The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway — Chapter 13

AN IDIOT LIKE YOU THINKS YOU'RE WORTHY OF MY DAUGHTER'S HAND?

...IF I AM TO OFFICIALLY TAKE YOUR DAUGHTER AS MY WIFE,

I WILL BE SURE NOT TO DISAPPOINT YOU, YOUR GRACE.

THE SIMPLE FACT THAT YOU'RE BREATHING RIGHT NOW IS ALREADY A DISAPPOINTMENT ENOUGH. HOW ABOUT YOU JUST DIE SO I NO LONGER HAVE TO FEEL THIS WAY?

YOUR GRACE, THAT'S A BIT...

I'VE WATCHED YOU ALL EVENING, AND SEEING YOU BREATHE HAS BEEN UTTER TORTURE. I REALLY WOULD JUST LIKE YOU TO STOP.

THAT'S ENOUGH, FATHER.

YOU INVITED HIM HERE, SO PLEASE STOP BEING SO PETTY.

THIS ISN'T PROPER.

PETTY? WHO ARE YOU CALLING PETTY?

WHY ASK WHEN YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER?

I COULD HAVE EASILY KICKED IN THIS MAN'S SKULL, BUT I DIDN'T!

I EVEN WENT OUT OF MY WAY TO FEED HIM A PROPER MEAL! GIVEN THAT, I BELIEVE I'VE BEEN PLENTY CULTURED, TOLERANT, AND GENEROUS!

YES, YOU'VE BEEN SO INCREDIBLY TOLERANT THAT DESPITE KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON, YOU CHOSE TO LEAVE HIM ALONE UP UNTIL NOW. I'M FINE, FATHER.

LISTEN HERE! THE ONLY REASON I DID NOTHING IS BECAUSE THIS FELLOW WAS ACTING LIKE HE WASN'T GOING TO MARRY YOU AT ALL!

THE RUMORS SUGGESTED AS MUCH, BUT THE FACT IS THAT WE ARE GETTING MARRIED. YOU KNEW THAT AS WELL.

SO PLEASE LEAVE MY FIANCÉ ALONE.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE'S SUCKING DOWN ALL THAT HARD LIQUOR IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS...

IT SEEMS NO ONE IS EATING MUCH THIS EVENING.

AM I THE ONLY ONE ENJOYING THIS MEAL?

NOT AT ALL. THE FOOD IS EXQUISITE! DON'T YOU AGREE, CÁRCEL?

LORD CÁRCEL, IS EVERYTHING TO YOUR LIKING?

YES, EVERYTHING'S PERFECT.

...HA!

SO, YOU FINALLY SPEAK.

I'M SURPRISED YOU HAVEN'T SAID A SINGLE FLATTERING WORD TO THE WOMAN YOU'RE ABOUT TO MARRY.

AND HOW EXACTLY SHOULD HE BE FLATTERING ME, FATHER?

HE COULD SAY THAT YOU LOOK ESPECIALLY BEAUTIFUL TODAY, OR THAT YOUR DRESS LOOKS DULL COMPARED TO YOUR BEAUTY.

THERE ARE ENDLESS COMPLIMENTS HE COULD HAVE GIVEN YOU!

...OF COURSE, SEÑORITA INÉS IS OBVIOUSLY VERY BEAUTIFUL...

SAYS THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS BODY FOR PENNIES!

LORD CÁRCEL HAS NEVER SOLD HIS BODY. AND EVEN IF HE HAD, IT CERTAINLY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FOR PENNIES.

...IS THIS REALLY THE TIME TO BE DISCUSSING HOW MUCH HIS BODY IS WORTH?

YOU NEGLECTED MY DAUGHTER UNTIL SHE LOST HER YOUTH, AND NOW YOU COME HERE WANTING TO MARRY HER WITHIN TWO WEEKS?

WHAT IS IT? HAVE YOU CONTRACTED SOME VENEREAL DISEASE THAT WILL SOON TAKE YOUR LIFE? HAS YOUR FATHER INSTRUCTED YOU TO PRODUCE AN HEIR BEFORE YOU DIE?

FATHER, PLEASE STOP.

DO YOU THINK SO LITTLE OF MY DAUGHTER...?!

YOU THINK YOU CAN DISRESPECT HER BECAUSE SHE ONLY CARES ABOUT YOUR LOOKS?

FATHER.

DO YOU THINK THIS IS ANY WAY TO TREAT OUR GUEST?

...OUR GUEST? THAT BASTARD IS A THIEF AND NOTHING MORE.

LORD CÁRCEL IS AN HONORABLE LIEUTENANT IN THE IMPERIAL NAVY.

AND CONTRARY TO THE CLAIMS YOU'VE TRIED TO MAKE, HE HAS NEITHER SOLD HIS BODY NOR STOLEN ANYTHING.

LET US SPEAK ONLY ABOUT THE FACTS, FATHER.

LORD CÁRCEL HAS MORE THAN ENOUGH FLAWS TO CRITICIZE WITHOUT DISTORTING THE TRUTH.

DUKE VALEZTENA HAD HIS REASONS... HIS DAUGHTER HAD ONLY CONTINUED TO AGE...

INÉS, YOU ARE FAR TOO KIND. MUST YOU GO THROUGH WITH THIS MARRIAGE WHEN I AM SO VEHEMENTLY AGAINST IT?

...WHILE HER FIANCÉ ABANDONED THEIR WEDDING PLANS AND ROAMED THE SEAS.

I HAD EXPECTED HIM TO BE ANGRY...

BUT I HAD NO IDEA HER FAMILY WOULD BE SO STRONGLY OPPOSED TO OUR MARRIAGE.

IT'S SURPRISING THAT OUR ENGAGEMENT HASN'T ALREADY BEEN CALLED OFF.

WHY DON'T YOU DELAY THE WEDDING A LITTLE WHILE LONGER?

I SEE NOW WHY THE DUKE NEVER PROTESTED...

...WHEN I KEPT OFFERING EXCUSES TO DELAY THE WEDDING.

HE WANTED THE ENGAGEMENT TO BE CALLED OFF.

INÉS HAS FAR SURPASSED THE AGE WHEN MOST WOMEN IN ORTEGA GET MARRIED.

BUT WITH THE VALEZTENA NAME,

IT SHOULD POSE NO PROBLEM FOR HER TO RECEIVE PROPOSALS FROM OTHER GOOD FAMILIES.

THIS ENGAGEMENT...

FATHER, DO YOU THINK LIGHTLY OF THE PROMISE OUR FAMILY MADE?

...HAS ONLY LASTED SO LONG BECAUSE...

NOT TO MENTION, NEITHER THE VALEZTENAS NOR THE ESCALANTES ARE ORDINARY NOBLE FAMILY.

OUR POSITION WITHIN THE GRANDES DE ORTEGA HAS BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED.

THAT MEANS THAT "WE" DO NOT SAY ANYTHING LIGHTLY.

...WHILE INÉS MAY NOT LIKE ME OR EVEN HAVE ANY INTEREST IN ME,

SHE AT LEAST WANTS ME.

AND I'M FINE. I MEAN IT...

I ALSO REALIZED ONE MORE THING TODAY.

INÉS VALEZTENA SMILES MOST BEAUTIFULLY...

BECAUSE I LOVE LORD CÁRCEL.

...WHEN SHE LIES.

YOU KNOW, LORD CÁRCEL...

...I HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT OPINION FROM THE DUKE.

I'VE LIKED YOU FROM THE BEGINNING.

I ALWAYS TOLD INÉS AS WELL...

...THAT YOU'RE FAR TOO GOOD FOR HER.

WHY IS MIGUEL WALKING SO CLOSE TO HER?

...LORD CÁRCEL, ARE YOU LISTENING?

OF COURSE, YOUR GRACE. PLEASE CONTINUE.

TRUTHFULLY, INÉS ISN'T THE DAUGHTER I WANTED.

EVERYTHING SHE'S EVER DONE HAS BEEN A DISAPPOINTMENT.

SHE WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS, OF COURSE. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN SHE WAS JUST SO ADORABLE AND LOVELY.

BUT SHE CAME DOWN WITH A TERRIBLE FEVER ONE DAY AND IT CHANGED HER...

EVER SINCE THEN, ALL SHE DOES IS DISAPPOINT ME.

JUST LOOK AT HER. SHE LOOKS LIKE A WITCH...

DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ENDURE A LIFE WITH HER?

...I THINK SHE'S QUITE BEAUTIFUL.

THEN AGAIN, I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT FIND THE IDEA INTOLERABLE. AFTER ALL, I'M SURE THAT'S THE REASON YOU'VE TRIED SO HARD TO PUT OFF THE WEDDING.

THE THOUGHT OF SHARING A BED WITH HER MUST BE TERRIFYING FOR YOU.

HER LOOKS ALONE ARE ENOUGH TO MAKE ANYONE VOMIT!

SHE REALLY SEEMS TO RESENT HER...

HOW ON EARTH WILL YOU SURVIVE STARING AT THAT DREADFUL WOMAN FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

I BEG YOU, LORD CÁRCEL. PLEASE FIX HER. YOU MUST. THIS THING SHE'S SUFFERING FROM IS AN ILLNESS...

I CAN'T STAND IT. IT'S AS THOUGH SHE SPENDS ALL DAY TRYING TO EMBARRASS ME...!

ISN'T THIS GOING A BIT OVERBOARD TO JUST BE A COMPLAINT ABOUT HER DISAPPOINTING DAUGHTER?

BACK THEN, I THINK SOMEONE SWITCHED HER SOUL WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S.

SOMETIMES, SHE WOULD JUST DO THE EVILEST THINGS... IT WAS LIKE A DEMON HAD TAKEN OVER HER BODY.

WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG, THERE WERE TIMES WHEN SHE WOULD THREATEN ME OR EVEN HARM HERSELF...

...JUST TO SHOW ME THAT SHE WOULDN'T LISTEN TO A WORD I SAID...

...SHE THREATENED YOU?

ALL I DID WAS OFFER TO MAKE HER LOOK PRETTY.

THEN, FOR NO REASON, HER WHOLE DEMEANOR WOULD CHANGE AND SHE WOULD IGNORE ME...

SO I DECIDED TO TEACH HER A LESSON BY PUTTING HER IN A BARREL. I EVEN FORCED HER TO CHANGE INTO NICER CLOTHES...

BUT I ONLY DID THOSE THINGS FOR HER OWN GOOD.

EVEN TODAY, YOU SAW HOW SHE BEHAVED DURING DINNER, DIDN'T YOU? HER WEDDING IS IN A WEEK,

YET SHE STUFFED HERSELF WITH EVERY MORSEL OF FOOD SHE COULD FIND.

WHAT SORT OF NOBLE LADY DOES THAT...? I SWEAR, SHE REMINDS ME OF AN ANIMAL STICKING ITS HEAD INTO A FEED PAN!

IT'S NOT LIKE SHE EVEN WEARS ANY MAKEUP, AND YOU'VE SEEN THE WAY SHE DRESSES. THE LEAST SHE SHOULD DO IS SKIP A FEW MEALS TO MAINTAIN HER FIGURE. IT IS, AFTER ALL, HER ONLY GOOD QUALITY.

I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M HEARING...

A MOTHER SHOULD HELP HER DAUGHTER SO THAT SHE CAN BE LOVED BY HER HUSBAND AND NOT DO ANYTHING TO DAMAGE HER REPUTATION.

BUT...

...THE WAY SHE LOOKED AT ME THAT DAY WAS SO VICIOUS...

FROM THAT POINT ONWARD, MY DAUGHTER'S FATE WAS OUT OF MY HANDS. I COULDN'T DO A THING TO HELP HER OUT OF FEAR FOR MY OWN LIFE.

THAT IS WHY IT IS UP TO YOU TO FIX HER, LORD CÁRCEL. SHE REALLY IS VERY ILL.

FIXING YOUR DAUGHTER IS NOT SOMETHING I HAVE ANY RIGHT TO DO.

BUT YOU'RE SOON TO BE HER HUSBAND. YOU'LL BE HER MASTER.

I WILL BE HER HUSBAND AND NOTHING MORE.

AND YOUR DAUGHTER IS THE ONLY WOMAN I WILL BE TAKING TO BED FROM NOW ON.

THERE IS ONE THING INÉS MANAGED TO DO THAT I ACTUALLY APPROVED OF,

AND THAT WAS PUTTING A CHAIN AROUND YOUR NECK AND MAKING YOU HERS...

...BACK WHEN YOU WERE TOO YOUNG TO KNOW ANY BETTER.