“Lariesa de Valoa. Tomorrow, someone from the Holy See’s inner chambers will be sent to ask you some questions.”
Princess Lariesa, no, Lariesa of Valoa, daughter of the commoner Odes, was brought to the convent inside Trevero.
Clank!
The nun in charge of Lariesa watched her with her white eyes as she closed the door. The old wooden door slammed shut with a loud noise.
The Catanza convent where Lariesa was imprisoned was not a concentration camp for noblewomen who had committed crimes, as was often the case with monasteries that housed high-ranking women.
This place was actually closer to an arena for elite nuns from all over the central continent to gather.
There was a lot of internal conflict over rankings, promotion order, and job allocation in education.
Naturally, the atmosphere was extremely solemn. Even Lariesa, whose cognitive function was now impaired, could tell.
'Everyone's crazy... They... They hate me!'
However, even if the phenomenon was recognized, the direction of the conclusion reached was not normal.
If you think and act like that, it will eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Lariesa shivered in her private room in the small convent surrounded by stones.
The nun in charge of Lariesa, who was very unhappy with the work she had been assigned, gave Lariesa an order.
“Change your clothes.”
The nun in charge held out the simple novice nun's robe.
“The arrogant and extravagant clothing you are wearing now is not permitted here, Lady Lariesa.”
To those words, Lariesa reacted harshly.
“Your Highness! Call me Your Highness Princess Lariesa!”
But her screams, which had made all the mansions of Montpellier tremble, were of no use here.
The nun in charge, whose best courtesy had been to give her a title of honor rather than call her 'Valoa', looked down at Lariesa with a look of contempt.
When the scolding didn't work, Lariesa screamed and sat down on the bed, stamping her feet.
It was an explosive anger that made her wonder when she had ever been so sluggish and lethargic. However, the nun in charge did not even blink at Lariesa’s cruelty and tyranny.
Without even responding, the nun handed Lariesa the novice's clothes.
Lariesa held out without accepting it.
The nun in charge didn't scold Lariesa, didn't get angry at her, didn't beg her to accept it. She just held out the robe and took her hand away.
The clothes fell to the floor with a thud. It was a cold stone floor with chills seeping up from it.
In the narrow room, where the only source of light was the dark blue moonlight outside the window, the nun in charge spoke stiffly.
“Come out for morning prayer at 4:30 AM. No individual activity is permitted. That’s it.”
The nun turned fiercely and left the room.
Boom!
The door closed, and Lariesa, left alone, shivered from the cold air in the room.
The weather was transitioning from late summer to early fall, but the stone-clad room was incredibly cold. Not even a thick, top-of-the-line silk dress could keep out the cold.
Lariesa had no choice but to cover herself with the thin blanket that was neatly folded on the rag bed. She shivered as she thought.
'Why did it turn out like this?'
Where did it all go wrong? She just wanted to be a woman worthy of a Prince... She couldn't stand feeling so unfortunate. She started to sob.
The more she cried, the sadder she felt. She felt like she was the main character in the fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid'.
I have done nothing but treat you well... I have done nothing but love you, and I have done nothing but support you...
As the thought reached her head, Lariesa suddenly felt a surge of anger.
Despite all her devotion, Prince Alfonso chose the fox! All the sacrifices she made for Alfonso were in vain.
Because that evil and cunning thing took everything without lifting a finger!
How dare she say, 'It's because you don't know love' after stealing someone else's place like that?
Ariadne de Mare was a show-off who talked about love, but it wasn't funny.
She just holds the secret to happiness and doesn't reveal it to anyone else.
She must have been acting coy to others while secretly learning skin-beautifying herbs from the Moore Continent and the art of bewitching men! Otherwise, this whole situation would have made no sense!
Lariesa was furious once again. What a con artist!
Her blood pressure suddenly spiked, and she started pulling out her own hair.
No! It's not just the fox that's the problem. Prince Alfonso! He's the root of all evil.
You're a guy who only chases after pretty girls' butts, and you rejected me and ruined my family just because I wasn't as pretty as an angel in the Bible! You act noble and chase after the butts of illegitimate children! A believer who is faithful to the teachings of Yesak could not do this.
You are a piece of trash with weak faith! You are a thug who pretends to be faithful!
“Everyone must know about Prince Alfonso!”
Lariesa clenched her fists and jumped to her feet.
Her world was black or white.
Either the greatest, most perfect man in the world or the worst bastard in the world. Alfonso, who was the former, has now become the latter in Lariesa's mind.
She was going to let everyone know.
How did Alfonso de Carlo deliberately seduce this poor woman, receive all the patronage of the Grand Duke's family, and then trade her for a younger woman?
Lariesa looked around with bloodshot eyes. She happened to see the clothes of a novice nun that the nun in charge had left behind.
'Escape...'
The nun in charge clearly said, 'Come out tomorrow morning for prayer time.' That meant that Lariesa was not locked up.
'I can't go back to my mother and father... I'll get in trouble...'
The House of Valoa was soon to be annihilated. Grand Duchess Bernadette would not have a head or neck attached to her by this time next week.
Grand Duke Odes would be grateful if he could just kill her. But Lariesa was worried that she would get in trouble. Her thoughts were extremely fragmented.
'The Pope is in cahoots with that damn bitch.'
Lariesa thought the Etruscans were banding together to sabotage her. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to side with that strange woman over her noble self.
'Galicco, I must find my compatriot, the Galicco.'
Philip IV seemed uninterested in Larisea's turbid mind. She thought of someone else instead.
'Archbishop of Montpellier...?'
He was the same man who had previously reported Queen Margaret's letter to King Philip IV, putting the Queen in a difficult position.
Apart from that, Lariesa was also someone who quite liked Suzanne when she was young, even though she was overshadowed by her.
Despite the confusion and disillusionment, Lariesa somehow managed to come up with a plan.
'With the help of the Archbishop of Montpellier, I will show the entire Central Continent how horrible a man Alfonso de Carlo is!'
Now, Lariesa's judgment was wrong for all the reasons, but the conclusion was right. It was similar to turning 180 degrees twice and then coming back to the right direction.
The Archbishop of Montpellier, who had 'adored' the young Lariesa in the past, was never the man to help her now, but he was the first to remain silent when Cardinal de Mare's path to the papal throne became apparent.
Lariesa spent years devouring the personal letters of Ariadne de Mare and Alfonso de Carlo.
No one doesn't get dust when they brush their teeth. There must be something there.
Even if it was a reasonable judgment that relief food was delivered to a certain region first, causing other regions to starve to death, the region that starved to death would not have thought that way, so they could have created noise somehow.
Lariesa was of use to the Archbishop of Montpellier.
In order to obtain that cooperation, the Archbishop of Montpellier will also grant Lariesa's wishes to some extent.
Without knowing how she would be used, Lariesa struggled to get up. Her heart was beating strangely.
'Why did it turn out like this?'
She was happy to refuse food. The joy that she could become beautiful if she tried. The relief that there was a way. It was the first time in her life that she felt that way.
“Ugh...!”
Even after doing all that, the image of herself reflected in the glass was not just ordinary, it was shabby, and not just shabby, it was disgusting.
Was the direction of the effort the problem? Were the words of that foolish woman true in the end?
“Ugh!”
Lariesa fell to the stone floor, clutching her left chest with both hands. The feeling of a knife cutting into her chest was excruciating.
The feeling soon spread throughout her entire upper body, but Lariesa could no longer feel anything.
She moved once like a frog struck by lightning, but that was it.
Aged 23, died of a heart attack.
Every life begins with the potential to blossom, but some lives fade away without ever bearing fruit.
That was the end of Lariesa de Valoa, the daughter of Odes, who was born with much but bore no fruit.
Princess Lariesa, no, Lariesa of Valoa, daughter of the commoner Odes, was brought to the convent inside Trevero.
Clank!
The nun in charge of Lariesa watched her with her white eyes as she closed the door. The old wooden door slammed shut with a loud noise.
The Catanza convent where Lariesa was imprisoned was not a concentration camp for noblewomen who had committed crimes, as was often the case with monasteries that housed high-ranking women.
This place was actually closer to an arena for elite nuns from all over the central continent to gather.
There was a lot of internal conflict over rankings, promotion order, and job allocation in education.
Naturally, the atmosphere was extremely solemn. Even Lariesa, whose cognitive function was now impaired, could tell.
'Everyone's crazy... They... They hate me!'
However, even if the phenomenon was recognized, the direction of the conclusion reached was not normal.
If you think and act like that, it will eventually become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Lariesa shivered in her private room in the small convent surrounded by stones.
The nun in charge of Lariesa, who was very unhappy with the work she had been assigned, gave Lariesa an order.
“Change your clothes.”
The nun in charge held out the simple novice nun's robe.
“The arrogant and extravagant clothing you are wearing now is not permitted here, Lady Lariesa.”
To those words, Lariesa reacted harshly.
“Your Highness! Call me Your Highness Princess Lariesa!”
But her screams, which had made all the mansions of Montpellier tremble, were of no use here.
The nun in charge, whose best courtesy had been to give her a title of honor rather than call her 'Valoa', looked down at Lariesa with a look of contempt.
When the scolding didn't work, Lariesa screamed and sat down on the bed, stamping her feet.
It was an explosive anger that made her wonder when she had ever been so sluggish and lethargic. However, the nun in charge did not even blink at Lariesa’s cruelty and tyranny.
Without even responding, the nun handed Lariesa the novice's clothes.
Lariesa held out without accepting it.
The nun in charge didn't scold Lariesa, didn't get angry at her, didn't beg her to accept it. She just held out the robe and took her hand away.
The clothes fell to the floor with a thud. It was a cold stone floor with chills seeping up from it.
In the narrow room, where the only source of light was the dark blue moonlight outside the window, the nun in charge spoke stiffly.
“Come out for morning prayer at 4:30 AM. No individual activity is permitted. That’s it.”
The nun turned fiercely and left the room.
Boom!
The door closed, and Lariesa, left alone, shivered from the cold air in the room.
The weather was transitioning from late summer to early fall, but the stone-clad room was incredibly cold. Not even a thick, top-of-the-line silk dress could keep out the cold.
Lariesa had no choice but to cover herself with the thin blanket that was neatly folded on the rag bed. She shivered as she thought.
'Why did it turn out like this?'
Where did it all go wrong? She just wanted to be a woman worthy of a Prince... She couldn't stand feeling so unfortunate. She started to sob.
The more she cried, the sadder she felt. She felt like she was the main character in the fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid'.
I have done nothing but treat you well... I have done nothing but love you, and I have done nothing but support you...
As the thought reached her head, Lariesa suddenly felt a surge of anger.
Despite all her devotion, Prince Alfonso chose the fox! All the sacrifices she made for Alfonso were in vain.
Because that evil and cunning thing took everything without lifting a finger!
How dare she say, 'It's because you don't know love' after stealing someone else's place like that?
Ariadne de Mare was a show-off who talked about love, but it wasn't funny.
She just holds the secret to happiness and doesn't reveal it to anyone else.
She must have been acting coy to others while secretly learning skin-beautifying herbs from the Moore Continent and the art of bewitching men! Otherwise, this whole situation would have made no sense!
Lariesa was furious once again. What a con artist!
Her blood pressure suddenly spiked, and she started pulling out her own hair.
No! It's not just the fox that's the problem. Prince Alfonso! He's the root of all evil.
You're a guy who only chases after pretty girls' butts, and you rejected me and ruined my family just because I wasn't as pretty as an angel in the Bible! You act noble and chase after the butts of illegitimate children! A believer who is faithful to the teachings of Yesak could not do this.
You are a piece of trash with weak faith! You are a thug who pretends to be faithful!
“Everyone must know about Prince Alfonso!”
Lariesa clenched her fists and jumped to her feet.
Her world was black or white.
Either the greatest, most perfect man in the world or the worst bastard in the world. Alfonso, who was the former, has now become the latter in Lariesa's mind.
She was going to let everyone know.
How did Alfonso de Carlo deliberately seduce this poor woman, receive all the patronage of the Grand Duke's family, and then trade her for a younger woman?
Lariesa looked around with bloodshot eyes. She happened to see the clothes of a novice nun that the nun in charge had left behind.
'Escape...'
The nun in charge clearly said, 'Come out tomorrow morning for prayer time.' That meant that Lariesa was not locked up.
'I can't go back to my mother and father... I'll get in trouble...'
The House of Valoa was soon to be annihilated. Grand Duchess Bernadette would not have a head or neck attached to her by this time next week.
Grand Duke Odes would be grateful if he could just kill her. But Lariesa was worried that she would get in trouble. Her thoughts were extremely fragmented.
'The Pope is in cahoots with that damn bitch.'
Lariesa thought the Etruscans were banding together to sabotage her. Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to side with that strange woman over her noble self.
'Galicco, I must find my compatriot, the Galicco.'
Philip IV seemed uninterested in Larisea's turbid mind. She thought of someone else instead.
'Archbishop of Montpellier...?'
He was the same man who had previously reported Queen Margaret's letter to King Philip IV, putting the Queen in a difficult position.
Apart from that, Lariesa was also someone who quite liked Suzanne when she was young, even though she was overshadowed by her.
Despite the confusion and disillusionment, Lariesa somehow managed to come up with a plan.
'With the help of the Archbishop of Montpellier, I will show the entire Central Continent how horrible a man Alfonso de Carlo is!'
Now, Lariesa's judgment was wrong for all the reasons, but the conclusion was right. It was similar to turning 180 degrees twice and then coming back to the right direction.
The Archbishop of Montpellier, who had 'adored' the young Lariesa in the past, was never the man to help her now, but he was the first to remain silent when Cardinal de Mare's path to the papal throne became apparent.
Lariesa spent years devouring the personal letters of Ariadne de Mare and Alfonso de Carlo.
No one doesn't get dust when they brush their teeth. There must be something there.
Even if it was a reasonable judgment that relief food was delivered to a certain region first, causing other regions to starve to death, the region that starved to death would not have thought that way, so they could have created noise somehow.
Lariesa was of use to the Archbishop of Montpellier.
In order to obtain that cooperation, the Archbishop of Montpellier will also grant Lariesa's wishes to some extent.
Without knowing how she would be used, Lariesa struggled to get up. Her heart was beating strangely.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
'Are you excited about a new beginning?'
Lariesa took off all her expensive jewelry and sewed a coarse cotton novice's garment onto her limbs.
'It's cold...'
Thump. Boom. Thump. Thump.
It was strangely cold, and her arms were numb. This is because the fabric is cheap and doesn't keep her warm at all.
Lariesa blamed the Pope. Dirty old man Ludovico! How dare you throw me in a place like this!
Wearing the ceremonial head scarf of a nun, Lariesa approached the door quietly. She pushed open the door with her uncertain hands.
Squeak.
It wasn't locked.
Lariesa tiptoed down the hallway.
'Are you excited about a new beginning?'
Lariesa took off all her expensive jewelry and sewed a coarse cotton novice's garment onto her limbs.
'It's cold...'
Thump. Boom. Thump. Thump.
It was strangely cold, and her arms were numb. This is because the fabric is cheap and doesn't keep her warm at all.
Lariesa blamed the Pope. Dirty old man Ludovico! How dare you throw me in a place like this!
Wearing the ceremonial head scarf of a nun, Lariesa approached the door quietly. She pushed open the door with her uncertain hands.
Squeak.
It wasn't locked.
Lariesa tiptoed down the hallway.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Boom. Boom. Drum. Drum.
Her escape was successful.
No one noticed her until she was halfway down the stairs leading down to the lower level, after having crossed the long corridor.
“Gasp. Gasp gasp.”
Everything was going well. She was just out of breath. Her heart was pounding.
She held onto the railing and paused to catch her breath. She panted for a long time, but her breathing did not come back.
After a while of gasping for breath, Lariesa raised her head. She was on the stairs leading to the first floor.
The lofty monasteries, located in temperate climates, had walls filled with tall, pointed stained-glass windows.
And in between, there was just one window with tinted glass.
It was a temporary glass window that had been put in place until the broken stained glass could be repaired, but Lariesa, who was obsessed with appearances, couldn't help but look at it.
Because the glass windows seen at night were like mirrors.
The glass surface shone brightly and reflected objects back to the viewer.
Lariesa was shocked when she saw her reflection in the glass. The glass was cruelly clear.
Sunken eye sockets, lifeless, sunken eyes. Fleshless cheeks that clearly show the shape of the cheekbones. A chin with no fat to cover the outside, leaving no asymmetry hidden.
After living in glittering silk and pearls the size of her thumb, it was shocking to see herself without makeup and wearing only rough cotton clothes.
“Ugh!”
Lariesa clutched her chest and knelt down with one knee on the floor.
Awfully skinny arms. Her wrists are much thicker than her forearms. Ugly. Ugly. She doesn't like her face.
Her escape was successful.
No one noticed her until she was halfway down the stairs leading down to the lower level, after having crossed the long corridor.
“Gasp. Gasp gasp.”
Everything was going well. She was just out of breath. Her heart was pounding.
She held onto the railing and paused to catch her breath. She panted for a long time, but her breathing did not come back.
After a while of gasping for breath, Lariesa raised her head. She was on the stairs leading to the first floor.
The lofty monasteries, located in temperate climates, had walls filled with tall, pointed stained-glass windows.
And in between, there was just one window with tinted glass.
It was a temporary glass window that had been put in place until the broken stained glass could be repaired, but Lariesa, who was obsessed with appearances, couldn't help but look at it.
Because the glass windows seen at night were like mirrors.
The glass surface shone brightly and reflected objects back to the viewer.
Lariesa was shocked when she saw her reflection in the glass. The glass was cruelly clear.
Sunken eye sockets, lifeless, sunken eyes. Fleshless cheeks that clearly show the shape of the cheekbones. A chin with no fat to cover the outside, leaving no asymmetry hidden.
After living in glittering silk and pearls the size of her thumb, it was shocking to see herself without makeup and wearing only rough cotton clothes.
“Ugh!”
Lariesa clutched her chest and knelt down with one knee on the floor.
Awfully skinny arms. Her wrists are much thicker than her forearms. Ugly. Ugly. She doesn't like her face.
'Why did it turn out like this?'
She was happy to refuse food. The joy that she could become beautiful if she tried. The relief that there was a way. It was the first time in her life that she felt that way.
“Ugh...!”
Even after doing all that, the image of herself reflected in the glass was not just ordinary, it was shabby, and not just shabby, it was disgusting.
Was the direction of the effort the problem? Were the words of that foolish woman true in the end?
“Ugh!”
Lariesa fell to the stone floor, clutching her left chest with both hands. The feeling of a knife cutting into her chest was excruciating.
The feeling soon spread throughout her entire upper body, but Lariesa could no longer feel anything.
She moved once like a frog struck by lightning, but that was it.
Aged 23, died of a heart attack.
Every life begins with the potential to blossom, but some lives fade away without ever bearing fruit.
That was the end of Lariesa de Valoa, the daughter of Odes, who was born with much but bore no fruit.
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