Isabella glared at Rubina at the mention of 'a woman who doesn't cost anything to maintain'. It was an insult. An insult that said she wasn't worth spending money on.
But Duchess Rubina was a woman who had the right to say such things by the standards of people who shared similar values. Wasn't she a senior who had already taken a lot from the same man? The Duchess smiled haughtily and looked at the young Countess Contarini.
'There is a difference in level. Where do you dare to come from?'
Duchess Rubina had never once offended Leo III. She had always been wary of his mood. But now that she was in her forties, that was finally no longer the case.
She had a grown son who would soon become the Grand Duke, and her family would bring in a strong new daughter-in-law. Rubina's old age was now virtually assured.
Since Rubina was no longer in the position of relying on Leo III's favor as she had been, she told Leo III everything she wanted to say, though she masked it with a smile.
“They say that as you get older, your living expenses decrease. Even if you don’t try to save, it just becomes your preference.”
Her old husband invited his young new concubine to a family gathering while he was sitting there with his eyes wide open. It was like smearing mud on her face. She couldn't stand the humiliation of having to sit here with one man and two women while everyone else came in pairs. Rubina felt like she had hit him too hard, so she slyly complimented him.
“As you get older, you become wiser and you know what you like, so there’s no need to waste money on new things.”
The beauty of the previous generation, with her blazing red hair, glanced at the beauty of the current generation.
“Even if something new comes along, you don’t spend a lot of money on it. It’s the same taste, so there’s nothing new about it.”
Although she was older and no longer the same as before, the traces of her former beauty were still clear. Duchess Rubina, with her distinct and splendid features, observed Isabella, with her delicate and delicate features, as if examining her. Isabella was uncomfortable with those eyes. She felt as if she was being judged.
'We're in the same situation... Why are you pretending to be different?'
But Isabella couldn't bring herself to get angry at Rubina here, so she just burst into tears.
“That’s true.”
Leo III nodded absentmindedly. He was so absorbed in his own story that he had no time to care about others. Isabella was also a stranger to him.
“Eating new foods or seeing new sights doesn’t feel as good as it used to.”
“If someone as enterprising as His Majesty can do that, how much more so must others be.”
Duchess Rubina looked at Isabella with a smile.
“I feel a little relieved now that Countess Contarini is ‘entertaining’ His Majesty. At least His Majesty is pleasant.”
Isabella bit her lip again. Her lips were going to be chapped and tattered today. What on earth did that word 'pleasant' mean?
She was about to shout, 'His Majesty has not yet laid a finger on me,' but she bit her lip, not sure if that would be a good move for her or not. Isabella's hands were trembling under the table.
Julia Helena was confused.
'What are you talking about now? Didn't Countess Contarini like the Duke? What does she have with the King? Duchess Rubina... Was the rumor I heard true?'
Regardless of what the people at the round table thought, Rubina smiled nobly and said a word to Isabella.
“I am glad you did not abuse your favor. I will give you a jewel as a reward instead.”
Rubina called her servant and told him to go to her quarters and bring her the jewels. Leo III's mouth dropped open when he saw the Duchess being kind to Isabella.
“Yes, yes, Rubina is so generous, so I feel at ease!”
The King did not notice the delicate knot, but the women present all understood. Duchess Rubina was now consolidating her position as superior by giving Isabella a frivolous jewel.
Whatever jewels the Duchess bestowed were but a pittance compared to the mansion of Contarini that Isabella had given up. It was almost a mockery.
Isabella was furious, but she couldn't show her displeasure when Leo III was so obviously in love with her.
“...thank you.”
Duchess Rubina slowly answered Isabella's question.
“You’ll often receive jewels. That’s what makes court life so exciting.”
The King's Palace, where everyone is clamoring to get in. But only a few can make it out alive. Rubina said, glaring at Isabella from under her long eyelashes.
“Don’t spend your jewels extravagantly. Keep them safe.”
This was Rubina's warning to Isabella.
“It will be a useful fund for your retirement.”
'If you come in now, there won't be any soup.'
When Rubina entered the palace, it was actually a good time. The King was young, although he had a Queen, and he confessed his passionate love to Rubina.
He gave Rubina the title of Countess, and to make sure that it would not be a title in name only, he gave the son they had together the title and its lands.
When his son grew up, he gave him a beautiful mansion in the capital, the Villa Sortone, and although this was not necessarily a gift of love, it did end up giving Cesare de Como a fiefdom as well as the vast Duchy of Pisano in the north.
And even the Prince committed adultery. Now, if the Prince died young and the circumstances worked out well, the next King of the Etruscan kingdom might be Rubina's grandson.
Duchess Rubina, now the Grand Duchess of Rubina, had a great plan for her retirement.
'At least I had a son. You're finished if the King dies suddenly.'
It was not even thought that the old King would be able to have a successor. No matter how old a man is, he could still have children, but in the end, he had to look up to the sky to pick stars. Rubina knew the situation in that bed best.
Moreover, even if heaven helped Isabella to conceive, there was a world of difference between simply giving birth to the King's illegitimate child and the King recognizing that illegitimate child and treating it as his own. If Isabella gave birth to a child, it would officially be Ottavio's child.
'If it were me, I would never have refused to return the favor to Count Contarini.'
That might have been Isabella's only plan for retirement.
The recognition of an illegitimate child was not something the King could do as he pleased. He had to consider the political situation at the time, and he had to consider public opinion among the nobles. He had to have good relations with the Holy See, and even if the time was ripe, if there was a bad harvest, he had to postpone it to the next year. During that year, the government had to hold on to the King’s favor and not let it go. This was a comprehensive art.
'At most, ten years will pass until His Majesty returns.'
And in fact, three years was the time limit given to Isabella. Isabella had to get pregnant, give birth, and persuade Leo III to recognize her child as the King's illegitimate child, all within that time frame.
Is it over if you just receive the recognition? Receiving the spirit is a completely different story. Furthermore, if the child you give birth to is a girl, you have to start over from the pregnancy stage.
'Besides, the next King is Prince Alfonso.'
In that case, Isabella's terribly bad relationship with her younger sister would be the next King's wife. Disposing of the notorious mistress of the previous King would be the best achievement for a new Queen with an uncertain legitimacy to win over the hearts of society.
'Do you think that wicked woman will leave Isabella alone?'
Even if Ariadne, a saint, had the dignity to not throw her own sister into the pigsty, Rubina was fully willing to do so; it was obvious that she would somehow eliminate the trouble. No matter how lenient she was, it would be a trip to a convent. Wouldn't they send her to a convent where she would work for two months and then die from overwork?
Thinking this way, Rubina's heart, which had been wanting to tear Isabella apart at any moment, calmed down a little. She took a deep breath.
'Should I have asked them to bring me a bigger piece of jewelry?'
She added with a slightly more benevolent expression.
“I hope that those who serve me will enjoy a comfortable old age.”
It was a wedge. It was a final warning to Isabella that you are my maid, so know your place and don't act like that.
Just as Isabella was getting angry and tears welling up in her eyes, the next course arrived. It was a simple meat dumpling. After this, there was only dessert. The meal, which seemed to be ending soon, was drawing near.
As the end drew near, Princess Julia Helena thanked Leo III for the invitation to dine with her.
“Your Majesty, thank you for inviting me. The food at dinner today was truly delicious.”
“Hahaha, I’m satisfied that the Princess likes it.”
Rubina, who had prepared the dinner, smiled proudly next to him. Julia Helena responded quickly to this as well.
“Is this the banquet prepared by Duchess Rubina? It was a feast for the eyes and a feast for the palate.”
Rubina's smile grew even brighter. She likes the fact that the daughter-in-law candidate is so sharp. But what do you mean you don't know where to look? You mean the trolley and the food were pretty?
Julia Helena's cryptic compliments continued.
“I have never heard or seen such a wonderful banquet in Manchike.”
The King also felt happy and laughed out loud.
“Hahahaha! Latgalin is a bit out of the way, Princess. San Carlo is a city where all the products of the Central Continent gather!”
Julia Helena did not laugh it off. She corrected Leo III.
“Oh, that’s not it. At Manchike, a banquet is usually a meal where fifty or sixty people are invited and eat together.”
She added with a smile.
“I’ve never had a chance to have a cozy meal with so much conversation.”
It seemed like there was some substance to the words, but it was ambiguous. Rubina, worried that Leo III might be offended, intervened perfectly.
“I tried my best, and I’m glad you enjoyed it, Princess.”
Princess Julia Helena also smiled brightly and responded.
“The Duchess’s generosity and this small banquet are both signs that His Majesty has set aside a lot of time for me, so I would like to express my gratitude as a representative of the Manchike Kingdom.”
Princess Julia Helena's greeting was cute, even though it was in a sharp tone. Leo III couldn't help but laugh again. The princess asked with a smile.
"However."
She pointed at Isabella with the tip of her chin.
“You said it was a family gathering, so why was that person invited?”
Isabella opened her eyes wide at the incoming attack and looked at Julia Helena.
But Duchess Rubina was a woman who had the right to say such things by the standards of people who shared similar values. Wasn't she a senior who had already taken a lot from the same man? The Duchess smiled haughtily and looked at the young Countess Contarini.
'There is a difference in level. Where do you dare to come from?'
Duchess Rubina had never once offended Leo III. She had always been wary of his mood. But now that she was in her forties, that was finally no longer the case.
She had a grown son who would soon become the Grand Duke, and her family would bring in a strong new daughter-in-law. Rubina's old age was now virtually assured.
Since Rubina was no longer in the position of relying on Leo III's favor as she had been, she told Leo III everything she wanted to say, though she masked it with a smile.
“They say that as you get older, your living expenses decrease. Even if you don’t try to save, it just becomes your preference.”
Her old husband invited his young new concubine to a family gathering while he was sitting there with his eyes wide open. It was like smearing mud on her face. She couldn't stand the humiliation of having to sit here with one man and two women while everyone else came in pairs. Rubina felt like she had hit him too hard, so she slyly complimented him.
“As you get older, you become wiser and you know what you like, so there’s no need to waste money on new things.”
The beauty of the previous generation, with her blazing red hair, glanced at the beauty of the current generation.
“Even if something new comes along, you don’t spend a lot of money on it. It’s the same taste, so there’s nothing new about it.”
Although she was older and no longer the same as before, the traces of her former beauty were still clear. Duchess Rubina, with her distinct and splendid features, observed Isabella, with her delicate and delicate features, as if examining her. Isabella was uncomfortable with those eyes. She felt as if she was being judged.
'We're in the same situation... Why are you pretending to be different?'
But Isabella couldn't bring herself to get angry at Rubina here, so she just burst into tears.
“That’s true.”
Leo III nodded absentmindedly. He was so absorbed in his own story that he had no time to care about others. Isabella was also a stranger to him.
“Eating new foods or seeing new sights doesn’t feel as good as it used to.”
“If someone as enterprising as His Majesty can do that, how much more so must others be.”
Duchess Rubina looked at Isabella with a smile.
“I feel a little relieved now that Countess Contarini is ‘entertaining’ His Majesty. At least His Majesty is pleasant.”
Isabella bit her lip again. Her lips were going to be chapped and tattered today. What on earth did that word 'pleasant' mean?
She was about to shout, 'His Majesty has not yet laid a finger on me,' but she bit her lip, not sure if that would be a good move for her or not. Isabella's hands were trembling under the table.
Julia Helena was confused.
'What are you talking about now? Didn't Countess Contarini like the Duke? What does she have with the King? Duchess Rubina... Was the rumor I heard true?'
Regardless of what the people at the round table thought, Rubina smiled nobly and said a word to Isabella.
“I am glad you did not abuse your favor. I will give you a jewel as a reward instead.”
Rubina called her servant and told him to go to her quarters and bring her the jewels. Leo III's mouth dropped open when he saw the Duchess being kind to Isabella.
“Yes, yes, Rubina is so generous, so I feel at ease!”
The King did not notice the delicate knot, but the women present all understood. Duchess Rubina was now consolidating her position as superior by giving Isabella a frivolous jewel.
Whatever jewels the Duchess bestowed were but a pittance compared to the mansion of Contarini that Isabella had given up. It was almost a mockery.
Isabella was furious, but she couldn't show her displeasure when Leo III was so obviously in love with her.
“...thank you.”
Duchess Rubina slowly answered Isabella's question.
“You’ll often receive jewels. That’s what makes court life so exciting.”
The King's Palace, where everyone is clamoring to get in. But only a few can make it out alive. Rubina said, glaring at Isabella from under her long eyelashes.
“Don’t spend your jewels extravagantly. Keep them safe.”
This was Rubina's warning to Isabella.
“It will be a useful fund for your retirement.”
'If you come in now, there won't be any soup.'
When Rubina entered the palace, it was actually a good time. The King was young, although he had a Queen, and he confessed his passionate love to Rubina.
He gave Rubina the title of Countess, and to make sure that it would not be a title in name only, he gave the son they had together the title and its lands.
When his son grew up, he gave him a beautiful mansion in the capital, the Villa Sortone, and although this was not necessarily a gift of love, it did end up giving Cesare de Como a fiefdom as well as the vast Duchy of Pisano in the north.
And even the Prince committed adultery. Now, if the Prince died young and the circumstances worked out well, the next King of the Etruscan kingdom might be Rubina's grandson.
Duchess Rubina, now the Grand Duchess of Rubina, had a great plan for her retirement.
'At least I had a son. You're finished if the King dies suddenly.'
It was not even thought that the old King would be able to have a successor. No matter how old a man is, he could still have children, but in the end, he had to look up to the sky to pick stars. Rubina knew the situation in that bed best.
Moreover, even if heaven helped Isabella to conceive, there was a world of difference between simply giving birth to the King's illegitimate child and the King recognizing that illegitimate child and treating it as his own. If Isabella gave birth to a child, it would officially be Ottavio's child.
'If it were me, I would never have refused to return the favor to Count Contarini.'
That might have been Isabella's only plan for retirement.
The recognition of an illegitimate child was not something the King could do as he pleased. He had to consider the political situation at the time, and he had to consider public opinion among the nobles. He had to have good relations with the Holy See, and even if the time was ripe, if there was a bad harvest, he had to postpone it to the next year. During that year, the government had to hold on to the King’s favor and not let it go. This was a comprehensive art.
'At most, ten years will pass until His Majesty returns.'
And in fact, three years was the time limit given to Isabella. Isabella had to get pregnant, give birth, and persuade Leo III to recognize her child as the King's illegitimate child, all within that time frame.
Is it over if you just receive the recognition? Receiving the spirit is a completely different story. Furthermore, if the child you give birth to is a girl, you have to start over from the pregnancy stage.
'Besides, the next King is Prince Alfonso.'
In that case, Isabella's terribly bad relationship with her younger sister would be the next King's wife. Disposing of the notorious mistress of the previous King would be the best achievement for a new Queen with an uncertain legitimacy to win over the hearts of society.
'Do you think that wicked woman will leave Isabella alone?'
Even if Ariadne, a saint, had the dignity to not throw her own sister into the pigsty, Rubina was fully willing to do so; it was obvious that she would somehow eliminate the trouble. No matter how lenient she was, it would be a trip to a convent. Wouldn't they send her to a convent where she would work for two months and then die from overwork?
Thinking this way, Rubina's heart, which had been wanting to tear Isabella apart at any moment, calmed down a little. She took a deep breath.
'Should I have asked them to bring me a bigger piece of jewelry?'
She added with a slightly more benevolent expression.
“I hope that those who serve me will enjoy a comfortable old age.”
It was a wedge. It was a final warning to Isabella that you are my maid, so know your place and don't act like that.
Just as Isabella was getting angry and tears welling up in her eyes, the next course arrived. It was a simple meat dumpling. After this, there was only dessert. The meal, which seemed to be ending soon, was drawing near.
As the end drew near, Princess Julia Helena thanked Leo III for the invitation to dine with her.
“Your Majesty, thank you for inviting me. The food at dinner today was truly delicious.”
“Hahaha, I’m satisfied that the Princess likes it.”
Rubina, who had prepared the dinner, smiled proudly next to him. Julia Helena responded quickly to this as well.
“Is this the banquet prepared by Duchess Rubina? It was a feast for the eyes and a feast for the palate.”
Rubina's smile grew even brighter. She likes the fact that the daughter-in-law candidate is so sharp. But what do you mean you don't know where to look? You mean the trolley and the food were pretty?
Julia Helena's cryptic compliments continued.
“I have never heard or seen such a wonderful banquet in Manchike.”
The King also felt happy and laughed out loud.
“Hahahaha! Latgalin is a bit out of the way, Princess. San Carlo is a city where all the products of the Central Continent gather!”
Julia Helena did not laugh it off. She corrected Leo III.
“Oh, that’s not it. At Manchike, a banquet is usually a meal where fifty or sixty people are invited and eat together.”
She added with a smile.
“I’ve never had a chance to have a cozy meal with so much conversation.”
It seemed like there was some substance to the words, but it was ambiguous. Rubina, worried that Leo III might be offended, intervened perfectly.
“I tried my best, and I’m glad you enjoyed it, Princess.”
Princess Julia Helena also smiled brightly and responded.
“The Duchess’s generosity and this small banquet are both signs that His Majesty has set aside a lot of time for me, so I would like to express my gratitude as a representative of the Manchike Kingdom.”
Princess Julia Helena's greeting was cute, even though it was in a sharp tone. Leo III couldn't help but laugh again. The princess asked with a smile.
"However."
She pointed at Isabella with the tip of her chin.
“You said it was a family gathering, so why was that person invited?”
Isabella opened her eyes wide at the incoming attack and looked at Julia Helena.
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