The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 69

Chapter 69

“There’s no point in being stingy towards those who work for me… Since their wages are more than enough, I'll reward them with a larger bonus during the Harvest Festival and New Year. On holidays, I'll give them days off in turn, and give them meat, wine, and good bread enough for their families to eat for several days.”

“Oh my… You don’t have to.”

“Señora, I would be so happy if you did that, and I wouldn't wish for anything more…… Ignore this one’s words.”

The maid, who had been subtly staying by her side even after bringing the snacks, cut off the servant’s words as if she had been waiting for the opportunity.

Ines asked with a friendly smile plastered all over her face.

“Money isn’t everything. Is it?”

Of course, it was. Naturally, it was everything.

But a generous weekly wage would become taken for granted, like a basic expectation in the shallow hearts of humans, and the provider of special days and happy memories would survive for a long time….

‘It’s not even bribery.’

Since it wasn’t bribery, they wouldn’t even know they were being bribed.

Feed them well, be generous on good days, and that was it.

Perfect. Really, who would criticize this benevolent master?

She had momentarily forgotten, caught up in the one-sided competition, that her intention wasn’t to drive a wedge between Cárcel and the employees, but anyway, the path wasn’t wrong.

For her to win, the employees didn’t need to hate Cárcel. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] They didn’t need to necessarily like her more either.

After all, Cárcel Escalante in the future would make mistakes out of habit, and objective mistakes related to women would be enough. Regardless of past affection, they would be able to testify that 'The master outside is a good person, but his lower body is loose'….

In order for those objective mistakes to be accurately evaluated, she had to be at least on equal footing with Cárcel—or in a slightly more advantageous position. They shouldn’t be so fond of Ines that, despite their loyalty to Cárcel, they wouldn’t want to cover for him.

As Ines reminded herself of her increasingly clear original goal, as if brainwashing herself, she watched with satisfaction as the servant chewed and swallowed voraciously.

That uncultured eating was a great first step.

Cárcel returned to the residence in the early evening. He stood for a moment at the entrance, gazing at the residence that greeted him in a vastly different form than he remembered.

To be more precise, the residence was 'changing.' In a way that made it seem distant when it would reach the 'changed' stage…… He was watching the servants and maids busily scurrying around the not-so-wide hallway, even the gardener, the housekeeper, and the butler.

While they themselves were unaware of their master's return.

The men were busy carrying furniture, and the women were busy carrying a plethora of ornaments and placing them back here and there, one by one.

Cárcel moved his narrowed eyes and gazed further down the hallway. As soon as he did, a very unfamiliar woman caught his eye.

Again, to be more precise, it was an unfamiliar piece of clothing.

“Cárcel!”

The giant yellow flower-like thing that had been busily flitting back and forth in the hallway suddenly reappeared.

It was a nimble movement he had never seen before. And unlike anything he had seen before….

“You’re back!”

“…….”

“Welcome back, you must have had a hard day.”

…She was welcoming him, and unlike anything he had seen before, she was approaching him with quick steps as soon as she spotted him. And unlike anything he had seen before…… Even in this short moment, there were so many things he had never seen before.

Ines. The inflexible and unfriendly…….

“Why are you still standing at the entrance? Come in.”

…Ines, that is.

He stared at Ines, who was welcoming him with the kindest face in the world, as if she were the most suspicious person in the world.

What was that ordinary wife-like expression welcoming her husband, that smile that wasn't the slightest bit crooked, that excited voice, that overly gentle tone as if her soul had been swapped… And this hand……. Cárcel lowered his head and saw a white hand already holding onto the sleeve of his uniform.

“Ah, the residence is suddenly in a frenzy, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“The house is so small and there’s so much stuff… I wanted to organize it a long time ago, but as you know—.”

“—You?”

“—I’ve been a bit lethargic since I came to Calstera.”

……Was she?

At least in Cárcel’s memory, there was only the image of a well-fed cat. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Lazy but satisfied… Less lethargic and more like being in an optimal state where even if she had energy, it wouldn’t be of any use.

Thoroughness that seemed like not a single drop of blood would come out even if pricked. The stifling piety that made him think she would diligently wake up before dawn, open the Bible, and meditate… The mornings with Ines he had imagined since childhood were more sacred, perfect, and tedious, but in reality, there was only a woman who buried her face in the pillow long after Cárcel had opened his eyes and regained his senses.

She wouldn’t even know if he fondled her breasts next to her, wouldn’t know if he half-undressed her negligee, and if he bothered her, she would just whine irritably with a lowly frown… It was a bit cute. He wondered if there were words that didn’t suit Ines Valeztena as much as the word 'cute,' but surprisingly, Ines Valeztena—no, Ines Escalante—in the morning only did cute things.

Of course, only when she wasn’t in her right mind.

But the current Ines seemed out of her mind in a different sense than in the morning.

“You know?”

Since Cárcel didn’t answer, a prompt returned. This pressure alone was her own. She was asking 'You know?' but it was closer to 'Answer that you know.'

He still gazed at Ines with narrowed eyes and, with the tenacity ingrained in him from a long time ago, gave her the answer she wanted.

“…Yes, I know.”

“But this morning, I suddenly had this thought.”

“What….”

“I have to turn everything upside down.”

“…….”

Judging by her momentary glance, she seemed capable of turning everything upside down.

The residence was in the middle of rearranging furniture, so in terms of appearance, it was even more of a mess than before.

But look at those eyes, looking so refreshed and relieved as if she had already turned everything upside down.

“It was quite a mess. It was to the point where people were being pushed out by the luggage… If the Señora hadn’t come, we would have lived like this for several more years.”

Arondra suddenly wedged herself between them and added her words. If Ines hadn’t come, there would have been no reason for Cárcel to choose the residence on the coastal cliff, but Arondra already seemed to have forgotten the cause and effect, and was praising Ines.

“I doubt it would have been like that.”

“Look at your husband. He’s only busy building muscles, is he the type to care about something like this…?”

“Well, that’s why the residence has been like this.”

They were having this conversation right in front of him. Considering how they had spared no praise even when looking down at Ines lying comfortably asleep on the terrace chair, saying 'Our Señora is graceful even in the way she breathes,' this was only natural.

Compared to Duke Valeztena, who suggested that Cárcel should stop breathing since he didn’t even like the way he breathed, it was a treatment like a mirror flipped upside down. He walked past the short housekeeper, who was looking up at the mistress with the most admirable expression in the world, as if she were Ines’s biological mother, and headed towards the hallway.

Then Ines followed after him. Ines Escalante was following after him…. On top of that, the supple arm that slipped between his arm and his side momentarily paralyzed his consciousness. The body that naturally leaned against him… His slowed mind thought, what the hell is all this, but Ines interrupted even his stream of consciousness.

Cárcel had escorted Ines countless times at various events since childhood, but she had never acted so intimately with him. Not even when she had a long-standing crush on him. Thinking about that arm that reluctantly linked with his, yet stubbornly maintained its center as if afraid of fully touching his arm…….

Why was she doing this when no one pushed her? As if cutting off Cárcel's question, the servants who were carrying furniture and passing by barely greeted them, and then moved the large furniture towards the entrance again, panting loudly.

Judging by the way the furniture that seemed to belong in the drawing-room was heading towards the completely unrelated entrance, it was clear that it would be thrown outside as is. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] He glanced at it and didn’t pay any more attention, but Ines turned around following the panting sounds and suddenly said,

“I’m not trying to change a lot. Even though you made your residence like this, you must have had your reasons.”

“Really?”

“I was going to ask for your permission to throw away a few things when you came back.”

When he looked back, he saw the furniture that had already left the entrance before getting permission. When he looked at Ines, he saw a clear face without a trace of shamelessness.

He saw her strange appearance again. The bright yellow dress he had never seen before, her face with a bit of makeup unlike usual, her long hair loosely braided and hanging to the side with stray strands falling around her ears, and a hypocritical, friendly smile…….

Hypocritical? Friendly? Who was here to act like that to?

Ines’s social life consisted of saying 'No' in front of the Crown Prince since childhood and not even forcing a smile in front of the royal family. As if someone would arrest her if she just smiled politely….

With her social skills that were equally unkind to everyone, how was this moment even possible?

Clearly, something more suspicious than simply arranging furniture was going on in that small head of hers.

“…You don’t need permission. It’s all yours, so do as you please.”

Nevertheless, he answered as if possessed. He barely swallowed the words that almost came out, saying it was okay to throw everything away.