The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway — Chapter 25

WHAT...

...IS ALL THIS...?

CÁRCEL! YOU'RE BACK!

What?

WHY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE A NORMAL WIFE GREETING HER HUSBAND?

WELCOME HOME. YOU MUST'VE HAD ANOTHER HARD DAY AGAIN.

HER VOICE SOUNDS SO KIND, ALMOST AS IF HER SOUL HAS BEEN SWITCHED...

ON TOP OF IT ALL...

WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING BY THE DOOR? HURRY INSIDE.

UMM...

WHAT IS ALL THIS...?

AH, IT'S SO HECTIC HERE, ISN'T IT?

THIS HOUSE IS SO SMALL AND WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS...

I WANTED TO GET ORGANIZED SOONER, BUT AS YOU KNOW, DARLING...

DARLING?

...I'VE BEEN QUITE DEPRESSED SINCE I ARRIVED HERE IN CALZTELA.

She Looks Like A Cat With A Full Stomach...

...IS THAT SO?

...WELL...

...SHE DID LOOK RATHER CUTE.

YOU UNDERSTAND, RIGHT?

...SURE.

THIS MORNING, I SUDDENLY HAD A THOUGHT.

WHAT THOUGHT...?

I DECIDED THAT I SHOULD FLIP THIS PLACE UPSIDE DOWN.

THIS PLACE WAS COMPLETELY IN RUINS. IT WAS SO FULL OF THINGS THAT THERE WAS BARELY ANY SPACE FOR PEOPLE...

IF SEÑORA HADN'T SHOWN UP, WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN FORCED TO LIVE LIKE THIS FOR ANOTHER FEW YEARS.

I'M SURE THAT'S NOT TRUE.

ARONDRA...

JUST TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR HUSBAND. YOU KNOW HE ISN'T THE TYPE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THESE SORTS OF THINGS.

WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT'S WHY THIS RESIDENCE WAS IN SUCH DISARRAY.

Is It An Act?

...WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS...?

EVEN AS A CHILD, INÉS NEVER FORCED HERSELF TO SMILE FOR ANYONE. NOT FOR THE CROWN PRINCE...

...NOR FOR ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.

IN A SENSE, SHE WAS FAIR IN THE WAY THAT SHE WAS UNKIND TO EVERYONE EQUALLY.

I'M NOT TRYING TO CHANGE TOO MUCH.

IN FACT, I WAS PLANNING ON GETTING YOUR PERMISSION ONCE YOU RETURNED.

...YOU DON'T NEED MY PERMISSION. EVERYTHING HERE IS YOURS, SO DO AS YOU LIKE.

THAT IS WHY THIS MOMENT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL.

SEÑORA,

WHERE SHOULD I PUT THIS CONSOLE TABLE?

PLEASE TAKE IT OUT TO THE ENTRANCE.

IT WAS THE CASE FOR ALL NOBLES,

BUT INÉS WAS ESPECIALLY ACCUSTOMED TO ORDERING PEOPLE AROUND.

PERHAPS IT MIGHT HAVE SUITED HER BETTER...

...TO MARRY OSCAR...

WHAT AN UPSETTING THOUGHT.

WHY DID I THINK THAT JUST NOW...?

DID SHE PUT ON PERFUME TODAY TOO?

SHE ACTUALLY USED PERFUME AND NOT FRAGRANCE OIL...

SHE REALLY IS ACTING LIKE A PROPER NOBLE LADY...

IT'S COMPLETELY UNLIKE HER.

DID SHE SIT IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR...

...AND THINK ABOUT WHAT WE DID THAT NIGHT?

THE DAY IS FAR TOO LONG,

AND THE TIME UNTIL NIGHTFALL SEEMS MUCH TOO DISTANT.

CÁRCEL,

I'M TROUBLED BY THE FACT THAT EVERYONE IN THIS RESIDENCE IS TOO HARDWORKING.

LOOK AT THEM.

THEY MUST BE SO EXHAUSTED, YET THEY'VE JUST BEEN STANDING BY WAITING WITHOUT ANY COMPLAINTS...

AND LOOK AT HOW METICULOUS THEY ARE ABOUT THEIR DUTIES!

AH.

...IS THIS WHAT SHE'S AFTER?

25

I KNOW ONE THING FOR SURE.

INÉS HASN'T PAID ANY ATTENTION TO ME AT ALL UNTIL NOW.

HER KINDNESS IS BEING DIRECTED SOLELY TOWARD THE "HARDWORKING EMPLOYEES."

IN FACT, THE CONSIDERATION SHE SHOWED ME MOMENTS AGO...

...WAS MERELY AN ACT SHE PUT ON FOR THEM.

IT WASN'T FOR ME.

...I'M SORRY TO POINT THIS OUT, BUT...

...IT SEEMS YOU'VE BEEN HARD AT WORK STUDYING SEÑORA'S FACE SINCE EARLIER, LIEUTENANT.

CÁRCEL,

I WAS ASKING HOW YOU'D FEEL ABOUT REDOING THE FENCE AROUND THE RESIDENCE.

SORRY, I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THE REASON FOR YOUR BEHAVIOR RECENTLY.

...WHY ARE YOU ACTING THIS WAY?

I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'RE TRYING TO DO,

BUT I JUST CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE DOING IT ALL OF A SUDDEN.

YOU APPRECIATE MY EFFORTS BUT YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND THEM? YOU REALLY OUGHT TO PICK AN EMOTION AND STICK TO IT.

INÉS, YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED A SINGLE PIECE OF FURNITURE IN YOUR ROOM SINCE YOU WERE SIX.

I'M ONLY TRYING TO TAKE CARE OF OUR HOME.

THIS IS FOR BOTH OF US.

AND FOR OUR GUESTS TOO.

WE NEED TO GET THIS HOUSE UP TO PAR IF WE WANT TO HAVE ANYONE OVER.

WHO WOULD WE HAVE OVER...?

...YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYONE TO INVITE...

BUT YOU DO.

SO TO BE MORE ACCURATE, I'M DOING THIS...

...FOR YOUR GUESTS.

ALMENARA, HOW IS THE FOOD?

AH... IT'S GOOD, SEÑORA ESCALANTE... NO, IT'S GREAT.

AND THE SOUP... THE SOUP IS... AH, IT'S COLD...

IT'S VERY HOT TODAY, SO YOLANDA MUST'VE PREPARED A COLD SOUP FOR US.

IS COLD SOUP NOT TO YOUR LIKING?

OH, NO, I LOVE IT! IT'S VERY... UNIQUE. I ONLY MENTIONED IT BECAUSE IT'S SO UNIQUE.

IT WAS A VERY THOUGHTFUL ADDITION TO THE MENU. AS EXPECTED... THE EMPLOYEES OF HOUSE ESCALANTE ARE...

...ESPECIALLY SKILLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PRESTIGE OF THE ESCALANTE NAME...

ALMENARA, ARE YOU ALRIGHT? WHY DON'T YOU HAVE A SIP OF WATER? THERE'S A GLASS RIGHT THERE.

GOOD IDEA, SEÑORA. PARDON ME...

PLEASE...

...JUST LET ME GO HOME...!

To Be Continued