The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway — Chapter 5

...YOU'RE STRANGE, INÉS.

ME?

PEOPLE SAY YOU LIKE ME.

BUT IF YOU REALLY DID,

YOU WOULDN'T TREAT ME THE WAY YOU DO.

IS IT STRANGE THAT I WOULD LIKE YOU?

YOU REALLY LIKE ME?

I WOULDN'T HAVE DECIDED TO MARRY YOU IF I DIDN'T.

PEOPLE SAY YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT A GREAT HONOR IT IS TO MARRY THE CROWN PRINCE... ...AND THAT YOU ONLY CHOSE ME BECAUSE I HAVE A PRETTY FACE...

THAT'S TRUE.

I DID CHOOSE YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR FACE.

DO YOU REALLY LIKE MY FACE?

IS THERE ANYONE IN THIS WORLD WHO DOESN'T LIKE PRETTY THINGS?

YES. IT HAS ITS USES.

...AND THAT YOU ONLY CHOSE ME BECAUSE I HAVE A PRETTY FACE...

SPEECHLESS

THAT'S HOW YOU THINK OF PEOPLE?!

YOU SAY YOU LIKE ME, YET YOU'RE BEING SO RUDE.

DON'T YOU WANT TO IMPRESS ME?

WHAT IS IT I'M LACKING THAT I SHOULD WANT TO IMPRESS YOU?

IF YOU WANT ME TO LIKE YOU BACK, YOU SHOULD AT LEAST...!

YOU'RE MISTAKEN.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE ME AT ALL.

I DON'T NEED YOU TO.

CÁRCEL ESCALANTE,

THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO REMEMBER...

...IS THAT I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH.

I HAVE NO INTEREST IN YOU, ESCALANTE.

THAT'S RIGHT.

...I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG FROM THAT MOMENT.

VALEZTENA RESIDENCE, INÉS' ROOM

NO INTEREST? DID HER FEELINGS FOR ME CHANGE?

SHE WAS ALWAYS QUITE SHY, SO SHE ONLY EVER EXPRESSED HER AFFECTION THROUGH LETTERS,

BUT HER DEVOTION TO ME HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN THROUGHOUT HIGH SOCIETY.

EVEN THIS ROOM IS STILL THE SAME...

NOT A SINGLE THING HAS CHANGED IN ALL THESE YEARS.

BUT I'M SURE IT'S HERE SOMEWHERE.

SOMETHING THAT CAN EXPLAIN WHY HER FEELINGS HAVE CHANGED...

A "CLUE" IF YOU WILL.

IS IT BECAUSE SHE FEELS AWKWARD THAT OUR BODIES ARE DIFFERENT NOW THAT WE'VE GROWN UP?

OR WAS IT BEFORE I ENTERED THE MILITARY ACADEMY...?

NO.

EVEN WHEN PEOPLE GIVE HER DIRTY LOOKS, INÉS IS ALWAYS SO...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

ESCALANTE.

AT LEAST SHE ISN'T STILL CALLING ME “LORD” LIKE SHE WAS LAST TIME.

BUT ONE THING IN THIS ROOM...

...HAS DEFINITELY CHANGED.

EVEN IN THAT SHAPELESS DRESS THAT LOOKS FIT FOR A FUNERAL...

...THERE'S NO HIDING THE FACT THAT HER BODY HAS MATURED BEAUTIFULLY...

LOOKS LIKE HE'S HAVING LEWD THOUGHTS AGAIN WHILE PRETENDING TO BE DEEP IN THOUGHT.

IT SHALL BE MY ONE JOY IN LIFE AS A MARRIED MAN!

...WHY AREN'T YOU INTERESTED IN ME?

THERE'S NO HIDDEN MEANING, SO DON'T WORRY YOURSELF ABOUT IT.

THAT'S NOT A GOOD ENOUGH ANSWER.

I ONLY SAID IT TO MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.

I TOLD YOU I KNEW ALL ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL ESCAPADES AND THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME...

...SO YOU WERE FREE TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANTED.

WHAT PART OF THAT DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?

I GET IT NOW. I UPSET YOU...

...SO YOU WERE BEING SARCASTIC.

(SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.)

YOU'RE SAYING I WAS SARCASTIC?? WHEN??

IT'S EITHER THAT OR YOU SAID THOSE THINGS WITHOUT REALLY MEANING THEM.

I DID WHAT??? WHEN???

OR MAYBE YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT HOW I WOULD FEEL...

YOU DO REALIZE YOU AREN'T MAKING ANY SENSE, RIGHT?

YEP.

YOU'RE ACTING LIKE I'VE FOUND MYSELF ANOTHER MAN OR SOMETHING.

HAVE YOU?

IS THAT IMPORTANT?

I'M A WALLFLOWER WHO NO ONE WANTS.

IT'S LIKE YOUR COUSIN SAID BEFORE.

I'M THE CROW OF HOUSE VALEZTENA.

...THE REASON MEN AREN'T AFTER YOU...

...IS BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE AN EXCEEDINGLY HANDSOME FIANCÉ.

IT'S NO WONDER SHE DOESN'T GET NOTICED WHEN SHE'S ALWAYS DRESSED LIKE THAT.

IN A SEA OF VIBRANT BIRDS,

SHE STANDS OUT LIKE A BLACK CROW.

WITH THAT BODY, SHE COULD SUBDUE EVEN THE STUPIDEST OF NOBLEMEN...

BUT TRUE AS THAT MAY BE...

...I CAN'T JUST TELL HER SHE'S BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE OF HER BODY!

I'D SOUND LIKE A PIG!

WOMEN SHOW INTEREST IN YOU...

...BECAUSE MY LOOKS AREN'T THREATENING, UNLIKE YOURS.

I KNOW THIS, AND I DON'T CARE.

I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS MARRIAGE OR YOU.

THERE IS NO REASON TO RUIN OUR RELATIONSHIP OVER SOMETHING SO TRIVIAL.

SO, YOU'RE SAYING THAT OUR RELATIONSHIP...

YOU'RE GOOD MARRIAGE MATERIAL.

MARRIAGE MATERIAL?

...ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE ALL THERE, MENTALLY?

I'M PERFECTLY SANE.

I'M WELL AWARE OF WHAT JEALOUSY FEELS LIKE. I ALSO KNOW HOW TO BE ANGRY, AND I CAN BECOME VERY ATTACHED AS WELL.

SO IF YOU BETRAY ME, I'LL KILL YOU.

HOW'D WE JUMP TO MURDER?

KILL...?

THAT'S HOW I AM WHEN I LOVE A MAN.

SO...

...I DON'T WANT TO WASTE ANY ENERGY ON A MAN LIKE YOU...

...WHO I DON'T EVEN LIKE.