Chapter 51

Ottavio was a man of the number 8. Tall and handsome, he was the heir to a distinguished family with a wide network of connections. Compared to the eldest son of the Montefeltro family, who had the fatal flaw of having a previous wife and children, Ottavio seemed to be a better match. However, the only thing that came out of Camellia's mouth was a complaint.

"But will he really marry me?"

"Huh?"

Felisette, who had not been well-informed about recent developments, placed her hand over her mouth.

"Did I say something wrong? What happened?"

Felisette looked around, and Camellia let out a deep sigh. Camellia was not the one to initiate gossip about Isabella. Instead, it was Julia who started the conversation.

"Isabella again."

"Oh."

Even Felisette, who was usually oblivious to gossip, immediately understood the situation upon hearing Isabella's name.

"Is it still going on?"

"It's the same, if not worse!"

As soon as Julia opened the floodgates, a torrent of complaints followed. It was as if they had been waiting for someone to take the lead to vent their long-standing grievances.

"How could she do that to me?"

"She said you were interested in the Leonti family's domestic, and then she touched Signor Ottavio's face. I saw it all!"

Cornelia, the daughter of the Rinaldi family, joined in the indignation.

"And Ottavio! He didn't even take my side; he was too busy with Isabella!"

Camellia finally burst into tears. The affectionate Felisette handed her a handkerchief.

"Signor Ottavio was in the wrong."

Gabrielle, who was about to suggest that Camellia break off the engagement with the tactless Ottavio, bit her tongue. When she pointed out Ottavio's mistake, Camellia burst into even more tears. In fact, Ottavio was not just a good match for Camellia but an exceptional one. If the Castiglione family broke off the engagement, it would be unlikely for Camellia to find another man like Ottavio. Therefore, Gabrielle decided to vent her frustration on Isabella to improve Camellia's mood.

"Isabella will get what she deserves one day for relying on her pretty face."

But Camellia, overwhelmed with emotion, had no time to enjoy even the comforting words.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back to the restroom."

"Do you need someone to go with you?"

"I'll be right back."

Camellia, whose beautiful appearance was her greatest asset, hated showing a broken expression in front of others. She was going to have a good cry in the restroom.

In the Valdesar's parlor, where Camellia had left, doubts about Isabella floated in the air.

"But, is Isabella really interested in Signor Ottavio?"

Ariadne could answer that question.

"No way."

She dispelled the misunderstanding that Isabella was interested in Ottavio, but not for her sister's sake.

"My sister has her sights set on something higher."

She sighed sarcastically.

"She's just toying with him. If Signor Ottavio seriously tries to break off the engagement and move on, she'll definitely run away with her tail between her legs. Don't worry."

Just like she did with Cesare in her previous life.

"She likes attention, so she flirts, but when someone actually falls for it, she finds it troublesome and backs off. Unless Ottavio suddenly inherits a throne, Isabella won't have any interest in him."

"Maybe this is a bit uncomfortable for Ariadne, but she's still her sister."

Cornelia, who adhered to etiquette, added with a slightly embarrassed face. However, Ariadne shook her head with a small smile.

"After all, siblings in the same family are also competitors for limited resources. It's fine."

The straightforward Julia laughed loudly.

"But competition? It seems like in the game of finding a husband, Ariadne is far ahead."

Felisette, whose eyes sparkled, added.

"Right! At the debutante ball, she entered with Prince Alfonso!"

Felisette was the only one among those present who had not attended Ariadne's debutante ball. She had only heard about it from others and was eager to meet the protagonist.

"What was the Prince like? How did you end up attending?"

"But, at the debutante ball, your partner was Count Cesare!"

Gabrielle, who was sincere about men, interjected.

"Count Cesare, he's really handsome up close!"

"Which one do you like better, Ariadne?"

"Prince or Count Cesare?"

"Well, it's not like that... it just happened..."

"Ariadne, are you going to back out now? Tell us the story!"

"I like the Prince!"

Cornelia, who lived a textbook life, chose Alfonso.

"I like Count Cesare!"

Gabrielle, who valued a man's appearance above all, chose Cesare.

"Can you live on a pretty face alone? If he looks at me with those blue eyes, I think I'll forgive anything!"

"Ah!"

"He's really handsome."

"He's a dreamy beauty. Sometimes he looks even more delicate and beautiful than a woman."

"Would you mind standing next to him?"

The girls shrank back at the thought of standing next to Cesare and having their faces compared. Some shook their heads, and others screamed.

"I still prefer the Prince. A neat and tidy handsome man!"

"Me too, the Prince! He has a strong build and a thick body. I like the thickness!"

"Wait, Felisette, you checked the Prince's body thickness?"

"As if I didn't see it! Only those who haven't seen it can throw stones at me!"

The parlor was about to burst with the lively chatter. The tense battle between the Alfonso and Cesare factions was slightly in favor of Alfonso due to a setback in the Cesare fan base.

"Prince Alfonso is better in every way. Count Cesare is said to flirt with married women. Recently, he was seen with a widow named Ragusa!"

"Goodness, a widow? A married woman? How can anyone meet such a man?"

"Why does Count Cesare, who is so handsome, do that?"

Gabrielle's only supporter was Julia, who was also sincere about men.

"But, he is really handsome. He's worth it. I wouldn't want to marry him, but I'd like to flirt with him once."

"Watch out! You'll end up like Mrs. Ragusa!"

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that!"

The girls burst into laughter together.

- Creak.

At that moment, the parlor door opened quietly, and Camellia, who had been crying, returned. Julia was startled and then let out a sigh of relief. The girls, who had been looking at the door, now included Camellia in their lively chatter.

"Ha ha ha!"

"Oh, that's unbelievable!"

"I choose the left! I choose the left!"

Ariadne couldn't remember the last time she had laughed and played so freely with her peers. It might have been the first time. When Camellia returned from the restroom, she chose the seat next to Ariadne. She spoke to Ariadne with a face that had been wiped of tears, sounding apologetic.

"Isabella said some bad things about you at de Mare's debutante ball."

"What? What kind of..."

"She said you tore your dress on purpose because the Prince was there, and things like that..."

Ariadne felt the blood rush to her head.

'Isabella, you terrible person!'

Camellia was babbling about how she couldn't stop her at the time, but it sounded like a buzzing noise to Ariadne. Ariadne was very angry with Isabella, but she didn't have a particularly good feeling about Camellia either. Spreading gossip to the person involved is as bad as spreading it directly. However, every situation can be used to one's advantage, and Ariadne was not the type to miss an opportunity.

"Miss Castiglione."

"Please call me Camellia."

Ariadne smiled and replied to the gently smiling Camellia.

"Then, Camellia. But Isabella said that you were the one who started spreading those rumors, didn't she?"

"What?!"

Camellia was shocked. Isabella, that wicked girl, not only accused her of liking a domestic but also spread her name around!

"She told your father that you were the one spreading those rumors and that she only failed to stop you..."

The other young ladies noticed Camellia's red face and asked what was wrong. Camellia, looking like she was about to cry again, recounted everything she had just heard from Ariadne.

"Oh, what a world!"

"Isabella did start it, didn't she?"

"Right, about the cotton in the chest..."

"How would Camellia know which tailor made Ariadne's debutante dress?"

The other young ladies who were present confirmed that Isabella, not Camellia, had started spreading those rumors. The conclusion of the young ladies today was clear.

- 'Isabella de Mare, what a terrible person!'

The reason such a conversation could take place today was partly due to the perfect mix of attendees. If Camellia, who had not completely cut ties with Isabella, had not been invited, she would not have heard these stories. But if there were other people close to Isabella, such a conversation would not have happened at all. Julia was half relieved and half disappointed when the parlor door opened and Camellia entered. One of the people she had invited to today's tea party had declined the invitation. It was Leticia, the daughter of the Leonti family, who was Isabella's close friend. It was right that she didn't come, and strictly speaking, it was right not to invite her. However, Julia wanted to create an excuse to visit Leticia's house, which she didn't particularly like.

...François.

The face of the domestic, whom she had seen only once, lingered in her mind.

* * *

The roses sent by Count Cesare ended up in the girls' parlor after being banished from Ariadne's room. It was a place the three sisters shared, but since Ariadne had moved to a suite at the western end, she rarely used it.

"Wow!"

Arabella was excitedly admiring the beautiful red roses in the vase. Arabella was enjoying herself these days. The hobby of younger sisters, regardless of time and place, is to snoop through their older sisters' belongings. However, Isabella was a strict watchdog and a merciless tattletale. If she found any tampering with her things, she would throw a fit and report it to their mother, Lucrezia. But the new older sister was more lenient, shared more, and didn't scold her harshly even if she was caught. The only drawback was that there weren't many interesting things, but recently, that drawback was rapidly being addressed.

"I've never seen such a large rose!"

As the youngest sister marveled at the red rose, which was as big as a small teacup, Isabella snapped.

"Be quiet! You're making my head hurt!"

Even after seeing Arabella flinch and cower, Isabella's anger did not subside.

"I don't like any of this!"

Isabella already knew that Julia de Valdesar had thrown a tea party without inviting her, thanks to Leticia's tattling. Seeing Ariadne dressed in her best for an outing, it was clear that her younger sister had also attended the tea party. Recently, Isabella had been using a chest development cream from the Moorish Empire, which she had bought for a large sum from a peddler, but instead of her chest growing, her body hair seemed to be getting darker. She couldn't bear to throw it away, but it felt awkward to use it. Isabella was in a bind.

"Ugh! I'm so frustrated!"

Feeling irritable, Isabella went outside and walked around the garden. Since the illegitimate half-sister appeared, nothing had gone right. What hurt her the most was being labeled as a troublemaker by the Marchese's wife in society.

'I was the most beautiful and beloved debutante in San Carlo, Isabella de Mare!'

Her position was being rapidly taken over by her ugly half-sister.

"She's not even pretty!"

"Huh? Who's not pretty?"

Isabella's muttering was heard by her cousin, Janobi. Isabella flinched, remembering how the other debutantes had been shocked when she spoke harshly at their gathering, but Janobi was from the less sophisticated south and, more specifically, from a family of knights where harsh words were part of daily life.

"Janobi."

"Why is our beautiful Isabella so upset?"

Janobi found it thrilling to strike up a conversation with the beautiful young lady of San Carlo. It would be a month's worth of bragging material when he returned home. The moral qualms of thinking that being cousins was pointless or that he shouldn't look at his cousin that way were not in Janobi's mind. The momentary pleasure was the most important thing. The dejected Isabella, feeling like a fish in water, began to pour out her grievances to Janobi, who seemed to be listening to her.

"Janobi! I'm so upset!"

Isabella began to tell Janobi about how Ariadne had insulted her, how Ariadne had pretended to be good in front of others and lied to belittle her, and how Ariadne was clinging to the Prince and flirting. Of course, these were stories heavily seasoned from Isabella's perspective.

"That girl is