The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 85

Chapter 85

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“It’s suddenly raining hard, Lady Ines.”

“I know.”

“Should I go to the liquor store alone?”

“Just go with me.”

“I’m afraid you’ll get wet. We can park right in front, but you hate getting wet, don’t you.”

When Raul said “getting wet,” he was referring to the situation where they would park the carriage in front of the liquor store and Ines would walk about six steps towards the shop—with Raul holding an umbrella over her head, as diligently as possible.

Well, no matter how diligently he held the umbrella, there was no way he could block all the raindrops coming in from all directions…

Ines chuckled at Raul’s sudden overprotectiveness.

“Fine, really.”

“Anyway, this is your first trip to El Taveo, isn’t it? How unfortunate that the weather is so bad on your first visit.”

Raul clicked his tongue, looking out the window, as if the weather upset him, even though it was just Ines who took a quick glance and didn’t really care.

“I just need to get what I need.”

“You should have come sooner. They say the harbor is so beautiful… You’ve been in Calstera for months now, and the Captain hasn’t even taken you on a trip to El Taveo, has he?”

“I don’t know.”

“…Maybe he’s more indifferent than he seems, towards you?”

If Cárcel heard that, he’d be more wronged than anyone. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Since he had no idea about Cárcel’s motives, Ines just shrugged.

“If he had the time, he would have, of course.”

“You can make time, you know. El Taveo isn’t that far from the Calstera naval base…”

He didn’t seem to have much free time, but then again, he didn’t seem particularly busy either. He was always back at a specific time, he had been all over her, night and day… Raul furrowed his brow.

Such a charming, beautiful, perfect, captivatingly noble and elegant master, and her husband hadn’t even tried to get her? If he didn’t, what was even the point of his existence? But, looking closely, wasn’t his sphere of activity too limited to indoors?

Especially in terms of having fun.

“If I wanted to come, I would have, even if Cárcel didn’t take me. You know that.”

“That’s… a matter of sentiment, isn’t it? Like, if Lady Ines hadn’t said something like, 'What is this place, I want to go too!' If you had asked him, 'There are all these places, why don’t we go on a romantic trip just the two of us?’”

“Cárcel would kick in the shins.”

“No, why? That’s so weird.”

“Your tone is creepy, that’s why.”

“You’re hurting me again…”

Raul was someone who could truly admire her, even if she had her hair in a mess and was wearing the most mourning-like dress, saying, "The goddess of beauty is planning to make a divine appearance at a funeral today."

He was a real kiss-up, but that’s what unconditional loyalty is all about. Every breath she took was an achievement for him today. “She’s still alive… ” he would think.

Especially after Ines turned twenty, during those precarious years, it had been that way.

The fact that Ines Valeztena de Perez was still alive and breathing. Sometimes, just that was enough for him to be grateful.

‘But that can’t be enough for Raul Balan’s master…’

Happy, honorable, prosperous… His master had to have everything good in the world. So, was Cárcel Escalante enough?

He instinctively suspected, deeply, like a pet dog who would stand in front of its owner even though there was nothing there… then he saw Ines’s expression.

He could tell from the corners of her mouth, now more relaxed.

And the fact that her green eyes, which had looked bleak and dry whenever she looked at something, were now just calm and peaceful.

Whatever the case, she looked more relaxed here than at the Valeztena residence. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It was impossible to deny that Cárcel Escalante played a part.

‘Even though he seems to have only his face going for him…’

But would his master be swayed by something like that? She had chosen Captain Escalante just because of his sculpted face when she was young, but look at him now, a handsome young man with a great body.

She was definitely an expert in investing.

It was nothing compared to her rejection of the Crown Prince, but look at his perfect status as the eldest son of Escalante, his sculpted features that were serious even in the eyes of another man, his muscular, macho build, and despite all that, he was oddly docile with her, he didn’t seem like he abused women, he seemed so gentle all the time, he seemed to overflow with passion, interest, and affection for her…

Raul ran through his observations of Cárcel Escalante in his head.

While Cárcel intensely disliked him, Raul, surprisingly, had a fairly good opinion of him. It was a purely calculated result, with no personal feelings or situations added, a question of whether Cárcel was beneficial to Ines or not.

He even intended to flatter him, not just out of obligation.

Cárcel was the stereotypical stubborn soldier who wouldn’t be swayed by a subordinate’s flattery, but considering Ines’s limited access to information… He’d have the opportunity to collaborate with her from a close position.

So, all he had to do was not fall back into his old ways and not change his mind…

‘But isn’t that the biggest problem?’

With such a scandalous past, he couldn’t completely shake his doubts. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Their marriage was going more smoothly than expected, and now they were a couple who seemed wonderfully happy, like a newlywed pair, but… who else would be suspicious?

While Ines was enjoying the sweet dream of her honeymoon, her loyal servant had to sniff out any signs of danger.

‘We’ll need a more convincing bait for Captain Escalante.’

Raul looked at Ines, who was both the Holy Grail and the bait.

It was a necessary sacrifice, to become Captain Escalante’s confidant. It was a win-win situation, where he could work tirelessly for Ines’s happiness and also be the closest watcher.

A sacrifice for the greater good.

“…You’ve been rolling your eyes, it’s a bit disrespectful, Raul.”

Ines, who was both the Holy Grail, the bait, and the embodiment of the greater good, said casually. Raul smiled, his lips curving up.

“It wasn’t a dinner party, but a casual lunch party with wine, so I thought that Vittalia’s baklava would be perfect for dessert. Or maybe a Dibalua-style crème brûlée?”

As if they had been waiting in his throat, luxurious foreign snacks poured out. As expected, Ines slightly frowned.

“That’s elaborate. It’s hard to find the right ingredients and even harder to find someone to make it.”

“El Taveo is a bustling port. It’s a matter of finding the right person. And we could borrow a chef from Perez for a while…”

“Yolanda’s good at cooking. We can just leave everything to her.”

“Yes, of course Yolanda is good at local dishes… but there are people from different regions in the navy. It would be a good impression if we served a dessert that they would eat in Mendoza.”

“Really?”

Ines was easily persuaded by the reasonable logic.

“And we need to make it seem as if it’s casual and effortless, a treasure but common and abundant for you, like the latest trends in Mendoza, we have to impress them with…”

“Raul, I’ve told you how many times, I’m not going to a duel, it’s just a wine party.”

“It’s also the first party you’ve personally hosted in your life. If there was a history book about you, this part would be a new chapter, written in large letters.”

“…There’s no such thing, right? That kind of thing…”

Ines muttered, uneasily. Raul boasted proudly.

“Would I ever leave evidence behind?”

He smiled, light and confident, as if he had destroyed the evidence of a crime syndicate.

“Of course, I’ve written down a few things to commemorate it, but…”

“……Maybe I should have gotten rid of you?”

“No way. Don’t you know that you’re going to use me from now on?”

That’s true. While Raul was diligently planning for Ines’s situation, she was looking at Raul’s reasonably handsome face, concluding practically, “He’s exactly the kind of face that noblewomen would like.”

Cárcel’s face might captivate people, but it didn’t make them feel comfortable. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] That kind of face was in high demand.

She would leave everything to the professionals, anyway. Ines waved her hand, as if to say, “You figure it out.”

Raul meticulously added the updated information to his notepad. At the same time, he looked out the window, simultaneously thinking about his constant suspicion of Cárcel, a reasonable act of kindness, and how to exploit Ines’s prickly side. He had multiple selves and was very busy, but the carriage was slowly stopping.

As if he was deliberately trying to pick a fight on the street, Raul, holding an umbrella, looked carefully at each pedestrian walking by.

It was the kind of day where he felt like he had to look carefully. Like a dog sniffing around unnecessarily where there was nothing to suspect.

So lost in doing that, he missed the fact that Mario, the innocent driver, was rolling his eyes towards them through the small window leading to the driver’s seat.