Chapter 77

"Prince, the nature of Etruscan land is truly beautiful!"

While the prince and the members of the prince's palace were resting in a clearing beside the forest, where they had set up portable tables and chairs for a break during their journey, Princess Larissa, who had just stepped out of her carriage, approached the group where the prince's people were gathered, as if it were the most natural thing to do. It was as if she believed that Etruscan land was hers to rule as a future queen, and the prince was her future husband, so Prince Alfonso should naturally accept her. Prince Alfonso, with his pale face, maintained perfect etiquette without a single flaw, pulled out a chair for Princess Larissa, preparing a seat for her.

"Please sit, Princess."

Larissa sat down confidently in the chair Alfonso had pulled out. She no longer made any effort to speak Etruscan. Instead, she made strange efforts. Whenever she had time, she would come to Alfonso, sit close to him, and talk incessantly.

"Is the southern palace beautiful?"

"It's just a small palace for winter. It's not a place that would impress you, so it's best not to have high expectations."

Alfonso had once praised the beauty of the southern palace to Ariadne, but he did not want to do so for Larissa. He did not want to make her happy with pleasant stories, nor did he want to boast about what he had. Moreover, he was worried about how to respond if the capricious Larissa were to be disappointed when she saw the actual palace. Alfonso mechanically handed her the tea and snacks, a typical act of escorting a guest, as a host and a fiancé would do for a fiancée. However, Larissa interpreted it differently.

"You remember whether I put milk first or pour the tea first! I'm so happy."

Larissa smiled brightly at Alfonso. Her plain features and slightly aged appearance made her excessive reaction to show joy seem peculiar. Why did she believe so confidently that he would be pleased by her expressions of affection?

Since the masked ball, Larissa had acted as if the two incidents that day—her lie about placing in the Prix de Monte Ferrare and her running into the garden—had never happened. Instead, she was overly aggressive and overly kind to Alfonso, as if she believed that by being nice, she could make up for her mistakes.

- 'Since I've bent to you and been kind, let's pretend nothing happened and not mention it again. We are destined to be together. I'll overlook it this once, so you should be kind to me too.'

Alfonso forced a smile to match Larissa's emotions, but his eyes did not smile.

"Your well-being is my joy."

Larissa, seemingly oblivious to the dissonance in Alfonso's expression, smiled without a care and responded to him.

"Knowing what I like and dislike, it's almost magical. It must be proof that we are meant to be."

The weather was getting colder, and Alfonso's heart was freezing along with the season. The fresh green of spring, the scorching summer, the hydrangeas of midsummer, and the girl with the dazzling green eyes were like a summer shower recalled in the dead of winter. Recalling unattainable, irretrievable happiness made his heart ache. But he was the father of the people, and he had a duty to his people. Sacrifice. Suffering. Love for all. For this, he had to set aside personal love. It was right.

* * *

The autumn of 1122 was bountiful, and the winter that followed was bone-chillingly cold, just like in his previous life. Ariadne kept herself busy to avoid idle thoughts. Despite the unprecedented event of the prince's invitation not arriving, Ariadne remained calm because she knew what would happen in the future. If she had to pick one event from 1122, it would be the declaration of Asereto's apostle as a heretic. The event of 1123 that could be compared to this was undoubtedly the assassination of Queen Marguerite.

'It was a mess.'

This event also made Isabella the princess. Shortly after Cesar and Ariadne's engagement, the new countess, Lady Rubina, committed a bold act. She poisoned Queen Marguerite's wine with arsenic. The queen, who drank the pre-dinner wine at the banquet, died that evening. Lady Rubina claimed she did not poison the queen, but arsenic was found in her quarters. No one believed her innocence, and she was immediately imprisoned. After an investigation and trial, she was quickly executed.

While the assassination of a king's mistress by a queen was a big deal, the bigger problem was what followed. The Kingdom of Gallico, which had sent a legitimate princess to Etruscan, took offense at the queen's assassination by the king's mistress and demanded compensation for the life of the royal family. Etruscan offered a modest consolation fee, but Gallico laughed it off as insufficient.

'It wasn't a problem that could be solved with gold.'

Without a satisfactory additional offer, Gallico immediately dispatched their heavily armored cavalry to the border of Etruscan, right near Gaeta. The Duke of Gaeta, who was half Gallico, had a duty to guard the border, but the people of Gaeta were familiar with Gallico's culture and language because Gaeta was right next to Gallico. Moreover, the Gaeta noble family had long intermarried with Gallico nobility. The current Duke of Gaeta was born to a mother from Gallico and married a Gallico noblewoman. When the Monteferrare heavy cavalry and artillery arrived at the city walls, the Duke of Gaeta surrendered and pledged loyalty to the King of Gallico. He smoothly transitioned from the ruling class of Etruscan to the ruling class of Gallico.

The country was turned upside down.

- "How can a nobleman, who has the duty to protect the country, hand over territory to the enemy!"

- "A trashy person who throws away oaths like used paper!"

- "Half of him is a dirty Gallico!"

- "Can we call someone with a Gallico mother and a Gallico wife an Etruscan?"

The backlash hit Alfonso, who had lost his mother less than half a year ago.

- "Our future king has a Gallico woman as his mother and is planning to marry a Gallico woman."

- "How can we serve such a person as our king?"

- "It would be a ridiculous thing for an Etruscan king to be a non-Etruscan!"

While it was impossible to change the fact that his mother was from Gallico, it was possible to change his future wife from a Gallico to an Etruscan. As the public opinion in both the nobility and the common people worsened, leading to a tax refusal movement in the capital, Palazzo de Carlo hastily sent a notice of termination to the engaged Princess Larissa. Palazzo de Carlo, ignoring the fuming Grand Duke of Valois, quickly sought a domestic bride to turn the tide. The final candidates were two: Julia de Valdesar, the daughter of the Count of Valdesar, and Isabella de Mare, the eldest daughter of Cardinal de Mare. After Leo III rejected the daughters of feudal nobles who had military power, only these two remained as suitable in age, reputation, and family.

Etruscan, in a dire situation, desperately needed the mediation of the Holy See. With no military means to reclaim Gaeta, the only option was a diplomatic solution. Moreover, the Black Death began to spread in Etruscan in the summer of 1123. It was a desperate situation. By then, the immediate problem was not Gaeta but food and medical aid.

In the end, the chosen one was Isabella de Mare, the daughter of Cardinal de Mare, whose influence could sway the Holy See's decisions.

'It was a ridiculous thing.'

Isabella's greatest pride was her beauty, but it was her father's power, not her beauty, that brought her the greatest achievement. It was ironic.

'All I have to do is wait.'

Ariadne also enjoyed the same power as her father. Isabella's reputation was already significantly damaged, and her father, Cardinal de Mare, now favored Ariadne. If the choice were to be made between the two daughters of Cardinal de Mare, most gamblers would bet on Ariadne. The fact that Princess Larissa followed Alfonso to Taranto was a concern, but no matter what Larissa did in Taranto, she could not marry Alfonso if Queen Marguerite was assassinated.

"It will be fine."

Queen Marguerite had treated her very well. She was a fair and strict mistress of the country but also a kind person. She had extended a warm hand to Ariadne, who had no reason to be favored.

"What can I do?"

Ariadne shook her head to shake off the guilt. The assassination of Queen Marguerite was a national event. Ariadne had only managed to secure a bit more room to maneuver within the de Mare family. Her greatest achievement, the Asereto apostle incident, was just a matter of adding a spoon to an event that would happen anyway. The assassination of Queen Marguerite was not an event she could influence. She wanted to believe that.

"There's nothing I can do."

It was an event that would happen, and one that could not be prevented. But Alfonso would be very sad when Queen Marguerite passed away. In his previous life, the prince became noticeably more reserved after the queen's death. At his mother's funeral, followed by his grand wedding, the prince did not look happy at all.

But it has to be okay. It will be okay.

* * *

The de Mare mansion had several unused rooms and sheds. Ariadne needed a storage room, but the authority to decide its use belonged to the mistress, Lucrezia. She also considered renting a separate building outside the mansion, but the security in San Carlo was not that good. Leaving items in an empty house would likely result in them being stolen by petty thieves. Ariadne did not have the resources to secure a storage room outside the mansion.

"I need a male servant."

"Can't we use the butler, Niccolo?"

"How can I use an opportunist who only looks for chances? I need a loyal and trustworthy person."

Good help does not fall from the sky. Ariadne decided to wait for the right opportunity. Originally, she planned to stockpile wheat, which was cheap due to a bountiful harvest, but without storage space, she could only buy small, expensive items. She chose beeswax.

"Miss, why are you buying this? Are we starting a candle business?"

Beeswax was used for high-quality candles, sealing letters, cosmetics, and simple medicines, especially for skin diseases. However, Ariadne's reason for stockpiling beeswax was different.

"Life is unpredictable. You never know when something will become important."

The Black Death would hit all of Etruscan in the summer of 1123. Beeswax, extracted from beehives, was believed to be a material sent from heaven to earth, made by bees who lived chastely without mating. Therefore, the Holy See used only pure beeswax for their high-quality candles. When the Black Death broke out, beeswax was revered as a tool to combat the divine punishment from heaven. In reality, coating the skin and outerwear with beeswax did help prevent the Black Death. The Black Death in 1123 also claimed the life of young Arabella in her previous life. Ariadne intended to turn the crisis into an opportunity. She had about 70 ducats (approximately 70 million won) in reserve. This included the queen's donation to the Rambouillet charity, emergency funds hidden during the debutante ball, and the monthly allowance of 10 ducats from Cardinal de Mare, which she had saved for the past few months, plus the money from pawning some of Cesar's excessive gifts. She bought all the reasonably priced beeswax available on the market. The best quality beeswax came from the eastern part of the central continent, Latgale, but Ariadne did not insist on the best quality. She steadily bought any beeswax produced in Etruscan as long as the price was right. Since her budget was not huge and she had plenty of time, there was no need to stockpile enough to affect market prices. She stored the collected beeswax in a room attached to the kitchen of the Cardinal de Mare's residence. When the housekeeper, Giada, under Lucrezia's command, protested about Ariadne using the room,

"Giada, is this your mother's wish?"