267

***

A week had passed since the tragic passing of Viviana when an unexpected visitor graced Almagro Castle with his presence-the crown prince himself.

The news of his arrival sent waves of shock through

the castle, beginning with the guards at the gates and rippling past the vassals. However, the nobles remained oblivious, as they were attending a memorial mass in the chapel deep inside the castle. In Ortega, it was tradition that even the presence of the emperor would go announced during an ongoing mass. Therefore, it was only natural that the servants dared not disrupt the solemnity of the occasion. They simply gathered outside the chapel doors, anxiously waiting for the ceremony to conclude.

Inside, the priest was leading the gathered mourners in a long prayer after reciting a holy passage. "Lord, in Your infinite wisdom, You have called young Viviana Castagnary to her eternal rest. May our tears shed today serve as a testament to Your will and lead her soul to everlasting joy and peace..."

The nobles closed their eyes in reverence as the priest's gentle voice continued. The silence lasted for quite some time, since they could neither hear nor see the commotion beyond the walls. Even if someone decided to secretly crack their eyes open and glance around, it was Inés Escalante's presence that drew their attention. The air was thick with mourning, and all seemed in order in the quiet afternoon.

Only a few were aware that Miguel Escalante had essentially made his new home in the crypt of House Castagnary beside the lifeless form of his betrothed, but everyone in the Almagro Castle knew that the three Escalantes had never left the castle after their arrival a few days prior. However, since Cárcel and Miguel were nowhere to be seen, it fell on Inés to shoulder the mantle of the family's presence.

Over the past week, she had dutifully attended every single memorial mass and sermon led by the priests of Almagro and dined with the Castagnarys every day.

Thus, Inés was struck by the injustice of the situation when she heard a low, familiar voice cut through the words of prayer, especially after all the dedication and persistence she had displayed.

"Inés."

She briefly wondered if she was somehow trapped in another nightmare. However, the unwelcome presence felt entirely too real. After a moment, she finally opened her eyes and directed her gaze to the front of the room instead of acknowledging Oscar, hoping there was a look of disgust on her face.

The others glanced at Inés and Oscar curiously as he took the empty seat next to her. It made sense that there was no spark of recognition in their eyes, since most of the nobles in Almagro had never seen the crown prince before aside from the select few who frequented the palace in Mendoza.

Given his station, it was perfectly appropriate for him to sit with her at the very front of the room near Viviana's family. The "problem" lay not in the propriety of his actions but deep within the essence of his being.

Without deigning to look his way, she responded coolly, "Your Highness."

A wave of murmurs and whispers swept through the room as the priest paused-it appeared that word of the prince's arrival had reached the priest. But soon, the solemn prayer resumed.

Inés could see Oscar flipping through the Bible in the corner of her eye. She silently wondered how he had the audacity to touch a sacred book with his vile fingers. Although her thoughts were dripping with disdain and contempt, her hands were curled into tight, trembling fists on her lap. Truly, the world was an unfair place. Even a creature like Oscar could pretend to have faith in God, although he had probably never lived a single second of his life by the rules of the holy text.

She suppressed a bitter sigh as she watched the count and countess blink in surprise and joy when they realized who Oscar was. They were probably hoping they would be able to utilize the situation to their benefit, oblivious to the fact that it would all be meaningless to Oscar.

Once upon a time, he had wasted his life away in an attempt to appear flawless in the eyes of others-a shameless act, considering he only cared about his own disgusting desires. But she had actually preferred him in that state, since she was only burdened with the prince in private instead of in public.

Why had he decided to come to Almagro?

Oscar gave her a kind smile, but it felt entirely superficial. He easily flipped through the pages of the bible to find a passage for the dead as he spoke under his breath. "I believe I have not seen you since the Formente competition."

"Indeed," she replied curtly.

"I truly wished to apologize for my disrespectful behavior... but I couldn't find you anywhere, much to my chagrin." His low voice was only audible to Inés, since all of the seats were spaced out generously and the hall was filled with the priest's clear voice.

"I see," she said, not making much of an attempt to hide the disdain on her face.

However, Oscar completely disregarded the obvious emotion. "What of your health?" he asked. "I can only hope that you have been feeling better..."

A wave of nausea prevented her from responding.

Perhaps Oscar had interpreted her silence in a more favorable way, for he continued to talk as he flipped another page. "I heard you were burdened with an injury to your leg while in Mendoza... and now, you have been in Almagro for over a week."

"Yes, that seems to be true."

"The grief must have overtaken Miguel quite swiftly, then."

Although she had managed to maintain her composure until that point, it felt like a dam had just broken in her head. How dare he speak that name with his filthy mouth?

The truth was that Oscar had occupied a significant space in her mind ever since the Formente competition. She had worried that the crown prince was planning on putting a leash around her neck, but what truly terrified her was the possibility of Oscar remembering.

Those days had been marked by an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and unease, as if something terrible would happen if she did not act immediately. Now, Oscar was sitting so close by that she could stab him with a knife if she wished to. She wondered if it might be better to kill him, rather than suffer from the fear that came from not knowing if her life was on the verge of crumbling.

However, a small voice in her head whispered that it wasn't the right way.

She recalled the strange memory that Anastasio had placed in her mind-the one of a lifetime she did not remember. Even now, she was clueless as to how she was still alive and why God had trapped her in this timeless prison. However, if Oscar truly "remembered"... there had to be a reason why she had come back from death so many times. Perhaps she was being punished for going against the flow of nature. It was also possible that Oscar would simply return to her in another lifetime with the memory of dying at her hands, if she decided to give in to her murderous desires. Then what will happen to me... to Cárcel?

Inés barely managed to calm herself before a wave of terror nearly overwhelmed her. She reminded herself that the only one she had to fear was the Lord, whose presence lingered by her in the form of the Bible-not the monster that sat next to her. After all, God had already planted a crushing fear of the unknown in her head, as well as the foolish desire to gaze into the future with unseeing eyes.

Oscar murmured, "Truly, it is difficult for me to comprehend that he collapsed in such a state...especially considering just how healthy he has always been..."

She paused for a moment then responded, "It was a great shock to him, understandably."

He hummed under his breath, then asked, "You look quite frail."

"I have not noticed."

"No... you have gotten much thinner since the last I saw you."

The disgust finally broke down her composure, and she frowned heavily. However, she immediately smoothed out her brow when she realized the two of them were still being watched.

A part of her wished that she had tried to kill Oscar back when she was still naive and ignorant of the other lives she would have to face after death. But now she had to protect the life she shared with Cárcel, and she was tired of making mistakes despite knowing they would come back to haunt her.

What she had was much more important than anything else in the world-even the joy that she might feel as the life faded away from Oscar's eyes.

She couldn't waste her life trying to kill Oscar, especially when she didn't even know if he would "truly" die. Life was already a short and fragile thing, and those years would be better spent with Cárcel. Although she suffered in Oscar's presence, the most important thing was that she and Cárcel were still alive, and they would continue to live long after the scoundrel was buried in the cold ground.

Therefore, she chose to endure the hatred that bubbled up in her chest. She would wait silently until Oscar gave her a good reason to act.

After a long moment of silence, Oscar asked, "Do you mourn for the girl?"

"It is not something to laugh about, that is for sure," she said with a hard edge to her voice. "But I believe I will be fine."

"I can tell you have shed several tears over the past few days," Oscar said disapprovingly with a soft click of his tongue. "The moment I walked into this room and spotted you, I wondered why you had cried over the girl. Just why..."

when you knew it would happen? Inés imagined she could hear the rest of his unfinished sentence. She directed a sharp glare at him, only to see that he was calmly reading the holy text. He glanced up with a smile when he realized that she was staring.

The hall was shrouded by a curtain of darkness even though it was daytime, which meant it was quite difficult to make out the exact details of someone's features. She imagined how Oscar must have approached her in the shadows, his gaze fixated on her swollen eyes. A shiver ran down her spine.

He simply gave her a soft smile as if he had felt her distaste. "I was only wondering because you did not know her very well, as far as I am aware."

She took a deep breath and held it for a moment in an attempt to regain her composure. Finally, she said, "I suppose I pitied Miguel."

"Interesting..." Oscar stroked his chin with one hand. "You have never been very close with him either, if I recall correctly."

"I believe that is also applicable to you, Your Highness," she responded coolly.

"Will you cry for me as well when I am faced with Alicia's death, then?" he said in a tone that seemed to anticipate her empathy as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Her features twisted into a slight scowl when she recognized the ease with which he had spoken of Alicia's demise.

The corners of his lips curled up as he turned his gaze away. "I know you will not. In fact, I do not believe a single tear will fall from your eye... Alicia and I do not make such a perfect couple, after all."

Inés gritted her teeth. "Lady Alicia is a lovely woman, and she is perfect for someone such as yourself, Your Highness. But I also believe you will find your way out of grief if she ever passes... especially considering how casually you spoke of a possibility which would be terrifying to most," she said, derisively pointing out the fact that Oscar wouldn't blink an eye at Alicia's passing. 

He simply shrugged as he turned another page in the Bible according to the priest's directions. "I admit I cannot tell you how exactly her death would affect me, since it is something I haven't experienced just yet." He smoothed out the page with an elegant hand. "What of you, Inés? Have you ever entertained the thought?"

"The thought of what, exactly?" she said tersely.

"Cárcel's death, of course."