Chapter 78

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Various Ways to Change Fate
-----------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s obvious what Her Ladyship will say!”

Giada snapped, but Ariadne coldly dismissed her objection. She merely glanced at Giada before looking down at her own fingernails, a bored expression on her face.

“Giada. I need a place to store the leftover materials from the last débutante ball. We must use things sparingly. As you know, this house has many surplus items. And yet, Mother bought many new things again this month.”

“What are you talking about….”

“I’m also aware that a shipment of salted fish is due from Taranto next week.”

When her attempts to send money to the Rossi family were blocked, Lucrezia had begun buying local specialties from Taranto as a workaround. She was undoubtedly purchasing salted fish and other Taranto goods at inflated prices.

“Fish is best when it’s fresh, isn’t it? His Eminence the Cardinal would also prefer fresh fish over salted ones. Don’t you agree?”

It was a threat: defy me, and I’ll expose Lucrezia’s foolishness. Ariadne stared intently at Giada.

“Go to my mother and ask her if it is truly her will to deny me the back room of the kitchen.”

She subtly intensified her glare, a silent pressure that said, *If Lucrezia’s irregular remittances to Taranto are discovered, it will be all your fault. Can you handle that?* Since Ariadne didn’t have a high opinion of Giada’s intelligence, she kindly explained it in words as well.

“And if this is not my mother’s will, I hope you won’t bother me with such trivial matters again. Wouldn’t it be a disservice to your mistress if your attempts to prove your loyalty only end up causing her trouble?”

The head maid, Giada, hadn’t expected such an aggressive response from Ariadne and took a step back. Her eyes darted about the empty air, unsure of where to look, before she scrambled away in a hurry. After that, whatever Lucrezia said, none of the maids under her command bothered Ariadne again. Sancha, marveling, clicked her tongue as she attached a large padlock, to which only they had the key, to the kitchen’s back room.

“In the past, you would have had to coax, soothe, and beg. How times have changed. My lady, you sent Head Maid Giada away so easily.”

“Should you be satisfied with just this? Your dreams are too small, my Sancha.”

***

Sancha wasn’t the only one pleased with Ariadne’s changed status. After Isabella’s confinement, Arabella was practically living in Ariadne’s room.

“Ari, you’re amazing!”

She still didn’t call her “sister” when addressing her alone, but Arabella had already started calling Ariadne by a nickname.

“I want to study hard and get familiar with high society trends too, so I can earn Mom and Dad’s approval like you!”

Although Ariadne herself lacked a sense of fashion, what she had seen and heard from the future had unintentionally made her a trendsetter in San Carlo. Ariadne had scored consecutive hits with the simple satin dress she wore to the débutante ball and the pinstriped riding habit from the hunting competition. It wasn’t just clothing, either. She had even made rounded eye makeup popular in San Carlo’s high society that fall. Filling the triangular zone below the eye was all the rage. Though the customs of San Carlo forbade children who hadn’t had their débutante ball from wearing makeup, Arabella, ever resourceful, had once again stolen her sisters’ cosmetics and was proudly showing off her filled-in under-eye corners.

“Where do you come up with all these things?”

“Why don’t you ask for the secret to studying theology so well?”

At Ariadne’s question, Arabella wrinkled her nose. She was hopeless at studying.

“Because… I don’t want to?”

It was a very honest answer, and Ariadne couldn’t help but laugh. She gently tapped Arabella’s wrinkled nose with her finger and chided her.

“How can you become the wonderful person you want to be if you only do what you want to do?”

Arabella pouted and grumbled. But even as Ariadne said it, she had no intention of making Arabella study theology or etiquette. Why force her to study tedious subjects like everyone else when she had a distinct talent for something else?

“How about you try studying composition or performance a little more?”

Arabella’s face lit up, only to fall again just as quickly.

“But… Miss Mancini is decent at performance, but composition isn’t her specialty. There are no female tutors in San Carlo who can teach composition.”

Ariadne replied casually.

“You can just go study abroad in Padua.”

Padua was the university city where her brother, Ippolito, was studying. Arabella dug at her ear, wondering if she had heard correctly. When she confirmed it was indeed that Padua, her small face practically shone.

“But Ari, does the university in Padua accept women?”

Arabella’s concern was well-founded. The University of Padua primarily taught theology, law, accounting, and occasionally military science, and had never once admitted a female student.

“The conservatory is different. I heard they’re opening a new one in Padua in collaboration with a convent.”

Music was considered a virtue for women to cultivate, and noble young ladies and wives were actively encouraged to learn one or two instruments. Moreover, the Holy See had incorporated music as part of its rituals, so many nuns of noble birth who had dedicated themselves to the cloth were well-versed in music. The new conservatory was also being established with the patronage of the Holy See and its affiliated convent.

“With your talent, you’ll have no problem studying there. Let’s put together a portfolio to send to the conservatory.”

Arabella had died in the plague of 1123. That year, the plague had devastated the southern part of the Kingdom of Etruscan. San Carlo, located in the center of the kingdom, was its northernmost limit. Padua was situated in the far north of the kingdom, at such a high latitude that it was nearly pressed against the Republic of Porto. It had been safe from the clutches of past epidemics, and barring any unforeseen events, it would be safe this time as well. Arabella was her family, brought under Ariadne’s wing. She trusted her, needed her care, and was under her protection. To save Arabella from her fate, Ariadne planned to send her somewhere death could not reach.

“Okay!”

Unaware of her sister’s true intentions, Arabella nodded vigorously, her face bright with the thought of seeing the wider world and pursuing a higher level of study.

***

“What? A conservatory in Padua? No! What kind of place do you think that is for you to go there!”

Not everyone shared the same idea for Arabella’s future. When Arabella brought up studying abroad at the de Mare family’s dinner table, she was so thoroughly scolded by Lucrezia that she wished she hadn’t.

“Brother Ippolito is there….”

“Is Ippolito the same as you?!”

Ariadne hadn’t stopped Arabella from bringing it up with Lucrezia. She knew it would lead to a scene, but it was a conversation that had to happen eventually. Arabella, however, seemed to have been completely unprepared for her mother’s vehement reaction.

“Brother Ippolito is studying and I would be studying too, so what’s the difference! I’m good at playing instruments and at composing.”

“Ippolito is the eldest son of this house! He will be the future head of the family! And you….”

Lucrezia swallowed the rest of her words, which would have been that Arabella was just a girl, and the youngest at that, with nothing special about her. It was the minimal line Lucrezia observed with the children she had borne herself, as long as she wasn’t angry enough to lose her senses.

“And stop with that dreadful talk about composition. My head aches just thinking about the trouble you caused last time.”

Lucrezia said spitefully, referring to the incident where Isabella had tried to steal Arabella’s composition. Arabella didn’t think she had done anything wrong, but she shrank back as her mother’s anger grew. It was then that Ariadne stepped in to take Arabella’s side.

“Father. The conservatory in Padua is affiliated with a convent. It doesn’t seem like a bad place for a young girl to spend a year or two.”

Ariadne was determined to send Arabella north before the great plague of 1123.

“Hmm.”

But Cardinal de Mare didn’t seem particularly impressed with the idea of a conservatory.

“But is there a need for Arabella to study composition so diligently?”

After all, the virtues of a precious girl in San Carlo were ultimately a reputation for purity, a pretty face, and a submissive nature. Trifling skills like playing an instrument or singing might pique a man’s interest for a moment, but they were all secondary. Moreover, it wasn’t even a feminine pursuit like performance, but masculine composition—it was, by all accounts, a poor investment.

Arabella exclaimed desperately.

“I really want to study composition!”

Her wish was cut short by Lucrezia’s rebuke.

“How can anyone live doing everything they want to do! No!”

Ariadne decided to try a different approach.

“Growing up in a convent affiliated with a conservatory from a young age will also be good for Arabella’s reputation. She will be praised as a young lady whose body is accustomed to a devout and frugal life, will she not?”

Arabella stared at Ariadne in horror. A convent! Was there anything this sister of hers wouldn’t say! In contrast, Cardinal de Mare now looked somewhat interested.

“Let me think about it.”

The truth was, Cardinal de Mare had too many daughters. As long as he held power, he could use his daughters as weapons in political marriages. But the moment his influence waned, there was a high risk they would turn into unsellable stock. While a bride with a lofty reputation or exceptional beauty might command a bride price, the custom in the central continent was for the bride alone to bring a dowry when the groom and bride were of similar standing. Dowries were usually large enough to shake the foundations of a family. When there were many children, daughters who failed to find a good match were sent to a convent with a small donation. Cardinal de Mare was not exempt from the laws of the Etruscan marriage market. He had to manage his inventory. If things became difficult, he would have to send a daughter to a convent, and there was no harm in letting a daughter and a convent become familiar with each other as a trial run.

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Ariadne bowed her head, feigning obedience. Whatever Arabella herself might think, it was objectively not a bad start. At least permission had been granted. Ariadne decided to have Arabella fill out an application and send it to the conservatory. Once the acceptance letter arrived, she planned to push strongly, arguing that since he had already given his practical consent, they should just send her now that she was accepted.

***

While the promising Arabella sought a breakthrough by exploring a new path, Lucrezia, who was older and had fewer possibilities left, sought to resolve her frustrating reality through more traditional means.

Lucrezia pulled a black robe over her head and cautiously set foot in a back alley of San Carlo. The carriage and coachman she had arrived in were left at the entrance to the alley. After a quick, suspicious scan of her surroundings, she darted into a very old, dilapidated detached house. The interior was dark and gloomy, and cobwebs occupied every corner of the narrow hallway. Lucrezia took careful steps, but the old floorboards creaked madly despite her cautious gait.

“…Is anyone there?”

Frightened of walking alone, Lucrezia called out in a voice no louder than an ant’s. She was afraid of being discovered if she spoke too loudly, but continuing to walk alone was also terrifying, so she had no choice. No servant answered, but a voice from within replied. It was the voice of a woman in her forties with a very exotic accent.

“This way, further inside. To the innermost room. That’s right.”

Following the voice, Lucrezia pushed open the door at the end of the hall. Seated before her was a gypsy woman with a crystal ball the size of a baby’s head. She was telling fortunes by the light of several cheap tallow candles. As Lucrezia entered the room, the woman revealed her blackened teeth in a wide smile.

“A distinguished guest has arrived.”

The gypsy woman greeted Lucrezia, setting down the tarot cards she was holding with a clatter on the desk.

“Do… do you know who I am?”

At Lucrezia’s question, the gypsy woman laughed even louder.

“The wife of a high-ranking clergyman has come to the home of a humble astrologer who steals glimpses of heaven’s secrets. How could you be anything but a distinguished guest?”