The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Ines blinked slowly, looking up at him.

She wanted to ask if this was something that needed such a serious explanation, but just asking would seem to stress Cárcel out immensely.

For someone so large, he seemed so fragile…

“…Maybe, if I’m not watching, it might be a pleasant stroke of luck?”

At her tentative question, Cárcel’s expression cracked like a chipped porcelain doll. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Ines quickly added,

“You know, like before.”

It backfired. He asked, barely swallowing his barely contained frustration, through gritted teeth.

“……Don’t you remember why we did what we did, so that you could live here?”

“Marriage. Of course, it’s a joke. It’s natural for you, you have nothing to be dissatisfied with. Those little strokes of luck are obviously nothing special.”

“Why is that luck? Damn it, Ines, you’re not even seeing me correctly.”

“Well, most men…”

“I don’t need it. I’m not taking it. Even if you give me that kind of luck, I’m not taking it. I’m not taking it.”

“Fine. If you don’t want it, don’t have it.”

Ines waved her hand, as if she had been rejected after giving a thoughtful gift, disgusted and resentful.

Cárcel bit her fingertip, as if annoyed. It was like a childish squabble.

“Ah…!”

“You don’t even deserve to feel pain, Ines.”

“You don’t deserve to be upset, Cárcel.”

“…That’s right.”

As if he’d forgotten their squabble, he suddenly looked contrite, as if he’d been doused with cold water. Or like a frog who had been hit by a rock for a careless remark.

As his anger subsided, Ines, who had been floundering, felt a little embarrassed.

“……Fine, I’m trash, and that’s why you suffered this insult.”

“I haven’t suffered any insults.”

“So, ultimately, I insulted you.”

“I haven’t been insulted, I’m telling you.”

Cárcel slowly released his arms, which had been wrapped around her. Even though the freedom she had been waiting for had arrived, Ines couldn’t easily leave, looking at him with unease. That deflated, dog-like expression was harder to deal with than being held down by force.

She could order him to stop using his strength, but how could she get rid of that expression of self-disappointment?

Should she tell him to stop making that dog-like face? That was too cruel.

“I’m sorry.”

“…….”

“I should have apologized sooner.”

“I remember you apologizing, a long time ago, before the wedding.”

“I’m sorry for living like a dog.”

“…I said I remember it, Cárcel.”

“Even though living like that didn’t cause you any regrets, you don’t even care, because you don’t like me at all, so it’s fine, but…”

“…….”

“I lived a pathetic life, and that made you look pathetic.”

“…….”

“I didn’t know that.”

So, even if he said he wanted to atone for tarnishing her reputation by jumping off the cliff by the coast and dying, she wouldn’t be surprised by his pathetic attitude.

Ines stopped him before he could go any further.

“Please, don’t be so serious. You seem to have forgotten, we’re in the middle of a party. Guests are everywhere…”

“Ines, I can’t make up for it, because, as you said, you can’t turn back time.”

“There’s no need to. Remember what I said?”

“But I want to make up for it.”

“Well, there’s no need.”

“I’ll compensate you.”

“Please don’t compensate me.”

She wasn’t sure what kind of compensation he had in mind, but she definitely wanted him to stop. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Ines whispered gently.

“If I can’t compensate you, I’ll want to die, Ines.”

“You can’t compensate me. No. It’s not necessary.”

“Then can I die?”

“No.”

He had to live to cheat… He had to commit adultery… At one time, Ines wanted a husband who would die young, rather than a playboy. But seventeen years of affection made her wish that Cárcel Escalante would live a long and happy life, seeing many women.

“It doesn’t matter how long it takes.”

Continuing to be so handsome is the best kind of compensation. To tell a man who had apologized for seeing other women, that he should compensate her by seeing more women, might be giving him too big of a hint.

Ines looked up at him silently, then cupped his cheeks and pulled his face toward her. She had seen all sorts of unfamiliar sides of him since before their wedding, but she had never seen eyes so earnestly downcast and filled with such pathos.

“Cárcel…. There’s only one thing I want from you.”

She sighed briefly and continued.

“For you to stay like this.”

“…….”

“You should stay like this. With that incredibly handsome face. Your eyes, your nose, your mouth, everything exactly the same.”

“…….”

“Of course, time marches on. But a man who looks like you will even age gracefully. Still, just in case, be careful in the sun…”

“I already look like this.”

“Maintain this perfect face perfectly, Cárcel. That’s my compensation.”

“……Sorry, that really sounds like bullsh*t.”

“I saw this face when I was six, and I’m seeing it now, when I’m twenty-three. I saw this face when I liked you, and when I didn’t care about you at all. Always.”

“…….”

“The truth is, Cárcel, it’s very easy for a handsome man like you to live like a dog. And it’s not your fault. The world made you that way…”

If a street urchin grew up to become a thief, committed crimes, then repented to a kind person, he might hear words like this.

You didn’t steal because you were born a criminal. The world made you a criminal… What’s the difference?

“It’s because the world is full of ugly men. Even in such a harsh world, unfortunately, women still have eyes. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It’s because people don’t lose hope… You made many women happy with your body.”

“It still sounds like bullsh*t, Ines.”

So, you’re saying he’s a useful piece of trash, what?

“Add the happiness of all the other women to your guilt towards me. It will become zero. No… The positive influence of your face on the world is infinite. And I’ve never been upset because of you, you know?”

“That’s why it’s so weird.”

“I’m telling you again, living with this face is my compensation.”

And to continue making happy the women you haven’t yet made happy with that face. And to make her happy, too.

Ines' face was full of nothing but sincerity, Cárcel, thinking all her words were bullshit, cupped his face in his hands.

“…And if I get uglier than this, you’ll abandon me?”

“No way.”

“…….”

“I’d never abandon you first.”

It’s his job to abandon the marriage. Ines, as if she were putting an end to the conversation, kissed his lower lip. It was because she had seen Colonel Barcá walking towards them from a distance.

As Cárcel froze, like a stone, blinking, Señora Coronado popped out from the drawing room.

“Señora Escalante, I’m sorry to interrupt your nice time, but the sun is setting! Of course, you see it every day, but seeing it with your first guests must be special. Everyone is so touched, they want to express their gratitude…”

“Cárcel?”

He surprisingly returned to his deceitful smile and escorted Ines inside. She watched as Cárcel was caught by Colonel Barcá and handed a glass of wine, and then followed Señora Coronado to the terrace.

She thought it was just an excuse to bring her back into the conversation, but the women on the terrace were completely captivated by the sunset.

Ines awkwardly received their sincere thanks, then sat quietly beside the Marchioness of Barcá, looking at the sea spreading out over the garden.

In every corner of the garden, bathed in the warm reddish light of the sunset, the servants had lit the lamps early, blooming like flowers, and each cloud floating above the blazing horizon held a different color of the sky.

It was, surprisingly, a magnificent sight. Ines silently took it in.

“I think I understand now.”

“…Yes?”

“Captain Escalante wanted to show you this scene.”

Ines turned to the Marchioness, who had muttered those words. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Before Ines could understand the meaning of her words, Señora Coronado said, her voice excited.

“Yes. He probably wanted to live in such a pretty place, with a pretty wife.”

“…….”

“I never would have guessed that, for someone so big, he would have such a sweet thought.”

“Señora Coronado, with all due respect, that’s a little hard to understand.”

“The Captain got this residence just before he got married to Señora, didn’t he?”

“…….”

“Did you not know? I remember he had a large residence near the headquarters…”

“Right. He did.”

“Right? It was where some Colonel lived, and Captain Escalante had been living there alone since he was commissioned as a lieutenant.”

“That’s why I remember cursing my husband, saying that he was arrogant.”

“…….”

She didn’t understand. There was a huge residence near headquarters…

“To be honest, some people even said he was keeping his newlywed wife in a small house, waiting for her to run away. It wasn’t a curse, you know, the Señora isn’t just anyone. She’s not just any noblewoman, she’s the daughter of the Duke Valeztena…”

“We wouldn’t have complained about the small size, would we? Especially not Señorita Valeztena.”

“It was really right before the wedding. Didn’t he seize the house from Lieutenant Elba?”

Seize it? Why would he seize this rat hole? Of course, it was pretty. Cute, cozy, and breathtakingly beautiful at this moment.

But why?

“It wasn’t a seizure, it was a gift. He received a few things from the late Admiral Escalante.”

“Then he must have stolen them, crawling on all fours. The navy would treat the Captain’s grandfather like a king, even if he were a ghost…”

“Señora! Señorita!”

Before Ines could fully understand, the Colonel’s voice suddenly rang out from the garden. Next to him, Cárcel was smiling, with the same deceitful smile as before. When did he get over there? As she thought that, the Marchioness’s voice echoed in her mind.

‘Captain Escalante wanted to show you this scene.’

Just as she was surprised, realizing that she had actually said the exact same words, the Colonel shouted, shattering her illusion.

“Escalante is showing us his armory! He has an armory! In this small house!”

The men laughed, as if on cue, in response to their superior’s words. Ines met Cárcel’s eyes. She didn’t feel the same speechless feeling as before. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] The men were rushing toward the terrace, and they’d soon be climbing the few steps to the house.

“Let’s all go see it!”

The women were pushed towards the drawing room, and as the men entered, the small house filled up. Ines suddenly felt a strong hand around her waist.

As the hosts, they naturally had to lead the way. It was only natural. He couldn’t follow them from behind, like a guest…

But even if he had suddenly lifted her up in the middle of the night for s*x, she wouldn’t have been more surprised than this. Ines was truly surprised. Cárcel was surprised that she was surprised. Their awkward gazes met in the air for a moment, then scattered.

“This tiny place has everything.”

“What’s this shotgun? I’ve never even heard of something like this.”

“Ah, Ines gifted it to me, when she was making this armory for me.”

“Is this Señora Escalante’s work?”

“Really, Señora?”

“…I changed the residence as I pleased. Ignoring what he used before… So, I needed a few gifts to smooth things over.”

Ines answered the nearby officer, smiling casually. But for some reason, her throat felt scratchy.

“They say you also put game tables in the greenhouse.”

“Good heavens, Escalante. You married this woman?”

“It was a masterpiece. Once you sit down, you don’t want to leave.”

“That’s why she put them there. Men only need cards and alcohol.”

As the Marchioness sarcastically muttered from behind the crowd, the men laughed again, as if on cue. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It seemed that the method of flattering a superior or a superior’s wife was the same.

The new armory in the residence was a bit cramped, barely fitting ten people, and the hallway was filled with guests. Ines suddenly wondered where Cárcel’s many guns were. Definitely, before coming here…

As she looked at Cárcel’s profile again, something remained, like grains of sand. The people were busy praising Ines, and Cárcel was busy acting like a typical young nobleman, pretending to be happy but restrained.

…What if that wasn’t an act?

“While we’re at it, how about a hunting trip with all these people?”

“The fox hunting season is coming up in about a fortnight. What do you think, Escalante?”

As if they were momentarily isolated in another world, their voices faded away. Even Cárcel’s voice.

‘He probably wanted to live in such a pretty place, with a pretty wife.’

No way.

‘No way. Because of me…’

There was no way Cárcel Escalante was so innocent and foolish.