Sister, I'm the Queen This Life (330 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 61

Ariadne had clearly approached Alfonso intentionally at first. She saw him as the golden key that could instantly resolve all her troubles: the unbearable Cesare, the headaches of the de Mare household, and every other hardship she faced.

Marrying Prince Alfonso would certainly solve all her problems cleanly. Of course, Cesare’s later rebellion still loomed in the future, but she already knew much of the cards Cesare held at the time he planned his betrayal.

If history unfolded as before, she could stop that rebellion herself.

Thus, she believed this was the perfect arrangement—beneficial for both Alfonso and herself. If only Alfonso agreed to marry her, nothing would stand in their way.

Therefore, without even a trace of guilt, Ariadne deliberately laid traps to ensnare the heart of the seventeen-year-old boy both when they first met at the Lambouyé Orphanage and again during their second encounter in the Queen’s garden.

Her lingering guilt over having personally led the Alfonso of her past life into a trap gradually faded. This time, through marrying Alfonso, she would place him securely on the throne herself.

And she never worried or fretted over his response. If he didn’t fall for one trap, she’d set another. If he didn’t love her, she could still become his political bride and claim the seat beside him.

No matter the method, the outcome would be justified. Once she obtained Alfonso’s marriage pledge, Ariadne would be very close to the freedom she had always dreamed of. As a bonus, Alfonso would also gain the throne, his rightful inheritance.

But at some point, the man who had been her brother-in-law in her past life—and now this cheerful boy—had seeped into her heart. She missed him when they were apart, wondered how he was doing, and deep within her chest coiled a longing: she wanted him to wonder about her too, to miss her as well.

It wasn’t about political utility or mutually beneficial symbiosis—she wanted Alfonso’s heart, his sincerity. She wanted to rescue him from unhappiness and shield him from worry and sorrow.

‘Get a hold of yourself.’

Ariadne shook her head left and right.

She still wasn’t entirely safe. True, she had just secured permission to audit Lucrezia’s ledgers, giving her temporary breathing room at home—but once her eldest brother Ippolito returned from his studies abroad, she couldn’t predict how the household’s power dynamics might shift.

And as time passed, Cardinal de Mare would inevitably grow old and die, and Ippolito—Lucrezia’s son and Isabella’s elder brother—would inherit the de Mare family. She had to marry and leave the house before that happened.

‘I’m practically a fool, completely smitten with a man.’

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