Lucrezia, who had rushed to Ariadne’s library, had no idea why her husband had called her to their second daughter’s library. It was clear that it was not a good thing.

She carefully knocked on the door of the second daughter her husband brought from outside, and after confirming that her husband’s voice was heard inside, she went into the room.

“Lucrezia, look at this.”

Cardinal de Mare shook a doubleentry bookkeeping system where debit and credit are differentiated, in front of Lucrezia. Lucrezia looked into the paper, doubting what it was about.

Why did he write the same thing once on the left and once on the right, twice in total?

“She held the debutante ball for only 138 ducats.”

“Really?”

Lucrezia was surprised just then.

“Is that possible?”

“It’s possible because I have only 12 ducats left in my hand now!”

Cardinal de Mare shook a purse containing twelve gold coins in front of Lucrezia’s eyes, showing his anger.

“How much did you spend when you threw Ippolito’s farewell party last time? Even though the number of guests was only half compared to this time, you spent 500 ducats and 36 more!”

Under the interrogations of Cardinal de Mare, Lucrezia lowered her head and just looked down at the floor.

“Ariadne spent 138 ducats (about 138 million won) to organize the entire ball this time. This includes her own grooming costs of 20 ducats. But what about Isabella? Isabella spent 50 ducats (about 50 million won) on her dress alone!”

Cardinal de Mare was ready to tear Lucrezia apart with the household ledger if he could.

“With shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, and perfume, the total amount Isabella spent on her body is 68 ducats (about 68 million won)! Do you think this makes sense?”

Lucrezia, for her part, had nothing to say even if she had ten mouths. It was Lucrezia herself who had allowed Isabella’s luxurious dress.

She also sneaked in one of her own gold attachments while matching Isabella’s jewelry. She had shared some of it, so she couldn’t blame her daughter.

“From now on, Ariadne will handle her own expenses! And don’t let Isabella spend more than Ariadne does!”

“Excuse me?! Yes sir!”

Lucrezia’s expression became thoughtful at the news that she would hand over some of the household authority to her second daughter.

Lucrezia had relatives she had to feed. It was clear as fire that once she fell behind, she would keep falling behind.

She couldn’t back down here. Lucrezia pulled up the boiling anger from her stomach and showed her temper to Cardinal de Mare.

“What do you want me to become if you do this?! As a stepmother, my words won’t matter to that child!”

“If you’re a stepmother, you should’ve acted like one!”

But today, Cardinal de Mare seemed to have no intention of yielding.

“Do you remember what I said the day ‘The Heart of the Blue Sea’ came in! I said I’d take action soon, didn’t I?!”

He was referring to the time when it was revealed several times in the San Carlo social circles that she had been neglecting Ariadne and not feeding and clothing her properly.

Lucrezia had thought that her husband had quieted down and forgotten about it, but it was heartbreaking and unfair that he remembered even to the ducats and attacked her.

“I’ve been living with you for over 20 years! How could you do this to me?!”

“Actually, it’s 22 years. If you had ever managed the household budget cleanly during those 22 years, I wouldn’t have said a word. I don’t know anything else, but I never financially troubled you. You should have repaid my faith! I won’t hear any argument about this incident. So, you know that! Now, go!”

Her husband, who always gave way to Lucrezia step by step, was nowhere to be seen.

The problem of gold, sensitive to anyone but even more so to Cardinal de Mare, and the distrust built up due to Lucrezia’s relatives, gathered together and Lucrezia ended up being kicked out by her husband, selling everything that was there and not in front of Ariadne.

After driving Lucrezia out, Cardinal de Mare wiped his forehead with a handkerchief because he was in a bad mood.

“Hmm. Hmm. Anyway. The ball’s ledger was well prepared. Did something happen at the ball, if I recall?”

It was a reference to the incident where Ariadne’s outfit had torn.

“Yes, Father. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Ariadne respectfully bowed her head. Cardinal de Mare frowned.

“Indeed, I’ve heard from my social circles that there was no significant damage to your reputation.”

There were things that Cardinal de Mare had heard through the grapevine that he couldn’t dare tell his young daughter. Mostly, a rumor had spread among the gentlemen that the younger daughter of the de Mare family had certain aspects better than the elder one.

Any ordinary father would have been furious, but Cardinal de Mare was a peculiar man. He thought, ‘Regardless of the aspect, being popular is good,’ and let it pass.