Chapter 98

The news of Arabella's death was immediately conveyed to Taranto. It was to ensure that her older brother and the head of the family, Ipolito, could attend the funeral.

In the noble family of San Carlo, funerals were typically held over seven days, during which the body was laid out in a coffin to receive visitors. Afterward, a memorial mass and funeral were held at the church, followed by burial.

Ordinary people were buried in a common cemetery, while nobles were laid to rest in a separate plot within the grand cathedral.

Arabella had to wait for the family to arrive from Taranto, so she would receive visitors for a slightly longer period of 14 days, which was possible due to the harsh winter.

"Ipolito, you are to return to San Carlo immediately."

A servant of the De Mare family found Ipolito in the middle of a party in Taranto and delivered the message from home.

"What? What is it now?"

Ipolito glared at the servant, not hiding his irritation. Was it his mother being capricious again? Or did they really have to send a servant to fetch him from the middle of a banquet? It was absurd...

"Miss Arabella has passed away."

"What?"

"You are to return quickly to attend the funeral."

Ipolito had little affection for his much younger sister. Arabella and Ipolito were about the same age, and just as she began to speak, he left for Padua to study. They rarely had a proper conversation as human beings.

Moreover, he was enjoying the winter social season in Taranto, reveling in wine, meat, and parties. The news of his not-so-close sister's death was a mix of surprise and annoyance.

"What happened to her?"

"It was an accident..."

"Oh, what a...!"

It was like a bolt from the blue. Be more careful!

"When will you depart? Shall I prepare the horses immediately?"

It would take about four days to travel from Taranto to San Carlo if one rode day and night. However, Ipolito was not that eager to go.

"The memorial mass is to be held 14 days from now, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Then prepare the carriage. I'll stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning."

"Carriage? Not horses?"

Riding a horse would be several times faster than traveling by carriage.

"Sleeping in the snow without proper shelter, what a terrible idea. If we hurry by carriage, it should take about ten days."

The messenger from home had taken three and a half days to reach Taranto, so Ipolito had a little over ten days left. However, the servant hesitated and asked again.

"Will you not participate in receiving the visitors?"

As the head of the family, Ipolito was supposed to take the lead in receiving visitors. But he snorted.

"Does it matter whether I'm there or not? There's no one important left in San Carlo anyway."

He planned to skip the exhausting task of receiving visitors and only attend the memorial mass, which would be more visible to others.

"Oh..."

The servant sighed. What could he do?

"I will have the carriage prepared as you wish."

The servant bowed and left the banquet hall. Ipolito wiped his face and looked around. He was currently at a winter social event in Taranto.

Important social figures were all around. The thought of leaving them all to return to San Carlo was regrettable.

Ottavio, who had been watching Ipolito and the servant's conversation, asked:

"Ipolito, what's happened?"

"Ottavio, I just received news of a death from home."

The mention of a death startled Ottavio.

"Surely not His Eminence the Cardinal..."

There was no one in the family who was old or seriously ill. The Cardinal himself and his mistress were the closest to the end of their natural lives. However, Ipolito's expression was too calm to suggest that his father, the source of all his material wealth, had passed away.

"Or perhaps your mother...?"

Ipolito laughed and shook his head.

"No, no, not that! My sister was in an accident."

He spoke with a hint of irritation.

"So I have to return to San Carlo immediately. Is anyone coming with me?"

Since a member of the De Mare Cardinal's household had died, all the noble families in San Carlo would send representatives to the funeral. However, it didn't necessarily have to be an important person from Taranto. An older relative, a distant branch, or a senior employee would likely go.

Ipolito added, "Especially since it's winter."

Ottavio, who didn't plan to go to San Carlo himself, clicked his tongue in sympathy, agreeing that the timing was bad.

"Which sister died? Surely not Miss Isabella?"

Ipolito himself was just an average person, but his two sisters were well-known in society. Moreover, Ottavio had a certain closeness with Isabella. Ottavio's concern for Isabella was more instinctive, but he convinced himself that he was asking out of friendship.

"No, no, that's impossible. Isabella is fine. She might be overwhelmed with grief, though."

"Ah."

Ottavio's interest waned, and he nodded. Disappointed by Ottavio's lack of reaction, Ipolito stood up.

"I have to go now. I need to pack and leave in the morning."

"May the deceased rest in peace. Please convey my condolences to Miss Isabella."

"Thank you. I will."

As Ipolito left the banquet hall, Ottavio quickly spread the news to the bored socialites.

"Ipolito's sister has died!"

"What? The Cardinal's daughter?"

"Which one?"

The winter social season in Taranto, which had been dull, was suddenly abuzz with the unexpected news.

"Surely not Isabella De Mare?"

"Why would Isabella...?"

"Perhaps she was heartbroken over the rumors...?"

Ottavio, who had the information, mocked the people who were speculating.

"What a terrible thing to say! It was an accident, and it was the other sister."

"Oh, not Isabella?"

"Then it must be Ariadne?"

The people chattered excitedly. One person's heart sank. Alfonso, the Prince, who was standing like a statue next to the Duchess Larissa, felt a heavy weight.

"Prince, are you alright?"

When Alfonso's expression turned serious, Larissa, who was always concerned about his every move, immediately looked at him.

"I'm fine."

He wanted to rush out and ask Ottavio what had happened, what had happened to the Cardinal's second daughter, but Larissa was looking at him with innocent eyes.

"Duchess, I need to excuse myself for a moment."

Alfonso quickly stood up and made his way through the crowd. As the Prince, who had been sitting on a high dais like a decoration, moved through the crowd, the guests were surprised and looked at him.

When he met a familiar face, Alfonso, without even greeting, asked:

"Who died?"

Alfonso wiped the cold sweat from his palm onto his trousers as he waited for an answer.

"Oh, Your Highness! One of the Cardinal's daughters has died."

"Which one?"

His voice was strangely hoarse and cracked, which was definitely unusual for the normally polite and gentle Prince Alfonso. The nobleman he asked was also a bit surprised.

"Since it's not the eldest, it must be the second daughter, Ariadne De Mare."

"!"

Without even acknowledging the young nobleman, the Prince turned and left the hall. As soon as the Prince left, his secretary, Bernardino, followed.

"Your Highness! What about the Duchess Larissa and the banquet...?"

"Bernardino, I need to be away for about a week."

Alfonso's voice was low but unusually firm.

"Prepare a horse, a token for changing horses at the relay stations, and provisions."

"Excuse me? A week? Where are you going, Your Highness?"

"To San Carlo."

Bernardino looked up at his master in shock.

"Is this because of the Cardinal's daughter, Your Highness?"

Alfonso gave Bernardino a cold look.

"If you don't bring me those things immediately, I will find someone else to do it."

"Your Highness, it is a sad event, but going to San Carlo now is not appropriate. The dead are already gone—"

"If the purpose is to treat me like a stud horse, then the death of a woman doesn't matter, does it!"

Alfonso's outburst startled Bernardino. His master never used such crude language or spoke sarcastically.

Alfonso, with a voice filled with resentment, said to Bernardino:

"If I can't even protect her in her last moments, I will never forgive myself. Ariadne is dead, so the situation you fear will not happen anyway."

Alfonso's voice broke.

"Please let me go."

This was a side of his master that Bernardino had never seen before. The young man was trying to break free from the constraints set by adults. This was inevitable, and it was not Bernardino's place to stop him. Bernardino bowed.

"Your Highness, I am merely an assistant. Do not seek my permission."

He bowed deeply and said:

"When your resolve is firm, my role is to assist, not to do anything else."

Bernardino quickly recited:

"I will prepare a fine horse, a token for changing horses, the gold you will need, and the identification you will need to enter the city. I will also inform the internal affairs department to prepare clothing and food. However—"

He looked up at Alfonso.

"You cannot go alone. Take ten of your direct guards, who are known for their discretion."

Alfonso had ten young knights who were more like playmates than guards. They were chosen for their swordsmanship, and while many came from humble backgrounds, they were loyal and skilled.

Alfonso smiled.

"I thought you would say you would come with me when I said I couldn't go alone."

Bernardino chuckled.

"Do you plan to let an old man die on the road?"

He then became serious.

"Besides, I need to handle the aftermath here. You will be absent from the schedule in Taranto for a week. What reason will you give?"

Alfonso answered without hesitation:

"Say I visited Bianca for three days and was ill for the remaining four."

"The illness will be a mild cold, and the last four days will be a fever. Prince's Palace in San Carlo has my deputy, Matthias, so administrative issues can be handled by him."

Bernardino quickly decided on the plan and then hesitated, asking cautiously:

"Your Highness, what about the replies to the letters you receive every morning?"

Alfonso showed his first sign of irritation.

"Have you write them."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

* * *

Ipolito's statement that there was no one important left in San Carlo was not a lie.

"Poor Arabella..."

The nun in charge of the San Ercolino Cathedral wiped her eyes. Those present to bid farewell to Arabella were mainly her governesses, the dress shop owner, and nuns. Others who appeared were merchants trying to establish connections with the Cardinal, lower nobles, or ambitious clergy.

Tired of the insincere flattery, the Cardinal soon gave up on the 14-day vigil and only appeared for an hour each day, leaving the rest of the management to the rest of the family.

Not even Arabella's full-blooded siblings were diligently guarding her coffin. Isabella found it awkward to stay next to the coffin of the sister she had killed. She quickly left, claiming she was exhausted from crying. Lucrezia, fearing that her inaction might be linked to Arabella's death, did the same.

The only one left was the half-sister. Naturally, the role of the hostess fell to Ariadne.

On the 8th day since Arabella's death, she was greeting visitors, shaking hands with each one.

"May the Lord's protection be with her..."

"Amen..."

After the nun left, the grand hall where Arabella's body was laid out became quiet. Ariadne, who had planned to sit and rest for a moment, noticed someone new at the entrance.

After 14 days of receiving visitors, all the important people had already come, and now only minor figures, merchants, or those who took longer to arrive were left. By the 8th day, most of the visitors were women or the elderly.

However, the person standing at the door was a tall young man wearing a fur-lined hood.

'Did Arabella have such a visitor...?'

Thinking it might be a gamekeeper from the Bergamo estate, Ariadne straightened her black velvet mourning dress and prepared to greet the visitor. She planned to respond with "Thank you for coming from afar" when the visitor said "I offer my condolences." However, the visitor grabbed her hand without a word.

"Ariadne...!"

It was a voice she knew well. Ariadne, startled by the touch and the sound of her name, looked up.

Prince Alfonso, who had ridden for three days and nights through the snow, stood there.