Chapter 47

It wasn't just the victorious Ariadne who returned to the banquet hall. Isabella, who had suffered a crushing defeat in the battle of wits, shamelessly crawled back into the hall. However, unlike Ariadne, who was standing in the center of the hall, being closely escorted by Prince Alfonso and engaging in conversation with the elderly, important nobles, Isabella was huddled in a corner of the powder room with her peers.

"Bad girl!"

Isabella gathered her entourage and vented her frustration. It was a group of girls, more than ten but fewer than fifteen, who formed the core peer group of the San Carlo social circle. The fashion they wore became the trend for the young ladies who were not part of their group, and the following year, this trend spread throughout the Etruscan Kingdom, even reaching the Montpellier Palace of the Gallic Kingdom, which was not as culturally developed as the Etruscan Kingdom.

Such was the high society of these young ladies, yet Isabella had used a word like "girl" in front of them. The harsh words Isabella spat out shocked her peers, who looked at her in surprise. Isabella cleared her throat and tapped her lips with her fan.

She desperately wanted to tell someone about the outrageous and terrifying incident that had just happened to her, but these young ladies had been raised too delicately. If she confided in them, they would likely respond with, "Was it just a dream, Lady de Mare?" or "Your own brother tried to push you down the stairs with such terrifying words?" making Isabella seem like the odd one out. Moreover, she couldn't bring herself to tell her peer group that she had been cursed out by someone she had always looked down upon. It was too shameful.

But the frustration was unbearable. So Isabella, excluding the fact that she had been cursed out, started to nitpick and criticize Ariadne.

"I really thought Ariadne was nice, so I wore a white dress! I don't understand why she talks like that!"

Since all the young ladies gathered there were Isabella's friends, they had no choice but to accept her words at face value. Some suspected that Isabella was making it up or lying, but with her maids standing close by, they couldn't voice their doubts without being labeled as traitors. A few others were genuinely enthusiastic followers of Isabella.

"Little Lady de Mare is really too despicable."

"How could she do that to her own sister?"

Isabella shed a tear.

"Think about how well I've treated Ariadne! I lent her clothes, helped her adapt to San Carlo, and even helped her with her studies... But when the prince appeared, she completely changed her attitude!"

Among the others, there were those burning with jealousy. Though not Isabella's "maids," they were envious of the new debutante, the daughter of a farmhand, who had entered the hall holding the prince's hand and danced the first waltz with Count Cesare. If it had been another lady they had always respected, they might have accepted it, perhaps even admired it. But a bastard child from a rural farm? Not that attractive? To resolve their cognitive dissonance, they spread rumors of conspiracies, backroom deals, and underhanded transactions.

The largest group, however, were those who simply wanted to fit in. When Isabella opened the floodgates, their jealousy and desire to blend in overflowed, filling the gap.

"Who wears such a deep neckline when they have a chest complex? It's definitely a lie."

"I don't believe she didn't do it. Does a dress tear that easily?"

"Why does the prince favor her so much? Did she really seduce him with her body?"

Isabella genuinely enjoyed the venting session. It felt like a soothing balm for her soul. As she cursed Ariadne, her wounded pride seemed to heal. She was throwing out small details, like "Ariadne is wearing cotton" and "Her dress is from the cheap Razione tailor," when Julia de Valdesar, who had been sitting quietly, stood up.

"Let's really take a look."

Julia de Valdesar was one of the two young ladies Isabella treated as "best friends." Isabella had marked Camelia and Julia as her closest friends. Camelia was beautiful and had a wealthy boyfriend but always catered to Isabella's whims, and Julia was from the prestigious and wealthy Valdesar family.

Julia de Valdesar, standing up, threw a single line at Isabella.

"Lady de Mare, your shoulder strap is showing."

Isabella, hearing this, bent her head to check her dress. Indeed, a deep pink shoulder strap was visible next to the deep neckline of her pure white organza dress. It was the strap to fix her "chest pocket."

"Oh!"

Isabella's face turned red. Julia de Valdesar was one of the few people Isabella had confided in, including the story of her "chest pocket." Julia had been indifferent when Isabella mentioned a fantastic product from the Moorish Empire and suggested trying it, but Camelia had cheered and promised to buy it. In the end, she didn't. Isabella thought this had brought her and Julia closer.

'To trust and then... to be stabbed in the back like this?!'

With Isabella's face red, Julia de Valdesar walked out of the powder room without looking back. A few of the girls exchanged glances, then stood up and followed Julia out. About four or five girls left, not quite half but at least a third of the group.

"Traitors...!"

Isabella's anger boiled over. Camelia de Castiglione, the young lady of the Baron de Castiglione, looked around nervously, and the remaining girls, to suppress their unease, began to curse Ariadne and those who had left even more loudly.

Julia de Valdesar, who had left, headed to the central hall. There, Ariadne was surrounded by middle-aged ladies, engaging in conversation. Julia approached Ariadne and greeted her directly.

"I am Julia, the eldest daughter of the Valdesar family."

"Signora Julia...!"

Ariadne, surprised by the unexpected greeting from someone she hadn't expected, returned the greeting.

"I've heard a lot about you."

Julia glanced in the direction of the powder room where Isabella's group had gathered and muttered to herself.

"Not much of substance, though."

The young lady of the Valdesar family spoke plainly.

"I hope we can get along well. I look forward to it."

Ariadne had few female friends in her previous life. She had risen too quickly to a high position and, to be honest, didn't handle herself well, leaving her with no one around her except those who envied her or tried to use her for their benefit. So when a peer like Julia approached her without any ulterior motives, she was genuinely happy.

"I've also heard a lot about the reputation of the young lady of the Valdesar family. It's an honor to meet you."

Ariadne shook Julia de Valdesar's hand warmly and, after a moment's hesitation, added a word.

"Thank you for your kindness."

While it might sound like a ridiculous show of humility, "Thank you for greeting me," she knew what it meant to be on a first-name basis with Isabella's friends. A few of the young ladies who had followed Julia from the powder room surrounded Ariadne and introduced themselves.

Julia, who had greeted her, casually threw out an invitation as if it were nothing.

"By the way, it's not confirmed yet, but we're planning to have a tea party at my house next week. It's not a big event, just a few close friends. Would you like to join us?"

Ariadne's face lit up with joy, perhaps more than when she received her father's approval or when men approached her. An invitation to a tea party with young ladies was a first in her life! And not just an invitation to a confirmed tea party, but a suggestion to join from the planning stage. This felt like having a real friend.

"Of course, young lady of the Valdesar family. I look forward to it."

* * *

From that point on, Ariadne's debutante ball proceeded smoothly. Count Cesare, the king's envoy, who danced the first waltz with Ariadne, left early, citing a pre-arranged important schedule. However, Prince Alfonso stayed until late in the evening, completing all his engagements before bidding Ariadne farewell. Alfonso seemed to have a premonition. He held Ariadne, saying he might not see her for a while, and instructed her to take care of herself until he could write to her. After sending off Alfonso, who was reluctant to leave, the long day finally ended.

Then it was time to settle the accounts of the debutante ball. Ariadne returned 12 ducats to her father, Cardinal de Mare, out of the 150 ducats he had allocated.

"Really, this much is left?"

Cardinal de Mare was astonished. Since he started paying living expenses to his mistress Lucrezia in 1100, it was the first time in 22 years that any of the living expenses he had paid had returned to him.

"Surely it was tight?"

Cardinal de Mare had thought that 300 ducats would be needed if spent frugally, and 500 ducats if spent lavishly, so he had given Ariadne 150 ducats, which he considered a reasonable budget. To have money left over! For someone who had supported a luxurious wife and children, it was simply astonishing.

The secret was in bold omissions. Ariadne had not only omitted the "tapestry that tells a story" in preparing for the debutante ball. She had not decided on the menu until just before the ball, and a week before the event, she instructed Sanza to check the production of a few farms and select one with an excess of produce to buy the ingredients.

"Miss, you're asking for the ingredients before deciding on the menu?"

Sanza, surprised by the unconventional instruction, questioned her, but still faithfully checked all the places she was told to. Most of the farms refused, saying they had no capacity to supply in bulk at the last minute, but one farm, which raised black pigs, had canceled a contract and was willing to sell its stock at a very low price.

"Miss, did you know about this?"

Sanza, wide-eyed with surprise after completing the contract at the farm, asked Ariadne, who replied calmly.

"Even if I were from the future, how could I know about a canceled contract at a pig farm?"

It was just a common occurrence. Ariadne, who had managed the household of the Etruscan royal palace for nine years, was well-versed in such purchasing methods. While it couldn't be applied to large-scale events that swept up an entire region's produce, it was useful for mid-sized events.

Ariadne's methods for controlling various event expenses were endless. She presented a double-entry bookkeeping ledger, which she had neatly organized, to Cardinal de Mare.

"Yes, Father. It was possible by being frugal. Here are the detailed accounts."

Cardinal de Mare, who had only recently learned to read double-entry bookkeeping for the sake of the Grand Cathedral, was once again surprised when his daughter, raised on a farm in Bergamo, presented a ledger in this method.

"Where did you learn this?"

"From a book I found in Father's library—"

His daughter was undoubtedly a genius. Cardinal de Mare, flipping through the ledger, confirmed that the calculations were spot on. The ledger even accounted for the loss from cutting down white broom shrubs on the Bergamo estate. He shook his head and called a maid.

"Bring Lady Lucrezia to this room immediately."