Chapter 88

Ipolito thought he detected a mocking tone in the other party's voice. Anger surged up. But Ipolito took a deep breath and suppressed his temper.

'Hold it, Ipolito. What good would come from fighting with a trivial little girl?'

He had to make things go well since he had restrained himself this time. Ipolito spoke to Ariadne in the softest voice he could muster.

“Mother sent an additional 23 ducats (about 23 million won) besides the 15 ducats, didn’t she?”

“Oh, you mean that.”

Ariadne opened an old ledger, found a specific entry, and drew a line under it with red ink.

“This is the ledger Mother kept. 15 ducats – Ipolito’s allowance. 23 ducats – Ipolito’s study abroad expenses.”

She waited for Ipolito to read Lucrezia’s handwriting before closing the ledger. The sound of the ledger closing was unusually loud.

“Since your studies are over, the study abroad expenses will no longer be paid. Now that you live at home, there’s no need for rent, and since you eat here, there’s no separate food expense. Excluding those, your monthly budget is 15 ducats.”

Ariadne thought she was treating Ipolito well as the eldest son. The ledger was something Ipolito was not supposed to see in principle. She was showing it to him because he would inherit the household in the future and she was giving him a special privilege to look at the lady of the house’s ledger. However, Ipolito felt that Ariadne was unjustly blocking his right to inspect the ledger, which he, as the eldest son, should have the right to check. But there was no business before money. Since he had come to collect money today, he took another deep breath and held back once more.

“Look, if you check it carefully, there will be things Mother spent on me, like birthday money.”

“Was your birthday this month, brother?”

It was January, and Ipolito’s birthday was in the summer. Ipolito’s face turned red.

“Oh, just let it go!”

“There needs to be a reason for expenses to increase when there are no items to spend on.”

There was no way to communicate with the new illegitimate sister. Ariadne firmly stated,

“If you have a special need for more money than usual, please let me know. If it’s reasonable, I will certainly provide it. Otherwise—”

Ariadne paused.

“Bring me a reason to increase your allowance. There are almost no people, even in the royal family, who spend 38 ducats (about 38 million won) a month purely on pocket money.”

Ipolito’s anger exploded.

“Are you saying I need your permission to get pocket money?!”

“Is 23 ducats (about 23 million won) pocket money?”

Ariadne, sitting in her chair, looked up at Ipolito, who was standing so close to her desk that it seemed he might break it.

“If you’re done, please leave.”

Ariadne turned her chair to look out the window of the study.

“And next time, please knock before entering.”

It was a clear dismissal.

* * *

‘Ugh, this is already so tiring.’

Ariadne thought she had been very lenient with Ipolito’s situation. His need for money was obvious. It was for buying luxuries for Malleta.

‘He should have been more careful with his spending.’

If he had started with something like an ugly pearl earring or a piece of silk, he could have made the maid happy within his allowance. But from the beginning, he bought extravagant items like South Sea pearl necklaces and mink fur shawls, which even Lucrezia would have hesitated to buy. Naturally, Ipolito’s small pocket couldn’t handle it. She didn’t mention his foolish behavior of being infatuated with a maid and indulging in luxury, spending his father’s money. She also didn’t point out that he was playing around in San Carlo, ignoring his mother, which made him a terrible filial son. Ariadne even explained the reason for the 23 ducat cut, showing Ipolito the ledger he wasn’t supposed to see. She really had been very kind to Ipolito, at least in her own mind. On the other hand, Ipolito couldn’t control his boiling anger, feeling he was being treated poorly.

‘After all, this is my money, and she’s just managing it for me… How dare this arrogant girl!’

He sat alone in the dim room, clenching his fists. He had already sent Malleta away. He couldn’t bear to show her his current state, being looked down upon by Ariadne and his empty pockets. As he muttered to himself, he suddenly remembered the gleaming gold signet ring on Ariadne’s hand.

‘If only Mother still had that…!’

His mother had always been devoted to her son. She never held back, whether it was gold, time, or people, when Ipolito needed them. That illegitimate girl was a villain, sitting in the rightful place of his mother. He was overwhelmed with self-loathing for not visiting his mother even after returning to San Carlo. He decided to visit her early the next morning. It had been 18 days since he returned home.

* * *

Arabella was having a great time lately. There was no mother to scold her, and her father and elder brother paid little attention to her. Instead, her younger sister, who now held the household’s authority, was always kind to her. Moreover, Ariadne was always busy. She spent her days either moving around the house or meeting external clients outside. Thanks to this, Ariadne’s room was always empty. Although Isabella’s room was locked, preventing Arabella from playing with her things, Arabella now played with Ariadne’s belongings.

“Really beautiful!”

Holding a piece of purple silk embroidered with gold thread, Arabella exclaimed in admiration. This was sure to become a beautiful dress someday. Arabella was rummaging through the neatly organized drawers in the corner of Ariadne’s wardrobe.

“Look at this shiny thing!”

The delicate lace woven with silver thread also amazed Arabella. It was of such high quality that she had never seen anything like it before. Next to it was a letter from the sender.

‘Who sent such a nice thing?’

Arabella, her heart pounding, opened the already unsealed envelope and took out the contents.

To my debutante,

While the weather is getting colder, this sheer lace may not be seasonally appropriate. However, I believe that everything has its use. When the court in Taranto returns to San Carlo, you can have the Collegio fit it for a beautiful summer dress.

I look forward to your beautiful appearance.

- Cesare de Como, Count

“Unbelievable…!”

Arabella covered her mouth, barely suppressing an excited dolphin-like squeal. Her younger sister was receiving such attention from men in society! Cesare de Como, Count, was someone Arabella had heard of. He was a famous playboy and the most handsome man in San Carlo.

‘So what if he’s a playboy, as long as he’s handsome, that’s all that matters,’ Arabella muttered, humming a tune as she picked up the next envelope. A rustling sound was heard, and a deep green velvet ribbon fell out. It was adorned with small jewels, looking very valuable, but it seemed out of place in her sister’s wardrobe. It didn’t seem to be a woman’s item. Unlike the new, stiff, and luxurious silver lace, it was subtle and had a slight used look.

“Hmm, what’s this?”

Arabella peered into the envelope from which the green ribbon had fallen, hoping to find a letter. However, what rolled out was not paper but a silver metal clasp. Arabella held the metal clasp in her hand, gauging its weight. It felt strangely heavier than ordinary iron or silver of this size.

‘Where have I seen this before…?’

As Arabella pondered, a shadow fell over her back.

“Eek!”

Arabella, still conditioned to being scolded by Isabella and her mother, jumped in surprise and turned around. She relaxed when she saw who it was.

“It’s Ariadne.”

Ariadne stood in front of the wardrobe, wearing elegant indoor clothes and with her black hair braided. Arabella tried to act innocent and chat with Ariadne.

“I was just surprised—”

“Arabella, you shouldn’t play with these things.”

It was the first time Arabella had seen her younger sister’s frightening expression and firm voice.

“Huh?”

Arabella, looking at Ariadne’s expression, picked up the pile of silver lace from the floor and held it out.

“I guess these are a bit too expensive for me to play with….”

If her sister found out she had read the letter from the man, she might be in big trouble. Arabella prayed to the heavens for the letter to fly back into the envelope on its own. However, the item Ariadne focused on was not the silver lace or Cesare’s letter.

“Give me that.”

The item Ariadne held out her hand for was the metal clasp made of silver and lead.

“It’s important. If you play with it and lose it, it would be bad.”

“This…?”

Compared to the silver lace and the jeweled ribbon, the metal clasp looked very plain. Arabella hesitated but handed it to her sister. As she did, she applied a little force, and the clasp, which looked solid, bent easily.

“You can’t bend that!”

- “Eek!”

Arabella, startled, hiccuped. Seeing Arabella’s hiccup, Ariadne looked apologetic. She patted Arabella’s shoulder, thinking she might have been too strict.

“You should go drink some water. This is important to me. I plan to use it for something big later. You mustn’t lose or damage it. You can play with other things.”

“What—hic!—is so important about this?”

The metal clasp Arabella had been playing with was evidence of Isabella’s attempt to ruin Ariadne’s dress at the debutante ball. Isabella, currently imprisoned, would likely be released from her confinement if Ipolito returned and Lucrezia was reinstated. Ariadne needed a decisive move to bring down Isabella after that. Cardinal de Mare hated it when family members damaged each other’s “market value.” It wasn’t about valuing cooperation; it was about his subordinates destroying his property. In his mind, it was betrayal and overstepping. It was a matter of authority, and the patriarch would not compromise on authority. Isabella was currently imprisoned for damaging her own reputation and failing to help her endangered sister.

‘What would happen if Cardinal de Mare found out that Isabella tried to harm her own sister?’

If she could prove that the dress damage at the debutante ball was Isabella’s doing, Cardinal de Mare would impose a punishment far worse than imprisonment. Even if he didn’t, he would never present an uncontrollable Isabella as a candidate for a good marriage.

‘A very good marriage will soon be available in the de Mare family.’

None other than the position of Alfonso’s wife. She needed to expose Isabella’s misdeeds to her father before then. This was Ariadne’s plan. However, she wasn’t sure how much of this story to tell the young Arabella. Arabella was already separated from her mother. While the mother wasn’t a good one, it didn’t matter much to a child. Moreover, she didn’t want to badmouth her own sister to a young child. So, Ariadne decided to gloss over the truth.

“It’s a special item. I wanted to try making one myself.”

“Do you like these metal clasps, Ari?”

“Very much.”

Arabella’s eyes sparkled. If Ariadne was this obsessed with the item, she must really like it. Arabella decided that if she found something like it later, she would definitely bring it to her sister. As she was about to leave Ariadne’s dressing room to get water, she remembered something she wanted to ask.

“By the way, Ari.”

“Hmm?”

Ariadne, who had just picked up the green ribbon from the floor, looked at Arabella.

“Hey, I haven’t heard back from my music school application, right?”

When Ariadne suggested applying to music school, Arabella initially acted cool. She made jokes like, “Why do I need to apply to such a place?” and “I’m too young, I’ll probably get rejected anyway.”

“Do you know when I might hear back?”

Despite her words, she was clearly anxious about the lack of response from Padua’s music school.

“They’re probably still reviewing the applications.”

Ariadne smiled gently.

“If you haven’t heard back by the end of the month, I’ll check with the nuns.”

Arabella’s face immediately lit up. Ariadne, finding her little sister’s bright face adorable, couldn’t help but kiss her forehead.

* * *

Arabella, despite her protests that Ariadne treated her like a baby, was scolded for rummaging through her sister’s wardrobe. Ariadne insisted that if she were a baby, she would let it slide, but since she wasn’t, she needed to be disciplined. Unable to choose either option, Arabella was on the verge of tears. Ariadne, who had been teasing her, had to quickly calm her down. It was a peaceful afternoon.

* * *

Ipolito, who had visited the Bergamo estate early in the morning and returned just before dinner, managed to attend the family dinner with his father. He tried to bring up the topic casually at the de Mare family dinner table.

“Father, it’s the new year, and your birthday is coming up soon.”

Cardinal de Mare, who was cutting a fillet mignon steak that was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, looked at his son. After living so long, it was rare for his son to bring up his birthday first. What clever plan did he have in mind?

“Shouldn’t we all gather for dinner? Including Mother and Isabella, let’s have a birthday dinner with your favorite grilled quail.”

- Clack.

The sound of Cardinal de Mare putting down his knife echoed loudly in the main dining room of the de Mare mansion.