Sister, I'm the Queen This Life (330 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
Young Ariadne’s life was hard.
While growing up on the farm, she endured constant beatings and hunger.
After entering the grand mansion of San Carlo, she suffered mistreatment and betrayal due to cunning schemes.
Ariadne had believed this was only natural, since she was born not to the noble Lucrezia but to a lowly maidservant.
Though illegitimate, she still considered herself part of the family in broad terms—at the very least, half the blood of the noble Cardinal de Mare flowed in her veins. Thus, she thought herself fortunate and believed that if she lived diligently and kindly, those around her would eventually reward her kindness.
Reality proved the opposite. When she remained passive, she was exploited and deceived. All rewards went to the selfish and the loud.
Old Woman Gian Galeazzo belonged precisely to that sort of person.
When Nicolo, the steward from the mansion, arrived, she had boasted, “I always knew a day like this would come! All my efforts in raising Miss Ariadne so tenderly have finally paid off!” Then, puffing flatteringly, she demanded gold coins from Nicolo, warning that unless he treated her well for all her sacrifices, she would refuse to hand over Miss Ariadne.
Young Ariadne, who had been beaten daily with the old woman’s broom, felt utterly bewildered and furious that day. Back then, she still believed her kind and just father—or perhaps the virtuous society of San Carlo—would find those who wronged her and punish them accordingly.
What foolish hope that had been.
It was I who had to protect myself.
‘I’ll never just sit and take it again.’
[This is the timeline separator]“Oh dear, Steward! What brings you to such a shabby place!”
Steward Nicolo, with his cold expression, stated his purpose plainly.
“I have come to escort Miss Ariadne back to the main estate.”
“Miss Ariadne, that girl… I mean, the young lady?”
Old Woman Gian Galeazzo was greatly flustered. That very morning, she had beaten Ariadne with a broom so severely that bruises still marked her face, and she hadn’t even prepared decent clothes for her to change into.
“Miss Ariadne is rather lazy—she rarely rises this early. She’ll need time to wash and dress properly before she’s presentable enough for the mansion.”
“Preparing anything here would only cause trouble. I’ll take her immediately.”
Old Woman Gian Galeazzo rolled her eyes furiously.
At that moment, Ariadne appeared before Steward Nicolo.
“I can leave right away.”
Her clothes were shabby and worn. Yet even though Nicolo clearly saw Ariadne’s disheveled state, he chose to pretend otherwise.
There was no need to side with a ragged illegitimate daughter and risk an awkward relationship with Old Woman Gian Galeazzo, who held real influence at the San Carlo estate—an Imperial Painting Bureau–administered property.
“Hmm. Let’s go then. Old Woman Gian Galeazzo, thank you for your care of Miss Ariadne all this time.”
“Oh, absolutely! Of course! No one could ever misunderstand the loyalty of this Gian Galeazzo!”
A mischievous glint flickered in Ariadne’s deep teal eyes.
“Old Woman Gian Galeazzo, you’ve worked hard—but from now on, I’ll be relying on Steward Nicolo. Shouldn’t you give him the remainder of the two ducats (about 2 million won) that Lady Lucrezia sends each month for my care, as your service fee?”
Steward Nicolo had initially intended to ignore the grubby illegitimate daughter—but money changed everything.
“Two ducats? If you’ve been receiving that much, why does the young lady look like this? Where has all that money gone?”
Old Woman Gian Galeazzo’s face turned deathly pale.
“No, this is a slander! Lady Lucrezia has never given me any money! I’ve spent my own savings feeding, clothing, and housing Miss Ariadne—that’s why I’m so impoverished!”
Ariadne interrupted with a bright smile.
“Old Woman Gian Galeazzo, are you implying my parents are so ill-mannered that they’d entrust their child to a servant without any compensation?”
The old woman’s pupils wavered with anxiety. Ariadne struck decisively.
“That’s enough lies, Old Woman Gian Galeazzo. I know you receive the money every first of the month.”
She turned to Steward Nicolo.
“Steward, if you don’t believe me, search under her bedside!”
Two servants accompanying Nicolo forced the old woman to her knees, while the other two stormed into her room.
Soon, they returned holding a purse and an account ledger.
“Steward, we found it!”
Indeed, there was a small pile of gold coins—but far too little to represent fifteen years’ worth of two ducats per month (about 2 million won each).
“Will you still deny it?”
“Oh dear! I confess! Lady Lucrezia did give me money each month—but I never received two full ducats!”
The old woman knelt on the floor, groveling dramatically as she cried out loudly,
“Lady Lucrezia only gave me fifty florins (about 500,000 won)! After feeding, clothing, and housing Miss Ariadne well, this is all that remains!”
‘Enough.’
Ariadne smiled inwardly.
‘Now that those words have left your mouth, you’re finished, Gian Galeazzo.’
You should’ve claimed you spent all two ducats lavishly raising me—since there’s no proof anyway, Lady Lucrezia would’ve preferred that story.
“At first you claimed you’d never received anything, and now you say you only got fifty florins!”
Ariadne surveyed Old Woman Gian Galeazzo with an unnervingly cold expression—unusual for a fifteen-year-old girl.
“As far as I know, Lady Lucrezia clearly gave you two ducats each month.”
Someone had embezzled one ducat and fifty florins every month.
That someone was either Old Woman Gian Galeazzo or Lady Lucrezia herself.
“If we simply ask Lady Lucrezia how much she sent each month, we’ll know who the liar is. Go ask her right now!”
A smile also rose on Steward Nicolo’s lips. This was as easy as swimming while touching the ground.
If Gian Galeazzo was the embezzler, she would bribe Nicolo before the truth reached Lady Lucrezia’s ears.
If Lady Lucrezia was the embezzler, she’d pin everything on Gian Galeazzo—and quietly slip Nicolo a little something to keep him quiet.
Though an illegitimate daughter’s words carried little weight, Nicolo wasn’t about to pass up a chance for extra income.
“Understood. You there—lock Gian Galeazzo securely in the storeroom!”
“Oh dear! It’s unjust, my lord! Please spare me, Miss!”
Two servants rushed forward, dragging the old woman by her arms to the storeroom—which doubled as a pigsty and cleaning supply closet.
Had Gian Galeazzo clung immediately to Nicolo’s trousers and offered all her wealth as a bribe, she might have survived. But she had already missed her last chance.
According to Ariadne’s memories from her previous life, her allowance—set personally by her father, Cardinal de Mare—had indeed been two ducats.
But even that sum had been too generous for the Cardinal’s mistress, Lucrezia, who took one ducat for herself before handing the rest to Old Woman Gian Galeazzo—and the old woman, in turn, siphoned off another fifty florins each month.
This whole mess was their joint doing; no one was innocent.
‘Lucrezia isn’t the kind to let Father find out she’s stealing money.’
Once this reached Lucrezia’s ears, Gian Galeazzo would be lucky to escape with her life.
At the latest by tonight, she’d either be dead or thrown out with broken legs.
“Let’s go, Nicolo.”
Ariadne no longer used honorifics with the steward. Even in rags, she walked confidently ahead toward the main estate.
That very night, just as expected, two burly shadowy figures slipped into the pigsty-storeroom where Old Woman Gian Galeazzo was locked up. Lucrezia was as cruel as Ariadne had anticipated.
“Aaah!”
A brief scuffling came from the pigsty, followed by a sharp, pig-slaughtering–like scream. The two shadowy figures, who had entered lightly, now emerged carrying a large black bundle.
The black bundle, weighted heavily with stones, was thrown into the Tiber River.
By morning, when Gian Galeazzo’s sons and eldest daughter—having heard the commotion—hurriedly arrived at the Bergamo farm, the old woman had already vanished without a trace.
An old grudge, long held over unpaid debts, had finally exacted its price.
[This is the timeline separator]The Cardinal’s residence at the De Carlo main estate was majestic and opulent—completely lacking the virtue of modesty expected of a clergyman. The white marble walls and floors were adorned with the finest tapestries and carpets.
Walking through the heart of this overwhelmingly luxurious residence in her tattered clothes, Ariadne drew stares from clusters of maidservants. Some of the bolder ones even giggled.
“Who’s that? A new maid?”
“Even maid uniforms cost more than that!”
They couldn’t possibly be unaware that Ariadne was the estate’s young mistress—news traveled fast.
Either the staff’s discipline was utterly broken, or the household’s masters clearly didn’t consider Ariadne worthy of proper treatment.
‘Probably the latter.’
The first floor of the Cardinal’s residence housed public areas: reception rooms, parlors, a small banquet hall, dining room, and guest chambers. The second floor held more private spaces—the marital bedroom, children’s rooms, and the Cardinal’s study.
The steward bypassed both the first-floor guest rooms and the second-floor family quarters, leading Ariadne instead to the third floor.
The third floor was reserved for servants’ quarters, attics, and storerooms.
“This is your room, Miss.”
Ariadne was assigned a room in the third-floor wing that resembled an infrequently used tutor’s chamber.
“Please make yourself comfortable. A personal maid will be sent up shortly.”
Once Steward Nicolo closed the door and left, Ariadne glanced around.
It was a reasonably tidy room.
Inside the wardrobe hung two plain silk dresses—one for going out, one for indoors—and a simple cotton nightgown. One pair of shoes completed the set.
Just enough clothing to save face—nothing more.
A bitter smile crossed Ariadne’s lips. These garments perfectly illustrated how the household regarded her:
the bare minimum required to avoid embarrassment. Even after reincarnating, nothing had changed.
—Knock knock.
“I’m coming in, Miss.”
Without waiting for a reply, the maid burst in.
“Hurry and change. His Eminence has summoned you.”
Her attitude was unmistakably—brazenly—disrespectful.
“I’ll wait outside. Come out quickly.”
“You—who do you report to?”
“Why does that matter to you, Miss?”
Sparks flared in Ariadne’s emerald-green eyes as she detected the maid’s blatant contempt.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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Chapter Comments (4)
Inline Comments (8)
“Let’s say you wanted to ask me to dance, Your Highness.”
Wah! Isabella is very cunning. Perfect fit for Cesar.
“My sister and I are so close that she herself insisted we match colors—she aske
Wow! Isabella’s impudence knows no bounds. We’ll pretend to believe you this time.
– “Didn’t that older lady make her cry?”
Every time Isabella amazes me with her cunning. Smart at turning the situation to her advantage. ( ◐ o ◑ )
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Ari realmente é incrível. Cada capítulo mostra o quanto ela é inteligente e sempre um passo à frente de todo mundo. Mal posso esperar para ver até onde esse plano dela vai chegar.
I’m still curious of what Alphonso meant by the last chapter
I’m still curious of what Alphonso meant by the last chapter