"im grandmas special boy ☝🤓" -cesare, probably

as the one who manipulated (practically frog-marched) her daughter into marrying orchidee and having children, it only makes sense that vatatsa goes above and beyond in grooming her grandchildren into nefarious little schemers who will further the goals of the visconti family. her first would-be protege is valencia, but isottas eldest daughter quickly proves that she is too unstable to reliably mold into the person vatatsa wants her to be. she finally hits gold with cesare. a nervous, quiet, and painfully introverted boy, cesare cant say no when vatatsa takes him under her wing. she even comes out of "retirement" to be his mentor in necromancy. the two can often be spotted together in cesares early years, and under her tutelage he becomes a master in conspiracy and subterfuge. this is all very painful to witness for isotta, who has a strained and combative relationship with her mother. cesare is her favorite child - if it can be said that she has a favorite - and watching him be corrupted by vatatsa is almost more than she can bear

what are they scheming about here? maybe a new target to bribe or someone to get rid of. who knows