312

***

Inés walked with Cárcel as he left the hall, faithfully following her plan to see him off. Long hallways and steep staircases formed the way to the building's front doors-a visual display of how difficult it would be for her to return to the hall. Every single time they descended a staircase, Cárcel tried to convince her to return to the hall, and this unexpectedly persisted even when Inés ignored him.

Once again, he said, "Please, Inés, head back inside."

"I will."

"Are you going to respond with 'I will' to everything I say?"

"Yes, I will."

He looked at her with pure worry in his eyes, which made sense, because she was wearing a white satin dress with a magnificently wide skirt that weighed her down like a rock. Still, it was a creation that seemed to belong in a set with Cárcel's new, white naval uniform.

Olga had clicked her tongue in disapproval the moment she saw the dress, expressing her disbelief at the fact that Inés had chosen to wear a white dress that outshone her own bridal gown. "I still remember that I had to beg you to do the bare minimum," she had muttered. "Would it kill you to dress like a normal lady?"

Of course, Olga always had an air of mild disapproval around her when regarding her daughter, but the dress seemed to have shocked every single person who knew her better than others. Not only had Duke Valeztena and Luciano stared at her with disbelief, but also Duke and Duchess Escalante had been struck speechless upon seeing her at the front door of the manor in the morning.

In a way, the dress had earned every bit of their shock-Inés had poured a great deal of effort into it, and every single part of the dress was elegant and beautiful, almost overly so. Even when she briefly stood by the women of the imperial family, including Cayetana and Alicia, all eyes had been focused on her. In fact, the young lords in the hall had stared at her with wonder and total captivation the moment she stepped through the doors. Gasps and murmurs of amazement had erupted whenever she walked by a guest, and her admirers had obsessively examined the dress, thinking of the order they would submit to their personal designers.

Inés knew exactly how those moments would be printed on paper and carried from mouth to ear. For instance, the newspapers would say something along the lines of: "On the day of the ceremony, Lady Inés Escalante, the wife of Captain Escalante, wore a dress adorned with a classic lace that suited the occasion perfectly. On the other hand, the small lavender and blue wildflowers that were used to decorate the lace added a lyrical and pastoral beauty to her look. Her hair fell in waves, the sides braided and tied together but the rest left long. Her black strands were decorated with the same wildflowers that had been used in her dress. While she is widely known to be quite noble and haughty, her outfit had the effect of bestowing a pure, kind glow upon her. All those who were present felt the sorrow of a lady sending her husband off to war. As for the best way to follow this new trend..."

Most gentlemen considered such topics to be frivolous and vain. However, sometimes the smallest things ended up burrowing deep into one's mind. Perhaps noblewomen would frantically obtain traditional laces from El Tabeo and common wildflowers from Calztela in order to follow the budding trend, and perhaps the desperate lords of Mendoza would gift those items to the ladies they wished to woo. It would be much easier to rule over the nobility of Mendoza if their desire for the already popular, simple dress of Calztela and the region itself became more pronounced.

She knew that visible symbols were essential to effectively indoctrinate a crowd, which was why she had carefully arranged every single part of her outfit. The elegant, deep neckline of the dress was adorned with a big emerald brooch that Cárcel had gifted her -a perfect topic for gossip. The blue band that wrapped around her torso diagonally was embroidered with the motto of the Ortegan Imperial Navy, "God and the winds are on our side." Even Luciano's amused comment, pointing out how Cárcel and Inés looked like "the personification of the imperial navy," had been previously planned.

Cárcel, on the other hand, seemed to view the dress as a great burden of sorts, oblivious to her careful calculations and the admiration of others. When he first saw her at the manor after she finished all her preparations, he had stood rooted to the spot, staring at her with his ears burning red. Then he had expressed his admiration and praise, followed by his detailed description of just how beautiful she was. However, his excitement had turned to worry the moment he lifted her into his arms to climb into the carriage.

"This dress is much too heavy for your frail, slender form," he had said. And this had continued even as they climbed the stairs to the hall-he expressed his concern that she might faint from all this weight.

She had found his comment slightly amusing, since he had lifted her like she weighed nothing while she wore that "heavy" dress. Furthermore, she was anything but frail and slender. She had nodded absently while brushing off most of Cárcel's nagging, which was still a significant improvement compared to before.

"Go back, Inés. Please," he urged yet again.

"I will."

"Yet you do not mean it," he said with a sigh. "Why do this when you will be heading to Calztela later this evening?"

"I am walking down a staircase, not drinking poison. Now, be quiet. You are distracting me from feeling the shape of your hand," she responded nonchalantly, her arm linked through his as she caressed his hand.

"I dislike that you are wearing this heavy thing because of me," he muttered, briefly freeing his hand to flick the edge of her skirt. She immediately laced their fingers together again.

She heard Raúl sigh loudly in disbelief-he stood at the very front of the line of attendants trailing behind them. It was obvious that he was trying to point out the absurdity of Cárcel's words.

It made sense that he was questioning the state of Cárcel's mind. After all, she was floating around like the dress weighed nothing, her back completely straight. Inés was certain that she didn't appear any more sensible than Cárcel did, since she had been nodding along to all of his comments.

Finally, they reached the horse that would carry Cárcel away.

"This is where I depart, Inés," he said. "You can go back to the hall now."

She pretended she hadn't heard him, fidgeting with his uniform sleeve as if she were fascinated by how the gold stripe that indicated his rank was different from the one she had seen in Calztela.

Reality had a way of creeping up on her slowly, and it was almost always a nasty surprise when it struck.

He continued, "I'm afraid you will have to be satisfied with this for the time being... but we will see each other soon."

Oh, how the tables have turned. Now Cárcel was the one comforting her as she clung to him like some lovestruck fool. Suddenly, his lips met hers in a light, chaste kiss.

As he began to withdraw, Inés grabbed him by the back of his neck and kissed him again-it was brief but passionate, and she didn't care if anybody saw.

Cárcel's breath tickled her nose as he let out a soft laugh. "I assume you were not satisfied, then..."

"I am now. You may go," she said even as she placed another kiss on his cheek. She only pushed him away with a sense of finality after drawing a small cross on his forehead, just like Arondra would.

He chuckled as he swung himself onto the horse, then finally began to lead the long procession away.

She stood there like a statue, watching Cárcel and his procession ride across the garden. When she turned around, her face was completely emotionless. "Tell them that I wept while standing here."

"Pardon?" Raúl said, blinking in confusion.

"I want it to be published in a morning newspaper, perhaps in four days' time. La Giéla is a master at tugging on heartstrings. Now, listen closely. 'The lady, her face filled with sorrow, followed her husband all the way outside, hoping to catch one last glimpse of him before he went off to war'-"

Before she could finish, Raúl interjected. "My apologies, but... are you talking about yourself, my lady?"

"Who else would I be referring to?" She clicked her tongue in annoyance, then she began to walk back to the building, her face anything but "filled with sorrow". Her voice was dry as she continued, "After sharing one last kiss with her beloved husband, she clasped her hands together in desperate prayer...' You can guess the rest yourself. This is the tone I want conveyed in the article."

"But you are heading to Calztela today," Raúl said, pointing out that she would see Cárcel again to say her actual farewell.

"And? This will be my last time seeing him in Mendoza for quite some time," she replied as she beckoned to the emperor's painter, standing behind the attendants, with an elegant hand. A few moments ago, Raúl had secretly snuck the painter out of the hall.

"I see..." Raúl murmured.

"Oh, there is something else I want included in the article. 'The lady eventually burst into tears, standing rooted to the spot even after her dear husband was no longer visible'-"

Raúl interrupted her yet again. "Pardon me, my lady, but you seem to be walking away quite quickly..."

Ignoring him, she continued to describe what she wanted written. "It was such a sorrowful sight that no one could bear to look upon her.' There."

Raúl couldn't help but cast a glance of disbelief and scrutiny toward her. How could anybody look upon something that never happened? he wondered.

As he shook his head silently, Inés examined the rough sketch that the painter had scribbled in his small sketchbook. It depicted the last kiss she had shared with Cárcel after pulling him in.

"Make it seem like you were observing us from further away," she said. "It's much too obvious that I hired you."

"M-my apologies, my lady," the painter said, frantically bowing his head.

"No need for apologies. And while I'm aware you didn't have much time to sketch it out, try to keep in mind that my face looks significantly different from this."

"Y-yes, my lady."

"How are you planning on drawing my face if your eyes are on the ground? Look up," she commanded.

The painter managed to lift his head, blushing furiously.

She reached out to grab him by the chin and intently stared into his eyes for a long moment, only releasing him and walking away when he began to tremble. She said to Raúl, "At the end, they must talk about how Cárcel's selfless bearing of a soldier shone through even back when he was a cadet, as well as his honorable record as a soldier and his endless list of medals. This must be repeated in every single news article, reworded slightly. I want those words to be ingrained in the minds of the people. I want them to know that Cárcel is an irreplaceable part of the Ortegan Imperial Navy."

"Of course, my lady."

"This is more tiring than I imagined... I need to cry briefly." She stepped into a random room as if she owned the place, her eyes still devoid of tears. Upon locating a basin filled with water, she began to splash it on her eyes.

Raúl, belatedly realizing the water was supposed to serve as tears, put a hand to his forehead as he stood by the doorway. "My lady... is this why you insisted on sending His Lordship off?" he asked as if he pitied Cárcel greatly.

Inés, who had been examining her red-rimmed eyes in the mirror, raised an irritated eyebrow. "Of course not. I simply wanted to see him for a moment more."

"Ah, yes. I was simply curious, since all of this seems so methodical... I highly respect your abilities, of course."

She turned to face him. "Sometimes, one must blur the lines between their private life and what is necessary."

"What... do you mean by that?"

"Think: Inés Valeztena abandoning her icy facade and pitifully crying over the departure of her husband... The two of them shamelessly displaying their intimacy in public, although their marriage was anything but a happy one..." she mused. "You see, glimpses of one's private life can serve as the perfect bait." Now, she looked exactly like a woman who had just wept in sorrow.

***

"Good gracious, Inés," Isabella muttered, carefully cupping Inés's cheeks in her hands. "Have you been crying?"

"Perhaps a bit," Inés responded with a soft smile, feeling a hint of guilt at the gentle touch. But the lie was a necessary one, since there were still people glancing over at them curiously. Even if that weren't the case, she couldn't possibly tell Isabella that she had shed crocodile tears over her son's departure.

Isabella sighed, a note of sadness creeping into her voice. "Your poor eyes... they're so red."

"It was only a brief farewell. We will see each other again soon, after all."

"It is truly unfortunate that you didn't get a chance to properly talk to him," Isabella said, shaking her head. "This is a joyous day indeed, but there is no need to force yourself to smile."

"I'm afraid I cannot help but smile when I am with you," Inés responded.

"Flattery does not suit you," Isabella remarked with a wry smile. "Now, are you sure you do not wish to rest for a bit? You will not be able to leave once the ceremony resumes."

"Please, do not trouble yourself about me-I shall leave for Calztela early in the evening. In fact, I am more concerned about you..." Inés's worried gaze swept through the hall upon realizing that Juan wasn't nearby.

When Isabella realized who she was searching for, she released a strained sigh. "Juan has stepped out..."

"How could he leave your side when Miguel is not here?" Inés muttered reproachfully, still glancing around. Although Miguel hadn't been in a state to attend his brother's promotion ceremony, his condition paled in comparison to Isabella's anxiety. Whenever she looked at her mother-in-law, Inés saw a woman who was weak and frail after years of being bedridden.

Isabella laid a gentle hand on her arm and said quietly, "His Highness summoned him as soon as the two of you left the hall."

Immediately, Inés's eyes snapped to the hall on the other side of the extravagant passage. It was a place reserved for the imperial family members or the Grandes de Ortega whenever they wanted some privacy from the other nobles. A strange suspicion coiled in her stomach as she stared down the passage.

There was nothing strange about Oscar wanting to talk to his uncle. However, she was suddenly reminded of Oscar's voice from a distant memory-one that Anastasio had shoved into her head. "It was his time to die for me, Inés. He was fated to perish in the future anyway..."She was assaulted by a wave of anxiety. It was true that Oscar couldn't try to kill Cárcel anymore, but it was still possible that his unresolved anger would be directed at the people around them. Oscar was a paranoid madman, and he had even killed Juan in the past. Regardless of what he was planning, Inés was determined to keep a close eye on him.

Her face stony, Inés asked Countess Olivares to look after Isabella and began to walk with quick strides. Luciano, who happened to be walking toward her, blinked in surprise when he noticed her urgency and caught her by one wrist. She flipped their hands around to grab his hand instead, and practically dragged him across the hall.