The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway — Chapter 3

SO, WHAT I'M ASKING IS...

...ABOUT HOW MANY YEARS IS A "LIFETIME"?

OH MY...

WHY IS EVERYONE... LAUGHING?

...DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT WORD MEANS?

YOU DON'T, DO YOU?

I... I KNOW! OF COURSE I KNOW! EVERYONE DOES!

EXPLAIN IT TO ME, THEN.

WELL... IT'S TIME, OF COURSE. AND TIME IS...

(HE DOESN'T KNOW.)

DO I REALLY HAVE TO SPEAK TO LORD CÁRCEL?

INÉS, YOU KNOW YOU'RE MUCH SMARTER THAN CHILDREN YOUR AGE.

DUKE LEONEL VALEZTENA

IT'S NATURAL TO FEEL FRUSTRATED. THAT'S WHY YOU MUST PRACTICE NOT IGNORING HIM EVEN IF HE ISN'T AS SMART AS YOU.

THEY THINK I'M STUPID.

BUT I DON'T NEED ANY FRIENDS. AND LORD CÁRCEL IS MY FIANCÉ, NOT MY FRIEND.

(FAIL)

EXACTLY. THAT IS WHY YOU MUST BE EVEN KINDER TO HIM. LIKE A SWEET YOUNG LADY...

I MAY HAVE A BAD PERSONALITY, BUT I'M A LADY NEVERTHELESS, FATHER.

IF YOUR FRIEND DOESN'T KNOW SOMETHING, YOU MUST TEACH HIM KINDLY. YOU SHOULDN'T MAKE HIM FEEL STUPID JUST BECAUSE HE'S A BIT DENSE...

(LIFE LESSON)

MY LITTLE GIRL ALWAYS HAS TO HAVE THE LAST WORD...

ESCALANTE, LISTEN CAREFULLY.

ONLY A DEAD PERSON CAN TELL YOU HOW LONG A LIFETIME IS.

...DEAD PEOPLE CAN TALK?

NO. THAT'S WHY NO ONE WHO'S LIVING KNOWS THE ANSWER.

THEN HOW WOULD A DEAD PERSON KNOW?

BECAUSE THEY'VE EXPERIENCED DEATH.

HE ONLY LEARNED ABOUT "DEATH" FOUR OR SO MONTHS AGO.

SO, I ALSO HAVE TO DIE TO FIND OUT?

IT'S BECAUSE A LIFETIME IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME YOU HAVE UNTIL DEATH, SO IT ONLY ENDS WHEN YOU DIE.

IF YOU THINK OF IT LIKE THAT... I'M SURE YOU CAN DO THE MATH...

...AND FIGURE OUT HOW LONG YOUR LIFETIME WILL BE.

HOW WOULD I DIE?

I MEAN, MY GRANDFATHER'S LEG STARTED ROTTING AFTER HE GOT SHOT IN NUÑERA.

DOES THAT MEAN I'LL LOSE MY LEG LIKE HE DID?

WILL I HAVE TO LIVE WITH YOU UNTIL THEY CHOP IT OFF?

...YOUR GRANDFATHER LIVED FOR 10 MORE YEARS AFTER HE LOST HIS LEG.

...SO, YOU'RE SAYING I REALLY WILL HAVE TO CHOP IT OFF!

AND IF I DON'T...

...THEN I HAVE TO MARRY YOU!

OH DEAR...

WE'LL DO MORE THAN JUST GET MARRIED. WE HAVE TO HAVE A BABY TOGETHER TOO.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

I DON'T WANT TO!

..THE TRUTH IS...

...IT MIGHT NOT LAST A "LIFETIME."

WHAT?

I'M TALKING ABOUT OUR MARRIAGE.

NOW,

LET'S RAISE OUR GLASSES!

TO CÁRCEL ESCALANTE DE ESPOSA...

...AND INÉS VALEZTENA DE PEREZ...

...WHO SHALL MARRY ONCE THEY COME OF AGE.

THROUGH THE UNIFICATION OF THIS BEAUTIFUL COUPLE THAT SHALL SPEND A LIFETIME TOGETHER,

MAY THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THESE TWO FAMILIES ONLY BE STRENGTHENED.

HEAR, HEAR, YOUR MAJESTY!

INÉS VALEZTENA WILL BECOME THE LADY OF THE ESCALANTE FAMILY...

...AND CÁRCEL ESCALANTE WILL BECOME THE SON-IN-LAW OF THE VALEZTENA FAMILY.

I'M ALMOST CERTAIN IT STARTED WITH THAT CURSED TOAST.

FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, MY WHOLE PERFECT LIFE BEGAN FALLING APART.

AND TO THE DELIGHT OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY, THEY SHALL DEVOTE THEMSELVES TO ONE ANOTHER'S FAMILIES UNTIL THEIR DYING DAYS...

I STILL CAN'T UNDERSTAND.

WHY YOU?

OSCAR VALENZA DE ORTEGA (THE CROWN PRINCE AND CÁRCEL'S COUSIN)

DID YOU HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?

I DON'T REALLY KNOW EITHER.

WELL, YOU SHOULD TRY HARDER TO FIGURE IT OUT.

WHEN WE GROW UP AND I BECOME YOUR EMPEROR, ARE YOU GOING TO JUST STARE AT ME LIKE AN IDIOT WHEN I ASK YOU A QUESTION?

YOU MUST'VE DONE SOMETHING TO LADY VALEZTENA... I'M SURE OF IT.

IT WAS YOUR DARNED FACE, WASN'T IT?

I'M ONLY SIX YEARS OLD, YOUR HIGHNESS.

EXACTLY. HOW DARE A SIX-YEAR-OLD BE SO CUNNING?

I'LL BE SEVEN SOON, THOUGH.

SO, A MERE SEVEN-YEAR-OLD DARED TO...

BUT YOU'RE ONLY 10 YEARS OLD YOURSELF...

DIDN'T YOU KNOW SHE WAS MINE?

INÉS NEVER BELONGED TO YOU...

YOU DARE TO STEAL YOUR MASTER'S PROPERTY?

I WON'T PUNISH YOU, SINCE YOU'RE MY UNCLE'S SON,

BUT OUR UNION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THE SAKE OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY.

WHEN INÉS REFUSED THE CROWN PRINCE'S PROPOSAL AND CHOSE CÁRCEL INSTEAD,

IT WAS EMPRESS CAYETANA WHO BROUGHT CÁRCEL BEFORE THE GIRL, ALMOST AS IF SHE HAD BEEN WAITING FOR THE MOMENT.

NOT ONCE DID SHE EVEN QUESTION INÉS FOR HER INSOLENCE IN REFUSING THE EMPEROR'S SON.

INSTEAD, AS SHE KINDLY URGED INÉS TO MAKE HER OWN CHOICE, THE EMPRESS WAS SENDING A MESSAGE.

SHE MAY HAVE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN AN ALLIANCE WITH HOUSE VALEZTENA, BUT SHE MOST CERTAINLY DIDN'T WANT THIS GLOOMY CHILD.

ALTHOUGH SHE NEEDED INÉS, SHE DIDN'T BELIEVE INÉS WAS WORTHY OF HER SON.

SHE REFUSED ME AND CHOSE AN IDIOT LIKE YOU.

THAT BRAINLESS LITTLE CROW...

I THOUGHT YOU LIKED INÉS.

ME? LIKE THAT CROW?

...YOU WANTED HER BEFORE.

WANTING AND LIKING ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, CÁRCEL.

I WANTED TO MARRY INÉS. THAT DOESN'T MEAN I LOVE HER.

SHE JUST HAPPENS TO HAVE THE BEST BLOODLINE WE COULD POSSIBLY MARRY INTO.

ANYWAY, LET'S PAY A LITTLE VISIT TO YOUR CROW OF A FIANCÉE.

THERE IS STILL MUCH TIME UNTIL YOU BOTH BECOME ADULTS.