Chapter 11

"Perhaps a dirty disease has been transmitted, so you cannot enter until it is confirmed to be clean!"

- Clank. Lucrezia and Isabella strictly adhered to their stern warnings. They used the pretext of quarantine to confine Ariadne in the stable outside the mansion as soon as she returned from the Languey orphanage. The ironic part was that while they confined Ariadne under the guise of quarantine, they immediately took Maletha and Sancha inside.

"What is this child?"

Lucrezia's sharp voice echoed through the corridor as she first encountered Sancha. Ariadne calmly replied,

"She is a child I brought from the orphanage."

"Are you in your right mind or not? How could you bring someone in from outside without permission?"

Lucrezia seemed genuinely upset.

"You are really bold. You say you are sorry and admit your mistake, yet you act so recklessly at every step."

She gestured to Sancha, who was standing with her head bowed, and shouted,

"I cannot keep this ruffian. Who knows what she might have transmitted? Get rid of her!"

As the servants approached to take Sancha away, Ariadne took out a handkerchief from her bosom and presented it to Lucrezia.

"Mother, please look at this."

"What is it?"

Lucrezia, without touching the handkerchief, scanned it with a suspicious gaze. The material was a fine gauze with lace trim at the edges, far too luxurious for Ariadne's usual possessions.

"Did you steal it?"

"Of course not!"

When Lucrezia refused to take the handkerchief, Ariadne showed her the side with the gold-embroidered initials 'AFC'.

"It belongs to Prince Alfonso de Carlo."

Lucrezia's eyebrows shot up, and Isabella's expression changed.

"I met Prince Alfonso at the orphanage by chance. I only intended to care for this child while at the orphanage, but the Prince praised the Cardinal Mare for his benevolence in taking in the poor."

Ariadne carefully observed Lucrezia's reaction as she continued,

"Prince Alfonso thought I was taking the child to give her a job. I couldn't bring myself to say no... It would tarnish the Cardinal's name, wouldn't it?"

Lucrezia had no more patience for Ariadne's troubles, whether involving Prince Alfonso or Cardinal Mare. Cardinal Mare was still scrutinizing her household accounts because she had been siphoning money from her family under the pretext of being a governess. The thought of presenting an account with unnecessary expenses to Cardinal Mare and facing his wrath due to Ariadne made her headache worsen and her temper flare.

"You talk too much! You speak well! Both of you, get out! Hold hands and go back to the orphanage! What do you take me for, acting so recklessly?"

Lucrezia's boiling anger was defused by Isabella's greed.

"Prince Alfonso...? How did you meet him?"

Isabella's purple eyes gleamed with greed. Ariadne carefully chose her words to avoid provoking Isabella.

"Since the Languey orphanage is under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, he must have come to inspect it. Prince Alfonso was distributing food to the entire orphanage."

Upon hearing this, Isabella turned to Lucrezia and pleaded,

"Mom! I want to go to the Languey orphanage next week!"

"Isabella! What kind of place is that for you to go!"

Lucrezia slapped Isabella's shoulder.

"If you want to see the Prince, there are grand masses and tea parties! Not the orphanage!"

Isabella, slightly angry, took a deep breath, composed herself, and smiled sweetly at Lucrezia.

"Mom, if I don't go to the orphanage, then please let me keep this poor child."

"Now you're acting on your own too? Do you think I'm easy to manipulate?!"

"Mom, if I meet the Prince at the tea party, I need something to talk about, don't I?"

Isabella scolded Lucrezia, who was helpless against her daughter's tantrum.

"Dad doesn't give Prince Alfonso any favors, so I have to think of something! You can't even help!"

While Lucrezia was flustered by Isabella's tantrum, Isabella approached Ariadne and grabbed the handkerchief.

"I'll keep this."

Ariadne, subconsciously resisting, tightened her grip on the handkerchief but eventually had to let it go. Isabella, holding Prince Alfonso's handkerchief, smiled at Ariadne. Her chestnut hair swayed, and her delicate features shone like a fairy.

"Good job."

Ariadne, clenching her teeth, managed her expression. Serving Isabella, as in her previous life, continued in this one.

"No, sister."

Lucrezia ordered Ariadne to be taken back to the stable and led Isabella and the rest of the household inside. Maletha and Sancha awkwardly followed at the end of the group. As the group moved, Sancha briefly approached Ariadne.

"Thank you so much for saving me, miss. I will repay this kindness."

* * *

On a bright day transitioning from spring to summer, Ariadne, who had been living in the stable with rough planks as walls and straw as a mattress, received an unexpected message.

"Ariadne, the mistress says to come out, wash up, and get ready."

Maletha and the still-in-training Sancha had come to inform her of her release. It had been ten days of confinement.

"I was prepared for a month. What happened?"

Before Maletha could answer, the sharp-witted Sancha spoke up.

"A carriage from the palace has arrived! They said to bring Ariadne specially!"

Ariadne smiled. This was an opportunity she hadn't even considered to repay Lucrezia for the ten days in the stable. Ariadne followed the maids to her room on the third floor. Inside the small attic, a neat ivory silk dress and a pure white noble girl's chemise were laid out. They weren't particularly expensive, but they were the prettiest clothes she had worn since her return.

Instead of coveting the clothes, Ariadne smiled and turned to Sancha.

"Hey, let's play dress-up."

"Huh?"

"Chemise. You wear that, and I'll wear what you're wearing now."

The maids were surprised, and Maletha's expression twisted when Ariadne chose Sancha over herself. Sancha, following her mistress's order, awkwardly took off her clothes and handed them to Ariadne. Ariadne swapped her chemise with Sancha's and put on the dress provided by the de Mare family. The white lace that should have been visible was replaced by a yellowed undergarment. Ariadne tidied her hair and, with the appearance of being ready to go out, descended to the lower floor.

* * *

"Mom, mom! Why did Queen Marguerite suddenly invite us to the mass?"

"Perhaps she heard about our beautiful Isabella and wanted to see her face!"

Inside the carriage, an excited mother-daughter 'axe disease' parade was in full swing.

"Will the Prince be there too? I even brought the handkerchief, just in case."

Isabella showed the handkerchief with the initials 'AFC'. She had been keeping it clean and perfumed. Isabella herself was dressed like a porcelain doll. Her rosy, lovely skin was enhanced with rouge, her eyelashes thickened with coal powder mixed with oil, and her chestnut hair styled in the popular Port Republic style, half up and half down in waves. Her dress was the same ivory color as Ariadne's but incomparably more luxurious. The already beautiful girl, carefully adorned, made everything around her seem to dim, leaving only Isabella shining. According to Etruscan Kingdom customs, debutantes were not allowed to use makeup. The plain Ariadne, like a clam, kept her mouth shut and sat in the corner of the carriage to avoid comparison with Isabella.

- Neigh!

With the horse's neigh, the carriage arrived at Palazzo Carlo in the heart of San Carlo. The palace steward greeted the affectionate mother-daughter pair and Ariadne, who followed behind, as they exited the carriage at the internal main gate.

"Welcome, the family of Cardinal Mare."

The steward avoided calling Lucrezia 'madam' or using the term 'family' for a clergyman's relatives. Instead, he used proper court etiquette to escort the three to the external reception room used for the Queen's private masses. It was a modest but elegant small chapel. At the altar, a priest in white vestments was just beginning to speak, and a dignified woman in her forties, wearing a chasuble, was devoutly bowing in the front row. Behind her, a few maids were about to join in prayer. The priest was conducting the mass in the language of the Gallic Kingdom.

'This is Queen Marguerite.'

Ariadne, who had never seen Queen Marguerite in her previous life, recognized her instantly from the portraits. Even without the portraits, she would have recognized her. The queen's presence and attire clearly marked her as a noble lady.

- "What should I do?"

Lucrezia, who had never met royalty, was flustered and whispered to Isabella. The proper thing to do was to greet the Queen upon her appearance, but interrupting her during prayer would be a grave offense. Isabella, equally unsure, was at a loss. Ariadne glanced at the flustered mother-daughter pair, then calmly sat a few rows behind the Queen and began to pray.

- "Mom!"

Isabella, quick to catch on, poked Lucrezia and quickly sat next to Ariadne to join in prayer. She was annoyed that Ariadne had taken the better seat but knew this was the best option. With her daughter seated, Lucrezia awkwardly joined in prayer next to her.

- "And therefore the Gon of Jesarche sacrificed himself and saved the sinners, for they are imperfect yet still his children."

- "Therefore, the Gon of Jesarche sacrificed himself to save the sinners, for they are imperfect but still his children."

The priest's prayer was nearing its end.

"We can only ponder what went through the mind of the Gon of Jesarche when he sacrificed himself for the immoral, selfish, and foolish ones under his wings. The noble, rich, wise, or spiritual ones must care for others first before saving themselves, to emulate the way of the Gon of Jesarche. Amen."

- "We can only wonder what the Gon of Jesarche thought when he sacrificed himself for the immoral, selfish, and foolish. The noble, rich, wise, or spiritual must care for others before saving themselves, to live as the Gon of Jesarche did. Amen."

"Amen."

The women in the chapel chorused. Isabella's "Amen" was particularly loud and clear, driven by her desire to catch the Queen's attention. Ariadne, instinctively frowning, quickly smoothed her expression upon realizing her reaction. Trying to stand out so obviously was actually a foolish move. If Isabella were ten years older, she would never have done such a thing. But the cruel rival who had subtly tormented Ariadne throughout her life and eventually locked her in the west tower was now just a seventeen-year-old teenager. The particularly loud "Amen" caught the attention of the woman in the chasuble. Her hair was the same brilliant gold as her son's. The sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows enveloped her gentle features. The Queen's expression was kind, but her steel-gray eyes were cold. Her gaze stopped on Isabella. Seeing the Queen's attention, Ariadne, sitting next to Isabella, bowed her head again. Realizing the Queen's gaze was on her, Isabella, driven by her instinct to seek attention, opened her mouth.

"Oh my goodness!"

Everyone's attention immediately turned to Isabella.