Cardinal de Mare did not tell Ariadne the exact method of opening the secret vault.
The Cardinal handed over a half-copper key, now rusted and blue-green, and said only:
“How to open it... Ask the butler after I die.”
Her father wasn't dead, but for some reason, she felt embarrassed to ask him directly how to open the safe. Perhaps it was because she felt bad about telling him she would inherit everything he had built while he was still alive.
Ariadne asked her butler, Niccolo, about the secret vault before he went down to the diocese of Ciriani with Cardinal de Mare.
Butler Niccolo obediently handed her a note. It was the address of a warehouse.
She sent someone to retrieve it, and the box he had left behind returned. Inside was the other half of Ariadne's key.
And in the box that the key was in, there were things she didn't really want to see: things like love letters he's exchanged with Lucrezia when he was young.
'...Now I know why you told me to open it after I'm dead.'
It wasn't a particularly pleasant story. Lucrezia was Ariadne's abuser, and Cardinal de Mare was the one who should have protected her. Their love letters were a description and proof of how she had been relegated to the lower ranks of the hierarchy.
But Ariadne had come too far to weep and defend her position. The past was the past. A long, long time ago.
She decided to take it in her own refreshing way.
'Oh, my dear Lucrezia, after seeing this, I feel less guilty about raiding the secret safe.'
The party quickly arrived at the de Mare mansion. Ariadne decided to take only the necessary personnel.
“This time, Felicite will wait in the carriage, and Sancha will come with me.”
Sancha's bad mood instantly improved. A happy smile spread across her freckled face.
This was a change so drastic that even Ariadne noticed it. Looking at Sancha's swollen cheeks, Ariadne thought.
"I'm giving you work to do, but is it something she should enjoy so much? You'll probably have to carry boxes."
Well, it was okay because it was cute anyway.
But Sir Manfredi objected.
"No, Your Highness! You two are going in alone! It's an empty house, what would you do if there were some vagrant or something inside?"
“...Then I’ll take Giuseppe.”
Giuseppe's face also brightened. But Sir Manfredi finally raised his hand.
“I’ll go in too!”
“Then do that.”
Ariadne readily agreed without much thought. Giuseppe's expression turned sullen again.
“But the rest of the knights are not allowed.”
This didn't make Giuseppe feel any better. But Ariadne had more pressing concerns than observing Giuseppe's expression.
It was already late. There was no more time to waste.
“Let’s go in.”
The group of four pushed open the door to the mansion, which had become desolate after only a few days of being untouched by human hands.
The door to the secret vault was located at the bottom of the highest landing of the central staircase. Therefore, the de Mare family's secret vault was immediately visible upon opening the front door.
Every family member, servant, and even a single guest who visited the mansion saw the Cardinal's secret vault. No one knew it was there.
Giuseppe climbed up to the landing, pulled back the carpet, and admired the joints in the floor.
“You managed to hide the hinges like this.”
Giuseppe also opened Queen Marguerite's safe. He was inadvertently building a career comparable to that of a vault expert.
Giuseppe examined the floor closely. There was no separate lock. He handed the torch he was holding to Sir Manfredi. Sir Manfredi missed the opportunity to refuse and casually accepted the torch, his eyes widening.
Freed from the torch, Giuseppe took a longsword from his side and inserted it into the gap between the trees.
He used his longsword as a lever, applying his weight to the blow. Sir Manfredi jumped.
“No, if you do that to the sword, the swordsman will be injured!”
Giuseppe glanced at Sir Manfredi. He was such a noisy man. Sword, knife, or stick, whatever was useful at the time would be fine.
- Kkirik!
Thanks to Giuseppe's efforts, a secret door in the floor opened.
“Wow!”
Sancha let out a gasp. Giuseppe scratched the back of his head sheepishly and stepped aside. A very narrow staircase appeared, wide enough for one person to bend down and enter.
The inside of the staircase seemed particularly dark, as the torch Manfredi held blazed fiercely outside. The air was thick with the smell of old dust and paper.
“Let’s go in.”
Sancha quickly ran to the kitchen and lit the candle she had left behind. The torch was too hot. If she took it in, it would engulf the central staircase in flames.
Ariadne passed Sir Manfredi, who had stopped awkwardly, holding a candle and a torch.
“Please wait there.”
Ariadne spoke simply to Sir Manfredi, who was wondering if he should take the lead.
The secret vault's structure was simple. Following a narrow, straight staircase to the end, she reached a solid iron door. Inside, there was a single keyhole.
Ariadne put two keys together, one given to her by her father and one obtained without permission from Niccolo, into the keyhole.
It felt like the rust was dripping off her hand, but it was the right key.
- Kiriririk!
The internal mechanism spun with a chilling noise. Ariadne groaned as she turned the key all the way.
Click, something clicked, and it felt like everything was back to normal. She slowly pushed the door open.
The key Ariadne had was the problem, but the door itself seemed to have been used frequently. The iron door opened very smoothly.
There was no room for all four of them. Behind the iron door was a narrow space, barely large enough for one person, and the shelves surrounding it were filled with countless documents, meticulously labeled in Cardinal de Mare's handwriting.
She looked at the nearest label.
"The Marquis of Montefeltro."
What the heck is this? Why on earth is the family name written on the label?
Besides, it was a familiar name. If it was the Marquis of Montefeltro, then it was Gabriele's in-laws.
She lifted one sheet from the top of the pile and read it.
"1117. A request from the Marchioness of Montefeltro."
If it were 1117, it would have been long before her return, when she and Gabriele were about ten years old.
"I would like to ask you to confirm whether the Marquis of Montefeltro has any ancestry that overlaps with the Count Biancalana, his relatives. Hand over 40 ducats."
Ariadne's eyes widened. In those days, seeking common ancestors meant seeking divorce.
Ordinary divorce was impossible under church law, and if a married couple wanted to separate, they had to petition the Holy See to "annul the marriage because it was an unintentional incest."
'Isn't Biancalana the family name of Gabriele's husband's ex-wife?'
There was no further record of what happened after that. There's no indication that he refused the request or accepted payment to find a common ancestor.
Gabriele's husband was widowed by his ex-wife.
"You were trying to get a divorce, but your daughter-in-law died right then and there, right? Surely the old Marquis of Montefeltro didn't kill her?"
Ariadne's eyes widened as she clutched the next note. There was vast room for imagination, but it was so long ago. Ariadne didn't know the details of the incident that had injured the Marquis of Montefeltro.
To judge the truth or significance of an event, it was best to read about something she knew well. Ariadne picked up the most recent document within arm's reach.
"1122. The confession of the Marchioness of Salvati."
'What is this?'
Ariadne's hand holding the note tightened.
"The Marchioness Salvati confessed to having an affair with a dwarf, the court jester. It started out as a joke, but the dwarf's wit and humor captivated her beyond control."
'Is this true?!'
The Marchioness of Salvati was a regular member of the Ladies of the Silver Cross. She was confessed to by a hunchbacked court jester, and the Marquis of Salvati, enraged by the jester's mockery of his wife, beat him to death, preventing the couple from appearing in society for two years.
'So the court jester didn't just suddenly attack you with a confession, but you two actually met?'
This was Cardinal de Mare's memoir. Not just any memoir, but a compilation of all the weaknesses of the people of San Carlo.
'My father is the worst priest ever...'
Instead of receiving confession and letting it go, you abused it like this! Ariadne resolved never to honestly confess to the Holy See again.
'You're the best dad ever!'
She couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter. She had everyone's dirty secrets in her possession. This would be invaluable later on when she built a force supporting Prince Alfonso. Oh, of course, it would be best if it never had any use.
'I'll stay up all night reading it for a few days.'
She barely suppressed a hum as she looked at the labels Cardinal De Mare had placed on them.
'Campa, Campa, Campa... Why are there so many Marquis of Campa?'
Sir Manfredi, who was left outside, asked.
"Your Highness, what's inside? Do you need help getting it out?"
It was definitely too much for a woman to carry alone. Even if it were packed into a box, it would easily fill four or five boxes. That would be too much for Giuseppe alone.
"Yes, I think I'll need help. It's a bit much for me to handle. I'll be leaving now, so please pack them in the boxes in order so the labels don't get damaged."
As she answered, her eyes caught sight of a label with a familiar name written on it, in her father's handwriting.
"Count de Como's family."
The Cardinal handed over a half-copper key, now rusted and blue-green, and said only:
“How to open it... Ask the butler after I die.”
Her father wasn't dead, but for some reason, she felt embarrassed to ask him directly how to open the safe. Perhaps it was because she felt bad about telling him she would inherit everything he had built while he was still alive.
Ariadne asked her butler, Niccolo, about the secret vault before he went down to the diocese of Ciriani with Cardinal de Mare.
Butler Niccolo obediently handed her a note. It was the address of a warehouse.
She sent someone to retrieve it, and the box he had left behind returned. Inside was the other half of Ariadne's key.
And in the box that the key was in, there were things she didn't really want to see: things like love letters he's exchanged with Lucrezia when he was young.
'...Now I know why you told me to open it after I'm dead.'
It wasn't a particularly pleasant story. Lucrezia was Ariadne's abuser, and Cardinal de Mare was the one who should have protected her. Their love letters were a description and proof of how she had been relegated to the lower ranks of the hierarchy.
But Ariadne had come too far to weep and defend her position. The past was the past. A long, long time ago.
She decided to take it in her own refreshing way.
'Oh, my dear Lucrezia, after seeing this, I feel less guilty about raiding the secret safe.'
***
The party quickly arrived at the de Mare mansion. Ariadne decided to take only the necessary personnel.
“This time, Felicite will wait in the carriage, and Sancha will come with me.”
Sancha's bad mood instantly improved. A happy smile spread across her freckled face.
This was a change so drastic that even Ariadne noticed it. Looking at Sancha's swollen cheeks, Ariadne thought.
"I'm giving you work to do, but is it something she should enjoy so much? You'll probably have to carry boxes."
Well, it was okay because it was cute anyway.
But Sir Manfredi objected.
"No, Your Highness! You two are going in alone! It's an empty house, what would you do if there were some vagrant or something inside?"
“...Then I’ll take Giuseppe.”
Giuseppe's face also brightened. But Sir Manfredi finally raised his hand.
“I’ll go in too!”
“Then do that.”
Ariadne readily agreed without much thought. Giuseppe's expression turned sullen again.
“But the rest of the knights are not allowed.”
This didn't make Giuseppe feel any better. But Ariadne had more pressing concerns than observing Giuseppe's expression.
It was already late. There was no more time to waste.
“Let’s go in.”
The group of four pushed open the door to the mansion, which had become desolate after only a few days of being untouched by human hands.
The door to the secret vault was located at the bottom of the highest landing of the central staircase. Therefore, the de Mare family's secret vault was immediately visible upon opening the front door.
Every family member, servant, and even a single guest who visited the mansion saw the Cardinal's secret vault. No one knew it was there.
Giuseppe climbed up to the landing, pulled back the carpet, and admired the joints in the floor.
“You managed to hide the hinges like this.”
Giuseppe also opened Queen Marguerite's safe. He was inadvertently building a career comparable to that of a vault expert.
Giuseppe examined the floor closely. There was no separate lock. He handed the torch he was holding to Sir Manfredi. Sir Manfredi missed the opportunity to refuse and casually accepted the torch, his eyes widening.
Freed from the torch, Giuseppe took a longsword from his side and inserted it into the gap between the trees.
He used his longsword as a lever, applying his weight to the blow. Sir Manfredi jumped.
“No, if you do that to the sword, the swordsman will be injured!”
Giuseppe glanced at Sir Manfredi. He was such a noisy man. Sword, knife, or stick, whatever was useful at the time would be fine.
- Kkirik!
Thanks to Giuseppe's efforts, a secret door in the floor opened.
“Wow!”
Sancha let out a gasp. Giuseppe scratched the back of his head sheepishly and stepped aside. A very narrow staircase appeared, wide enough for one person to bend down and enter.
The inside of the staircase seemed particularly dark, as the torch Manfredi held blazed fiercely outside. The air was thick with the smell of old dust and paper.
“Let’s go in.”
Sancha quickly ran to the kitchen and lit the candle she had left behind. The torch was too hot. If she took it in, it would engulf the central staircase in flames.
Ariadne passed Sir Manfredi, who had stopped awkwardly, holding a candle and a torch.
“Please wait there.”
Ariadne spoke simply to Sir Manfredi, who was wondering if he should take the lead.
The secret vault's structure was simple. Following a narrow, straight staircase to the end, she reached a solid iron door. Inside, there was a single keyhole.
Ariadne put two keys together, one given to her by her father and one obtained without permission from Niccolo, into the keyhole.
It felt like the rust was dripping off her hand, but it was the right key.
- Kiriririk!
The internal mechanism spun with a chilling noise. Ariadne groaned as she turned the key all the way.
Click, something clicked, and it felt like everything was back to normal. She slowly pushed the door open.
The key Ariadne had was the problem, but the door itself seemed to have been used frequently. The iron door opened very smoothly.
There was no room for all four of them. Behind the iron door was a narrow space, barely large enough for one person, and the shelves surrounding it were filled with countless documents, meticulously labeled in Cardinal de Mare's handwriting.
She looked at the nearest label.
"The Marquis of Montefeltro."
What the heck is this? Why on earth is the family name written on the label?
Besides, it was a familiar name. If it was the Marquis of Montefeltro, then it was Gabriele's in-laws.
She lifted one sheet from the top of the pile and read it.
"1117. A request from the Marchioness of Montefeltro."
If it were 1117, it would have been long before her return, when she and Gabriele were about ten years old.
"I would like to ask you to confirm whether the Marquis of Montefeltro has any ancestry that overlaps with the Count Biancalana, his relatives. Hand over 40 ducats."
Ariadne's eyes widened. In those days, seeking common ancestors meant seeking divorce.
Ordinary divorce was impossible under church law, and if a married couple wanted to separate, they had to petition the Holy See to "annul the marriage because it was an unintentional incest."
'Isn't Biancalana the family name of Gabriele's husband's ex-wife?'
There was no further record of what happened after that. There's no indication that he refused the request or accepted payment to find a common ancestor.
Gabriele's husband was widowed by his ex-wife.
"You were trying to get a divorce, but your daughter-in-law died right then and there, right? Surely the old Marquis of Montefeltro didn't kill her?"
Ariadne's eyes widened as she clutched the next note. There was vast room for imagination, but it was so long ago. Ariadne didn't know the details of the incident that had injured the Marquis of Montefeltro.
To judge the truth or significance of an event, it was best to read about something she knew well. Ariadne picked up the most recent document within arm's reach.
"1122. The confession of the Marchioness of Salvati."
'What is this?'
Ariadne's hand holding the note tightened.
"The Marchioness Salvati confessed to having an affair with a dwarf, the court jester. It started out as a joke, but the dwarf's wit and humor captivated her beyond control."
'Is this true?!'
The Marchioness of Salvati was a regular member of the Ladies of the Silver Cross. She was confessed to by a hunchbacked court jester, and the Marquis of Salvati, enraged by the jester's mockery of his wife, beat him to death, preventing the couple from appearing in society for two years.
'So the court jester didn't just suddenly attack you with a confession, but you two actually met?'
This was Cardinal de Mare's memoir. Not just any memoir, but a compilation of all the weaknesses of the people of San Carlo.
'My father is the worst priest ever...'
Instead of receiving confession and letting it go, you abused it like this! Ariadne resolved never to honestly confess to the Holy See again.
'You're the best dad ever!'
She couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter. She had everyone's dirty secrets in her possession. This would be invaluable later on when she built a force supporting Prince Alfonso. Oh, of course, it would be best if it never had any use.
'I'll stay up all night reading it for a few days.'
She barely suppressed a hum as she looked at the labels Cardinal De Mare had placed on them.
'Campa, Campa, Campa... Why are there so many Marquis of Campa?'
Sir Manfredi, who was left outside, asked.
"Your Highness, what's inside? Do you need help getting it out?"
It was definitely too much for a woman to carry alone. Even if it were packed into a box, it would easily fill four or five boxes. That would be too much for Giuseppe alone.
"Yes, I think I'll need help. It's a bit much for me to handle. I'll be leaving now, so please pack them in the boxes in order so the labels don't get damaged."
As she answered, her eyes caught sight of a label with a familiar name written on it, in her father's handwriting.
"Count de Como's family."
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