic lips, almost dizzying. Leo III gave up trying to read Isabella's emotions.
To begin with, he was not a person who cared much about other people's feelings, and he was confident enough to take responsibility if something went wrong.
Leo III suddenly reached out and stroked Isabella's cheek.
"Oh!"
At this point, the decision was made.
The women who were about to cross would blush and leap into Leo III's arms, while the stiff ones, who would have been more suited to a convent than to San Carlo, would scream and make it clear which side they were on.
But Isabella de Contarini, once the owner of San Carlo's largest fish farm and a top fisherwoman, was different.
“Oh, right.”
She took Leo III's hand from her cheek and pushed it away. Then she met the King's eyes and smiled.
'?!'
Leo III was dumbfounded by the mixed reaction of positive and negative and just blinked.
And then, just as he had planned, Count Contarini returned.
When Ottavio, who was embarrassed to be absent from the King's presence, limped to his seat next to Isabella, she smiled brightly and made a fuss.
“Honey! His Majesty the King has praised you!”
Isabella stood next to Ottavio, looking at Leo III with an expression of utter love.
Isabella did not take her eyes off Leo III until the end of the tea party that day.
Even as she walked along the path holding her husband's hand, even as she praised the King's virtues for the favors he bestowed on Ottavio, even as she spoke tearfully of her mother's unfortunate death, her gaze was fixed on Leo III.
'Did she push my hand away because she knew her husband would come back?'
Leo III thought deeply.
'Were you watching your husband? No, but then why do you keep looking at me even after he came back?'
Leo III unconsciously found himself stroking the index and middle fingers of his right hand, which Isabella had grabbed and put away.
He kept thinking about the soft feel of those lovely hands.
'This... This is my first time seeing a woman like this.'
He didn't realize it, but ever since he met Isabella and came back, he had been thinking about her all along.
It was a big fish that fell into the winning formula that allowed Miss de Mare to reign as the Queen of the social world.
Isabella de Contarini, the sinful woman who stole the hearts of the men of de Carlo, is having a good time these days.
“As expected, Countess Contarini is different!”
This was because she was enjoying days when the ladies of society would unite in one mind and one purpose to support and encourage her.
Humans are truly strange. It is only natural that there are people who cling to something for specific interests.
When Count Contarini became a judge in the permanent royal court, the ladies of the families with lawsuits swarmed Isabella like bees. So far, this was understandable.
Isn't there a financial gain right in front of you? You would be the same.
But once this atmosphere was established, even people with no connection to the court rushed in like moths to try to make a good impression.
Not only did they compete for invitations to attend events like Isabella's, but they also desperately tried to win her favor with pretty words, gifts, and even money opportunities.
“Hohoho, what is it?”
“No, these merchants need to show us an example at least once.”
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro shouted at Isabella.
But her daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Montefeltro, Gabriele Dellatorre Montefeltro, just bowed her head passively and said nothing behind her. Isabella snickered.
“I guess the young Marchioness of Montefeltro is not very happy with this position?”
Gabriele suddenly looked up in surprise.
“Me, me?”
Isabella enjoyed Gabriele's embarrassment with her whole body, with a relaxed expression.
She slowly and leisurely lifted the teacup and brought it to her lips.
“Yes. You were friends with Madame Vitali when you were a virgin.”
And then she laughed bitterly.
“Are you still friends?”
Gabriele opened his eyes wide and shut her mouth tightly. This was a step on the cross to prove that she was not a believer.
Isabella's pretty eyes were speaking.
'If you want to fit in here, say it publicly. I'm not friends with merchants or Camellia.'
Gabriele also understood Isabella's words. She trembled, unable to answer.
The teacup and saucer in Gabriele's hands clanked against each other.
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro glared at her daughter-in-law with a serious expression.
Gabriele, who received that gaze, realized that the time had come for her to choose.
It was a decision between declaring that she was still friends with Camellia and breaking away from the group of noble women, including her mother-in-law, or yielding to the pressure and continuing to enjoy her natural status and wealth.
“Hey!”
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro, who could no longer bear it, urged Gabriele in a low voice while kicking the side of her shoe under her dress. In the end, Gabriele slowly lowered her head.
“...How could that be, Countess Contarini?”
Gabriele's choice was compliance. She could not abandon her family and social life for Camellia.
Ouch!
Isabella happily clapped her hands at Gabriele's submission.
“I knew that, the young Marchioness of Montefeltro, no, Gabriele.”
'Were you watching your husband? No, but then why do you keep looking at me even after he came back?'
Leo III unconsciously found himself stroking the index and middle fingers of his right hand, which Isabella had grabbed and put away.
He kept thinking about the soft feel of those lovely hands.
'This... This is my first time seeing a woman like this.'
He didn't realize it, but ever since he met Isabella and came back, he had been thinking about her all along.
It was a big fish that fell into the winning formula that allowed Miss de Mare to reign as the Queen of the social world.
***
Isabella de Contarini, the sinful woman who stole the hearts of the men of de Carlo, is having a good time these days.
“As expected, Countess Contarini is different!”
This was because she was enjoying days when the ladies of society would unite in one mind and one purpose to support and encourage her.
Humans are truly strange. It is only natural that there are people who cling to something for specific interests.
When Count Contarini became a judge in the permanent royal court, the ladies of the families with lawsuits swarmed Isabella like bees. So far, this was understandable.
Isn't there a financial gain right in front of you? You would be the same.
But once this atmosphere was established, even people with no connection to the court rushed in like moths to try to make a good impression.
Not only did they compete for invitations to attend events like Isabella's, but they also desperately tried to win her favor with pretty words, gifts, and even money opportunities.
“Hohoho, what is it?”
“No, these merchants need to show us an example at least once.”
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro shouted at Isabella.
But her daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Montefeltro, Gabriele Dellatorre Montefeltro, just bowed her head passively and said nothing behind her. Isabella snickered.
“I guess the young Marchioness of Montefeltro is not very happy with this position?”
Gabriele suddenly looked up in surprise.
“Me, me?”
Isabella enjoyed Gabriele's embarrassment with her whole body, with a relaxed expression.
She slowly and leisurely lifted the teacup and brought it to her lips.
“Yes. You were friends with Madame Vitali when you were a virgin.”
And then she laughed bitterly.
“Are you still friends?”
Gabriele opened his eyes wide and shut her mouth tightly. This was a step on the cross to prove that she was not a believer.
Isabella's pretty eyes were speaking.
'If you want to fit in here, say it publicly. I'm not friends with merchants or Camellia.'
Gabriele also understood Isabella's words. She trembled, unable to answer.
The teacup and saucer in Gabriele's hands clanked against each other.
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro glared at her daughter-in-law with a serious expression.
Gabriele, who received that gaze, realized that the time had come for her to choose.
It was a decision between declaring that she was still friends with Camellia and breaking away from the group of noble women, including her mother-in-law, or yielding to the pressure and continuing to enjoy her natural status and wealth.
“Hey!”
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro, who could no longer bear it, urged Gabriele in a low voice while kicking the side of her shoe under her dress. In the end, Gabriele slowly lowered her head.
“...How could that be, Countess Contarini?”
Gabriele's choice was compliance. She could not abandon her family and social life for Camellia.
Ouch!
Isabella happily clapped her hands at Gabriele's submission.
“I knew that, the young Marchioness of Montefeltro, no, Gabriele.”
She said with a bright smile.
“We were close when we were kids.”
This statement had several implications.
It was Isabella's sarcasm that said, "As far as I know about your character, you would never side with your friend at the expense of your own interests," but it was also Isabella's attempt to persuade her to take her side now that she would treat her like a friend from her childhood.
Isabella added, almost in a whisper, but loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.
“If things go wrong today, I will assume that Gabriele had warned Madame Vitali in advance.”
She looked around for sympathy.
“We’re not the type of people who interact with merchants often, and there’s nowhere else we can go to get away from, right?”
It was a statement that clearly distinguished between 'them' and 'us'. The ladies agreed as if it was a given.
A cold sweat broke out on Gabriele's back. The old Marchioness of Montefeltro heard Isabella's words and shouted out her assurance.
“Ah, how could that be, Countess Contarini!”
The old Marchioness of Montefeltro was in a position where if her daughter-in-law fell out of favor with Isabella, she would have to be bundled up with Gabriele, whether she liked it or not. This was the family and the marriage line.
“My child is not that judgmental!”
But Isabella did not give in easily even to the old Marchioness of Montefeltro.
“That, we’ll have to wait and see.”
Isabella spread out her fan and covered her face to avoid the gaze of the old Marchioness of Montefeltro. She turned around.
“Shall we go and look at the traps?”
Now it was time to move to the 'party hall'. The ladies all laughed.
“Hahahahahaha!”
“Hohoho! I can’t wait!”
Isabella also laughed and took a step forward. The noble ladies followed her in groups of three or five.
Only Gabriele was standing there, trembling with a pale face, unable to move.
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