The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 68

Chapter 68

‘There are many cases where the testimonies of employees are acknowledged in divorce courts. However, it shouldn't be obvious that they were bribed… For example, there's a couple who hurriedly bribed their employees right before the trial. Some employees would be smart, others not so much… Right? In their haste, there will be loopholes somewhere. One loophole is all it takes for the testimonies of other employees to be considered lies bought with money. The lucky one will get everything acknowledged.’

‘Bribed, obvious, absolutely, shouldn't, be….’

‘…Señorita Valeztena, are you perhaps taking notes?’

‘Keep talking.’

‘There are also cases like this. Clearly, the bribing was successful, but in court, a completely different testimony is submitted.’

‘Betrayal?’

‘That's right. It's a case where the employee betrays the agreement.’

‘How messed up must the master’s usual behavior have been for that to happen?’

‘That’s right. In fact, that's the case in most situations. While there are cases where the master is wronged, usually the employees either harbored negative feelings towards the master or had been subjected to unfair treatment….’

‘It always comes back around.’

‘And the higher the nobleman, those with a grand mansion or a large manor in Mendoza, the harder it is to control the mouths of all the employees. Therefore, the higher the status and the wider the sphere of life, the more they investigate the overall reputation within the household, in addition to the testimonies of the witnesses. It’s a sentiment about the couple’s married life, but in reality, it’s largely influenced by personal reputation. Whether high or low, people's lives are similar… People tend to want to believe that someone they already have a good impression of would have only done good things. Regardless of the objective facts of their married life.’

‘Irrational, but charming.’

‘For instance, there's the sole precedent of Countess Katiya twenty-three years ago. She had a stellar reputation in the manor for her excellent character, and despite some solid evidence that she had committed adultery just like her husband, she received a favorable ruling. Not to mention, the witness testimonies were full of sincerity….’

‘Countess Cartiya….’

‘Countess Katiya.’

‘To mispronounce the name… Such a disrespect to someone I admire…!’

‘You admire her? Do you know her?’

‘I just got to know her one-sidedly. But I came to admire her the moment I heard about her.’

‘You’re not bored… Come to think of it, what use do you have for listening to a lawyer's drunken ramblings like this?’

‘Life is unpredictable, so you have to be prepared in many ways. It would be great to get married and live well, but you also need to be prepared in case things don't work out.’

‘…Señorita Valeztena, if I may be so bold, aren't you ten years old this year?’

‘Don't change the subject, Mr. Moya. So, you're saying that a reputation built over a long period of time is important, right?’

‘Yes. You know, that… atmosphere? That’s it… But are you still taking notes?’

That’s it. A reputation built over time.

People shouldn't know they're being bribed, and it shouldn't even be bribery.

Ines often gained useful advice at the small wine parties held at Perez Castle during her childhood.

The true identity of the only party she showed passion for, to the point of sneaking in without the Duchess's knowledge, even though she had grown to detest social events, was this. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Regularly entertaining regional lawyers, land managers, tax officials, doctors, and prominent figures of the manor, all invited together under the name of Duke Valeztena.

According to her mother, the Duchess Valeztena, the gathering, which entertained those who were 'full of knowledge but lacking in possessions, and occasionally noisy,' and those who were 'not nobles but occasionally arrogant,' under the name of Duke Valeztena, was in fact, in name only, not a place where the Duke, the Duchess, or their children would appear.

It was just about buying favor and fostering loyalty with expensive wine… But at least Ines gained wisdom beyond the price of the wine, all thanks to her father’s wine expenses.

Especially the lawyer who specialized in divorce lawsuits in Mendoza for several years before settling down in Perez, the doctor who informed her about the precursors to a cheating man, the manager who taught her how to make the same decision appear more merciful to people, and the tax official who ironically taught her both how to catch tax evaders and how to evade taxes……. These were all things she had no interest in and would have been useless to know in her past life, but this time, she wanted to be thorough.

This time, with the ambition to live well and die well in the future.

"The environment is pleasant, the timing is right….”

“Yes. It’s very good.”

“So, is the weekly wage sufficient?”

“Señora. Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course, as much as you want. If there's anything lacking, I'll discuss it with Arondra or Alfonso and have it corrected.”

“Actually… Sufficient isn’t enough to describe it.”

“…What?”

“It's clear that I'm being paid too much. Captain Escalante is very generous when it comes to employing people….”

“…….”

Ines, faced with an unexpectedly generous Cárcel, subtly contorted her lips.

“Everyone wants to work at Captain Escalante’s residence… It was a great fortune that Arondra hired me. But, by any chance, was it a mistake to say I'm being paid too much?”

“Why?”

“Because it’s an unnecessary expense, maybe you might adjust the salary accordingly….”

“Why would I? My husband made a good decision, so there’s nothing more for me to consider.”

“We’re just so happy that the Captain has a lifelong companion….”

“Yes, yes. You’re all working hard for us.”

Ines cut off the servant’s words as if she had a rash from the phrase 'lifelong companion.' And she pushed some of the snacks the maid had brought for her towards the young servant.

“Oh no, Señora, something this precious…. To me…….”

“You must be hungry since you ate lunch early. Eat it first. I have something to ask you later….”

“I can do anything even without this! Are you sure I can eat this…?”

“The Señora told you to eat it, so eat it without complaining.”

The servant’s expression, after taking a bite of the expensive confectionery, melted like snow. It was an expression that released even the slightest tension he had held in front of Ines.

Even if you pay them well, free food still works… Ines, frowning imperceptibly where the servant couldn't see, discarded the ‘Raise weekly wage’ item. And she underlined ‘Intermittent rewards’ and ‘Good food.’

It's a world where money is the heart. For those who give their hearts generously, they can also spend money generously. That was the law. No matter the relationship between employer and employee, it’s hard not to be drawn to someone who is generous.

Ines thought she would check the market prices one by one starting tomorrow. The easiest thing would be to figure out their salaries, but it was clear that it wouldn’t feel real just hearing it. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Actually, the easier thing would be to find the records. But usually, the butler would be the one recording and managing them, and she still didn’t know how the residence’s butler viewed her….

If she rashly said she wanted to see all the ledgers, he might think she was suspicious……. Yes, she couldn't rush this part.

Asking 'How much is too much' and 'Is that a lot' wouldn’t be a reliable reference for her, who was unaware of commoner’s prices, and if she asked and responded without properly grasping the situation, it would only reveal her ignorance about the prices. Of course, it was natural for her not to know, but there was no need to confirm it.

With just a few degrees of separation, the story would be distorted into 'I’m such a noble young lady that I wouldn’t understand even if you told me how you lowly people spend your lowly units'….

Of course, she knew about a poor life. Her life with Emiliano was the dictionary definition of poverty. Nevertheless, it was insufficient to understand the life of ordinary commoners in Ortega. If their life was a poor one below average, with occasional small fortunes coming in from jewelry and paintings, there was no way she could understand an ordinary sense of life.

There were too many extreme ups and downs in their lives, and even when they weren't objectively poor in the beginning, selling pieces of jewelry one by one, it just seemed poor to Ines.

She was someone who had never thought about the price of an item, not even once, before owning it. And after she started thinking about the price of things, unfortunately, she mostly encountered things she couldn’t afford…….

As for their life—the jewelry Ines stole from Perez Castle in the beginning, and later the income Emiliano earned from selling his paintings, sustained them for several years.

However, Ines, not knowing the true value of expensive items and not grasping the concept of money units, sold most of the extremely valuable items at very low prices until the very end, and Emiliano, not knowing how much to sell such expensive items for, went along with Ines’s foolish decisions.

They were truly a hopelessly romantic couple… Even while doing such foolish things, Emiliano adored and loved her as if she were a princess of a poor country, crawling on all fours, so she didn’t even remember buying trivial items or food herself.

Right. So, she couldn't know. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] She could only smile and say it was good since they said it was a lot.

But who would dislike delicious food they would never buy—couldn't buy—with their own money, and gold coins that came down like luck at unexpected times?

‘Who would blame me for feeding them well and providing them well?’

Valeztena’s dowry was meant to be chipped away at in such times.