It was a loud, high-pitched exclamation. Isabella, on the other hand, drew everyone's attention with her oriole-like voice. Lucrezia, her mother, was the person she spoke to. One obvious intended listener was Queen Marguerite and her ladies-in-waiting.
"I am delighted that the queen requested a sermon on Gon of Yesak's sacrifice. Mother, it's also my favourite part."
Lucrezia happily tuned in to her daughter's tune.
"It is worthwhile to teach you the language of the Gallic Kingdom." "What was your favourite part?"
"The part that Gon of Yesak gave up!" Yesak's Gon sacrificed himself for the sake of all peoples, and the people thanked him the most."
The atmosphere has settled. Gon of Yesak, according to the Holy Book, made two sacrifices. The first time he sacrificed his life, he died alone after being pointed at by a finger, and the second time, after demonstrating the miracle of resurrection, he sacrificed himself to prevent the continent's punishment. Today's sermon was about Gon of Yesak's first sacrifice. Because of the short Gallic language, Isabella only recognised the word "sacrifice" and assumed it was a sermon on the second sacrifice, which the nobles preferred, so she pretended to be proud and discovered that the foreign language was short.
"Praise always follows sacrifice after a long journey."
Her mother's lady-in-waiting, who had accompanied Queen Marguerite from the Kingdom of Gallico, smiled awkwardly and tried to lighten the mood. Isabella, on the other hand, did not appreciate her maid's courtesy in saving her, and she smiled brightly.
"However, as soon as Gon of Yesak died on the cross, all the inhabitants of Gaia's seven hills came out and wept in unison!" Alas—it is sad, of course, that he passed away, but how thrilled were the disciples of Gon of Yesak?"
The atmosphere has now cooled like the air inside a handcrafted bingo hall. Despite not appreciating the saint's sacrifice, envying the fame he must have earned was a remark that made people question his character, which was difficult to cover up with words like "he was immature." Even Lucrezia, who couldn't understand her daughter's error because she didn't speak Gallic, looked around in bemusement. But Isabella, who was always oblivious to the odd spot, was looking around at the people around her, her big, pretty eyes wide open and blinking. Ariadne finally emerged, her wry smile on her face.
"I admire Yesak's Gon's bravery the most."
There seemed to be no way to improve the atmosphere here other than for him, the youngest, to crack jokes.
"You must have been terrified before you died."
"Iced coffee," for example.
"She's a lovely young lady."
The appearance of a girl who is still on the border between an adult and a child deeply empathises with an adult's pain, which caused adults to smile. The atmosphere was instantly relaxed, and the ladies quickly changed the subject by throwing in a few words of social chatter. A little later, Ariadne added, 'You must have been anxious about leaving your back to immoral, selfish, and unintelligent people', but everyone seemed not to hear. Queen Marguerite, on the other hand, was an exception. She turned to her maid and whispered something into her ear. "So the younger one is fluent in Galica."
["Your second daughter is fluent in Gallic."]
The queen's gaze had now shifted to Lucrecia. Even today, Lucrezia nodded and bowed her knees as she received her queen's gaze, wearing a dress with a neckline cut a finger's length deeper than is socially acceptable.
"Lucrecia de Rossi, a saint from the Etruscan Diocese of Taranto, greets Her Highness Queen Marguerite!"
The uproar was an attempt to conceal the fear. Lucrezia was merely Cardinal de Mare's mistress. So, for the time being, I had to refer to myself by my maiden name. Ariadne thought it would be amusing if Queen Margaret referred to Lucrezia as "Miss Lucrezia." She gave birth to three children and her eldest son grew up, but Lucrezia never married anyway. Perhaps if I hold it up to her face and address her as 'Miss Lucrezia,' she will turn blue and squirm, then come home and break things in her house in hysteria for about 8 days and 7 nights. Queen Marguerite, on the other hand, accepted Lucrezia's greeting with a head nod, as if she had no intention of arguing with the cardinal's mistress.
"… … ."
Perhaps the queen's silence was embarrassing, but the queen's maid provided wise counsel.
"Please come to the drawing room. Noble ladies are congregating."
The queen walked with dignity, not saying anything to Cardinal de Mare's family members.
"oh! "How lovely!"
To Isabella's amazement, in the little parlour, finely furnished with green silk and mahogany, few ladies sat with a cup of afternoon tea in their hands. They were the closest noble ladies to Queen Marguerite. Lucrezia, who hesitantly entered the room, noticed where she should sit. Lucrezia had wished her entire life to be a part of this inner circle, but when the time came, she seemed unsure how to act.
"Hello there."
After an awkward greeting, Lucrecia moved to the centre sofa, and the noble ladies dispersed like a flock of pigeons avoiding passers-by. A tall, gray-haired lady avoided Lucrezia the most obviously. Ariadne burst out laughing.
'To see you here in this state.'
Countess Marquez was there. Cesare spread rumours about her being Leo III's illegitimate daughter in her previous life, and Ariadne grabbed her hair at a tea party. Of course, Countess Marquez did not recognise little Ariadne. Instead, she rose with a smile and greeted Queen Marguerite as she entered her parlour.
"Please welcome Her Majesty the Queen!"
The queen was greeted cheerfully and boisterously by the noble ladies in the drawing room. Countess Marquez was greeted with a friendly smile by Queen Marguerite, who had never said a word to Lucrezia.
"My loyal friend, Countess Marquez, you look good today as well."
"Isn't everything due to Her Majesty the Queen's oversight?"
The pale-skinned queen, whose blonde hair matched the prince's, couldn't hide her accent, which had to be foreign. Lucrezia was taken aback by her thick Gallic accent, but none of the noble ladies in her queen's parlour complained, and they were all laughing. Queen Margaret cast a sidelong glance at Lucrezia, Isabella, and Ariadne, who were wandering around without being able to join her party, and introduced herself indifferently.
"These are Cardinal De Mare's descendants." I invited her because I heard she was intelligent and religious."
The ladies whispered about the story of the "cardinal's daughter" to Isabella. Despite the fact that Lucrezia had a bad reputation in her social circle due to her status, Isabella had been rumoured to be the smartest and most beautiful woman in San Carlo since her debut last year. Isabella approached her with a half-step, grabbed the hem of her dress, and made a soft bow.
"My name is Isabella de Mare. It is a privilege to meet some of the most valuable people in the kingdom."
The rosy blush that rose slightly on her flawless skin was stunning. Isabella looked impeccably pretty and precious despite the blemishes of her birth, dressed in the finest ivory-colored gown beneath her pearl-studded head covering.
"This lady's name is Lady Isabella de Mare."
"It's as lovely as rumour has it."
"Be cute as well."
Ariadne bowed half a beat late in front of the chattering ladies. The target of the greeting, however, was not the noble ladies, and the gaze and body were directed towards Queen Marguerite.
"My name is Ariadne de Mare, and I am the second daughter." May the noble lineage be blessed by Yesak's Gon."
When the noble ladies saw the older daughter, who was pretty and immaculate, and then the second daughter, who was scruffy and gloomy, they seemed at a loss for words. She used all of them on her eldest daughter who came before her, so there was no praise to be given. However, the queen cheerfully accepted Ariadne's greeting. Her mouth had sharp corners, but the corners of her eyes were lined with deep crow's-claw wrinkles.
"You're still a little kid greeting people politely."
It was Queen Marguerite's first direct address to a member of the De Mare family. He seemed content to bestow the honour on her queen rather than the aristocratic wives. When her queen recognised Ariadne, her noble ladies began lavishing her with compliments, such as how calm the little girl was and how well she was educated, as if they had never paid attention to Isabella. Isabella clenched her teeth as she was pushed away from her focus.
'Queen Marguerite's eye is swollen!'
Countess Marquez, who was leading a group of wives at the time, spoke to Lucrezia, who was sitting outside.
"Miss Isabella's gown is lovely." "To which tailor did you tailor it?"
Lucrezia was delighted by the words of a true nobleman.
"Our seams are all hand-stitched."
Isabella straightened the hem of her dress, as if not wanting to pass up the opportunity. It was a high-end custom-made gown that complemented Isabella's slim figure by adding plenty of volume without sacrificing the finest silk. At first glance, a high-quality chemise lace could be seen beneath the thick silk fabric.
"The seamstress is excellent. I'd like to get one for my daughter as well, but it's unfortunate that I didn't get it made by a dressmaker."
Lucrezia, who was desperate for regular interactions with a true aristocratic lady, did her an unnecessary favour by handing it to her the first time she saw her.
"Leave it to our seamstress." Countess Marquez's presence is always appreciated."
Countess Marquez gave a strange smile.
"A good seamstress must have slow hands, but I can't take on any additional work." Aren't the seamstresses who made the clothes for the eldest and second daughters different people?"
"… … !"
"Come to think of it?"
Following the meaningful words, the ladies took turns looking at Isabella's and Ariadne's dresses. The clothes of the eldest daughter and the younger daughter did differ significantly. Isabella's outfit was opulent. Her dress, shoes, and hair ornaments were all of high quality and in keeping with current fashion. But Ariadne was clearly unaffected by her mature touch. The ladies would have remained silent if Lucrezia had been more established in society. But Lucrezia had no room for her, and Queen Marguerite didn't seem to care much about her. She was constantly pushed by the Countess of Marquez, so her second-in-command, the Marquis of Cibo, took a quick look at Queen Margaret's face and decided she would be fine, so she opened fire openly.
"A generous wife should look after her children."
Countess Marquez took the word for it, as if she couldn't lose or hadn't waited.
"My mistress is bad, but the child is still a member of the family." To exist, you must have a family name."
The wives exchanged a few words.
"Culture... common sense..."
"The child is not guilty..."
"How pitiful..."
Lucrezia's face turned red and blue, but her real daughter was dressed in finery, while the illegitimate daughter was dressed in rags, so she couldn't say anything even with ten mouths. Lucrezia wasn't even quick with her wits. It was her Isabella who saved her mother from her predicament.
"Excuse me, ladies. My sister has recently come up from the estate of Bergamo because of her poor health. "
Isabella smiled prettily and approached Ariadne as if everyone would notice, and took her hand in a friendly way.
"All of my sister's clothes are of the highest quality, and the seamstress is making them now. He was still thin and small, so he gave me the clothes I wore last year."
"… … ."
"It's because it's originally clothes that fit my frugal taste. Sisters wear clothes together when they are young."
Isabella looked at Ariadne and smiled kindly. Cock dimples pierced the baby-like skin.
"Isn't that right, my brother?"
Ariadne laughed along with Isabella.
'One hundred words are worth a thousand words.'
Ariadne, instead of recounting Lucrezia's atrocities, jumped up from her seat and patted the hem of her dress straight, just as Isabella had done earlier.
"Right, sister. It's an undeservedly nice dress for me. I didn't know it was the one I was wearing, but I really like it."
The hem of the dress fluttered, revealing the cotton chemise underneath. The noble ladies who saw the old and worn chemise were shocked at once.
"Oh my God! Look at how rough it is!"
"Is the colour completely yellow? What colour was that originally?"
"Look at that stain! It's a splatter stain from doing housework? Does it make you do kitchen work?"
Lucrezia's face turned pale.