B-ronken-R-ing 159...

"Yes! He has requested you to come and watch the Formente competition this afternoon, by the corridor next to the palace garden," Juana said. "It seems he has no lady to present his flower crown to because he didn't anticipate his participation."

It was a flimsy pretext. After all, Luciano would only have to hold his flower crown and cast a few distressed glances around for a lady to toss her own crown to the ground and rush to him.

Perhaps Luciano was simply elated by the fact that his sister had invited him to Calztela. Why else would he be competing? As a child, he had played various types of ball games with the children of the vassals of Perez. However, she could not recall him indulging in such activities after growing into adulthood.

"So Luciano is competing in the Formente... How interesting," Inés murmured.

Duke Valeztena was extremely strict with his only son. He had entrusted Luciano with the duty of overseeing the inner workings of the Castle of Perez once his son came of age. This kept him perpetually busy, traveling between Perez and Mendoza tending to the affairs of House Valeztena. However, it wasn't solely these responsibilities that consumed Luciano's time. The duke had a habit of assigning his son with tasks better suited for their vassals. Even during moments of respite, the duke had no qualms with bringing his son along wherever he went and compelling him to work like one of his vassals, all under the guise of mentorship. Thus, Luciano rarely had the leisure to participate in such games.

Moreover, events such as the Formente competition were usually an extension of aristocratic courtship rituals. Young noblemen would showcase their skill in kicking a leather ball, masking their true intentions of romantic pursuit. Every time they successfully played the ball, they would stare into the eyes of the woman bearing their flower crowns, or even those wearing other men's flower crown or already married. They paraded like peacocks during mating displays, flaunting their feathers in a bid for attention.

In this light, Luciano inviting his own sister to wear his flower crown revealed his ironclad resolve to distance himself from those frivolous efforts of courtship.

After all, Luciano was the most coveted bachelor in Mendoza, especially since he remained unbetrothed. This was one of the biggest reasons he withheld himself from participating in these competitions. A mere accidental gaze into a lady's eyes could spark rumors about his matrimonial intentions the next day. For instance, he had once kindly retrieved a fan dropped by a count's daughter at a New Year's banquet, only to be plagued by rumors for six months that they had gotten married in secret.

Inés snorted to herself, recalling how flustered Luciano had looked, as if those events had occurred just a couple days ago. But she soon realized that those memories belonged to a literal lifetime ago. Silently tapping a finger on Cárcel's envelope, she thought, Perhaps this is the doing of that despicable, disgusting man.

But he had no reason to use Luciano like this. After all, Inés had been visiting the palace on a daily basis for Empress Cayetana.

Even though Inés had declined Oscar's invitation, she would have no way of refusing if he sought the empress's approval. Since Inés had rejected him on the grounds of her duties to the empress, her excuse would lose its validity if the empress approved of the arrangement. Cayetana would likely tell Inés that the crown prince was obviously yearning for her company and insist that she should go with him, all the while fixing her gaze on Alicia.

If she had no choice but to endure an afternoon watching those useless, sweaty men strive for attention, perhaps it was for the best that Luciano had suddenly invited her. Aside from considering the Formente a complete waste of time, she had no desire to sit alongside Alicia as if they were the wife and mistress of the same man.

In truth, Inés had been prepared to "accidentally" drop the flower crown from Oscar and trample it underfoot. However, if she was going to be there for Luciano, she had no reason to engage in such blatantly disrespectful acts. She wouldn't need to storm out of the palace in the middle of the competition, retching, or pretend to faint in the palace.

"I understand it might be inconvenient, my lady," said Juana. "But Lord Luciano rarely makes such requests of you... And after what happened, the two of you-"

Inés cut her off. "Tell him that I will attend."

"Pardon?"

"Tell Luciano that I will attend, dressed in my most beautiful gown," Inés repeated. "Also, send a message to Her Majesty, informing her that I will not be able to visit her today because my dear brother will finally be competing in the Formente, and I must be there to cheer for him."

Inés felt a wave of relief. Now, she wouldn't have to don a mournful black dress, hoping the revolting crown prince would be struck by a rock and die. Even better, she could avoid Cayetana's repulsive presence in the early afternoon.

After tucking Cárcel's letters back into the envelope, she staggered to her bed and threw herself down onto it. She sensed Juana's eyes on her.

"You're going back to bed?" Juana asked.

"Yes," Inés answered.

She was utterly exhausted, and her body demanded rest. Inés placed Cárcel's letter back on his pillow, arranging it just as it had been. Then she let her eyelids slide shut.

***

Luciano arrived at the Escalante Manor a little past midday.

He stood in the middle of the grand entrance hall, eyes drawn to the portrait of Admiral Calderon and his wife hanging to his right. When he heard the footsteps descending the staircase, he lifted his gaze to see Inés with a practiced mask of calm, then walked to the foot of the stairs to greet her.

"Inés."

She gracefully reached out to take Luciano's extended arm in lieu of a verbal response, stepping off the last stair. Behind Luciano, his aide held out Inés's flower crown.

Luciano glanced at the crown. "Oh... I nearly forgot about this."

Even though he still appeared calm and composed, a slight twitch in his features betrayed his unease. It was obvious that he felt a touch flustered in front of his sister he wasn't too familiar with.

To show she did not mind, Inés reached for the flower crown, intending to place it on her head herself. Before she could, however, Luciano beat her to it.

"Should I place it like this?" Luciano asked, setting the crown on her head with deliberate care.

"Probably," said Inés, heading toward the doors without a glance at the nearby mirror.

Luciano held her in place with gentle hands. "Wait... perhaps you should see it for yourself," he suggested.

Obliging, Inés turned to face the tall mirror. Their reflections stared back at her.

"You look beautiful, Inés," said Luciano.

Her brother was now gazing at her with a bright smile, which had silently and abruptly spread across his face like ripples on a still pond.

Inés immediately cast her gaze downward to avoid meeting his eyes in the mirror.

Luciano continued. "The flowers suit you splendidly. Mother was right... you look wonderful with purple flowers. It's a perfect complement."

"I look good in everything," Inés responded.

She had only meant that her mother's input carried little weight, but Luciano's eyes widened as if she had caught him off guard with a bold jest. He then huffed out a soft laugh and nodded. "Indeed. You have always been exceptionally beautiful."

For a moment, Inés's heart was filled with mixed feelings. She glanced at Luciano's reflection before turning away. "It's tilting a bit to the left," she observed.

"Oh... I'll adjust it on this side, then."

Luciano stayed in front of Inés even as she began to walk, matching her steps while walking backward. He reached out to fix the flower crown on her head, squinting and tilting his head as if calculating the exact angle. After a moment, he seemed to conclude that it was angled correctly. Turning around to walk alongside his sister, he offered her his arm. Inés glanced down at it before taking hold.

The flower crown complemented the light purple dress that she was wearing, just like Luciano had noted. Inés felt a twinge of annoyance at the fact that her mother had indeed known her undisclosed preferences.

Both Inés and Luciano remained silent as he escorted her onto the carriage. As the carriage began moving, Inés noticed the fatigue etched on her brother's face, something that she had not detected in the brightly lit hall of the residence.

"You look weary, Luciano. Are you sure you can manage the competition?" she asked.

Luciano, who had been gazing out the window, turned to her with a warm smile. "I didn't sleep well last night. How did you notice?"

Curiously, Luciano smiled more and acted with greater care compared to her previous life, where they had been much closer. It seemed as if he was consciously striving to bridge the distance between them with extra kindness and care.

This was a stark, uncomfortable contrast to how Luciano had treated her before her first period. In those days, he had been careless and rough, treating her more like a younger brother than a sister. Even though they had abruptly drifted apart in this lifetime after she turned six, she couldn't forget what he had been like in her past lives. Sometimes, she couldn't help but compare the different versions of him, finding herself chuckling at the recollections. Such memories resurfaced on quiet, uneventful days like this one, tempting her to compare them to her current reality. However, they usually left her with a bitter aftertaste once she realized that they did not belong to the present.

Crossing her legs, Inés asked with a hint of assertiveness, "And you still intend to compete in the Formente? For what reason? You're not one to flaunt your muscles in front of the ladies."

Luciano's smile wavered, momentarily thrown by her bluntness. "Well, that is true..." he admitted, almost instinctively, due to the assurance of her tone. A brief frown creased the bridge of his nose, revealing his confusion at Inés's assessment of his character, which indicated she had a profound understanding of him.

Inés probed, "Have you perhaps taken a liking to some lady?"

She knew the question would likely feel strange to him, to say the least.

"I imagine you would have asked her if that were the case," she added thoughtfully. "Unless you asked me to bide your time to approach her..."

Luciano stared at her in disbelief before bursting into laughter. "No, there is nothing of the sort going on." He seemed to be trying to maintain his composure and kindness toward his sister, though he couldn't hide his look of surprise and concern.

Inés simply shrugged, as if this conversation was entirely ordinary for them. "Then why are you doing this? I've heard nothing of your participation, not even when the crown prince invited me to attend the competition."

"Oh... I see. So that's why," Luciano murmured.

"What do you mean?" Inés pressed.

"Cárcel Escalante sent me a messenger early this morning, asking me to compete in the Formente on his behalf," Luciano explained. "He said he needs someone to give you a flower crown since he couldn't stay in Mendoza for the event."

Inés, gazing at her brother with her chin resting on one hand, felt a blush creeping up to her ears. Flustered, she dropped her gaze to the floor.

Leaning against the carriage wall, Luciano remarked, "You've shared that your marriage is going well, but I never imagined it was so blissful that even the mere mention of your husband's name would make you blush." His gaze remained steady on Inés, echoing the way she had been staring at him moments earlier.