The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway Chapter 97

Chapter 97

“Was that Captain Escalante just now?”

“I hope not.”

Señora Coronado’s expectant gaze widened at the evasive response.

First, she knew that even birds would fall from the trees at the sound of a gunshot; second, she wanted Cárcel Escalante to succeed in hunting, regardless of her husband… both of those [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] assumptions had been proven wrong.

“Didn’t they just catch something?”

“Nothing.”

“Señora Escalante, how do you know?”

“I think I saw the sky…”

“I didn’t see Señora looking at the sky just now.”

She had a keener eye than expected. Ines, unfazed, added casually,

“Then I must have heard it.”

“Everyone heard the gunshot… Oh my, Señora, you know it was a miss just by hearing the sound?”

It was different, so she knew. It was so obvious that she didn’t even question how it was possible.

“…The sound is different?”

“Whatever, it’s just noisy…”

Another gunshot rang out above the trees. Startled by the sudden sound, Señora Bardem blinked, stopping mid-sentence.

“Then, Señora, what about this time?”

“I don’t know who it was, but we finally have our first catch.”

The damp thud, and the sound of a falling bird brushing against the branches. She couldn’t understand how that wouldn’t reveal the answer. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] It wasn’t just a problem for the two noblewomen sitting in front of Ines. Even the observant Raul Balan, who was quick-witted, had been slow when they’d taken him to the hunting grounds. He’d even been too busy hiding when the gunshots rang out…

It was Raul’s blind spot, one he wouldn’t even remember. It was something that had never happened to him. But the familiar scent of the forest and the acrid smoke carried on the wind stirred up some nostalgia. And most of it was memories with her brother, Luciano.

Sixteen years old. Before she lost it all, marrying Oscar during those good years.

Unless she had never been near a hunting ground, sitting in the middle of one, it was impossible to stop the old memories from surfacing.

Like distant memories, unrelated to the momentous events, like putting a g*un to her own mouth or meeting Emiliano… some moments felt like they connected to the present. Yes, when she was twelve, she had gone to the hunting grounds with Luciano and Duke Escalante. To make Oscar, who had come to visit his mother’s family, fret, she and Luciano had spent all their time hunting, and at some point, she had completely forgotten Oscar’s presence. It was because it had been so much fun.

That winter, Ines had gotten her first beating from her mother, and Luciano, to console her, secretly took her to their villa in Baños, which had a large hunting ground. The Duchess hated everything Ines liked. Hunting with her brother, riding, falconry, anything that she thought wasn’t ladylike… maybe that’s why Ines had liked them.

All the good memories of those days were with Luciano. The purest days of her life, before she knew disappointment, Luciano, her only family. Those memories always ended with the moment he killed Emiliano—with that horrific voice, saying that he would kill his sister’s filthy bastard child… Ines stared impassively at the sky where gunshots rang out repeatedly.

Today, for some reason, that ending felt far away. Just like memories that connected to this life. Her brother carrying the fox she had caught, young Raul too busy flinching at the sound of the gunshots, the gamekeepers and stablehands whose faces she couldn’t even remember… [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Perhaps it was because it wasn’t abstract memories that made her think of them, but the vibrant air of the forest.

It was like, at any moment, she would be transported to some forest with them at fourteen or fifteen years old. And if anyone asked her, ‘Are you remembering that then?’ she felt that her petty memories would quickly spill out through someone else’s mouth.

But ultimately, it was an illusion, something that had never existed for any of them. She calmly and self-deprecatingly said, remembering something that had never existed for anyone else was the tiring work of a mentally ill person. Perhaps it really was an illness. After all, there was no one to testify that she was sane.

‘Just not being tied up in a mental hospital is already a victory in this life…’ Ines smiled carelessly at Cárcel, who was looking at her from a distance, then repeated her self-affirming thoughts.

Yes, it’s not bad. It’s okay. She’d even been lucky, and things had gone smoothly.

It’s good to have a goal in life, really good. Soon, Cárcel lifted the bird he had caught and showed it to her. Unfortunately, the other wives hadn’t seen it, so Ines casually, almost boastfully, spoke.

“It was my Cárcel.”

“Your husband isn’t a criminal, he’s a hero. You’ve only been focusing on Captain Escalante. If you don’t catch anything, we’re prisoners of war. We’re stuck here!”

She could see the frustrated backs of the men among the pale, stiff trees. Trash, real trash, a gambling addict, a kind drunk, just a vague Ortega man, a decent man, ugly but with a good personality, and Cárcel… looking at their profiles, it seemed that everyone disliked Cárcel’s outstanding achievement.

How clueless… In the hunting grounds, it was more problematic that one person was catching everything, rather than no one catching anything at all. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] He had deliberately lost to his seniors in card games, so he should just miss a few shots this time.

He was so tenacious, so straightforward…

“……Why is he doing that?”

“Sorry?”

“No, I’m just proud.”

The sigh that came out wasn’t from pride, but rather frustration. That sculpted face, which kept turning towards Ines whenever he had the chance, that triumphant expression, every time he hit his target, completely ignoring the need for subtlety…

And on top of that, ignoring the glare of the other officers, walking towards her, he was clearly showing off that he had met his quota for the day, unlike the pathetic men.

“Ines!”

Why is he doing that? What did he eat this morning? Ines smiled, a deceitful smile of welcome, while her eyes showed her questioning.

Cárcel, as he approached, offered her his free arm, the one not holding the shotgun. It was a silent invitation to embrace him. He acted like it was completely natural, as if they did this all the time.

“You two are so affectionate.”

“We’re newlyweds. Of course.”

It wasn’t that simple. If she didn’t respond, an awkward silence would ensue… Of course, Cárcel knew that she would never ignore him, not in front of others, and she didn’t hide the fact that he was using her because he knew her.

Cárcel’s tender kisses landed on her temples and the top of her head, several times. It looked like a newlywed couple who had been separated for days. If it were inside the residence, she would have pushed him away, saying it was annoying, but Ines smiled and endured it. And of course, he kissed her again, even as she smiled and endured.

“Weren’t you bored waiting?”

Cárcel, tightening his arm around her waist, pulled her closer, then released her, asking.

“Because the other women were here.”

“How could Lady Ines be bored? There were eight men who were good shots, and every time her husband shot, he hit his target. She probably didn’t even notice the time passing.”

“That’s right. You were probably busy hiding how much you enjoyed it.”

“Was I?”

The soft voice, echoing another wife’s comment and softly confirming it with her, was a typical newlywed interaction. Ines, pretending to be captivated by the smooth barrel of the shotgun in his other hand, answered for Señora Coronado.

“They say Captain Coronado is an expert marksman. Cárcel was just lucky today, if you say that, he’ll be smug when he gets home.”

“Not just at home, but I was thinking of acting arrogant right now.”

Ines looked at him, unbelieving. She thought it was a joke, but no, his face really did want praise.

No way….

“Come to think of it, this is the first time the Captain went hunting with his wife?”

“Ah, that’s why.”

“I see…”

The wives’ conversation quickly came to a close. Their eyes looked at them alternately, with delight, like watching a five-year-old son and another family’s daughter playing house.

Could it be that he’d deliberately missed shots, earning the glares of his seniors…

“…I tried my best to get you to look, but where’s the praise?”

She used her eyes to say, ‘Yes, it was for you,’ and then pressed her lips against his ear, whispering. It was incredibly sensual. The wives’ happy gazes, as if they were watching five-year-olds play house, suddenly changed as if they had seen something inappropriate.

“…It’s ultimately self-satisfaction, anyway.”

“It would be even more satisfying if I praised you.”

He didn’t seem embarrassed, or maybe he was just shameless. His face, which had changed into something youthful under her gaze, smiled smoothly at the other women.

“Ines is too honest.”

That’s why it’s like this today. You know? He had failed to receive praise, but he was skillfully asking for the audience’s understanding. [ʏᴜʟʜᴇʏᴜɴ] Señora Bardem melted instantly. Ines felt her heart calm down instantly, whenever he was so good with women, and her restless mind regained its composure.

She felt incredibly relaxed, as if the other women had taken away her anxiety…

”She’s just embarrassed. She clearly said earlier that she was proud of her husband.”

No. The anxiety returned, as if a lie.

Because he was looking at her, with childish delight.