288

***

Luciano showed her the invitation he had just received from the valet and gave it a slight wave. "I assume you received one of these from Alicia Barca as well?"

"Remember, she is a Valenza now," Inés corrected him while sipping on a glass of water instead of the wine he had offered.

With a casual shrug, he tossed the invitation onto the table. She silently picked it up and studied the name on it.

Alicia Valenza Ortega. The three words were elegantly embroidered onto the card, excluding the name of Salta, a territory under the rule of House Barca. It struck Inés as a curious omission, considering how the vast mines and fertile plains of Sarta formed the majority of the immense dowry Marquess Barca had paid to the imperial family. A slight smirk tugged at her lips-Alicia still seemed to be compelled to please Cayetana, no matter how the empress spurned her.

It was also very likely that Alicia had simply excluded the name for her own satisfaction. Inés didn't believe for one second that Alicia was begging for her husband's love-after all, this was the same woman who had delivered other women to her betrothed's bedroom even before their marriage. No, Alicia's motives were never so simple as the mere pursuit of love.

However, her dedication and love for Oscar did not mean she had any kind of justification to request the same thing from him, which was probably why she was acting like some brown-nosed aristocrat despite her noble status as his wife. Since she knew that his love was beyond her reach, she was probably trying to gain his favor so that she could be considered "useful", at the very least.

"She seems willing to bend over backward to appease the crown prince," Luciano commented. "Unimaginably so."

"What other choice does she have when she lacks any kind of support?"

Narrowing her eyes, Inés studied the marks of the imperial family that surrounded Alicia's embroidered name. It didn't bring her any pleasure to recognize Alicia's handwriting when she opened up the card, either.

"To Lord Luciano Valeztena de Perez, son of Duke Valeztena," the card read.

Infuriatingly enough, Alicia had decided to write every single one of those words with her noble hand.

Even somebody who didn't have previous knowledge of what her handwriting looked like could have recognized the difference between Alicia's message and the perfectly neat words that had been penned by a lady-in-waiting. There was something about the handwritten name that took away the choice of rejection from the recipient, although Inés raised a disdainful eyebrow at the lengths that Alicia was going to despite her minuscule influence.

The letter continued: "A beautiful weather is upon us -a blessing which the Lord has placed upon Ortega. I sincerely apologize for the suddenness and inadequacy of this invitation, but I dearly request your noble presence for a joyous occasion."

Alicia's flowing handwriting continued, describing how she would be hosting an exhibition of artworks that had belonged to her late mother, Marchioness Barca. She had, apparently, wished to dispose of them after her marriage, since their beauty brought her only pain. She had been waiting for the opportune moment to do so, and she had figured she would take advantage of the fact that there wasn't a grand banquet that was scheduled to be held in Mendoza in celebration of the upcoming war. In her elegant handwriting, she spoke of how she wanted to share the precious, beautiful artworks to support the emperor's will to exterminate the pirates of Alava and conquer Las Sandiago to set an example for the world, as she was his daughter-in-law and faithful servant. She promised that all of the proceeds from the exhibition would be used to purchase war bonds for Ortega, and mentioned how the emperor had praised her loyalty and announced that he would be traveling to Barca for the event. Alicia ended the message by claiming that she would love it if Luciano could attend as an honored guest, and that he would surely not regret this choice.

Although her words were elegant and flowery, the intent lay bare. The exhibition had little to do with her late mother or her memory-it was only a front to bind the nobility to purchase war bonds for the emperor. Even the ceremony that would take place in a week's time to celebrate the war was only a facade for the imperial family to gather more funding. But the nobles would still pull together the tiny pieces of patriotism they had in their hearts and rush to buy the war bonds, if only to avoid the emperor's wrath, skillfully ignoring the looming shadows of war.

Las Sandiago was home to the pirates of Alava, who had long plagued Ortega. However, conquering the islands wouldn't be a profitable venture for the empire, even if they were kept as a province for many years. The pirates only ventured to the coasts of Ortega because of the desolation that hung over their own lands-there were no mines, fertile soil, or exotic spices there.

The war would only assuage the rage of the emperor and offer a temporary relief to the vengeful citizens of Ortega, nothing else. This was why the ceremony for Cárcel's promotion had taken place in the palace of Mendoza instead of the naval base in Calztela, and why the emperor had personally declared war upon Las Sandiago. They sought to hide the fact that this war was a costly investment with no foreseeable return. Great warships would depart from the empire, bearing sailors and soldiers to fight both at sea and on land, and a substantial amount of money would be required to sustain this force across the Strait of Alava.

"It sounds like they didn't manage to collect enough funds from the official events," Inés commented, setting the invitation back on the table.

Luciano shook his head. "No. While the nobles of Mendoza are hardly thrilled about the war without prospects of grand reward, they know it will be short-lived. They must think it will be fine to minimize their contributions. The emperor would never wage war at the risk of going into debt, Inés. He is simply seizing the opportunity to profit."

"Ah... I see. Then it is a test of loyalty."

"Precisely," he agreed. "Alicia must be eager to prove herself-especially since she knows what the aristocrats have been whispering about the impending war."

Surely, Ortega's wealthiest Houses, including the Grandes de Ortega, would gather at this "exclusive" exhibition where the supposedly treasured artworks of Alicia's late mother would be sold at inflated prices far above their true worth. Art purchases were little more than displays of affluence for the nobility, and the imperial family intended to capitalize on this, gathering support from the most powerful before doing the same for lesser aristocrats at the official ceremony to commemorate the beginning of the war. Those who had not received an invitation would take it as a subtle warning, while those who had received one would see it as a strong nudge on the back. 

This idea most likely belonged to Oscar, not Alicia. In fact, it was an echo of Inés Valenza's methods from another lifetime more than anyone else's. Unlike Alicia's attempts, Inés had always executed her plan with a deft, discerning touch. She had been left no choice but to do anything to earn the emperor's favor-the one power able to shield her from the empress's silent oppression.

"This wasn't Alicia's idea," she said confidently. "It was the crown prince's."

"The crown prince...?" Luciano parroted, bearing an uncanny resemblance to their father as he furrowed his brow.

Indeed, it was Oscar who had copied her idea from the distant past. It felt like he was shoving it in her face, asking her if she remembered.

She rested her chin on her palm and gazed at the handwritten signature on the bottom of the card: Alicia Valenza Ortega. She could envision how overjoyed Alicia had been as she wrote those three words over and over-a name she had strived to claim her entire life.

However, Inés knew that Alicia was anything but an innocent victim of the imperial family. She recalled the spark in Alicia's blue eyes even as she placed an obedient smile on her face.

On the surface, Alicia was the image of a submissive wife, pliant and devoted, her reverence for her husband unwavering. Yet, Inés knew that such an obsessive loyalty was usually tinged with madness. Perhaps Oscar recognized this as well. He might have considered her to be useful and kept her close for this very reason. It made sense that Oscar had chosen Alicia as his wife despite knowing of her true nature, since he had always been a suspicious man, never one to be swayed by a woman's winning smile.

Even then, it was also possible that Oscar had made a gross miscalculation. It was always dangerous to think oneself infallible, as such a thought blinded one to hidden perils, leading even the most careful to error.

Perhaps I will have to keep a closer watch on Alicia, Inés thought. Oscar and Alicia were a perfect, dreadful pair.

It was a deep intuition that prompted her to continue speaking. "I suppose it matters not which one of them is behind this scheme. They are, after all, a bonded pair."

"What makes you so certain that the crown prince orchestrated this?" Luciano asked.

"He is the one who urged His Majesty to embark on this mission. Surely, they both know there is not much to be gained from this expedition, and His Majesty would never put himself in a position of disadvantage, as you observed... Oscar must have been trying to account for this future loss, even if he had to use his wife, or her dead mother, to secure funds," she responded, mixing in some clever guesses instead of utilizing her knowledge of the past.

Luciano simply gazed at her for a moment, then released a disbelieving sigh. "Since when have you taken an interest in the inner workings of Mendoza? I imagine you have heard a thing or two during your time in the imperial palace-"

"Does it irk you to hear your sister running her mouth about matters beyond her grasp?" she interrupted smoothly.

"No, I..." he began, only to pause and chuckle under his breath.

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and his face turned cold and sharp. For a moment, it was as if the two of them were children again.

The emotionless mask was the one he always wore regardless of whether he was in public or at the manor. However, he usually made an effort to put on a warm smile when he was with her. While she believed this was still a genuine form of love, she preferred the face that she had grown accustomed to over the years.

"I was simply thinking of the resemblance you share with our father," he finally said. "Amusing, isn't it...considering he believes your only talent lies in praying."

A huff of laughter escaped her. It was the same kind of strange, empty feeling she had gotten when Cárcel had reminded her that she was "the daughter of Perez".

"I am quite talented at it," she responded. "Unfortunately, you cannot achieve much with prayers alone."

Luciano reached out and stroked her head a few times, as if she were still a small child. Although it seemed to be a nonchalant gesture, she could feel a hint of warmth and innocence in it.

"Then you may turn to your family," he said, his voice gentle. "That is why the Lord has brought us together."