The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“Maybe I’m just not happy with today’s guest.”

“A guest… He’s a footman for Valeztena. He’s just a Valeztena attendant who came along carrying my luggage—.”

"—Are you upset that I came home early today?”

Inés tilted her head, as if she didn't understand, and asked again.[ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ]

"Why?"

"I feel like I interrupted your meeting."

Cárcel slowly smoothed out his crooked expression.

"That kid is special to me."

"Special, huh."

"I told you I have a maid who I cherish like a sister."

"You didn't tell me, but I saw it. I know."

"You know? How?"

"It's Juana… You really don’t remember how many times I went to your house?"

“Okay, you know, fine. So that kid... He’s... he’s very special to me, a very devoted kid.”

“Unlike Juana, I've never seen him.”

“Apparently, every time you came to the mansion in Mendoza, he was conveniently in Perez.”

Inés was so focused on answering that she didn't even realize that Cárcel had nonchalantly referred to Raul as “that.”

“When I went to Perez?”

“The castle is so big, it’s hard to see everyone.”

"Really?" Cárcel said, unconvinced, as if he wasn't really buying it.

"Actually, I think you saw that kid several times and forgot."

"My memory is better than my eyesight."

"I’m not saying you're stupid. I'm saying that there was no reason for that kid to get in your way. Raul is quite a good kid, clever, and quick to notice things about nobles...”

A string of praise for Raul's abilities followed, and Cárcel openly made a disgusted face, but Inés, for the most part, had gotten all she wanted to say out.

“Okay, I got it he’s well behaved.”

“…So, it's like, the better someone is at their job, the less they stand out to their superiors.”

"Okay, he has no presence."

"He’s not an eyesore."

"That’s why I’m curious. Why is he an eyesore?"

“…Did Raul actually do something wrong without me knowing?”

Inés asked reluctantly, her face filled with certainty—maybe it was certainty about Raul—’That wouldn't have been possible. It's impossible.’

What was the point of asking that? [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] The answer was written on her face.

“No. Not at all. Your Raul is perfect, Inés.”

"I know. Any discerning Mendoza noble, as long as they have their wits about them, would like that kid.”

“Yeah."

"Ah, since you came back early, dinner will be over early tonight... that's good. Can I go talk to Raul for a while after dinner? I need to ask him a few things."

"Why are you asking me for permission?"

Cárcel asked as if he were surprised, but his face was utterly devoid of any emotion. Inés shrugged her shoulders.

"It’s almost night. There’s no reason to feel uncomfortable in the house, and Raul is a Valeztena attendant, but still, it’s late and you said you don’t remember him.”

“So, why?”

"He's a man, and you're my husband."

"…..."

"I like things to be thorough. You should keep that in mind."

Despite her statement, which sounded like a light declaration, Inés, who was enjoying the lazy life in Calstera every day, began to eat diligently. As expected, Yolanda's cooking was truly the best.

Cárcel watched the scene silently, then buried his face in his large hand. Only the edges of his ears turned a faint crimson, fading with the twilight outside.

Was this annoyance, or embarrassment?

***

A useful presence that no one with a sound mind could dislike. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Whenever he saw Raul Balan, Cárcel felt like he was looking at a large, bothersome drawer placed in the middle of the second-floor hallway.

It was only eight o'clock in the evening, and all Cárcel had done was come home and eat dinner earlier than usual, so the premise of "whenever he saw Raul Balan" was a bit off. First, he had found him hanging around in the garden, oblivious to the situation, when he arrived home. Second, he had been in the way on his way to the dining room. And now...

Cárcel’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The quiet terrace leading from the first-floor reception room to the cozy garden, the garden illuminated by the lights that Elba Lieutenant had made with great care, shone brightly on his wife and the Valeztena footman.

Looking good meant more than just being easy on the eyes. Raul Balan. He was of a rank that didn't even qualify him as a guest, and he didn't even remember being introduced to him by Inés. That’s why he had uselessly learned Raul’s name and surname. It was only natural. The first reason was because Inés had recklessly called him by his name, and the second reason was his own regrettable memory, which picked up even surnames as they passed.

He slowly examined Raul Balan’s face. A slender and clean face, with the handsome features of someone who had never known hardship, but you could tell just by looking at his eyes. He was already worn out, and as cunning as cunning could be. His eyes also carried a confidence, as if he had grown older and managed to make everything go his way.

Of course, he would stand out among those who were less handsome than him.

If you looked at it coldly and objectively, he was no match for Cárcel Escalante, but his refined demeanor, no doubt from receiving a high-level education in the capital, and his face, which made nobles feel good about themselves, was a clear advantage that everyone could see at once.

A commoner who stands next to you and acts smart while serving you would be too handsome if he looked like Cárcel Escalante, it would be a burden, and if he was ugly, you wouldn't even want to look at him.

In that sense, Raul Balan had a face that was not burdensome at all, nor was it unpleasant. A moderately handsome appearance, nothing more.

His tall, slender physique complemented the footman’s uniform beautifully. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] His physique was not particularly good, but he was not shabby either, which was sure to give off a vague sense of comfort.

Cárcel, like he was judging the weight of meat hanging from the ceiling of a butcher shop, listed each of Raul Balan's apparent strengths and weaknesses. Generally, strengths didn’t last long, and weaknesses lasted longer. But even if you took away all the weaknesses and combined all the strengths, that footman had nothing that would make Inés swoon.

The one Inés had been engaged to was Cárcel Escalante de Esposa. The one she had looked up to as a child was also Cárcel Escalante—that went without saying, her first love was the same, and her long-term unrequited love was the same. Although it wasn’t the same now.

Cárcel focused on Raul, despite the uncomfortable truth that Inés no longer even looked at him. Inés Escalante had become Inés Escalante because of his appearance. Just looking at the audacious finger of her six-year-old self, pointing to Cárcel, you could tell that her eyes were reaching for the heavens and that she had a high-level aesthetic that rejected everything that was mediocre. The firm and simple standard of having the best face at least.

Even if you disregarded his background, he wasn’t a man who met any of Inés’s standards.

In other words, he just wasn’t her type.

"…..."

Cárcel watched as Inés reached out and gently stroked Raul Balan’s head. It wasn’t particularly affectionate, but if there was even a hint of tenderness, it was the kind of expression you’d use when petting a well-behaved dog or a child’s head. A dog. Yes, he was a dog. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Cárcel thought that as he shifted his gaze back to Raul’s face, but seeing the expression of a loyal dog thrilled by being treated like a dog was not pleasant.

‘He's a good boy.’

That smooth talker...

What kind of treatment could be better for a dog than being treated like a dog? Just as Raul's moderately handsome face bloomed cheerfully, Cárcel's flawless face contorted.

Soon, Inés smiled. There was no sound, but it was definitely a smile that she had laughed out loud.

A smile that was even unfamiliar to Cárcel.

The scene through the window didn't convey the sounds of people. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] He recalled the first thought he had when he saw Raul Balan in the afternoon garden. 'No way, that bastard...' Even though he only thought that much, he felt very disgusted from the moment he was in the garden.

From the moment he saw that slender footman rubbing his head against Inés's hand like a puppy, fawning over her.