“Isn’t it obvious what the Lady would say!”

Although Giada raised her voice in protest, Ariadne coldly brushed aside Giada’s objections. She just glanced at Giada, then looked down at her nails as if bored.

“Giada. I need a place to store the leftovers from the debutante ball. We must use things sparingly. As you know, this house has a lot of surplus. But this month, mother has bought a lot of new stuff.”

“What are you saying now…”

“Do you know that preserved fish from Taranto is scheduled to arrive next week?”

Lucrezia started buying local specialties from Taranto when sending money to the Roshi family was blocked. No doubt, Lucrezia was buying Taranto’s specialties, including pickled fish, at a price higher than the market price.

“Fresh fish tastes better. The cardinal probably prefers live fish over pickled ones, right?”

It was a threat that if she protested, she would expose Lucrezia’s futility. Ariadne looked at Giada for a long time.

“Go and ask mother if she really doesn’t want to give me the back room of the kitchen.”

She gently put pressure on Giada with her gaze. If it was discovered that Lucrezia had sent money irregularly to Taranto, could you bear being blamed?

Ariadne, who did not highly evaluate Giada’s intelligence, kindly explained with her mouth.

“And if this is not what mother wants, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bother me with these trivial matters. If you cause trouble for your master while proving your loyalty here and there, isn’t that rather a nuisance?”

Overwhelmed, Giada stepped back. She looked around helplessly, then finally ran away in a hurry.

Since then, there had been no incidents where the maids under Lucrezia bothered Ariadne.

Sancha admired as she installed a huge lock in the kitchen’s back room, the key to which only they possessed.

“I used to have to beg and coax, it’s really a change of pace. Miss, you easily drove away housekeeper Giada.”

“Are you satisfied with this? Our Sancha, you dream small.”

Not only Sancha recognized Ariadne’s change in status. After Isabella’s confinement, Arabella practically lived in Ariadne’s room.

“Ari, you’re amazing!”

She still didn’t call Ariadne ‘sister’ when referring to her alone. But Arabella had already started calling Ariadne by her nickname.

“I want to study hard and get familiar with the trends in the social world, so I can be recognized by mom and dad, like Ari!”

Despite Ariadne’s lack of fashion sense, thanks to what she saw and heard in the future, she was unintentionally leading the trends of San Carlo.

Ariadne made hits with the simple silk dress she wore at the debutante ball and the striped equestrian outfit she wore at the hunting party.

It wasn’t just clothing. She even made round eye makeup a trend in the San Carlo society this fall. It was trendy for everyone to fill in the triangular zone under their eyes.

Children who had not yet had their debutante ball were not supposed to wear makeup according to San Carlo customs, but today Arabella was proudly filling in the triangular zone under her eyes by cleverly stealing her sisters’ makeup.

“Where do you come up with all that?”

“Why don’t you ask for tips on how to study theology well?”

Arabella scowled at Ariadne’s question. Arabella had a disease called study.

“Because… I don’t want to?”

Ariadne couldn’t help but laugh at the very honest answer. She tapped Arabella’s scrunched up nose with her finger and scolded her.

“How can you become the great person you want to be by only doing what you want?”

Arabella pouted her lips and mumbled. But Ariadne, even though she said so, had no intention of teaching Arabella theology or etiquette.

Why would she need to study broadly like others when she has something she’s exceptionally good at?

“How about studying composition or playing a little more?”

Color returned to Arabella’s face, but soon she frowned.

“But… Mr. Mancini is tolerable at playing, but composition isn’t his major. There’s no female home teacher who can teach composition in San Carlo.”

Ariadne responded gracefully.

“You can go study abroad in Padua.”

Padua was the city of the university where her brother Epolito was studying. Arabella checked to make sure she heard correctly and her small face literally lit up once she confirmed it was indeed Padua.

“But Ari, does the University of Padua accept women?”

Arabella’s concern had a basis. The University of Padua primarily taught theology, law, accounting, and occasionally military science, and they had never once admitted a female student.

“The Music University is different. They said they are creating a new Music University in collaboration with a nunnery in Padua.”

Music was considered a virtue that women should cultivate, so noble young ladies and wives were actively encouraged to play at least one or two instruments.

Moreover, because the Holy See accepted music as part of the celibacy ceremony, many nuns from noble families were well versed in music.