Lady Romani readily accepted the role of Ariadne’s chaperone.

It was also because Lady Romani agreed to be her chaperone that Ariadne was able to enjoy two precious outings in late summer, including a visit to the Langbuye Orphanage.

The date she had promised to attend the art salon of the Marchioness of Chibo quickly approached, and Ariadne was currently on her way to the Chibo mansion in a carriage.

“My lady, they say the prince is coming!”

Sancha, who was riding in the carriage with her, chattered excitedly.

“We should have dressed up even more beautifully today!”

Ariadne was wearing a lovely yellow dress tailored at Ragione Tailor Shop and the topaz earrings set in gold that Isabella had coveted before.

The luxurious accessories worn over her neat attire clearly demonstrated her status as a young lady from a noble family.

“The accessories bestowed by Her Majesty the Queen are so pretty, but you have too few outfits, my lady. Could we place another order with Ragione Tailor Shop soon?”

Ariadne smiled at Sancha’s excited chatter.

“Let’s wait and see.”

The real reason Ariadne wanted to attend the Marchioness of Chibo’s salon today was actually more than just the prince. Today’s gathering was a practical art auction showcased by merchants from the Republic of Porto.

Ariadne still remembered this art auction because it had caused a stir in the Etruscan Kingdom in her previous life. It hadn’t been a good kind of stir.

The main pieces and highlight of today’s auction were ancient Hellenic-era statues said to have been excavated from a newly discovered ruin in the northern city of Rastra.

The most famous among them was a statue of Nike, the ancient goddess of victory. It had been highly praised in the “Hellenic Travelogue” by the historian and writer Halicardotos as “a work that embodies the indomitable and strong human will soaring toward the sky.”

Sculpture techniques in the Central Continent were rapidly developing with the coexistence of aristocratic patronage systems for artists, personal apprenticeship systems for artists, and national-level painter association art festival systems. However, the demand for sculptures from the ancient Hellenic era and the subsequent Latin Empire era, which were more renowned than the present, still soared through the roof.

This was true for both research purposes and for the purpose of ownership and ostentation.

However, the biggest disadvantage was that even marble statues from the ancient Hellenic era were usually in poor condition when excavated after being buried underground for a long time.

The fate of the “Victoria Nike” statue was even more harsh. Halicardotos had already lamented in his time, “Her delicate wings have already been damaged by one instance of destruction caused by the Moorish army that swept through the temple during the Selesphon War, and restoration…”

The text after that could not be confirmed as the “Hellenic Travelogue” itself was partially lost.

The merchants from the Republic of Porto excitedly claimed that today was the resurrection of “Victoria Nike” and boasted that such a well-preserved statue from the ancient Hellenic era was unprecedented. Their boasting was indeed true.

Enticed by this, a powerful nobleman from San Carlo purchased “Victoria Nike” at a record-high price. To install “Victoria Nike,” the nobleman’s mansion underwent a complete renovation of the front courtyard.

The major construction of tearing out the fountain in front of the main gate of the large mansion near downtown San Carlo was the talk of the town. After completing the ostentatious construction, the nobleman’s family installed “Victoria Nike” where the fountain had been, flaunting her noble appearance and announcing their prestige to all.

However, the problem arose when the lost latter part of Halicardotos’ travelogue was discovered.

“Her delicate wings have already been damaged by one instance of destruction, and restoration…”

This was the original phrase, but the newly discovered subsequent text concluded as follows:

“…has become impossible, so she is exhibited with one wing missing. Her head and left arm have also disappeared somewhere, but the people of Tivos say that the appearance of ‘Victoria Nike’ having overcome the devastation of the Selesphon War is also one aspect of victory, and they enshrined the broken goddess as she was. It was a scene that highlighted the mature historical consciousness of the people of Tivos.”

It turned out that it was not “already exhibited after one round of restoration,” as previously interpreted.

In fact, a change in the interpretation of the travelogue was no big deal. It would just require changing a few lines in textbooks.

The real problem was that the “Victoria Nike” occupying the center of the powerful nobleman’s garden had both of her beautiful wings soaring high.

The newly discovered “Hellenic Travelogue” clearly stated that “Victoria Nike” was broken and restoration was impossible, yet this “Victoria Nike” had her head and both arms fully intact.

Moreover, the ancient Hellenic city of Tivos was located at the eastern end of the Central Continent, so the ethnicity was slightly different. However, the face of “Victoria Nike” undoubtedly had an Etruscan woman as its model, leaving people speechless.

The entire San Carlo was turned upside down as people began to verify the authenticity of the statue. This incident engrossed the city for about a month as if it were a hobby for all the residents of San Carlo. Ariadne had vivid memories of it.

“We came here to buy things.”

Ariadne told Sancha. Of course, she wasn’t going to buy “Victoria Nike.” There was no reason to, and she didn’t have that kind of money.

What Ariadne was aiming for today were a few paintings that would be auctioned together.

The number of pieces she would buy would be determined by the state of her purse, but the emerging artist of the paintings to be auctioned today would see a sharp rise in value next year and would become the main painter of the prosperous Cheonghwangcheong within just 5-6 years.

“We’ve arrived!”

With the coachman’s guidance, Ariadne got out of the carriage with Sancha’s support. A servant of the Chibo family was outside to guide them.

Ariadne, wearing the parasol Sancha had put on her, was slowly walking toward the main building of the Chibo mansion, following the servant’s guidance. Then, the sound of a noisy carriage procession was heard from behind.

– “Hurry! Hurry!”
– Clop clop clop.

The carriage, drawn by four white horses adorned with gold, did not slow down at all even as it approached the point where other nobles got off and walked in.

The golden carriage passed by several nobles walking after passing that point and pulled right up to the front entrance of the Chibo mansion’s main building.

“His Royal Highness Prince Alfonso has arrived!”
“Has the prince arrived!”
“It is an infinite honor for you to visit our humble home. Please come inside.”

The rest of the sounds from afar were faintly mixed, but the prince’s name was clearly caught in the ear due to the resounding voice of the prince’s attendant.

“It seems the prince has arrived.”

For some reason, Sancha, who should have been excited, was indifferent.

“What’s wrong, Sancha? You were so happy earlier, saying you’d get to see the prince.”

In response to Ariadne’s question, Sancha replied sullenly.

“No, it’s just that we all got off way over there and walked, but the prince got off right in front of the front door and went straight in. You’re the one wearing high heels and have a weaker body, my lady! If they were going to pull the carriage right up, they should have allowed it for you, not the prince.”

Ariadne tapped Sancha’s sullen protruding lips with her finger.

“Don’t say such things! You’ll get in trouble!”

Ariadne furtively gauged the reactions of the servants of the Chibo family. They didn’t seem to be particularly listening to their conversation. Ariadne lowered her voice and whispered to Sancha.

“A good ruler protects his people from external forces in times of war and takes care of the weak in times of peace. The authority they enjoy is a tool to make that more feasible. A ruler without authority cannot truly exert power when needed.”

She pondered for a moment, searching her memory, and then said to Sancha.

“I believe His Highness Prince Alfonso is someone who possesses the qualities of a good ruler in abundance.”

“What about the current king?”

“Of course he is a wise ruler!”

Ariadne, who answered loudly so that everyone around could hear, discreetly showed Sancha a hand gesture with her index and middle fingers crossed under the cuff of her dress sleeve.

According to the teachings of the Holy Emperor, lying is punished, but when lying is inevitable, it is a finger gesture made to God, saying, “Please let it slide just this once.”

Sancha burst out laughing, and the two entered the main building of the Chibo mansion, laughing brightly.

“The young Lady De Mare has arrived!”

A servant of the Chibo family announced Ariadne’s entrance. The people inside who had been whispering to each other suddenly fell silent for a moment.

This was not the overwhelming silence that occurred when Prince Alfonso or another person of power entered the hall, but a momentary silence out of curiosity.

Everyone wanted to see the second daughter of the cardinal, who had become immensely famous due to the Apostle of Aseretto incident. Once they confirmed the cardinal’s daughter with their own eyes, the conversations that had paused for a moment exploded.

– “She’s not as beautiful as her older sister.”
– “But she’s still cute enough. I heard she’s only half-blooded, right?”
– “That family, Lucrezia isn’t even that pretty, so how is the eldest daughter so beautiful?”

Everyone was talking about Ariadne, but no one actually came to greet Ariadne herself. Only the Marchioness of Chibo, the host who had sent the invitation, hurried across the hall to greet Ariadne.

“Lady De Mare, thank you for gracing us with your presence today. Was your journey here all right?”

“Thanks to you, I arrived comfortably. Where is Lady Romani?”

“She just went to the ladies’ powder room for a moment due to the heat. She’ll be out soon. Take a look around!”

The Marchioness of Chibo, being the hostess of the party, could not stay by Ariadne’s side continuously. Moreover, due to the nature of today’s gathering being an art auction, there were overwhelmingly more mature nobles and their wives than Ariadne’s peers.

It wasn’t a place for Ariadne to fit in. So Ariadne decided to wander around the hall full of unfamiliar people with her hands clasped behind her back until Lady Romani came out.

At that moment, Prince Alfonso, who had been surrounded by people, was seen far away. Ariadne lowered her head and turned her body toward the corner of the party venue before their eyes could meet.

For some reason, Ariadne didn’t want to be seen alone by him.

‘Why all of a sudden…?’

Ariadne analyzed her own feelings to hide her confused heart.

Although she thought to herself that eating alone, taking walks alone, and being cooped up in the library alone was very comfortable, she must have actually been bothered by it. That’s why she didn’t want to meet the prince.

And at that moment, the golden-haired boy who had been engulfed by the crowd spotted Ariadne first.

Unable to call out her name loudly in the crowded place, Alfonso raised his right hand high while looking straight at Ariadne.

Ariadne had turned her steps to leave the party venue, but she couldn’t stop her gaze from being drawn to the prince.

The black-haired girl who took one last look at him before leaving burst into laughter at the sight of Prince Alfonso and stopped in her tracks.