Chapter 1

- Thud. The blonde prince fell helplessly to the floor. He had just taken a large bite out of the Dolce di Sabugnano made from veal, which Ariadne had handed him without any suspicion. It was the result of trusting her. Ariadne nodded and handed Alfonso, the prince, over to the waiting soldiers. Thus, the kingdom's ruler changed so anticlimactically.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Ariadne whispered softly. She knew it was wrong, but she had someone to protect. Ariadne walked through the palace as if it were her own home and entered the king’s bedroom. No one stopped her as she swept through the palace. Inside the king’s bedroom, he was there. Her blind love and object of worship, her perfect fiancé. Cesare de Como. The king’s bastard son. The king’s son who could not become a prince.

“What happened?!”

“...I have secured Prince Alfonso and handed him over to the soldiers of Pisa.”

Upon hearing this, the chiseled features of Cesare’s face lost their tension, and a bright smile spread across his face. It was as if all the candles in the room had been lit at once, making the world brighter and warmer. Yes, this was enough. Cesare leaped down from the throne where he had been sitting and took Ariadne’s hands. Feeling the warmth of his body, Ariadne trembled, infected by his joy and affection.

“Well done. Once I take that scoundrel’s life, I will make you the most noble woman in the kingdom.”

“Cesare...”

“Father is on his last legs. He could pass away at any moment.”

With the old king on his deathbed and Prince Alfonso deposed, there was no one left to stop Cesare de Como.

“Thus, our era begins.”

She had no interest in the new era. As long as he was happy and she could be by his side, that was enough for her. * * * Cesare de Como, the Margrave of Etruscan Kingdom and Alfonso’s ‘cousin,’ immediately raised the troops at the border and seized the capital when King Leo III fell ill. The pretext was that Prince Alfonso had attempted to poison Leo III. No one believed it, but no one dared to voice their dissatisfaction in front of Cesare’s private army that filled the capital. Soon, Alfonso’s body was hung on the walls of San Carlo Castle, the capital. According to Cesare’s side, Alfonso had been captured at the border while trying to flee to the enemy kingdom of Gallico.

“Look! Prince Alfonso conspired with the enemy to poison the king and seize the throne! I, Cesare de Como, or rather Cesare de Carlo, will protect the Etruscan Kingdom and the king as the Regent. Citizens, trust and follow me!”

* * * After the coup succeeded and Cesare became the Regent of the Etruscan Kingdom, he spent nine years solidifying his position. During this time, Cesare needed a woman to rule the palace by his side. Since King Leo III’s queen had passed away long ago, the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom was Cesare’s fiancée, Ariadne. When she first entered the palace, Ariadne’s reputation in high society was abysmal.

- “She’s only twenty-two, you know?”

- “She grew up on a farm as a child. They say she lacks refinement.”

- “I saw her at a party, and she couldn’t even dress properly. She grew up without proper guidance, you know.”

Ariadne was a symbol of all that was unjust. The woman of the king’s bastard son who deposed the legitimate prince. Her own birth was that of a cardinal’s bastard. She and Cesare were not yet officially married, and she lacked refinement. Despite her devotion to Cesare, she was mocked as a woman who clung to men. Naturally, the ridicule of the Regent also increased. One day, when the atmosphere of disrespect reached its peak, an incident occurred at a regular tea party she hosted. An elderly duchess from the capital loudly discussed the secret of Cesare’s birth. This was a story known among the central court nobles but not widely known among the provincial nobles.

“Actually, Cesare isn’t the prince’s cousin but the illegitimate son of Leo III, right?”

The central nobles had already been dissatisfied with Ariadne and Cesare. However, loudly discussing Cesare’s story in Ariadne’s presence was crossing the line. Her hand tightened on the fan she held.

“Is it true?”

“I’ve heard that story too.”

“Illegitimate children are the result of an unholy union, not blessed by the gods...”

They turned their bodies completely away from Ariadne, who was seated at the head of the tea table, forming a large circle that treated her as if she were invisible. Their attitude was clear: - Even if you don’t like it, what can you do, a half-noble like you, a cardinal’s bastard who holds this illegitimate power?

“Surely not. If it were true, how could such a person be made king?”

“But there’s a reliable story... about his mother...”

He was the purpose and object of her worship. He was noble, strong, and endured much suffering. Ariadne could tolerate insults about herself, but she could not tolerate insults about Cesare.

“A clean birth record is needed to determine if one is of royal blood. Cesare, with his dirty birth, is unfit to be king.”

The duchess who started the conversation concluded as if she were a judge, her firm statement echoing in Ariadne’s parlor. - Snap! Ariadne thought she heard her patience snap. In that moment, she leaped over the table like a wild beast and grabbed the duchess by the hair.

“Take it back!”

Ariadne shook the duchess by the hair, growling like an animal.

“You don’t know anything! Without any evidence!”

There was certainly a way to win against the seasoned noblewomen of the capital and their methods. But Ariadne, a young woman in her early twenties who had not received proper education and grew up on a farm with maids, did not know how. Nevertheless, she had to do something. She could not bear to see her beloved Cesare become the subject of these pretentious people’s jokes.

“Take back your loose talk about Cesare!”

“Ahh!”

The duchess screamed with her disheveled hair, and dessert trays and snacks flew into the air. The other noblewomen, who had been gossiping, froze like ice, watching the scene. Ariadne, with both hands, shook the duchess by the hair and shouted.

“Is it just a matter of spouting off? Correct it and apologize immediately!”

“Oh my! How uncultured!”

Silence, as cold as ice, dominated the parlor except for the two women’s bickering. This was unprecedented. The noblewomen, flustered, did not even try to stop the hair-pulling incident in the heart of the palace’s social circle. At that moment, the heavy sound of military boots echoed throughout the room.

- Thud, thud! The ceremonial guards entered the parlor in a disciplined manner and stopped. Behind them, a particularly handsome man in a ceremonial uniform walked in gracefully and stopped. He was tall, with a slender build, and his slightly slow movements gave off a charming aura. He was a remarkable beauty, someone who would naturally draw attention even in a crowd of ten thousand. It was Cesare.

“Cesare!”

A smile spread across Ariadne’s face. It felt as if a thousand soldiers had arrived to save her.

‘He came to save me in this situation.’

The timing was perfect. The perfect prince, who had come down from the sky, would now scold the enemy for his devoted, delicate woman. He would deliver the righteous blow to the wicked crowd that had ignored him and her. She released the duchess’s hair and stood up like a squirrel, hurrying to stand behind Cesare.

“They...!”

“What’s going on here?”

Cesare, with his auburn hair swept back, turned to Ariadne. His voice was incredibly affectionate and languid. But... his lips were cold, and there was no affection in his eyes. There was a hint of weariness.

“Ariadne. Tell me. What’s all this commotion about?”

“Well, they were saying... about you...!”

“Oh my. Duchess Marquez!”

He seemed to have no desire to converse with Ariadne. The fallen duchess was a very good excuse not to talk to her. He hid his surprise and extended his hand urgently and affectionately.

“Duchess, take my hand and stand up.”

The duchess, who had been grabbed by the hair, did not expect the Regent to take her side. But she did not miss the opportunity and her pride remained intact.

“Unlike that woman, the Regent’s manners are indeed learned from the royal family.”

The duchess, now standing, smoothed her hair and patted the part of her dress that Ariadne had touched. She glared at Ariadne and snorted.

“Hmph!”

Other central nobles gathered around the duchess, asking if she was alright.

“Duchess Marquez, are you okay?”

“Are you hurt?”

“The Regent’s fiancée really crossed the line!”

Ariadne wanted to retort, “Who crossed the line!” but bit her tongue at Cesare’s irritated, almost angry, gaze.

“What are you doing to a central noble?”

Cesare gritted his teeth and whispered irritably to Ariadne.

“Do you need a power base? How can you attack a member of the Marquez family and still be in your right mind?”

‘Just because someone treats me badly, it doesn’t mean they’ll become my friend if I grovel, Cesare.’

Ariadne wanted to say this but was intimidated by Cesare’s presence and did not speak. In fact, if she had spoken back, he would have exploded. Ariadne did not want to fight with Cesare in front of all the noblewomen of the capital, or rather, see Cesare belittle her. But he crushed her hope mercilessly.

“You are of no use to me. That duchess is far more helpful to me.”

His low, clenched voice cut through the noise in the parlor.