Episode 46

Chapter 5. First of all, we are newlyweds

"I always knew that a day like today would come someday, but I never thought it would be today… … ."

Ines saw the Duchess of Ballestena burst into tears as soon as she put a piece of bread in her mouth, and saw Cassel chewing silently beside her.

The Duchess's unpredictable moods were already familiar to her family, but they would be extremely strange to outsiders like Cassel. Of course, considering the many farces that had unfolded here a week ago… .

'It may not be new, but... ... .'

The Duchess, who showed various neurological symptoms such as severe mood disorders, anxiety symptoms, alcoholism, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in different seasons, never forgot about her own appearance in front of others no matter what. Among them, showing emotional weakness was extremely shameful and foolish, like handing over the power of life and death to others.

The Duchess was the most exclusive of personalities, so it was impossible for her to think of Cassel as family. A week ago, she had been under the influence of alcohol, but now, at seven o'clock in the morning, when birds were chirping outside the window, she could only be sober.

"Yesterday was so unrealistic that it felt like a dream all day, but today, when I see the two of you sitting next to each other, I feel like this is really real. It feels like a hundred-year-old congestion has all been lifted… I wondered what sin I committed to deserve this humiliation, but today, finally… … ."

So, it was proof that Ines's marriage made her more intoxicated than alcohol. Duchess Ballestena blinked her tear-filled eyes incessantly, looking back and forth between Ines and Cassel.

"Really, this is all I wanted. Ines… ."

"I know, Mother."

Ines answered with a sigh. If the Duchess of Ballestena had been like any other mother and Ines had been like any other daughter, this scene would have been a very moving moment that could not be put down without tears.

If that had been the case, the Duke of Ballestena, who had been chewing smoked beef alone since morning even as his wife began to wail, the son-in-law, who had just lowered his eyes and dutifully chewed his food while his newlywed mother was weeping in joy at her daughter's marriage, and these bizarre breakfasts would not have existed.

"I still can't believe you're finally a woman. Who wouldn't? You're going to spend your whole life wearing that black rag that looks like mourning clothes, and then you're going to get broken up by Sir Escalante—"

"—Leave it at that, Olga."

"—As the world has said. Without a proper spouse, you are left alone like an isolated island… … Just as food spoils if left uneaten, so is marriage with a woman. Can Ballestena's daughter marry outside the Grandes de Ortega? Can she dare to marry just anyone? If three more years pass, they will say that a widower is fine, but that won't work either… ."

The Duchess, who had become drunk without even a sip of alcohol on this clear morning, poured out innocent curses at Ines as was her habit. The Duke of Ballestena's face became serious.

Perhaps he was calculating. Would it be better to drag his wife out like a criminal in front of his daughter and son-in-law who had just celebrated their wedding and first night together to make her shut up quickly? Or would it be possible to end this without seeing such a final, shameful scene… .

"It would have been better to spend the rest of my life locked up in a monastery than to tarnish the name of Ballestena and expose myself to the ridicule of the world by such a vulgar marriage. At least I could have sold the name of God."

The Duchess, who could not know her husband's feelings, was overcome with emotion and poured out her words. She swallowed a few pieces of roasted beans as if they were the same trivial stories that Ines had always heard. And as if to turn that expression upside down, Cassel's expression became stiff from time to time.

"Well, it would seem so, just from the way you dressed like a crow. Isn't that right, Sir Escalante?"

"Olga!"

"—I don't know what Your Highness the Duchess is asking for consent for."

Cassel put down his half-eaten plate and picked up his napkin to daintily wipe his mouth. Ines sighed softly, sensing an omen.

"Oh, do you really think Ines will be offended by what I say? She is delicate. But my daughter is as tough as iron tendon and as dull as a stone, and she doesn't even pretend to hear what her mother says. So—"

"—If this is what you are saying, I will also turn a deaf ear. Duchess."

"What do you mean by 'this kind of thing'? Could it be that I am worried about your wife?"

"Concern is based on affection. If you truly love your daughter, you will be more afraid of her raw pain than of a few words of disdain."

There was complete silence for a moment, without anyone making even the slightest movement of the dishes.

Ines rolled her eyes wearily in the uncomfortable silence of her family. Was she uncomfortable with this new form of 'family' or was she uncomfortable with this strange silence?

In her distant memory, her mother, whom she had once hated madly, and her husband, who now caught her bad words and just ignored them with dull ears… A husband, he was a strange and embarrassing figure all of a sudden. Ines felt the strangeness of Cassel, who had suddenly become her 'husband' instead of her mother's abusive language, even more.

He used to look down on her like a child, half-heartedly, but now he was protecting her as if he was protecting his family. She felt helpless. Just two hours ago, he had been tormenting her in a way that was even stranger than this… … .

Whatever it was, she was just sitting here, having just come to from a light sleep in the bathtub at the break of dawn on a late summer day.

The reason she couldn't sleep was because it was extremely wild and not like a noble's wild night—when she fell into a deep sleep, she was woken up by persistent caressing, and when she fell into a deep sleep again... ... and it was a repetition. In a way, it was as if he had decided to torment her.

In a situation where I couldn't forget the report to both families that 'the couple's love was too much' and the flushed faces of the attendants in front of the bridal chamber, I wondered if I had the strength left to handle this situation with my tired head. My body, of course, didn't have any strength left. I was barely able to calmly move the heavy silverware that looked like a large lump of iron.

The Duchess's mood swings and slander were not always directed at Ines alone. It was a tacit agreement that the best they could do was to simply turn a deaf ear, thinking that this moment would soon pass when each person's turn came, and the best they could do was to not meet their mother or wife.

Living as far apart as possible from one another, enduring by sharing unpleasant meals only on the feast days of the saints, and maintaining the fence as a family.

The Duke of Ballestena spent most of the year at the Mentossa residence, while the Duchess spent most of her time at the Perez duchy. Unlike the Mentossa residence, the Perez manor was vast, and Luciano and Ines could, if they wanted, exist in the manor as if they did not exist.

If it weren't for Ines's marriage, the whole family would never have had to go through such a suffocating time together.

It was like a replay of my childhood. Or a minor nightmare.

"Did you hear, Duke? Your son-in-law just gave me a lesson. It was about how we should treat our own daughters."

"… Sir Escalante's words are not wrong at all. This is your last meal at the Ballestena residence. So, maintain your dignity."

"The filthy sack of Escalante taught me. Me, that I am not true. That I do not love Ines—"

"—Olga."

"The husband of that kid you called trash. And yet…!"

"—My wife has ears, so she will hear whatever you say. You don't have to swallow the thorn, Duchess."

Cassel, who had gotten up without realizing it, reached out his hand to Ines as he finished speaking. Ines stared blankly at him for a moment before glancing at the Duke of Ballestena.

He nodded, as if he would be grateful if you would just disappear quickly.

As if he had been waiting for permission, Cassel gently lifted Ines up by holding her wrist just as she was about to grab his hand.

It was a perfect courtesy, but it was excessive. As if he knew in advance how difficult it would be for her to get up. As Ines stepped out of the chair and stood beside him, Cassel bowed his head to the duchess in a somewhat exaggerated manner.

"The journey to Calstera was long, and we hope you will forgive us for not staying longer."

'… Calstera?'

"Ines?"

Cassel called her name softly, as if to say that she should add something as well. Ines said, half-pushed.

"… … Please forgive me for leaving so suddenly. Mother, Father. I will come back to see you again as a mentor soon."

"How on earth did you manage to gossip about my mother to my husband already… Sir Escalante, how rude of you to treat the bride's mother so carelessly right after the first night—"

"I know, but it's okay."

"… … ."

"Your Majesty, I will now excuse myself."

By the time I left the room, I felt a little bit possessed.