Chapter 220

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: The Cardinal's Daughter
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Leo III's summons came with surprising speed. Ariadne had already made some preparations in anticipation of the King's call.

But Leo III summoned her so urgently that she nearly missed her chance.

After hastily getting things in order, she had now arrived at the Palazzo Carlo.

“My Lady.”

Leo III, wearing a benevolent-looking smile, gestured to an attendant with his chin. The royal attendant quickly came forward and poured tea into Ariadne's cup.

“I imagine it is quite rare for a young lady such as yourself to be welcomed into this place.”

“It is an infinite honor.”

The room where she sat was Leo III's private study.

A truly personal space for the King, one that even Countess Rubina rarely entered.

After the tea was poured, the King dismissed the attendant with another gesture of his chin.

“These books are a collection I have been building since I was young. They are mostly on the subjects of kingship and the art of governance.”

Ariadne turned her head to scan the books on the shelves. The selection itself was good.

But despite being dusted clean by the palace maids every day, the books were strangely pristine, showing no signs of having been handled. He had clearly bought them but never read them.

“These are precious materials that reveal the source of Your Majesty's profound wisdom.”

Oblivious to Ariadne's sarcasm, Leo III let out a hearty, satisfied laugh.

“Loyalty is the foundation of the nation. The sacrifice and devotion of the people set the country right.”

He gazed at Ariadne intently. It was a favorable gaze.

“I hear that you are being called the 'Savior of Etruscan' outside these walls.”

Ariadne grimaced inwardly. Leo III was a king who did not tolerate challengers. He must have found that title extremely grating.

“I am but an ignorant, unmarried maiden. I am young and have not received a formal education. I merely frequented the almshouse established by the grace of the royal palace, and out of pity, I took care of those around me. That is all.”

She prostrated herself completely. Defying power for the sake of something as trivial as pride was foolish.

“To be called by such an undeserved title is a great burden. I implore Your Majesty to severely punish those who spread such talk.”

“Indeed…. it must be a burden. How difficult it must be for one so young.”

*Alright, let's just end this by punishing the seditious agitators who challenge Leo III's authority, with me agreeing to it. I want to go home. Let me go home,* she was muttering inwardly when Leo III said something unexpected.

“Is devotion without reward not difficult?”

“Pardon?”

“As King, I distribute resources to my loyal subjects. Sometimes those resources are food, sometimes gold coins, and sometimes… they are status or titles.”

Unable to grasp the context of what Leo III was saying, Ariadne mechanically offered her thanks.

“I, too, once received a gift from Your Majesty in the name of the late Queen Marguerite. It was a great personal honor…”

“No, no. Forget such trivial things.”

Leo III wagged his finger.

“I can send jewels wherever I wish, whenever I wish. It is even easier if the recipient lives in the capital. But what if I must send food? What if it must be distributed evenly among the people living throughout the provinces?”

Leo III looked somewhat weary.

“Not everything goes as I wish. It always disappears somewhere along the way. It never reaches the place I intended, the person I intended. And…”

He gazed at Ariadne intently.

“Grain is the easy part. The most difficult things are titles and status.”

Ariadne, not quite understanding Leo III's words, tilted her head.

“Are titles and status not bestowed upon a specific person?”

There should be no room for a delivery error.

“Of course, status and titles are bestowed upon a specific person. But the process of specifying… is not easy.”

The King continued.

“Suppose I were to… yes, make a merchant into a noble. If I were to walk into the Campo de Spezia, grab any merchant, and declare, 'From this day forward, this man is the Count of so-and-so,' would the people accept it?”

“It would not be easy.”

“To grant this kind of reward, the time and circumstances must be right. If I force a title upon someone when the situation is not favorable, the recipient is the one who suffers.”

The most recent person to suffer was Cesare, Duke of Pisano.

“…Like my dear son.”

So Leo III was aware.

Ariadne was in no position to comment one way or another, so she simply wore a troubled smile and said nothing.

“But the most difficult situation is when there is only one position, but several people worthy of the title.”

*What is this? Is he talking about the succession? Why is he telling me this?*

While a bewildered Ariadne darted her eyes about, the King's story was once again heading in a direction she did not understand.

“If, by blood and status, the first person should receive it, but by achievement and merit, the second person is more deserving, to whom should I give the boon?”

It was a tricky question to answer.

Normally, Ariadne would have definitively chosen the latter, but answering that way might make it sound as if she supported Cesare.

When it came to Alfonso and Cesare, she believed there was already someone in whom bloodline and ability aligned, making it unnecessary to look for other candidates.

But she had no intention of running her mouth about his successors in front of Leo III.

“…I believe that is a decision for Your Noble Majesty alone to make.”

It was a high-minded way of stepping back and saying, "Do as you please."

It seemed Leo III hadn't intended to ask for Ariadne's opinion on his succession either.

Fortunately, he did not press her further and simply continued with what he wanted to say.

“It is a true pity. If the second person's merits were heaven-piercing, they would have overcome the first and taken the title. But when they fall just a little, just a tiny bit short, I feel the urge to give them a hint.”

*Wait a moment. This isn't about the King's succession.*

With a complicated feeling, Ariadne looked up at the King. In response, Leo III looked directly at Ariadne and spoke.

“I have promised your father a title.”

Ariadne's eyes widened as she stared at Leo III.

“It seems this is the first you're hearing of it.”

Leo III chuckled. Ariadne asked.

“I was under the impression that clergymen cannot hold titles. How could my father, Cardinal de Mare, receive a title…?”

“That's right. Clergymen cannot hold titles. Which is why.”

Leo III looked at Ariadne with his intense eyes. He seemed to be enjoying himself somehow.

“I have decided to bestow the title the Cardinal should have received upon a child bearing the de Mare name. Around the end of this year, yes. The time is almost upon us.”

The moment Ariadne heard this, she realized what deal her father had made to receive a title.

“…So this is the title he is receiving for his cooperation in the succession of the Duchy of Pisano.”

Of course, what Cardinal de Mare did was forge a lineage certificate. But I can't say that out loud.

“As sharp as ever!”

Leo III clapped, his applause filled with various layers of praise.

“If you were not trapped in a woman's body, I would have appointed you to a high position. What a waste.”

He laughed loudly.

“When I made that promise, I naturally assumed I would be granting the title to Cardinal de Mare's eldest son.”

Eyes the color of water, just like Cesare's, stared at Ariadne.

Looking into Leo III's eyes, Ariadne thought that while the color was the same, the saturation was dull. Is this the patina of age, or…

“And seeing as the Cardinal gave you no hint of this, it seems he also intended to give the title to his eldest son.”

He added with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Of course, this is merely my own speculation. Do not fight with your father based solely on an old man's guess. It would be a great shame if a family's peace were shattered because of me.”

Even in this situation, Ariadne thought Leo III was a truly self-centered person.

A family that was bound to break would break anyway, and one that wasn't wouldn't, no matter what he did.

If the de Mare family was turned upside down by this, it would be because of the Cardinal's accumulated karma, not because of anything the King did.

“But you know, I find it quite regrettable. When there is such a fine candidate right here.”

He looked at Ariadne.

“You helped eradicate the plague in San Carlo, you are providing relief to the poor, and though you modestly claimed to have only helped the Rambouillet Almshouse, I am aware that you also distributed food in the Commune Nuova.”

Ariadne lowered her head.

“If I were to grant the title to you, everyone would accept it. But if I grant it to your brother, wouldn't the capital erupt in an uproar, demanding to verify his qualifications once more?”

Ippolito had done nothing.

Except for nearly becoming the protagonist of a boiling scandal last year, a fate he was spared only by his own mother's life.

If Ippolito were to suddenly receive a noble title, whispers would undoubtedly spread through the capital.

That there was some dirty scheme between the King and Cardinal de Mare. And that the collusion was likely related to the recognition of Cesare as his nephew.

“But you know. You're just a little bit short.”

Leo III narrowed his eyes and looked at Ariadne.

“What you have done was not a show of loyalty to me, but merely… a free-spirited act. Have you not simply helped those you wished to help?”

He had been about to use the word 'whimsically' but chose 'free-spirited' instead.

“Will you not give me a small pretext?”

“If you would reveal your true intentions…”

Ariadne asked Leo III, bowing her head.

“Offer the grain you possess to the state.”

Ariadne did not even flinch.

Unsure whether the girl before him was frightened or blinded by ambition for a title, Leo III added another word.

“I will take responsibility for the relief work you have been doing, and the state will continue it.”

*If I coax and soothe her, I can swallow her whole.*

She was, after all, just a girl who had recently turned sixteen.

Her father didn't seem particularly protective of her, and he was only a clergyman, not a powerful great noble or the head of a faction who could threaten his power.

*A young girl like this can be won over with gentle persuasion.* Leo III firmly believed this.

“The grain…”

Ariadne slowly raised her head. Her black hair brushed against her cheek as it fell, and her deep green eyes fixed upon Leo III.

Leo III prepared to praise Ariadne generously.

“Yes, the grain. Is grain not the foundation and bedrock of the people?”

But the words that came from her mouth were utterly unexpected.

“Then, what price did you have in mind?”

“What?”