Chapter 87

"Your Eminence! Young Master Ippolito has returned!"

At the news of his eldest son's return, Cardinal de Mare, who had already gone to bed, sprang up again. He had gone to bed early to maintain his condition for the New Year's Mass he had to preside over the next morning. But his eldest son had returned! He hurriedly got out of bed and went down to the first floor to greet his son.

"Ippolito!"

"Father!"

Ippolito noisily embraced Cardinal de Mare, almost crushing him. Standing at 4 piedi 2 ditto (about 182 cm), Ippolito easily held his small father in his arms. Cardinal de Mare, who was less than 4 piedi (about 170 cm) tall, struggled to breathe as his nose was pressed against his son's chest. Realizing his father was choking, Ippolito finally released him, and Cardinal de Mare cleared his throat to regain his composure.

"Well, Ippolito. Welcome back. Did you finish your studies in Padua?"

For a moment, a look of embarrassment flashed across Ippolito's face, but it quickly disappeared.

"Of course, Father. Who else but Ippolito, your son, would study? All the kids in the neighborhood followed me around, begging to see my homework."

Indeed, friends did follow him around, but it was because they wanted to share his cigarettes. Ippolito, however, thought he hadn't lied. The commotion Ippolito caused on the first floor woke up the other family members. They started to come down one by one. Arabella, wearing her nightgown and hugging a large teddy bear, stood at the top of the central staircase to welcome her big brother.

Ippolito and Arabella, with a significant age gap, were not particularly close. He merely nodded at her before turning his attention to the next person.

A girl with hair as black as ebony stood at the top of the stairs, wearing a luxurious nightgown and a gold signet ring on her index finger, looking down at him.

'So, this is the bastard girl mentioned in Mother's letter.'

Ippolito frowned upon seeing Ariadne. He did not greet her.

"Father! I'm tired from the long journey."

Ippolito could have complained about Lucrezia and Isabella not coming to greet him, but he quickly changed the subject.

"Everyone should go to bed now. Is my room ready?"

Cardinal de Mare cleared his throat.

"That is..."

"Brother's room is in the west wing, next to the room Mother used to use."

Ariadne, with a calm voice, answered for him. Her tone was low, perhaps due to the late hour. She continued with a slight smile.

"Since Mother's room is empty, it won't be used. I had the room next to Mother's cleaned up, hoping Brother would occasionally check on it."

It was a transparent excuse. Ippolito, not a maid, would never manage Lucrezia's room. However, it was a two-pronged attack. "A space will fall into disrepair if no one tends to it."

Ariadne had taken over Ippolito's room, and by offering this arrangement, she preemptively blocked any complaints about giving up his room or disappointing his father. Moreover, the mention of Lucrezia's name created an awkward atmosphere between Cardinal de Mare and Ippolito. Ippolito had deliberately avoided asking about his mother to maintain a peaceful atmosphere. Ariadne had no intention of letting the eldest son and Cardinal de Mare get too close.

"Malvina."

Just then, Malvina, Ippolito's new personal maid, ran down the stairs from the third-floor maid's room. She had hurriedly dressed and rushed down upon hearing that the young master had arrived.

"Introduce yourself to the young master."

Malvina, already wearing a low-cut maid's dress, pulled it down even further, adjusting it to reveal her cleavage. She stepped forward, making a concerted effort to look charming as she knelt and bowed to Ippolito.

"Master Ippolito, I am Malvina, your new personal maid."

Ariadne introduced Malvina with a smile.

"Originally Isabella's personal maid, she is well-versed in etiquette and efficient in her work. I chose her as your personal maid because she is reliable. If you find anything inconvenient with Malvina's service, please let me know."

Malvina quickly responded.

"I will serve you with all my heart to ensure you are never inconvenienced."

Ippolito was more interested in other aspects of Malvina. Her headscarf was improperly draped, and a few strands of her fiery red hair fell over her neck. Following the hair, his gaze dropped to her ample cleavage. Ippolito licked his lips as he looked at Malvina's pale skin.

He had completely forgotten about mentioning Lucrezia and Isabella.

'Let's take care of the urgent matters first, then I'll talk to Father after finding out more.'

"Good, good. I understand."

Ippolito snapped his fingers, signaling Malvina to come closer.

"Go ahead and take my luggage upstairs and unpack it in my room. Father, I'll go up first."

"Alright."

"Sleep well."

With a friendly smile, Ippolito followed Malvina, who was struggling with his heavy luggage, up the stairs, his eyes fixed on her swaying hips. The maid, aware of his intentions, exaggeratedly swayed her large hips from side to side. San Carlo, after all, was a wonderful place to return to.

* * *

Ippolito and Malvina quickly hit it off. They rarely left their room and, even when they did, they played pranks on people, avoiding detection. They giggled and played finger games or swept each other's legs with their toes. Despite their efforts to hide it, the entire household, and even the household items, knew about their romantic escapades. If you asked the dining table or the horses pulling the carriage about Ippolito and Malvina's relationship, they would say they knew the two had hit it off.

They clung to each other as if they couldn't live without the other. However, there seemed to be a slight difference in their perceptions of their relationship.

"Master."

Malvina's nasal voice made Ippolito respond enthusiastically.

"Yes, yes, my beauty."

"Buy me a ring."

"Huh? What kind of ring?"

"A shiny, big one. Preferably with a transparent gem."

She wanted a diamond ring. Ippolito, feigning ignorance, looked at Malvina with wide, innocent eyes. Eventually, after numerous complaints, he bought her a South Sea pearl necklace, not an engagement ring. Despite this, Malvina firmly believed she would become the next Mrs. de Mare, largely due to the generous amount of gold coins Ippolito showered on her. Malvina became increasingly bold. Ippolito, being a bastard, could not inherit his father's position, making him essentially a commoner. Thus, she reasoned, why couldn't a commoner like her marry him? Malvina began to aim for Ippolito's side.

Malvina, basking in the young master's favor, became extremely arrogant, causing trouble with the household staff. The main victim was Sancha.

"Why should I do this?"

Malvina, with her ample chest thrust forward, crossed her arms and looked Sancha up and down. Sancha, the temporary head maid, took a deep breath at Malvina's insolence. She steeled herself and scolded Malvina.

"Malvina, what kind of tone is that?"

"So, just because you have a temporary head maid badge, you think you're really in charge?"

Malvina looked Sancha up and down. Sancha, having been promoted to temporary head maid, wore a black velvet vest and a red coat, unlike the other maids' brown uniforms.

"You're still just a maid. How long do you plan to keep acting like this?"

Malvina, still wearing the brown uniform, had modified it with silk, making it shine.

"I am a maid, but so are you, Malvina."

Sancha, clenching her lips, glared at Malvina, who wore something that was hard to distinguish as a maid's uniform.

"Your job as a maid is to take care of Master Ippolito's meals and clean his room. That includes taking the used dishes to the scullery. Why are you making other girls do your work?"

Malvina, twirling a strand of her red hair, laughed.

"Anyone can help when someone is busy. Why are you being so strict?"

Malvina, acting as if she were a mistress, no longer wore her headscarf properly, leaving her hair exposed.

"The dishwashers can walk around a bit to collect the dishes. I have a much more important job, serving the young master."

Malvina proudly jutted out her chest.

"What can I do if the young master doesn't let me go?"

Sancha, despite not knowing much about romantic relationships, recognized the disgusting undertones and frowned. Malvina, not stopping there, tried to lecture Sancha.

"Sancha, think about it. Do you really think Miss Ariadne's influence will last forever? This house ultimately belongs to Master Ippolito."

Sancha, unable to contain her anger, slammed the key ring she was holding onto the table.

"You! Shut your disrespectful mouth! I'll tell Miss Ariadne and have you dismissed for negligence!"

"Go ahead if you can."

Malvina threw her usual smug smile and sashayed away, leaving Sancha behind. Sancha, seething with anger, could only complain to Miss Ariadne. However, Ariadne merely advised her to be patient, saying it wasn't the right time.

"Ah, I'm so angry!"

Indeed, Ippolito's doting on Malvina made it difficult for Ariadne to dismiss her immediately. However, it was unclear whether Ippolito agreed with Malvina's future plans. He showered her with luxurious silk, fur for the cold, and even a pearl necklace, which was far beyond a maid's status, but he never whispered about the future. He only gave her gifts whenever she complained. The money for these gifts came from his father's pocket, which Ariadne now controlled.

"Ariadne, why did you only send 15 ducats (about 15 million won) this month?"

Ippolito barged into Ariadne's study. He stood in front of her desk, looking down at his half-sister. He called her by a casual name.

"Brother."

Ariadne closed the ledger she was looking at with a thud and faced Ippolito. The late afternoon sunlight filled the study, casting a warm glow. The gold signet ring on Ariadne's right index finger glinted, catching Ippolito's eye. He found the object very irritating. Due to the backlight, he couldn't see Ariadne's expression clearly.

"How much more do you think you should receive?"

A cold, calm voice echoed in the study.