Chapter 60

Ariadne had already made arrangements with Mrs. Marin, the owner of Lazio's tailor shop. Mrs. Marin initially refused Ariadne's request, which was to establish a business relationship with Lucrezia and then, according to Lucrezia's demands, give her a rebate and, in return, hand over the ledger details to Ariadne afterward.

"Miss! That's a bit...! If word gets out that we did such a thing, it would damage our tailor shop's reputation."

Ariadne, as if she had expected this, persistently persuaded Mrs. Marin.

"This is a scandal of the De Mare Cardinal family. We won't let it leak out to the public."

"But even so, if things go as you plan, Cardinal De Mare will surely cut off our business with the De Mare family."

Ariadne's plan was to receive evidence of Lucrezia receiving a rebate from Lazio's tailor shop and then report it to Cardinal De Mare. This would be embezzlement. Naturally, Cardinal De Mare would think that Lazio's tailor shop was also involved in Lucrezia's embezzlement and was a corrupt accomplice.

"We have an exclusive clothing contract for two seasons, don't we? It would be troublesome if that were to end. Thanks to you wearing our clothes, we've been getting a lot of orders from the debutantes in San Carlo."

That was true. Although the debutante ball incident where her dress was torn caused some negative attention, as the old saying goes, "infamy is another name for fame," and the incident sparked explosive interest in Lazio's tailor shop. The debutantes who thought the dress was beautiful placed orders like a flood. When the orders for the debutante ball dresses seemed to be drying up, the green striped dress she wore at the hunting party became a huge hit. That fall in San Carlo, the fabric of the dress she wore was in such high demand that it sold out. Now, the skilled workers at Lazio's tailor shop were busy making hunting dresses with similar fabric. Mrs. Marin's words made Ariadne smile.

"What do you think will happen after the two seasons?"

Ariadne's question left Mrs. Marin speechless. While Mrs. Marin was at a loss for words, Ariadne asked again.

"Will I really continue to do business with Lazio's tailor shop after the two seasons?"

Mrs. Marin straightened up, startled.

Ariadne was currently the so-called 'it girl' of San Carlo, the most prominent newcomer, and, as Camellia de Castiglione had said, the undisputed 'best student' of San Carlo. In recent years, the position had shifted from Camellia to Isabella and then to Ariadne, but such a position typically lasted 2 to 3 years, and sometimes even 15 years or more. It was quite unusual for someone in such a position to have their clothes made at a tailor shop rather than a dressmaker.

"I know very well that you have no intention of moving to a dressmaker."

Lazio's tailor shop was a family business run by a family from a small town on the outskirts. They employed their relatives and long-time neighbors as seamstresses. They were not the best seamstresses, which made it difficult for Lazio's tailor shop to produce products of a certain quality. However, the Marin family believed that coexisting with the people who had roots in the town was more important than becoming the best dressmaker in San Carlo.

"You can't always have everything go well, and you can't avoid the bad parts and only enjoy the good. After the two-season contract ends, I will have fulfilled my promise and will move my business to a dressmaker. That's the natural order. Then Lazio's tailor shop will return to its previous state."

"..."

It was not a surprising story, though it was surprising. Since Lazio's tailor shop could not match the quality of a dressmaker, it was only natural.

"But there are other ways to make money besides a tailor shop."

"Yes...?"

"If my plan succeeds, the De Mare family and Lazio's tailor shop will indeed stop doing business. My father will make sure of that. But what if you open a second shop under someone else's name? The products will be ladies' clothing, but also livery for footmen, uniforms for servants, and linens like curtains and bedding."

"..."

"If I take charge of the De Mare family's household, I plan to reduce the number of servants. Then I will need an external supplier to handle all the clothing and linens used by the De Mare family."

In the serious power struggle within the household, it would be necessary to get rid of some of Lucrezia's people. Instead of hiring new people for those positions, she planned to outsource the work to Lazio's tailor shop, or rather, Lazio Linens.

"The profit margin per item will be lower, but this is a completely new market. Secure the De Mare family as a regular client and try to break into other noble families. I can help with a few connections. I think this is more suitable for the Marin family than a tailor shop."

She stood up in the shabby VIP room of Lazio's tailor shop and put on her coat.

"Let me know when you've made up your mind."

The positive response from Mrs. Marin came the next evening.

* * *

Isabella had been waking up late lately and grumbling as she sat in the girls' reception room, reading 'The City of Ladies.' 'The City of Ladies' was a collection of biographies of great women in history, detailing their noble deeds, their virtuous actions, their impact on history, and how to live as a woman, whether the virtues of women are the same as or different from those of men, spanning over 800 pages.

Isabella tried to pout and whine to Cardinal De Mare, asking if she couldn't stop reading, but she fell silent when the Cardinal threatened to make her copy the book if she didn't write a book report. She read the book with curses on her lips.

After being scolded and shocked by Ariadne, Isabella had been practicing cursing. While cursing with her mouth and reading the biographies to cultivate proper behavior with her eyes, it was questionable what Isabella was learning, but at least writing a book report kept her in the reception room for half the day.

Arabella, on the other hand, was having a field day. While Isabella was stuck in the second-floor reception room, Arabella rummaged through and played with Isabella's things like a fish in water. Isabella had many interesting items, especially her vanity table, which was full of various cosmetics and peculiar tools. Today, Arabella discovered a partial wig.

"Madness!"

Isabella used a blonde human hair partial wig, about the thickness of a finger, to make her hair look fuller. Since Arabella's hair color was the same as Isabella's, the partial wig fit her as if it were made for her. The root part of the partial wig had a metal clip, which, despite its rigid appearance, bent and straightened easily.

"Hmm, this is interesting."

Arabella bent and straightened the silver metal clip a few times to learn how to use it, then attached the partial wig to her head, making her hair puff up like a mop. She hummed a happy tune as she looked at herself in the mirror. The clip, which looked hard, was actually very soft to the touch, a curious item indeed.

While Isabella suffered under the weight of the biographies, Arabella had a great time. She carefully removed the partial wig and put it back in its original place, then left Isabella's room as if nothing had happened.

* * *

In the past few days, the De Mare family had received a large number of letters. The most numerous were appeals from various members of the De Rossi family to Lucrezia.

The first letter came from Stefano, Janobi's father, protesting the punishment Janobi had received. Janobi, having been whipped forty times and with his tendons severed, was placed on a mule and sent to the southern region. It was a miracle that he returned alive. Due to the severe infection from sitting on the mule with his wounds, he became a cripple.

A letter from Lucrezia's older sister complained about the lack of living expenses, followed by a plea from her grandmother. The content of the plea initially asked for a village to be bought for Janobi, who had become a cripple, to support his livelihood, but soon changed to a request for living expenses for herself, as she had no potatoes to eat.

About three weeks later, a letter of curse from Lucrezia's old father arrived, calling her ungrateful and saying she would burn in the deepest level of hell, reserved