Chapter 185

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: What Was Wished For Most
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Ariadne received news the previous evening that an event would be held at the royal palace.

“...Our family all received invitations.”

Unfolding the invitation, she saw that the event consisted of a ceremony in the afternoon and a ball in the evening.

But there was not a single word about what the ceremony was for.

“Wow! Father, these are quite rare. How did you get them?”

Isabella, who had just heard that Camelia de Castiglione was not invited, asked with a pleased expression.

Cardinal de Mare cleared his throat in lieu of an answer.

Although it was the price for a dirty deed, it was a great boon for the family, and seeing his eldest daughter so happy gave him a slight sense of pride.

“It's a grand event, so prepare well.”

Ariadne asked.

“...What kind of event is it?”

The Cardinal gave only a vague reply.

“It's not a specific, formal type of event… a sort of restoration of rights? It's a cause for celebration, so you may all dress splendidly.”

“Oh, wonderful!”

Only Isabella's squeal of delight echoed across the de Mare family's dinner table.

* * *

Cardinal de Mare's words about the event not having a set format were true.

It was only upon entering the palace that the party learned the 'ceremony' would be held in the 'Hall of the Sun.'

The Hall of the Sun was the main hall of Palazzo Carlo, the place where the king made official proclamations on matters of great national importance, held coronations, or officially announced the designation of an heir.

However, the Kingdom of Etruscan had no such matters of great national importance recently.

The decorations and formality also fell short of what would be expected for such a grand occasion.

“This is my first time in here.”

Isabella, who was seated in one of the front rows for the king's proclamation, couldn't hide her flushed expression as she whispered to Ippolito standing beside her.

The Hall of the Sun was kept closed unless there was a major event, so it often went unused for a decade or more.

It was natural that Isabella had never been inside.

Moreover, today the Cardinal de Mare's family was seated even further forward than the House of the Marquis de Valdesal.

It was no wonder Isabella's face was flushed red. Ippolito was just as excited to be participating in a matter of state.

From the front, the king's proclamation began.

“First, I wish to announce the results of an investigation.”

As Leo III began to speak, the invited guests all turned their attention to the king.

Then, a red-haired woman in a white dress suddenly appeared to the king's left.

There was no fanfare of horns or an announcement to mark her entrance, but her presence captured everyone's gaze.

Despite the solemn atmosphere, the crowd began to murmur in hushed tones.

“Isn't that Countess Rubina?”

“Countess Rubina in the Hall of the Sun…?”

“Could it be a queen-consort investiture?!”

The only occasion for Countess Rubina to take center stage in the Hall of the Sun would be her investiture as queen.

Leo III was not unaware of this. He continued reading the proclamation.

“...After a thorough investigation by the finest investigators of the Kingdom of Etruscan, it has been determined that Countess Rubina had no connection to the death of the late Marguerite, Queen of Etruscan.”

The crowd's murmuring grew noticeably louder.

But Leo III merely frowned slightly at the disturbance and continued reading from the parchment.

“Therefore, I have arranged this gathering to commend Countess Rubina for her troubles and to clearly proclaim her innocence.”

This did little to quell the people's doubts.

“Is that all?”

“They opened the Hall of the Sun for just this?”

“Wait, isn't this about that? I heard the Kingdom of Gallico demanded they hand over Countess Rubina. This must be a diplomatic gesture toward Gallico!”

“Even so, would they open the Hall of the Sun for that? A royal decree would have sufficed.”

“Furthermore!”

At Leo III's resounding voice, everyone fell silent and focused on the king's words.

“Today, I wish to rectify a matter that has long been unknown. It concerns the de Carlo bloodline.”

This was the main point. Everyone tensed. They had no idea what would come next.

Was he going to make Countess Rubina his queen and have a new child with her? Or, could he possibly be planning to recognize Count Cesare as his legitimate son?

But the story that came from Leo III's lips was truly bizarre.

“I had a younger brother, who is now deceased.”

This was news to society gossips and royal genealogists alike.

The crowd's murmuring grew incomparably louder than before, and Leo III had to silence them, unable to hide his irritation.

“Enough!”

The commotion ceased abruptly.

Glancing left and right with satisfaction at the now-silent Hall of the Sun, Leo III continued with his speech.

“My younger brother was in poor health from a young age and was never officially announced. He eventually died young.”

*'Is this even possible!'*

That was the sentiment of every guest in the Hall of the Sun.

Never would the birth of a legitimate prince be concealed simply because the child was in poor health.

They might rush to have him baptized before he died, but never hide his existence.

But something about the atmosphere was unusual.

To open the Hall of the Sun to spout such nonsense meant the king was firmly resolved.

No great noble dared to step forward and challenge him.

This was true even for Countess Marquez, Marquis de Valdesal, and Count Contarini, who had been told nothing beforehand except for Leo III's boast, "I have a way."

The king was already on stage, and the show had begun.

The tiger was on the loose, and the audience below the stage could only watch with bated breath to see how far it would run.

“Cardinal.”

The king held out a hand.

Cardinal de Mare, who stood just below the dais where Leo III was, respectfully handed a piece of parchment to the king.

It was a first-rate forgery—a forty-year-old piece of parchment obtained by scraping off the name of a minor noble from an old birth registry and carefully adding new text with aged ink.

Leo III held this birth certificate, a masterpiece of the San Carlo parish's clerical calligraphy, high for all the guests to see.

“This is the birth certificate of my younger brother, Biazo.”

The king, as if pricked by his conscience, added another word.

“The genuine article, which has been kept in the archives of the Holy See in the San Carlo parish until now.”

The people all glanced at Cardinal de Mare, but the cardinal stared straight ahead, his expression unmoving.

Having committed to the fraud, the only profitable course was to see it through without getting caught.

“It pained my heart that my poor younger brother has not been acknowledged in official events, so I have taken this opportunity today to officially announce his existence.”

The people were slowly beginning to understand why the Hall of the Sun had been opened.

Today's royal proclamation was to announce a change to the royal genealogy.

But they couldn't see the practical benefit of this event. If the man was already dead, how could he affect the line of succession...?

“My younger brother, hitherto known as 'Count Biazo de Como,' I officially correct to 'Biazo de Carlo.'”

Upon hearing these words, the crowd finally realized why the Hall of the Sun had been opened.

This wasn't the creation of a new false brother, but an upgrade for the existing one.

“And I formally recognize my deceased brother's family as members of the royal family. Countess Rubina de Como, and Count Cesare de Como.”

From behind Rubina, Count Cesare appeared, dressed in an old-fashioned white ceremonial robe and a purple cape.

He was as handsome as a sculpture, as always, but something about him was different.

Ariadne scanned Cesare from head to toe and soon realized.

Today, on Count Cesare's chest, was the crest of a laurel and a deer, symbolizing the royal family.

The king's bombshell announcement continued.

“You are the lawfully wedded wife and legitimate child of Biazo de Carlo, and as such, you are proud members of the royal House of de Carlo.”

Ariadne swayed, feeling dizzy.

*'This is absurd…!'*

But she didn't even have the freedom to collapse.

If she fainted here and now, she would draw everyone's attention. She gritted her teeth and regained her balance.

*'His Majesty the King has abandoned Prince Alfonso…!'*

To put the most generous spin on it, one might say he was muddying the waters of succession to remove Philip IV's reason to take Prince Alfonso's life.

But she knew Leo III all too well.

The current ruler of the Kingdom of Etruscan was not a man who governed with such careful consideration.

It was far more likely an act meant to preserve his own kingdom than to increase his son's chances of escape.

And the reason the king had staged this ridiculous farce… was because she had enlightened him.

She shuddered at the realization. *I, with my own hands, have damaged Alfonso's claim to the throne.*

*I, with these two hands, have contributed to what might have happened in my past life.*

Despite Ariadne's horror, the king did not wait. He shamelessly continued.

“This mother and son have suffered greatly because of my shortcomings.”

His mistress and illegitimate son, now transformed into his sister-in-law and nephew, smiled sadly.

“To compensate for their past hardships, I shall bestow a title.”

While a countship might be fine for an illegitimate son, it was hardly fitting for the king's nephew.

“Not long ago, the dear great noble, Duke Pisano, passed away, leaving his domain without an heir.”

The Pisano domain was a border territory in the northernmost part of Etruscan, right next to the Gaeta region, and had been ruled by the historic Pisano family.

It was true that Duke Pisano had died of a chronic illness, but it was a lie that his domain had no heir.

He had no legitimate son, but he had a married daughter, a grandson from that daughter, about a dozen illegitimate children, and enough collateral relatives with a claim to the title to fill a large room.

But without a legitimate son, the rest could be pushed aside with power.

“Therefore, I bestow upon Cesare de Carlo the domain of Pisano, which has been returned to the state treasury, and confer upon him the title of Duke of Pisano. As a member of the royal family, I urge you to conduct yourself with dignity and devote yourself to strengthening the nation's power.”

Count Cesare, no, Duke Pisano, knelt on one knee at Leo III's feet.

Leo III raised the ceremonial sword and touched it once to Cesare's left shoulder and once to his head, performing the ritual of bestowing the title.

It was merely two simple gestures, but their implication was anything but simple.

“Cesare de Carlo. Welcome to the House of de Carlo, the rulers of Etruscan.”

* * *

After the ceremony in the Hall of the Sun conferring the title of Duke of Pisano upon Cesare de Como—no, Cesare de Carlo—the palace event moved on to its second part: the ball in the Hall of Mirrors.

Outside, twilight was beginning to fall.

As Ariadne walked through an open corridor toward the Hall of Mirrors, she decided she would find the right moment to leave early.

She was in no mood to enjoy a ball.

A magnificent orchestra, hastily summoned by the king, began to play the opening bars of the first piece.

Ariadne surveyed the decorations and preparations in the ballroom, and felt a wave of nausea.

This was a banquet that cost at least twenty thousand ducats.

Considering they had opened the Hall of the Sun, hastily hired an orchestra, and hung lavish ornaments all over the Hall of Mirrors, it might have been closer to thirty thousand.

That was money that could have been meaningfully used to save Alfonso.

She started to run a hand through her hair, but stopped when she remembered the intricate braids her maid, Anna, had so skillfully arranged.

*'I have to get out of here.'*

She glanced around the ballroom.

The two daughters of the de Mare family were assigned a table near the front of the ballroom, right next to the dance floor.

Isabella, sitting directly across from Ariadne, had dressed up properly for the first time in a long while.

She was sick and tired of always wearing plain linen dresses for her country-girl persona.

The official event in the Hall of the Sun was the perfect excuse to wear the satin dresses she adored.

Since she could no longer spend extravagantly on clothing as she had when Lucrezia ruled the household, Isabella's dress was not as exquisitely detailed as before. However, true to her fashionable senses, she had a sophisticated, light turquoise fabric tailored into a stylish gown that made her stand out even among the five hundred distinguished guests in the ballroom.

Isabella gazed toward the center of the ballroom, then glanced at Ariadne. When their eyes met, she gave a meaningful smile.

*'I'm prettier.'*

The dark-haired Ariadne in her rose-red dress and the blonde Isabella in her light turquoise gown drew even more attention from the crowd due to their contrasting colors.

And being noticed was exactly what Isabella wanted.

Isabella was once again behaving as she had in the past, treating her half-sister as an accessory.

Ariadne, not being prettier than her, was of no importance to her at that moment.

Her gaze was fixed on Cesare, who stood in the very center of the ballroom.

*'I'm the most radiant person in this ballroom. You can see that, can't you?'*

Duke Cesare lifted his head haughtily and looked toward the de Mare family's table. A bright smile bloomed on Isabella's pretty face.

She rose from her seat and began to stride toward the center of the ballroom.