Rubina lamented.
“Cesare spent a while chasing women’s butts, but those were the good times!”
The Marquis de Guatieri had an eldest son who was just entering puberty. A chill ran down his spine.
'What in the world could be worse than a woman's problem that could cause a son to have such a problem?'
Even Grand Duke Cesare had been disgraced nationwide after being dumped by his fiancée for chasing after her sister. It was impossible to imagine a situation that could get any worse than that.
“Cesare spent a while chasing women’s butts, but those were the good times!”
The Marquis de Guatieri had an eldest son who was just entering puberty. A chill ran down his spine.
'What in the world could be worse than a woman's problem that could cause a son to have such a problem?'
Even Grand Duke Cesare had been disgraced nationwide after being dumped by his fiancée for chasing after her sister. It was impossible to imagine a situation that could get any worse than that.
The Marquis hid the fear that was creeping in with a hearty laugh.
“The child is just sitting there doing nothing.”
In Rubina's eyes, the current Cesare was a reclusive loner.
“I have no idea where he is or what he is doing, whether he is holed up in his studio or is meditating on top of a mountain.”
The only difference between Cesare and the typical reclusive loner was that he wandered outside the house. If he were inside, his mother would inevitably find him, forcing him to flee. This was the downside of having his entire financial history exposed to his mother.
"Get the Grand Duke out of his cell and take him to some decent gentlemen's gatherings. Let's do some small business together for a change of pace. Maybe go hunting with him."
To put it nicely, it was a request to help rehabilitate her son.
“Oh my, that was something I was planning to do anyway, even if it wasn’t a request from the Grand Duchess!”
Guatieri was grateful that Rubina had laid the groundwork for him. If someone accused the Marquis of associating with Grand Duke Cesare out of ulterior motives, wouldn't he be able to justify it by saying it was Rubina's order?
“I think the Grand Duke is hiding somewhere in the southern carriage train, but he disappeared without a word to me, and I can’t find him.”
"Oh my."
"Marquis, please find out where that guy is and tell me.”
“How could I possibly defy the words of such a person?”
Guatieri welcomed Rubina's request. He returned, confident that he would definitely find Cesare and tell him about his mother, and that he would find out the Grand Duke's whereabouts by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.
“It seemed as though the Marquis wanted to build a friendly relationship with the Grand Duke.”
The innocent Deborah of the past would often add positive comments like, "I wonder if the Marquis really likes Grand Duke Cesare and is trying to become friendly with him."
And then, as always, she heard a scathing comment about her IQ. Despite her learning ability, she kept her mouth shut like a clam. That was a wise choice.
“That means the Marquis also has something he wants to take from Cesare.”
Rubina continued muttering to herself, tapping her peacock feather fan against her knee. Deborah's opinion wasn't needed anyway.
All she needed was someone to stand by her side like a screen, so she wouldn't look like a lunatic talking to herself. Since Cepinelli could think and speak, Rubina preferred the inhuman Deborah to be her companion in such situations.
“There’s definitely something more, but I don’t know what it is.”
Just as Rubina was about to continue her outward monologue, someone knocked on the carriage door. It was the Marchioness Cepinelli, returning from an errand.
Rubina immediately shut her mouth. She had absolutely no intention of letting her true feelings be relayed to Guatieri through the Marquis de Cepinelli and his wife.
Rubina never once thought that Deborah and Francesca, the Marchioness of Cepinelli, might be conversing with each other.
“Francesca.”
Rubina, who instinctively felt a pang of guilt for keeping a secret from the Marchioness de Cepinelli, unconsciously called her name gently.
“Your Highness, I have returned from the errand you sent me on.”
Rubina sent the Marchioness de Cepinelli on an errand to secure a prime seat for the Marquis de Guatieri in the southbound carriage. The Marchioness dutifully secured the Marquis de Guatieri a seat next to her husband, whom she loathed. The two were always inseparable.
"Yes. Good job. But there's one more thing I need you to do."
Rubina's meeting with Guatieri gave her a new task to do.
The fact that she was now in a situation where she had to gauge the intentions of someone like Guatieri was purely because Isabella had appeared.
If Countess Contarini had not existed, Leo III would still be in her hands, and Guatieri's visit to her would have been as natural as breathing.
It was Isabella who took away his duties as her closest confidant and caused this to happen.
Of course, being freed from Leo III's sway was a very good relief, but there was no need to entrust a viper like Isabella de Contarini with the work she didn't do herself.
Why not just ask someone stupid and naive to do it? Like Deborah over there, for example.
“Place a watchful eye around Countess Contarini’s carriage.”
“I already told you to look carefully.”
It was the result of the Marchioness Cepinelli's personal dislike. She was diligently collecting every scrap of evidence that could spark a negative rumor. But Grand Duchess Rubina shook her head.
“Not to that extent, but in such detail that someone is always looking at the woman 24 hours a day.”
Rubina was sure that Isabella would have a huge accident one day.
“When the Marquis of Campa incident broke out, she was lucky to escape by blaming her sister-in-law, but how many San Carlo men did she mess with?”
Although overshadowed by Clemente and not widely known, Isabella's petite figure planted a potential bomb in many homes. The Marchioness Cepinelli's husband and the Count of DiPascal were among those whose homes were bombed.
Even if she didn't go all the way, if she were to collect all the names of the men Isabel dated and cheated on since she was a virgin, the list would be as long as a two-story building.
"Is that all? It's been so long that everyone has forgotten. Even before they got married, she was no joke."
Isabella, while single, broke up the engagement of two perfectly good couples who were praised as handsome men and women in San Carlo.
The most famous scapegoats were Rubina's son and her sister. Rubina felt deeply wronged.
Isabella's evil deed, which, in her opinion, had a much greater butterfly effect in the real world, was breaking off the engagement of Ottavio de Contarini and putting her in her place.
“If the daughter of the Baron of Castiglione had become the mistress of the Count Contarini family without any incident, Unaisola would still have been a mud puddle.”
Deborah thought. If Countess Isabella de Contarini hadn't broken off the engagement to Grand Duke Cesare, Countess de Mare would have been the Duchess of Pisano by now, not the Princess. If Prince Alfonso hadn't married Countess de Mare, who was close to the merchant class... wouldn't he have created Unaisola?
But Deborah wasn't a thinking being. She certainly wasn't one to point out Rubina. She, too, blamed herself for her useless fantasies. Idiot. Thinking useless thoughts.
On the contrary, Rubina was overconfident in her own thinking.
"She's clearly not going to break her habit and cause another accident. Watch closely. It's only a matter of time."
The Marchioness of Cepinelli couldn't hide her joy and laughed heartily at the words of the late Grand Duchess Rubina, who was targeting Isabella.
"Well then. Just leave it to me. I'll make sure everyone is well-prepared and never out of sight."
Whether she could continue to smile even if her husband's name was out loud... was something she would have to experience to know.
***
While Rubina was welcoming an important guest named Guatieri, Isabella's meeting with Leo III, her most important client, was also continuing.
Isabella, recalling the poor handling of the affairs of the Delpiano, decided to turn the crisis into an opportunity.
"Your Majesty, I have no interest in the common people that Sir Delpiano is looking for."
If you hate me, I hate you too. No, it didn't happen because I rejected it first.
“I want to have someone very special and wonderful as my maid.”
This lack of progress must be a test from heaven, a sign of something wonderful to come for her. After the test passes, a new, heroic chapter unfolds.
“Oh? Who? Do you have someone in mind?”
Isabella's desire for something, provided she could obtain it, was a sign that she was ready to stop whining. Leo III asked, beaming.
“Anyone, just say the word, and I will bring them out immediately.”
A gentle smile spread across Isabella's face.
“There are people whom I have considered it.”
She still had some sense of reality. It was still premature to appoint the person she wanted as her maid.
“I’ll think about it and let you know.”
Isabella was a special woman, one of a kind. She needed a special maid of honor. She wanted Princess Julia Helena as her maid of honor.
***
Princess Julia Helena had no idea how absurdly she had become the target of such an absurd opponent.
Her tiny head was on the verge of bursting just from the immediate issue at hand.
A few days ago.
“Your Highness!”
A familiar voice spoke in the Latgalian dialect. The owner of that voice always addressed Julia Helena in the same tone. It was a title she'd heard a thousand times, but the Princess nearly suffered a heart attack at those words.
“I... Rene.”
Viscountess Panamere, panting and struggling, approached Princess Julia Helena. His expression was menacing.
“Your Highness.”
Viscountess Panamere didn't even greet the present Grand Duchess Rubina or the Duchess of Taranto. Instead, she strode over and immediately grabbed Julia Helena's shoulder.
“You must go back.”
Her tone was incredibly firm. She seemed poised to snap and move if Julia Helena disagreed.
“That’s... right now...”
The Princess's wandering eyes landed on Rubina, the former Grand Duchess. Rubina, quick-witted, took this as a signal and stood up.
“Viscountess Panamere! What are you doing, barging in without an invitation!”
Viscountess Irene of Panamere almost asked Rubina if she had anything to say about the kidnapping of the Princess without permission.
However, there was a huge difference between them in terms of social status, national power, and above all, in terms of whose control the land they were standing on was under.
Rubina, the Grand Duchess, shouted again.
“Be polite!”
Rubina was also subject to the crime of lese majeste, which means that if you do not show respect to a member of the royal family, you will be punished.
Viscountess Panamere gritted her teeth and turned to Rubina. While Bianca and Isabella, who were not considered "royalty" protected by the law, watched in amazement, she slowly lowered one knee to the floor.
“...I see the majestic star of the Etruscan kingdom.”
But that was it. Having offered only a greeting sufficient to avoid punishment, Viscountess Panamere stood up again, completely ignoring Grand Duchess Rubina, and continued to harass the Princess he served.
“The Marquis has issued an order to return! Obey!”
Rubina, who couldn't even speak the standard Latan Empire language, let alone the Latgalian dialect, couldn't understand a single word Irene was saying.
But her perceptiveness was first-rate. She immediately sensed what the Viscountess was harassing the Princess about.
“Viscounymtess! Princess Julia Helena is a guest in our kingdom.”
Rubina interrupted, cutting Irene off.
“As the master of the Etruscan kingdom, I will not forgive anyone rude to a guest!”
Julia Helena's eyes shook anxiously.
Uh... Are you saying that if you don't forgive her, you'll punish her? Viscountess Panamere is my subject...
While the Princess was debating whether or not to come forward, Viscountess Panamere, unable to hold back, raised her voice at Rubina.
"Your Highness, the former Grand Duchess. This is an internal matter of the Manchike!"
The veins on her neck turned blue.
"Although the Marquis of Manchike is a small nation, we are an independent nation that serves our sovereign! We obey no orders other than those of His Excellency the Marquis of Synadenos!"
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