Ariadne was startled by Julia Helena's sudden touch. She was able to resist, thanks to the sheer number of experiences she'd had in her life.
“Sister.”
Countess de Mare didn't smile at the title. Julia Helena could clearly see that the other person wasn't pleased. It could have been. Was I too hasty in grabbing her arm?
But Julia Helena was determined to become acquainted with Countess Ariadne de Mare today. It was all for a deeper meaning.
Why? Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
“I don’t know many people in San Carlo’s social circles.”
Ariadne answered politely and without wavering.
“Since you are a foreign guest, there are bound to be some things you are unfamiliar with.”
Julia Helena grabbed Ariadne's arm again and patted her. Her tone was charming.
"It's hard to adjust. Grand Duchess Rubina is helping me a lot, but I feel bored because there aren't any people my age."
Ariadne looked at Julia Helena.
'You're being this kind to the woman who stole your husband just because you didn't have any friends your own age?'
It's impossible not to feel a sense of pride when your spouse leaves you for another woman right before your eyes. This is a feeling any human being, regardless of their good nature, would have felt.
'That's absolutely not the real reason. What on earth is the Princess's true intention?'
Ariadne, pondering the Princess's true intentions, missed her chance to speak. It would have been perfectly natural if she had offered to introduce her to a young lady of her age or invited her to go for a walk with her next time, but a brief silence fell.
Julia Helena judged this situation as a situation where her signature charm, aegyo, was completely useless.
'Hey. It's not working.'
Julia Helena didn't expect this to happen right away. She knew she was the one who had to win Ariadne's favor today. So the Princess threw out the second bait she'd prepared.
"The story of your efforts to help the people reached as far as Manchike across the sea! It is a fitting tale and a textbook example of a court lady."
Isabella, sitting diagonally across from her, was experiencing firsthand the shocking fact that even in a round table arrangement, one can be left out, and her cheeks were twitching with irritation.
"Eyes that See Truth, Mother of the Poor, I've heard it all! Not only were you a wealthy person, but I was so surprised and deeply moved that you went to the slums yourself. I never imagined anything like that..."
Isabella's lips twitched at the blatant praise. First of all, she wanted to rebuke her, asking if she had any self-respect...
'Oh, I also went to volunteer at the Rambouillet Relief Center!'
The hardships of carrying the heavy cans of corn soup alone with the Countess of Baljo to distribute to the stinking poor flashed before her eyes. But the atmosphere was such that Isabella could not interfere. She simply beat her chest in frustration and frustration.
Julia Helena showed no interest in Isabella. Instead, she smiled and spoke affectionately to Ariadne.
“I’ve always wanted to become friends with Countess de Mare, but there was no place where we could talk comfortably.”
It was true that there was no space. The two of them had only been in the same space twice.
The first was the grand ball where Julia Helena made her debut in San Carlo society. It was the day Prince Alfonso stood beside her and made the bombshell announcement that he already had a wife.
The second was a "family dinner" hosted by Leo III, the invitations for which were unknown. That day, Julia Helena attempted to make a deal with Leo III, demanding a bribe if he would offer her Cesare as a husband, but ended up getting her face injured by broken glass.
Julia Helena was completely unaware of this, but that day was also the day that Grand Duke Cesare proposed to Countess Ariadne, a member of his 'family', for an affair.
In either case, both occasions were quite unsuitable for Julia Helena and Ariadne to have an intimate conversation alone.
“I was delighted when I was invited to come today. I’ll finally be able to see Countess de Mare up close!”
What kind of absurd drama is this? Ariadne's mind grew even more complex. Did Grand Duchess Rubina tell Princess Julia Helena's side in advance that I would be appearing? And she kept it a secret from me? Did the Princess know and still show up?
Isabella's shameless flattery, which could not hide her secret, was useless. Ariadne, even if she wanted to be persuaded by Julia Helena's friendly advances, could not.
'There's only one case in which a person will accept something they covet without resistance when it's taken from them by another. That's when the other person unilaterally overpowers them.'
When Princess Julia Helena arrived in the Etruscan kingdom to get married, she found that instead of Ariadne, Princess Auguste of Gallico was alive and married to Prince Alfonso.
The Kingdom of Gallico was far more powerful than the Duchy of Manchike, but even so, any ordinary person would have found reasons why they were superior to Auguste. If you keep digging, something will inevitably come out.
Princess Julia Helena probably cited her claim to the Dodessa kingdom, her lineage from the Latin Empire, her younger age than Prince Alfonso, and her excellent dowry as her strengths. It was natural behavior for a human being.
'Humans always tend to overestimate their own level.'
Even if there was a Princess from a powerful country, Auguste, wouldn't she be angry that a woman from the same country's nobility was chosen as his spouse instead of her?
"That's ridiculous. I'm a neighborhood bookworm in that regard."
Ariadne's status was a perfect fit for Julia Helena's wrath. She was not the daughter of a monarch, but rather a mere vassal of a noble family. As a result of their marriage, she could not even leave an heir. To make matters worse, until recently, she was a commoner, the illegitimate child of a priest. Even if she were to join the government, she would grumble, "My prospective husband doesn't care about his appearance."
But no woman would be completely at peace with the thought of having a woman of such status by her side, sworn before God to be her one and only spouse. Princess Lariesa was also captivated by this very thought.
But there was one thing Ariadne missed: the possibility that marriage to Prince Alfonso might not be the "desirable thing" for Princess Julia Helena.
Had she noticed that, she would have immediately realized what was happening. But Ariadne was only perceiving the situation through the lens of an adult, one who knew the circumstances intimately.
'Why would anyone want a flashy Cesare when they have Alfonso, who has the military power the Marquisate of Synadenos desperately needs?'
Moreover, Ariadne knew every atrocity Cesare had committed, both in her past and present life, in greater detail than anyone else. Knowing all of this would make it impossible for her to fall in love with Cesare.
For that reason, Ariadne couldn't even imagine what kind of abnormality Julia Helena was currently in. If she had known, she would have held her hand tightly and said sincerely, "Princess, please return home quickly." But... that's how it was for now.
So, Ariadne couldn't possibly hang out with Julia Helena and say, "I wanted to be your best friend too, Princess!" She barely managed to muster up her extroversion to answer.
“I am honored that Your Highness... thinks so.”
By Julia Helena's standards, it was a cold reception. As the sole Princess of the Marquisate of Sinadenos, she was accustomed to being treated with warmth.
When neither the second room nor the flattery worked, Julia Helena stuck out her lips.
'Yes. If she were a woman so easygoing as to fall for something like this, she wouldn't have been able to seduce a Prince with such a background.'
Finally, Julia Helena threw the third, spleen-like number.
Her attendant, Irene, the Viscountess of Paramene, had been holding onto her skirt and urging her not to open her mouth, but there was nothing she could do since her first and second plans had failed.
“Sister, your husband. Tell me where you first met.”
At these words, Ariadne, Bianca, Rubina, and Isabella's eyes all widened.
This was the declaration of Princess Julia Helena.
'I acknowledge your marriage.'
An announcement that she's completely breaking away from Prince Alfonso. A statement that she won't participate in the race. A declaration that she has nothing to do with whether she marries Prince Alfonso or gets roasted.
It was Julia Helena's final card to play against Ariadne. She could never tell her true feelings. This was her limit.
Julia Helena, who threw the bomb, laughed bashfully.
“I’m curious about your love story with the Prince.”
Bianca had a big smile on her face.
'That's it! This is it!'
Princess Julia Helena has also surrendered! Now, no one can deny that Ariadne is the Prince's wife!
Rubina was also smiling. In fact, this declaration was the most beneficial to Rubina.
'Your Majesty, your daughter is not interested in the Prince.'
If Marquis Synadenos insisted that he could not accept anyone other than Prince Alfonso as his daughter's husband, it would be the former Grand Duchess Rubina and Grand Duke Cesare who would become the dogs chasing the chicken.
Isabella cursed inwardly, and Ariadne was confused, but she got the message.
"You don't want to marry Alfonso? Do you have a lover back home?"
Anyway, no one could guess exactly why Princess Julia Helena came out like this.
But it was, in fact, a natural thing. Even reasoning requires sound material. Everyone here was completely unaware of Julia Helena's colossal mistake.
Julia Helena was curious about Cesare, wanted to get close to him, and wanted to marry him.
And she wanted to fuck Countess Contarini, Cesare's former fiancée and that damned King's mistress, who didn't even know her place, and who was preventing her from getting close to Cesare!
So, the successor of the Manchike kingdom was burning with revenge because she thought that the man she had fallen in love with at first sight, the former fiancée of Grand Duke Cesare, was the King's new mistress, Countess Isabella Contarini.
“Sister.”
Julia Helena looked at the Prince's wife, Countess de Mare Ariadne, her greatest enemy, with bright eyes.
“I like San Carlo the way it is now. So I want to be close to my sister, too.”
The Princess smiled as kindly as she could. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so let's be friends."
So, add a hand to the dipping of Isabella de Contarini. Why on earth are you keeping your mouth shut when you should be the one taking the lead and whining to the Prince to have Isabella kicked out of the palace!
“I think you two are a really pretty couple.”
Rubina, who had decided on a direction, quickly stepped in to help.
“At first glance, they’re both pretty! Of course, the Princess and our son are much prettier.”
Bianca, who heard that Ariadne was being misunderstood and wanted to clear things up, also spoke up.
“If you look closely, you can see how beautiful their marriage is. His Highness Alfonso cherishes Countess de Mare very much.”
Taking advantage of the situation, Julia Helena snorted.
“My sister is dating your husband. Please tell me about it.”
“Sister.”
Countess de Mare didn't smile at the title. Julia Helena could clearly see that the other person wasn't pleased. It could have been. Was I too hasty in grabbing her arm?
But Julia Helena was determined to become acquainted with Countess Ariadne de Mare today. It was all for a deeper meaning.
Why? Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend!
“I don’t know many people in San Carlo’s social circles.”
Ariadne answered politely and without wavering.
“Since you are a foreign guest, there are bound to be some things you are unfamiliar with.”
Julia Helena grabbed Ariadne's arm again and patted her. Her tone was charming.
"It's hard to adjust. Grand Duchess Rubina is helping me a lot, but I feel bored because there aren't any people my age."
Ariadne looked at Julia Helena.
'You're being this kind to the woman who stole your husband just because you didn't have any friends your own age?'
It's impossible not to feel a sense of pride when your spouse leaves you for another woman right before your eyes. This is a feeling any human being, regardless of their good nature, would have felt.
'That's absolutely not the real reason. What on earth is the Princess's true intention?'
Ariadne, pondering the Princess's true intentions, missed her chance to speak. It would have been perfectly natural if she had offered to introduce her to a young lady of her age or invited her to go for a walk with her next time, but a brief silence fell.
Julia Helena judged this situation as a situation where her signature charm, aegyo, was completely useless.
'Hey. It's not working.'
Julia Helena didn't expect this to happen right away. She knew she was the one who had to win Ariadne's favor today. So the Princess threw out the second bait she'd prepared.
"The story of your efforts to help the people reached as far as Manchike across the sea! It is a fitting tale and a textbook example of a court lady."
Isabella, sitting diagonally across from her, was experiencing firsthand the shocking fact that even in a round table arrangement, one can be left out, and her cheeks were twitching with irritation.
"Eyes that See Truth, Mother of the Poor, I've heard it all! Not only were you a wealthy person, but I was so surprised and deeply moved that you went to the slums yourself. I never imagined anything like that..."
Isabella's lips twitched at the blatant praise. First of all, she wanted to rebuke her, asking if she had any self-respect...
'Oh, I also went to volunteer at the Rambouillet Relief Center!'
The hardships of carrying the heavy cans of corn soup alone with the Countess of Baljo to distribute to the stinking poor flashed before her eyes. But the atmosphere was such that Isabella could not interfere. She simply beat her chest in frustration and frustration.
Julia Helena showed no interest in Isabella. Instead, she smiled and spoke affectionately to Ariadne.
“I’ve always wanted to become friends with Countess de Mare, but there was no place where we could talk comfortably.”
It was true that there was no space. The two of them had only been in the same space twice.
The first was the grand ball where Julia Helena made her debut in San Carlo society. It was the day Prince Alfonso stood beside her and made the bombshell announcement that he already had a wife.
The second was a "family dinner" hosted by Leo III, the invitations for which were unknown. That day, Julia Helena attempted to make a deal with Leo III, demanding a bribe if he would offer her Cesare as a husband, but ended up getting her face injured by broken glass.
Julia Helena was completely unaware of this, but that day was also the day that Grand Duke Cesare proposed to Countess Ariadne, a member of his 'family', for an affair.
In either case, both occasions were quite unsuitable for Julia Helena and Ariadne to have an intimate conversation alone.
“I was delighted when I was invited to come today. I’ll finally be able to see Countess de Mare up close!”
What kind of absurd drama is this? Ariadne's mind grew even more complex. Did Grand Duchess Rubina tell Princess Julia Helena's side in advance that I would be appearing? And she kept it a secret from me? Did the Princess know and still show up?
Isabella's shameless flattery, which could not hide her secret, was useless. Ariadne, even if she wanted to be persuaded by Julia Helena's friendly advances, could not.
'There's only one case in which a person will accept something they covet without resistance when it's taken from them by another. That's when the other person unilaterally overpowers them.'
When Princess Julia Helena arrived in the Etruscan kingdom to get married, she found that instead of Ariadne, Princess Auguste of Gallico was alive and married to Prince Alfonso.
The Kingdom of Gallico was far more powerful than the Duchy of Manchike, but even so, any ordinary person would have found reasons why they were superior to Auguste. If you keep digging, something will inevitably come out.
Princess Julia Helena probably cited her claim to the Dodessa kingdom, her lineage from the Latin Empire, her younger age than Prince Alfonso, and her excellent dowry as her strengths. It was natural behavior for a human being.
'Humans always tend to overestimate their own level.'
Even if there was a Princess from a powerful country, Auguste, wouldn't she be angry that a woman from the same country's nobility was chosen as his spouse instead of her?
"That's ridiculous. I'm a neighborhood bookworm in that regard."
Ariadne's status was a perfect fit for Julia Helena's wrath. She was not the daughter of a monarch, but rather a mere vassal of a noble family. As a result of their marriage, she could not even leave an heir. To make matters worse, until recently, she was a commoner, the illegitimate child of a priest. Even if she were to join the government, she would grumble, "My prospective husband doesn't care about his appearance."
But no woman would be completely at peace with the thought of having a woman of such status by her side, sworn before God to be her one and only spouse. Princess Lariesa was also captivated by this very thought.
But there was one thing Ariadne missed: the possibility that marriage to Prince Alfonso might not be the "desirable thing" for Princess Julia Helena.
Had she noticed that, she would have immediately realized what was happening. But Ariadne was only perceiving the situation through the lens of an adult, one who knew the circumstances intimately.
'Why would anyone want a flashy Cesare when they have Alfonso, who has the military power the Marquisate of Synadenos desperately needs?'
Moreover, Ariadne knew every atrocity Cesare had committed, both in her past and present life, in greater detail than anyone else. Knowing all of this would make it impossible for her to fall in love with Cesare.
For that reason, Ariadne couldn't even imagine what kind of abnormality Julia Helena was currently in. If she had known, she would have held her hand tightly and said sincerely, "Princess, please return home quickly." But... that's how it was for now.
So, Ariadne couldn't possibly hang out with Julia Helena and say, "I wanted to be your best friend too, Princess!" She barely managed to muster up her extroversion to answer.
“I am honored that Your Highness... thinks so.”
By Julia Helena's standards, it was a cold reception. As the sole Princess of the Marquisate of Sinadenos, she was accustomed to being treated with warmth.
When neither the second room nor the flattery worked, Julia Helena stuck out her lips.
'Yes. If she were a woman so easygoing as to fall for something like this, she wouldn't have been able to seduce a Prince with such a background.'
Finally, Julia Helena threw the third, spleen-like number.
Her attendant, Irene, the Viscountess of Paramene, had been holding onto her skirt and urging her not to open her mouth, but there was nothing she could do since her first and second plans had failed.
“Sister, your husband. Tell me where you first met.”
At these words, Ariadne, Bianca, Rubina, and Isabella's eyes all widened.
This was the declaration of Princess Julia Helena.
'I acknowledge your marriage.'
An announcement that she's completely breaking away from Prince Alfonso. A statement that she won't participate in the race. A declaration that she has nothing to do with whether she marries Prince Alfonso or gets roasted.
It was Julia Helena's final card to play against Ariadne. She could never tell her true feelings. This was her limit.
Julia Helena, who threw the bomb, laughed bashfully.
“I’m curious about your love story with the Prince.”
Bianca had a big smile on her face.
'That's it! This is it!'
Princess Julia Helena has also surrendered! Now, no one can deny that Ariadne is the Prince's wife!
Rubina was also smiling. In fact, this declaration was the most beneficial to Rubina.
'Your Majesty, your daughter is not interested in the Prince.'
If Marquis Synadenos insisted that he could not accept anyone other than Prince Alfonso as his daughter's husband, it would be the former Grand Duchess Rubina and Grand Duke Cesare who would become the dogs chasing the chicken.
Isabella cursed inwardly, and Ariadne was confused, but she got the message.
"You don't want to marry Alfonso? Do you have a lover back home?"
Anyway, no one could guess exactly why Princess Julia Helena came out like this.
But it was, in fact, a natural thing. Even reasoning requires sound material. Everyone here was completely unaware of Julia Helena's colossal mistake.
Julia Helena was curious about Cesare, wanted to get close to him, and wanted to marry him.
And she wanted to fuck Countess Contarini, Cesare's former fiancée and that damned King's mistress, who didn't even know her place, and who was preventing her from getting close to Cesare!
So, the successor of the Manchike kingdom was burning with revenge because she thought that the man she had fallen in love with at first sight, the former fiancée of Grand Duke Cesare, was the King's new mistress, Countess Isabella Contarini.
“Sister.”
Julia Helena looked at the Prince's wife, Countess de Mare Ariadne, her greatest enemy, with bright eyes.
“I like San Carlo the way it is now. So I want to be close to my sister, too.”
The Princess smiled as kindly as she could. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so let's be friends."
So, add a hand to the dipping of Isabella de Contarini. Why on earth are you keeping your mouth shut when you should be the one taking the lead and whining to the Prince to have Isabella kicked out of the palace!
“I think you two are a really pretty couple.”
Rubina, who had decided on a direction, quickly stepped in to help.
“At first glance, they’re both pretty! Of course, the Princess and our son are much prettier.”
Bianca, who heard that Ariadne was being misunderstood and wanted to clear things up, also spoke up.
“If you look closely, you can see how beautiful their marriage is. His Highness Alfonso cherishes Countess de Mare very much.”
Taking advantage of the situation, Julia Helena snorted.
“My sister is dating your husband. Please tell me about it.”
"Sister's husband." It's unclear how Julia Helena will react when she learns the truth, but these were Julia Helena's true feelings for now.
And this sincerity has been officially announced through today's tea party.
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