The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 82

Chapter 82

***

“…Why is that b*stard here again?”

Cárcel was momentarily startled that his thoughts had literally come out of his mouth. Fortunately, Ines, who was walking a few steps ahead, hadn’t heard the problematic ‘bastard,’ and turned back to him, looking serene.

“Oh, he just returned after transporting those things to Esposa and Perez.”

“……Returned? Why?”

He should have just transported them to Esposa and Perez… It was ridiculous that he had returned, considering he’d grown up in Perez.

Cárcel, standing inside the hallway, looked at Raul, who was staring at Ines with a sleek expression, with a disapproving glance, and the man bowed courteously towards Cárcel. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It was the first time he had seen someone who he couldn’t fault for his manners.

He must have seen the shape of my mouth when I called him ‘that b*stard’…

“I have things to report, and I have a letter from Mother to deliver.”

The question of when he was leaving popped into his mind automatically, but he barely managed to shut his mouth when Ines licked her lips, as if she were about to continue.

“And I’ve decided to employ Raul as the valet for the residence.”

“…….”

Report, letter delivery… how could that be on the same level as staying at the Calstera residence?

Ines made the connection naturally, with words that were anything but natural, then turned and continued walking briskly. Cárcel caught up to her in two strides and expressed his dissent.

“This is just a tiny little officer’s residence. We already have Alfonso.”

He absolutely didn’t want to admit, even to himself, that this mansion was just a tiny little residence, but he was willing to admit it if it meant getting rid of that scaly feeling in his eyes.

Ines, disregarding him, turned toward a different hallway, seemingly with the intention of having dinner.

Then, Raul Balan, like a dog taking the lead before its owner, walked quickly toward the dining room. He looked like he was the one who had paved the way.

“Alfonso is an old butler. He’s top-notch, and he’s at the age where he can sit in the butler’s room and not lift a finger when there aren’t any guests, Cárcel. Right now, we’re making him do all the things we used to make the valets and footmen do. We’re keeping the butler in the dressing room all morning… You need a proper servant.”

So, you’re saying this is for Alfonso’s sake? Alfonso’s master was him. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It was ultimately for his sake.

“He’s old. He’s not that old, as you can see.”

Alfonso, who was standing at the entrance of the dining room, ready to greet them, twitched his eyes, as if he were feeling awkward, but that wasn’t the problem right now. He was old, and he could apologize later.

“…You shouldn’t talk so fast….”

“It’s ridiculous to make such a big deal out of it in such a small house… And Ines, I don’t need a valet, I don’t need that kind of fussing. You know that.”

“I know you take care of everything yourself. But I’m saying you need one.”

“Get yourself a lady’s maid.”

“Get yourself a valet first.”

“I don’t need…”

“I need one.”

“…My valet?”

As soon as Ines firmly cut him off, Cárcel instinctively hesitated, then clicked his tongue, suddenly realizing his own humiliating habit.

“Alfonso isn’t easy to order around. He’s too old, and his position is too high. We’ll need a lot of errands run once guests start coming and going, and I want to show him more respect. But it’s not easy to trust servants with important tasks….”

“You said errands?”

“Errands that are important, but small.”

He managed to pick out something, and then he answered both questions at once, without changing his expression.

Of course, he knew what kind of usefulness Ines was talking about. In other words, things that only a well-educated young man could do… They definitely had different needs than servants.

“…He’s too young to be a valet, isn’t he?”

Cárcel asked, intently staring at Raul, who quickly pulled out Ines’s chair as they walked towards the small, family-sized table.

He couldn’t deny that Ines needed a bright young man like that, and in that situation, it would be too obvious to say, “Why him?” or “That guy won’t do,” so the only thing he could pick at was Raul Balan’s age.

Raul Balan was about the same age as them, maybe a year older or younger, just a very immature age. To become a senior employee like a valet, you needed maturity and experience.

He had barely even gotten the footman position at Perez Castle a few years ago, and now he’s a valet? There’s a proper order to things in the world. People usually don’t do this until they’re forty…

“It’s about the position. This residence isn’t even worthy of being called a mansion, and Raul was in charge of three other footmen in Perez Castle. This place is, as you said, just a rat hole, so if you’re going to bring him here, you need to give him a bit of a status bump. Even if it’s just a title.”

“No… If he’s such a valuable asset, you should keep him at Perez Castle.”

Cárcel slightly twisted and corrected Ines’s opinion. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] While they continued their discussion, Raul, silencing the wagon that the maids had loudly pulled into the dining room, gracefully held the heavy plates with both hands and began serving the food.

Look at that incredible work ethic, oblivious to the fact that he was showing his disapproval openly!

He was even more unpleasant because his work ethic was so strong. It was because he couldn’t see any humanity in him.

“I’m just as valuable, Cárcel.”

“…….”

As if on cue, Raul offered Ines a damp cloth.

“But as you can see, I’m living here, even though I’m so precious.”

Ines said, as if the words "because of you" were appended to the end. As if it were simply the truth.

In fact, she wasn’t resenting him or dissatisfied with living here, but the illusion of that tag was probably due to his unwarranted insecurities. He was secretly changing the residence behind her back, harboring some kind of dirty motive…

Cárcel snatched the damp cloth, which Raul had handed to him fairly, but, by chance, later than Ines, and wiped his hands irritably.

“So, it’s not bad for Raul to waste a few years of his promising life here.”

“Waste, my dear Lady Ines. How can serving you and Captain Escalante be considered a waste?”

Raul naturally chimed in, as if he had been listening to foreign languages that he didn’t understand the whole time they were talking about him.

His tongue was as smooth as oil. He was talking about the honor of a lifetime, about pride that would be passed down through generations... Cárcel waved his hand as if to tell him to shut up.

Raul stopped praising him as if he had turned off a machine. He was so obedient. He was truly unpleasant.

“As you can see, he’s going to be doing the valet’s work and the footmen’s work, all by himself. Your personal service, my errands, entertaining guests. It’s just a title, but… since he’s still young, he’s lacking experience, as you said, but since there’s no one else, he’ll be helpful in some way. Oh, I’ll take care of Raul’s salary.”

“…Who cares about money?”

“Then what?”

Ines asked innocently, as if money was the only problem, with a raise in position. She seemed so innocent, thinking only about the cost associated with a promotion, that Cárcel was momentarily speechless, staring at her.

Fortunately, she didn’t realize that he was looking at Raul with unwarranted suspicion, but the fact that he was seriously arguing with his wife over the salary of one employee was another problem.

It was a good thing he was handsome… If he hadn’t been this handsome, she would have caught that awkward look.

Just then, Raul Balan bowed gracefully behind Ines and whispered something in her ear.

That b*stard…?

“No way, it’s not that.”

Ines immediately shook her head and denied it, making it even more suspicious. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] What was he whispering about, that great talent from Perez?

Did she understand his question from just his expression? She said "Ah," as if it was nothing.

“He said you just don’t seem to like him.”

“…….”

…That puppy-like b*stard…

“He doesn’t know why, but he hasn’t felt any reason not to like him until now.”

“…….”