Isabella De Mare is the antagonist in Sister, In This Life I Have Become the Queen. The older half-sister of Ariadne, the older sister of Arabella, and the younger half-sister of Ippolito, she has ambitions to become the highest-ranking woman in San Carlo.
Appearance[]
Isabella is heralded as the fairest young lady in San Carlo, with long golden hair described as a color of flax, a creamy peach complexion, pink lips, and violet-colored eyes. Her breasts are small and dainty, something she dislikes, and wears special garments to make her chest appear full.
Personality[]
Isabella’s beauty in only skin deep. She is vain, spoiled and entitled, aiming to become the most highly exalted lady in San Carlo by any means necessary. Her goal comes from the innermost of her desire to be only called and identified by her own name, Isabella, other than by the name of her family which will be claimed by her brother anyways. And so to achieve this goal, being the Principessa Isabella is the only way. She only wants to marry Alfonso to become Queen, even stating in the first timeline that he deserved to die for failing to elevate her status, as he was supposed to, for claiming her beauty. She is willing to use Ariadne to get out of marrying what she believes is an unworthy man. It’s also shown she is easily jealous, as shown when Ariadne starts garnering positive attention, even getting upset when Cesare starts paying attention to Ariadne, despite the fact that Isabella still has no intention to marry him. She even changes her mind about Cesare when he starts seriously pursuing her hand, proving that her entitlement and greed runs so deep she cannot stand the idea of losing anything to someone else, even if she didn’t want it before.
History[]
Early Life[]
Isabella De Mare was the second born child of Lucrezia, and the first daughter and child of Cardinal De Mare. Despite being born out of wedlock, her parents’ de facto marriage and her mother's noble status meant she was recognized and treated as though she was a legitimate daughter of nobility.
Isabella grew up to become recognized as the most beautiful woman in all of San Carlo. She was spoiled by her father, groomed and educated well, in the hopes he would one day marry her off to elevate her family’s standing. Isabella became haughty and vain, sharing her mother and father’s ambitions to make herself the most highly-exalted woman in San Carlo.[1]
She went to Ramboiullet Shelter and came upon two orphaned sisters, offering to take one of them away to be her maid, but at the cost of leaving one of them behind. The younger one, Sancha, refused to leave his sister behind, but the older one, Maletta, happily accepted, fooling her sister with false promises that she would retrieve her from the shelter with the opportunity.
First Timeline[]
Both Isabella and her parents had their eyes on Prince Alfonso, the kingdom’s sole lineal heir, for Isabella’s husband. But when the King suggested that Cardinal De Mare ally their families by marrying Isabella to Count Cesare De Como, Isabella refused to marry him. Despite being officially recognized as Alfonso’s cousin, Cesare was rumored to be the King’s bastard son. Isabella refused to settle for becoming a mere countess, let alone a wife to a possible bastard. The Cardinal agreed. Lucrezia found a loophole for the problem. Instead of Isabella, they would marry Cesare to Ariadne, the daughter sired by the Cardinal with a maid, who wad born out of wedlock like her siblings but treated as such, working on a farm. The Cardinal agreed, and the betrothal was set between Cesare and Ariadne. However, this greatly angered Cesare, who had had his sights set firmly on Isabella for his bride.[2]
Sometime after this, Alfonso was in the middle of arrangements to marry Princess Lariessa of Gallico, when his mother, Queen Margaret, was assassinated by Cesare’s mother, Countess Rubina. The incident greatly upset the Gallico kingdom, since Queen Margaret had been a Gallican princess when she married King Leo, and it led to them sending their army to seize a region that once belonged to Estrucan. This, in turn, greatly upset the people of Estrucan, starting a new wave of prejudice against Gallicans, which mostlu became directed at Prince Akfonso, who was half-Gallican himself by his mother and was betrothed to another Gallican woman. Under pressure from the people, the marriage negotiations were cancelled, sending Lariessa and her party back to their homeland. Upon their departure, Leo decided to grant the people’s wish for a Crown Princess of pure Estrucan blood, but he also wanted his son’s bride to be of a noble family with no military power or maternal relation. Isabella was one of the final two candidates, along with Marquess De Baltazar’s daughter Julia.
When the kingdom started to decline, King Leo sought the church’s support for a diplomatic solution. As the daughter of the Cardinal, Isabella was an easy shortcut to the church’s support. He arranged the marriage, and Isabella succeeded in marrying Alfonso and becoming the Crown Princess. Within a year, she became pregnant with his child, but miscarried.[3] Soon after, Cesare staged a coup, accusing Alfonso of poisoning their father, who had recently become ill. It wasn’t long before Isabella’s husband was assassinated by Ariadne, who sought to help make Cesare King.[4] Eight years later, Cesare, now on the cusp of becoming King, asked again for Isabella’s hand, as despite Ariadne’s devotion and sacrifice, he still lusted after her sister. Now that Cesare was the new King and not just a count, Isabella gladly accepted his proposal. When Ariadne found out, she was devastated, even arguing the law that the King could not marry a widow who had lost her innocence. But Cesare and Isabella claimed that she had remained chaste during her short-lived marriage to Alfonso, enabling her to seek another husband. They were married almost immediately, while Cesare locked Ariadne in a tower.[5][6]
After her wedding to Cesare, Isabella visited Ariadne in the tower and confessed that she didn’t care about the murder of her previous husband, since he was unable to make her the Queen, and thus, according to Isabella, deserved to die. She also confessed that Cesare had lusted after her the whole time he’d been engaged to Ariadne, even going to her behind Ariadne’s back. Isabella told Ariadne that she shouldn’t trust a man, and that it was useless to sacrifice herself for one while expecting something in return. She then mused that in time, Cesare would grow bored of Isabella and begin to miss Ariadne for her years of service to him, so, not to leave loose ends, she had an assassin stab Ariadne in the back with a sword.[7]
Second Timeline[]
After Ariadne travels back in time to the day she was summoned to the manor, she tests Isabella. She provokes the youngest De Mare child, Arabella, who moves forward to assault Ariadne, but the latter dodges out of the way just in time, and Arabella accidentally pushes Isabella down the stairs. When the Cardinal appears and demands an explanation, Arabella tries to lie and claim Ariadne pushed Isabella. Ariadne lies that Arabella was playing roughly with her and pushed Isabella by accident, then tells her father to ask Isabella to confirm. Just as Ariadne expects, Isabella goes along with her and claims Arabella pushed her by accident, snatching up the chance to play the kind older sister to her bullied half sister, condemning her full blood sister in the process. Arabella is confined to her room for three weeks as punishment.
Later on, Isabella went to Ariadne’s room with her mother and her personal maid Maletta, who claimed that Ariadne had struck her without reason. Ariadne told Lucrezia that Maletta had mocked Isabella and her siblings for being bastards raised as legitimate noble children, dismissed Cardinal De Mare’s status, and suggested that should Maletta herself win the Cardinal’s favor and bear his child, that child would be of the same status as Ariadne, meaning Maletta would not need to treat Ariadne as her superior. Lucrezia was enraged at the idea of Maletta coveting her husband, and ordered the maid to be whipped, before chiding Ariadne for acting in an unladylike manor. Ariadne suggested that she repent by going to Ramboulliet Shelter for three days, but Isabella craftily raised the days to five.
Upon Ariadne’s return to the manor, she brought a girl from the shelter, insisting that she become her personal maid. At first, Lucrezia was against the idea, but then Isabella recognized the royal family crest on the handkerchief presented by Ariadne, who insisted it was from Prince Alfonso. Isabella insisted that Sancha stay, believing that letting her stay at the manor would allow Isabella to impress the prince if she ever got the chance to meet him. She took the handkerchief from Ariadne to use as a conversation starter should that chance arise.
Sometime after, the women of the De Mare family were invited to a royal sermon at the palace by the Queen, which excited Isabella, as it was an opportunity to impress the woman she hoped to make her mother-in-law. Ariadne was given a hand-me-down gown from Isabella, which she had Sancha try on and dirty before departing for the palace. Isabella tried to impress Queen Margaret and the other ladies by stating her favorite part of the sermon, but expressed envy for the flory of the Saint’s second sacrifice, and for the notion of having everyone mourn one’s death, making her and her family look bad. It was only through Ariadne’s quick thinking that the situation was salvaged. During the meal following the sermon, Isabella received compliments on her gown by Countess De Marques, leading her to flaunt herself in her dress in front of the Queen and ladies, while explaining that her family’s personal seamstress made it, but it only served to make them notice how plain Ariadne’s dress was compared to hers, making them question how well Lucrezia was treating Ariadne. Isabella tried to do damage control by saying that their seamstress was busy with sewing clothes for Ariadne, and that she lent her little sister a dress out of kindness. Ariadne took advantage of this to show off the stained chemise, implicating neglect from her stepmother. The ladies were appalled, and Queen Margaret dismissed Isabella and her mother from the gathering at once, while keeping Ariadne a little longer.
Later on, Isabella’s private lessons with Arabella were interuptted by Ariadne, who spoke perfect Gallic, prompting the tutpr to praise her, which earned envy from Isabella, who believed the spotlight was hers alone. But she consoled herself by remembering that the State Mass was coming up, during which she was sure she would take the spotlight. On the morning of the mass, she wore her best blue dress trimmed woth gold, and picked out a golden cross to wear, using special garments to enlarge her chest, hanging her cross to carry it suggestively over her bosom. She also applied pearl powder foundation and used rosewater on her cheeks and lips. Meanwhile, she compared her appearance to Ariadne, who was dressed plainly.
As expected, upon the De Mare family’s entrance into the cathedral, everyone was mesmerized by Isabella’s beauty and style, with women gossiping over her outfit choices and men expressing desire for her. This greatly pleased Isabella. Among the spectators was Cesare De Como, who had his sights on Isabella as his bride. During the mass, the Apostle spoke, reminding everyone of Jesus Christ’s humble origins as a shepherd’s son born in a stable. In the middle of his sermon, however, Ariadne spoke out and denounced him as a heretic, followed by people coming in to arrest him as such.
Ariadne was praised for this act, and later invited to the palace by the King to receive a reward. The reward was a box of jewelry from Queen Margaret, which included the Heart of the Deep Blue Sea. Isabella asked Ariadne to gift her a pair of golden earrings with purple gems from the collection, but Ariadne refused her on the basis that each piece of jewelry was engraved with the Queen’s initials, and she didn’t want to risk offending the Queen by giving away any of her generous rewards.
Later on, Ariadne suggests to Arabella, who wants a pipe organ to perform a church hymn that she wrote, to have Isabella ask their parents for the organ in her place, since they would oblige Isabella any request. Isabella initially refuses Arabella’s request, calling a pipe organ a "frivolity" despite pampering herself with jewelry and cosmetics that cost more, but changes her mind when Arabella plays the hymn she wrote. She agrees to ask their parents for the pipe organ, but under the condition that she gives Isabella the credit for writing the hymn upon it’s public debut.
The day that she’s supposed to debut the hymn to high society, Isabella has trouble reading the sheet music, causing Arabella to impulsively run up and correct her, thus unintentionally revealing that Isabella did not write the hymn herself as she claimed. Isabella is chided and humiliated by Cesare in front of the other noblemen and women. Later at home, both Isabella and Lucrezia blame Arabella for the embarrassment, with their mother striking the youngest daughter as punishment.
Despite the embarrassment, Isabella’s beauty and charm keeps her popularity among noble society secure. She attends a tea party hosted by her closest confidante, Leticia De Leonati, a viscount’s daughter who also aims to please Isabella to benefit from her popularity at court. When Julia De Baltazar is addressed by her given name, whereas Isabella is only addressed by her family name, she is upset, thinking that it is unfair that she be considered below Julia, even if she is a marquess’s daughter, since Isabella is more beautiful and popular and has a seemingly brighter future. She bitterly reflects how she is only honored as a daughter of De Mare, rather than honored for her surname as herself, and how even when her father passes, her brother will inherit the name and the glory that goes with it. She then comforts herself by reminding herself of her goal, which is to marry Alfonso, thus being addressed always as Princess Isabella and being honored by her own given name, reaffirming her ambitions.
At the tea party, Isabella runs into Ottavio De Contarini, who is deeply infatuated with her, and his arranged fiancé, Camellia De Castiglione. Ottavio praises Isabella for her beauty, addressing her as Miss De Mare, but she sweetly gives him permission to just call her Isabella, which delights him but deeply upsets Camellia.
At the masquarade ball, Isabella witnesses both Prince Alfonso’s protective affection towards Ariadne, and Count Cesare’s promise that he will send a nessage to her father asking for Ariadne’s hand specifically. Enraged and envious of having been spurned in favor of another woman, her illegitimate half-sister, no less, Isabella has a private tantrum, before she starts reflecting on Count Cesare, deciding that, despite not having a claim to the throne, he was a perfect match for her otherwise. She then decides to seduce Count Cesare away from Ariadne.
Later, as she walks back to the party, she sees a portly man and a woman in a yellow gown and Silent Woman mask having sexual relations with each other against a tree. At first, Isabella fears the man is raping her, but she hears the sounds if pleasure coming from the woman, meaning she enjoys it. Isabella recognizes the man thrusting with the woman to be Marquess De Campa, a man infamous among nobility for being a disgusting pervert. The mask falls off the woman, and Isabella immediately recognizes her to be Countess Clementé De Bartolini, Ottavio’s older sister and Count Bartolini’s younger wife. Clementé hears voices and realizes she’s been caught, running past Isabella with her mask back on. In this unexpected scandal, Isabella sees a golden opportunity to ruin Ariadne. Taking advantage of the situation at hand, Isabella plants the bracelet from Count Cesare at the scene before running back to blend in with the crowd. When Ariadne appears on the scene, she then tells Leticia that it was her who was the mistress, and the viscount’s daughter declares it to the rest of the ball guests.
However, to Isabella’s anger, both Prince Alfonso and Count Cesare come to Ariadne’s rescue, defending her and making up claims to disprove the allegations against her. After the crowd departs, Isabella broods over her failure and accidentally drops the loose ruby from her tote, which is witnessed by Camellia. Camellia mocks Isabella for having yet to be engaged to a suitable nobleman, and her shameless flirting with other men. Isabella rebuttals by pointing out that that Ottavio clearly prefers her to his own fiancé, whose face Isabella compares to a pig’s, before finishing with a threat to Camellia to know her place. Camellia, enraged, finally snaps and, having had enough of Isabella’s arrogance and manipulation, proceeds to tell everyone she knows about what she saw, sparking rumors that Isabella is the true mistress of Marquess De Campa which spread through high society like wildfire, eventually reaching the Cardinal.
Cardinal De Mare goes to Isabella in her bedroom to confront her. While there, he found a collection of jeweled gifts engraved with the initials of gentlemen, including Ottavio, which she insists are innocent. Her father tells her about the rumors, which she vehemently denies, before Ariadne asks Isabella why she didn’t speak up when Ariadne was accused, which greatly angers their father. Isabella claims she was in shock and lies that she didn’t see who the mistress was, making a show of tearfully begging her father and sister for forgiveness, only for Arabella to unintentionally reveal the ruby that Isabella kept while going through her drawers. Isabella denies that it is the same ruby from the bracelet that was allegedly given from Marquess De Campa to his mistress, but Ariadne proves her lie by fitting the ruby into the bracelet, whoch she kept from Count Cesare. Isabella claims that the ruby was goven to her not by Marquess De Campa, but by his mistress as payment for keeping the secret. Even though Cardinal De Mare believes her, he is furious that she let her younger sister take the blame for something so awful and untrue, and also for setting herself up for the rumors by being so flirtatious with all the gentlemen, so he declares that she is confined to her room without any outside contact until the rumors die down, which strikes terror into Isabella, knowing that if she can’t contact others and spread the word of the mistress’s true identity in time, her reputation as Marquess De Campa’s illicit mistress will be cemented, causing her to become a pariah in noble society. She begs her father to at least allow her to write letters, but he ignores her pleas, before commanding the servants to confiscate all the luxuries from her bedroom.
Lucrezia, concerned for Isabella’s future, goes to a fortune teller to put her woes at ease. But a complication occurs, and the fortune teller demands she bring the Heart if the Deep Blue Sea if she wants to be reassured of her daughter’s future. Lucrezia, desperate to save her daughter’s fate, uses black magic in an attempt to steal the Heart from Ariadne, but is caught and ultimately fails, resukting in getting banished from the family home. She is welcomed back upon the Cardinal’s birthday, as suggested by Ippolito, but loses her position as mistress of the house permanently to Ariadne.
Isabella was disgusted by Arabella getting closer to Ariadne, who had come to grow fond of her in return. Knowing that Arabella would perish in the plague, Ariadne planned to get her sent to a boarding school abroad, so that she’d be far away from the plague when it happened and not fall ill. However, when Ariadne was away to ensure her acceptance, Arabella decided to get her a present to show how grateful she was, and searched Isabella’s room for a trinket that she could present Ariadne. There, she found a hair extension, not knowing that it had the clasp of Ariadne’s brassiere that Isabella had switched to sabotage her at her ball. When Isabella saw Arabella with it, she assumed that Ariadne had deliberately sent her into her room to get it and present it to their father as evidence of Isabella’s crime. She chased Arabella through the halls, demanding the clasp back, and accidentally pushed her down the stairs, even using the brief window of opportunity, during which she could have grabbed Arabella and save her, to grab the clasp back instead, letting her little sister fall. Isabella saw her sister was injured, but she knew if her father found her responsible, she would be exiled to a convent, so she fled the scene. After being retrieved, Arabella was blamed for her own incident by their mother, who chastised her unconscious child for defying Isabella, and the girl died with a broken heart.
Arabella’s death, and learning Isabella’s part in it, renewed Ariadne’s desire for revenge against the family, especially when the parents insisted on covering it up to protect Isabella. Later on, Maletta was cast out of the De Mare household carrying Ippolito’s child, and Lucrezia later had her killed in secret becayse she believed Maletta to know the secret that Ippolito wasn’t the biological son of the Cardinal. Unfortunately, a young girl woth similar features to Maletta was mistaken to be her and assassinated before they found the real Maletta, and this angered the people, especially the innocent girl’s grieving father. Ariadne used this to her advantage, convincing the father to demamd the death of Lucrezia as justice, which prompted the Cardinal to decide to execute Lucrezia in secret. While initially horrified, Ippolito warmed up to the idea when he realized that it would mean that the secret that he wasn’t the Cardinal’s son would supposedly die with Lucrezia. Isabella was rightfully horrified by this decision and pleaded with Ippolito to try to save their mother by appealing to the Cardinal, but he refused. When she kept pressing, he reminded her of what their situation would be if Lucrezia was found guilty of her crimes. He told Isabella that she would be known as the daughter of a murderer, and thus all her marriage prospects would cease to exist, eventually ending in her getting sent to a convent. Because of this, Isabella decided to leave her mother to her doom to preserve her own reputation and future.
As the debutante ball approached, Isabella was mortified to discover that she had received no invitations from any of the young noblemen to be her partner, knowing that it was because of her false reputation as Marquess De Campa’s mistress. Isabella decided to take matters into her own hands and scheduled a meeting with Countess Bartolini, the true mistress. Once they met, Isabella, who knows that Clementé knows that she saw her face during the forbidden tryst, shamed her for letting Isabella take the fall for being Marquess De Campa’s mistress to save herself, and appealed to her charitable side to convince her to restore Isabella’s good reputation at court.
Just then, Ottavio entered with Count Cesare to dine with his sister, and immediately fawned over Isabella, but she was focused on Cesare and the opportunity that had been presented to her. She shared supper with the men and Countess Clémente, expecting Cesare to start conversation with her, since he had once pursued her hand in marriage, but he ignored her throughout the entire meal. When he left the dinner table, Isabella followed him, getting him to stop to talk to her. She offered to help him win over Ariadne by making her jealous, suggesting that he escort Isabella to the debutante ball as her partner to stir Ariadne’s envy. To her surprise and humiliation, Cesare refused her offer, stating that he knew her true motives was to restore her allure among the noble court by appearing with him, and scoffed at her for assuming he needed any help winning Ariadne, much less from her.
Her failure with Cesare did nothing to deter her plan to restore her reputation at court. Isabella began constantly volunteering for the needy with older noblewomen, convincing them that she had been wrongly and unfairly accused of her supposed promiscuity and winning their sympathy. At one meeting, she served soup to the to the people of Rambouillet Shelter, volunteering alongside Ottavio and Camellia. At the Shelter, Ottavio expressed a protective nature over Usabella that made Camellia jealous. When they ran out of food to serve, the peasants rioted, and Isabella found herself being used as a shield by Camellia, only for Ottavio to come to her rescue with his sword. This action, protecting Isabella while doing nothing for Camellia’s safety, caused a fight between the betrothed couple, which Isabella took full advantage of, throwing herself at Camellia and tearfully apologizing for causing trouble, which helped make Camellia look like she was only mad at her because she was jealous.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Count Cesare[]
Cesare originally sought Isabella’s hand in marriage, since she was considered the most beautiful and sought-after woman in San Carlo, and thus by having her, he would have the best, proving himself the most distinguished man in the land. Unfortunately for him, Isabella was against marrying him, as she felt she deserved better than a mere count for a husband. She got out of it by replacing herself with Ariadne in the betrothal, lying to him that her step- sister had persuaded her father to take her place, and married Cesare’s half-brother Alfonso instead, which enraged Cesare, and blamed the Cardinal and Ariadne instead of her.
Years later after, after the death of Alfonso by Ariadne’s hand, Cesare proposed to Isabella again, despite still being engaged to Ariadne, and Isabella accepted this time, since Cesare had become the soon-to-be King. They were married and crowned King and Queen while Ariadne was imprisoned in the tower.
When Ariadne travels back in time, Isabella is still against marrying Cesare, and still wanting to have Alfonso for her husband. This changes however, when Cesare turns his romantic attentions to Ariadne, out of a desire to "steal" her away from Alfonso. This causes Isabella, despite not initially wanting Cesare, to plot to win him back after him out of jealousy and entitlement, as she can’t stand the thought of losing something she once had to Ariadne. Even though she didn’t want to be with Cesare initially, she hates the idea of losing his attention to someone else.
After the rumors of her being the secret mistress of Marquess De Campa ruin her reputation, Isabella loses her power over most of the gentlemen at court. When the debutante ball approaches, she doesn’t receive a single invitation to escort her. During a visit to Countess Clementé De Bartolini, the true mistress, Isabella bumps into Cesare, who is visiting his friend Ottavio. She waits patiently to get a moment alone with him, and once she does, she suggests that he make Ariadne jealous by taking Isabella to the ball as his partner. Cesare, however, correctly deduces that her offer is merely a ploy to restore her good image by having him as her escort, and he rejects her, leaving her angered.
Prince Alfonso[]
Isabella was determined to become the highest ranking woman in San Carlo. Thus, she planned to marry Prince Alfonso and become the Crown Princess, and eventually the Queen. In the original timeline, Isabella succeeded in this goal, marrying Alfonso and becoming the Crown Princess. She even became pregnant with his child, although she miscarried later on. However, after Ariadne’s murder of Alfonso, Isabella becomes engaged to his brother, Cesare, and reveals to Ariadne that she had only cared about Alfonso for what he could give her, like the position of the most noble woman in the land, and since he could no longer do that for her, Isabella is uncaring about his death.
Things change drastically when Ariadne travels back in time. Isabella is still dead set on marrying Alfonso, but he is shown to be uninterested in her, preferring Ariadne’s company instead. Despite Isabella’s attempts to catch his eye, Alfonso favors her half-sister over her.
Ottavio De Contarini[]
Ottavio is just one of the many men that Isabella flirts with. She flirts with Ottavio to annoy his intended, Camellia, even though she has no intentions of seriously pursuing him as a husband. He, among other gentlemen, even gifted Isabella an expensive tiara with their initials, stating it was from him to her.
In the second timeline, Ottavio is the only one to remain friendly with Isabella after her reputation is ruined with the rumors of her being the secret mistress to Marquess De Campa. When supervising her and Camellia feeding the hungry at Ramboulliet Shelter, he acted protectively and kindly over Isabella, while ignoring Camellia almost entirely. He didn’t react when Camellia was targeted by rioting peasants, but immediately drew his sword to protect Isabella from the crowd.
Years later, he found Isabella at the nunnery following her banishment from her father’s home, She intentionally seduced him which resulted in him impregnating her, and stole her from the nunnery and broke his engagement to Camellia to marry Isabella instead.
Familial[]
Ariadne De Mare[]
Despite being half-sisters, Isabella only sees Ariadne as a tool for her own personal gain. She only supported Ariadne being brought into the family so that she could take Isabella’s place in the arranged marriage to Cesare. After Cesare rises up to become the successor and asks for Isabella’s hand again, she accepts this time, despite the fact that she knows her sister is madly in love with him. On the day she marries Cesare and is crowned Queen, she taunts Ariadne in the tower for being so loyal to Cesare, telling her men cannot be trusted nor sacrificed for, before having a knight kill Ariadne with a sword through the heart, so that she would not interfere with Isabella’s triumph in the future.
When Ariadne travels back in time, she has the upper hand, plotting to escape her engagement to Cesare, willing to destroy Isabella’s worth if need be. Isabella tries to "put her in her place", but Ariadne is much bolder now and fights back against Isabella’s bullying.
Cardinal De Mare[]
Isabella is the daughter of the esteemed Cardinal De Mare, and considered his most valuable asset to elevating their family’s status. As Isabella is considered the most beautiful and refined young lady in San Carlo, the Cardinal has plans to marry her off to the highest ranking gentlemen. He has groomed and spoiled and educated Isabella from birth, giving her every chance to secure a high match, preferably with the kingdom’s sole lineal heir, Prince Alfonso. Due to this, the Cardinal refused to marry Isabella to Cesare, seeing her as far too much worth than to marry off to a mere count and illegitimate child.
Lucrezia De Mare[]
Isabella takes heavily after her mother, Lucrezia. Both are beautiful, ambitious, and conniving. Lucrezia hated the idea of her precious oldest daughter being married off to a lowly count, when she believed Isabella deserved so much better. She is the one who saved Isabella from the betrothal to Cesare by suggesting that Ariadne take her place. Lucrezia even seems to favor Isabella after her youngest half-sister, Arabella, even blaming Arabella for the music recital gone wrong, even though Isabella is the one who claimed ownership of Arabella’s song and messed up in front of everyone.
When Isabella was accused of being Marquess De Campa’s secret mistress, Lucrezia consulted a fortuneteller to check her daughter’s future. The fortuneteller said there were disturbances in the magic, and asked the mistress to bring her the Heart of the Deep Blue Sea to use it’s powers to clear it up. However, Lucrezia’s attempts tp steal the jewel tp save Isabella’s future failed, and she was banished from the household and replaced by Ariane as the family head, although she would eventually be welcomed back, albeit as a mere family member and not the house mistress.
When the people learned that Lucrezia had caused an innocent girl to be murdered as an unintentional result of her assassination of Maletta, they cried for her blood, prompting the Cardinal to have her executed in secret to ward off the angry mob without disgracing his family. Isabella was initially against this, begging Ippolito to change their father’s mind and save their mother, but when he pointed out that they would both have their marriage prospects ruined for good if noble society learned that they were the children of a murderer, she left her mother to her fate to salvage her own future.
Arabella De Mare[]
Isabella cares little for her youngest half-sister Arabella. Like she does Ariadne, Isabella only bothers with Arabella when she can use her to benefit herself. Isabella has always stolen the spotlight from her youngest half-sister with her beauty and charm, overshadowing the latter’s exceptional musical talents. Even their parents prefer Isabella, as Ariadne proves right when she suggests they would only buy an organ that Arabella wants if Isabella asks for it. Isabella agrees when Arabella asks her to ask their parents, but only under the condition that Isabella is given full credit for the sympathy that Arabella writes to make herself look even more gifted in the eyes of high society. When the concert goes wrong, Arabella is blamed, even though the event was ruined because Isabella couldn’t read the sheet music and Arabella had stepped in to help.
As Arabella and Ariadne got closer, Ariadne sought to save Arabella from contracting the oncoming plague that had taken her life in the past timeline, by having her sent to a music academy abroad. However, while Ariadne was away, Isabella caught Arabella searching in her drawers for something to gift Ariadne in gratitude, finding the clasp she’d used to sabotage Ariadne’s dress during the debutante ball. Isabella chased Arabella trying to get it back, causing Arabella to stumble at the top of the stairs and fall down, knocking her out cold. Terrified of being blamed and sent away, Isabella returned to her room and left her half-sister injured to save herself, leading to her death.