Chapter 73

As soon as she saw the marquise-cut red ruby, Ariadne nodded to Sanza, who was standing at the door of Isabella's room. Sanza immediately understood what her mistress wanted and ran to Ariadne's study.

"What is this now?"

The question from Cardinal de Mare, upon seeing the red ruby, was almost a lament. His voice was half-giving up, as if he had already resigned himself to which family name would be mentioned. However, this time, it was not Isabella but Ariadne who answered the question.

"There's a rumor in society that the red ruby missing from the Campa Marquess's bracelet is now in the possession of Isabella de Mare."

Cardinal de Mare was taken aback and immediately looked at Isabella's face. He had heard the rumor that his eldest daughter was the Marquess's mistress, but he had not heard such detailed information. Good heavens, there was evidence. This time, Isabella, unable to maintain her composure, glared at the red ruby with a distorted face. The person she immediately blamed was Arabella.

"Hey! Why are you touching other people's things without permission!"

Isabella ran to the vanity and started hitting Arabella.

"Ouch!"

"Why are you rummaging through other people's things? Huh?!"

Arabella screamed as she was hit on the shoulder, and Isabella's angry voice covered it. Isabella's soprano tone was drowned out by Cardinal de Mare's roar, who was fed up with everything.

"Stop tormenting your innocent sister! That's enough—!"

The cardinal glared fiercely at Isabella.

"Tell me! Is this the Marquess's item?"

Isabella was in a dilemma. If she said no, it would be a lie, and if she said yes, she would have no defense. No matter which option she chose, lying was inevitable. But Isabella was not someone who feared lying.

'No matter what, it's a do-or-die situation.'

"This is a false accusation!"

Ariadne smiled, raising the corners of her mouth. How could a person be so short-sighted? Sanza, who had retrieved the intended item from Ariadne's jewelry box, handed it to her. It was a green topaz bracelet with a fleur-de-lis pattern. Ariadne, taking the bracelet, raised her voice.

"Father, this is the Marquess's bracelet."

The unfortunate bracelet, which could have had a more impressive name like 'Count Cesare's bracelet' or 'the bracelet of a lady who seduced two of the king's sons,' was now known as 'the Marquess's bracelet.' The deep green marquise-cut topaz, each about half a carat, scattered rich light, forming a cluster, while the center setting, where the centerpiece should have been, was empty.

Ariadne calmly picked up the red ruby from the silver tray and placed it in the setting.

- Click.

The red ruby fit perfectly into the elongated golden setting, like Cinderella's glass slipper.

Ariadne looked at Isabella triumphantly.

"Swear to the gods?"

In the silence, Cardinal de Mare walked up to Isabella and slapped her firmly.

- Smack!

"Ouch!"

Stars danced in Isabella's eyes. It was the first time in her life she had been slapped. Who would dare to lay a hand on the noble Isabella de Mare, the pride of Cardinal de Mare?

"Do you go around so easily selling oaths to the gods?"

Cardinal de Mare scolded Isabella in a stern voice.

"Do you go around selling your smiles, favors, and affections to any man? Did I teach you to do that?"

Isabella's pupils dilated as she realized that her father truly believed she was the Marquess's mistress. This was an unbearable false accusation.

"No! It's a misunderstanding! This is a terrible misunderstanding!"

Isabella, wearing only a robe over her chest, wrung her hands and shouted.

"I swear to the gods, I have never done anything with the Marquess!"

- Smack!

Stars danced in Isabella's eyes again. This time, it was Lucrezia who had been watching from behind.

"How can you disgrace your mother like this? How can I hold my head up?"

Lucrezia began to sob.

"How could I raise a daughter, a beloved daughter, to become a plaything for a scoundrel like the Marquess?"

"Mom, no, it's not true!"

Annoyance burst from Isabella's mouth, and tears from her eyes. She sobbed and shouted.

"When I arrived, the Marquess was already entangled with that woman! I just watched!"

But Cardinal de Mare pointed out the irrefutable evidence.

"Then why is that cursed ruby in your possession?"

The 'Marquess's bracelet' had no real connection to the Marquess. If it had to be named, 'the bracelet Isabella secretly picked up' would be more accurate. However, after Count Cesare fabricated a plausible story in front of everyone about why the 'Marquess's bracelet' was with the Marquess, people believed it was a prize he had won in a bet.

"This ruby..."

Isabella hesitated for a moment, considering whether to tell the truth. But there were too many painful truths and her own misdeeds she would have to admit.

"Actually, Count Cesare took the blame to save Ariadne."

Admitting that Count Cesare had sacrificed himself to save Ariadne was difficult for Isabella. That engagement was originally hers. If her father learned that his interests had shifted, he would approve the change. And most importantly, she did not want to confirm it out loud.

"This bracelet wasn't with the Marquess; I secretly picked it up from a discarded fountain."

She could not admit that she had stolen Ariadne's bracelet. Moreover...

"Why was it next to the Marquess? I threw it there to frame Ariadne as the Marquess's mistress."

If she told this story, her father would surely kill her. Even if he didn't, he might send her to a convent, the final destination for noble girls who caused trouble. Isabella had already been warned by her father twice, at her debutante ball and during the hunting competition. Three times was Cardinal de Mare's limit. She could not let it be known.

"The Marquess's mistress gave me only the ruby, asking me to keep it a secret."

Determined to stick to her story, Isabella wiped away her tears and wrung her hands.

"Really, I am not the Marquess's mistress! Not that fat, ugly man! I swear!"

Isabella had overlooked something. Cardinal de Mare looked at her with disbelief.

"Does that make sense? That the woman, with the strength of a world-class athlete, took only the ruby from the bracelet and gave it to you?"

The ruby had fallen out when Isabella tampered with it. Isabella inwardly cursed the poor craftsmanship of the jeweler.

"And, if she was in a hurry to escape, would she take the time to remove the ruby and hand it to you?"

But stubbornness was Isabella's forte.

"I don't know! How could I know what she was thinking if she only gave me the ruby!"

The real issue in Cardinal de Mare's logical argument came later.

"And, knowing that the Marquess's mistress was someone else, did you keep quiet just because you coveted a jewel when your sister was in trouble?"

Isabella was taken aback and closed her mouth.

"How hard was it to say, 'So-and-so is the Marquess's mistress, I saw her running away!' Or are you so lacking in the concept of sisterhood?"

'Ah, right. Even if I stick to this version, I'll still be seen as a sister without affection for Ariadne.'

Isabella ground her teeth inwardly but continued to lie. The words flowed instinctively from her tongue, not her brain.

"I didn't see her face! If I had, I would have said who it was!"

Countess Bartolini was known for her piety and volunteer work. She often volunteered at the San Ercolino Cathedral's orphanage. Isabella thought her father would believe she was lying if she mentioned Countess Bartolini's name. And some secrets are more valuable when kept to oneself.

"Would the woman, who you claim you didn't know, give you a ruby and ask you to keep quiet?"

"I thought I saw her! It was too sudden, and we were both in a daze!"

Isabella's room was a mess. Cardinal de Mare, with a flushed face, and Isabella, arguing vehemently, along with the scattered jewelry and accessories she had received from men (and, according to Isabella, one woman) filled the room. Nothing was peaceful or intact. The exhausted Cardinal de Mare rubbed his forehead.

"I must have failed in my child's education."

Lucrezia was startled and looked around nervously. Cardinal de Mare's voice was even lower, and his hoarse tone sounded truly drained.

"Isabella, Isabella. I am deeply disappointed. I don't even know where to begin to teach you."

Standing defiantly in front of her father, wearing only a robe over her chest, Isabella, as if to say, "What did I do wrong?" Cardinal de Mare shook his head and pronounced his judgment.

"I will believe that you are not the Marquess's mistress. I must believe my own child. Who else would?"

A wrinkle appeared on Ariadne's nose, but Cardinal de Mare, not noticing, continued.

"But San Carlo will not believe it. And frankly, your story is so suspicious that there's no solid ground to deny it."

Isabella's eyes widened. Why not just expose Countess Bartolini as the mistress, Dad?

But because she had just said, "I don't know who it was, I didn't see her face," she could not say anything and only insisted.

"Dad! No, I can fix this!"

Isabella planned to spread the rumor secretly among her friends that the Marquess's mistress was actually Countess Bartolini. Since it was true, once the rumor started, evidence would follow. Just one spark in society would be enough.

However, Cardinal de Mare had no intention of letting his troublesome, headstrong eldest daughter near society again.

"Be quiet! What more do you plan to do here!"

This child has no concept or common sense. If she had common sense and still acted this way, her conscience would be completely buried. Cardinal de Mare chose the less despicable hypothesis that she had no concept. While a lack of concept might be less evil, it could be worse if it meant she could not be corrected. As a rationalist, he judged based on the possibility of correction, not the morality of actions.

It was not easy. He decided to keep his daughter, who lacked common sense, isolated until she could be re-educated.

"Fortunately, the entire San Carlo court will soon move to the southern winter palace. You will not go there. Stay in the house and do not move until everyone has left for Taranto."

"Dad!"