Chapter 36

Prince Alfonso's command did not make Cesare immediately release Ariadne's wrist. Alfonso, however, remained unperturbed and unexcited, walking up to Cesare's nose and speaking in a calm voice without raising his voice.

"It seems you didn't hear me. Let go of that hand, Duke de Como."

Alfonso, who was four years younger than Cesare, was still clearly a boy. His downy cheeks, soft skin, and youthful voice betrayed his age. However, the dignity in his demeanor belied his youth. Cesare, though slender, was quite tall, standing at 4 piedi and 3 ditto (approximately 183 centimeters). However, he was still growing, and the 15-year-old Prince Alfonso, with his broad shoulders and sturdy build, did not seem out of place standing next to the much taller Cesare. In this standoff, the prince spoke again, his tone gentle.

"And it seems you've forgotten to show respect to the royal family, Duke."

This was not something to be ignored. If a commoner did not show respect to the royal family, they could be punished for royal defamation. Cesare had not received the recognition of Leo III and was not officially part of the royal family. Clenching his teeth, Cesare held Ariadne's wrist and bowed to Alfonso as one would to a member of the royal family.

Alfonso glanced at the wrist Cesare still held and then looked directly at Cesare, speaking again. The prince's voice was very calm, smooth like a drop of water sliding over marble.

"Duke de Como. Not that bow. We are meeting for the first time today."

In the Etruscan Kingdom, when formally meeting the royal family, both men and women knelt on one knee and bowed their heads for the first greeting. If it was the second meeting of the day, or if the royal family granted leniency due to old age or mobility issues, or if they were very close, men would bow and women would curtsy.

Prince Alfonso was pointing this out. While he usually waived formal greetings in most cases, this time he was not lenient. Cesare, grinding his teeth, released Ariadne's wrist and took a step back, kneeling on one knee and bowing deeply to Alfonso. Each movement was slow and filled with resentment. His jaw muscles were so tense it seemed they might burst. Ariadne thought Cesare would be so angry that he wouldn't sleep tonight.

'Cesare hates kneeling more than anything in the world.'

Among the various forms of kneeling, what Cesare hated most was kneeling to his half-brother Alfonso. At one point, the reason Cesare decided to usurp the throne was partly because, as king, he wouldn't have to kneel to anyone except the Pope.

Alfonso did not even acknowledge Cesare's bow immediately. He left Cesare kneeling on the floor and turned to Ariadne, who was massaging her wrist after being released.

"Good afternoon, Lady de Mare."

"I greet you, Prince Alfonso, the little sun of the kingdom."

Just as she was about to kneel and bow, Prince Alfonso stopped her by holding her arm.

"Lady de Mare, we already met this morning."

This meant that only Cesare needed to kneel, and Ariadne did not have to. Ariadne tried hard to suppress a small laugh. Fortunately, she managed to control her laughter, and only Prince Alfonso saw her smiling face while Cesare, who was still bowing, heard nothing.

Prince Alfonso smiled and pulled Ariadne towards him.

"Lady de Mare, come this way. Duke and Duchess Cibo are waiting."

Ariadne nodded and moved behind Prince Alfonso. Cesare remained kneeling. Alfonso only acknowledged Cesare's bow after Ariadne was safely out of reach.

"Ah, Duke de Como. It was nice to meet you. You can go now."

Fuming, Cesare, who was still on his knees, heard Ariadne, standing behind Prince Alfonso, add:

"Oh, by the way, the cost of repairing the Cibo mansion's floor is on you!"

Cesare barely restrained himself from kicking a stone in front of Prince Alfonso. That little brat!

* * *

Ariadne and Alfonso walked to the main hall of the Cibo mansion, chatting along the way.

"You're really impressive, Ariadne. Did you know from the beginning that it was a forgery?"

She did know, but... it was hard to explain. She couldn't say she had seen it in the future of her previous life.

"I had my suspicions. The work was too clean. It's a relief it all worked out well."

"If you had told me beforehand, I wouldn't have bought it."

"I didn't know you would buy it!"

Prince Alfonso laughed awkwardly. He felt like a fool in front of this girl.

"That's true."

But then he had another thought. Was she not close enough to share even uncertain information with him? So the prince asked again.

"But why did you expose it if you weren't sure?"

Alfonso, though unaware, was hoping for a specific answer. He persistently asked for her response.

"Oh, that... well..."

Ariadne hesitated. Saying it was because her half-brother had done something despicable was a fitting description, but there was a more honest answer emotionally.

"Because I thought you would buy it."

Prince Alfonso's face turned red. It was the answer he had subconsciously desired. 'You are special.' The words he wanted to hear came from her lips. Alfonso wanted to ask her another question, but before the atmosphere became too intense, Ariadne burst into a hearty laugh and playfully hit his shoulder. The boy had to close his lips in disappointment.

"You saved me 2000 ducats (about 200 million won)? I should repay you?"

Thanks to her casual demeanor, Alfonso was pulled out of his thoughts. He laughed along with her.

"Is that how it works? That's a lot of money. How should I repay this favor, Lady?"

"2000 ducats in gold coins, paid in full?"

"Wow, you're really asking for it!"

Alfonso took a big step back, raising his hands and feet.

"The Porto merchant brought a fake statue, and you want to eat it raw, Lady!"

Ariadne laughed heartily again, looking at Prince Alfonso's face.

"Grant me a wish later!"

"Wish? What will you wish for?"

Ariadne shrugged casually in response to the prince's question.

"I don't know."

"Alright, I'll do it."

Prince Alfonso readily accepted the promise of a favor, even though the content was not yet determined. If the courtiers saw this, they would have collectively shouted, "Your Highness, you cannot do this!"

But now, he wanted to give her anything. Any excuse to be involved with her was good. If she asked for the kingdom, he could pretend to negotiate and see her for three more weeks.

"Ha, I think it's time to go in."

Prince Alfonso, who had a dinner gathering at the palace in the evening, needed to return to the palace to keep his schedule. He looked at Ariadne a few times before making a gesture of writing with his hand.

"Write a letter!"

"Huh?"

"No, I'll write a letter! Reply!"

Ariadne nodded without thinking. The prince confirmed again.

"Make sure to reply!"

Despite Ariadne nodding like a broken wind-up doll, Prince Alfonso still wasn't reassured and asked for confirmation twice, three times before getting into the carriage. The golden carriage made a loud noise as it left the Cibo mansion's main gate. The curtain behind the carriage was pulled back, and Prince Alfonso's face appeared at the window.

Ariadne waved her hand for a long time until the carriage was out of sight.

* * *

After the news of exposing the Porto merchant's fraud spread throughout San Carlo, Ariadne was worried that she might be called by Cardinal de Mare to reveal the source of her "insight." She searched her house for books on fine arts, archaeology, and the history of ancient Hellenia and piled them high in her new study to read.

She organized the relevant sections of the literature so she could recite them from memory if asked how she knew. Only then did she feel relieved and relaxed.

The person who impersonated 'Vincenzo del Gatto,' a merchant from the Republic of Porto, was revealed to be a sculptor of noble birth from Lastera. They were gambling friends, and after a dispute over gambling funds, the impersonator killed the real Vincenzo del Gatto and, to clear his gambling debts, used Vincenzo's name to rob his art collection and pull off a major fraud before going into hiding.

'Cesare must have felt like a dog chasing chickens.'

Ariadne found this story secretly amusing. Cesare had expected to uncover a complex scheme involving merchant organizations, economic interests, and internal issues of the Republic of Porto to impress his father. But in the end, it was just a personal act of misconduct, not even worth the cost of the Cibo mansion's floor.

The sky was high, and the weather was clear. It was a beautiful early autumn day. One day, Cardinal de Mare called both Ariadne and Lucrezia to his reception room.

- Knock, knock.

Ariadne knocked on the door of Cardinal de Mare's reception room and cautiously entered. Lucrezia was already sitting inside.

"Father, you called me?"

"Hmm, sit down."

Ariadne had always called him 'Your Eminence' except when she wanted to tease him in front of others, but after he promised to host a debutante ball, she started calling him 'Father.' Lucrezia, either displeased with the title or already aware of something, had a discontented look on her face.

"I've already talked to your mother. Since you are growing up, I assume you have various personal expenses."

'I bought a safe and some art pieces.'

Ariadne nodded, keeping her thoughts to herself.

"I apologize, Father."

"No, no, it's natural for a grown daughter to have personal expenses. So, I think it would be good for you to manage your personal expenses with your own allowance. We need to prepare for your debutante ball soon, right?"

Ariadne's face brightened.

"I am grateful for your kindness, Father."

"Since you've missed out on many things, we need to catch up now. I will give you the entire budget for the debutante ball."

Cardinal de Mare glanced at Lucrezia.

"Your mother is not in good health and won't be able to help much with the preparations."

Lucrezia was as healthy as a pheasant. However, Cardinal de Mare rationally predicted that if he assigned the preparations to Lucrezia, who often bullied her younger sister, half of the budget would end up in Lucrezia's pocket and then flow to her annoying in-laws. The shame of a shabby de Mare family ball due to a leaky budget would fall on him as the head of the family.

Lucrezia did not want to admit that she had lost control of the family's finances. So, she decided to play along with Cardinal de Mare's excuse, and Ariadne, seeing that they had reached an agreement, did not want to ruin the deal by bringing up the truth.

So, they exchanged a few polite words, pretending to be concerned about Lucrezia's health, which was in perfect condition.

"I will give you 150 ducats (about 150 million won) to start. Use this to prepare, and if you need more, come back for it."

He did not trust the government or his 15-year-old daughter. Cardinal de Mare thought the appropriate budget for a debutante ball was about 300 ducats, and the maximum expenditure could be 500 ducats. He wanted to give her a small amount first and monitor the progress.

"I understand, Father."

But Ariadne was a seasoned manager, having managed the Etruscan royal palace for nine years.