He had a long-cherished project to accomplish and many things to find out.
The Marquis of Guatieri, who was the leader of the central lords, had initially tried to give in to Prince Alfonso.
The Prince, upon returning from Yesak, obediently complied. The Black Death had decimated the territories, causing them hardship. He accepted the request of the Marquis of Guatieri, representing the great lords, to reduce the poll tax paid to the King in exchange for tariffs on the recently revived trade.
However, the mutually beneficial relationship he dreamed of with the next monarch was shattered when Prince Alfonso made his honey pot, Unaisola, a royal autonomous city.
His diary of his illness, in which he was bedridden after being hit by the wind, was actually a struggle between his regret for the future he had dreamed of and his sense of betrayal towards Prince Alfonso.
After a long illness, he decided to accept that his relationship with the rightful heir to the throne was over.
'If Prince Alfonso is here, the next person to contact is Grand Duchess Rubina.'
He also heard that Isabella de Contarini had ascended to the throne as the King's new mistress.
But the Marquis Guatieri was a man of the past. He vividly remembered the way Rubina had dominated the court.
Wasn't it the Grand Duchess Rubina who overcame even the odds of being Queen Marguerite? A Queen younger than herself, of illustrious lineage, married with a staggering dowry, and bore a Prince?
Despite this, Rubina Tulia survived for over 30 years.
Having been through thick and thin, it seemed unlikely she would be pushed aside by the young and fresh-faced King's favorite. The King was old, and Rubina held the card of his eldest son, the Grand Duke Cesare.
“I hope His Majesty is well.”
The Marquis Guatieri asked briskly. Rubina answered with a smile.
“Then, as always, please be honest.”
"A loyal subject must always take care of his monarch with all sincerity. Ah, isn't sheepskin the specialty of our territory?"
The Marquis Guatieri took out a bundle of gifts and handed it to Grand Duchess Rubina.
“It’s not a big thing, but I brought a blanket made by turning a lamb’s skin inside out so that you can cover yourself and sleep under it in the winter.”
Rubina didn't even open the box. She just stared straight at Guatieri with a subtle sneer.
Leo III no longer slept with her. Either he was so out of touch with the information that he didn't even realize Isabella had taken her place in the country, or he knew it and was so clueless that he offered her the item that would secure the King's bed.
But Guatieri was a professional, too. He didn't even bat an eyelash.
“No one knows when the weather will change, and no one knows in which bedroom His Majesty will sleep.”
Only then did a smile appear on Rubina's lips. The Marquis, knowing full well, had chosen her over Isabella.
Guatieri handed Rubina a second box. Fearing she might not touch it, he opened it himself.
“The second specialty of our territory is mother-of-pearl crafts.”
A pendant locket made of mother-of-pearl, so dazzling that you'd believe it was opal rather than mother-of-pearl, has been revealed.
Even though the only light source was the torch outside the carriage coming in through the window, the light was dazzling.
“Oh my god!”
Rubina beamed and picked up the locket, opening it.
But inside it was empty.
It was just a rocket-shaped shell, without any of the usual portrait mounts that a rocket would have.
At the questioning expression on the former Grand Duchess's face, the Marquis Guatieri rubbed his hands together.
“I heard that Grand Duke Cesare is interested in things like mechanical devices and metal springs.”
Rubina thought that visiting the workshop was the most unsuitable hobby in the world for her son. She answered calmly.
“It’s unusual.”
“I heard that these days, miniaturization of watches is a way for workshops to show off their technological prowess.”
Until now, the word "clock" meant a clock tower. Even if they were made small, the best they could achieve in commercialization and find in everyday life was the size of a pipe organ installed in an auditorium.
“It is said that there was a competition between the workshops of the Kingdom of Gallico and the North Sea Union to see who could first create a miniature clock that met certain specifications.”
“Hoo.”
"This is a watch case made to that specification. If Your Highness is interested, I brought it here in the hopes that you could use it as a shell."
Rubina smiled and tucked the mother-of-pearl locket into her bosom. With this, the Marquis Guatieri had completely erased his reputation for being ignorant of information. Besides, his skills were not bad. Even Rubina thought the pendant was quite beautiful.
Even though it was empty inside, the exquisite craftsmanship on its exterior alone made it a rare find. If a miniature clock had been placed inside, it would likely become a national treasure.
Rubina answered with a smile.
"I'll be sure to pass this on to the Grand Duke. Your thoughtfulness warms my heart."
“Oh my, it is my joy.”
Rubina, who had been smiling with her eyes closed as she held the pendant in her hand, looked at the Marquis Guatieri carefully.
“I think you want something from me.”
The Marquis remained silent. He looked bewildered by Rubina's directness.
“I, I was wondering how the former Grand Duchess is doing....”
Rubina asked bluntly.
“If you were truly curious about my well-being, you could have asked the Marchioness de Cepinelli. Isn’t she my confidant?”
Of course, the Marquis de Cepinelli hadn't been able to properly communicate with her since the trial of Countess Clemente de Bartolini, as she was angry with her husband, but he could have asked her if he wanted to. Rubina was right.
“I guess there was something you wanted to ask or investigate directly with me, without going through the Marchioness Cepinelli.”
Her wine-colored eyes sparkled and sparkled.
“Don’t waste time and tell me right now.”
The Marquis Guatieri gulped. His throat rang loudly.
After the Marquis Guatieri left, Rubina tapped her knee with a feather fan to collect her thoughts.
What she held in her hand wasn't the goose-feather fan she'd used to hide her face, but a new one. The Marquis Guatieri also brought a third box. It was a gift for Rubina herself.
Rubina's original white goose-feather fan had a gold handle and five-colored jewels, designed to be as extravagant as possible. Her new fan, however, had a very simple handle. Not a single jewel. It was simply a delicate display of craftsmanship, carved from whalebone, resembling lace.
But the body was the main body. What made the new fan precious was the peacock feathers, which shone in a rainbow of colors, unlike the solid-colored goose feathers.
“Pirates are rampant these days, and maritime trade has almost ceased. Fortunately, before that happened, there was a pair of rare birds that were brought in through the port of Ravel.”
What determines the quality of a luxury item isn't the price of the raw materials or the precision of the craftsmanship. It's its rarity. Rubina's eyes sparkled.
“The people of Uttar Agra, the native habitat of this bird, call it ‘peacock.’ They are trying to breed it, but it is not working well.”
The Marquis sighed and lamented.
“When the Labelly port was prosperous, these kinds of rare items were often imported, but now it’s just a fishing port with flies flying around dead fish!”
The Marquis wanted to secretly complain about Unaisola, but Rubina's attention was elsewhere.
“So you’re saying that this feather belongs only to the Marquis?”
“As expected, you are the Grand Duchess.”
The Marquis immediately shifted his stance to please Rubina. He smiled and spoke meaningfully.
“I intend to present this feather only to the late Grand Duchess .”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound of Rubina fanning herself against her knees echoed rhythmically through the carriage. Suddenly, she asked her maid, who was huddled on one side of the carriage.
“Deborah. How much do you believe the Marquis Guatieri?”
“Yes, yes?”
Deborah was taken aback by the sudden spotlight on her. She hadn't heard a single word the Marquis Guatieri had said.
Rubina had a private meeting with the Marquis, and the maids were only able to return to the carriage after their meeting was over.
And the Marchioness de Cepinelli, who had been fanning herself with her fan all along—Deborah was perfectly content that it was not her head that was being fanned—would send her off on an errand somewhere, and then, out of the blue, ask Deborah this question.
“You don’t have ears, you don’t have a brain? Why can’t you make judgments based on what you hear?”
She hasn't heard anything. But answering like that will only get her scolded for talking back.
She didn't want to test the strength of a peacock feather fan, and she didn't even want to imagine the prospect of being asked to pay for it if it broke, because it wasn't as strong as her head. Deborah was a low-ranking noblewoman. She needed to earn enough to send home. She bowed her head obediently.
“I’m not very smart, so I can’t understand what the higher-ups are saying...”
“Oh, if that’s what you’re saying, then so be it. You’re so stupid.”
Rubina showed minimal respect to the Marchioness de Cepinelli, but treated Deborah like wallpaper or a side table. She had no fear of those below her, even though she had climbed up from below.
"He asked me to convey His Majesty the King's sympathies. But who knows what's going on right now? Is he satisfied with just that request?"
To know the contents of the reports going to Leo III in real time and the King's intentions regarding them, it was objectively right to go through Isabella. The King's bedside manner had been completely handed over to Countess Contarini.
“There’s definitely something more.”
Rupina's slaps on her knees with her feather fan quickened. It sounded like she was hitting her own head, so Deborah curled her neck and shoulders inward, closer to the ball.
Guatieri said that in return for the palace news Rubina would bring, he would come back about once a month to hear the story, bringing a gift like today.
“Something between a gift and a bribe...”
If she adds up the value of the items Guatieri brought today, it will be somewhere between 50 and 100 ducats.
Anyone could tell it was a bribe. Receiving that amount repeatedly, once a month, was even more so. But Rubina, who had never stepped down from her position in the King's government for nearly thirty years, had lost her sense of money.
“It feels like he's trying to tie me up...”
But her political acumen remained intact. Even if she was shackled, it was worth it if the reward she received was sufficient.
Guatieri added that if anything else was needed, he could ask for it at any time. Rubina immediately asked what he wanted.
“Take Grand Duke Cesare with you.”
Cesare was now sitting in Julia Helena's carriage, trying to seduce her, but he had slipped away from the group and was missing.
“Cesare, introduce me to some useful people.”
She wanted to create power for her wild son.
The Marquis of Guatieri, who was the leader of the central lords, had initially tried to give in to Prince Alfonso.
The Prince, upon returning from Yesak, obediently complied. The Black Death had decimated the territories, causing them hardship. He accepted the request of the Marquis of Guatieri, representing the great lords, to reduce the poll tax paid to the King in exchange for tariffs on the recently revived trade.
However, the mutually beneficial relationship he dreamed of with the next monarch was shattered when Prince Alfonso made his honey pot, Unaisola, a royal autonomous city.
His diary of his illness, in which he was bedridden after being hit by the wind, was actually a struggle between his regret for the future he had dreamed of and his sense of betrayal towards Prince Alfonso.
After a long illness, he decided to accept that his relationship with the rightful heir to the throne was over.
'If Prince Alfonso is here, the next person to contact is Grand Duchess Rubina.'
He also heard that Isabella de Contarini had ascended to the throne as the King's new mistress.
But the Marquis Guatieri was a man of the past. He vividly remembered the way Rubina had dominated the court.
Wasn't it the Grand Duchess Rubina who overcame even the odds of being Queen Marguerite? A Queen younger than herself, of illustrious lineage, married with a staggering dowry, and bore a Prince?
Despite this, Rubina Tulia survived for over 30 years.
Having been through thick and thin, it seemed unlikely she would be pushed aside by the young and fresh-faced King's favorite. The King was old, and Rubina held the card of his eldest son, the Grand Duke Cesare.
“I hope His Majesty is well.”
The Marquis Guatieri asked briskly. Rubina answered with a smile.
“Then, as always, please be honest.”
"A loyal subject must always take care of his monarch with all sincerity. Ah, isn't sheepskin the specialty of our territory?"
The Marquis Guatieri took out a bundle of gifts and handed it to Grand Duchess Rubina.
“It’s not a big thing, but I brought a blanket made by turning a lamb’s skin inside out so that you can cover yourself and sleep under it in the winter.”
Rubina didn't even open the box. She just stared straight at Guatieri with a subtle sneer.
Leo III no longer slept with her. Either he was so out of touch with the information that he didn't even realize Isabella had taken her place in the country, or he knew it and was so clueless that he offered her the item that would secure the King's bed.
But Guatieri was a professional, too. He didn't even bat an eyelash.
“No one knows when the weather will change, and no one knows in which bedroom His Majesty will sleep.”
Only then did a smile appear on Rubina's lips. The Marquis, knowing full well, had chosen her over Isabella.
Guatieri handed Rubina a second box. Fearing she might not touch it, he opened it himself.
“The second specialty of our territory is mother-of-pearl crafts.”
A pendant locket made of mother-of-pearl, so dazzling that you'd believe it was opal rather than mother-of-pearl, has been revealed.
Even though the only light source was the torch outside the carriage coming in through the window, the light was dazzling.
“Oh my god!”
Rubina beamed and picked up the locket, opening it.
But inside it was empty.
It was just a rocket-shaped shell, without any of the usual portrait mounts that a rocket would have.
At the questioning expression on the former Grand Duchess's face, the Marquis Guatieri rubbed his hands together.
“I heard that Grand Duke Cesare is interested in things like mechanical devices and metal springs.”
Rubina thought that visiting the workshop was the most unsuitable hobby in the world for her son. She answered calmly.
“It’s unusual.”
“I heard that these days, miniaturization of watches is a way for workshops to show off their technological prowess.”
Until now, the word "clock" meant a clock tower. Even if they were made small, the best they could achieve in commercialization and find in everyday life was the size of a pipe organ installed in an auditorium.
“It is said that there was a competition between the workshops of the Kingdom of Gallico and the North Sea Union to see who could first create a miniature clock that met certain specifications.”
“Hoo.”
"This is a watch case made to that specification. If Your Highness is interested, I brought it here in the hopes that you could use it as a shell."
Rubina smiled and tucked the mother-of-pearl locket into her bosom. With this, the Marquis Guatieri had completely erased his reputation for being ignorant of information. Besides, his skills were not bad. Even Rubina thought the pendant was quite beautiful.
Even though it was empty inside, the exquisite craftsmanship on its exterior alone made it a rare find. If a miniature clock had been placed inside, it would likely become a national treasure.
Rubina answered with a smile.
"I'll be sure to pass this on to the Grand Duke. Your thoughtfulness warms my heart."
“Oh my, it is my joy.”
Rubina, who had been smiling with her eyes closed as she held the pendant in her hand, looked at the Marquis Guatieri carefully.
“I think you want something from me.”
The Marquis remained silent. He looked bewildered by Rubina's directness.
“I, I was wondering how the former Grand Duchess is doing....”
Rubina asked bluntly.
“If you were truly curious about my well-being, you could have asked the Marchioness de Cepinelli. Isn’t she my confidant?”
Of course, the Marquis de Cepinelli hadn't been able to properly communicate with her since the trial of Countess Clemente de Bartolini, as she was angry with her husband, but he could have asked her if he wanted to. Rubina was right.
“I guess there was something you wanted to ask or investigate directly with me, without going through the Marchioness Cepinelli.”
Her wine-colored eyes sparkled and sparkled.
“Don’t waste time and tell me right now.”
The Marquis Guatieri gulped. His throat rang loudly.
***
After the Marquis Guatieri left, Rubina tapped her knee with a feather fan to collect her thoughts.
What she held in her hand wasn't the goose-feather fan she'd used to hide her face, but a new one. The Marquis Guatieri also brought a third box. It was a gift for Rubina herself.
Rubina's original white goose-feather fan had a gold handle and five-colored jewels, designed to be as extravagant as possible. Her new fan, however, had a very simple handle. Not a single jewel. It was simply a delicate display of craftsmanship, carved from whalebone, resembling lace.
But the body was the main body. What made the new fan precious was the peacock feathers, which shone in a rainbow of colors, unlike the solid-colored goose feathers.
“Pirates are rampant these days, and maritime trade has almost ceased. Fortunately, before that happened, there was a pair of rare birds that were brought in through the port of Ravel.”
What determines the quality of a luxury item isn't the price of the raw materials or the precision of the craftsmanship. It's its rarity. Rubina's eyes sparkled.
“The people of Uttar Agra, the native habitat of this bird, call it ‘peacock.’ They are trying to breed it, but it is not working well.”
The Marquis sighed and lamented.
“When the Labelly port was prosperous, these kinds of rare items were often imported, but now it’s just a fishing port with flies flying around dead fish!”
The Marquis wanted to secretly complain about Unaisola, but Rubina's attention was elsewhere.
“So you’re saying that this feather belongs only to the Marquis?”
“As expected, you are the Grand Duchess.”
The Marquis immediately shifted his stance to please Rubina. He smiled and spoke meaningfully.
“I intend to present this feather only to the late Grand Duchess .”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound of Rubina fanning herself against her knees echoed rhythmically through the carriage. Suddenly, she asked her maid, who was huddled on one side of the carriage.
“Deborah. How much do you believe the Marquis Guatieri?”
“Yes, yes?”
Deborah was taken aback by the sudden spotlight on her. She hadn't heard a single word the Marquis Guatieri had said.
Rubina had a private meeting with the Marquis, and the maids were only able to return to the carriage after their meeting was over.
And the Marchioness de Cepinelli, who had been fanning herself with her fan all along—Deborah was perfectly content that it was not her head that was being fanned—would send her off on an errand somewhere, and then, out of the blue, ask Deborah this question.
“You don’t have ears, you don’t have a brain? Why can’t you make judgments based on what you hear?”
She hasn't heard anything. But answering like that will only get her scolded for talking back.
She didn't want to test the strength of a peacock feather fan, and she didn't even want to imagine the prospect of being asked to pay for it if it broke, because it wasn't as strong as her head. Deborah was a low-ranking noblewoman. She needed to earn enough to send home. She bowed her head obediently.
“I’m not very smart, so I can’t understand what the higher-ups are saying...”
“Oh, if that’s what you’re saying, then so be it. You’re so stupid.”
Rubina showed minimal respect to the Marchioness de Cepinelli, but treated Deborah like wallpaper or a side table. She had no fear of those below her, even though she had climbed up from below.
"He asked me to convey His Majesty the King's sympathies. But who knows what's going on right now? Is he satisfied with just that request?"
To know the contents of the reports going to Leo III in real time and the King's intentions regarding them, it was objectively right to go through Isabella. The King's bedside manner had been completely handed over to Countess Contarini.
“There’s definitely something more.”
Rupina's slaps on her knees with her feather fan quickened. It sounded like she was hitting her own head, so Deborah curled her neck and shoulders inward, closer to the ball.
Guatieri said that in return for the palace news Rubina would bring, he would come back about once a month to hear the story, bringing a gift like today.
“Something between a gift and a bribe...”
If she adds up the value of the items Guatieri brought today, it will be somewhere between 50 and 100 ducats.
Anyone could tell it was a bribe. Receiving that amount repeatedly, once a month, was even more so. But Rubina, who had never stepped down from her position in the King's government for nearly thirty years, had lost her sense of money.
“It feels like he's trying to tie me up...”
But her political acumen remained intact. Even if she was shackled, it was worth it if the reward she received was sufficient.
Guatieri added that if anything else was needed, he could ask for it at any time. Rubina immediately asked what he wanted.
“Take Grand Duke Cesare with you.”
Cesare was now sitting in Julia Helena's carriage, trying to seduce her, but he had slipped away from the group and was missing.
“Cesare, introduce me to some useful people.”
She wanted to create power for her wild son.
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