“The biggest problem is that the energy of the lady and elder daughter is in opposition to that of the younger daughter. Through the purification ceremony, if we can shake off the power of the jewel, everything will unravel and return to the way it was.”

She opened her eyes thinly and looked at Lucrezia.

“Don’t you think we should restore the honor of the elder daughter who has been wrongly accused, and reclaim the glory that was rightfully hers?”

The gypsy woman had already investigated the de Mare Cardinal’s family before setting up this scenario.

Currently, the social world was rampant with rumors that the Cardinal de Mare’s eldest daughter was the mistress of the Duke of Campa. A loving mother would not be able to resist the temptation of the purification ceremony.

“It’s not a mother’s attitude to stand by when there is something that can be done.”

Indeed, to Lucrezia’s ears, this story sounded like if only the purification ceremony was performed, somehow Isabella would be able to marry Prince Alfonso.

And if the purification ceremony wasn’t performed, she was filled with anxiety that Ariadne would take that place.

Lucrezia firmly grabbed the gypsy woman’s hand.

“Let’s do it.”

But this time it was the gypsy woman’s turn to recoil. She stepped back, looking at Lucrezia skeptically.

“Can you do it?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“The blood of a dead frog, the gallbladder of a viper, frankincense from the Moor Empire, and gold melted like lead. And the price the shaman has to pay.”

The gypsy woman stared at Lucrezia.

“The ingredients are precious and the people who can do it are even more precious. I have to pay ‘the law of causality’ as the price of this purification ceremony.”

She spread out two fingers.

“200 Ducato (about 200 million won). Anything less is impossible.”

Lucrezia’s mouth dropped open.

On the way home in the carriage, Giada cautiously spoke to Lucrezia.

“Madam, I think 200 Ducato (about 200 million won) is too much.”

She added cautiously.

“It’s been a while since we couldn’t send money to Taranto. Do we have any spare money in the household budget now?”

In fact, there was. They say a rich person can survive for three generations even after going bankrupt, and Lucrezia had been managing the de Mare Cardinal’s household budget for over 20 years.

There was some emergency money saved up both inside and outside the house. However, since there was no prospect of replenishing it, it was not easily touched.

Lucrezia exploded at Giada, who knew everything about the situation as she had followed her from the Rosi family.

“You’re right, the money sent to Taranto is just melting away. Was I wrong?”

The Rosi family, who received living expenses from Lucrezia, wasted it all.

The de Mare Cardinal suspected 20 Ducatos (about 20 million won) per month, but in fact, the money Lucrezia sent to her family in Taranto exceeded 30 Ducatos (about 30 million won) per month.

If they received between 30 and 35 Ducatos per month, they could have saved and invested, but the Rosi’s did nothing.

They could have bought land and farmed with the money Lucrezia sent them over the years, and they could have been called landlords, let alone living expenses. Instead, they were flowing out like water for alcohol, silk, and gambling money.

“Oh dear lady, but we can’t just not send it……”

Giada’s biological mother was working under the Roci family. Giada, too, was certain to face difficulties if the Roci family went under completely.

But more fundamentally, Giada could not advise Lucrezia to ignore the Rocis of Taranto.

What Giada held was the belief that even if she didn’t receive anything from her parents, a sister had to do everything for her parents’ sake to be a good person if she ignored her parents.

And that belief was something Lucrezia shared as well.

“You’re right, you’re right. But wait until the end of this month.”

The gypsy woman also put a time limit on Lucrezia’s retreating back.

“Two weeks! In two weeks, the ‘snake handler’ constellation closes and transitions to ‘Sagittarius’! We can only perform this ritual while the constellation of darkness is in the sky, and when it transitions to the normal zodiac era, the door closes!”

There was about a week of preparation time to actually carry out the purification ceremony, so it meant that money had to be gathered within a week.

Since about 60 ducats (approximately 60 million won) of money that couldn’t be sent to Taranto due to keeping an eye on Cardinal de Mare and Ariadne had been accumulated, it was worth trying if you could spare 140 ducats (approximately 140 million won).

“If this works out, we can go back to the way it used to be! My daughter is going to be the queen, right?”

Between a sense of duty and greed, greed had won.

Lucrezia was now feeling the greatest pressure she had ever felt in nearly 10 years. Isabella was Lucrezia’s pride and treasure.

She had been looking forward to the day when her daughter would enter the legitimate wife of a powerful man and relieve her mother’s lifelong grudge.