After the incident of defeating the apostle of Acerreto and meeting with Her Majesty the Queen, Ariadne and Sancha’s living standards rose vertically.

First, they got a room at the west end with a study and reception room on the second floor. For convenience, it was called a ‘room’, but in reality, it was a small living space with two inner rooms attached to their own living room, like a suite room.

Originally, it was the room used by the eldest son Ippolito, so it was the largest and best room among those used by the children.

“Young lady! It’s really magnificent!”

Sancha exclaimed in admiration at the fluffiness as she patted the down comforter on Ariadne’s new bed. Though there was no need to pat the new comforter, Sancha enjoyed the texture as she patted it two, three times.

“Hey, you don’t need to do that yourself.”

They were also assigned new maids, Anna and Maria. Sancha had gained subordinates just a few months into her life as a maid. But Sancha glared and got angry at Ariadne.

“Young lady! How can you trust those girls with things that directly touch your body! They’re only for the study!”

Ariadne smiled softly at Sancha’s fuss. It’s not bad to be thorough, but she’ll tire herself out at this rate.

− Knock knock!

A rough knocking sound rang on Ariadne’s door.

As if knocking once for courtesy, the door opened without waiting for a response, and Arabella appeared behind it.

Arabella came in hugging a lute half the size of her body.

“Hmph, it’s not like I particularly wanted to play together. I came to monitor what kind of foolish things you’re doing.”

Ariadne instantly tidied up the laxness she had when alone with Sancha and greeted Arabella with a gentle smile like a ‘good elder sister’.

“Why did you bring the lute? Do you usually like the lute?”

“You must not know, but I’m a lute genius.”

Arabella wouldn’t call her ‘elder sister’ even if her mouth split. But Ariadne didn’t bother to point out the way her younger sister kept calling her ‘you’.

It was because she hadn’t yet decided whether to act as an elder sister to Arabella, or if she could. She hated receiving favors she couldn’t return. If she couldn’t return them, it was easier not to receive them in the first place.

“You must have talent for playing?”

“Just playing? I’m good at composing too.”

The ten-year-old girl spat out sarcastically, but Ariadne wasn’t particularly angered by Arabella’s attitude. It was because she had been observing Arabella’s marginalized position at home for the past few months.

Lucrezia unconditionally coddled Isabella, while conversely, she excessively disciplined Arabella even for things that didn’t need scolding. There was no standard. These were things that weren’t visible when they were younger.

Moreover, as Ariadne, who hadn’t received proper noble education in her previous life and was thrown directly into high society, was looked down upon as vulgar for not being able to play any instruments, Arabella’s boasting was somewhat curious and somewhat enviable.

“Are you really that good? Play something!”

Recognizing Ariadne’s question as a challenge, Arabella bristled, adjusted her posture, and placed the lute on her lap. As she held the head with her left hand and plucked the strings with her right, soft melodies flowed out.

− Diring.

It was a splendid piece that traversed up and down the octave. Arabella’s small fingers moved along the strings without a single mistake amidst the constantly changing pitches.

“Wow.”

− Clap clap clap!

“You’re good?”

“Young Lady Arabella, you’re amazing!”

Sancha also hid her open-hearted attitude when alone with Ariadne and returned to employee mode, showering soulless praise. But because Arabella’s performance was truly good, Sancha could applaud willingly.

“What piece is that? It looks really difficult.”

Arabella blushed slightly while hugging the lute.

“It’s one I composed!”

“You?”

This time Ariadne was genuinely a little surprised.

“Really? Isn’t it an existing piece you modified a bit on your own?”

“No! I made everything from the harmony to the melody by hand!”

As Arabella flared up, Ariadne soothed her.

“Whoa, whoa, I just said that because the song was so good. You really have talent, don’t you?”

“Hmph, it’s nothing special.”

Sancha giggled softly as she watched Arabella get embarrassed when praised and angry when ignored.

Arabella immediately glared at Sancha, but when Ariadne looked at her sternly, she pouted and turned her head away as if she couldn’t win.

“Actually, I want a pipe organ. I want to arrange a Missa Brevis with the pipe organ as the main instrument and seven string instruments in ensemble.”

“Can’t you use the one in the cathedral?”

A pipe organ was such a huge fixture that the place for the vacuum tubes had to be carefully considered when constructing the building.

However, Cardinal De Mare’s dependents could use the pipe organ installed in the San Ercole Cathedral, borrowing the Cardinal’s influence.

“I can only use that for accompanying mass on Sundays. Even if I lie that I’m practicing the accompaniment, it’s limited to about three hours each on Wednesday and Saturday. The priests and nuns keep using it, they say.”

“Can’t you ask Mother or His Eminence the Cardinal to buy you a pipe organ?”

Arabella frowned deeply, and this time she really seemed upset. But despite her furrowed brow, her words were careful.

“Mother… says a pipe organ is expensive. It’s too expensive to invest just for one girl alone.”

Ariadne looked steadily at Arabella, who was saying things a child shouldn’t say. It seemed certain that she was reciting Lucrezia’s words verbatim. It appeared she had already begged once to have it bought and been refused.

“A good girl should share nice things with her sisters… The pipe organ is something elder sister Isabella doesn’t use. So she can’t buy it just for me, she says.”

Arabella suddenly pouted as she spoke.

“I’m not asking you! I’m not saying you’re a sister either! Even if you say you want to use it, Mother won’t buy it for you!”

Ariadne gently smiled and laughed off Arabella’s meaningless attack.

Really, what Arabella truly wanted to say was ‘Mom only loves me. Don’t touch my pipe organ’, and the person she wanted to say that to was probably Isabella.

“I don’t know how to play the pipe organ, so even if they bought one, I couldn’t share it. Don’t worry. I won’t take what’s yours.”

Ariadne gently encouraged Arabella, who was looking at her with a face mixed half with doubt and half with relief.

“If you really want a pipe organ, tell elder sister Isabella to ask for one. If elder sister Isabella asks, Mother will probably agree, don’t you think?”

Arabella hugged the lute with a subtle expression mixing hurt and material desire.

Ariadne hugged Arabella from behind again, and Arabella, perhaps because she was still young, didn’t push her away.

If she had been in puberty, if she had known how to properly be wary of people even a little, it wouldn’t have been possible at all.

‘You poor child starved for affection.’

But I’m in an even worse situation. How dare I feel sympathy for the child of Cardinal De Mare and Lucrezia?

Arabella was a clever child. Her mother’s favoritism towards her elder sister was an unchanging fact for now, and denying it wouldn’t change anything.

On the other hand, if she extended her lifelong servile attitude towards her biological elder sister just a little longer, she could have the pipe organ she’d dreamed of.

So Arabella decided to try asking Isabella. Because she was a little scared to do it alone, it was in the 2nd floor reception room for girls where all three ‘sisters’ gathered to spend time before the home tutor arrived.

Isabella had braided her amber-colored hair into one plait hanging to one side, and was wearing a well-fitted lavender indoor dress while applying perfumed oil to her eyelashes.

Her eyelashes glistening with perfumed oil and the amethyst-like eyes beneath them were incomparably beautiful and also bored.

Intimidated by her biological elder sister’s fiery beauty, Arabella timidly spoke up.

“Um, elder sister.”

Isabella raised her moist, perfumed eyelashes to look down at Arabella. Though her gestures showed annoyance, her voice was as kind as jade beads rolling on a silver tray.

“What is it, Arabella?”

“Um, could you please ask Mother to buy me a pipe organ?”

Ariadne, who was pretending not to listen but eavesdropping on their conversation over her shoulder, unknowingly shook her head.

She should have made Isabella want the pipe organ; if she asked so directly like this, it was obvious Isabella would try to milk it for all it was worth.

Indeed, Isabella frowned her beautiful face in annoyance, then glanced at Ariadne and held back once. Isabella was still maintaining a minimum image around Ariadne.

‘No one knows her as well as I do, it’s useless no matter how much she pretends to be nice.’

Regardless of what Ariadne thought, Isabella still replied in a kind voice.

“Arabella, a pipe organ isn’t something you can just buy because you want it. Luxury is a bad thing and doesn’t suit a fine young lady.”

“It’s not luxury! I’ll really use it! I want to modify the newly composed hymn for pipe organ, but I can’t use the one in the cathedral for long so it’s not working out.”

Arabella, on the verge of tears, was about to attack Isabella saying ‘Don’t you collect cosmetics and luxury goods imported from the Moorish Empire in the East, paying gold coins for them? A pipe organ is much more wholesome than that’, but seeing her expression, Ariadne gently pulled Arabella back and placed a hand over her lips.

Stroking the cheek of the flaring Arabella, Ariadne put in a word on behalf of her tactless younger sister.

“Elder sister Isabella, Arabella’s hymn is truly beautiful. It’s not at the level of children’s play.”

Ariadne gestured to Arabella, looking at the lute.

“Arabella. Play it once.”

− Diring.

Without a word, Arabella gently plucked the lute strings as instructed. It was a splendid melody with layers too ornate to match the modest sound of the lute.

Isabella, listening to the performance, soon widened her eyes, and after about 30 seconds, waved her hand signaling to stop. Then, before the performance was even over, she spoke to Arabella.

“Wait, did you really compose this?”

“Yes!”

“What kind of piece is it for?”

“It’s a Missa Brevis*. It’s still incomplete, so there are parts that need more work.”

Isabella’s bored amethyst eyes sparkled and narrowed. It was the expression she made when plotting something bad.