“…That note. It’s better not to make it public.”

“Oh?”

Queen Marguerite looked at Ariadne as if asking for an additional explanation. Ariadne, suspecting something, explained with a bitter smile.

“Of course, my personal interest is involved. If the note with my name were publicized, I would have to go through all kinds of hardships. However, the reason I say this is mostly to protect Prince Alfonso.”

Ariadne added.

“This means not only not making it public to the masses, but also keeping it a secret from King Leo III.”

Queen Marguerite understood Ariadne’s intentions perfectly.

“Our outsider would probably threaten my family with such evidence and propose a marriage alliance.”

“……”

Madam Carla, who was listening to all this conversation, wanted to say ‘No way!’ but couldn’t open her mouth. It was because she thought Queen Marguerite’s judgement was correct.

Ariadne answered clearly.

“I completely agree with Your Majesty’s insight. King Leo III’s top priority seems to be the conclusion of a marriage alliance.”

The qualities of a daughterinlaw are not a consideration for Leo III. Queen Marguerite watched Ariadne with sharp eyes.

“Why do you think so?”

In fact, it was because she knew from reading foreign secret documents while helping with politics as the fiancée of Cesare in her previous life. But she couldn’t answer that. However, if you only know the right direction, hints heading towards it are scattered here and there.

“This marriage alliance negotiation did not even think about breaking down from its inception. You can tell by the fact that the Grand Duchess from the Galician Kingdom sent herself to Etruscan.”

In this era, chastity was the greatest value of unmarried women. It was taboo to send a daughter outside unless the situation was carefully coordinated.

But, regardless of the delegation and the queen’s distant relative, sending a highranking noble of marriageable age to a foreign palace for several months is not helpful for the reputation.

If this marriage negotiation goes wrong, the Grand Duchess Lariessa will have a hard time finding the next marriage place.

However, the queen retorted.

“That shows Galician Kingdom’s desire for an alliance, not the will of the Etruscan Kingdom, isn’t it?”

Ariadne gave a sly smile and raised one finger.

“Firstly, without the permission of Etruscan, the Grand Duchess of Galicia cannot cross the border. If Etruscan entered this negotiation lightly, they would have definitely prevented her from coming. It would be a burden if the negotiation broke down.”

She raised another finger and spoke.

“And the excessively prolonged stay of the delegation.”

Ariadne tilted her head slightly.

“Even if I don’t know, Gallico would have made quite a number of fierce demands. If not, there is no reason for the envoy to stay this long. Nevertheless, both countries are still pushing and pulling in negotiations. It can only be interpreted as the expression of the will of the highest decisionmaker who wants to make this alliance by any means.”

The words of Ariadne did not deviate from the actual facts that had happened. Queen Marguerite gathered admiration in her heart and returned to their original topic.

“Good. Let’s finish explaining about the disclosure of the letter.”

“The letter should not be disclosed. If the letter of the Grand Duchess is disclosed, it is inevitable that the fact that the blood of the highest nobleman of Gallico got on Prince Alfonso’s hand in the process of investigating the Grand Duchess of Gallico will be revealed.”

Ariadne laughed lightly.

“Even leaving aside that a poor child completely ruined her life.”

Ariadne pushed forward relentlessly. It was a lightness as if it wasn’t her story, amidst the seriousness.

“There are too many opportunities for Prince Alfonso’s name to be revealed. My name will clearly float to the surface, and there will be people looking for connections there, and the Grand Duchess Lariesa herself could confess that it was out of jealousy for Prince Alfonso that she did it.”

Unable to hold back, Madame Carla, who had been listening next to them, cut in and gave a fierce rebuke.

“To think of Prince Alfonso just by hearing your name, you must have been quite loudly in love!”

Instead of restraining Madame Carla, Queen Marguerite changed the subject.

“That’s not all. There is a witness who saw Alfonso kill Duke Mireiyu.”

Ariadne’s eyes widened. This changes the story completely. If there is a witness, there is no reason not to disclose the letter. Because you can’t hide the fact that Prince Alfonso was involved anyway.

“Fortunately, the witness is not sane. He’s a jester who went mad after eating the wrong mushrooms last fall.”

“Then……”

“That witness was executed by His Majesty Leo III.”

Ariadne’s green eyes sparkled. This is a big hint that tells a lot of stories about Leo III’s position.

“Officially, the testimony was blocked. But people in the know would know.”

Queen Marguerite looked at Ariadne intently.

“So, do you still think I should hide the letter from Lariesa de Valois?”

Ariadne looked directly at Queen Marguerite.

“If I have to make some choice by force……”

She spoke with a smile in her eyes.

“That is certainly a lower strategy.”

Ariadne confidently told Queen Marguerite.

“Shake the board. You can only get what you want if the other side is drawn as I pull.”