Cardinal de Mare turned to face his only remaining daughter. He was holding a small, neatly wrapped bundle.
Ariadne had the absurd thought that her father might fly away and leave her at any moment. She asked him absentmindedly:
“Do you... Love me?”
It was a repetition of a question she had asked before. But today it was a different question using the same words.
At that time, she asked him if he could give up Ippolito and the successor of the family for me.
The question was whether he would not abandon her even if he were the most powerful person in the entire Central Continent.
In her previous life, Cardinal de Mare abandoned her whenever the acquisition of power was at stake.
“I think I've been raising my children a bit wrong overall.”
But as he said those words, Cardinal de Mare had a warm smile on his face.
Today, Cardinal de Mare was holding tightly in his arms the bundle his youngest daughter had lovingly wrapped for him.
While everyone else was making a fuss about whether or not they could get there if they rode all night, he was the only one who had prepared neatly in advance.
“But I did a good job raising a daughter.”
The Cardinal muttered again.
“I have a really good daughter.”
All he had left was Ariadne. The words were hard to come out of his mouth.
The Cardinal took advantage of the three-day intermission before the conclave opened to read the diary of the deceased Lucrezia.
It was a series of shocks and horrors.
The process of realizing that what had been fond memories for him were nothing more than unpleasant incidents of someone who didn't even care about him pursuing him was painful, shocking, and shattered every bit of faith he had in humanity.
If Cardinal de Mare had not been a confessional priest, he would have been greatly shaken.
How could a person do that? It was a natural feeling that anyone would have.
But fortunately, he was already accustomed to looking into the abyss of humanity.
He had already learned through repeated experience that there were so many absurd things and terrible people in the world, and he had the inner strength to apply past patterns to the misfortunes that befell him.
“...I have nothing left, but you are the only one left.”
In terms of human relationships, it was true. When he thought of Lucrezia's diary, the words came out of his mouth without him realizing it.
“I feel ashamed to face you, for receiving so much in return for what I gave you.”
“...No, Father.”
Ariadne looked at Cardinal de Mare. Her gaze was almost flat, not that she had looked up. While her parents stood there, the child grew up.
“...You gave me a lot.”
She had the same green eyes as his father. Cardinal de Mare felt a surge of guilt at those words. He spoke forcefully as if making a promise.
“I will take good care of you alone.”
Ariadne laughed. Although he never directly answered the question of whether he loved her, Cardinal de Mare gave a perfect answer.
Strictly speaking, she was no longer in a position to need her father's help, but the feelings she had for him were always precious.
She also gave her father tasks in various ways to put his mind at ease.
“Please become the Pope and make your daughter’s path to your in-laws smooth.”
“Yes.”
Cardinal de Mare sniffed and exhaled.
“That's enough for me.”
Ariadne had the absurd thought that her father might fly away and leave her at any moment. She asked him absentmindedly:
“Do you... Love me?”
It was a repetition of a question she had asked before. But today it was a different question using the same words.
At that time, she asked him if he could give up Ippolito and the successor of the family for me.
The question was whether he would not abandon her even if he were the most powerful person in the entire Central Continent.
In her previous life, Cardinal de Mare abandoned her whenever the acquisition of power was at stake.
“I think I've been raising my children a bit wrong overall.”
But as he said those words, Cardinal de Mare had a warm smile on his face.
Today, Cardinal de Mare was holding tightly in his arms the bundle his youngest daughter had lovingly wrapped for him.
While everyone else was making a fuss about whether or not they could get there if they rode all night, he was the only one who had prepared neatly in advance.
“But I did a good job raising a daughter.”
The Cardinal muttered again.
“I have a really good daughter.”
All he had left was Ariadne. The words were hard to come out of his mouth.
The Cardinal took advantage of the three-day intermission before the conclave opened to read the diary of the deceased Lucrezia.
It was a series of shocks and horrors.
The process of realizing that what had been fond memories for him were nothing more than unpleasant incidents of someone who didn't even care about him pursuing him was painful, shocking, and shattered every bit of faith he had in humanity.
If Cardinal de Mare had not been a confessional priest, he would have been greatly shaken.
How could a person do that? It was a natural feeling that anyone would have.
But fortunately, he was already accustomed to looking into the abyss of humanity.
He had already learned through repeated experience that there were so many absurd things and terrible people in the world, and he had the inner strength to apply past patterns to the misfortunes that befell him.
“...I have nothing left, but you are the only one left.”
In terms of human relationships, it was true. When he thought of Lucrezia's diary, the words came out of his mouth without him realizing it.
“I feel ashamed to face you, for receiving so much in return for what I gave you.”
“...No, Father.”
Ariadne looked at Cardinal de Mare. Her gaze was almost flat, not that she had looked up. While her parents stood there, the child grew up.
“...You gave me a lot.”
She had the same green eyes as his father. Cardinal de Mare felt a surge of guilt at those words. He spoke forcefully as if making a promise.
“I will take good care of you alone.”
Ariadne laughed. Although he never directly answered the question of whether he loved her, Cardinal de Mare gave a perfect answer.
Strictly speaking, she was no longer in a position to need her father's help, but the feelings she had for him were always precious.
She also gave her father tasks in various ways to put his mind at ease.
“Please become the Pope and make your daughter’s path to your in-laws smooth.”
“Yes.”
Cardinal de Mare sniffed and exhaled.
“That's enough for me.”
He ran through the list of people who would harass and harass Prince Alfonso and his daughter's marriage.
Twelve ways to effectively crush them immediately came to mind.
There was nothing he couldn't do with the power of the Pope. It was a power he had repeatedly experimented with throughout his life on how to wield.
He was confident that he could use it more precisely than anyone else.
In fact, even if you don't think that hard, it's all over with just one excommunication. Sometimes, the ignorant way is the best way.
“I will make you a Queen with an iron plate on your face, so have lots of children.”
Cardinal de Mare ordered.
“At least two. As sons.”
"Dad!"
“It’s about five at most, but they’re being lenient!”
“Did you eat something wrong? Why are you like this all of a sudden?”
Cardinal de Mare, under the scorn of his daughter, went on to list a series of ridiculously promising visions of the de Mare family's future.
It was a story along the lines of, “Our family will grow to rival the House of Carlo, so we must produce an heir to be assigned to our house.”
Then he suddenly smiled faintly. Ariadne asked.
“Why, Father?”
“You know, you just called me dad for the first time.”
Ariadne's face slightly flashed. It wasn't meant to be.
“That’s because Dad is talking nonsense...!”
“That’s good to hear.”
Cardinal de Mare lifted the bundle.
“So, three grandchildren. No compromise.”
“Oh really!”
He said with a smile.
“I’ll be back soon.”
***
On the third day after the Pope's death, Cardinal de Mare solemnly declared the conclave open.
He entered with solemn steps into the small chapel inside the Basilica of Saint Ercole, where the conclave was held.
Of the 46 Cardinals eligible to attend the conclave, 26 attended. Cardinal de Mare was the 27th.
He counted each and every Cardinal as he entered, and then closed the chapel door as the last person inside.
Boom!
The thick wooden door decorated with stone closed with a dull sound.
"Amen."
Leo III made the sign of the cross. Ariadne looked at the King in surprise.
This is because, instead of making the sign of the cross with his whole hand, which he usually does on a door, he made the sign of the cross with his fingers, which he used for the dead.
But Leo III had no awareness that he had done anything wrong.
Since the Pope is dead, he made the sign of the cross on the door. It doesn't matter to him whether there are people inside or not.
Instead, he looked at his son, Prince Alfonso, who was standing there with him, with a look of displeasure.
The King, not content with just glancing at him, finally looked at Prince Alfonso and said a word.
“You must be very busy with construction, yet you came to a place like this. Aren’t you interested in diplomacy and prefer the Prince’s palace the most?”
Leo III was eager to show off everything he had when he saw the foreign dignitaries visiting San Carlo for this council and the subsequent conclave.
The greatest possession of the Etruscan kingdom in recent times was undoubtedly the Order of the Black Helmets, led by Prince Alfonso.
Prince Alfonso, who had sent the Knights with good intentions the first time or two, began to get angry at the King's repeated requests for inspection.
The King had no intention of paying any price or showing any special gratitude for the selection of the Prince's knights for his own glory, and he had no awareness that the knights were taking time out of his training to serve them.
The Prince, who had been suffering unilaterally, had refused the King's most recent request, and today was the first day they had seen each other since.
But despite his father's criticism, Alfonso responded cheerfully without losing his bright smile.
“His Eminence Cardinal de Mare is entering the conclave, so of course I have to come and see it.”
If you ask Alfonso, he will swear that he had no intention of angering Leo III.
But he seemed to know instinctively what would make his father most angry.
“I came here because of a personal relationship.”
He said he had come to greet the father-in-law.
Even if he didn't know that he was a father-in-law, the nuance that he was his girlfriend's father was clearly conveyed to Leo III.
When Leo III heard that, he looked at Ariadne, who was standing next to Alfonso, with a very unpleasant, annoyed expression.
Rubina, who was standing next to Leo III, quickly received the King's intention.
She never missed an opportunity to protect the King's favor. She also had a personal grudge to Ariadne de Mare.
“Countess de Mare.”
Her son took the woman her husband wanted. Her husband and her son both put that woman before her.
It was a scratch that went deep into the core of Rubina's self-esteem.
Cesare made some ridiculous excuse at the time, like 'so that my father wouldn't abandon my mother', but Rubina could see it.
At that time, her son would have thrown himself into the lion's cage to save that woman, even if his mother had risked her life to oppose it.
“As the illegitimate child of a priest, you have come to a position like this.”
Deep resentment and anger suddenly appeared in sharp words. However, there was some truth in the content itself.
It was a reprimand telling you to stay home because your presence is of no help to your father today.
“I can’t even tell whether I should go out or not.”
Ariadne, officially only a Countess, bowed her head obediently to the Duchess Rubina.
On the outside, she was a perfect noblewoman of the Central Continent, possessing all the virtues. But on the inside, she was a complete mess.
'Are you crazy?'
Ariadne has a very high probability of becoming the Pope's daughter on the day that the door opens again.
Even the Etruscan King must bow to the master of the palace, so what on earth is the King's government saying to the most powerful man in the next generation?
Alfonso was equally dumbfounded. Although he had not yet declared it to the world, Ariadne was his wife in the eyes of the heavens. In other words, she was his Princess.
According to the true status relationship, it was appropriate for Ariadne's ceremonial rank to be ahead of Rubina, who was only a Duchess.
It was only a matter of ceremonial order, but it was right that the power that Rubina had now seized within the palace should be transferred to Ariadne.
Everything Rubina has is based on her being the highest female adult in the royal family, and the moment they announce their marriage, Rubina will lose that legitimacy.
Alfonso held Ariadne's hand tightly. He had no intention of getting involved in a petty argument with such a lowly woman.
The Prince paid no attention to Duchess Rubina and immediately bowed briefly to Leo III.
“We’ll go ahead and leave first.”
But even the word 'we' grated Leo III's nerves. Everything about Alfonso that he breathed and moved was irritating to Leo III.
The woman who tried and failed to claim it as his own showed up, this time holding the hand of his own son.
His only successor, a young and strong runner for the next generation, appears, holding her hand, and protests, begging for permission to date.
'No way.'
What escapes his grasp must be worthless, so that his non-possession is not a failure.
Leo III gritted his teeth as he watched his son and his partner leave the Basilica of Saint Ercole without even waiting for his answer.
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