Young Ariadne’s life was difficult.

Growing up on the farm was a constant series of beatings and hunger.

After entering the grand mansion of San Carlo, she faced mistreatment and betrayal due to subtle schemes.

Ariadne believed this was natural because she was born to a lowly maid, not the noble Lucrezia.

Though illegitimate, she thought she was lucky to be part of the family, at least half the noble daughter of Cardinal De Mare, and believed that if she lived diligently and kindly, she would be rewarded by those who treated her well.

Reality was the opposite. Staying quiet led to exploitation and deception. All rewards went to selfish people with loud voices.

Old woman Zan Galeazzo was that type of person.

When Nicolo the butler came from the castle, she said she knew this day would come, that there was reward in raising young Ariadne well, and flattering him, saying she couldn’t give up Ariadne unless they treated the old woman who suffered so much well, taking gold coins from Nicolo.

Young Ariadne, who was beaten daily with the old woman’s broom, was dumbfounded and furious that day, but then she thought her merciful and just father, or the virtuous San Carlo society, would find and punish those who wronged her.

What a foolish expectation.

I had to protect myself.

‘I won’t be passively mistreated again.’

* * *

“Oh my, butler! What brings you to such a humble place?”

The cold-looking butler Nicolo stated his business.

“I’ve come to bring Lady Ariadne to the main castle.”

“Ariadne, that wench… I mean, young lady?”

Old woman Zan Galeazzo was greatly flustered. Just this morning, she had beaten Ariadne with a broom, leaving marks on her face, and hadn’t prepared any good clothes for her to change into.

“Lady Ariadne is usually not up at this hour due to laziness. She should wash up and get ready to be presentable for the mansion.”

“Preparing here would only be troublesome. I’ll take her immediately.”

Old woman Zan Galeazzo rolled her eyes.

At that moment, Ariadne appeared before butler Nicolo.

“I can go in right away.”

Her clothes were terribly old and shabby. However, butler Nicolo clearly saw Ariadne’s mess but decided to ignore it.

There was no need to take sides with the illegitimate young lady and risk an uncomfortable relationship with old woman Zan Galeazzo, the power in the Bergamo farm under the direct control of the Holy See.

“Hmm. Let’s go in then. Old woman Zan Galeazzo. Thank you for taking care of Lady Ariadne all this time.”

“Oh my! Of course, of course! No one can doubt the loyalty of this Zan Galeazzo!”

A mischievous light gleamed in Ariadne’s deep blue-green eyes.

“Old woman Zan Galeazzo. Thank you for your efforts until now. But from now on, I’ll have to rely on butler Nicolo, so why don’t we give him the remaining amount from the 2 ducats (about 2 million won) that Lady Lucrezia sent monthly to take good care of me as a token of appreciation?”

Butler Nicolo had intended to ignore the shabby-looking illegitimate young lady, but if money was involved, it was a different story.

“2 ducats? You’ve eaten up that much, and yet the young lady looks like this? Where did all that money go?”

Old woman Zan Galeazzo’s face turned pale blue.

“No, this is slander! Lady Lucrezia never sent any money. I’ve been feeding, clothing, and housing Lady Ariadne with my own money, that’s why I’m so impoverished.”

Ariadne smiled widely and interrupted the old woman’s words.

“Old woman Zan Galeazzo, are you now slandering my parents, saying they’re so inconsiderate as to entrust their child to a subordinate without compensation?”

Old woman Zan Galeazzo’s pupils shook uneasily. Ariadne firmly drove in the final nail.

“That’s enough lies, old woman Zan Galeazzo. I know you received money on the first of every month.”

Ariadne turned to butler Nicolo and said.

“Butler, if you don’t believe me, search the head of old woman Zan Galeazzo’s bed!”

Two of the servants who accompanied butler Nicolo forced old woman Zan Galeazzo to her knees on the floor, while the other two rushed into her room.

They soon returned with a money pouch and a ledger.

“Butler, here it is!”

Indeed, there was a pile of gold coins. However, the amount of gold coins was ridiculously small to be considered savings of 2 ducats (about 2 million won) per month for 15 years.

“Will you still deny it now?”

“Oh my! This lowly one has done wrong. Lady Lucrezia did give money monthly. But I absolutely did not receive 2 ducats every month.”

Old woman Zan Galeazzo, kneeling on the floor and bowing obsequiously, shouted loudly.

“Lady Lucrezia only gave me 50 florins (about 500,000 won)! After feeding, clothing, and housing Lady Ariadne well, this is all that’s left.”

‘That’s it.’

Ariadne laughed inwardly.

‘Now that those words have left your mouth, you’re finished, Zan Galeazzo.’

You should have said you spent all 2 ducats raising her luxuriously and nothing was left. Without evidence, that would have looked better to Lady Lucrezia anyway.

“First you said you never received anything, and now you say you only received 50 florins!”

Ariadne looked old woman Zan Galeazzo up and down with an expression too cold for a fifteen-year-old girl.

“As far as I know, Lady Lucrezia definitely gave old woman Zan Galeazzo 2 ducats per month.”

Someone had embezzled 1 ducat 50 florins every month.

That someone was either Zan Galeazzo or Lady Lucrezia.

“We can find out who the liar is by just asking Lady Lucrezia how much she gave monthly. Go ask her right now!”

A smile also appeared on butler Nicolo’s lips. This was as easy as falling off a log.

If the embezzler was old woman Zan Galeazzo, she would bribe butler Nicolo before it reached Lady Lucrezia’s ears.

If the embezzler was Lucrezia, she would pin everything on Zan Galeazzo, and in the process, slip a little something to butler Nicolo to keep things quiet.

There was no way the words of a small illegitimate young lady would carry weight, but butler Nicolo wouldn’t just let go of an opportunity for extra income.

“Understood. Hey, lock up Zan Galeazzo in the warehouse!”

“Oh my, this is unjust, my lord, please save me, young lady!”

Two servants rushed in again and dragged old woman Zan Galeazzo to the warehouse that doubled as a pigsty and cleaning tool storage.

Oh dear, if she had clung to Nicolo’s trouser legs right now and used all her wealth as a bribe, she might have survived. Zan Galeazzo missed her last chance.

According to the memories of her previous life, Ariadne’s living expenses set by her father, Cardinal De Mare, were indeed 2 ducats.

However, even that was too much for the Cardinal’s mistress, Lucrezia, who skimmed off 1 ducat and paid old woman Zan Galeazzo, and the old woman, in turn, diligently embezzled 50 florins every month from that.

This situation was a collaboration between the two, and no one was innocent.

‘Lucrezia isn’t the kind of woman to let Father catch her skimming money.’

If this story reached Lucrezia’s ears, old woman Zan Galeazzo would be lucky to be driven out with her life intact.

By tonight at the latest, she would be dead, or at minimum, driven out with broken legs.

“Let’s go, Nicolo.”

Ariadne was no longer showing respect to the butler. She boldly took the first steps towards the main castle, even in her rags.

That night, as expected, two robust dark figures snuck into the pigsty-cum-warehouse where old woman Zan Galeazzo was confined. Lucrezia was cruel enough to meet Ariadne’s expectations.

“Aah!”

There was a slight murmuring sound from the pigsty, a sharp squeal like that of a pig being slaughtered rang out once, and the two dark figures who had entered lightly came out carrying a large black bundle.

The black bundle was thrown into the Tiber River, filled with stones.

The next morning, when old woman Zan Galeazzo’s sons and eldest daughter arrived in a hurry at the Bergamo farm after hearing the news that something terrible had happened to their mother, old woman Zan Galeazzo had already mysteriously disappeared.

One long-standing debt of hatred finally exacted its price and ended.

* * *

The Cardinal’s residence in the De Carlo main castle was grand and splendid. There was no trace of frugality, the foremost virtue of a clergyman. The white marble walls and floors were adorned with the finest tapestries and carpets.

As Ariadne crossed the center of the Cardinal’s residence, flaunting overwhelming luxury in her rags, the maids who were moving about in groups looked at her. Among the bolder ones, some were giggling.

“What’s this, a new maid?”

“Even a maid’s uniform is more expensive than that, you know?”

It was obvious that they couldn’t not know that Ariadne was the young lady of this house.

Either the discipline of the Cardinal’s residence staff was in shambles, or in the eyes of the masters of this house, Ariadne was a subject that could be treated this way.

‘Probably the latter.’

The first floor of the Cardinal’s residence was a public space with reception rooms, living rooms, small banquet halls and dining rooms, and guest rooms, while the second floor was a relatively intimate place with the couple’s bedroom, children’s bedrooms, and the Cardinal’s study.

The butler led Ariadne past the first floor with its guest rooms and the second floor with the family quarters, to the third floor.

The third floor was where the servants’ quarters, attics, and storerooms were located.

“This is your room, young lady.”

The room Ariadne was assigned was on the third floor wing, looking like an unused tutor’s room.

“Please make yourself comfortable. I will send up a maid to attend to you soon.”

After butler Nicolo closed the door and withdrew, Ariadne quickly surveyed her surroundings.

It was a fairly clean room.

In the wardrobe hung a couple of modest silk dresses. One for going out, one for indoors, and a cotton nightgown to wear at night. Plus one pair of shoes.

Just enough to make do.

Ariadne smiled bitterly. These clothes clearly showed how this household treated her.

The bare minimum without losing face. Even after regressing, nothing has changed.

− Knock knock.

“I’m coming in, young lady.”

The maid entered abruptly without waiting for a response to her knock.

“Please change your clothes quickly. The Cardinal is calling for you.”

Her attitude was strangely, no, blatantly insolent.

“I’ll be waiting outside, so come out quickly.”

“You, where do you belong?”

“What does it matter to you, young lady?”

Detecting the dismissal in the maid’s attitude, sparks flew from Ariadne’s emerald green eyes.