Chapter 25

"Wait!"

Lucrezia's voice stopped Ariadne, who was about to go up to the third floor. Her stepmother's voice was unusually gentle.

"Ariadne, it's truly an honor that all the jewelry has the Queen's seal. But there's something else, isn't there?"

Rarely, Lucrezia's voice was soft and trembling, like the down of a chick.

"Good things should be shared. If you can't share the jewelry with the family, what's the point? How about treating the family to a feast to commemorate receiving the honorable prize?"

If Isabella's target was the jewelry, Lucrezia's target was cash.

"If you give me the gold coins you received from Her Majesty, I'll have a whole cow slaughtered for dinner tonight."

"Wow! I'm so excited!"

Arabella started running around the first-floor entrance, spinning and jumping. Lucrezia, who would normally have shouted at her for being so wild, ignored her and pressed Ariadne with patience.

"And hand over that pouch of gold coins. What could a young lady possibly need so much money for? I'll keep it safe for you and give it to you when you need it."

'I knew it.'

"Come on, hurry up."

Lucrezia took a step closer. Ariadne put her hand into her dress. Lucrezia's expectant gaze eagerly awaited Ariadne's hand. But what she pulled out was not the heavy pouch of gold coins Lucrezia had expected, but a piece of paper. Ariadne handed the thin parchment to Lucrezia.

"What's this?"

It was a piece of parchment, polished smooth and decorated with silver. Inside it read:

"‘Received 50 ducats in gold. - On behalf of the Langbue Orphanage, Queen Marguerite.’"

Is 50 ducats to be given later? Lucrezia scrutinized the writing, flipping the paper over to see if there was anything else. Ariadne replied indifferently.

"The 50 ducats have been donated to the Langbue Orphanage, which Her Majesty the Queen runs, in the name of the second daughter of the de Mare family."

"What?!"

"This is the receipt Her Majesty the Queen gave me as proof."

Lucrezia, who had been excited about using the 50 ducats (approximately 50 million won) to fill the holes in the household accounts, crumpled the Queen's receipt in frustration.

"Why did you donate such a valuable amount?! Do you have any sense at all?!"

Lucrezia waved her finger at Ariadne and shouted.

"Since you're well-fed and well-dressed at home, you don't know the value of money?! How can you not know how to show gratitude to your family and just donate all that money?"

Ariadne bowed her head but did not remain silent as she used to. She had gained the right to speak after the incident with the Apostle of Asaretto and the royal couple's donation.

"The role of a child in the family is to polish their name and bring honor to the family. Her Majesty the Queen praised the de Mare family's noblesse oblige for not forgetting the poor."

"Are you?! Are you looking me in the eye and answering back?"

At that moment, the front door opened, and Cardinal de Mare entered. He had just taken Ariadne to the palace, done some simple errands, and returned home.

"I knew you would be like this! That's why I hurried back!"

The Cardinal waved his sleeves and chased Lucrezia away like a mosquito.

"Don't try to take the child's allowance. Leave it alone!"

He added irritably,

"Do you know how many eyes are watching our house? There are many rumors about the Cardinal's mistress starving the second child, locking her up, and raising her with the maids! Don't be greedy for petty money and embarrass us like last time. Just behave yourself!"

The Cardinal continued to grumble.

"Even on the way back from the palace, a carriage kept following me... I can't live in peace!"

He took off his coat and handed it to the butler who followed him in, then spoke to Ariadne.

"You received the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss,' right? Let's open it and see."

He opened the lid of the blackwood jewelry box on the central table in the entrance. In the center of the luxurious red velvet lining was a dazzling deep blue sapphire necklace.

"Oh!"

The Cardinal, without taking the jewel out, stared at it as if entranced.

"So this is the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss'...!"

The whole family gathered around the central table in the entrance to admire the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss.' It was about the size of two and a half adult thumbs. For a gem, it was an absurd size. Its massive volume made the sparkle seem to explode from the depths.

"It's really mysterious!"

Arabella exclaimed. The Cardinal nodded in response.

"The 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' is said to have been brought up by a dolphin from the sea, not from a mine."

"Our family's crest is a dolphin, too?"

"That's right, Isabella. It seems the gemstone has finally arrived where it was meant to be."

Isabella looked at Ariadne with a meaningful smile.

"It's perfect as our family's heirloom! It will go well with Epolito's gray hair."

The Cardinal did not stop Isabella and, after closing the lid of the blackwood box containing the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss,' spoke to Ariadne.

"Ariadne, since you don't have a separate safe, would you like me to keep it in my study safe for you?"

"Father, that..."

Ariadne anxiously fiddled with her dress. They said it would be sent soon, so why hasn't it arrived yet?

"Your Eminence!"

The front door creaked open, and a servant, eyes wide with surprise, announced.

"A guest has arrived."

Following the servant was a royal official, adorned with a golden emblem, representing the Queen. This was the carriage the Cardinal had been worried about.

"I bring a message from Her Majesty Queen Marguerite!"

The official, holding a decree, bowed and read its contents in front of the Cardinal and the rest of the family, who were kneeling.

"Today, the second daughter of the de Mare family has been granted an excessive gift from His Majesty the King. To facilitate its storage, a safe has been ordered by Her Majesty to be installed in the second daughter's residence."

The official approached the Cardinal and handed him a contract.

"Sign here. It's the installation contract with the safe craftsman. The cost has been covered by Her Majesty the Queen."

The Cardinal signed the contract without thinking. Four workers, carrying a safe as tall as a bookshelf, grunted as they crossed the threshold.

"Your Eminence, where would you like it installed?"

Ariadne answered.

"My room is on the third floor, in the attic..."

The Cardinal's expression twisted. It was already rumored that he mistreated his second child, and he couldn't let the Queen's official see that her room was in the attic on the third floor. If it didn't show, it might be fine, but the path to her room was lined with too many servants' quarters.

"No! No! The room on the second floor, the westernmost one!"

This time, it was Lucrezia's turn to be surprised.

"Dear! That's Epolito's room!"

"Watch your tone!"

The Cardinal's roar made Lucrezia shrink her head into her shoulders like a turtle. The Cardinal, though often irritable, usually didn't raise his voice in front of others, but this time he seemed genuinely angry.

"We can't put a safe directly in a girl's bedroom! There should be a study to place the safe!"

He went to Lucrezia's side and whispered angrily.

- "If you had handled things properly from the start, this wouldn't have happened! I trusted you with the household, but this is the result?"

- "Your Eminence..."

- "I've given you many chances. But you haven't improved at all and are embarrassing me in front of others! I will take action, so be aware!"

Ariadne, amidst the chaos of the two arguing and the workers installing the safe, picked up the crumpled receipt from the Queen that Lucrezia had thrown and smoothed it out before putting it back in her dress. After hugging the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' jewelry box tightly and handing it to a servant who had come upstairs, all preparations for her departure were complete.

"Let's go up now. We can go to the new room. It's for the best."

* * *

"Her Majesty, please write a receipt stating that I have donated the 50 ducats of the royal donation to the Langbue Orphanage. I will take it out when I need it later. If I take it home, it won't be my money. The first use of the money will be to purchase a personal safe and have it installed in my room. Please just order that the safe be installed."

This was the request Ariadne made to Queen Marguerite. It was a way to use the Langbue Orphanage like a bank. It was a request she could make because she trusted the Queen. She had briefly considered whether installing a safe was necessary, as it cost 15 ducats, and she thought that if she left the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' with the Cardinal, it might be less of a burden. If the Cardinal had control over the item, anyone targeting the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' would target the Cardinal, not Ariadne. However, she changed her mind. Even if the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' was in the Cardinal's safe, it was ultimately a personal gift from Leo III to Ariadne. It was difficult to completely separate it from her. The Cardinal could easily play a trick by including the 'Heart of the Blue Abyss' in the dowry list when arranging her marriage and then omitting it when actually sending the bride. He wouldn't care about Ariadne going to her new home empty-handed and facing all sorts of mistreatment. As a child, she had resented and envied Isabella, whom she thought her father truly loved. She had also felt a bit inferior. But not now. She knew that the Cardinal would even discard Isabella if it came to a core interest. She would make good use of what she had. It was a difficult and complicated situation, but it was an excellent card. The wind had changed from her previous life. And that evening, Ariadne received a package from the palace, delivered by a royal attendant.

'If it's from the palace, why didn't they bring it earlier?'

Ariadne's question was answered when she untied the package and opened the box inside. It was a large gold hairpin in the shape of a flower, made of about a dozen deep pink tourmaline marquise cuts, each about 3 carats. The engraving showed it was from a high-end jewelry store by the Tiber River. The sender was the Prince's Palace.