When Alfonso said that if the Grand Duke Odes did not allow the break-off of the engagement, he would reveal his offer of succession to the Gallico throne to Philip IV, Raphael stared blankly at Alfonso for a long time.
“...Move?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, you’re going to blow up Odes’s proposal by telling Philip about it. That’s not something you would do. That’s something that only Miss Ari would do!”
Raphael tilted his head and muttered absentmindedly.
“If I do... will it move?”
“Raphael!”
At that moment, the cushion thrown by Ariadne hit Raphael in the face.
“I didn’t know you were that kind of person! I’m disappointed!”
Ariadne picked up the next cushion and tried to pounce on Raphael. Alfonso hugged her.
He tried to stop her with his body, but with his mouth, he said things that were unclear whether he was trying to stop her or encourage her.
“That’s because he’s been stuck in a monastery. Humans are becoming more and more distant from nobility... and more and more base...”
Raphael was startled and took two steps back.
“No! No! What are you imagining?”
He screamed.
“If you love me, will it spread?”
Ariadne, who had been listening to Raphael reciting the sentences one by one, grabbed the cushion and struggled with Alfonso, but suddenly stopped moving.
Raphael shouted with a blushing face.
“Hey, who the hell is that perverted devil calling me mean right now? And he even wrote it as a couple!”
Ariadne lowered her head, her face flushed, and Alfonso turned his head to the side and whistled.
“Ah, really, when I entered the monastery, not only was I obscene, but all romanticism froze over... I lived a very healthy life, meditating six hours a day... I kept hearing people say I was low...”
Ariadne thought, covering her face.
'Ah... I want to die...'
It was a thought she had never had, not even when she had been humiliated by Lucrezia and Isabella, not even when she had become the target of Leo III, not even when she had been troubled by Elko's sowing of discord.
'I wish it would just seep into the floor...'
Ariadne was the type who burned when things were difficult, but was weak when things were shameful.
There was a buzz outside, with Raphael squawking and Alfonso babbling something. After a while, Raphael returned to his calm tone.
“But, Alfonso.”
Fortunately, Raphael changed the subject. In fact, he had returned it after seeing Ariadne digging the ground, but she did not know that.
“If you keep yelling like that, won’t your relationship with Grand Duke Odes really get worse?”
Alfonso nodded.
“Yes. Because it’s an open threat.”
Raphael frowned.
“Would he just sit still after being rejected like that by you?”
Raphael advised.
“Instead of trying to break off the engagement right now, why don’t you put it off for a while by beating around the bush?”
“Raphael.”
Alfonso answered in a subdued voice.
“I appreciate your advice, but it’s out of my options.”
He had no intention of throwing Ariadne into any more complicated situations. He was going to give her complete confidence.
He felt so sorry for her that he couldn't announce the wedding to the world and give her the crown of the Princess right away.
A valid legal marriage was the least he could give Ariadne right away. That would require getting rid of Lariesa.
“But Alfonso.”
Raphael asked again cautiously.
“If I were to hear you say, ‘If you don’t formalize the break-off, I’ll tell everything to Philip,’ I’d kill Philip quickly and get rid of him before you could tell the King.”
If Philip were removed, there would be no one left in Gallico except Odes.
He will procure a cousin from somewhere and install a puppet King, and after installing a foreigner, he will become the real ruler of the Kingdom of Gallico.
“Ultimately, after Philip’s death, Odes will have no choice but to take power. If Odes is hastily forced into a coup d’état because of you, will he have good feelings toward you?”
But Alfonso answered leisurely. He also had his own plan.
“That part was taken care of by Philip IV.”
Alfonso chuckled.
“If the ‘Law of Allemands’ is passed, the successor will be Philip’s illegitimate child, so whoever Grand Duke Odes brings with him will be the illegitimate child. Will Philip and his illegitimate child tolerate Odes’s regency?”
In Alfonso's opinion, Odes had no choice but to be pushed out.
“If the Allemand law is passed, illegitimate children will be able to marry their parents.”
This was why Alfonso was not moved when he heard of the Allemand law that would have threatened Duke Cesare's position.
Alfonso was confident that he would not be pushed around by the likes of Cesare, and Ariadne was far more important to him.
He kissed Ariadne on the forehead.
“If the date of the pardon is right, you will be able to move around more comfortably.”
Alfonso's consideration was appreciated. His lips, touching her forehead, were incredibly warm.
So Ariadne had to bite the inside of her mouth before telling Alfonso the bad news.
“That’s...”
Ariadne opened her mouth with a troubled expression.
“‘Illegitimate Jean is... difficult.”
Alfonso's expression became ambiguous.
“He's young?”
How young is he?
“Considering Philip’s age and the fact that he is trying to establish himself as his successor so soon, he must be sixteen years old...”
Ariadne shook her head.
“At most, four or five years old. He can’t be that old.”
Alfonso's expression became complicated. What Ariadne was saying now did not make sense.
Philip IV is still young, but he is trying to give his illegitimate child the right of succession by going to the extreme of obtaining a general pardon under the Allemand Laws, and he is so young...?
Ariadne continued speaking slowly.
“That’s... ‘Illegitimate Jean’s mother is... Princess Auguste.”
Alfonso and Raphael's expressions changed to that of someone who had eaten something slightly inedible. Raphael made a strange noise.
“Yes?”
Alfonso groaned.
“So that’s why...”
Several strange circumstances that had been plausible when the marriage talks with the Kingdom of Gallico were finally put into perspective.
Prince Alfonso and Princess Auguste were cousins and could not marry under canon law, but in fact, this was not a problem if they obtained special permission from the Pope.
It is not that there were no cases in history where cousins or second cousins married with the permission of the Pope.
However, the Kingdom of Gallico refused to put Princess Auguste up for sale.
He even made the extremely complicated proposal of adopting the Grand Duchess of Lariesa as his adopted daughter and then obtaining special permission from the Pope.
And the way Princess Auguste looked at him when he visited the Kingdom of Gallico.
Prince Alfonso grew up surrounded by girls who looked at him with fond eyes.
Some women pretend not to care, but he's never seen a woman who truly hates him.
But Auguste really wasn't interested in him at all.
On the contrary, Philip was more conscious of him. Auguste's gaze was the very definition of indifference. It was because everyone had a master.
Alfonso's brow furrowed.
“So, you’re saying that you’ll remain in office as regent whether or not the Allemand Law passes?”
He shook his head. That didn't stop him.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. A guy like Oded can’t do anything to me. Right away, tomorrow...”
“Just a moment. Wait a minute.”
It was Raphael who interrupted Alfonso.
“It would be useless if the Allemand law of amnesty were to pass, but if it were still impossible to allow illegitimate children to succeed...”
Ariadne pricked up her ears. Raphael was not a man to talk nonsense.
“I think you guys should meet Julia, or rather, Julia’s boyfriend.”
Ariadne asked in surprise.
“Julia has a boyfriend?!”
It was her friend who used to go around lamenting that there weren't any decent men around.
Julia said that all the seats her parents brought were for old, ugly men, and asked them to figure out a way to avoid seeing the seats...
Raphael looked slightly embarrassed.
“It was a secret from Ari, too.”
But with the fate of the country at stake, his younger sister's private life was not important. No, protecting her younger sister's private life up until now was enough.
“Um... He’s a nobleman from Gallico. Ask him directly for more details.”
Raphael added.
“I think this might give you some clues to the situation.”
The story that Philip IV had requested the 'Allemand Amnesty' from Pope Louis XIV spread slowly, but at the speed of light, throughout the Central Continent.
This was because the Pope, who had purged all of his existing associates, was unable to discipline the new associates, and because Philip was trying to create a theological basis for demanding a general amnesty under the Allemand law.
It was also because it leaked out from the theologians who commissioned the project and the monasteries they belonged.
And this story quickly spread to those who most desperately wanted the illegitimate child to be allowed to succeed.
“Mother, did you hear that?”
Duke Cesare called out to Duchess Rubina in a voice that was racing with excitement. The Duchess answered calmly.
“Why did you come to me first?”
“I’m talking about the ‘Allemanf Law Amnesty’!”
At those words, Duchess Rubina perked up her ears.
“Allemand amnesty?”
She knew what the Law of Allemand was. It was that damned church law that kept her son from ascending the throne.
“You are now the King’s nephew, so it has nothing to do with...”
“If the law of Allemand is properly implemented through a great pardon, I will no longer be the King’s nephew, but the king’s eldest son!”
Cesare cried out in a voice full of joy.
“The King’s eldest son! The son of my mother!”
The King's first child. The first son. He may be higher in the line of succession than Prince Alfonso, who was born from the Queen's body.
Greed flashed across Rubina's eyes.
“This is not the time. You do know that the Allemand law of amnesty is issued for a specific year, right?”
It was the first time Rubina had heard of it. Cesare briefly explained to his mother the method of the general amnesty.
“Usually, a general pardon is issued under the pretext that there is something to celebrate. It is designated as ‘the grace of the Holy Spirit has descended, so a general pardon is issued for that period’, for a certain year or from a certain year to a certain year.
His eyes blazed with ambition.
“A general amnesty should be granted, including my lifetime.”
It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or maybe he'll die without meeting it. He can't miss it.
“Mother, you must persuade His Majesty the King.”
And this realization—that this opportunity would not come twice—was shared by his mother, Rubina said in a determined voice.
“I’ll go right away.”
“...Move?”
“What are you talking about?”
“No, you’re going to blow up Odes’s proposal by telling Philip about it. That’s not something you would do. That’s something that only Miss Ari would do!”
Raphael tilted his head and muttered absentmindedly.
“If I do... will it move?”
“Raphael!”
At that moment, the cushion thrown by Ariadne hit Raphael in the face.
“I didn’t know you were that kind of person! I’m disappointed!”
Ariadne picked up the next cushion and tried to pounce on Raphael. Alfonso hugged her.
He tried to stop her with his body, but with his mouth, he said things that were unclear whether he was trying to stop her or encourage her.
“That’s because he’s been stuck in a monastery. Humans are becoming more and more distant from nobility... and more and more base...”
Raphael was startled and took two steps back.
“No! No! What are you imagining?”
He screamed.
“If you love me, will it spread?”
Ariadne, who had been listening to Raphael reciting the sentences one by one, grabbed the cushion and struggled with Alfonso, but suddenly stopped moving.
Raphael shouted with a blushing face.
“Hey, who the hell is that perverted devil calling me mean right now? And he even wrote it as a couple!”
Ariadne lowered her head, her face flushed, and Alfonso turned his head to the side and whistled.
“Ah, really, when I entered the monastery, not only was I obscene, but all romanticism froze over... I lived a very healthy life, meditating six hours a day... I kept hearing people say I was low...”
Ariadne thought, covering her face.
'Ah... I want to die...'
It was a thought she had never had, not even when she had been humiliated by Lucrezia and Isabella, not even when she had become the target of Leo III, not even when she had been troubled by Elko's sowing of discord.
'I wish it would just seep into the floor...'
Ariadne was the type who burned when things were difficult, but was weak when things were shameful.
There was a buzz outside, with Raphael squawking and Alfonso babbling something. After a while, Raphael returned to his calm tone.
“But, Alfonso.”
Fortunately, Raphael changed the subject. In fact, he had returned it after seeing Ariadne digging the ground, but she did not know that.
“If you keep yelling like that, won’t your relationship with Grand Duke Odes really get worse?”
Alfonso nodded.
“Yes. Because it’s an open threat.”
Raphael frowned.
“Would he just sit still after being rejected like that by you?”
Raphael advised.
“Instead of trying to break off the engagement right now, why don’t you put it off for a while by beating around the bush?”
“Raphael.”
Alfonso answered in a subdued voice.
“I appreciate your advice, but it’s out of my options.”
He had no intention of throwing Ariadne into any more complicated situations. He was going to give her complete confidence.
He felt so sorry for her that he couldn't announce the wedding to the world and give her the crown of the Princess right away.
A valid legal marriage was the least he could give Ariadne right away. That would require getting rid of Lariesa.
“But Alfonso.”
Raphael asked again cautiously.
“If I were to hear you say, ‘If you don’t formalize the break-off, I’ll tell everything to Philip,’ I’d kill Philip quickly and get rid of him before you could tell the King.”
If Philip were removed, there would be no one left in Gallico except Odes.
He will procure a cousin from somewhere and install a puppet King, and after installing a foreigner, he will become the real ruler of the Kingdom of Gallico.
“Ultimately, after Philip’s death, Odes will have no choice but to take power. If Odes is hastily forced into a coup d’état because of you, will he have good feelings toward you?”
But Alfonso answered leisurely. He also had his own plan.
“That part was taken care of by Philip IV.”
Alfonso chuckled.
“If the ‘Law of Allemands’ is passed, the successor will be Philip’s illegitimate child, so whoever Grand Duke Odes brings with him will be the illegitimate child. Will Philip and his illegitimate child tolerate Odes’s regency?”
In Alfonso's opinion, Odes had no choice but to be pushed out.
“If the Allemand law is passed, illegitimate children will be able to marry their parents.”
This was why Alfonso was not moved when he heard of the Allemand law that would have threatened Duke Cesare's position.
Alfonso was confident that he would not be pushed around by the likes of Cesare, and Ariadne was far more important to him.
He kissed Ariadne on the forehead.
“If the date of the pardon is right, you will be able to move around more comfortably.”
Alfonso's consideration was appreciated. His lips, touching her forehead, were incredibly warm.
So Ariadne had to bite the inside of her mouth before telling Alfonso the bad news.
“That’s...”
Ariadne opened her mouth with a troubled expression.
“‘Illegitimate Jean is... difficult.”
Alfonso's expression became ambiguous.
“He's young?”
How young is he?
“Considering Philip’s age and the fact that he is trying to establish himself as his successor so soon, he must be sixteen years old...”
Ariadne shook her head.
“At most, four or five years old. He can’t be that old.”
Alfonso's expression became complicated. What Ariadne was saying now did not make sense.
Philip IV is still young, but he is trying to give his illegitimate child the right of succession by going to the extreme of obtaining a general pardon under the Allemand Laws, and he is so young...?
Ariadne continued speaking slowly.
“That’s... ‘Illegitimate Jean’s mother is... Princess Auguste.”
Alfonso and Raphael's expressions changed to that of someone who had eaten something slightly inedible. Raphael made a strange noise.
“Yes?”
Alfonso groaned.
“So that’s why...”
Several strange circumstances that had been plausible when the marriage talks with the Kingdom of Gallico were finally put into perspective.
Prince Alfonso and Princess Auguste were cousins and could not marry under canon law, but in fact, this was not a problem if they obtained special permission from the Pope.
It is not that there were no cases in history where cousins or second cousins married with the permission of the Pope.
However, the Kingdom of Gallico refused to put Princess Auguste up for sale.
He even made the extremely complicated proposal of adopting the Grand Duchess of Lariesa as his adopted daughter and then obtaining special permission from the Pope.
And the way Princess Auguste looked at him when he visited the Kingdom of Gallico.
Prince Alfonso grew up surrounded by girls who looked at him with fond eyes.
Some women pretend not to care, but he's never seen a woman who truly hates him.
But Auguste really wasn't interested in him at all.
On the contrary, Philip was more conscious of him. Auguste's gaze was the very definition of indifference. It was because everyone had a master.
Alfonso's brow furrowed.
“So, you’re saying that you’ll remain in office as regent whether or not the Allemand Law passes?”
He shook his head. That didn't stop him.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. A guy like Oded can’t do anything to me. Right away, tomorrow...”
“Just a moment. Wait a minute.”
It was Raphael who interrupted Alfonso.
“It would be useless if the Allemand law of amnesty were to pass, but if it were still impossible to allow illegitimate children to succeed...”
Ariadne pricked up her ears. Raphael was not a man to talk nonsense.
“I think you guys should meet Julia, or rather, Julia’s boyfriend.”
Ariadne asked in surprise.
“Julia has a boyfriend?!”
It was her friend who used to go around lamenting that there weren't any decent men around.
Julia said that all the seats her parents brought were for old, ugly men, and asked them to figure out a way to avoid seeing the seats...
Raphael looked slightly embarrassed.
“It was a secret from Ari, too.”
But with the fate of the country at stake, his younger sister's private life was not important. No, protecting her younger sister's private life up until now was enough.
“Um... He’s a nobleman from Gallico. Ask him directly for more details.”
Raphael added.
“I think this might give you some clues to the situation.”
***
The story that Philip IV had requested the 'Allemand Amnesty' from Pope Louis XIV spread slowly, but at the speed of light, throughout the Central Continent.
This was because the Pope, who had purged all of his existing associates, was unable to discipline the new associates, and because Philip was trying to create a theological basis for demanding a general amnesty under the Allemand law.
It was also because it leaked out from the theologians who commissioned the project and the monasteries they belonged.
And this story quickly spread to those who most desperately wanted the illegitimate child to be allowed to succeed.
“Mother, did you hear that?”
Duke Cesare called out to Duchess Rubina in a voice that was racing with excitement. The Duchess answered calmly.
“Why did you come to me first?”
“I’m talking about the ‘Allemanf Law Amnesty’!”
At those words, Duchess Rubina perked up her ears.
“Allemand amnesty?”
She knew what the Law of Allemand was. It was that damned church law that kept her son from ascending the throne.
“You are now the King’s nephew, so it has nothing to do with...”
“If the law of Allemand is properly implemented through a great pardon, I will no longer be the King’s nephew, but the king’s eldest son!”
Cesare cried out in a voice full of joy.
“The King’s eldest son! The son of my mother!”
The King's first child. The first son. He may be higher in the line of succession than Prince Alfonso, who was born from the Queen's body.
Greed flashed across Rubina's eyes.
“This is not the time. You do know that the Allemand law of amnesty is issued for a specific year, right?”
It was the first time Rubina had heard of it. Cesare briefly explained to his mother the method of the general amnesty.
“Usually, a general pardon is issued under the pretext that there is something to celebrate. It is designated as ‘the grace of the Holy Spirit has descended, so a general pardon is issued for that period’, for a certain year or from a certain year to a certain year.
His eyes blazed with ambition.
“A general amnesty should be granted, including my lifetime.”
It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, or maybe he'll die without meeting it. He can't miss it.
“Mother, you must persuade His Majesty the King.”
And this realization—that this opportunity would not come twice—was shared by his mother, Rubina said in a determined voice.
“I’ll go right away.”
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