B-ronken-R-ing 159...

As most of the people at the party were sons and daughters of the Grandes de Ortega, they were well acquainted with the way the eldest son of House Escalante and the only daughter of House Valeztena interacted at public events like this. Their relationship had always been marked by a dry apathy, devoid of even the most basic, fake courtesy. Even when they danced together, their form would be perfectly elegant, but they resembled a pair of intricately carved figurines emerging from a grandfather clock-beautiful but lifeless. And no one could deny that Inés Valeztena's gloomy demeanor was to blame.

For over a decade, those familiar with the couple had gossiped about how Cárcel Escalante, as radiantly handsome as he was, seemed to be swallowed up by her morose aloofness whenever he stood next to her. These whispers persisted until the very day before their wedding mass.

And while Cárcel Escalante was as dashing as ever, Inés Valeztena had suddenly become so beautiful and resplendent in her wedding gown that her unexpected change had left some of the spectators with an uneasy apprehension. Still, since marriage ceremonies were a once-in-a-lifetime event, her transformation was understandable.

After the initial shock, the young noblemen and women resumed their gossip, saying that Inés and Cárcel would undoubtedly become the most noble married couple in all of Ortega, but in name only. In their society, loveless marriages were commonplace, so labeling them as such was, in fact, high praise. Those who envied the couple foretold a particularly miserable future for the couple, citing Inés Escalante's disagreeable temperament and the continuous stream of women around Cárcel Escalante, regardless of his own willingness to engage with them. As this was a match between two of the most noble houses in Ortega, they would not dare to get a divorce, and would end up having to share their lives until they went at each other with knives out of pure loathing. And the rest of their lives would be spent apart and yet forever tied to each other. That was the commonly held belief about their future.

When the strange rumors about the couple reached Mendoza from Calztela, everyone had been perplexed. They could hardly believe that Cárcel Escalante, who never even took a lover despite the numerous beautiful women vying for his attention, had fallen for the woman he grew up with and had always been indifferent toward. It was outrageous and ridiculous.

The rumors were so unimaginable that members of Mendozan high society, especially the noble young men and women at this party, had scoffed at their validity. They regarded the news bearer with pity and corrected them, "I have watched Cárcel Escalante and the Crow of House Valeztena since childhood.

Now, I won't deny that Inés Valeztena is beautiful, and that she might have held a one-sided love for Cárcel Escalante. But... those two cannot possibly share a spark of romance. Their relationship lacks the basic cordiality expected of strategic alliances."

They would insist that, as members of the high-ranking nobility, they knew those two much better than the rumormongers who had never even seen Inés Valeztena in person. Confident in their claims, they emphasized that they had an intimate knowledge of the couple's lack of chemistry and mutual indifference, asserting that the two could never get along.

However, witnessing everything that had occurred in a mere ten minutes at this evening party left them all shocked and even appalled.

Though he had stood under the shade of a tree, Cárcel Escalante had practically glowed, and Inés Escalante had leaped from her seat and rushed over to him. The disdainful expression on her face earlier, which she hadn't bothered to hide even in the presence of the crown prince, vanished the instant she noticed her husband. Anyone who hadn't already been staring over at Cárcel Escalante had stared after her. She had never shown such a brilliant smile, even at their wedding, failing to hide her delight.

Thus, it had been impossible not to stare at the two. The unbelievable sight was difficult to ignore.

The Inés Escalante had run into the arms of her husband as though greeting a lover she hadn't seen in a decade, and Cárcel Escalante had embraced her so tightly that her feet had left the ground. Though his eyes had been full of affection, there had been an unmistakable air of possessiveness as he showered his wife's face with kisses. And when she kissed him back, he had smiled with unadulterated joy.

This intimate reunion was such an unbelievable sight that the dancing couples on the dance floor slowed and craned their necks to see, the dance all but forgotten.

At first, the onlookers had believed that the two were putting up an exaggerated act for their sake, but they soon began to wonder whether the couple even remembered that others were watching. They were lost in their own world mere steps away from the bright lights of the party. Then they approached the crown prince together to declare that they would be leaving, and now, they were engaging in a petty argument that was embarrassing to overhear.

"All right, then. I will come visit you whenever you say you miss me. I will strive to fulfill your wishes better," said Cárcel.

"Don't. If you ever show up out of nowhere like this again, I would... And why are you so pale? What on earth did you do on your way here?"

"Are you aware that if you simply do not tell me that you miss me, you won't have to tell me not to visit?"

"I asked why you are so pale. You need to remember that your body is feeble at times," Inés chided.

"Are you going to continue to tell me that you miss me? Hmm, Inés?"

Confused stares were fixed on them. The couple sounded as though they were lovers rather than a married couple. The only familiar element of this scene was Inés Escalante's irritated expression, but even that was born out of concern for her husband for overexerting himself, underscored by Cárcel Escalante's serene demeanor.

Everything else was incomprehensible. Inés was caressing Cárcel's strong, wide shoulders with her frail fingers and calling him feeble without a trace of exaggeration, her concern genuine. Even as they bickered, their hands remained intertwined and their faces close, seemingly oblivious to the crown prince and everyone else.

Cárcel Escalante hadn't taken the seat the crown prince had offered, hadn't been socializing at the party, and had even politely excused himself. As Cárcel and Inés stood a step away from the rest of the party, entirely focused on each other, no one dared to intrude. The two of them were free from any interference, and technically, they had done nothing wrong.

While the crown prince hadn't given his permission, no one thought that his cousin needed the prince's consent to take his own wife and leave a mere evening party early. If such permission were necessary, none of the men and women surreptitiously leaving the party together to find a bed would be able to slip away without the crown prince's consent. In other words, no wrongdoing wasbeing committed here. And yet, puzzled gazes lingered on the pair.

As the Escalantes receded into the distance, the party resumed.

Dolores, who stared at the couples on the dance floor spinning round and round to the music, turned her gaze back at the receding figures of Cárcel and Inés and muttered, "Didn't she say she was feeling indisposed?"

The couple were leaving the palace, wholly unconcerned about anyone watching. Their joined hands swung back and forth as they hurried along before the dim light swallowed them up. Just before they disappeared from sight, he swept her off her feet and carried her away.

Dolores inwardly criticized Inés for saying-as much as it had been an obvious excuse-that she felt unwell, only to run over to her husband as though reuniting with a long-lost family member. She should have at least invented a better excuse, Dolores thought. In the end, Dolores voiced her animosity. "That bright smile does not suit that surly wench at all."

"Dolores."

Ignoring the warning tone in the crown prince's voice, she continued, "Did you see her face as she ran over to her husband? That rude frown brightened up like a flower in bloom."

Oscar pulled his lips into a smile that failed to reach his eyes and replied, gaze still fixed in the far distance, "Nothing more than a brief amusement, I am sure."

"As a fellow woman, I could tell it wasn't that. Besides, Inés Valeztena does not move her backside for just anyone."

"Watch your words," said Oscar.

"She isn't one to behave so differently over a momentary emotion. After she moved to Calztela, she even seems to have thrown off those mourning dresses she used to wear like armor. No one distrusts men as much as Inés Valeztena, so... Oh, that must be Cárcel Escalante's doing. Yes, that absurdly handsome face must have worked on the Crow. Or she might have loosened up after her chaste body came to know a man. But that doesn't explain Cárcel Escalante... I wonder who seduced whom first. Perhaps that quiet Crow of Valeztena-"

"Dolores," Oscar said again.

"It's not entirely impossible. Though she seems to be as temperamental as before, she does smile quite often now. I've rarely seen that arrogant wench smile at me without looking down on me."

"You must be imagining things."

"Imagining what? That Inés Valeztena has changed or that she has been looking down on me ever since we were children?" Dolores asked in a huff.

"Inés hasn't changed. She has always been this way."

His statement made little sense. Dolores furrowed her delicate eyebrows. "The woman who kept her mouth glued shut as though speaking would bestow a curse upon her has suddenly returned to Mendoza and started to reign over high society as though she was a queen among the young noble ladies. She was never well-mannered, and she isn't the type to keep people at her side, so how on earth-" 

"You suffer from a sense of inferiority, Sister.

Whenever you see something more precious than you, you seek to destroy it out of jealousy. This will someday ruin your reputation," Oscar told her evenly.

"Is that all you have to say to your sister whom you haven't seen in so long? Are you telling me to be more mindful of my words when speaking of Inés Valeztena?"

"I merely gave my dear sister some sage advice," he replied, taking a leisurely sip from his wine glass.

"I am your only sister. That woman had been fortunate enough to be born into a great lineage, but His Majesty's blood flows through my veins. Even if my mother's blood is worth less than filthy swill, no one can deny my worth. So how could you make me out to be some sort of jealous child who envies that wretch, telling me that she is more precious? How could you twist your own sister's words for the sake of a woman you cannot even have?"

"You make it sound as though the swill running through your veins is precious, Sister."

Dolores stared at her brother with hard bitter eyes.

"Dolores, I treasure you very much, and it has nothing to do with your ancestry. You take after our mother and are thus very much like me, too. But that does not mean that we could ever be on equal footing. You have no right to look down on Inés. The only reason you can call her by name is thanks to her generosity." Oscar shifted his gaze to his sister, a cold look in his eyes. "You ought to know your place and stop begrudging her, Dolores."

He was warning her not to step any further past the line she was toeing. And still, there was a warmth in his tone.

Dolores's scowl suddenly changed into a look of unbridled horror. Then she asked, cautiously, "Are you... serious about Cárcel's wife?"

"Again, you should know your place," he replied sharply.

"Brother, I just—"

"Stop considering the position of my future wife to be yours. Do not consider that position to be in any way equal to yours, either. Rid yourself of the ridiculous notion that you might lose your authority, and abandon the absurd idea that you have any say in my affairs of heart."

Dolores was speechless.

Oscar reached out and took his betrothed's hand.

Alicia had been sitting quietly with her gaze lowered, acting as though she hadn't heard anything. "And do not harass Alicia anymore, either. She is a wise and virtuous woman who has already agreed to follow my will completely."

A blush bloomed over Alicia's neutral expression, which she had struggled to maintain.

Oscar's cold eyes glanced down at her shy face as though he was looking at a wriggling worm before he turned back to gaze in the direction Inés had left. His blue eyes flickered with a sudden glint for a moment before settling back down. He donned a smile again to comfort Dolores, led her out of her seat, and delivered her to her lover.