Chapter 50

A bouquet of beautiful red roses was delivered to Cardinal de Mare's residence, along with a dress. The dress was sent from the Collezione costume room and arrived in a state ready for a fitting. It was noted that it would be completed after a fitting to the recipient's measurements.

Isabella, upon discovering the hundred red roses, naturally assumed they were a gift for her. She often received gifts from anonymous and named gentlemen. Since it was just another ordinary day and gifts arriving at Cardinal de Mare's residence were always for her, it was a reasonable assumption.

Isabella fanned herself and examined the roses.

"Oh, how beautiful! What refined taste! Who sent these, I wonder?"

The mail servant, feeling an ominous premonition, cautiously replied to Isabella's matter-of-fact question.

"These are from Count Cesare de Como, mademoiselle."

Isabella's eyes widened.

"Count Cesare? Oh, why would he send me a gift? We don't even have much of a connection."

"That is..."

"Put the roses in my room. I need to try on the dress now. Could you make an appointment for a fitting at Collezione for me?"

Feeling pleased, Isabella gave instructions to the servant in a polite rather than a commanding tone, something she rarely did. However, her good mood quickly shattered when the mail servant, closing his eyes tightly, declared:

"Forgive me, Miss, but this gift is for the second Miss."

"What?!"

- *snap*

Isabella broke the fan in her hand.

* * *

The actual recipient of the roses, which had shattered Isabella's pleasant morning, was not at all pleased to receive them.

"You sent these to me?"

"Yes, second Miss."

The mail servant, having narrowly escaped Isabella's wrath and successfully delivered the mail to Ariadne, was unable to make the delivery a pleasant one.

"Red roses, Ariadne, is that right?"

"Yes, second Miss. There is a letter from the sender here."

It was a letter from the House of Cesare, decorated with silver foil. Opening the envelope sealed with red wax, a note written in elegant handwriting was found inside.

「From your debutante partner.

It was an honor to dance the first waltz of your life with you. I have included a gift suitable for a beauty like a red rose.

- Count Cesare.」

Ariadne let out a hollow laugh, finding it absurd.

- "The snowdrops are like you. Obedient and only for me."

This was what Cesare had said while plucking snowdrops from the forest outskirts of San Carlo and placing them in her ear. Small, white flowers. Flowers that bowed their heads. Flowers that grew in the fields, picked for free.

The vivid memory of being treated so poorly just yesterday made her furious. How could his treatment change so drastically just because her circumstances had changed? Ariadne was angry, a rage fueled by the fact that this Cesare had done nothing in this life to deserve such treatment.

The red roses were the finest, carefully cultivated in the garden. They were bundled into a heavy bouquet, a hundred roses, too heavy for a woman to carry alone. A bouquet that would cost at least 50 florins (about 500,000 won) and more.

'If you had paid even half this much attention to me in my previous life, I would have served you faithfully for the rest of my life.'

It was hard to criticize Cesare for not investing enough. In her previous life, Cesare had only given her field snowdrops, yet she had remained loyal to him until the end.

'Is this the level of investment that matches my value?' Ariadne muttered to herself as she looked at another gift sent by Count Cesare.

"What's this?"

"A dress. I heard it was sent from the Collezione costume room."

The mail servant removed the cloth covering the dress on the mannequin. It was a crimson silk evening dress, made with the meticulous craftsmanship that the Collezione costume room was known for. Each stitch was perfect, and the lace was intricately designed to be visible with every movement, a masterpiece of fine and thorough work.

The bodice of the crimson silk dress was made in three layers. The outermost layer was a thick silk, the middle layer was a thin silk arranged like a tulip bud, and the innermost layer was a translucent organza that covered the skin.

With this design, even if the stitching of the dress were to tear, the other two layers would cover it. It was a thoughtful design to prevent any accidental exposure.

"He did put some thought into it."

But that was one thing, and this was another.

"Send it back."

"Excuse me?"

The mail servant looked at Ariadne in bewilderment. But Ariadne was resolute.

"I have no relationship with him. I can't accept such an expensive gift. Besides, I have an agreement with the Legione dress shop, so I can't wear dresses from other places for a while. Explain it well to Count Cesare and return the flowers and the dress."

"But, Miss! The roses are fresh flowers and will wither if returned."

The servant hastily added:

"It would be the same as sending garbage."

The servant elaborated on why this would be impolite, ostensibly as a lesson in etiquette but actually pleading, "Please don't make me return to the House of Como with the flowers."

Rejecting a gift of flowers was a public humiliation for a gentleman, and the House of Como was known for its bad temper and rough servants. If the master couldn't take out his anger on the person, it would often be taken out on the servant.

After considering the practical difficulties the servant faced, Ariadne decided:

"Then, just return the dress. The dress can be sent directly back to the Collezione costume room, which would be less of a burden for you. Put the roses outside."

"Outside the Miss's room?"

"Yes, put them anywhere out of my sight."

Ariadne had more important matters to attend to today. She couldn't afford to waste time on a gift from Cesare.

"Is the carriage ready?"

"Yes, Miss. Shall I tell the coachman you're coming down now?"

"Sure."

Today was the day of the young ladies' tea party hosted by Julia de Valdesar. Ariadne was as nervous as she was when she went to the San Ercolé Cathedral to welcome the Apostle of Asaretto. She secretly wiped the sweat from her palms onto her dress.

* * *

"It is an honor to have you visit the House of Valdesar, Miss de Mare."

The head of the household bowed deeply to her. Ariadne smiled, trying to look elegant, and accepted the greeting.

"Please come in, Miss de Mare. Signora Julia is waiting in the parlor."

Today, Ariadne was not referred to as the "younger Miss de Mare" because Isabella was not invited, leaving only one Miss de Mare.

Ariadne wore a modest light green traveling dress and a net head covering with small green topazes. She made sure to look neat to avoid being called a country bumpkin as the only representative of the House of de Mare.

As Ariadne entered the parlor of the House of Valdesar, the gazes of the gathered young ladies turned to her. Some were friendly, some curious, and some evaluative.

Julia de Valdesar, the hostess, stood up and approached Ariadne.

"Miss de Mare!"

Julia took Ariadne's hand.

"I'm glad you could make it. I've been waiting for you."

Ariadne smiled brightly in response to Julia's warmth.

"Thank you for the invitation."

"Miss de Mare, there are some unfamiliar faces here. Let me introduce them to you."

Today, about five young ladies were gathered for Julia de Valdesar's tea party. The familiar faces included the brown-haired, justice-loving Countess Rinaldi, the Countess della Torre from the prosperous northern estate, and the Countess Elba, whose father was a renowned lawyer.

"No, Signora Julia."

Ariadne smiled and responded to Julia's kindness.

"Signora Cornelia..."

First, Ariadne extended her hand to the Countess Rinaldi.

"And Signora Gabrielle, I met you at the debutante ball recently."

The second greeting was to the Countess della Torre, Gabrielle. The two young ladies, who had only met once, were pleased that Ariadne remembered their names, as she was the recent talk of San Carlo. The last one, the Countess Elba, was a new face, so Ariadne introduced herself with Julia's help. There was also a familiar face, Camelia de Castiglione, which was a bit unexpected.

"Nice to see you again, Miss de Mare."

Camelia, who was more of a friend to Isabella, was sociable and well-connected, and often invited to other young ladies' parties because she was well-informed about gossip. Julia, who had a falling out with Isabella, did not seem to want to cut off all ties with people just because they were friends with Isabella.

Ariadne suppressed her disappointment. Of course, it made sense. She was only invited here for the first time today.

"Nice to see you, Miss Castiglione."

Ariadne greeted Camelia with a smile, showing no sign of displeasure. The social world of young ladies was just beginning.

* * *

In a gathering of teenage girls, talk of boys was an inevitable topic.

"Gabrielle, I heard you received a marriage proposal!"

Countess della Torre laughed and modestly replied.

"It's just a proposal. We'll see if it works out."

"But the gentleman is the eldest son of the Marquis of Montefeltro, isn't he?"

The House of Montefeltro, an old noble family with a large estate in central Etruria, was a prestigious lineage.

"Since Gabrielle's family, the House of della Torre, is also a major northern noble family, this would be a blessed union between old noble families."

Among the young ladies, excluding Ariadne, the most politically astute was Julia, who assessed the likelihood of the match. If the families' status and interests aligned, a marriage proposal usually led to a smooth marriage.

"I'm so envious."

Countess Elba, Felicite, threw an innocent look of envy at Gabrielle. Her father, though not from a hereditary estate, had risen to prominence in the capital, making him closer to a court noble than a feudal lord. Naturally, she admired the old nobility. Marrying into a family with a large estate and becoming the top of the existing ruling order was a dream for most daughters of the new nobility. However, Gabrielle della Torre smiled bitterly.

"I don't know. Ruling a grand estate might be a kind of happiness, but is that enough to be happy forever?"

Petruchio de Montefeltro, the eldest son of the Marquis of Montefeltro, had a deceased wife and two children, a son slightly younger than ten and a young daughter. Petruchio, known for his serious and thoughtful nature, was an ideal husband, but perhaps not the perfect choice for a teenage girl's dream of happiness.

Julia de Valdesar, who could relate to this, sighed and tried to console both herself and Gabrielle.

"Love is just a fleeting, ephemeral joy."

It was a mature statement, delivered in a youthful tone. However, Julia, still in her passionate youth, found her mother's stories of the quiet happiness of a peaceful home and daily life unrelatable. Fortunately, Felicite continued for her.

"But wouldn't it feel real when you enter the ballroom as a marchioness in San Carlo? Everyone will be looking at you. How wonderful, Gabrielle!"

"Yes, it's so smooth and enviable."

This time, Camelia sighed deeply.

"Why, Camelia? You have your fiancé, Signor Ottavio. What's the matter?"

"That's just it..."