The odd man was a native nobleman of San Carlo.
So this man represented the average San Carlo people who had nothing to gain from Ippolito.
To the true natives of San Carlo, the de Mare family was a family of foreigners who had been around for 15 years, and were hardly worthy of being called a family.
It was really annoying that a man without any title who had touched money through suspicious business was trying to protect his priest father and compete with them.
The man asked Ippolito openly, not hiding his suspicions.
“I heard that only the Countess and the Cardinal have lived in the de Mare Mansion for a long time. Aren’t you selling the name of your father, who has already lost ties with you?”
“...When a man gets older, he becomes independent from his family!”
Ippolito refuted without taking a breath, but it was nonsense. The heir to a noble family never left home.
If it's for the second or third sons who were pushed out by their older brothers to find new opportunities, then it might be different.
In this house, the second daughter, Ariadne de Mare, was given the title, so even if you assume she was the eldest daughter, it was extremely rare for the second son and younger to gain independence in the same city.
It's nearly impossible to build a new mansion worthy of a nobleman's status, so why leave a perfectly good mansion and move out? If you feel uncomfortable living in the same building, why not have an annex?
“Let’s say you’re independent. A child who ran away from home doesn’t even visit his father to check on him?”
“Oh my! You were chasing after me?”
Ippolito, who had a lot of dirty work to do, suddenly got angry and glared at the man.
“I really hate people who stick their noses into other people’s business!”
The opponent didn't support him either.
“I’m telling you this because it seems like you’re selling your father’s name without even having any contact with him.”
Ippolito was very offended, but he was an outcast in this gathering anyway.
They were all from noble families that had been passed down through generations in San Carlo, and they lived off of land rents, but he alone had joined this group thanks to the money he earned from trade, if selling drugs were a trade, that is.
He was sticking his head in here, throwing out unnaturally large amounts of gold coins, but he knew very well that he did not truly belong in this group.
“Oh my, stop it!”
“Why are you saying bad things on such a nice day?”
“Smile, smile, have another drink!”
Those who wanted to look good to Ippolito intervened and stopped the fight.
Thanks to this, Ippolito was able to save face without resorting to extreme measures such as challenging a duel. But he was also feeling sorry for himself.
Now it's time to start hanging around with his father again. He can't stand being a slacker who spends money and takes everything.
After breaking up the meeting and returning home, Ippolito gave an order to his sister when he met Isabella a few days later.
“You, go find your father.”
The coward, who could not even ask for reconciliation with his own hands, tried to open the floodgates by sending scouts first.
“What? Why are you suddenly like this?”
Isabella was horrified.
After being kicked out of the house after shouting at Cardinal de Mare, "What have you done for me, Daddy?", Isabella has not even peed in the direction of the de Mare mansion.
Even though Ottavio was ruined and it was worth going to see her father once, she gritted her teeth and endured it. That was Isabella's own kind of pride.
“Don’t you know what happened? Father threw me in a convent! When I was at my worst! He betrayed me! He sided with that damned bitch Ariadne!”
“I know, I know.”
Ippolito never once uttered the words, "My money is not enough to make a living, I need my father's background as well."
Instead, he pretended to care for Isabella and gently teased his sister.
“The stories I’ve been hearing about my father lately are not good.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Father’s status rose tremendously after the Council of San Carlo!”
Isabella looked both displeased and amused. Ippolito threw out the bait he thought would make Isabella react the most.
“Right now, the Contarini mansion is being forcibly taken over, but it’s not happening. If Father exerts his power, he might be able to stop it!”
But it didn't work. Isabella was indifferent.
“What are you going to do if he blocks the forced execution?”
If the execution is carried out, the Contarini mansion will definitely become the property of the Abbey of Aberruche, but preventing the execution will not bring it back to Ottavio.
Just floating around indefinitely in an uncertain state like purgatory.
Isabella needed to raise 12,000 ducats to get the mansion back.
“But where does the money come from?”
Twelve thousand ducats was certainly not an amount of money that his father could afford. Besides, the Contarini mansion was still owned by Ottavio when he returned.
Her relationship with her husband has been extremely bad lately.
“Besides, even if the forced execution is stopped, that bastard will only do good things. It’s impossible unless he kneels down and crawls in front of me!”
There had been no conversation between Isabella and Ottavio since the day when Ottavio stole Contarini's mistress's ring.
Of course, if you count shouting and screaming as conversation, that happens occasionally.
About twice a week. It was as short as three minutes, or as long as three hours. No matter how long it was, there was no meaningful exchange of ideas.
With their daughter Giovanna in the care of Ottavio's older sister, Clemente's men, Isabella, and her husband had absolutely nothing positive to talk about.
In this situation, it was difficult for relations to improve.
Ippolito decided to throw at a slightly different angle.
“If you become closer to your father, there will be more gatherings you can attend.”
Isabella reacted to these words. It was bait that she instinctively succumbed to.
Her initial goal was to gain free access to places where big shots gather.
At first, she only thought about going to a place where she could raise enough money to get 12,000 ducats.
She had no plan as to how the twelve thousand ducats would come into her possession, but she thought that if she went and saw them with her own eyes, something would come to mind.
But now, whenever she meets someone a little richer or a little higher up, she gets intoxicated at that moment.
She lost even the purpose of why she wanted to hang out with bigger people. It was a kind of addiction.
“Are there any gatherings that I can attend...?”
“Yes. There is a rumor that Pope Louis himself may attend the upcoming Council of San Carlo.”
Isabella's face suddenly lit up. The Pope! The person with the most power in the Central Continent!
“Who knows, maybe my father will arrange an audience for me?”
The idea of a Cardinal bringing his illegitimate children to meet the Pope was absurd in itself.
But Isabella, who had often had the opportunity to mingle with those in power recently, knew just how many ridiculous things could actually happen.
Although she had no intention of meeting the Pope and no particular economic or status gains from it, Isabella set out to burn with that as her goal.
But greed alone did not ease the feelings of resentment.
“Oh, but still. Are you telling me to crawl in front of Father?”
“Close your eyes for a moment.”
Ippolito incited Isabella.
“If you stick close to your father, there will be a lot of falling beans, but can’t you do that one thing right now? Don’t you know how much pride you put aside to earn money? Compared to that, bowing your head to your father once is nothing?”
Isabella, who had been covering her small living expenses with the regular allowance given by Ippolito, was startled and nervous by her brother's threats.
Although Ippolito did not directly threaten her, her vulnerable position made her sensitive to even the smallest nuances of Ippolito's behavior.
“Yes, are you going to do it or not?”
Isabella hesitated before answering, half out of greed and half under pressure.
“...Well, let me contact him once...”
Ippolito wanted to use Isabella completely, but he put effort into persuading her instead of threatening her, so she thought he was a very good older brother who did everything for his sister.
He smiled proudly.
“Yes. I thought about it carefully. When you’re done, call me, sister?”
Ippolito always handed Isabella a bag of money after looking at her face. There was no way to do it through Messenger.
When he told her to contact her brother after she resolved things with her father, he meant in other words that she shouldn't even dream of asking for money before that.
Isabella bit her lip so that Ippolito wouldn't notice. I want freedom. I want freedom.
“My name is Francois.”
Ariadne studied the handsome face of the man who had spoken. His irises were very large, a mixture of gray and blue.
The man's words could be interpreted in many ways, but Ariadne nodded slowly.
The Briand dynasty was famous for its blue-gray eyes, which had been passed down through generations. And Ariadne was the one who observed those eyes more closely than anyone else.
Because the eyes that he stared into all day were the blue-gray eyes of the Brian Dynasty itself. This man's eyes were not of that color.
“I guess I had some ridiculous expectations for a moment.”
Francois laughed at Ariadne's words. She continued.
“If you were really Prince Louis of the Gallico Kingdom, Queen Marguerite or Prince Alfonso would know your face.”
The young man answered with a weak smile.
“If that were the case, things would have been much easier, or on the contrary, I would have already been dead. Nice to meet you. My full name is Francois de Sainte-Chapelle.”
Julia added.
“Originally, it was the House of the Counts of Sainte-Chapelle. The House of Sainte-Chapelle was purged when Philip IV ascended to the throne.”
The man nodded.
“That’s right. The title and lands were reclaimed. Before the reclaim, he was the third son of the Sainte-Chapelle family. Now that both his older brothers have passed away, I must introduce him as the eldest son. No, since his father has also passed away, he is the head of the family.”
It was a meaningless story, having lost even his title. Francois, the only man left in a fallen family, spoke calmly.
“I was a playmate of Prince Louis when I was young. I was with him until the very end when the forces of Philip IV attacked the palace.”
There was only one thing Ariadne was curious about now.
“Why did Raphael ask me to meet you?”
If this man is not Prince Louis himself, why did Raphael ask to meet him?
“Prince Louis was married, but had no heirs.”
The Briand dynasty married off their second son, Prince Louis, before their first son, Crown Prince Philip.
It may be unusual if it's unusual, and it may be natural if it's natural, but when filling the position of spouse of the highest priority heir to the throne, there were more things to consider than the second or lower position.
From the second son onwards, the other party's family background and dowry were less important, and could have some influence on the decision of favorability between the parties.
Prince Louis's wife was Anne of Chance, daughter of the autonomous northern duchy of the Kingdom of Gallico.
She was said to have died along with Prince Louis, who had been enjoying a harmonious marriage with him, as Philip IV took control of the court.
“The information that has been spread to the public is different from the truth?”
"Yes."
Francois nodded.
“Anne of Chance, the Princess, managed to escape the palace. Her health deteriorated at the time, but she is now at the side of the heavenly god.”
He made the sign of the cross and continued speaking.
“Prince Louis has a posthumous son.”
He was the child who would have been first in line to the Gallico throne if the Allemand amnesty had not come into effect.
“Right here near San Carlo.”
So this man represented the average San Carlo people who had nothing to gain from Ippolito.
To the true natives of San Carlo, the de Mare family was a family of foreigners who had been around for 15 years, and were hardly worthy of being called a family.
It was really annoying that a man without any title who had touched money through suspicious business was trying to protect his priest father and compete with them.
The man asked Ippolito openly, not hiding his suspicions.
“I heard that only the Countess and the Cardinal have lived in the de Mare Mansion for a long time. Aren’t you selling the name of your father, who has already lost ties with you?”
“...When a man gets older, he becomes independent from his family!”
Ippolito refuted without taking a breath, but it was nonsense. The heir to a noble family never left home.
If it's for the second or third sons who were pushed out by their older brothers to find new opportunities, then it might be different.
In this house, the second daughter, Ariadne de Mare, was given the title, so even if you assume she was the eldest daughter, it was extremely rare for the second son and younger to gain independence in the same city.
It's nearly impossible to build a new mansion worthy of a nobleman's status, so why leave a perfectly good mansion and move out? If you feel uncomfortable living in the same building, why not have an annex?
“Let’s say you’re independent. A child who ran away from home doesn’t even visit his father to check on him?”
“Oh my! You were chasing after me?”
Ippolito, who had a lot of dirty work to do, suddenly got angry and glared at the man.
“I really hate people who stick their noses into other people’s business!”
The opponent didn't support him either.
“I’m telling you this because it seems like you’re selling your father’s name without even having any contact with him.”
Ippolito was very offended, but he was an outcast in this gathering anyway.
They were all from noble families that had been passed down through generations in San Carlo, and they lived off of land rents, but he alone had joined this group thanks to the money he earned from trade, if selling drugs were a trade, that is.
He was sticking his head in here, throwing out unnaturally large amounts of gold coins, but he knew very well that he did not truly belong in this group.
“Oh my, stop it!”
“Why are you saying bad things on such a nice day?”
“Smile, smile, have another drink!”
Those who wanted to look good to Ippolito intervened and stopped the fight.
Thanks to this, Ippolito was able to save face without resorting to extreme measures such as challenging a duel. But he was also feeling sorry for himself.
Now it's time to start hanging around with his father again. He can't stand being a slacker who spends money and takes everything.
After breaking up the meeting and returning home, Ippolito gave an order to his sister when he met Isabella a few days later.
“You, go find your father.”
The coward, who could not even ask for reconciliation with his own hands, tried to open the floodgates by sending scouts first.
“What? Why are you suddenly like this?”
Isabella was horrified.
After being kicked out of the house after shouting at Cardinal de Mare, "What have you done for me, Daddy?", Isabella has not even peed in the direction of the de Mare mansion.
Even though Ottavio was ruined and it was worth going to see her father once, she gritted her teeth and endured it. That was Isabella's own kind of pride.
“Don’t you know what happened? Father threw me in a convent! When I was at my worst! He betrayed me! He sided with that damned bitch Ariadne!”
“I know, I know.”
Ippolito never once uttered the words, "My money is not enough to make a living, I need my father's background as well."
Instead, he pretended to care for Isabella and gently teased his sister.
“The stories I’ve been hearing about my father lately are not good.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Father’s status rose tremendously after the Council of San Carlo!”
Isabella looked both displeased and amused. Ippolito threw out the bait he thought would make Isabella react the most.
“Right now, the Contarini mansion is being forcibly taken over, but it’s not happening. If Father exerts his power, he might be able to stop it!”
But it didn't work. Isabella was indifferent.
“What are you going to do if he blocks the forced execution?”
If the execution is carried out, the Contarini mansion will definitely become the property of the Abbey of Aberruche, but preventing the execution will not bring it back to Ottavio.
Just floating around indefinitely in an uncertain state like purgatory.
Isabella needed to raise 12,000 ducats to get the mansion back.
“But where does the money come from?”
Twelve thousand ducats was certainly not an amount of money that his father could afford. Besides, the Contarini mansion was still owned by Ottavio when he returned.
Her relationship with her husband has been extremely bad lately.
“Besides, even if the forced execution is stopped, that bastard will only do good things. It’s impossible unless he kneels down and crawls in front of me!”
There had been no conversation between Isabella and Ottavio since the day when Ottavio stole Contarini's mistress's ring.
Of course, if you count shouting and screaming as conversation, that happens occasionally.
About twice a week. It was as short as three minutes, or as long as three hours. No matter how long it was, there was no meaningful exchange of ideas.
With their daughter Giovanna in the care of Ottavio's older sister, Clemente's men, Isabella, and her husband had absolutely nothing positive to talk about.
In this situation, it was difficult for relations to improve.
Ippolito decided to throw at a slightly different angle.
“If you become closer to your father, there will be more gatherings you can attend.”
Isabella reacted to these words. It was bait that she instinctively succumbed to.
Her initial goal was to gain free access to places where big shots gather.
At first, she only thought about going to a place where she could raise enough money to get 12,000 ducats.
She had no plan as to how the twelve thousand ducats would come into her possession, but she thought that if she went and saw them with her own eyes, something would come to mind.
But now, whenever she meets someone a little richer or a little higher up, she gets intoxicated at that moment.
She lost even the purpose of why she wanted to hang out with bigger people. It was a kind of addiction.
“Are there any gatherings that I can attend...?”
“Yes. There is a rumor that Pope Louis himself may attend the upcoming Council of San Carlo.”
Isabella's face suddenly lit up. The Pope! The person with the most power in the Central Continent!
“Who knows, maybe my father will arrange an audience for me?”
The idea of a Cardinal bringing his illegitimate children to meet the Pope was absurd in itself.
But Isabella, who had often had the opportunity to mingle with those in power recently, knew just how many ridiculous things could actually happen.
Although she had no intention of meeting the Pope and no particular economic or status gains from it, Isabella set out to burn with that as her goal.
But greed alone did not ease the feelings of resentment.
“Oh, but still. Are you telling me to crawl in front of Father?”
“Close your eyes for a moment.”
Ippolito incited Isabella.
“If you stick close to your father, there will be a lot of falling beans, but can’t you do that one thing right now? Don’t you know how much pride you put aside to earn money? Compared to that, bowing your head to your father once is nothing?”
Isabella, who had been covering her small living expenses with the regular allowance given by Ippolito, was startled and nervous by her brother's threats.
Although Ippolito did not directly threaten her, her vulnerable position made her sensitive to even the smallest nuances of Ippolito's behavior.
“Yes, are you going to do it or not?”
Isabella hesitated before answering, half out of greed and half under pressure.
“...Well, let me contact him once...”
Ippolito wanted to use Isabella completely, but he put effort into persuading her instead of threatening her, so she thought he was a very good older brother who did everything for his sister.
He smiled proudly.
“Yes. I thought about it carefully. When you’re done, call me, sister?”
Ippolito always handed Isabella a bag of money after looking at her face. There was no way to do it through Messenger.
When he told her to contact her brother after she resolved things with her father, he meant in other words that she shouldn't even dream of asking for money before that.
Isabella bit her lip so that Ippolito wouldn't notice. I want freedom. I want freedom.
***
“My name is Francois.”
Ariadne studied the handsome face of the man who had spoken. His irises were very large, a mixture of gray and blue.
The man's words could be interpreted in many ways, but Ariadne nodded slowly.
The Briand dynasty was famous for its blue-gray eyes, which had been passed down through generations. And Ariadne was the one who observed those eyes more closely than anyone else.
Because the eyes that he stared into all day were the blue-gray eyes of the Brian Dynasty itself. This man's eyes were not of that color.
“I guess I had some ridiculous expectations for a moment.”
Francois laughed at Ariadne's words. She continued.
“If you were really Prince Louis of the Gallico Kingdom, Queen Marguerite or Prince Alfonso would know your face.”
The young man answered with a weak smile.
“If that were the case, things would have been much easier, or on the contrary, I would have already been dead. Nice to meet you. My full name is Francois de Sainte-Chapelle.”
Julia added.
“Originally, it was the House of the Counts of Sainte-Chapelle. The House of Sainte-Chapelle was purged when Philip IV ascended to the throne.”
The man nodded.
“That’s right. The title and lands were reclaimed. Before the reclaim, he was the third son of the Sainte-Chapelle family. Now that both his older brothers have passed away, I must introduce him as the eldest son. No, since his father has also passed away, he is the head of the family.”
It was a meaningless story, having lost even his title. Francois, the only man left in a fallen family, spoke calmly.
“I was a playmate of Prince Louis when I was young. I was with him until the very end when the forces of Philip IV attacked the palace.”
There was only one thing Ariadne was curious about now.
“Why did Raphael ask me to meet you?”
If this man is not Prince Louis himself, why did Raphael ask to meet him?
“Prince Louis was married, but had no heirs.”
The Briand dynasty married off their second son, Prince Louis, before their first son, Crown Prince Philip.
It may be unusual if it's unusual, and it may be natural if it's natural, but when filling the position of spouse of the highest priority heir to the throne, there were more things to consider than the second or lower position.
From the second son onwards, the other party's family background and dowry were less important, and could have some influence on the decision of favorability between the parties.
Prince Louis's wife was Anne of Chance, daughter of the autonomous northern duchy of the Kingdom of Gallico.
She was said to have died along with Prince Louis, who had been enjoying a harmonious marriage with him, as Philip IV took control of the court.
“The information that has been spread to the public is different from the truth?”
"Yes."
Francois nodded.
“Anne of Chance, the Princess, managed to escape the palace. Her health deteriorated at the time, but she is now at the side of the heavenly god.”
He made the sign of the cross and continued speaking.
“Prince Louis has a posthumous son.”
He was the child who would have been first in line to the Gallico throne if the Allemand amnesty had not come into effect.
“Right here near San Carlo.”
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