Chapter 233

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: The Mysterious Decree
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About two weeks had passed since Raphael left for Yesak. Ariadne was living a peaceful life.

That is, until an unexpected guest arrived.

“Ariadne de Mare, receive the decree of His Majesty the King!”

Ariadne, who had finished her ledgers in the morning and was using the time before lunch to read for the first time in a while, was startled by the sudden arrival of an outsider.

Upon hearing the voice, she rushed down to the first floor in her indoor dress.

“Why is that man here again?”

“No idea.”

Ippolito and Isabella were whispering as they looked at Sir Delpianosa, whom they had seen three weeks ago.

Sir Delpianosa had arrived with a much larger retinue than before.

Ariadne glanced around. Family members were gathering on the first floor, one after another.

Cardinal de Mare, who was late for his duties today, also came down to the entrance hall a little after his daughter.

“Father. Do you happen to know what this is about?”

The Cardinal, with a stiff expression, did not answer.

“Why is another decree being sent to me?”

The Cardinal finally spoke.

“...I don’t know the full details myself. I was only told that another decree would be sent to you soon.”

“What kind of decree?”

“I’ll know when we receive it.”

Sir Delpianosa, who was waiting at the front, shouted once more.

“Ariadne de Mare, receive the decree of His Majesty the King!”

She could no longer keep the King's messenger waiting.

Ariadne had no choice but to step into the center of the entrance hall.

She could feel the piercing gaze of Ippolito and the trembling stare of Isabella, who was shaking with jealousy.

Ignoring her siblings, Ariadne knelt to show her respect.

“I, Ariadne de Mare, Director of the Rambouillet Almshouse and second daughter of the de Mare family, greet the envoy of His Majesty the King with the same reverence I would show His Majesty himself.”

Sir Delpianosa gave a single nod, returning her greeting, then unfurled the parchment scroll and read the King's message.

“Ariadne de Mare has rendered great service in combating the Black Death and aiding the poor. In recognition of this, she was appointed Director of the Rambouillet Almshouse. To honor her efforts thus far and to enable her to better carry out her duties in the future…”

The eyes of every member of the de Mare family were fixed intently on Sir Delpianosa.

Even Cardinal de Mare did not know what title would be bestowed.

Sweat beaded on the palms of both the Cardinal and Ariadne, and Ippolito’s eyes looked as if they would pop out of his head.

“...To Ariadne de Mare, I bestow the title of Countess of the Kingdom of Etruscan.”

To Ariadne de Mare!

A wave of elation washed over Ariadne’s face.

It was a countship without a fief. Typically, it was a purely honorary title.

But to Ariadne, this title was more precious than any great estate.

If the title of ‘Count de Mare’ had gone to Ippolito, it would have been an undeniable fact that he would become the head of the family.

After the Cardinal’s death, Ariadne would have been at Ippolito’s mercy, helplessly sold off here and there at his command.

But now, the title of ‘Countess de Mare’ was in her grasp?

Not only did this significantly increase her chances of becoming the next family head, but even if Ippolito were to become the head, he couldn't just marry her off as he pleased.

Because if he married her off, the family would immediately be demoted to commoner status.

He could try to prevent her from marrying, of course. But that was something she rather hoped for. It wasn’t a bad outcome.

“Countess de Mare, Ariadne de Mare, step forward to receive the rite of ennoblement and accept the gifts from His Majesty the King.”

She took three or four steps forward and knelt on one knee before Sir Delpianosa.

Sir Delpianosa performed the rite of ennoblement, lightly tapping her shoulders three times with a ceremonial sword.

Cardinal de Mare watched his second daughter receive the title with a complicated expression.

He was both pleased and unsettled.

‘Countess. Countess de Mare.’

The title itself was excellent. The Cardinal had initially expected a viscountship at most.

After her confrontation with the King, he had thought they would have to accept even a barony.

The lack of a fief was a great disappointment, but the rank of the title was much higher than he had anticipated.

Now, there would be no problem for the de Mare family to present themselves as a distinguished noble house in the capital.

While he would have to consider how to ensure this glory passed down through generations, the de Mare family had now truly joined the ranks of the capital’s high nobility.

The one wish he had yearned for his entire life had been granted.

The problem was that the one who received it was not his eldest son, but his second daughter.

‘Will she be able to protect it...?’

There are countless ways to seduce or intimidate a titled woman and snatch that glory from her family.

Ignoring Cardinal de Mare's troubled heart, Sir Delpianosa, the King's representative, concluded the ceremony.

After finishing the ceremony, he snapped his fingers, signaling the royal attendants waiting behind him.

At that, the royal attendants began to unload various luxurious goods from the five carriages they had brought and carry them into the house.

Jewel boxes, dress boxes, hat boxes, and various shoe boxes were carried inside in a long line.

When she had received the position of Almshouse Director, all she had gotten was a simple silver brooch.

Ariadne's eyes widened as she asked Sir Delpianosa,

“What is all this...?”

Sir Delpianosa replied with an awkward smile.

“They are gifts from His Majesty the King.”

“Are these kinds of gifts normally bestowed during an ennoblement ceremony?”

Sir Delpianosa did not answer. Instead, he took out another decree.

“My lady—no, Countess de Mare. Please pay attention.”

“Pardon?”

After confirming that Ariadne had resumed a respectful posture, Sir Delpianosa picked up the second parchment.

Ariadne focused her gaze on the parchment.

‘A new decree…?’

Sir Delpianosa began to speak.

“Countess Ariadne de Mare is a lady of deep faith and high virtue, a model for others…”

It was definitely another decree.

Seeing as it referred to her as ‘Countess de Mare,’ it was clearly intended to be read immediately after the first decree.

But the content of the decree was vague.

The King's words, read aloud by Sir Delpianosa, were full of praise for her, but they lacked substance.

“Her appearance and bearing are outstanding, her reputation resounds through the capital, yet her manner is gentle and she carries herself with humility, possessing the virtue of modesty…”

It was also very strange that a decree for a ‘Countess’ was filled with nothing but flowery language praising her femininity.

“...Countess Ariadne de Mare is to enter the palace at once.”

That was it. Ariadne couldn't help but ask,

“Enter the palace? Right now?”

Having finished reading, Sir Delpianosa nodded.

“That is correct. It is His Majesty’s command that you enter the palace immediately.”

“Isn’t the ennoblement ceremony finished?”

The rite of tapping the sword on my shoulders three times has been performed, and I have received the King’s generous gifts. What else could be left?

Sir Delpianosa answered with a vague expression.

“You will understand when you get there.”

He added,

“We must depart at once.”

Flustered, Ariadne glanced down at herself.

She was wearing a simple indoor dress and silk gloves that didn't quite match the outfit.

By no means was this proper attire for an audience with the King at the royal palace.

“If you give me some time, I will prepare myself and come out.”

“Do not worry about it.”

Ariadne looked at Sir Delpianosa in bewilderment. Surely he didn't mean for her to have an audience with the King dressed like this?

But Sir Delpianosa did not mean that it was acceptable for her to go in looking shabby. It was quite the opposite.

“All the attire the young lady will wear shall be prepared at the palace.”

Ignoring Ariadne's confusion, Sir Delpianosa instructed a royal attendant.

“Assist Lady de Mare into the carriage.”

He smiled and looked at the Cardinal.

“Your Eminence. The rest of the family may come to the palace this evening. I will send a guide separately.”

Cardinal de Mare could only nod. Sir Delpianosa turned his gaze to Ariadne.

“Let us go.”

They're going to change my clothes at the palace? But I can't take off the glove on my left hand.

Ariadne cried out urgently.

“My maid, I wish to take my maids with me!”

“That would be difficult. You must follow the royal protocol.”

“One, just one of them!”

Seeing Ariadne’s alarmed expression, Sir Delpianosa sighed.

Her fame may echo through the capital, but in the end, she was still a sixteen-year-old girl.

Besides, if she were to enter the palace permanently, it was customary for her to bring one or two of her own maids.

And he himself was not particularly pleased with the task he had been assigned today.

So, Sir Delpianosa granted her a small favor.

“Very well, you may bring just one personal maid.”

Ariadne nodded happily and called for Sancha.

But as Sancha turned to go back inside, as if to fetch something, he raised a hand to stop her.

“I cannot give you any more time. We must leave right now.”

The royal attendants swarmed forward.

They gathered around Ariadne, escorting her to a magnificent golden carriage provided by the palace. It was a carriage reserved for royalty.

Ariadne was all but physically pushed into the carriage by a female attendant.

Sancha tried to get in with her but was blocked by the sharp refusal of a royal attendant. She was dragged to the black carriage at the very back and barely managed to board its rearmost compartment.

The carriage door was immediately shut, and the coachman, dressed in royal livery, cracked his whip.

“Giddy-up!”

Ariadne was whisked away to the palace as if she were being arrested.

* * *

That morning, Duke Cesare was awakened far earlier than his usual rising time by an uninvited guest.

“Cesare—!!!”

His mother, who rarely left the royal palace unless something major occurred, had stormed into his capital residence, the Villa Sorotone.

Thinking that Rubina's visits had become more frequent lately, Cesare sat up in bed, annoyed and disheveled.

The white sheet slipped down, revealing a firm, bare torso.

It was a body of sleek, lean muscle, belying his reputation as a debauchee who couldn't sleep without wine.

“What would you have done if I’d had a woman with me?”

But Duchess Rubina, who had marched straight to her son's bedroom first thing in the morning, ignored his minor protest and shrieked.

“You have to do something about your father!”

Here we go again.

Cesare ran a hand through his red hair, so much like his mother's.

“What could I possibly do to stop that man?”

He didn't even bother to ask what Leo III had done. Leo III was a walking natural disaster.

Since there was nothing he could do to help anyway, he had little interest in knowing what the King had done.

At her son’s lukewarm response, Rubina screamed.

“Your father is taking a new queen!”

This news startled Cesare quite a bit.

“I wasn't aware of any marriage negotiations with other kingdoms.”

The King's marriage was a major affair, even when seeking a second wife.

It was customary to begin coordinating with the other country at least a year in advance, sometimes even two or three, exchanging portraits of the parties and negotiating terms.

“He says she’s a local!”

“A local?”

Cesare was surprised again. There was a woman within the kingdom suitable to be the King's second wife?

Usually, the King's second wife would be an unmarried daughter from a high-ranking family who had remained single for a long time, or a woman who had been married once before.

Since divorce was impossible under the doctrine of their faith, it was usually resolved by finding fault with the former husband and obtaining an annulment.

However, most of the families of ducal rank or higher in the Kingdom of Etruscan were related to the royal family.

There were no high-ranking local women who could marry Leo III.

“But Mother. Surely you didn’t think the queen’s seat would remain empty forever?”

The position of the nation's mother could not be vacant for long. Rubina must have known that.

Did she perhaps think she herself would ascend to the throne? That was an even more ridiculous delusion.

“Which local woman?”

Cesare was curious to know who had pushed his mother aside.

An interesting power struggle would surely unfold between the new queen and Rubina.

He was half amused and half annoyed. It would have been purely amusing if he could have been a mere spectator.

Rubina cried out as if wailing.

“Ariadne de Mare! That impudent little brat who dredged up that whole Salvarsan affair!”

All traces of sleep vanished from Cesare.