The old King gasped in shock. In his entire life, the young woman before him was the first woman to come before him like this.
Leo III was speechless. Isabella accepted this in silence. In her desperation, she began to appeal to the King about how much she loved him.
“I think of Your Majesty all day long!”
The voice went up and down, and it seemed quite desperate. It was true that it was desperate.
“I always worry about what I should do to make Your Majesty smile and what I should give to Your Majesty to make you happy!”
She lowered her head, and her eyes filled with tears. If you don't know, just cry. Men are such simple creatures.
“I would sacrifice anything for Your Majesty...”
Leo III looked at Isabella. Her slender shoulders, her golden curls. She was pitiful. The visuals were more pitiful than the objective situation. The old King muttered in a pitiful tone.
“I didn’t realize that I was receiving such loyalty...”
Isabella became angry the moment she heard those words.
'You don't know? How can you not know that?'
Isabella abandoned the Contarini mansion and her own daughter, Giovanna, for Leo III. It wasn't necessarily for Leo III's sake, but Isabella now truly believed that she had done so.
'No, don't you know that I've thrown everything away for you?! At this point, haven't I really thrown everything away?'
Isabella's voice also rose naturally. When she got angry, her words flowed out like a stream of water.
“I have already given up everything for Your Majesty! Do you think I didn’t accept the Contarini mansion because I didn’t like it? My husband, who used to oppress me, would have accepted me back if I had accepted the mansion and gone back!!”
What could be more precious to a woman than her husband's love? As Isabella spoke, she realized that she had forgotten one thing.
“My daughter, Giovanna, too! I gave her to my husband solely to serve His Majesty!”
The importance of Isabella is revealed in the order of the Contarini mansion and Giovanna's mentions. Of course, her husband's love... is more important than her newborn daughter, isn't it? Well, maybe after her daughter becomes the Queen of a neighboring country.
“I sacrificed everything for Your Majesty... and I have nothing left... sob... sob.”
The Contarini mansion was definitely something Isabella had given up. Leo III knew that. The old King, who had been receiving Isabella's hard work and services, was speechless.
“I love you, Your Majesty, no matter what.”
Isabella raised her head. Her amethyst eyes sparkled with tears. Leo III felt his heart pounding again at the sight of her overwhelming features.
“But... if my beloved heart is insulted and belittled like this, I will leave the palace!”
What Isabella was talking about was not love at all. But Leo III, who had never received true love, was unable to distinguish between the real and the fake. He racked his unsteady brain and tried to appease the young seductress.
“Isabella, there is no one to laugh at or insult you.”
“Look at Princess Manchike right now!”
Isabella's voice immediately became louder.
“It’s a family gathering, so why was she invited? Doesn’t it seem like I’m not qualified to sit at that table?”
“That’s because Princess Manchike doesn’t know much about Etruscan affairs...”
Instead of refuting Leo III, Isabella stared at him with piercing eyes.
“Isabella, I’m sad...”
She stared at Leo III for a moment, then jumped up from her seat. Then she started to pack her things. She picked up a large linen backpack, opened the palm-sized closet, and sighed.
Inside, several clothes had been 'borrowed' from Rubina. There was nothing that belonged to Isabella. That was natural. She had entered the palace naked in the first place. However, Isabella had dressed up the fact in front of Leo III as if it were the tragedy of ancient Philoa.
“All Your Majesty has given me is love, so I have nothing to take away...”
She burst into tears again. Leo III shouted in haste.
“Who said that, who said that!”
As Leo III spoke, he thought back on what he had given Isabella. There was really nothing. He had given her small necessities and dresses, but aside from the things that were eaten and lost, she had mostly confiscated and 'borrowed' things from Rubina.
He swept Isabella's scanty wardrobe. There were a couple of dresses that the King recognized. Leo III's spine tingled. If Isabella were to take those out, Rubina would be turned upside down. Panicked, Leo III called his attendant in a loud voice.
“Hey! Is anyone here?”
Isabella's quarters were a rather remote room within Rubina's quarters, so it took some time for the servant to arrive. The old King called out to the servant who had rushed over.
“Gems, bring me the gems!”
“What...”
Leo III's pupils wavered. The jewels on the list of possessions that Leo III had memorized were only the great ones. For example, the heart of the blue deep sea, which was no longer his. He could not give Isabella such a national treasure jewel. Leo III, who was pondering, suddenly had a very good idea.
“That... that is the Collezion, that costume shop, bring all the stones that they prepared for this trip to Taranto!”
The above jewels were commissioned by Rubina from Collezion for the winter social season. The Duchess has not yet seen the jewels in person. So they are a perfect fit. All she has to do is remove a few of them.
“Your Majesty, it’s not the stone, the work has already been completed...”
“No problem! Bring it!”
As the attendant rushed out, Leo III fondly caressed Isabella.
“Let’s choose from there, okay?”
"Your Majesty."
Isabella raised her head resolutely.
“Don’t try to appease me with jewels!”
There was a kind of determination in her eyes. It was more of a determination to do it right than pride. She quickly added.
“Even if I don’t have money to spend right away, if I miss the meal times at the palace, I can’t get food from the kitchen.”
Leo III's pupils wavered at the mention of Isabella's starvation. It was a story related to his majesty.
“Aren’t I going to give you some food?”
Isabella ignored the old King's questions.
“Isabella is not like other women. If I were going to be happy about receiving something like this, I would not have refused the Contarini mansion in the first place.”
“What, what do you want?”
“I hope no one ever says to me, ‘Why are you in the palace?’”
“Of course they can’t!”
“The Princess did it!”
Isabella glared at him with tearful eyes. She was the master of tears. She could freely switch between pouring them out and drying them up.
“Even if you send the Princess back to her home country, the next foreign envoy will say the same thing to me. What if a new Cardinal comes from the Holy See? Oh, the one who took my father’s place is laughing at me. It’s so miserable that I almost cry when I think about it. Will poor Isabella have to shed tears of humiliation every time? Isabella wants to die!”
Leo III said in a panic.
“What do you want? I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Only then did Isabella look up. Her amethyst eyes sparkled.
“Please give me proof of your love.”
She added.
“I want to live legally in the palace.”
Leo III was troubled. Isabella had stated definitely what she wanted, but her words were still not specific. What could he give her to satisfy her?
But Isabella and Leo III were a match made in heaven. Leo III racked his brain and came up with exactly what Isabella wanted. Leo III decided to go find the person who currently had it.
“Rubina.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You are my sister-in-law.”
Duchess Rubina had been whining for Alfonso to be left alone and was waiting for the result. Then, the King suddenly came and started talking like that without mentioning Alfonso. Rubina wondered why he was banging on the bongo in his sleep.
"Yes?"
“This, the fact that the lord is also holding the position of the King’s government, does not look good to others.”
Since Rubina became the 'King's Sister-in-Law', the position of 'King's Government' has become meaningless. The previous appointment was not taken away, and the salary was still being paid, but no one called Rubina by that title. They couldn't.
There was no problem during that time, because Rubina was the only woman of the King in the court.
“So release that position...”
Leo III was speechless. Isabella accepted this in silence. In her desperation, she began to appeal to the King about how much she loved him.
“I think of Your Majesty all day long!”
The voice went up and down, and it seemed quite desperate. It was true that it was desperate.
“I always worry about what I should do to make Your Majesty smile and what I should give to Your Majesty to make you happy!”
She lowered her head, and her eyes filled with tears. If you don't know, just cry. Men are such simple creatures.
“I would sacrifice anything for Your Majesty...”
Leo III looked at Isabella. Her slender shoulders, her golden curls. She was pitiful. The visuals were more pitiful than the objective situation. The old King muttered in a pitiful tone.
“I didn’t realize that I was receiving such loyalty...”
Isabella became angry the moment she heard those words.
'You don't know? How can you not know that?'
Isabella abandoned the Contarini mansion and her own daughter, Giovanna, for Leo III. It wasn't necessarily for Leo III's sake, but Isabella now truly believed that she had done so.
'No, don't you know that I've thrown everything away for you?! At this point, haven't I really thrown everything away?'
Isabella's voice also rose naturally. When she got angry, her words flowed out like a stream of water.
“I have already given up everything for Your Majesty! Do you think I didn’t accept the Contarini mansion because I didn’t like it? My husband, who used to oppress me, would have accepted me back if I had accepted the mansion and gone back!!”
What could be more precious to a woman than her husband's love? As Isabella spoke, she realized that she had forgotten one thing.
“My daughter, Giovanna, too! I gave her to my husband solely to serve His Majesty!”
The importance of Isabella is revealed in the order of the Contarini mansion and Giovanna's mentions. Of course, her husband's love... is more important than her newborn daughter, isn't it? Well, maybe after her daughter becomes the Queen of a neighboring country.
“I sacrificed everything for Your Majesty... and I have nothing left... sob... sob.”
The Contarini mansion was definitely something Isabella had given up. Leo III knew that. The old King, who had been receiving Isabella's hard work and services, was speechless.
“I love you, Your Majesty, no matter what.”
Isabella raised her head. Her amethyst eyes sparkled with tears. Leo III felt his heart pounding again at the sight of her overwhelming features.
“But... if my beloved heart is insulted and belittled like this, I will leave the palace!”
What Isabella was talking about was not love at all. But Leo III, who had never received true love, was unable to distinguish between the real and the fake. He racked his unsteady brain and tried to appease the young seductress.
“Isabella, there is no one to laugh at or insult you.”
“Look at Princess Manchike right now!”
Isabella's voice immediately became louder.
“It’s a family gathering, so why was she invited? Doesn’t it seem like I’m not qualified to sit at that table?”
“That’s because Princess Manchike doesn’t know much about Etruscan affairs...”
Instead of refuting Leo III, Isabella stared at him with piercing eyes.
“Isabella, I’m sad...”
She stared at Leo III for a moment, then jumped up from her seat. Then she started to pack her things. She picked up a large linen backpack, opened the palm-sized closet, and sighed.
Inside, several clothes had been 'borrowed' from Rubina. There was nothing that belonged to Isabella. That was natural. She had entered the palace naked in the first place. However, Isabella had dressed up the fact in front of Leo III as if it were the tragedy of ancient Philoa.
“All Your Majesty has given me is love, so I have nothing to take away...”
She burst into tears again. Leo III shouted in haste.
“Who said that, who said that!”
As Leo III spoke, he thought back on what he had given Isabella. There was really nothing. He had given her small necessities and dresses, but aside from the things that were eaten and lost, she had mostly confiscated and 'borrowed' things from Rubina.
He swept Isabella's scanty wardrobe. There were a couple of dresses that the King recognized. Leo III's spine tingled. If Isabella were to take those out, Rubina would be turned upside down. Panicked, Leo III called his attendant in a loud voice.
“Hey! Is anyone here?”
Isabella's quarters were a rather remote room within Rubina's quarters, so it took some time for the servant to arrive. The old King called out to the servant who had rushed over.
“Gems, bring me the gems!”
“What...”
Leo III's pupils wavered. The jewels on the list of possessions that Leo III had memorized were only the great ones. For example, the heart of the blue deep sea, which was no longer his. He could not give Isabella such a national treasure jewel. Leo III, who was pondering, suddenly had a very good idea.
“That... that is the Collezion, that costume shop, bring all the stones that they prepared for this trip to Taranto!”
The above jewels were commissioned by Rubina from Collezion for the winter social season. The Duchess has not yet seen the jewels in person. So they are a perfect fit. All she has to do is remove a few of them.
“Your Majesty, it’s not the stone, the work has already been completed...”
“No problem! Bring it!”
As the attendant rushed out, Leo III fondly caressed Isabella.
“Let’s choose from there, okay?”
"Your Majesty."
Isabella raised her head resolutely.
“Don’t try to appease me with jewels!”
There was a kind of determination in her eyes. It was more of a determination to do it right than pride. She quickly added.
“Even if I don’t have money to spend right away, if I miss the meal times at the palace, I can’t get food from the kitchen.”
Leo III's pupils wavered at the mention of Isabella's starvation. It was a story related to his majesty.
“Aren’t I going to give you some food?”
Isabella ignored the old King's questions.
“Isabella is not like other women. If I were going to be happy about receiving something like this, I would not have refused the Contarini mansion in the first place.”
“What, what do you want?”
“I hope no one ever says to me, ‘Why are you in the palace?’”
“Of course they can’t!”
“The Princess did it!”
Isabella glared at him with tearful eyes. She was the master of tears. She could freely switch between pouring them out and drying them up.
“Even if you send the Princess back to her home country, the next foreign envoy will say the same thing to me. What if a new Cardinal comes from the Holy See? Oh, the one who took my father’s place is laughing at me. It’s so miserable that I almost cry when I think about it. Will poor Isabella have to shed tears of humiliation every time? Isabella wants to die!”
Leo III said in a panic.
“What do you want? I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Only then did Isabella look up. Her amethyst eyes sparkled.
“Please give me proof of your love.”
She added.
“I want to live legally in the palace.”
***
Leo III was troubled. Isabella had stated definitely what she wanted, but her words were still not specific. What could he give her to satisfy her?
But Isabella and Leo III were a match made in heaven. Leo III racked his brain and came up with exactly what Isabella wanted. Leo III decided to go find the person who currently had it.
“Rubina.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You are my sister-in-law.”
Duchess Rubina had been whining for Alfonso to be left alone and was waiting for the result. Then, the King suddenly came and started talking like that without mentioning Alfonso. Rubina wondered why he was banging on the bongo in his sleep.
"Yes?"
“This, the fact that the lord is also holding the position of the King’s government, does not look good to others.”
Since Rubina became the 'King's Sister-in-Law', the position of 'King's Government' has become meaningless. The previous appointment was not taken away, and the salary was still being paid, but no one called Rubina by that title. They couldn't.
There was no problem during that time, because Rubina was the only woman of the King in the court.
“So release that position...”
“Just a moment, Your Majesty.”
A woman's intuition sounded an alarm for Rubina.
“You’re just collecting it, right?”
She glared at the old King with whom she had lived for over thirty years with her sharp hazel eyes. Leo III averted his gaze. Rubina was convinced by this.
“Are you trying to take it from me and give it to someone else?”
“...take away.”
Leo III was eager to say no. But he knew what would happen in the cramped palace after he appointed Isabella as the King's official mistress. In fifteen minutes, the appointment letter would reach Rubina's ears without a single mistake. He opened his lips that would not fall and answered.
“Let’s give it to someone who needs it more.”
Rubina fired back immediately.
“What did she say to you? Isabella, that innocent-looking slut!”
“Oh my! Be so careful with your mouth!”
Leo III suddenly became angry. It was an excessive amount of abusive language for pure Isabella to hear. However, Duchess Rubina did not give in.
“Is there even one word that I said wrong?”
“How can a woman like you say such nonsense? Don’t you have any sympathy?”
Rubina lashed out at Leo III fiercely.
“I only sympathize with women who fight fair!”
"Huh!"
Leo III sighed deeply.
“I never laid a finger on Isabella! If you think that girl is trying to trick me into taking what’s yours, you’re wrong! She’s just a poor girl!”
Rubina's still beautiful face distorted strangely. A woman he had not even touched yet asked him to give up the government position? And Leo III, the very epitome of a swindler, would do that?
“What a resourceful rascal who pretends to be innocent.”
“Rubina!”
Despite Leo III's scolding, the Duchess's tongue was unstoppable.
“I don’t know what that talented young woman was grilling you about, Your Majesty, but a woman can tell a woman at a glance!”
“Are you treating me like some idiot who doesn’t even know how to read people?”
This was a signal to retreat, but Duchess Rubina, who was furious to the core, did not back down an inch.
“Your Majesty, you are old, so your judgment may be clouded! Even though she may be hiding her evil side now, that woman is a vixen among vixens, a wicked woman among wicked women, who sells her lower parts! She is attached to you because she has something to suck!”
Rubina was furious. How could he not know such an obvious fact?
“She doesn’t love Your Majesty! All she loves is gold and silver, fame and power over others!”
Duchess Rubina's voice grew louder and louder.
“Have you ever seen that woman’s eyes fixed on Your Majesty? Do you think she would have even glanced at Your Majesty if You were not the King?”
Leo III asked suddenly.
“Are you different?”
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