The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 38

Chapter 38

His mistresses are innocent ladies who believe they are Dante Ihar's one and only true love, completely unaware of each other's existence. They are devoted ladies eagerly awaiting the day when they will officially marry Dante and gladly throwing themselves into his arms.

The Duke of Valeztena said, 'Such a young man is a worthy match for my sweetheart.'

He briefly chuckled at the thought. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It was fortunate indeed that she had the power to disregard the Duke's judgment and the wishes of the elders in favor of Ines, even though the Duke had no eyes to see the reality.

"Can't even hold onto money. Look at Ines."

".…."

Since when did he call Ines so affectionately? Just over a decade ago he teased Cárcel every time he saw him, asking him to 'tell him about the miserable feeling of marrying a crow'. It was annoying and disgusting to see him gaze at the newly married woman like licking candy wrappers.

Cárcel, turned his head and closed his lips with a blunt expression on his face, as if he didn't want to deal with him.

However, Dante, who was concentrating with narrowed eyes while observing Ines, suddenly burst out laughing.

"I think I know why you can't take your eyes off her."

"As if I would want anyone to know that."

"I can see why. I thought you were going to lose your soul during the wedding mass... It were me, I wouldn't mind squandering money either.”

“…….”

“Everyone could not believe their eyes. They are wondering if there was another beautiful lady in the Valeztena family that we didn't know about.”

Cárcel twisted his lips without responding.

Ines, who was dancing elegantly in an extravagant and brighter dress than ever before, was still causing people's astonishment, admiration, and shock all at the same time - just like when she appeared at the wedding mass in a beautiful, old-fashioned wedding dress.

Shock. Yes, it was appropriate to call it shock.

Those who still couldn't escape from the shock awkwardly danced closer to Ines, stepping on each other's feet and crowding against the walls without even thinking about finding partners, criticizing Ines from her head to the tips of her shoes, looking shocked. It was very visible as he was sitting at the head of the table.

Cárcel's was fascinated by Ines, then glared like a bug at a man who had stumbled to the side, and then stared at Ines again.

During the wedding ceremony, she loosened her neatly tied hair, which had been neatly swept back, and let it fall in loose waves, with a few jewels adorning the side, making her look surprisingly innocent compared to her noble appearance at the wedding ceremony.

The black dress, which had always been buttoned up flawlessly to the neckline, was now forgotten, revealing the alluring neckline and slender waistline, as well as the voluptuous hips that blossomed like flower petals, the curls that swirled when she turned, and her confident face that didn't seem awkward at all.

Contrary to people's astonished looks, she smiled kindly and didn't ignore or pretend not to hear those annoyingly flattering.

Though each of them seemed like a different version of their true selves, the problem was that they all naturally dominated the social scene. Being noticed as the most beautiful woman at a gathering, becoming the center of attention at such a grand event, effortlessly pushing and pulling people, leading conversations with affection... for Cárcel, it was all new.

According to the Duchess, even as a mother, it was all new to her.

Yet, everything seemed to fit perfectly, from start to finish. Despite knowing that Ines probably didn't care much for that dress, everything seemed flawless in the end. Ines glowed. There was no reason to deny that.

Cárcel cleared his throat, eyeing Luciano's excited face.

’... Just because.’

Ines was still Ines. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] The only thing that had changed was her clothes and hair. Even considering that her smiling face was a bit rarer, it was just one expression.

Yet, it seemed like everything had changed in the world. It was amusing. To the point where it's somewhat annoying. Whether she fluttered in a glamorous dress or locked buttons all the way to her neck, maintaining a solemn expression like a priest—Ines remained Ines, no matter what.

Of course, the urge to rip off that dress and climb on top of her as soon as they entered the bedroom was like a chimney fire. Nevertheless, even if she wore rags, he'd still be excited, suffering from a hopeless passion.

Whether Ines Valeztena looked prettier or brighter, for whatever reason, the world, turned into a weird mess, felt uncomfortable. People were itching to roll their eyes out impulsively.

"Where did all these jewels suddenly come from?"

Dante Ihar was a prime example. Complaining about a woman who would crack his shins if she found out that he dared talk about her jewelry or something... Anyway, he was a light-headed guy.”

Ines may look a bit different, and even if we disregard the fact that she's wandering around as if she's just been married without a care in the world, the idea of using Cárcel to approach Ines was simply beyond comprehension.

"When she looked so gloomy as if every day was a funeral, I couldn’t even see her face.."

Anyway, this is a world where there are not just one or two crazy people... Cárcel twitched her mouth slightly and muttered quietly.

It was as if Dante, who knew nothing about it, suddenly spoke up.

"Still, your eyes probably won't catch it anyway. Right now, it seems like your mind is momentarily captivated by a new flavor...."

”......”

"You probably didn't expect that a body wrapped up like that would look like that. Of course, there's a certain flavor to what's concealed, but as you know, Ines is so—."

"—So, what?”

Cárcel tilted his head slightly, as if urging Dante to speak up, interrupted halfway through. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Dante laughed as if dismissing it.

"It's nothing. Anyway, isn't it an unexpected stroke of luck for you? Thinking you were just stuck in a quagmire, unable to move...."

"I imagined it. Not surprising."

"......?"

He replied meaningfully, but Dante didn't understand right away and looked puzzled.

Cárcel waved his hand openly as if to say he didn't know anything. Dante, regardless of what happened, nodded with a secret smile, as if it was all good.

"Since we're friends—."

"—We're not friends."

"I won't interfere with your good times. Of course, I don't even have the ability to do so. How could I compete with this body and face?"

"If you know, shut up instead of talking nonsense."

"Just give me a chance if you ever get tired of your honeymoon phase. So I can comfort your wife—."

"If you get tired of living, just tell me. I'll kill you.”

"Anyway, the moment you reach out, women appear as if they've been waiting for you, like magic. It's unfair for Ines to just obediently stay in the background while you do whatever you want, isn't it? If Ines were to find a lover, you could easily brush off any guilt about the girl you've had a crush on since you were six."

The incessant barking of a dog sank deep into his mind, but at the word "crush," a sharp irritation, as if swallowing a thorn, surged up.

Since the wedding mass was so quiet, the reception was almost indistinguishable from the ceremony. Sitting at the head table during the reception at the bride's house on the day of the wedding, it was impossible to ignore the guests.... Cárcel suppressed the urge to scoff and waved his hand again as if to say, ‘Get lost.’

"Did you just see that, turning to the side? Ines danced so well.”

"Shut up."

"...But did she always dance that well? I've never admired her dancing while watching you. Is it thanks to Luciano?"

"Shut the hell up and get lost.”

Dante shrugged his shoulders, then disappeared with the muttered words, ‘I'll wait for the next turn after Luciano’ as the final sound. In any case, there's no way Ines would do that.

But Cárcel gazed at Ines with troubled eyes.

Despite her not very sociable nature, Ines, who had shown a surprisingly perfect achievement in the peak of social events, dancing, stood out excessively. To the subject who said, ‘Dancing in front of others means becoming a spectacle.’

Since she was young, it had always been like that. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Ines was not the kind of child who obediently followed what adults told her to do, but when not following became too troublesome compared to following, she sometimes complied with their wishes. For example, at events where she reluctantly attended with Cárcel as her escort, she occasionally danced with him.

She protested eight out of ten times about not wanting to dance in front of people, but she carried out the remaining two times periodically to prevent the adults from eventually exploding.

Of course, most of the time her dance partner was her fiancé, Cárcel. Apart from Cárcel, her father, the Duke of Valeztena, and her brother, Luciano, were all she had, so he was the only man she had ever danced with so far.

As a result, family members, being men themselves, were removed from consideration, and Cárcel, as Ines's oldest and only partner, couldn't help but feel a strange sense of suspicion every time he experienced her flawless dancing firsthand.

Most noblewomen were brought up by strict female elders within the family from a young age, learning everything they needed to become dignified noblewomen, including dancing at social events.

However, if you were to ask Ines, she had kicked out such elders within three days on more than five occasions. They mostly taught ‘how to obediently submit to future husbands with dignity as a woman of the Ortega family’ and Ines's mental world was far from obedience, so perhaps it was a natural conclusion.

And there wasn't a single tutor who lasted more than three days by her side.

’...Where on earth did she learn it?’

The old question resurfaced briefly, then was dismissed as irrelevant now.

The Duke of Valeztena had been hailed as a multifaceted genius since childhood so often, so it wouldn't be surprising if that too was a genius trait.

Cárcel thought he had been brainwashed by the Duke of Valeztena over a dozen years. Because he’s a genius anyway…….