<Episode 559> The Maximization of Horror
To Baroness Agnetha Giordini, her husband was like an extension of herself. He was an extension of "me".
However, the Marchioness Ceppinelli did not even speak to her husband. Since he consistently earned money and protected her from foreign invasions, to her, her husband was, at best, a fortress wall, and at worst, a serf.
Either way, he was an object, not a person. Consequently, a communication breakdown occurred between the two.
The Marchioness Ceppinelli forgot to add the caveat, 'This is a secret even from your husband!' Baroness Giordini interpreted the Marchioness Ceppinelli, Francesca's command, as 'Do not tell anyone else.' Naturally, her husband, who was practically her alter ego, was excluded from that 'anyone else'.
Having heard every detail of his wife's secrets, Baron Giordini earnestly cautioned the Marquis Guatieri before revealing the secrets he knew.
"You must not tell Marquis Ceppinelli either. They kept quiet about it from the start, so it will be a big problem if they find out I've opened my mouth."
The funny thing was that Marquis Ceppinelli was completely unaware of this. Had he known, he would have been in his own way absurd. Guatieri urged Giordini.
"Yes, yes, tell me anything."
Baron Giordini took a deep breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and spoke quickly.
"The King's young mistress has another man."
Guatieri's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?!"
The Marquis couldn't believe his ears. She had only been in the government for a few days, and she was already taking another man?
He struggled to come up with the most plausible scenario.
"Are you talking about her original husband?"
All of the King's official mistresses were married women. This was due to the doctrine of the Jesak religion.
While there were often cases like Rubina's where a fake husband was provided, usually, they actually had their own husbands. If the King was consumed by jealousy and possessiveness, he could send the mistress's husband far away to a place out of sight or otherwise harm him, but he could not take issue with the fact that the King's official mistress had slept with his husband.
"No, isn't her husband holed up in the western estate right now?"
"Yes."
"Someone recently saw that woman having a secret rendezvous in Taranto."
Baron Giordini concealed the witness's identity.
Because his wife was precious. Marquis Guatieri spat out in astonishment.
"Does that woman have about seven lives?"
It was a remark made on a whim, but now that he had blurted it out, it was persuasive. This was because Isabella de Mare had overcome unbelievable adversities. She was truly a phoenix.
It actually makes sense if you assume she has multiple lives.
It seems she has already used up about three of them fighting off the adversities she brought upon herself. If her head is cut off this time, it will be the fourth.
"Who is the other person?"
"I don't know that."
His wife did not reveal to her husband the identity of Isabella's lover. This was because the man was Count Di Pascal, who belonged to the same faction as her husband's superior.
If her husband found out, he would have no choice but to report it to the Marquis of Ceppinelli. In that case, Francesca, the Marchioness of Ceppinelli, would realize that she had been the one to blabber.
Everyone would have been horrified to learn that the lover of the King's official mistress was Count Di Pascal, who belonged to the same faction.
"She's going to cause some trouble soon."
Baron Giordini spoke with conviction.
The Baron was a man of tight lips, more so than his wife had thought. At least, Romeo was tighter-lipped than his wife Annetta.
This was because Annetta informed her husband of Isabella's affair as soon as she found out, whereas Romeo did not tell his wife Annetta what he knew.
'Isabella de Contarini did it once with the Marquis of Ceppinelli as well.'
Baron Giordini was the one who had brought Isabella from Count Contarini's estate and returned her that day. He did not bother to tell his wife.
It was obvious what Countess Contarini had done alone at the residence Marquis Ceppinelli had borrowed for a short time before returning.
Ceppinelli was not the kind of gentleman who would invite a woman who looked like Isabella to such a place, engage in mere conversation, and then quietly send her away.
Marquis Ceppinelli was not a distinguished man either, but Isabella, who had responded to such a summons from a Marquis, was certainly not a decent woman.
In fact, when it came to her inability to control her impulses, Countess Contarini was more belligerent than an average adolescent boy.
"She is not a trustworthy person, so I think it would be best to avoid having her as a partner who plays an important role."
"...Yes?"
Marquis Guatieri wore a grim expression at the thought of having to continue this uncomfortable cohabitation with Rubina. However, he also felt uneasy about involving Isabella, disregarding Baron Giordini's strong objections.
"Let me think it over a bit more."
And in fact, there was still some time before a full-scale cooperative relationship with Rubina could begin. This meant that Guatieri would not immediately lead the remnants of Aseretto's forces to advance toward San Carlo on Rubina's behalf.
There was one major obstacle to Rubina's first wish-namely, the succession of her grandson to the Etruscan throne.
That is, the grandson in question had not even been born yet.
"Actually, I just mentioned this to the former Grand Duchess Rubina. I told her that everything she wants... is possible only on the premise that Grand Duke Cesare has a child."
To have children, Cesare had to marry. Well, he could have had a child from just anyone, as Leo III had conceived Cesare, but that was not the kind of child Cesare needed.
He needed a child brimming with legitimacy capable of confidently claiming the throne of the Etruscan Kingdom.
Standing ahead of Cesare in the line of succession was Prince Alfonso, whose personal legitimacy was unrivaled. He was the legitimate son of Leo III, the daughter of Marguerite of Gallico.
Cesare needed a child with a lineage worthy of succeeding Alfonso, one that would not be shameful, so that his son, and furthermore, Cesare himself, could at least try to vie for the throne by using the instability of Alfonso's succession as an excuse.
It was not as if Cesare could marry the deceased Princess Auguste now, and she wouldn't even grant him a spiritual wedding, so the Grand Duke had only one option left.
"Grand Duke Cesare successfully marrying Princess Julia Helena is the starting point of our negotiations."
Rubina. Until then, Marquis Guatieri had no intention of doing anything.
***
Rubina was in a bad mood. The meeting with Marquis Guatieri had ended without any results.
Rubina had to keep the Marquis's small secret if she didn't want to lose a future collaborator. And she had to do so without receiving anything in return.
The Marquis even made a petty petition asking Rubina to remove the cap on sheep ownership. Rubina dismissed it, saying that she would have to see how things unfolded.
However, there was some truth to the Marquis's argument.
For Cesare to rise as a player surpassing Prince Alfonso, he needed a wife who could rival Alfonso in legitimacy. And in the current situation, Princess Julia Helena was the only one who could fit that description.
After leaving Marquis Guatieri's first villa, the next destination for the former Duchess Rubina was Marquis Guatieri's second villa.
"What brings you here at this late hour..."
"I have come to see my son."
Princess Julia Helena and Grand Duke Cesare were staying at the Marquis's second villa.
Rubina entered the villa, greeted by Viscount Panamere, who could not hide his astonished expression, and headed unhesitatingly toward Cesare's room.
She frowned as she was escorted to the entrance room where Cesare was staying.
'Why is he stuck in such a shabby room?'
However, she soon realized her son's true intentions. Princess Julia Helena, who was completely smitten with her son, would not have driven Cesare out to the gatehouse, and the Princess's people were not in a position to dare commit such an act alone.
'This little bastard chose this room to crawl up the walls like a night cat.'
She clicked her tongue, opened the door, and went in without even knocking. Cesare, who had not bought a lock on the workshop door a few days earlier, was caught off guard with not even the slightest defense.
"Mother?"
He, who was casually dressed, turned around in surprise. Rubina frowned and snapped.
"Why are you so surprised, as if you saw a ghost?"
Marquis Guatieri and Cesare shared the same sentiment. Meeting a ghost was better than meeting Rubina.
She pushed forward abruptly.
"Let's go for a walk."
Rubina took her son outside the house, fearing that the sound might escape. She had already anticipated that she would scream. Their conversation could not be overheard by Julia Helena.
Cesare silently picked up a coat and followed his mother out.
At first, only the sound of the mother and son's footsteps echoed.
After walking like that for quite a while, other sounds began to enter her ears. The crunching of small branches and dry leaves on the path overlapped with the sound of a distant stream and the hooting of an owl.
Rubina was starting to get annoyed. She had endured Cesare's silent protest this long; it was time to get to the point.
"You still haven't even managed to get a Princess to sleep with? What are you doing?"
Her manner of getting straight to the point was the very definition of cutting to the chase. Cesare sighed and replied.
"You keep talking about dignity, but your tone is quite cheap."
"You're the one failing to even fulfill the minimum role of a man."
Rubina glared at her son.
"You have to act like a decent human being first before you can look for dignity or whatever else."
"How many times do I have to tell you? I told you I don't want to get married."
Rubina screamed.
"How many times do I have to tell you? You have no choice!"
Rubina, having seized the initiative, fired off a barrage of attacks.
"Marquis Manchike is holding out desperately right now, and I have to drive the nail in the coffin before he gives up! That kid is totally smitten with you, hearts are practically popping out of her eyes, and all you have to do is just have sex with her and be done with it. Can't you even do that one thing?!"
It wasn't that he couldn't do it, but that he chose not to. He had a woman he loved. Cesare did not want to use Princess Julia Helena in that way.
"That little girl, please send her home."
He didn't know much about courtesy between nations. However, he knew that what Rubina was doing to Julia Helena was not something one human being should do, but was the very definition of emotional torture that toyed with her feelings.
He sighed deeply.
"You should have just stopped with the poor kid."
Rubina was seething with rage.
"Pitiful?! How is she pitiful?!"
Rubina screamed, gathering a sound from deep within her lower abdomen, on a deserted mountain path.
"I'm a million times more pitiful!"
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