Leo III shouted, completely unconcerned with what Rubina was thinking.
“I’ll give Isabella a harsh word, so bring her younger sister and make room for her.”
Leo III had no intention of getting involved in this complex and intricate family history. He was simply preoccupied with overcoming the immediate crisis.
"Somehow, make those two join hands and reconcile. Aren't women supposed to know women's business better?"
Throughout his life, Leo III had a staff of advisors to solve his problems for him. That was the one unique quality of the troublesome job of a King.
If you send a capable noble to a place where a problem occurred, they will resolve it and return.
So the ones who were chosen were Baldessar, Marquez, and the late Contarini.
Sometimes, even powerful nobles like Guatieri and Montefeltro were useful. Whether it was ability or influence, they were equally responsible for producing results. The responsibility for good or evil didn't fall on them.
The same was true for women's work. The late Marguerite was incredibly good at this kind of thing, but Rubina, with her gums and teeth, would probably manage it anyway.
If Marguerite had been persuading them logically, Rubina would have been threatening them viciously. The method was beyond his control.
“Without any trouble. Get everything done.”
Leo III pressed hard on the last sentence.
“You figure it out. Just be neat and tidy.”
How nice it would be if we lived in a world where everything worked out for us without us having to worry about anything.
And to a certain extent, that's how the world worked. Leo III was convinced that Rubina would somehow reconcile Ariadne and Isabella by some magic, and then Ariadne would go to her husband and persuade him not to go against His Majesty's wishes and come down to Taranto with her.
Everyone wanted to impress the King, so such a conclusion was inevitable. Countess de Mare would be no exception. Even the crowning of a Princess was at stake here. The title of Princess was granted purely at the King's discretion. There was no need for cumbersome formalities like the Pope's approval.
How long would Countess de Mare accept being called "Countess" and relegated to the back of the court hierarchy? Even if his own son rebelled against his father out of disrespect, the Countess, desiring to be Crown Princess, would naturally be swayed by her own desires. That was the natural course of things.
"When a wife pressures a man, he yields. Shouldn't we go to Taranto?"
Leo III confirmed it with bright eyes. He had never heard Marguerite speak before, but he did so anyway.
So Ariadne de Mare accepted a truly difficult invitation.
"Dear Countess de Mare,
I offer my sincere condolences on the difficult times you've been through recently. How is your health?
I haven't seen the Countess since you entered Palazzo Carlo. I should have made room for you long ago, but it was my fault.
How about having tea in my living room this Friday? I'll introduce you to some of the important people at Palagio Carlo.
- Rubina, the former Grand Duchess of Pisano."
Sir Manfredi muttered with a troubled expression.
“This... If it had been a personal invitation to me... I think I would have ripped it up and told them I wasn’t going.”
Since Ariadne entered the Palazzo Carlo, it has been Manfredi's responsibility to ensure that her court life is comfortable. Today, Manfredi also received and brought this letter.
But Sir Manfredi was completely ignorant of this sophisticated social investigation. After all, he was a man who almost got dumped because he couldn't properly clean up a single love letter delivery incident.
“I guess that would be difficult for you ladies, right?”
The mountain girl next to him looked at Sir Manfredi pitifully and nodded.
To Sancha, this was an invitation that completely blocked her escape route.
“See the postscript.”
Sancha traced the end of the letter with her finger.
"P.S. If you still have difficulty moving, we will visit you briefly from here."
“This is a warning that if you refuse, they will invade.”
Ariadne agreed with Sancha on that point. Rubina made it very clear that she would not accept the rejection.
She smiled bitterly.
“I don’t know what she’s going to do if I don’t open the door.”
However, what Ariadne found surprising was the rest of the letter.
“But why is this person suddenly so friendly?”
An apology for not being able to make room in advance, and an offer to introduce important people in the palace.
This was a phrase used when one was lowering oneself and inviting someone to join one's group.
“There’s no reason for Grand Duchess Rubina to suddenly do this to me now.”
Between the texts, Rubina's desperate need to secure Ariadne's attendance was clearly visible.
But just as Ariadne was about to continue her thoughts, a loud knock was heard, followed by a powerful voice.
“Sister!”
The owner of the voice entered the room with refreshing steps. It was Bianca of Taranto.
At some point, she began shedding all her cumbersome attire and adopting a more comfortable attire. Mostly, she wore hunting clothes, not women's skirt hunting clothes, but men's trousers.
Bianca of Taranto didn't just shed her women's attire. She also discarded manners. The servants brought in from the de Mare family watched Bianca's back with wavering eyes.
If she had knocked, she should have been answered, but instead, she just went inside without a second thought, which was completely unladylike. But no one here had the status to say anything to Bianca of Taranto.
And Ariadne, the only one qualified to point it out, had no complaints about Bianca's behavior.
“Bianca! Did you enjoy your breakfast?”
“Did you receive this invitation too, Sister?”
Bianca, taken aback by Ariadne's warm greeting, thrust something out. What she thrust out loud was a piece of paper identical to the one Ariadne had in her hand.
“I’m talking about an invitation to the tea party of the late Grand Duchess Rubina!”
Bianca was sporting a man's hunting suit, but the tea party invitation excited her like a young lady stepping into society for the first time.
Bianca's face flushed bright red as she suddenly noticed this discrepancy. No one said anything, but she seemed embarrassed.
“Oh, I’m not that excited about the tea party invitation.”
Ariadne, who knew Bianca's taste in chicks, smiled. "Why, you could eat sugar art desserts right after catching a bear and admire pastel lace curtains?"
"So what if I get carried away? I think the bear race suits me well."
“No, no, really! No, a race with a bear?”
Bianca, who had imagined a bear wearing a lace dress for a second, quickly changed the subject with a red face.
"That's not the point! Sister, if Grand Duchess Rubina invites you to a social gathering, that means she'll accept you!"
There was a definite sense of tension among the female courtiers of Palazzo Carlo. This was a political situation born of the lack of a clear answer to the question: "Who is the leader of San Carlo society?"
Countess Ariadne de Mare, wife of a Prince who is directly of the royal family but has not received the King's approval?
Or perhaps the encrusted stone, Rubina, or the Grand Duchess, who is officially only a relative of the royal family and in reality the semi-retired monarch's mistress, but holds the real power?
If Rubina and Ariadne were to meet, they would naturally reach an agreement on many matters, such as who would sit at the head table that day. If that were to be resolved, most things would be resolved.
When those two actually sit down, they will talk about whatever it is they want, there will be eyewitness accounts of them talking with smiles on their faces, and the ladies of high society will be able to go about their daily lives without being pressured to take a clear stance on either side.
Of course, some hoped for a peaceful meeting between the two, while others were more radical.
If she had to categorize her, she would be on the violent side, beyond the extreme. Bianca clenched her fists as she imagined Ariadne sitting at the head of the long square table and pushing Rubina aside with a single wave.
“I hope you can confidently claim the position of Princess!”
Ariadne smiled brightly. Sancha glared at Ariadne, her eyes wide. It was clearly a bright smile, but to Sancha's ears, it sounded like the "haha" of someone who had attained enlightenment. And Sancha was right.
“Bianca. That’s not something I can win. It’s something His Majesty the King bestows upon me.”
“Yes? But...”
Bianca was taken aback. Of course, all titles are granted. Unless you conquer the continent, you can't create them yourself.
But doesn't everyone make every effort to obtain a new title or even intermarry with someone who already has one?
“If it’s not something I can achieve by doing well, it’s better to just empty my mind of it.”
In Ariadne's view, Leo III was a natural disaster. The weather is predictable, and the best we can do is prepare for it, not change it with effort.
Even the position of 'Principessa', which was bestowed by the full authority of Leo III, was not something that could be obtained through effort, as if it had just fallen from the sky.
Others would call it an effort to try to win Leo III's favor, but Ariadne, who had fought in a war of succession in her previous life, knew that it was the most futile thing in the world.
Ariadne had carried Leo III to victory in the previous War of Succession. Therefore, she could not ignore the stark truth that Cesare's victory had been achieved through a combination of carelessness on the part of Crown Prince Alfonso, a miscalculation on Leo's part, and a few strokes of luck. And the self-evident truth that Leo III should not be trusted.
“With or without the title of Princess, my value doesn’t change. I have to do it.”
This round was a battle for the throne, with Alfonso's side, driven by a just cause, running for the throne. As long as they avoided mistakes, they would ultimately win. The defending side didn't need to shoulder the burden of risk.
However, Sancha, who had been unable to hide her displeasure since earlier, finally spoke up.
“The voice of the saint should be heard now, not during the great plague. Have you heard the voice circulating in the palace?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Countess is manipulating the Prince!”
“I’ll give Isabella a harsh word, so bring her younger sister and make room for her.”
Leo III had no intention of getting involved in this complex and intricate family history. He was simply preoccupied with overcoming the immediate crisis.
"Somehow, make those two join hands and reconcile. Aren't women supposed to know women's business better?"
Throughout his life, Leo III had a staff of advisors to solve his problems for him. That was the one unique quality of the troublesome job of a King.
If you send a capable noble to a place where a problem occurred, they will resolve it and return.
So the ones who were chosen were Baldessar, Marquez, and the late Contarini.
Sometimes, even powerful nobles like Guatieri and Montefeltro were useful. Whether it was ability or influence, they were equally responsible for producing results. The responsibility for good or evil didn't fall on them.
The same was true for women's work. The late Marguerite was incredibly good at this kind of thing, but Rubina, with her gums and teeth, would probably manage it anyway.
If Marguerite had been persuading them logically, Rubina would have been threatening them viciously. The method was beyond his control.
“Without any trouble. Get everything done.”
Leo III pressed hard on the last sentence.
“You figure it out. Just be neat and tidy.”
How nice it would be if we lived in a world where everything worked out for us without us having to worry about anything.
And to a certain extent, that's how the world worked. Leo III was convinced that Rubina would somehow reconcile Ariadne and Isabella by some magic, and then Ariadne would go to her husband and persuade him not to go against His Majesty's wishes and come down to Taranto with her.
Everyone wanted to impress the King, so such a conclusion was inevitable. Countess de Mare would be no exception. Even the crowning of a Princess was at stake here. The title of Princess was granted purely at the King's discretion. There was no need for cumbersome formalities like the Pope's approval.
How long would Countess de Mare accept being called "Countess" and relegated to the back of the court hierarchy? Even if his own son rebelled against his father out of disrespect, the Countess, desiring to be Crown Princess, would naturally be swayed by her own desires. That was the natural course of things.
"When a wife pressures a man, he yields. Shouldn't we go to Taranto?"
Leo III confirmed it with bright eyes. He had never heard Marguerite speak before, but he did so anyway.
***
So Ariadne de Mare accepted a truly difficult invitation.
"Dear Countess de Mare,
I offer my sincere condolences on the difficult times you've been through recently. How is your health?
I haven't seen the Countess since you entered Palazzo Carlo. I should have made room for you long ago, but it was my fault.
How about having tea in my living room this Friday? I'll introduce you to some of the important people at Palagio Carlo.
- Rubina, the former Grand Duchess of Pisano."
Sir Manfredi muttered with a troubled expression.
“This... If it had been a personal invitation to me... I think I would have ripped it up and told them I wasn’t going.”
Since Ariadne entered the Palazzo Carlo, it has been Manfredi's responsibility to ensure that her court life is comfortable. Today, Manfredi also received and brought this letter.
But Sir Manfredi was completely ignorant of this sophisticated social investigation. After all, he was a man who almost got dumped because he couldn't properly clean up a single love letter delivery incident.
“I guess that would be difficult for you ladies, right?”
The mountain girl next to him looked at Sir Manfredi pitifully and nodded.
To Sancha, this was an invitation that completely blocked her escape route.
“See the postscript.”
Sancha traced the end of the letter with her finger.
"P.S. If you still have difficulty moving, we will visit you briefly from here."
“This is a warning that if you refuse, they will invade.”
Ariadne agreed with Sancha on that point. Rubina made it very clear that she would not accept the rejection.
She smiled bitterly.
“I don’t know what she’s going to do if I don’t open the door.”
However, what Ariadne found surprising was the rest of the letter.
“But why is this person suddenly so friendly?”
An apology for not being able to make room in advance, and an offer to introduce important people in the palace.
This was a phrase used when one was lowering oneself and inviting someone to join one's group.
“There’s no reason for Grand Duchess Rubina to suddenly do this to me now.”
Between the texts, Rubina's desperate need to secure Ariadne's attendance was clearly visible.
But just as Ariadne was about to continue her thoughts, a loud knock was heard, followed by a powerful voice.
“Sister!”
The owner of the voice entered the room with refreshing steps. It was Bianca of Taranto.
At some point, she began shedding all her cumbersome attire and adopting a more comfortable attire. Mostly, she wore hunting clothes, not women's skirt hunting clothes, but men's trousers.
Bianca of Taranto didn't just shed her women's attire. She also discarded manners. The servants brought in from the de Mare family watched Bianca's back with wavering eyes.
If she had knocked, she should have been answered, but instead, she just went inside without a second thought, which was completely unladylike. But no one here had the status to say anything to Bianca of Taranto.
And Ariadne, the only one qualified to point it out, had no complaints about Bianca's behavior.
“Bianca! Did you enjoy your breakfast?”
“Did you receive this invitation too, Sister?”
Bianca, taken aback by Ariadne's warm greeting, thrust something out. What she thrust out loud was a piece of paper identical to the one Ariadne had in her hand.
“I’m talking about an invitation to the tea party of the late Grand Duchess Rubina!”
Bianca was sporting a man's hunting suit, but the tea party invitation excited her like a young lady stepping into society for the first time.
Bianca's face flushed bright red as she suddenly noticed this discrepancy. No one said anything, but she seemed embarrassed.
“Oh, I’m not that excited about the tea party invitation.”
Ariadne, who knew Bianca's taste in chicks, smiled. "Why, you could eat sugar art desserts right after catching a bear and admire pastel lace curtains?"
"So what if I get carried away? I think the bear race suits me well."
“No, no, really! No, a race with a bear?”
Bianca, who had imagined a bear wearing a lace dress for a second, quickly changed the subject with a red face.
"That's not the point! Sister, if Grand Duchess Rubina invites you to a social gathering, that means she'll accept you!"
There was a definite sense of tension among the female courtiers of Palazzo Carlo. This was a political situation born of the lack of a clear answer to the question: "Who is the leader of San Carlo society?"
Countess Ariadne de Mare, wife of a Prince who is directly of the royal family but has not received the King's approval?
Or perhaps the encrusted stone, Rubina, or the Grand Duchess, who is officially only a relative of the royal family and in reality the semi-retired monarch's mistress, but holds the real power?
If Rubina and Ariadne were to meet, they would naturally reach an agreement on many matters, such as who would sit at the head table that day. If that were to be resolved, most things would be resolved.
When those two actually sit down, they will talk about whatever it is they want, there will be eyewitness accounts of them talking with smiles on their faces, and the ladies of high society will be able to go about their daily lives without being pressured to take a clear stance on either side.
Of course, some hoped for a peaceful meeting between the two, while others were more radical.
If she had to categorize her, she would be on the violent side, beyond the extreme. Bianca clenched her fists as she imagined Ariadne sitting at the head of the long square table and pushing Rubina aside with a single wave.
“I hope you can confidently claim the position of Princess!”
Ariadne smiled brightly. Sancha glared at Ariadne, her eyes wide. It was clearly a bright smile, but to Sancha's ears, it sounded like the "haha" of someone who had attained enlightenment. And Sancha was right.
“Bianca. That’s not something I can win. It’s something His Majesty the King bestows upon me.”
“Yes? But...”
Bianca was taken aback. Of course, all titles are granted. Unless you conquer the continent, you can't create them yourself.
But doesn't everyone make every effort to obtain a new title or even intermarry with someone who already has one?
“If it’s not something I can achieve by doing well, it’s better to just empty my mind of it.”
In Ariadne's view, Leo III was a natural disaster. The weather is predictable, and the best we can do is prepare for it, not change it with effort.
Even the position of 'Principessa', which was bestowed by the full authority of Leo III, was not something that could be obtained through effort, as if it had just fallen from the sky.
Others would call it an effort to try to win Leo III's favor, but Ariadne, who had fought in a war of succession in her previous life, knew that it was the most futile thing in the world.
Ariadne had carried Leo III to victory in the previous War of Succession. Therefore, she could not ignore the stark truth that Cesare's victory had been achieved through a combination of carelessness on the part of Crown Prince Alfonso, a miscalculation on Leo's part, and a few strokes of luck. And the self-evident truth that Leo III should not be trusted.
“With or without the title of Princess, my value doesn’t change. I have to do it.”
This round was a battle for the throne, with Alfonso's side, driven by a just cause, running for the throne. As long as they avoided mistakes, they would ultimately win. The defending side didn't need to shoulder the burden of risk.
However, Sancha, who had been unable to hide her displeasure since earlier, finally spoke up.
“The voice of the saint should be heard now, not during the great plague. Have you heard the voice circulating in the palace?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Countess is manipulating the Prince!”
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