Sister, I'm the Queen This Life (330 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 59

He glanced sideways toward Zanobi.

“After hearing that today, in front of His Majesty the King, the entire House of San Carlo, and even foreigners at the hunting grounds, you favored your nephew Zanobi over Ariadne—who should have been both my child and yours—I’ve been lost in thought.”

Cardinal de Mare dramatically flung his hand into the air.

“Isn’t that exactly what everyone must be thinking? ‘Cardinal de Mare is utterly spineless. He treasures his wife so much he won’t even take another mistress, yet she clearly values her birth family more than his household!’”

Lucrezia trembled violently, her face drained of color.

Isabella, too, was so frightened she had stopped even whimpering and held her breath, while only Zanobi—already drowning in his own misfortune with his usual poor judgment—couldn’t even grasp what was being said.

“I intend to cut off all financial support to the De Rossi family from this day forward.”

Cardinal de Mare fixed Lucrezia with a penetrating gaze from his deep green eyes.

“You’re thinking right now, ‘What’s he talking about? He already forbade me from sending money to my birth family anyway!’ aren’t you?”

Lucrezia flinched as if struck at her core and looked back down at the floor.

“I knew you’d been stealthily funneling funds to the Rossi household. I chose to turn a blind eye and regarded it as endearing, since investigating every detail would only make me look foolish. But now it’s over. Not a single ducat—no, not even a florin—of my money will go to these ungrateful wretches.”

Cardinal de Mare turned toward Ariadne. Ariadne, who had been quietly enjoying her absence from the center of attention, startled and quickly lowered her head.

“Father.”

“Ariadne.”

He studied his second daughter for a moment before continuing his address to Lucrezia.

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