The Princess didn't expect the Grand Duke to say something cringe-worthy like, "Of course, I'll share the same room with you."
The Cesare that Julia Helena knew was a blunt and reserved man. If the Princess learned how the old Cesare had gently swayed women with his three-inch tongue, she would be driven mad with injustice.
Julia Helena, who was completely unaware of Cesare's true nature, simply wondered whether the taciturn northern Grand Duke would take the master bedroom, the largest room in the innermost part.
The room wasn't a standalone one. The master bedroom was symmetrical with the second, larger room. These two large rooms were connected by a hallway. The hallway contained a bathroom with a large bathtub in its center and a dressing room as large as any ordinary home.
If Grand Duke Cesare chose the largest room, Julia Helena would choose the second largest without a second thought.
Then, he might meet her while choosing clothes in the dressing room or touching up her makeup, or maybe even run into her in the bathtub, which is embarrassing!
'No, no, you shouldn't let your imagination run wild.'
Clinking glasses of wine in a romantic rose-petaled bathtub was a far-fetched fantasy. She knew it.
But wouldn't it be reasonable to expect a chance encounter in the dressing room? It'd also be a good idea to have a natural conversation about what to wear to the New Year's ball, which is just a few days away.
And there was also the expectation that he would be kind and gentlemanly enough to give her the largest room and take the second. It was a small fantasy that Julia Helena held onto until the very end.
“A room...”
Cesare, who had been quiet all along, finally spoke for the first time since he was alone with Julia Helena.
Despite his outward appearance of quiet composure, he surveyed the building's interior with all his might. If Cesare's eyes could be measured at this moment, it would be fast enough to send a rickshaw flying.
'All the rooms inside are eliminated.'
He hated the thought of having to cross the public space every time he went out. He was so afraid of being caught by that Princess that he could see himself peeking around, sneaking in and out under the cover of night like a thief.
“I...”
Using the elimination method based on that criterion, there was only one room left.
“I’ll take that room.”
Cesare chose the room closest to the exit.
“Huh?”
It was also the smallest room, with half-sized windows instead of full-length windows, and no balcony. In every way, it was a room completely unsuitable for the dignity of a Grand Duke.
Julia Helena made a strange noise and then covered her mouth with both hands. She was ashamed of herself for screaming like a duck quack.
'That's the room I was going to give to Irene...'
Then, in excitement, she screamed again. Cesare flinched and took a step back. He couldn't understand why she was acting like this.
“Your Highness, do you know that this is the longest thing you’ve said to me today?!”
She jumped up and down in place.
“Wow! That’s the first sentence the Grand Duke has ever spoken!”
“...”
Cesare felt like a newborn. His mother was a bit strange, but there were more than a few things strange about this situation.
If he speaks a sentence or moves even a little, it will elicit an incredibly excited reaction, as if a newborn baby had done something.
Surely some enjoyed this kind of thing, but Cesare wasn't one of them. He'd met too many women who'd tried to attract his attention with their bizarre antics. Instead, he'd become even more timid.
Cesare tried to return to his silent practice, his mouth tightly shut like a clam shell. But that was already a broken defense.
“But are you really okay with that room?”
Julia Helena, who had succeeded in drawing a single sentence from Cesare's mouth, would not allow him to become quiet again.
“It won’t even fit a large bed. Your Highness, don’t you use a large bed?”
Bed? Why bring up bed? Cesare was inwardly terrified. If he hadn't been desperately trying to appear calm, he would have covered himself with both hands.
But Julia Helena, completely oblivious to Cesare's agitation, was chattering incessantly. She succeeded in trapping him in the same room as her. The rest was a breeze.
"They say people get depressed when there's no light. That room, of all the rooms in this house, has the worst lighting. Your Highness, are you feeling depressed these days?"
I'm indeed depressed. But less than half of that depression is because of you, you!
Cesare, who could not bring himself to say it outright, unconsciously struck his chest with his left hand.
“Oh my, oh my, you must be sick. What should I do?”
Julia Helena covered her mouth with both hands.
"Here, would you like to hold my hand? Skin-to-skin contact makes you feel a lot better!"
Cesare beat his chest again. "I'd rather bury my face in the mane of the black horse Leopold than hold hands with that woman!"
But if there was no answer, Julia Helena seemed poised to continue chattering until midnight. No, chattering wasn't the problem. She seemed ready to grab his hand. In the end, Cesare gave up on the strike and opened his mouth.
“...That room is just my taste.”
Julia Helena's eyes widened. She paused for a moment. She'd thrown out so many topics that it was hard to discern what exactly Cesare was interested in... Wait a minute!
“Oh, do you like that kind of thing?”
Cesare, his face flushed, hurriedly stopped her.
“What on earth are you imagining!”
Seriously, this is the first time he's ever met a woman like this in his life.
Julia Helena blinked her round eyes.
“Didn’t you say you like dark and narrow places?”
Cesare sighed, noting that she wasn't about to throw herself on the bed right away.
It was true that he liked dark, confined spaces. From a young age, Rubina would beat him mercilessly for even a single mistake in memorizing a Latin word. The wardrobe, which was always present in the palace's numerous rooms, was the perfect place to escape.
He felt at ease as he entered the dark, tight-fitting space and smelled the fabrics that had been washed for a long time and had not yet absorbed any human scent.
But this is something that cannot and does not need to be said to Julia Helena.
“...”
Julia Helena asked again, undeterred.
“You like narrow and dark places, right?”
Cesare did not bother to answer, and the Princess decided to take his lack of response as affirmative.
I learned a little more about this guy! He likes dark, cramped spaces!
“Then, let’s go cave exploring later!”
The Princess cried out in excitement. The flush on her face and sparkling eyes were adorable to anyone who saw her.
“I was thinking about going to the New Year’s ball and getting a new dress, but if Your Highness likes caves, I don’t mind going to the beach first!”
Cesare's head throbbed. Julia Helena's sweet screams sounded like nothing more than noise to him.
"Look, I just like small, indoor spaces. Like behind curtains or in the crevices of furniture. I'm not interested in cold, smelly, dripping caverns."
But Cesare's instinct warned him. The moment he uttered those words, a mountain of other, inescapable dates would crash down on him like a tidal wave.
He shouldn't give that type of person any information at all. They're very capable of execution, and once they learn something, they jump straight into action without hesitation, like a blind horse.
The moment he said he liked curtains, he was sure to be given a mission like going to see a hundred curtains or going on a pilgrimage to the curtain museum without a moment to breathe.
Indeed, she couldn't stop recommending cave dates just because of the keyword "dark." The chattering of birds was endless.
"The Duke of Taranto said there are countless natural caves along the southern coast. Some of them were once used by monks as temporary monasteries, and there are carvings inside, making them ideal for romantic dates..."
When on earth did Bianca ever talk to her so much? It was so annoying.
Cesare wanted to down ten straight glasses of grappa and fall asleep. But if he did, the woman would attack him. He needed some kind of protection.
Cesare began to wonder if he could freely install locks on the doors of the Marquis Guatieri's house. There was also a workshop in Taranto that he occasionally visited.
If he retrieves the lock when he leaves, a hole will be drilled into the wooden door. If Guatieri tolerates it, it's fine, but what if he reaches Rubina? Surely the Marquis wouldn't bother him with a door or something?
But considering Rubina's temperament, she would have wanted to know everything about her son's every move...
'...Mother. Seriously. What kind of person are you?'
A person can only think and function normally if they don't feel threatened by their basic necessities. But now, his living space was completely unsafe. Anger surged at Rubina.
'I want to go back to Villa Sortone...'
He wanted to crawl up to his familiar bedroom, lock the door, and fall asleep alone.
For today, at least, Cesare could admit that he envied Alfonso. The succession, the scheming, all were unnecessary for this moment. The very fact that he remained at San Carlo made Alfonso the victor.
While there was one man who longed for the capital, there was another man who was terrified by the troubles that had appeared in the capital.
The man who was startled was none other than His Majesty King Leo III, the highest-ranking official of the Etruscan kingdom.
“What? Is this the skin care specialist you were talking about?”
The capital's guards performed their duties admirably. Searching Campo de Spezia for a foreigner whose birth wasn't even registered with the local church, like the Yesapites, was a near-impossible task.
However, the guards found Agosto three days after he had left the room.
In fact, it wasn't because of the guard's competence, but because Agosto showed up at the guard headquarters on his own accord.
“After finishing all other business.”
Agosto didn't have many needs. He didn't crave the luxuries of the Sabbath world. However, Count Contarini hadn't paid Agosto a single penny in over a year.
Living without a single penny was inconvenient in many ways, even for Agosto, who had no interest in possessions.
While separated from Isabella, he had made a small fortune by practicing a craft he knew. It was a pittance to him, but it was a sum that would make any average Etruscan commoner doubt their ears.
Anyway, just as Agosto was finishing his work, he heard Isabella calling him.
He immediately reported to the guard. The guard, having received the King's solemn instructions, immediately arranged for the fastest horse and put him on the road to Taranto.
Agosto, who was healthy and had all his limbs intact, did not run day and night, but only moderately, and yet he arrived in Taranto ahead of the King's slowly moving carriage escorted by the royal guard.
So, upon arriving at the Taranto villa, Leo III met a Moorish 'skin curator', a strong, young, and masculine man.
“You never said he was a man!”
The Cesare that Julia Helena knew was a blunt and reserved man. If the Princess learned how the old Cesare had gently swayed women with his three-inch tongue, she would be driven mad with injustice.
Julia Helena, who was completely unaware of Cesare's true nature, simply wondered whether the taciturn northern Grand Duke would take the master bedroom, the largest room in the innermost part.
The room wasn't a standalone one. The master bedroom was symmetrical with the second, larger room. These two large rooms were connected by a hallway. The hallway contained a bathroom with a large bathtub in its center and a dressing room as large as any ordinary home.
If Grand Duke Cesare chose the largest room, Julia Helena would choose the second largest without a second thought.
Then, he might meet her while choosing clothes in the dressing room or touching up her makeup, or maybe even run into her in the bathtub, which is embarrassing!
'No, no, you shouldn't let your imagination run wild.'
Clinking glasses of wine in a romantic rose-petaled bathtub was a far-fetched fantasy. She knew it.
But wouldn't it be reasonable to expect a chance encounter in the dressing room? It'd also be a good idea to have a natural conversation about what to wear to the New Year's ball, which is just a few days away.
And there was also the expectation that he would be kind and gentlemanly enough to give her the largest room and take the second. It was a small fantasy that Julia Helena held onto until the very end.
“A room...”
Cesare, who had been quiet all along, finally spoke for the first time since he was alone with Julia Helena.
Despite his outward appearance of quiet composure, he surveyed the building's interior with all his might. If Cesare's eyes could be measured at this moment, it would be fast enough to send a rickshaw flying.
'All the rooms inside are eliminated.'
He hated the thought of having to cross the public space every time he went out. He was so afraid of being caught by that Princess that he could see himself peeking around, sneaking in and out under the cover of night like a thief.
“I...”
Using the elimination method based on that criterion, there was only one room left.
“I’ll take that room.”
Cesare chose the room closest to the exit.
“Huh?”
It was also the smallest room, with half-sized windows instead of full-length windows, and no balcony. In every way, it was a room completely unsuitable for the dignity of a Grand Duke.
Julia Helena made a strange noise and then covered her mouth with both hands. She was ashamed of herself for screaming like a duck quack.
'That's the room I was going to give to Irene...'
Then, in excitement, she screamed again. Cesare flinched and took a step back. He couldn't understand why she was acting like this.
“Your Highness, do you know that this is the longest thing you’ve said to me today?!”
She jumped up and down in place.
“Wow! That’s the first sentence the Grand Duke has ever spoken!”
“...”
Cesare felt like a newborn. His mother was a bit strange, but there were more than a few things strange about this situation.
If he speaks a sentence or moves even a little, it will elicit an incredibly excited reaction, as if a newborn baby had done something.
Surely some enjoyed this kind of thing, but Cesare wasn't one of them. He'd met too many women who'd tried to attract his attention with their bizarre antics. Instead, he'd become even more timid.
Cesare tried to return to his silent practice, his mouth tightly shut like a clam shell. But that was already a broken defense.
“But are you really okay with that room?”
Julia Helena, who had succeeded in drawing a single sentence from Cesare's mouth, would not allow him to become quiet again.
“It won’t even fit a large bed. Your Highness, don’t you use a large bed?”
Bed? Why bring up bed? Cesare was inwardly terrified. If he hadn't been desperately trying to appear calm, he would have covered himself with both hands.
But Julia Helena, completely oblivious to Cesare's agitation, was chattering incessantly. She succeeded in trapping him in the same room as her. The rest was a breeze.
"They say people get depressed when there's no light. That room, of all the rooms in this house, has the worst lighting. Your Highness, are you feeling depressed these days?"
I'm indeed depressed. But less than half of that depression is because of you, you!
Cesare, who could not bring himself to say it outright, unconsciously struck his chest with his left hand.
“Oh my, oh my, you must be sick. What should I do?”
Julia Helena covered her mouth with both hands.
"Here, would you like to hold my hand? Skin-to-skin contact makes you feel a lot better!"
Cesare beat his chest again. "I'd rather bury my face in the mane of the black horse Leopold than hold hands with that woman!"
But if there was no answer, Julia Helena seemed poised to continue chattering until midnight. No, chattering wasn't the problem. She seemed ready to grab his hand. In the end, Cesare gave up on the strike and opened his mouth.
“...That room is just my taste.”
Julia Helena's eyes widened. She paused for a moment. She'd thrown out so many topics that it was hard to discern what exactly Cesare was interested in... Wait a minute!
“Oh, do you like that kind of thing?”
Cesare, his face flushed, hurriedly stopped her.
“What on earth are you imagining!”
Seriously, this is the first time he's ever met a woman like this in his life.
Julia Helena blinked her round eyes.
“Didn’t you say you like dark and narrow places?”
Cesare sighed, noting that she wasn't about to throw herself on the bed right away.
It was true that he liked dark, confined spaces. From a young age, Rubina would beat him mercilessly for even a single mistake in memorizing a Latin word. The wardrobe, which was always present in the palace's numerous rooms, was the perfect place to escape.
He felt at ease as he entered the dark, tight-fitting space and smelled the fabrics that had been washed for a long time and had not yet absorbed any human scent.
But this is something that cannot and does not need to be said to Julia Helena.
“...”
Julia Helena asked again, undeterred.
“You like narrow and dark places, right?”
Cesare did not bother to answer, and the Princess decided to take his lack of response as affirmative.
I learned a little more about this guy! He likes dark, cramped spaces!
“Then, let’s go cave exploring later!”
The Princess cried out in excitement. The flush on her face and sparkling eyes were adorable to anyone who saw her.
“I was thinking about going to the New Year’s ball and getting a new dress, but if Your Highness likes caves, I don’t mind going to the beach first!”
Cesare's head throbbed. Julia Helena's sweet screams sounded like nothing more than noise to him.
"Look, I just like small, indoor spaces. Like behind curtains or in the crevices of furniture. I'm not interested in cold, smelly, dripping caverns."
But Cesare's instinct warned him. The moment he uttered those words, a mountain of other, inescapable dates would crash down on him like a tidal wave.
He shouldn't give that type of person any information at all. They're very capable of execution, and once they learn something, they jump straight into action without hesitation, like a blind horse.
The moment he said he liked curtains, he was sure to be given a mission like going to see a hundred curtains or going on a pilgrimage to the curtain museum without a moment to breathe.
Indeed, she couldn't stop recommending cave dates just because of the keyword "dark." The chattering of birds was endless.
"The Duke of Taranto said there are countless natural caves along the southern coast. Some of them were once used by monks as temporary monasteries, and there are carvings inside, making them ideal for romantic dates..."
When on earth did Bianca ever talk to her so much? It was so annoying.
Cesare wanted to down ten straight glasses of grappa and fall asleep. But if he did, the woman would attack him. He needed some kind of protection.
Cesare began to wonder if he could freely install locks on the doors of the Marquis Guatieri's house. There was also a workshop in Taranto that he occasionally visited.
If he retrieves the lock when he leaves, a hole will be drilled into the wooden door. If Guatieri tolerates it, it's fine, but what if he reaches Rubina? Surely the Marquis wouldn't bother him with a door or something?
But considering Rubina's temperament, she would have wanted to know everything about her son's every move...
'...Mother. Seriously. What kind of person are you?'
A person can only think and function normally if they don't feel threatened by their basic necessities. But now, his living space was completely unsafe. Anger surged at Rubina.
'I want to go back to Villa Sortone...'
He wanted to crawl up to his familiar bedroom, lock the door, and fall asleep alone.
For today, at least, Cesare could admit that he envied Alfonso. The succession, the scheming, all were unnecessary for this moment. The very fact that he remained at San Carlo made Alfonso the victor.
***
While there was one man who longed for the capital, there was another man who was terrified by the troubles that had appeared in the capital.
The man who was startled was none other than His Majesty King Leo III, the highest-ranking official of the Etruscan kingdom.
“What? Is this the skin care specialist you were talking about?”
The capital's guards performed their duties admirably. Searching Campo de Spezia for a foreigner whose birth wasn't even registered with the local church, like the Yesapites, was a near-impossible task.
However, the guards found Agosto three days after he had left the room.
In fact, it wasn't because of the guard's competence, but because Agosto showed up at the guard headquarters on his own accord.
“After finishing all other business.”
Agosto didn't have many needs. He didn't crave the luxuries of the Sabbath world. However, Count Contarini hadn't paid Agosto a single penny in over a year.
Living without a single penny was inconvenient in many ways, even for Agosto, who had no interest in possessions.
While separated from Isabella, he had made a small fortune by practicing a craft he knew. It was a pittance to him, but it was a sum that would make any average Etruscan commoner doubt their ears.
Anyway, just as Agosto was finishing his work, he heard Isabella calling him.
He immediately reported to the guard. The guard, having received the King's solemn instructions, immediately arranged for the fastest horse and put him on the road to Taranto.
Agosto, who was healthy and had all his limbs intact, did not run day and night, but only moderately, and yet he arrived in Taranto ahead of the King's slowly moving carriage escorted by the royal guard.
So, upon arriving at the Taranto villa, Leo III met a Moorish 'skin curator', a strong, young, and masculine man.
“You never said he was a man!”
Comments
Post a Comment