The next day, Ramilio couldn’t get any work done at all.
“Sir…. are you listening?”
“I did listen…. So, what did you say?”
“…. I give up.”
Bosco said sulkily and disappeared.
Because Bosco quickly gave up on him, Ramilio was left in his office doing nothing but lazing around. This made him think more and more about the beautiful girl who had recently arrived at his house.
The sight of Lucrezia all dressed up at dinner had never left his mind. She was wearing a lovely dress, and when she shyly asked him if it suited her, he was tempted to stroke her incessantly like a pet, thinking, “Of course it does!”.
He had never seen such a lovely woman. It wasn’t only her appearance, but also that shy gesture that made him feel protective of her.
Ramilio was already being tamed by Lucrezia, and he was aware of it.
But…
He looked at the letter in his hand again.
It said that he wanted to borrow money.
The sender, the Duke of Serravalle, seemed to be quite strapped for cash.
Rumors also reached Ramilio that the servants in the duke’s place were quitting one after another.
‘Has Lucrezia finally revealed herself?’
Rather than being angry, Ramilio was sad.
How could he believe that the innocent and kind-looking girl was plotting with her father to extort money from Ramilio? He really didn’t want to believe it.
Just as he was absent-minded, Lucrezia came to visit Ramilio.
Lucrezia also had her daytime dress tailored, so she was wearing a deep blue dress with cream-colored gloves, which suited her to a loathsome degree.
Ramilio hastily hid the letter sent by the duke, and asked her what she wanted with an indifferent expression on his face.
“Husband, is there a priest in the chapel at your mansion?”
“Yes, there is. I don’t like crowds, so I have all my prayers done there.”
“I was wondering if I could talk to the priest for a few minutes. I have a confession to make.”
“Of course…. You’re very dedicated.”
Even Ramilio, and other Divine believers, even though they were obligated to confess their sins once a week, felt that it was quite troublesome but they had no choice, while she wanted to take the initiative, he was impressed.
“Yes…. Actually, I’ve done something very bad.”
Lucrezia nodded with a serious look on her face.
Ramiro thought of the letter he had received from the Duke.
‘It’s not something like, “My conscience pricked at the fact that they were trying to deceive him”…. right?’
“No way”, he thought, as he led the way to the chapel.
“My guest wants to make a confession. Can you help her for a few moments, please?”
When he asked the priest, he readily agreed.
Lucrezia and the priest disappeared into a separate room.
Ramilio was curious and quietly crept to the door.
Lucrezia’s voice came from inside.
“I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I ordered….. ten dresses.”
Ramilio was taken aback. Ten dresses were certainly a lot. He wondered if she was a spendthrift.
“I swear, this is the first time I’ve done anything like this. Up until now, I’ve always worn brown and gray dresses with no decorations, and I thought I liked them too. But…. it seems I was wrong.”
Lucrezia continued, looking embarrassed.
“Ever since that person complimented me, I’ve come to love such pretty clothes. I was so happy that he recognized me through my dress and I couldn’t stop wanting more compliments on how lovely I was….”
Lucrezia’s voice sounded as if she was about to cry.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before….. I thought the sin of vanity was something I would never be involved with in my life…..”
He went out to the courtyard and took a deep breath.
‘I’ll buy you a hundred or two hundred dresses!’
He wanted to say so.
‘No, no, calm down. I’ll just be doing what she wants me to do, isn’t it?’
Even though his head thinks so, his emotions can’t keep up. He’s already starting to feel like paying the Duke of Serravalle’s debt if it makes Lucrezia happy.
‘No, if I do it, I’ll be exploited for sure.’
Ramilio managed to keep his cool and called his aide, Bosco, into the office.
“What do you think of this letter from the Duke?”
“It seems that he’s in great need of money.”
“……I knew it, it’s a marriage scam, right?”
“I don’t know about that. She seems to be doing all her shopping with her own personal funds.”
Ramilio was surprised.
“Personal funds…. where did she get such a thing?”
Normally, an unmarried daughter wouldn’t have any personal funds.
It is as obvious as not allowing dogs and cats to have large sums of money.
That way of thinking was based on the teachings of the Divine religion, and the law was the same not only in Illuminati but also in Pastore.
“We will have to look more into it, but for now, the only things we’re paying for are a place to sleep and daily meals, and currently nothing is being taken from us.”
Ramilio suddenly started grinning.
“I see…. If nothing has been taken, then there’s no need to be concerned, right? It’s nothing to us to have her stay here.”
“Yes, I think so, too.”
“I’m not being deceived by her…. right?”
Bosco gave him a sympathetic look when he said that.
“She might reveal herself after marriage, but at the moment, there is nothing wrong to worry about at all.”
Bosco’s words, which seemed to pour cold water on him, made Ramilio calm down a little.
“…… For the time being, I’ll put the bill from the Duke on hold. I’ll ask her about it when the time is right.”
“Yes. It’s not too late to turn her away after you’ve had a chance to enjoy her youth and loveliness.”
“You’ve got a nasty way of saying things, don’t you?”
Ramiro didn’t want to exploit her youth and loveliness, but he still wanted to keep her around for a little while longer and watch her.
That evening, Raminio finally gave up and visited the priest in the chapel.
He, too, wanted to make a confession.
Like her, he knelt down and prayed to God.
“…… I’ve been thinking about her ever since she came to this house.”
He wanted to distract himself a little by confessing his thoughts, which he couldn’t stop by his own will.
“I had never seen such a pretty girl before.”
Lucrezia’s loveliness stood out even compared to the girls who had appeared at Ramilio’s place during the past six engagements.
“When she calls me “husband” in that sweet voice of hers, I’m afraid that I can’t suppress my greed.”
Even though he knew that she approached him for money, he found himself actively wanting to be deceived.
“Even a man with a face like this has greed, it’s a miserable thing. If I hadn’t felt anything at all, I could have lived my life ruling the territory peacefully, for the sake of the world, for the sake of my people, and for the sake of the territory. Why am I attracted to her even though I know of her true purpose? I have to be even more careful starting from tomorrow so that I don’t do anything stupid…..”
Ramilio felt better after he let it out and went to sleep with a peaceful mind.