Clean The Crown

CLC Chapter 1

The orange sunlight crowned the massive dome of the cathedral like a diadem. A new morning had dawned over the city-state of Bellezza.
The previous night’s rain had left the dawn air damp and cold. Notaries clutching bundles of parchment and paper tucked under their arms hurried to their posts, alongside artists assigned to new commissions. Courtiers in crimson robes fluttered past as they headed to work, mingling with doctors en route to the hospital. Meanwhile, weary guards, their faces drawn from night shifts, dispersed in the opposite direction.
The marketplace was already abuzz with activity. A bathhouse hawker raised his voice: “Hot water! Fresh, steaming hot water heated since dawn!” A peddler with a basket of vegetables balanced on her head scurried along in a hurry.
In the blacksmith’s forge, the furnace roared as shirtless men hammered glowing red metal with resounding clangs. Bakers and cheesemongers bustled about, calling out loudly to attract customers.
Meanwhile, one section of the intricate, web-like market was completely clogged. A dispute had broken out between merchants, drawing a crowd of onlookers that worsened the already narrow alley’s congestion.
“Laurenzio, can’t you use some other leather for slippers? I need this leather for the books I’ve been commissioned to make!”

“Good heavens, Maria! Do you think just any leather will do for slippers? Why waste expensive leather on books that will just gather dust left unread?”
Laurenzio, a shoemaker hunting for leather to craft slippers, and Maria, a bookseller seeking leather for book covers, were locked in a heated argument over a single piece of leather.
“No matter how fine the leather, what good does it do if it’s stuffed into some musty bookshelf? It’s far more practical to use it for slippers!”

“What? Musty bookshelf? Are you insulting my customers right now?”
The onlookers watched the escalating quarrel with fascination, their gazes drifting toward a hapless young man caught in the middle of the dispute. Standing silently by the cart, the leather workshop assistant waited half-dazed for the tedious argument to end.
“Besides,” Laurenzio continued, “the books from Humanitas aren’t even worthy of being bound in luxurious calfskin covers!”
“Oh no… This was crossing the line…”
The onlookers murmured in disapproval. Maria Orsini’s bookstore, Humanitas, was beloved by everyone in the district.
And who was Maria Orsini? The gray-haired woman with pince-nez glasses was a revered matron among Bellezza’s merchants. Yet Laurenzio, driven by his determination to secure the leather, was oblivious to how disrespectful his words were.
Smirking and dripping with sarcasm, he added, “You sell heaps of silly romance novels that only women read, don’t you? Sentimental, useless love stories. Who believes in men like that anyway? It’s all just nonsense designed to fool people.”
Has he lost his mind?
His remarks drew the ire of the women present. Outright criticisms poured in, and some muttered scornfully that his arrogance was precisely why he was so unpopular.
“How unfortunate for you, poor Laurenzio,” said Maria.
Though her expression showed displeasure, she remained composed, fixing him with a piercing gaze.
“The cold-hearted who never wept learn to shed tears, those who falter find courage through love, and the selfish learn to sacrifice—all thanks to that so-called silly love. But you wouldn’t understand that, would you?”

Bravo!

Snickers rippled through the crowd, and Laurenzio bit his lip in frustration. Maria straightened her back and smiled serenely.

“If you’d read even one of those ‘silly love stories’ you disdain and tried to emulate them, you might’ve turned out to be a much better man than you are now. What a shame.”

“W-What did you say?”

Flushed red with anger, he began to huff and puff, eventually shouting in frustration.

“Do you even know who these slippers are for? Del Brenta! Yes, the noble Del Brenta family! Madam Adriana herself entrusted me with this order!”

His retort was surprisingly effective. The crowd fell silent, and murmurs rippled among the onlookers.

“What’s this? Laurenzio received an order from the Del Brenta family?”

Laurenzio felt a momentary pang of nervousness for revealing the client’s name, but as he noticed the newfound respect in the crowd’s eyes, his confidence swelled.

Puffing out his chest, he declared, “You all heard that, didn’t you? None other than Madam Adriana of the Del Brenta family has asked ‘me’ to craft her slippers!”

He tapped his broad chest triumphantly and extended his hand to the leather workshop assistant.

“Hand me that leather. I’m going to create a masterpiece!”

Just as he reached for the leather, Maria stepped forward, placing a hand on the assistant’s shoulder and turning him toward her.

“Well, Laurenzio, hearing the name Del Brenta did surprise me a little, but now it seems only fair that I share the special order I’ve received.”

She turned to the murmuring crowd with a contented smile.

“I have a commission from the ‘Sopporini’ family! Yes, from none other than Giuliano Sopporini, who once served as a great mercenary captain. And now, his son has risen to the rank of cardinal!”

Wow!

The name Sopporini sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd, who erupted in cheers.

What had started as a minor squabble had now turned into a spectacle, akin to watching a free play. With all eyes on her, Maria Orsini smiled confidently, certain of her victory.

“Laurenzio,” she began, “as far as I know, the Del Brenta family, being a merchant dynasty built on trade and commerce, is meticulous when it comes to transactions. Typically, we craft goods using the resources we can afford and then bill the client later, don’t we?”

“…So what?” snapped Laurenzio, visibly irritated by her probing.

“I wasn’t going to mention this, but right now, I doubt you have any money to your name. Too busy gambling on dice or chasing lottery prizes in the square, aren’t you?”

His face twisted in discomfort as the truth of his empty pockets hit home.

“Ordinarily, I wouldn’t want to disrupt the market’s harmony,” Maria continued smoothly, “but since you’ve insulted my bookstore so thoroughly, I trust you’ll understand if I pay a little extra to resolve this matter.”

She took the leather from the assistant’s hands. The assistant, weary from the prolonged standoff, brightened upon seeing the hefty sum of silver coins Maria had handed over.

The sound of applause and laughter spread through the crowd. Maria Orsini, triumphant, hummed a cheerful tune as she left, while Laurenzio, his face scrunched in frustration, rummaged through the cart for cheaper leather.

As the commotion died down, the marketplace gradually returned to its usual order. Among the dispersing crowd was a young woman in a hooded brown robe pulled low over her face.

Her movements were cautious, her occasional upward glances revealing eyes as deep and luminous as lapis lazuli. They sparkled briefly with intensity before settling into calm watchfulness.

Her graceful, fluid strides drew the attention of several men, but before anyone could approach her, she vanished as if she had never been there.

The maze-like alleys of the market’s backstreets were among the most dangerous areas in Bellezza. Yet, Berenice stepped forward without hesitation, melting into the dim passageways.

To her, the streets seemed cleaner than she had expected. Most of the passersby were shabby and impoverished in appearance, but there were no signs of hallucinogen addicts or menacing thieves.

Berenice chose the less crowded paths, pausing briefly to remove her hood and check her attire. Beneath the old and rough fabric of the hood, a delicate face was revealed.

She reached back with her hand, feeling the nape of her neck where her luxuriant blonde hair was elegantly pinned up and confined in an intricate hair net adorned with elaborate decorations. It was a masterpiece, crafted that morning by two maids who had worked tirelessly.

Her fingers brushed over the coral beads dangling across the net and the large pearls embedded within. Such opulent adornments were a rare luxury, even in Bellezza, enjoyed only by the wealthiest and most noble women.

Still, she tried to pull out some of the ornaments. Despite her efforts, she managed to remove only a couple of pins.

“What a wretched tradition,” she muttered, her frustration bubbling up as she tossed the glittering pins into her pouch.

The reason she had to cram her abundant hair into a restrictive net every morning was because long, beautiful hair was said to incite men’s lust, leading them into sin.

Berenice found this notion utterly baffling. If lust could be so easily aroused, wouldn’t it make more sense to bind ‘their’ lower halves? Surely, tying up their own parts would be a far more efficient way to curb sin than policing someone else’s hair!

In any case, Berenice abandoned her efforts to remove the hair decorations and pulled her hood back over her head. The higher a young lady’s status, the more necessary it was to avoid idle gossip, and her maids had ensured that her hair was styled impeccably without a single flaw.

In truth, her hair wasn’t the only thing about her that was extravagant. With every step she took, flashes of vibrant blue ‘gamurra’ (a dress) peeked through the dull robes. Her entire appearance screamed that she was the daughter of a wealthy family drowning in money.

As she adjusted her robe, Berenice sighed deeply. Once a novice nun, she now felt self-conscious about visiting the convent in such a glamorous state. She could only hope her old companions wouldn’t feel too distant from her because of it.

For a moment, she considered that she should have asked her maids for simpler clothes that morning. But she quickly shook her head. No, absolutely not!

If word got back to her family that she had visited the Santa Domineo Convent, it would surely cause trouble. If today’s meeting was to be the first of many, it was imperative that no one find out.

Drawing a deep breath, Berenice lifted her head high. The bell tower of the Santa Domineo Convent loomed above, casting its shadow over the alleyways below.