Chapter 23

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Alfonso’s Secret Space
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At the end of the voice’s trail, Ariadne looked up to see a zelkova tree, its leaves flourishing beside an abandoned fountain. The owner of the voice was lying on one of its branches, a book in hand. He closed the book that had been covering his face, set it aside, and beckoned to Ariadne.

“You want me to come up?”

The prince nodded.

“Up in the tree is the best place to stay out of sight.”

There was still plenty of time before her audience with the Queen. There was no urgent need to go pick peonies. She nodded and placed her hands on the tree trunk, preparing to climb up to the prince’s side. However, the voluminous skirt of her dress made it impossible to get the leverage she needed to leap up.

“Need some help?”

She was in no position to refuse. She reached out her hand toward Prince Alfonso, and he took it. His unusually thick, large hand met Ariadne’s long, slender fingers.

“This way, that’s it.”

Just holding her hand wasn’t enough to get Ariadne safely seated on the branch. The prince had to place a hand on her inner arm and practically lift her onto the zelkova branch. Only then did he notice a problem.

“Oh, your dress is white.”

Ariadne burst out laughing and replied.

“What, you told me to come up without even looking?”

Alfonso joined in with a cheerful laugh. He had been so happy to see her that he had called out immediately. There had been no time to notice her clothes. Alfonso pondered for a moment, then removed the cloak he was wearing.

“Could you come over here for a moment?”

The prince pointed to his own lap. Ariadne’s eyes widened.

*This is a bit too forward.*

But again, she was in no position to refuse. Prince Alfonso’s favor was a golden ticket that could allow her to live this life freely and safely, away from Cesare and the de Mare family. As Ariadne obediently shifted her weight onto Alfonso’s lap as instructed, he spread his cloak over the now-empty space on the zelkova branch and helped her sit back down on it.

“There, that should be fine, right?”

His movements were clean and efficient, without a single unnecessary touch. It seemed Ariadne was the only one with such thoughts. A blush crept up her face, and she could only nod.

“Alfonso, but why were you here, anyway?”

Alfonso smiled back.

“I should be asking you that. What brings you here?”

Right, it wasn’t strange for a prince to be in the royal palace. Ariadne smiled wryly at her own foolish question.

“I have an audience with Her Majesty, Queen Marguerite, today.”

“Ah! So today’s the day!”

It was widely known that the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare, who had defeated the Apostle of Acereto, would be coming to the palace to receive commendations from the King and Queen and a gift from Her Majesty.

“My father spoke very highly of you.”

“He did?”

Hearing that the King held her in high esteem didn't bring Ariadne pure joy. It was true that a better reputation would grant her more freedom of movement. But Leo III was a monarch with many peculiar ideas. One might even call him difficult. She wasn’t sure if catching his eye was entirely a good thing.

“He said he regretted not being able to grant you an Order of Chivalry.”

As the sole heir to the throne, Prince Alfonso maintained a relatively amicable relationship with the King for the time being. The King doted on his young son. Thus, the King’s close aides had no qualms about keeping Prince Alfonso informed of the monarch’s affairs.

“What a shame. It was a chance to become a knight.”

She laughed as if joking, but she was genuinely disappointed. With a title like that, she could have broken free from the de Mare family and lived on her own.

“You want to be a knight?”

Prince Alfonso’s eyes lit up. He was skilled in all the arts required of a knight—jousting, horsemanship, swordsmanship, and shield-work. He was also praised for embodying the seven knightly virtues: courage, justice, generosity, nobility, reverence for God, chastity, and temperance. His dream was to become a monarch of the central continent, a knight among knights, respected by all.

“I’ll grant you knighthood someday.”

“Would I have to swear an oath of fealty?”

—I swear upon my soul, from this day forward, I pledge my loyalty to my lord. In the face of any adversity, I shall protect and honor him, placing his safety before my own life. I will live for the greater good over personal gain. I will always speak the truth to my lord, keep the promises made to him, remain steadfast and never leave, and always stand by his side. Ariadne was well acquainted with the oath of fealty a knight swore to their lord. She considered it a hopelessly romantic vow, made to be broken.

*Besides, a knight who takes her lord’s life is no different from the traitor in the holy scriptures, Judas Iscariot.*

Ariadne decided she must never swear an oath of fealty to Alfonso. She had once led Alfonso into a trap. That was because she had been one of Cesare’s pawns. To become Alfonso’s knight after committing such a sin would mean she deserved to burn in hell for all eternity.

“I can’t grant it now, since I’m not the sovereign. When that day comes, I’ll give you the honor of becoming my knight.”

“But I can’t use a sword or a spear.”

“Learn by then.”

Ariadne giggled at his firm devotion to martial prowess.

“Are you going to protect the nation with swords alone? Civil officials can be useful, too.”

“They are indeed necessary people. Fine talents. But they are not knights.”

A knight who clashes with the enemy on the front lines to defend the nation where interests collide. Alfonso intended to one day become a monarch who would bring prosperity to the Kingdom of Etruscan, alongside a golden order of knights burning with loyalty.

“So you’re planning to rule through cronyism, not meritocracy. To think you’d knight someone who can’t wield a sword or spear just because you like them.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re right. I’d better take it back if I don’t want to become a tyrant.”

Ariadne quickly waved her hands in protest.

“No, no. I’ll learn quickly, swordsmanship and all.”

With an exaggerated gesture, Ariadne declared loudly.

“I shall learn the art of the sword at once and become the greatest knight in the land, to serve as Your Highness’s first sword. I will ensure you are not disappointed by my outstanding swordsmanship.”

A knight who spouted promises she couldn’t keep—the very antithesis of a fine knight. They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Laughing heartily, Ariadne felt her balance shift.

*Oh, oh?*

There was a strange sense of buoyancy behind her, as if nothing was supporting her weight. Ariadne flailed her arms.

“Careful!”

It was Prince Alfonso who saved her from falling out of the tree. He lunged to catch her. First their arms touched, then Alfonso briefly wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. As her center of gravity stabilized, everything grew quiet, save for the sound of leaves rustling in the wind and the soft scrape of satin against satin.

“Ah.”

Ariadne’s face was flushed. The prince seemed to have not a single ulterior motive, yet her own expectations were building. Biting the inside of her cheek, Ariadne tried to control her expression. She couldn’t let it get awkward. It was important for strategic reasons, but emotionally, she didn’t want to look foolish in front of Alfonso right now. Making a fool of herself in front of the golden prince would be the worst. Fortunately, the prince was the first to help her sit up properly and changed the subject.

“What brought you to this area? This isn’t the way to my mother’s audience chamber.”

This time, Ariadne’s face colored with panic.

“Well…”

Officially, she wasn’t supposed to know what flowers grew in the Queen’s private garden. Ariadne quickly came up with an excuse.

“I was looking for a flower to pick and put in my hair. I’m on my way to an audience with Her Majesty the Queen, and I felt my appearance was too plain… This is a garden, right?”

Just a spoonful of a lie. She had been on her way to the garden. She just happened to know its location with a little too much precision. She didn’t want to admit to Alfonso that her attire was so modest, but one can’t have everything they want in life. Alfonso, in turn, stared at Ariadne with wide eyes.

“Plain?”

As far as he could see, there was nothing to add or take away from the dark-haired girl.

“You look pretty.”

Ariadne’s face reddened once more. In front of Prince Alfonso, she felt like a genuine fifteen-year-old girl, a novel sensation. She pointed to her own hair and protested. When you don’t know the right answer, or what you’re feeling, think with your head and with logic. It was the way Ariadne had lived her entire life.

“I don’t have any accessories, so I used real flowers, but the buds are too small to look splendid. I’m probably the only young lady in San Carlo who would go to see Her Majesty the Queen looking like this.”

Even a prince ignorant of women’s fashion could understand that the young lady had only flowers in her hair, no jewels.

“Ah. So that’s what’s bothering you.”

He frowned for a moment.

“What time is your audience with my mother?”

“Three o’clock this afternoon.”

That was barely an hour away. Alfonso shook his head.

“Then we’re a bit short on time.”

The prince’s palace was filled with gold and jewels, but it wasn’t as if women’s hair accessories were lying around ready-made. He briefly considered what he could provide.

“Let’s use this for now.”

He pulled loose a long cord used as a decoration on his sleeve. Tiny jewels were embroidered between each stitch on the green silk, giving off a brilliant luster. Alfonso tied the jeweled cord in Ariadne’s hair like a ribbon.

“This should do, right?”

Ariadne could bet money that the green ribbon was tied as clumsily as straw on a scarecrow. From the prince’s handiwork, it was clear he was not the type of man who knew how to tie a woman’s hair ribbon. But the thoughtfulness of Alfonso, who had personally removed a decoration from his own clothes to tie in her hair, was too lovely. She smiled, her eyes crinkling prettily, as a sign of her gratitude.

“Thank you. I really like it.”

***

After chatting with Prince Alfonso by the abandoned fountain, Ariadne returned to the waiting room of the Queen’s palace just in time. The presentation of a gift from His Majesty the King was usually a splendid affair overseen by several court officials. However, Queen Marguerite had an extremely private nature and did not enjoy such events. Furthermore, a large ceremony would have given the Queen no excuse not to officially invite Lucrezia, Ariadne’s mother. Thus, the audience with the Queen took place in a smaller setting—the very same drawing room where Ariadne had been invited for Mass before—with only a few of the Queen’s Gallican ladies-in-waiting, Countess Marquez, and Viscountess Cibo in attendance.

“—Therefore, I, King Leo III, bestow upon the second daughter of Cardinal de Mare the following rewards, and hope that she will continue to strive for the good of the nation.”

Seated in her cozy Queen’s chair, Queen Marguerite finally finished reading the King’s decree, which was filled with words like ‘merit,’ ‘filial piety,’ and ‘faithfulness,’ to Ariadne, who knelt before her on one knee. She extended a hand and spoke kindly.

“You may finally rise. Come closer.”

Following court etiquette precisely, Ariadne pushed herself up with her right foot, curtsied, and took a step toward the Queen.

“Closer, a little closer.”

The Queen presented a large jewelry box made of ebony, intricately carved and painted with gold and pure silver.

“I did not expect His Majesty to bestow this upon you.”

Ariadne sensed something unusual in the Queen’s tone.

“May I be so bold as to ask what it is?”

In response to Ariadne’s question, the Queen opened the King’s decree that lay on the side table next to her chair and read the last part of the parchment.

“The gifts shall be fifty gold ducats, a box of jewelry selected by Queen Marguerite, and the ‘Heart of the Deep Blue Sea.’”

The color drained from Ariadne’s face. Queen Marguerite opened the lid of the ebony box, and a dazzling light spilled out. It was an overwhelmingly luxurious and exquisitely beautiful necklace, featuring a navy-blue sapphire the size of a small chestnut, surrounded by tiny, brilliant diamonds. Ariadne immediately rose, took a step back, and fell to both knees, bowing her head to the floor as she cried out.

“Your Majesty, I cannot possibly accept this! I implore you, please reconsider!”