Chapter - 164

***

"Come here, Raúl."

Raúl instinctively came to a halt as soon as he heard the voice coming out of the dining room he had been walking past. "Were you searching for me, Madam?" he inquired as he stepped into the room.

"Not particularly. I just called out as I noticed you passing by," Inés explained.

There was a hint of puzzlement in Raúl's otherwise direct and steadfast gaze. The fact that she was sat at the head of the table when it wasn't time for a meal was so unlike her.

"How may I assist you?" he asked her dutifully.

"I..." she began, struggling to articulate her thoughts.

"Pardon?"

"I..." she tried once more, failing yet again to form a sentence.

"Are you still feeling unwell from last night's fever?" he asked with genuine concern, leaning in to study her face.

Inés quickly waved him away with one hand while burying her face in the other. He could see her expression contorted in misery through the space between her fingers. It seemed like she was about to cover her face with both her hands and lower her head onto the table.

"The second day is usually the worst," he said. "Though your fever seems to have lessened, it's best not to exert yourself."

Inés raised her head slightly, furrowing her eyebrows. "All I did was come downstairs. That's hardly a taxing endeavor."

"Even short walks can be taxing for someone in recovery," Raúl insisted.

"I told you, I'm fine," she maintained.

"You always suffer a fever around this time every year," he reminded her. "You never know when you might fall ill again."

"I don't have a fever anymore, so how would I-never mind. I was simply struggling to articulate my thoughts. I haven't lost my sanity," she assured.

"Ah, I understand. Please, go ahead," he encouraged.

Inés's lips drew into a taut line, as if he had just suggested that she go ahead and jump off a cliff. She glanced down at the table, releasing a sigh before finally voicing her thoughts. "I can't believe I'm asking you to do this, but... Raúl, I'd like you to go and check on Cárcel."

"Are you asking me to spy on him again?" he asked casually.

His calm demeanor, a stark reminder of his familiarity with spying on her husband, left her momentarily frozen as though his words carried an implicit reproach.

Raúl was a master at uncovering every detail about a person. And when it came to someone as famous as Cárcel Escalante in such a tight-knit community, it was virtually impossible not to come across rumors about him. Everyone in this beautiful coastal city heard at least a couple of stories about Cárcel. Many rumors circulated, some plausible, others absurd; if you sifted through them all, there were plenty that overlapped and were thus more credible. Of course, Raúl Balan was wise enough to skillfully navigate through them and skip over the absurd ones.

His clandestine pursuit had extended from Calztela to all the way to El Tabeo, fetching her all sorts of stories about Cárcel. This meant that he had exhausted all available information.

But Raúl knew his mistress wasn't so delicate to feel guilty about that now, and surely, she wouldn't want to hear the same stories twice.

Then again, it hadn't made sense for Inés Valeztena to order him to spy on her newlywed husband half a year ago, either. From Raúl's point of view, she wasn't the kind of person who cared enough about others to resort to espionage.

"That's not what I mean," she mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"I'm not asking you to spy on him. Just... check up on him," she clarified.

Raúl cocked his head. "Check up on him?"

"Check up on how he's doing," she elaborated, a note of frustration in her voice.

"Pardon?" he repeated.

She shot him a pointed look. "Why do you keep acting like you don't understand what I mean?"

"Check up on how he's doing... what exactly, Madam?" he asked evenly.

"Whether he's doing all right. Whether he looks sick," she muttered.

"Sick? Lieutenant Escalante?" he asked, sounding bewildered.

Inés shrugged. Admittedly, it was an unusual request, considering it made little sense for someone with such robust health to suddenly fall ill.

"I saw him off myself early this morning, but I didn't notice any signs of discomfort at all. Did you happen to observe anything in the early hours, Madam?" Raúl asked.

"He's probably fine."

"Then why..." he trailed off, seeking clarification.

"Go and confirm that he's fine," she insisted.

Raúl stared at her, momentarily speechless.

"I assume his early morning training is over."

"Yes, Madam," he confirmed. "It should have ended a while ago, since it is nearly noon already."

"Then why don't you take some... snacks or something with you?" Inés suggested nonchalantly.

"Enough for all the logistics officers?" he asked.

"Yes. That's perfect. And take a box of cigars from Prusse with you, as well as a bottle of wine for each of them," she instructed, regaining her confidence.

It was the perfect opportunity to build up her reputation as a caring wife, she thought.

But did that really matter, now that things had completely spiraled out of control? Inés pinched the bridge of her nose again. Why did I have to be so clueless back then? she lamented, a surge of guilt and regret resurfacing. Perhaps she hadn't had the breathing room to spare as the crown princess to notice these things. However, in her current state of agitation, she couldn't consider this possibility.

After a restful sleep that had miraculously subdued her fever just like Cárcel had assured, Inés's mind became a turbulent sea of contemplation. She couldn't shake off the weight of her revelation. The dream had peeled back layers of her past, exposing emotions hidden beneath the surface. If she hadn't juxtaposed those past days she had seen in her dream with the present, she would have forever remained clueless about the feelings he had harbored for her in her past life. Astounded by her prior indifference, she wrestled with the thoughtlessness that had veiled her perception.

Frustration brewed within her. Obviously, she couldn't revisit her past to seek answers from the Cárcel Escalante of her past life.

She couldn't possibly imagine how long he had concealed those feelings and why on earth they had bloomed in the first place. If she were to broach such matters with the present Cárcel, it would undoubtedly make her seem like a madwoman.

The disconcerting realization that she might never find out the answers cast a shadow over her thoughts. Choosing him as her husband now felt like a grave mistake on her part.

Inés also couldn't believe how quickly she had recovered from the fever. It was an ailment she suffered from every winter, a bothersome but customary part of her life that usually lasted for at least five days, if not weeks. Overnight recovery was unprecedented; it left her grappling with doubt.

What if Cárcel had really taken away her fever...? Uncertainty clouded her thoughts, compelling her to confirm the truth.

"I'm certain the Lieutenant is in good condition, Madam, but to assuage your concern, I will check up on him," Raúl piped up.

"I'm not concerned," Inés insisted.

"I will check up on him to allay your worried-"

"I said I'm not worried."

Raúl briefly narrowed his eyes, doubt etched on his face, then offered a smile. "I understand, Madam."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "You're teasing me, aren't you, Balan?"

"Of course not, Madam. I wouldn't dare," he stated.

"Apparently, you would," Inés muttered.

"You could have Don Alfonso do it instead, then."

"Why would I do that?"

"I suggested it because you seem to enjoy ordering him around lately."

"Only because you were bought out by Escalante for practically nothing," she explained.

"All I receive from him is my weekly pay, Madam," Raúl retorted.

With a silent huff, she warned, "You'd better not tell Escalante about what I said again."

"You're also an Escalante, Madam," he reminded her.

"You're supposed to keep your enemies closer, you know," Inés told him, as if that clarified everything.

Raúl remained unconvinced. "Don Alfonso seems more like your personal servant than your enemy these days."

Inés's thoughts wandered to Alfonso. The butler's meager threats had long been forgotten; he was nothing more than a hardworking, easily manageable old man who refused to be seen as incompetent even as he avoided Inés's gaze whenever she was in the room.

As Inés's thoughts wandered to Alfonso, Raúl interpreted her silence differently and shot her a playful smile.

"You really are concerned for the Lieutenant, aren't you?"

Inés frowned at him.

"You will feel much better once you admit that you are concerned for your husband, Madam," Raúl told her.

Of course she was concerned. Cárcel had spent the whole night taking care of her before foolishly proceeding to step outside for a few hours in the cold and leaving for his early morning training as soon as she had woken up. Anyone would get sick if they were to overexert themselves in such a state.

Then again, this was Cárcel Escalante. His mother had once lamented about how her eldest son could not be slowed down by any plague or disease. Whenever there was a sudden outbreak of some illness in Mendoza or something contagious going around in Esposa, Cárcel had always managed to sneak out of his room to run around with his wooden sword. She had also told Inés that Cárcel could be suffering from a high fever and still be climbing walls without any sign of illness.

That was it. Cárcel could be sick without anyone noticing. That was why she felt so wary and perturbed.

Inés impatiently gestured for Raúl to go.

"I will make the necessary preparations as quickly as I can," he assured her.

"Tell them it's for the end-of-year celebration," she told him.

"Of course, Madam, what do you take me for? I shall spy on the Lieutenant in secret and not say a word."

The way Raúl emphasized his words made Inés more suspicious. It felt as though he would tell Cárcel all kinds of things. But the only expensive servants she could ask to deliver something were Alfonso and Raúl, so she didn't have much of a choice. She thought that having the younger and more handsome servant deliver the food and gifts would look better.

Raúl called for Arondra and quickly left the room.

Left alone once more, Inés looked over at the seat across from her, where Cárcel usually sat.

He had acted as though nothing had happened, but she wondered whether he was actually angry with her. He had to be, she thought as such foolish thoughts refused to leave her head. It didn't matter, after all. Why would she care if Cárcel lost interest in her now? She tried to talk some sense into herself, but she continued to feel like a fool.

He had told her that she would feel much better when she woke up, but that had been a lie. She felt just as rotten as before.