Chapter 72

"Where is that girl Isabella!"

Cardinal de Mare, in a fit of rage, searched for Isabella from the entrance of the first floor. When the butler Niccolo hurriedly went upstairs to fetch Miss Isabella, Cardinal de Mare, frustrated by the situation, loudly stopped him.

"Enough! I'll go myself!"

The commotion at home, which had not happened in a long time, made all the family members open their eyes wide and follow the angry head of the household. Although they had no idea what was going on, Luchia, who was fidgeting, and Ariadne, who was wondering what was happening, were also part of the procession. He stomped over and, without knocking, flung open the door to his eldest daughter's room. Isabella happened to be in the middle of changing clothes.

"Oh my!"

Isabella, who was only wearing a petticoat, screamed and crossed her arms to cover her upper body. Cardinal de Mare, even though she was his own daughter, stepped back a step, as a good clergyman would. However, something was strange. If she was only wearing a petticoat, her upper body should have been naked. But his daughter was clearly wearing something dark pink on her torso. It was neither an indoor robe nor thermal underwear, and it was not even the weather for thermal underwear. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and glared at the dark pink item, suddenly realizing its purpose and opening his mouth wide.

"What are you trying to do, what are you trying to do, you... you...!"

Cardinal de Mare's blood pressure was about to spike, making him almost collapse. To think that his cherished, fairy-like eldest daughter, who was not a courtesan, let alone a low-life courtesan, was wearing such a sinful item and proudly parading around the entire city of San Carlo!

"What are you trying to do!"

He signaled nervously to the maid standing beside him. Malleta, sensing his mood, hurriedly ran over and covered Isabella with a robe she could wear.

"Are you a courtesan? Or are you a heathen from the Empire of Moors? Is it really true that the rumors circulating in society are not false?"

Isabella, taken aback as if struck by a bolt from the blue, looked around and protested to her father.

"Dad, why did you come in without even knocking! What rumors? What rumors?"

In the midst of this, Cardinal de Mare's eyes caught sight of a tiara adorned with a pink sapphire on Isabella's vanity. It looked very expensive, but he had never bought such an item for his daughter.

"...What is this?"

His eyesight was getting a bit blurry, or perhaps he didn't want to read it, but the letters were hard to make out. Arabella, standing behind him, quickly took the tiara and read it with her bright, childlike eyes, confirming the worst.

"O. Contarini? O. Contarini, Octavio de Contarini?"

Arabella's question and Cardinal de Mare's scream came out simultaneously.

"Why is that guy here?"

"Why is that guy's tiara in your room!"

* * *

Marquis Valdesar not only relayed the rumors about Marquis Campa but also hinted at a few more rumors about Isabella circulating in society.

"Your Excellency, of course, he is not someone to be concerned about, but Baron Castiglione is eyeing your eldest daughter."

"What? Why would that man be interested in my daughter?"

Baron Castiglione was a rising businessman who ran a large silk industry in the capital and the central-northern region. He was a middle-aged man who mainly operated a wholesale business, and there seemed to be no connection between him and Isabella.

"Baron Castiglione's eldest daughter is quite beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yes, I've heard that. She is pretty."

Camelia, perhaps. She was said to be pretty, though not as much as Isabella.

"Baron Castiglione's wish was to marry into an old noble family with a fief. Since the eldest son of the Contarini family was known for only looking at women's faces, Baron Castiglione spent a lot of money and promised a substantial dowry, and it is said that he successfully engaged the eldest son of the Contarini family."

"But...?"

Cardinal de Mare became increasingly anxious. No, no, it must not be related to my daughter.

"But... your daughter..."

A sigh escaped Cardinal de Mare's lips after hearing the story.

"...Oh Lord."

* * *

Knowing well that social gossip can sometimes make smoke come out of a chimney even when there is no fire, and still having a bit of trust in his daughter's virtue, Cardinal de Mare felt his sanity fly away when he saw the evidence right before his eyes.

"...Oh, my head."

Even as Cardinal de Mare clutched the back of his neck, Isabella, instead of showing any remorse, stared at him with wide eyes.

"Why, Dad?"

Cardinal de Mare could no longer contain himself and raised his voice.

"What kind of behavior is this! Do you even think? Why did you accept such an expensive gift from a stranger!"

"I didn't ask for it first! Signor Octavio gave it to me as a birthday gift between friends. Why is that a problem with my behavior?"

"Friends don't give each other such gifts!"

As Cardinal de Mare's head was about to explode from his daughter's lack of understanding, another item caught his eye.

"What is this?"

A diamond ring that looked to be at least three carats. As he stared at the ring on the vanity shelf, the youngest Arabella ran over and handed it to him. It was a classic design, almost like a wedding ring, made of valuable materials and exquisite craftsmanship.

"Oh, this was given to me by Sir Iacopo, who recently became a friend, as a thank you for guiding him..."

"How did you end up guiding a stranger in the first place!"

Cardinal de Mare was truly shocked. He had never let his cherished eldest daughter wander outside recklessly.

"At San Ercoli Cathedral. I took him there because he was lost."

Cardinal de Mare sighed in disbelief.

"How can a San Carlo person get lost inside San Ercoli Cathedral, of all places!"

San Ercoli Cathedral had a very simple structure, with a straight main aisle and additional wings on both sides. It was a place that every San Carlo resident visited weekly from infancy. Iacopo Attendoro, for instance, was a fifth-generation native of San Carlo and a son of the Attendoro family. He had likely received his infant baptism at San Ercoli Cathedral and spent over 20 years attending, walking, and running around it every Sunday.

"And who gives a diamond ring just for guiding someone!"

Isabella seemed completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

"I was very kind and helpful in guiding him."

Cardinal de Mare really wanted to dissect his daughter's brain to see what was inside.

"Do you want to marry Iacopo Attendoro?"

Iacopo was a decent knight from a good family but was a second son who could not inherit the family title. He was far below Isabella's standards. As expected, Isabella jumped up.

"Dad, how can you say such a terrible thing? Absolutely not!"

"Your current foolish behavior could put Iacopo Attendoro in the best possible marriage situation for you! Because of your foolish behavior!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Isabella de Mare had her sights set on Prince Alfonso at best and Count Cesare at worst. Iacopo Attendoro? What a terrible joke.

"There are rumors in society that you are Marquis Campa's mistress."

"Whaaat?"

Isabella dropped the perfume bottle she was holding. The thick Porto glass rolled on the floor with a dull sound.

"Please, don't say that this is also a gift from another man. Or, should you be grateful for Iacopo Attendoro? If the rumor that you are Marquis Campa's mistress becomes a fact, would Iacopo Attendoro even be possible?"

Cardinal de Mare was a very peculiar person. In the midst of this, he did not ask his daughter if the rumor was true. His interest was not in the immoral act itself but in the bad consequences it brought, a very rational and unclerical pragmatic attitude. However, the approach to forcing a confession of a real act and clearing up an unjust rumor is fundamentally different. So, Ariadne decided to point this out, not to expose her sister's faults.

"So, was it really you, Isabella, who was in the garden with Marquis Campa?"

She added a bit of dramatic effect. Ariadne bit her lip and added a touch of tears.

"...How could you, when you were the one who was with Marquis Campa, not say a word to help me when I was rumored to be his mistress?"

Shock appeared on Cardinal de Mare's face. He was a leader who hated internal conflicts within the same team and had repeatedly emphasized this as a father. Be kind to each other. Please.

"Absolutely not!"

Isabella firmly denied it, but Ariadne had heard from her new social friends.

"You were the first person at Marquis Campa's rendezvous spot. Even the Dapiaani couple said you were already there when they arrived."

The Dapiaani couple was known as the first to discover Marquis Campa.

"If you were not the one involved, why didn't you scream?"

Isabella was speechless. She considered for a moment whether to tell the truth. The truth was as follows. While Isabella was hiding in the bushes, the Dapiaani couple arrived and discovered Marquis Campa. The Dapiaani wife screamed first, and Isabella was pushed by the fleeing woman. However, to tell this version of the truth would mean admitting that she was hiding in the bushes and quietly watching the scene before the Dapiaani couple arrived. She could not say that even if her mouth were torn apart.

"T, that's..."

Isabella's eyes wavered for a moment. But she quickly decided on her defense. When there was nothing to say, pretending to be weak was the best strategy.

"I was too shocked, too shocked."

Isabella decided to appeal to her father, who might be emotionally moved, rather than to Ariadne, who would not be convinced.

"I had never seen such a scene in my life, so I just froze!"

Unfortunately, the pink breast cover peeking out from under the robe reduced the persuasiveness of her statement. But Isabella decided to push this line of defense shamelessly.

"Is it wrong to do nothing? I was just a passerby, so did I have to do something?"

But Cardinal de Mare pointed out a point that Isabella had completely overlooked.

"You should have helped your younger sister if you had come earlier and seen her in trouble!"

Isabella bit her lip. But even in such a situation, there was a way.

"I'm sorry, Ariadne!"

She apologized with a pitiful expression, as if her features were crafted by the fairies, and a voice like a nightingale.

"I was too scared to gather the courage. I truly apologize, okay?"

Isabella's features were dramatic. Her furrowed brow conveyed pain, and her trembling lips conveyed sadness. She appealed to Cardinal de Mare with a sincere look of repentance.

"I'm sorry, Father. I acted in a way that was not befitting of a sister. I truly repent. I will make it up to you!"

Bowing her head, Isabella took advantage of the mood to appeal her grievance.

"But I swear to the heavens that I am not Marquis Campa's mistress!"

The mood was slowly turning in her favor. Luchia was ready to believe her, and Cardinal de Mare's expression was softening. Just as Isabella was about to drive home the point that "even if others don't, Father must believe me," a loud 'clank' echoed through the room. The entire family turned to the source of the sound, and there was Arabella, as always, rummaging through Isabella's belongings. She had been rustling around the vanity since she handed the diamond ring to her father. In Arabella's hand was Isabella's handbag, and the 'clank' was the sound of a large, bright red marquise-cut ruby rolling out and landing on the silver tray on Isabella's vanity. The large red ruby shimmered.