She could not provide him with a legitimate heir. Apart from that, Ariadne was still unsure whether she was a good match for Alfonso.
'Let's break up.'
It was a word that had been stuck in her throat, and then came down. The reason she never spoke it out loud was not because of personal greed, nor because she had seen Alfonso running towards her through the forest outside Trevero.
Because she knew that these weren't her true feelings after much thought. It was just a momentary spurt of her mind to avoid being hurt. Ariadne took a deep breath.
“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
Ariadne hugged Alfonso.
She didn't choose Cesare. They were people with the same kind of pain. But there was no law that said they had to live together.
If mermaids lived together, they would never know the mountain ranges of the land, the smell of the oxygen-filled forests. She hated the damp world she lived in. Ariadne sought a two-legged man to guide her to the vast continent.
Ariadne chose a man who would teach her what love was. A man who was trustworthy, stable, solid, and had experienced the devoted love of at least one of her parents.
But if she turns that around, it means that Alfonso is going to live with a woman who doesn't know love. What did he do wrong to be with such an unstable woman, a woman who can't produce children, forever?
'I... In my past life, and in this life. I only use you.'
Alfonso, who caught her as she ran away. And herself, who grabbed him and said it was good. She wasn't immature enough to break up with him because she didn't want to get hurt.
But if, after much deliberation, it is concluded that it is right, well, if Ariadne's conscience and greed were to compete, which would win?
“It’s enough to be a better person than yesterday.”
It was Raphael who said, “The sins of the past never go away. Atonement is not in regretting the past, but in living well today.”
But, as far as Ariadne was concerned, the sin she was committing against Alfonso was a present tense.
'Should I quit? Will it be good for him if I walk away? I guess it will. Can I live without him?'
There were too many things to consider to decide on a sentence from a seated position. Some were within her cognition, others she was completely unaware of.
For example, Ariadne had irregular periods, and this time, there had been no news for a long time. She knew that her period was late, but she had not yet connected it to another thought. Without knowing this fact, Ariadne, whose mind was already complicated, closed her eyes tightly.
Alfonso, unable to figure out what the woman in his arms was thinking, simply patted Ariadne on the back until she calmed down.
She looked strong, but was infinitely weak... He had to protect her. She was like a baby, and she couldn't survive without him.
Alfonso felt joy in seeing those in his arms smiling, growing, and being happy. Ariadne's smiling face itself was a joy to him. She didn't know this yet.
Julia Helena finally took to heart, as well as mind, the teachings of her governess that she should be an enterprising woman. She overcame her fears and confronted Leo III, and much had changed since then compared to when she had kept quiet and waited.
“Princess. Just a moment.”
As Julia Helena was leaving the restaurant, she was stopped in the hallway by the future Etruscan king, Prince Alfonso, who had been avoiding Julia Helena.
She understood Prince Alfonso's position. Julia Helena was the one who had been called to become his bride, but next to him was his already married wife, with her eyes wide open. From the Prince's point of view, it must have been burdensome to make contact with the Princess of Manchike.
But from Julia Helena's point of view, this was not a very pleasant thing.
Now, this was a situation where she was being treated badly by the groom she had promised. No matter how much she told herself that it was something that had to happen because of their circumstances, that it was not the fault of the Manchike household, and that it wasn't because she had lost her charm, she still felt a little embarrassed.
Moreover, although Julia Helena was the representative and successor of the monarchy, she was unable to meet anyone with real power due to Leo III's interference.
But voila, as soon as she protested to the King, the Prince showed up for a private meeting.
“I’m sorry for your injury, and I know it won’t be pleasant to hear, but there’s something you really need to know, Your Highness.”
The Prince cut short and got straight to the point. But even that was to her liking. It felt like they were properly discussing important national issues, and her heart was pounding differently.
But Prince Alfonso, who appeared like that, declared:
“The Black Helmet Knights do not go to Dodessa.”
Julia Helena let out a short gasp of disappointment. She had thought it might be so, but it was something else to hear it so definitively.
“Then, the military force that His Majesty promised...”
"The only thing His Majesty can promise is the army he can mobilize.”
This was almost a direct message that he was not listening to the orders of Leo III, the King of the Etruscan Kingdom. It was not something to be said in an official setting. It was a conversation in the hallway, so it was possible.
Julia Helena looked at Alfonso with confused eyes. It was pitiful to see her standing there with her eyes wide open, holding the napkin that had soaked blood on her face. No matter how smart she was, she was still a teenage girl who had crossed the ocean alone and was in a foreign country with no one to help her.
“The army that Your Majesty can mobilize is...”
Alfonso added. He didn't plan on saying this much, but the secretly inexperienced Princess might need a little help.
“There are four thousand elite guards.”
“The guards?”
Julia Helena blinked. She was smart and immediately noticed something was off. The guards were guards because they never left the capital. And it was strange that they were 4,000 'men' instead of 4,000 'kids'.
“Yes. Of those, there are only about 50 knights. They are the young masters of the capital. Of course, they are the most prestigious families.”
Julia Helena could not figure out the Prince's intentions as he spoke with a serious face and a serious tone that made it difficult to tell whether it was a compliment or an insult.
'Elite guards? Young masters? Noble families? What does this mean?'
The Princess of Manchike did not yet know that the Etruscan Prince was a man who spoke only the facts. There was no value judgment in Alfonso's words. They were just objective facts without any embellishment. Alfonso spoke directly.
“If that is what you expected, Princess, then return to your home country.”
It was the greatest kindness he could bestow on a foreign woman. The magnificent army that the Princess of Manchike imagined would never come about, no matter how many times she married Cesare.
However, Alfonso, who only saw the appearance, missed the point that what Julia Helena wanted was something other than the army. In the Prince's common sense, that was not something that a Princess, or any normal woman, would want.
“I’m sorry for keeping you so long when you’re injured. A doctor will be arriving at the Princess’s quarters soon.”
He was a chaplain of the Black Helmet Knights. This was the first and last time the Princess would receive assistance from the Black Helmet Knights.
Alfonso turned around after saying these words. He really said what he had to say and left. Julia Helena stared blankly at Alfonso's back.
On the other hand, there was a man who came to meet Julia Helena and didn't say anything.
“...”
“If it’s a wound, it’s okay. The doctor took good care of it. It won’t leave a scar.”
“...”
“Thank you for visiting.”
Cesare, who had left Julia Helena to babble alone for a long time, finally bowed his head when he was on the verge of being suspected of being lacking something if he kept quiet any longer.
Julia Helena thought that this man had a real talent for making women open their mouths. However, the Duke who came to visit the Princess also had an unusual face.
“Oh my? Why is your face swollen? Is that blue a bruise?”
No, this is a national treasure-level face!
“...It’s nothing.”
He didn't even make the usual excuses like he bumped into something or fell down.
'He really is a man of few words.'
Julia Helena thought with a blush on her face. The countless ladies of San Carlo who had passed by Cesare must have burst into laughter at the thought of Julia Helena's sentiment.
The young Princess smiled brightly as she looked at the face of Duke Cesare, who had the same purple bruises as hers. They looked like a couple of items.
“We both have bruises on our faces?”
“...”
“Don’t these two bruises look like a pair?”
The Duke immediately changed the subject.
“...His Majesty Leo III, concerned about the Princess’s injuries, has decided to give you a gift.”
This was the reason why he was forced to visit Julia Helena today.
"Oh."
When Julia Helena was injured because of his actions, Leo III became increasingly afraid that this would turn into a diplomatic problem. He had already done much wrong. He could not afford any more trouble. The King decided to send the envoy with many gifts.
Of course, there was no logical necessity for Cesare to go as the envoy. Cesare had been hit so hard yesterday that it was a stroke of luck that he had avoided both a concussion and a broken nose. Even if he had declined the errand, no one would have been able to say anything.
It was his mother's efforts that led to the Duke, who was supposed to be sick, being drafted and dragged here.
“I ruined your life?! Me? You?”
Rubina was about to die after dealing an overwhelming amount of damage to Ariadne in a duel, but was still overcome by the small amount of damage she had sustained.
“I created you! I shaped everything about you!”
From birth to the title of Duke, Cesare was to Rubina her creature who owed her everything.
“Why are you making such a fuss over something you heard during a fight?”
Cesare suppressed Rubina's emotions. It was the greatest resistance he could muster. But his mother was not easy. Rubina burst into rage.
"Do I look like I’m not angry?! That reckless, gloomy thing! The words that come out when you fight are your true feelings!”
Rubina went on a rampage. Eventually, Cesare had no choice but to surrender.
“Stop it! I’ll go, I’ll go! I can just go visit the Princess!”
Of course, you can't make a horse drink water by leading it to the water, and you can't make a child study by giving him a tutor. That's why Duke Cesare, who visited Julia Helena, was empty-handed, having thrown away the bouquet Rubina had given him, and unlike usual, he was extremely reserved.
“His Majesty will have the Princess wear a new dress.”
Leo III had actually ordered Cesare to take Julia Helena to the best dress shop in San Carlo and have her fitted for a winter dress. But Cesare had planned to somehow get this over to his mother, Rubina, and run away. This visit alone would have paid for more than enough food.
“We will contact you shortly.”
He stood up straight from his seat. Julia Helena answered hurriedly.
“Yes, yes, see you soon!”
It was an indirect, twisted reply that said that she expected him to come in person.
Princess Julia Helena enjoyed her second meeting much better than her first. She had obtained useful information and sought excellent medical attention from the Prince, but her heart was missing something exciting.
Duke Cesare's visit was brief and uneventful, but it did not keep the Princess from sleeping.
'Really, the two bruises look like a heart?'
The adolescent girl's heart began to pound. San Carlo's season was turning into winter, but hers was a vibrant spring.
The next morning, Alfonso was summoned by Leo III in a fit of rage. Ariadne refused to sleep in the palace and returned to the mansion de Mare, despite Alfonso's persuasion. Alfonso could not understand her persistence, but today, after being summoned, he thought that it was fortunate in some ways that Ariadne had returned home.
“You threatened Rubina and hit Cesare in the face?!”
Prince Alfonso kept his mouth shut and said nothing to Leo III, who was furious and asked if such a thing was possible in his palace.
“That is a complete disrespect to me!”
Leo III, frustrated with his son's silence, shouted at him.
“Say something!”
“That guy...”
“Don’t call your brother that!”
“He asked my wife to have an affair.”
'Let's break up.'
It was a word that had been stuck in her throat, and then came down. The reason she never spoke it out loud was not because of personal greed, nor because she had seen Alfonso running towards her through the forest outside Trevero.
Because she knew that these weren't her true feelings after much thought. It was just a momentary spurt of her mind to avoid being hurt. Ariadne took a deep breath.
“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
Ariadne hugged Alfonso.
She didn't choose Cesare. They were people with the same kind of pain. But there was no law that said they had to live together.
If mermaids lived together, they would never know the mountain ranges of the land, the smell of the oxygen-filled forests. She hated the damp world she lived in. Ariadne sought a two-legged man to guide her to the vast continent.
Ariadne chose a man who would teach her what love was. A man who was trustworthy, stable, solid, and had experienced the devoted love of at least one of her parents.
But if she turns that around, it means that Alfonso is going to live with a woman who doesn't know love. What did he do wrong to be with such an unstable woman, a woman who can't produce children, forever?
'I... In my past life, and in this life. I only use you.'
Alfonso, who caught her as she ran away. And herself, who grabbed him and said it was good. She wasn't immature enough to break up with him because she didn't want to get hurt.
But if, after much deliberation, it is concluded that it is right, well, if Ariadne's conscience and greed were to compete, which would win?
“It’s enough to be a better person than yesterday.”
It was Raphael who said, “The sins of the past never go away. Atonement is not in regretting the past, but in living well today.”
But, as far as Ariadne was concerned, the sin she was committing against Alfonso was a present tense.
'Should I quit? Will it be good for him if I walk away? I guess it will. Can I live without him?'
There were too many things to consider to decide on a sentence from a seated position. Some were within her cognition, others she was completely unaware of.
For example, Ariadne had irregular periods, and this time, there had been no news for a long time. She knew that her period was late, but she had not yet connected it to another thought. Without knowing this fact, Ariadne, whose mind was already complicated, closed her eyes tightly.
Alfonso, unable to figure out what the woman in his arms was thinking, simply patted Ariadne on the back until she calmed down.
She looked strong, but was infinitely weak... He had to protect her. She was like a baby, and she couldn't survive without him.
Alfonso felt joy in seeing those in his arms smiling, growing, and being happy. Ariadne's smiling face itself was a joy to him. She didn't know this yet.
***
Julia Helena finally took to heart, as well as mind, the teachings of her governess that she should be an enterprising woman. She overcame her fears and confronted Leo III, and much had changed since then compared to when she had kept quiet and waited.
“Princess. Just a moment.”
As Julia Helena was leaving the restaurant, she was stopped in the hallway by the future Etruscan king, Prince Alfonso, who had been avoiding Julia Helena.
She understood Prince Alfonso's position. Julia Helena was the one who had been called to become his bride, but next to him was his already married wife, with her eyes wide open. From the Prince's point of view, it must have been burdensome to make contact with the Princess of Manchike.
But from Julia Helena's point of view, this was not a very pleasant thing.
Now, this was a situation where she was being treated badly by the groom she had promised. No matter how much she told herself that it was something that had to happen because of their circumstances, that it was not the fault of the Manchike household, and that it wasn't because she had lost her charm, she still felt a little embarrassed.
Moreover, although Julia Helena was the representative and successor of the monarchy, she was unable to meet anyone with real power due to Leo III's interference.
But voila, as soon as she protested to the King, the Prince showed up for a private meeting.
“I’m sorry for your injury, and I know it won’t be pleasant to hear, but there’s something you really need to know, Your Highness.”
The Prince cut short and got straight to the point. But even that was to her liking. It felt like they were properly discussing important national issues, and her heart was pounding differently.
But Prince Alfonso, who appeared like that, declared:
“The Black Helmet Knights do not go to Dodessa.”
Julia Helena let out a short gasp of disappointment. She had thought it might be so, but it was something else to hear it so definitively.
“Then, the military force that His Majesty promised...”
"The only thing His Majesty can promise is the army he can mobilize.”
This was almost a direct message that he was not listening to the orders of Leo III, the King of the Etruscan Kingdom. It was not something to be said in an official setting. It was a conversation in the hallway, so it was possible.
Julia Helena looked at Alfonso with confused eyes. It was pitiful to see her standing there with her eyes wide open, holding the napkin that had soaked blood on her face. No matter how smart she was, she was still a teenage girl who had crossed the ocean alone and was in a foreign country with no one to help her.
“The army that Your Majesty can mobilize is...”
Alfonso added. He didn't plan on saying this much, but the secretly inexperienced Princess might need a little help.
“There are four thousand elite guards.”
“The guards?”
Julia Helena blinked. She was smart and immediately noticed something was off. The guards were guards because they never left the capital. And it was strange that they were 4,000 'men' instead of 4,000 'kids'.
“Yes. Of those, there are only about 50 knights. They are the young masters of the capital. Of course, they are the most prestigious families.”
Julia Helena could not figure out the Prince's intentions as he spoke with a serious face and a serious tone that made it difficult to tell whether it was a compliment or an insult.
'Elite guards? Young masters? Noble families? What does this mean?'
The Princess of Manchike did not yet know that the Etruscan Prince was a man who spoke only the facts. There was no value judgment in Alfonso's words. They were just objective facts without any embellishment. Alfonso spoke directly.
“If that is what you expected, Princess, then return to your home country.”
It was the greatest kindness he could bestow on a foreign woman. The magnificent army that the Princess of Manchike imagined would never come about, no matter how many times she married Cesare.
However, Alfonso, who only saw the appearance, missed the point that what Julia Helena wanted was something other than the army. In the Prince's common sense, that was not something that a Princess, or any normal woman, would want.
“I’m sorry for keeping you so long when you’re injured. A doctor will be arriving at the Princess’s quarters soon.”
He was a chaplain of the Black Helmet Knights. This was the first and last time the Princess would receive assistance from the Black Helmet Knights.
Alfonso turned around after saying these words. He really said what he had to say and left. Julia Helena stared blankly at Alfonso's back.
***
On the other hand, there was a man who came to meet Julia Helena and didn't say anything.
“...”
“If it’s a wound, it’s okay. The doctor took good care of it. It won’t leave a scar.”
“...”
“Thank you for visiting.”
Cesare, who had left Julia Helena to babble alone for a long time, finally bowed his head when he was on the verge of being suspected of being lacking something if he kept quiet any longer.
Julia Helena thought that this man had a real talent for making women open their mouths. However, the Duke who came to visit the Princess also had an unusual face.
“Oh my? Why is your face swollen? Is that blue a bruise?”
No, this is a national treasure-level face!
“...It’s nothing.”
He didn't even make the usual excuses like he bumped into something or fell down.
'He really is a man of few words.'
Julia Helena thought with a blush on her face. The countless ladies of San Carlo who had passed by Cesare must have burst into laughter at the thought of Julia Helena's sentiment.
The young Princess smiled brightly as she looked at the face of Duke Cesare, who had the same purple bruises as hers. They looked like a couple of items.
“We both have bruises on our faces?”
“...”
“Don’t these two bruises look like a pair?”
The Duke immediately changed the subject.
“...His Majesty Leo III, concerned about the Princess’s injuries, has decided to give you a gift.”
This was the reason why he was forced to visit Julia Helena today.
"Oh."
When Julia Helena was injured because of his actions, Leo III became increasingly afraid that this would turn into a diplomatic problem. He had already done much wrong. He could not afford any more trouble. The King decided to send the envoy with many gifts.
Of course, there was no logical necessity for Cesare to go as the envoy. Cesare had been hit so hard yesterday that it was a stroke of luck that he had avoided both a concussion and a broken nose. Even if he had declined the errand, no one would have been able to say anything.
It was his mother's efforts that led to the Duke, who was supposed to be sick, being drafted and dragged here.
“I ruined your life?! Me? You?”
Rubina was about to die after dealing an overwhelming amount of damage to Ariadne in a duel, but was still overcome by the small amount of damage she had sustained.
“I created you! I shaped everything about you!”
From birth to the title of Duke, Cesare was to Rubina her creature who owed her everything.
“Why are you making such a fuss over something you heard during a fight?”
Cesare suppressed Rubina's emotions. It was the greatest resistance he could muster. But his mother was not easy. Rubina burst into rage.
"Do I look like I’m not angry?! That reckless, gloomy thing! The words that come out when you fight are your true feelings!”
Rubina went on a rampage. Eventually, Cesare had no choice but to surrender.
“Stop it! I’ll go, I’ll go! I can just go visit the Princess!”
Of course, you can't make a horse drink water by leading it to the water, and you can't make a child study by giving him a tutor. That's why Duke Cesare, who visited Julia Helena, was empty-handed, having thrown away the bouquet Rubina had given him, and unlike usual, he was extremely reserved.
“His Majesty will have the Princess wear a new dress.”
Leo III had actually ordered Cesare to take Julia Helena to the best dress shop in San Carlo and have her fitted for a winter dress. But Cesare had planned to somehow get this over to his mother, Rubina, and run away. This visit alone would have paid for more than enough food.
“We will contact you shortly.”
He stood up straight from his seat. Julia Helena answered hurriedly.
“Yes, yes, see you soon!”
It was an indirect, twisted reply that said that she expected him to come in person.
Princess Julia Helena enjoyed her second meeting much better than her first. She had obtained useful information and sought excellent medical attention from the Prince, but her heart was missing something exciting.
Duke Cesare's visit was brief and uneventful, but it did not keep the Princess from sleeping.
'Really, the two bruises look like a heart?'
The adolescent girl's heart began to pound. San Carlo's season was turning into winter, but hers was a vibrant spring.
***
The next morning, Alfonso was summoned by Leo III in a fit of rage. Ariadne refused to sleep in the palace and returned to the mansion de Mare, despite Alfonso's persuasion. Alfonso could not understand her persistence, but today, after being summoned, he thought that it was fortunate in some ways that Ariadne had returned home.
“You threatened Rubina and hit Cesare in the face?!”
Prince Alfonso kept his mouth shut and said nothing to Leo III, who was furious and asked if such a thing was possible in his palace.
“That is a complete disrespect to me!”
Leo III, frustrated with his son's silence, shouted at him.
“Say something!”
“That guy...”
“Don’t call your brother that!”
“He asked my wife to have an affair.”
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