“I don’t know what kind of talent Countess de Mare, not even beautiful, had to seduce the prince and lure my son.”
Rubina shot back with malice. On the Great Isabella front, and in her position to be Cesare’s next heir, Rubina had to welcome Ariadne. Ariadne’s very presence opened a window of opportunity for her son. Ariadne would also certainly help oust Isabella.
But Rubina was a person who was true to her emotions of the moment, not what she had to do. Seeing her son, her greatest asset, who she had to sell at a high price, desperately begging for Ariadne, she could not speak nicely.
Moreover, Duchess Rubina still harbored the resentment she had felt when Ariadne pointed her out in the past when she was accused of poisoning Queen Marguerite with arsenic, and the sense of defeat she felt toward Ariadne when Leo III tried to make the Countess the Queen.
She could not bring herself to say that she had seduced Leo III. It was a woman's pride that she could not say even if she died. Instead, she raised her head and declared proudly.
“My son will become the Grand Duke, marry Princess Manchike, and become the future heir to this kingdom.”
Duchess Rubina smiled faintly.
“Shouldn’t we preserve at least one seed of the kingdom from being tainted by the lowly blood of the Countess?”
The Duchess, who was only slightly shorter than Ariadne, looked down at her with an expression rather than an angle.
“With the Count’s great talent, let’s go up to the Prince.”
Even the small smile hanging from the corner of the mouth was a set. It was truly violent language. Indeed, it lived up to its reputation.
Ariadne replied.
“Oh, ma’am.”
In this life, Cesare had told Ariadne a lot about what he liked, what he thought, what he felt, and in other words, what kind of person he was.
Since his main goal was to look good to Ariadne, he didn't talk about his mother very often. However, when she pieced together the pieces that came to mind here and there, Rubina had a lot in common with Lucrezia and Gian Galeazzo, the grandmother who raised Ariadne before Lucrezia.
Understanding Rubina led to understanding why Cesare had acted that way in her previous life. Cesare and Ariadne were people who had the same pain. That was why they were so intensely attracted and so violently repulsed, and that was why they absolutely had to be together. If they wanted to live.
“The woman who ruined Cesare’s life the most was not me, but you.”
Rubina's greed and coercion to force her son into the mold she wanted. Even that mold was made up of only momentary desires and was not something that a single human could physically achieve. However, Rubina never seemed to have thought about this evaluation. She responded as Ariadne said.
“What? How dare you say such things to me?”
You had to get my consent to get involved with my son! You were already looking good, but you were going against my wishes? Ariadne also read Rubina's possessiveness. The problem was that Ariadne had no intention of getting involved with Cesare.
“If you think your son has authority, why don’t you take good care of him? How did you raise him at home that he's asking a married woman to meet him?”
“Countess de Mare! This, this... Insolent!”
“Mother, please stop!”
Rubina looked like she was going to explode, as her face turned red and blue. Cesare knew very well that his mother could throw things at him at such times. He stood in front of Ariadne.
“I’m hanging on to this because I absolutely love her!”
It was a shameful situation for Cesare. Ariadne was arguing with Rubina and not caring about Cesare's dignity at all. But he had no intention of arguing with Ariadne.
“It’s not something Ari ordered me to do, and it’s not something Ari is responsible for...!”
But Duke Cesare could not finish his words, because a large fist flew out from somewhere and struck him in the face.
Bam!
There was a skull-popping sound.
"Ugh!"
Cesare clutched his face and fell backwards. He was immediately stretched out in the hallway.
In front of him was Alfonso, gasping for breath.
A single scream was the end. The height difference between Cesare and Alfonso was about half a head, but their bodies were slightly less than twice as thick. Ariadne looked back at Alfonso in surprise. In the background, something similar to Duchess Rubina's scream could be heard.
“Alfonso!”
Alfonso grabbed Ariadne's wrist, oblivious to the surrounding commotion. Ariadne gasped in surprise.
Alfonso looked back at Rubina. Anger burned in his dark blue-gray eyes.
He never agreed with the insults Rubina had done.
“It wasn’t Ari who ruined his life; it was your son who lost Ari.”
The Prince added, spitting out the words.
“You have nothing to ruin.”
Alfonso threw out the last sentence.
“The only reason I don’t hit you is because you’re a woman.”
Not because she was her father's woman, or because she was the eldest in the family, but simply because she was a woman. It was said that Rubina was not respected as either of those two things.
“Ari. Let’s go.”
Alfonso stormed out of Rubina's restaurant, holding Ariadne's wrist.
Alfonso, who was angry, could not keep pace with Ariadne as usual. His pace was so fast that she almost fell over.
At that speed, Ariadne felt angry. She was anxious that she might be the target of that anger. The corridor from the small restaurant to the Prince's palace was incredibly long, and Ariadne felt like crying.
As soon as the corridor of the public area ended and she entered the Prince's palace, Ariadne apologized. She had been with Cesare, and had been subjected to something he could not tell whether it was a confession or an insult. It was all visible to Alfonso. She felt that she should apologize.
"Sorry."
Just after she said that, she saw a servant from the Prince's palace walking by with a brisk pace. It was a face she didn't recognize.
A servant without a bond can easily be carried away. If he does not rule by fear, then so be it. She absolutely hated the rumor that the Prince's woman was treating Prince Alfonso poorly.
She corrected herself with a face that looked like it was on the verge of tears.
“...I’m sorry.”
Alfonso turned around. His expression was menacing. Ariadne's knees gave out.
“That’s... I..."
The situation became even more miserable when the honorifics she had chosen to avoid being noticed by the servants overlapped. In the meantime, she didn't know that Cesare had called her out to say something like that, and she was dragged away, but it felt too awkward to say that.
Ariadne, who was choosing words, suddenly realized that the strength that had been supporting her had completely disappeared. Alfonso had let go of her hand. In that moment, tears welled up in her eyes due to the incomprehensible sense of loss.
Did you let go of my hand? Did you let go of my hand the very moment you thought I was unfaithful?
“Don’t trust men.”
Emotions raced through her. The moment she let her guard down, the devil's whispers came back. The voice of Isabella from her previous life was vivid in my ears.
She won't live like her sister. Look at this life, living like her sister isn't the right answer, Ariadne told herself over and over again, but her emotions that were raging at her let loose and ran wild.
At that moment, the man's heavy arms embraced her.
“It’s not your fault. It’s that kid’s fault.”
Ariadne couldn't believe her ears. The words she had wanted to hear so badly were magically heard. She was one hour late, and her emotions were welling up.
“That... That...”
Clear tears filled both eyes and flowed down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, why are you crying?”
She didn't even realize she was crying. Alfonso wiped her tears away with his big fingers.
“That’s...”
It was not a time to cry. Ariadne could not understand herself either. It was different from usual.
Her green eyes, shadowed beneath her long, wet eyelashes, wavered. Ariadne’s worried expression was uneasy. It seemed as if she would leave him at any moment.
Alfonso couldn't bear it any longer and hugged her tightly and kissed her. This was the way he knew for sure to comfort her.
The assurance and comfort that was rushing in now. She couldn't refuse. Ariadne responded enthusiastically. Alfonso's body temperature, his scent, the pressure of his arms that confined her, and his firm chest. It was comfortable. She couldn't live without it any longer.
Alfonso held her tighter, and she buried herself in his arms. Their relationship was meant to be eternal, and Ariadne believed it was. They had sworn to be husband and wife before the gods, and they had declared to all men that they were together.
This was a strange feeling, different from when Alfonso was just her boyfriend. Alfonso whispered in Ariadne's ear.
“I trust you. Don’t cry.”
This pressed the button. Ariadne burst into tears in Alfonso's arms. She sobbed, abandoning all of her usual upright posture.
The feeling of relief that no matter what she does, the bond with this person will never break, that no matter what, the two of them will be together... And guilt.
There was some truth to Rubina's words. Alfonso's shining golden life was ruined by choosing her.
“It’s okay, Ari. You’re good.”
Alfonso, who had no idea what she was thinking, stroked Ariadne's back as if he were handling a baby. It was a warmth she had never felt in her entire life, past or present.
Ariadne suddenly raised her head and met Alfonso's eyes. Her expression seemed to indicate that she had something to say.
"Hmm?"
Rubina shot back with malice. On the Great Isabella front, and in her position to be Cesare’s next heir, Rubina had to welcome Ariadne. Ariadne’s very presence opened a window of opportunity for her son. Ariadne would also certainly help oust Isabella.
But Rubina was a person who was true to her emotions of the moment, not what she had to do. Seeing her son, her greatest asset, who she had to sell at a high price, desperately begging for Ariadne, she could not speak nicely.
Moreover, Duchess Rubina still harbored the resentment she had felt when Ariadne pointed her out in the past when she was accused of poisoning Queen Marguerite with arsenic, and the sense of defeat she felt toward Ariadne when Leo III tried to make the Countess the Queen.
She could not bring herself to say that she had seduced Leo III. It was a woman's pride that she could not say even if she died. Instead, she raised her head and declared proudly.
“My son will become the Grand Duke, marry Princess Manchike, and become the future heir to this kingdom.”
Duchess Rubina smiled faintly.
“Shouldn’t we preserve at least one seed of the kingdom from being tainted by the lowly blood of the Countess?”
The Duchess, who was only slightly shorter than Ariadne, looked down at her with an expression rather than an angle.
“With the Count’s great talent, let’s go up to the Prince.”
Even the small smile hanging from the corner of the mouth was a set. It was truly violent language. Indeed, it lived up to its reputation.
Ariadne replied.
“Oh, ma’am.”
In this life, Cesare had told Ariadne a lot about what he liked, what he thought, what he felt, and in other words, what kind of person he was.
Since his main goal was to look good to Ariadne, he didn't talk about his mother very often. However, when she pieced together the pieces that came to mind here and there, Rubina had a lot in common with Lucrezia and Gian Galeazzo, the grandmother who raised Ariadne before Lucrezia.
Understanding Rubina led to understanding why Cesare had acted that way in her previous life. Cesare and Ariadne were people who had the same pain. That was why they were so intensely attracted and so violently repulsed, and that was why they absolutely had to be together. If they wanted to live.
“The woman who ruined Cesare’s life the most was not me, but you.”
Rubina's greed and coercion to force her son into the mold she wanted. Even that mold was made up of only momentary desires and was not something that a single human could physically achieve. However, Rubina never seemed to have thought about this evaluation. She responded as Ariadne said.
“What? How dare you say such things to me?”
You had to get my consent to get involved with my son! You were already looking good, but you were going against my wishes? Ariadne also read Rubina's possessiveness. The problem was that Ariadne had no intention of getting involved with Cesare.
“If you think your son has authority, why don’t you take good care of him? How did you raise him at home that he's asking a married woman to meet him?”
“Countess de Mare! This, this... Insolent!”
“Mother, please stop!”
Rubina looked like she was going to explode, as her face turned red and blue. Cesare knew very well that his mother could throw things at him at such times. He stood in front of Ariadne.
“I’m hanging on to this because I absolutely love her!”
It was a shameful situation for Cesare. Ariadne was arguing with Rubina and not caring about Cesare's dignity at all. But he had no intention of arguing with Ariadne.
“It’s not something Ari ordered me to do, and it’s not something Ari is responsible for...!”
But Duke Cesare could not finish his words, because a large fist flew out from somewhere and struck him in the face.
Bam!
There was a skull-popping sound.
"Ugh!"
Cesare clutched his face and fell backwards. He was immediately stretched out in the hallway.
In front of him was Alfonso, gasping for breath.
A single scream was the end. The height difference between Cesare and Alfonso was about half a head, but their bodies were slightly less than twice as thick. Ariadne looked back at Alfonso in surprise. In the background, something similar to Duchess Rubina's scream could be heard.
“Alfonso!”
Alfonso grabbed Ariadne's wrist, oblivious to the surrounding commotion. Ariadne gasped in surprise.
Alfonso looked back at Rubina. Anger burned in his dark blue-gray eyes.
He never agreed with the insults Rubina had done.
“It wasn’t Ari who ruined his life; it was your son who lost Ari.”
The Prince added, spitting out the words.
“You have nothing to ruin.”
Alfonso threw out the last sentence.
“The only reason I don’t hit you is because you’re a woman.”
Not because she was her father's woman, or because she was the eldest in the family, but simply because she was a woman. It was said that Rubina was not respected as either of those two things.
“Ari. Let’s go.”
Alfonso stormed out of Rubina's restaurant, holding Ariadne's wrist.
Alfonso, who was angry, could not keep pace with Ariadne as usual. His pace was so fast that she almost fell over.
At that speed, Ariadne felt angry. She was anxious that she might be the target of that anger. The corridor from the small restaurant to the Prince's palace was incredibly long, and Ariadne felt like crying.
As soon as the corridor of the public area ended and she entered the Prince's palace, Ariadne apologized. She had been with Cesare, and had been subjected to something he could not tell whether it was a confession or an insult. It was all visible to Alfonso. She felt that she should apologize.
"Sorry."
Just after she said that, she saw a servant from the Prince's palace walking by with a brisk pace. It was a face she didn't recognize.
A servant without a bond can easily be carried away. If he does not rule by fear, then so be it. She absolutely hated the rumor that the Prince's woman was treating Prince Alfonso poorly.
She corrected herself with a face that looked like it was on the verge of tears.
“...I’m sorry.”
Alfonso turned around. His expression was menacing. Ariadne's knees gave out.
“That’s... I..."
The situation became even more miserable when the honorifics she had chosen to avoid being noticed by the servants overlapped. In the meantime, she didn't know that Cesare had called her out to say something like that, and she was dragged away, but it felt too awkward to say that.
Ariadne, who was choosing words, suddenly realized that the strength that had been supporting her had completely disappeared. Alfonso had let go of her hand. In that moment, tears welled up in her eyes due to the incomprehensible sense of loss.
Did you let go of my hand? Did you let go of my hand the very moment you thought I was unfaithful?
“Don’t trust men.”
Emotions raced through her. The moment she let her guard down, the devil's whispers came back. The voice of Isabella from her previous life was vivid in my ears.
She won't live like her sister. Look at this life, living like her sister isn't the right answer, Ariadne told herself over and over again, but her emotions that were raging at her let loose and ran wild.
At that moment, the man's heavy arms embraced her.
“It’s not your fault. It’s that kid’s fault.”
Ariadne couldn't believe her ears. The words she had wanted to hear so badly were magically heard. She was one hour late, and her emotions were welling up.
“That... That...”
Clear tears filled both eyes and flowed down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, why are you crying?”
She didn't even realize she was crying. Alfonso wiped her tears away with his big fingers.
“That’s...”
It was not a time to cry. Ariadne could not understand herself either. It was different from usual.
Her green eyes, shadowed beneath her long, wet eyelashes, wavered. Ariadne’s worried expression was uneasy. It seemed as if she would leave him at any moment.
Alfonso couldn't bear it any longer and hugged her tightly and kissed her. This was the way he knew for sure to comfort her.
The assurance and comfort that was rushing in now. She couldn't refuse. Ariadne responded enthusiastically. Alfonso's body temperature, his scent, the pressure of his arms that confined her, and his firm chest. It was comfortable. She couldn't live without it any longer.
Alfonso held her tighter, and she buried herself in his arms. Their relationship was meant to be eternal, and Ariadne believed it was. They had sworn to be husband and wife before the gods, and they had declared to all men that they were together.
This was a strange feeling, different from when Alfonso was just her boyfriend. Alfonso whispered in Ariadne's ear.
“I trust you. Don’t cry.”
This pressed the button. Ariadne burst into tears in Alfonso's arms. She sobbed, abandoning all of her usual upright posture.
The feeling of relief that no matter what she does, the bond with this person will never break, that no matter what, the two of them will be together... And guilt.
There was some truth to Rubina's words. Alfonso's shining golden life was ruined by choosing her.
“It’s okay, Ari. You’re good.”
Alfonso, who had no idea what she was thinking, stroked Ariadne's back as if he were handling a baby. It was a warmth she had never felt in her entire life, past or present.
Ariadne suddenly raised her head and met Alfonso's eyes. Her expression seemed to indicate that she had something to say.
"Hmm?"
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