B-ronken-R-ing 159...

Raúl tutted inwardly. Even the lowly errand boys that arrived in the middle of the night with messages were given a place to sleep before they were sent off again, and yet here was his master talking about returning from Mendoza and immediately attending his early morning training. This was different from the training he put himself through as a form of self-inflicted torture and more like a regular function that was practically official. Raúl recalled the day his sturdy master had collapsed from a fever, fulfilling his training duties in the early hours of the morning after staying up all night tending to his wife.

"Do you truly mean to attend training upon your return from Mendoza, my lord?" Raúl inquired, his concern evident.

"Why would I return in time for it if I didn't intend to do so? It's expected of all the officers to be present," Cárcel replied matter-of-factly.

Raúl felt a twinge of frustration at his master's response. He would have turned down numerous obligations if he had been born with such a high-ranking noble status. In the end, Cárcel's efforts would not even be recognized behind his handsome face and impressive title.

However, Raúl knew all too well that his master had never striven to earn the recognition of others in the first place, so none of that mattered to him. He wondered whether Cárcel truly cared about anything apart from Inés.

"Why don't you send me to Bilbao in your stead and visit her during your time off? You would only have to wait a few days... actually, no, not even that," Raúl suggested.

Cárcel's vacation was set to start in two days, which made this all the more exasperating. Even if he were to set off to Mendoza immediately, arriving late at night and galloping through the night after a fleeting reunion with his wife, he would return early the next morning. It made no sense for him to attend the morning training without a wink of sleep and work until the evening before setting off to Bilbao the subsequent day. The round trip to Bilbao would span at least nine days, after all.

"I must go to Bilbao myself," Cárcel insisted.

"I remember what you told me, my lord. But it's improbable for the man to refuse such a sizable sum which will also be shared with the church. And even if he were to be out of his mind and refuse the money for himself, a humble painter has no authority to object to the archbishop's decision."

"You would be able to get the pendant, but..." Cárcel trailed off with a conflicted look on his face, hinting at an underlying issue. "I need to confirm something."

Raúl tilted his head inquisitively. "Is it a matter that requires your personal attention?"

"It is."

"I suppose it cannot be helped in that case, but... Why don't you send a reply to Madam in the meantime? You could express your intention to visit her during your next vacation and convey your understanding of her sentiments, but to please endure a little longer."

"Inés shouldn't have to endure anything," Cárcel said flatly.

"Your care for Madam is incredibly touching, my lord, but this plan of yours sounds perilous."

"I won't perish, so there's no cause for concern."

"I believe Madam Escalante would disagree. Please, write her a reply for now. It will reach Mendoza by tonight. You've been deliberating over sending a reply this entire time, have you not?"

"I have. And I've decided to write one," Cárcel affirmed with a nod.

Raúl gave him an exasperated look. "You intend to send a letter and personally visit as well?"

"That way, I can give her the letter myself. It'll serve as a substitute in my absence, since I cannot stay long in Mendoza."

He must be deeply enamored... Raúl thought, utterly astounded.

"Oh, have you located the painting I asked about?"

"José informed me that Don Alfonso instructed him to take it to the storage room of your original residence here."

"Bring it here tomorrow."

"Do you need it as a last-minute gift to someone?" Raúl asked.

"I'll need it on my journey to Bilbao."

"Then I shall have it packed with your belongings."

The order was straightforward, so Raúl didn't feel the need to object. As he nodded obediently, he noticed Cárcel eyes twitching ever so slightly. A chill seemed to settle over his face now, in complete contrast to the glee he had expressed over his wife's letter. He also noticed a flicker of warmth return to Cárcel's eyes as he lowered his gaze to the letter again.

Cárcel carefully placed Inés's letter on the table and headed to the study to look for a pen and paper.

Ten minutes letter, he summoned Raúl, who had been waiting by the doorway, to delicately seal the letter he had just written. Cárcel also remembered to enclose a leaf from the plant Inés kept on the study's windowsill. He then slipped the sealed envelope into the inner pocket of his uniform before quickly descending the stairs. Reminding Raúl to have a professional frame Inés's letter, he promptly mounted his horse and embarked on his journey to Mendoza.

Raúl felt like whirlwind had swept past as he stood there, watching his master's figure diminish into the distance, shaking his head from side to side.

He considered it a preposterous endeavor, but at least it would bring joy to his mistress.

***

Being at the palace at night was even more tedious than it was during the day.

Inés forced a smile amidst the group of young ladies surrounding her and sorely regretted not taking the subtle hint that Isabella had given her earlier. If she had gotten out of the dinner, she wouldn't have been dragged to this terribly dull evening party.

Alicia, who had been diligently hovering around Oscar for a while, approached the group of noblewomen and whispered to Inés, "You're not bored, are you, Madam Escalante?"

Of course she was. Without making any effort to hide her true feelings, Inés simply replied, "I am enjoying my time, thanks to you, Lady Alicia."

Though Inés's face did not match her words at all, Alicia took her words at face value and giggled gleefully. "I tend to gain weight if I don't get enough sleep, so I really shouldn't be out here this late before the ceremony. I'm a little worried."

"I see," Inés responded dryly.

"If I had your naturally elegant figure, I wouldn't have to worry about such trivial matters and could enjoy myself..."

One hand against her temple, Inés swirled her wine glass filled with water with the other. gazing at Alicia as if she were regarding a rather pitiful creature. Anyone could see that the young lady was nothing but skin and bones, while Inés, in comparison, looked healthy and slim.

She wondered whether Alicia was putting on this act to appear innocent or whether she was genuinely unaware of how sarcastic she sounded. Clearly, there were only a few possible motives for her behavior: emphasizing how much smaller she was while feigning modesty, implying how much bigger Inés was in comparison, forcing a compliment from Inés about her figure by denying her words, or indirectly expressing jealousy over Inés for being able to eat without worry despite weighing so much more.

Inés intentionally scanned Alicia up and down in a slow, measured manner. The young lady flushed red as she smiled, acting shy and slightly drunk, as though her words had been completely sincere.

Though her mother was petite, Inés had taken after her father and was tall with an hourglass figure that gave her wonderful proportions. However, this meant nothing next to Alicia and her small waist, especially since Inés had never starved herself in this life. As much as her harmonious proportions, it was clear whose body was deemed more conventionally attractive in Mendoza, where a woman's small waist was admired and extolled.

According to her mother's sickening standards, Inés's height alone made her "disgustingly obese," but even those less stringent views on the matter considered small and thin women to be the epitome of beauty. While some licentious men might privately favor larger bosoms and backsides, the public consensus was skewed toward petite frames.

Anyone declaring a preference for Inés's figure would be seen as expressing a unique personal opinion that did not reflect Mendoza's norms. Inés, of course, preferred her own body type, but this was the harsh reality of high society.

"If you wish to look more like me, you have a lot of eating to do to catch up," Inés commented.

"I am barely managing to sustain my figure! If I were to eat anything at this hour like you are, I wouldn't even fit into my dresses tomorrow morning," Alicia insisted, still smiling brightly.

"Then you simply need to let out your dresses at the waist. They are made to fit you, so you can have them altered as needed." Inés turned to look elsewhere mid-sentence, as if she had lost all interest in the conversation.

Alicia seemed flustered at her side. "Oh, I... I've never thought about it that way..."

"Why don't you go and dance with your fiancé?" Inés suggested.

"Pardon?"

"A single dance will help you digest a few cookies," she explained.

"His Highness... does not like to dance," Alicia's voice betrayed a little dejection.

"I see," Inés responded dryly.

That had been the only thing that despicable debauchee was any good at. Inés tutted silently to herself. Even if she disregarded her past life, in which he had danced with her countless times, she knew that he often danced with his half-sister or his lovers in this life, despite her avoiding such events. She vividly remembered watching him with disdain, noting how he hadn't changed at all. It was just that he disliked dancing with Alicia Barca.

She caught sight of Oscar at the other end of the room, smiling and asking his half-sister Dolores to dance as though he had overheard what his fiancée had just said. Acting like that on purpose must take a lot of effort, Inés thought. Though she sensed Alicia's embarrassment beside her, she continued to watch Dolores taking Oscar's hand and following him out onto the dance floor.

It had been a while since she had seen Dolores. This evening party, hosted by the crown prince in his sister's honor, celebrated her return from a tour of the east. Since the weather was getting warmer, lamps were hung up all around the garden, and chairs and tables covered in white cloth were scattered around under every other tree, which clearly catered to Dolores's tastes. She had always portrayed herself as a unique, free spirit who invented new trends.

She was an illegitimate child, born to the emperor after a brief affair with Countess Fernandez, and had been taken in most generously by Empress Cayetana after her mother abandoned her at birth. Just as the emperor had his lovers, the empress also kept several young and handsome lovers at her side, so the two suited each other perfectly. The difference between them was that the emperor sometimes forgot to ensure he would not be siring any children out of wedlock, contrary to his meticulous wife.

In any case, the empress was praised by the public for her generosity in accepting Dolores as her own. Although publicly announcing that Dolores was practically her own daughter, Empress Cayetana had pressured the palace into denying Dolores the title of princess, insisting that an illegitimate child had no right to be on the same level as Oscar. However, the

affection between the empress and her daughter seemed genuine even to Inés's eyes, despite her dislike for both women. They were awfully alike, after all.

According to the empress, if Dolores had been a born a boy, she would have had her killed on the spot. But since she was born a girl, Dolores had been raised with great care at the empress's palace, valued as a chess piece to be married off for political gain. Taking in the emperor's illegitimate child as her own had also helped the empress regain public approval, which had been marred by a particularly nasty scandal between her and Baron Jaenada, her lover at the time of Dolores's birth.

Empress Cayetana was clever and never wasted the opportunities she was given. Regardless of how much she despised certain people, if they happened to be useful, she preferred keeping them close. She had taken in a child barely a month old and raised her with exaggerated care for everyone to see. It was likely even the empress's heart of stone had softened after a few years of that, despite it all being an act.