Chapter 92

Returning to the De Mare mansion, Lucrezia began to cling to her son instead of her cold husband.

"Son, shall we go shopping in San Carlo?"

"What kind of shopping? It's so cold outside."

"Son... Is there anything you want to eat?"

"It's only been a few minutes since lunch."

"Son..."

"Mom, stop it, later!"

This was unacceptable to Lucrezia. She had to find a reason for everything. She concluded that the only reason her good son Ipolito was distancing himself from her was because he was infatuated with the maid Malleta. Lady Lucrezia began to make Malleta's life miserable.

"Have you eaten lunch?"

Malleta answered Lucrezia's question politely. She had removed most of her luxurious jewelry, as she had been criticized for them before.

"Yes, I have."

"I didn't ask you, I asked about our son."

Lucrezia lounged on the sofa, examining her manicured nails.

"Why would I care what you ate? Do you even have a brain? You're just a fat, ignorant thing. You look as stupid as you are."

Malleta was weak before the strong and strong before the weak. The courage she had shown when confronting the newly arrived Ariadne from the farm was nowhere to be seen; in front of Lucrezia, she was like a trembling mouse.

But Lucrezia didn't pity her. She was a fierce cat that could strike with her paws even when faced with prey that showed no sign of fighting back.

"Aren't you going to answer? Are you stupid? As his assigned maid, have you already forgotten what our son had for lunch?"

"Well, he had prosciutto and cheese, a tart with dried cherries, cooked lentils, and a little fruit."

Lucrezia was furious at the meager menu Ipolito had eaten.

"Only lentils for a warm dish! How do you serve the young master?!"

There was actually more to what Ipolito had eaten. The omitted item was 'warmed grape juice.' Ipolito had spent the morning drinking and rolling around with Malleta, so he hadn't had a proper meal. Malleta, unable to tell the truth, sweated profusely and tried to placate her mistress.

"Well, the young master also liked it..."

"How can you indulge a child with such a childish palate! You should bring him healthy food and make sure he eats it properly!"

It was more like a drunkard's list of snacks, but the truth didn't matter. Lucrezia scrutinized Malleta, looking for faults.

"Didn't I tell you to dress properly?"

"Madam, I've removed all the jewelry..."

"Is this how you answer me?"

- *Slap!*

Lucrezia tried to slap Malleta, but Malleta quickly flinched, and Lucrezia ended up hitting her shoulder instead.

"Ouch!"

"Ouch? Who do you think you are to make such a fuss!"

Just as Lucrezia was about to beat Malleta with a birch rod, her savior appeared.

- *Bam!*

"Master!"

"Ipolito?"

Ipolito entered the room, drawn by the commotion. Lucrezia, startled by her son's sudden appearance, quickly put down the birch rod and kicked it under the sofa.

"Ipolito, what are you doing here?"

"I'm thirsty, and my assigned maid isn't around. Why are you holding her? If you need her, I'll be without a maid."

Technically, she wasn't serving her, but Lucrezia was happy to think her son cared.

"Well, Ipolito, take her. Our son can't do without a maid."

"Yes, Mother."

Lucrezia let go of the prey she had in her grasp. But she didn't forget to glare at the maid like a hawk eyeing its prey. Malleta, making eye contact with Lucrezia, shivered and followed Ipolito out.

* * *

"Master! Did you see that!"

"Water."

Ipolito, who claimed to have come out looking for a maid because he was thirsty, demanded a drink, cutting off Malleta's words. He seemed to be suffering from a late morning hangover. Malleta had no choice but to fetch cold water from the kitchen. To talk to Ipolito, she had to satisfy all his desires first.

But even after drinking the water Malleta brought, Ipolito handed the glass back to her and remained silent, not wanting to talk about his mother.

Frustrated, Malleta shouted without considering Ipolito's mood.

"Master! Please save me!"

She really felt like she was going to die.

"Madam is trying to kill me!"

"One ear in, one ear out."

"She hit me!"

"Surely not."

"She slapped my shoulder!"

"…Maybe she just patted you affectionately."

"Master!"

Ah, my ears are ringing. Ipolito was in a daze.

At breakfast, he had to sit with his father, the Cardinal De Mare, to make a good impression, despite his aversion to early mornings.

During breakfast, Lucrezia constantly talked to Ipolito.

'Try this, how does it taste?' 'You only ate that? Bring the next dish,' 'You cleaned your plate, it must have been delicious, bring more of the same,' and so on. His stomach and ears felt like they were about to burst.

He thought he could rest in his room, but the maid who should have been quietly by his side was now nagging in his ear.

Why are women like this? Why do I like them?

'Just avoid her.'

A brilliant idea flashed through Ipolito's mind.

'Right, just avoid her.'

It wasn't about changing his sexual preferences or living a celibate life. Ipolito loved women too much for that.

Physical distance was the key! Then he wouldn't have to see her.

Ipolito jumped up and shouted.

"Let's go to Taranto."

"What?"

Malleta, bewildered, asked. Ipolito, feeling better, made promises he didn't intend to keep.

"I'll take you to Taranto. The entire court is there, and I have many friends."

"Wow, really?"

Malleta, mistaking Ipolito's plan to escape his mother's persecution by taking her with him to Taranto, looked at him like a hero with her small, bright eyes.

"Winter social season isn't the official one, but there are plenty of parties. I'll take you!"

"Master Ipolito! I'm so happy I could faint!"

Parties! Social season! Malleta, who had scavenged for food in the Langbue orphanage, was going to the winter court's social season!

Malleta, her face flushed, threw herself at Ipolito.

"I love it! You're the best, Master!"

Malleta's enthusiastic kisses left Ipolito dazed, and he fell backward onto the bed with her.

This is the first time I've seen such an aggressive woman. Is it because she's a maid and not a noblewoman?

"Malleta, Malleta, easy!"

"Aww, Master!"

Malleta's relentless kisses made Ipolito add a few more impossible promises, and the trip to Taranto, originally meant to escape both his mother and Malleta, became a trip to escape only his mother.

Ipolito's mind was completely free of his father's Cardinal De Mare's instructions to take care of his mother.

* * *

"What? You're going to Taranto?"

Lucrezia, hearing Ipolito's declaration, trembled like a betrayed wife and collapsed onto the soft sofa behind her. Ipolito used his eloquence to soften his mother.

"Oh, Mother. It's been a while since we visited the maternal relatives. And, why, we need to check on Janobi."

Janobi, Lucrezia's cousin, had his tendons cut by the Cardinal De Mare due to Ariadne. Ipolito took a while to remember his name.

"Oh, poor Janobi…"

A topic that always captured Lucrezia's attention.

"No one in our family has visited him. I'll go and see him."

"Yes, it would be good to go…"

"Also, Mother, the entire court in San Carlo is in Taranto. I'll go and build some connections, and see what opportunities might arise. A son needs good friends to achieve great things, right?"

Lucrezia was very weak when it came to her son's future. It was also the magic button for Ipolito to get pocket money. This time was no exception.

"Does our son have enough pocket money?"

"Mother, I was a bit short… But it's fine. I can share a stagecoach instead of taking a private one."

A show of humility from a child who knew his mother would never send him off empty-handed. As expected, Lucrezia was shocked and waved her hands.

"Oh no! A shared stagecoach! How can I let our son suffer like that!"

Lucrezia, who had suffered financially when her husband sent her to the Bergamo farm, took out 10 ducats (about 10 million won) from her meager savings and handed them to her son.

Ipolito, who had received a generous emergency fund from his father during a recent private meeting, didn't check how much his mother gave him. But after feeling the weight of the ducats, his expression changed.

"Mother, is this all?"

Lucrezia bowed her head like a sinner.

"Well, Mother is a bit tight on money… I'll try to get more for you before you return."

"Sigh. No, Mother, it's fine. I can't help it."

Ipolito, who wasn't really short on money, didn't want to push his mother further. He put the ducats in his pocket and kissed his mother's cheeks.

"Mother, I'll be back."

At the front door, Malleta, carrying Ipolito's luggage, was waiting. Seeing Malleta in her travel cloak, Lucrezia's eyes narrowed.

"Wait, you're taking her too?"

"Oh, Mother. I need someone to look after me in a foreign place."

"Why her, of all people!"

"She's efficient and does a good job."

Ipolito added, looking at Malleta.

"She cooks well too."

The mention of food softened Lucrezia's anger.

"Yes, good food is important. Take care of yourself while you're away."

"See you when I get back!"

Ipolito got into the carriage and waved to his mother. Malleta, following Ipolito into the carriage, kept her head down to avoid eye contact with Lucrezia.

- *Crack!*

The carriage driver's whip cracked, and the carriage set off down the snowy winter road.

'Oh, I forgot to ask him to take some gifts and letters to the De Rossi family.'

In this era, there was no safe way to send long-distance mail or packages. Therefore, people going on long trips were often asked to deliver letters and gifts. It was considered polite to ask if anyone needed anything taken.

'Oh, boys. They rush and forget things.'

Lucrezia, who didn't realize that Ipolito had deliberately left without telling her about the gifts and letters for the De Rossi family because he found them cumbersome, was also unaware that she would have to tell the Cardinal De Mare that their son had left for Taranto without even mentioning it to him.