319

***

For what felt like an eternity, Inés sat on the balcony and watched the ocean through the rain. The port, previously full of naval vessels, was empty now that all of the ships had sailed past the blue coast of Calztela and disappeared over the horizon. She lingered for a long time even after they departed and only turned away when the afternoon sun shone in her face. She had prayed as she sat down on the balcony, and she prayed again right before she rose to her feet, silently hoping that no powerful gust or wave would touch Cárcel, and that the wind would carry his ship where he wished to go.

Fortunately, the gray sky had cleared somewhat by the afternoon, but her skirt was still soaked from the rain that had invaded the balcony under the awning. She shook off the wet fabric half-heartedly and went downstairs to board the carriage that would take her back to Mendoza. She would have departed much earlier in the day if it hadn't rained, but she couldn't tear herself away-she had known that she wouldn't be able to expel the image from her mind upon returning to Mendoza if it was the last view that she had of the ocean.

It was evening when she finally arrived in Mendoza, and she was greeted by Isabella, who appeared to have recovered significantly. Hope lit her eyes as she told Inés that Juan had regained consciousness, albeit for a short time, in the early afternoon.

"Did he say anything?" Inés asked immediately.

"Nothing yet," Isabella responded with a soft sigh. "Mario said he is still too weak."

"Ah... I see."

"It is still a great relief. Initially, I was told that his brain might have been damaged from the prolonged seizure and lack of air... Oh, I couldn't help but burst into tears when I heard his cognition or speech might be impaired as the result."

Inés nodded empathetically. "Yes, I'm sure that was quite a shock to hear... But that was not the case, correct?"

"No, thank goodness. He managed to turn his head toward me and mouth that he was all right," Isabella responded with a slight smile.

"What a blessing indeed. He must have been worried because you were weeping."

"Worried? He should worry about himself," Isabella said with a sigh, then glanced over at her husband, who was still lying in bed. "Apparently the episode lasted for too long, and it was too great of a shock to his body considering he was already so weak from the illness... When he awakened earlier, he couldn't even talk and seemed to barely hear what I was saying. In fact, he was having difficulty keeping his eyes open."

"Surely it is only temporary, caused by a lack of energy," Inés reassured her. "His Grace is an Escalante-his body is strong as iron."

"Yes... Luck truly was on his side. You found him before he passed, and..." Isabella trailed off, her voice trembling.

Inés shook her head gently. "There is no need to force yourself to speak such terrible, painful things. I only discovered him coincidentally... and it is all in the past now."

Nodding, Isabella took a deep breath. "Luciano was here. He said... He said the two of you looked through the entire place to find Juan."

Inés nodded silently. Her brother had never been one to brag about his own accomplishments, but she knew he had made an exception for his sister "saving" her father-in-law. Surely, he had given a nonchalant recollection of what the two of them had done, aiming to indebt House Escalante while praising Inés at the same time. However, she found that she had no desire to flaunt what she had done in front of Isabella. She didn't want to remind her of what had happened, either-just thinking about the fact that Juan had almost been assassinated was enough to make Isabella blanch in terror.

Isabella reached across the table and held Inés's hands firmly. "Thank you, Inés. I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"There is no repayment necessary," she responded, but Isabella shook her head.

"Once Juan recovers, I will make sure to tell him that you saved his life."

For a moment, Inés pressed her lips together. Then she said, "I am also one of the troubles that have been plaguing House Escalante. So, I..."

"But you are also an Escalante," Isabella pointed out gently.

Inés fell silent.

"You are a pillar of Escalante, Inés. It is impossible for you to 'plague' this House in any way."

"Isabella," Inés said, feeling a sudden surge of heat in her throat.

"That is something Juan told me a long time ago when I descended into a pit of shame after what happened with my brother." Isabella's gaze drifted back to Juan. "But every man's sin is his own, whether he be a thief, robber, or murderer. The cause of a sinful act is within the sinner, nobody else. If you are holding a piece of gold and someone hurts you and rips it away, you are not to be blamed. There was a demon living within that man's heart, that is all."

With a silent sigh, Inés curled her fingers around Isabella's hands in a gesture of reciprocation.

Isabella tapped Inés's palm with one of her fingers. "Of course, you are far more valuable than gold."

"I don't mind the comparison."

Isabella chuckled softly, then whispered, "You have my undying gratitude, Inés."

"You have already thanked me several times, Isabella. I do not believe I deserve any more," Inés responded, but it was like Isabella hadn't heard her.

"You... you saved Juan's life. I could never thank you enough... I will be indebted to you forever."

"Isabella..."

"If I had lost Juan without getting to see him again..." Isabella's face crumpled, but she tried to force herself to smile. Then her face turned stoic as if she had suddenly remembered something. She wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "I met with Empress Cayetana earlier today. The incident was kept so tightly under wraps that even she didn't hear about it until she returned to her room that night. Initially, she thought Juan had simply collapsed. She was planning on sending a messenger to me, since Escalante had not given her any news... She nearly fainted from the shock when the crown prince's servant told her what had happened."

Running to his mother to tell her about how his uncle had fallen victim to an assassination attempt, even though he was the one who had done it... It was disgusting indeed.

Inés gave Oscar a silent, mocking scoff as she responded, "It makes sense that Her Majesty heard the news much later. She was probably conversing with other ladies at the banquet hall until late at night."

Isabella nodded in agreement. "I heard His Majesty is completely disinterested in discovering the true culprit behind the attempt. Instead, he is going after you and your brother for possessing firearm...l imagine it's because it was his own servant who was found dead."

"Yes, but it is only a formality."

"So what if it's a formality?" Isabella said indignantly.

"Juan would have been assassinated if it hadn't been for you, that damned poisoning aside...I cannot believe His Majesty seeks to punish you instead of the ones who tried to kill my husband!"

"I agree that it is quite absurd, but I'm sure nothing will come of it, Isabella," Inés said, smiling in agreement but still using a tone of comfort and reassurance.

A scowl of displeasure lingered on Isabella's face as she continued, "Empress Cayetana was quite irate when she discovered His Majesty was using such trivial formalities to interrogate you instead of rewarding you for saving her brother. She promised that you wouldn't find yourself in any trouble because of it."

"Ah... I suppose I am thankful for that."

"Her Majesty has always viewed me as an obstacle in her brother's life, but you... You are different, and even more so now," Isabella said meaningfully as she squeezed Inés's hands then released them. "Not only are you her brother's savior, but you are also the proud wife of his son. I'm certain you will make good use of this fact."

Her smile reminded Inés of the days before she had grown thin and frail-once, Isabella Escalante had been elegant and delicate, yet strong, firm, and relaxed.

"I have not seen you so happy in a very long time," Inés commented.

"Indeed, I am. Juan is alive, Cárcel has departed safely, Miguel has returned... and now I have you as my ally, the benefactor of the empress herself...and quite a brilliant one at that."

"Of course. I will always be your ally, Isabella."

"You'd be surprised by just how much Cayetana loves her brother," Isabella said gleefully. She turned her head to watch Miguel, who was stoically sitting by his father's bedside as if he hadn't heard a thing they were discussing. After a brief moment of silence, Isabella continued, "Yet, she was never particularly interested in the things that Juan held dear... She is accustomed to receiving love that she doesn't deserve, and she is probably too terrified to even imagine losing the source of that love... I'm sure she will abandon her previous stance of neutrality and favor Escalante for the time being, oblivious to what her son is planning."

Her last observation made it obvious that she knew exactly who had been behind the assassination attempt. Inés was aware that Isabella had just revealed her biggest weakness to her-until very recently, Escalante had been in hot water because they had favored the crown prince far too much, and now Isabella was accusing Oscar of trying to kill the head of her House.

In fact, the emperor had only tried to test Escalante because of the fabricated evidence that suggested they were trying to dethrone him and put Oscar in his place. This was exactly why Cayetana had stayed uncharacteristically subdued for so many years. However, Oscar had repaid her by pushing her family into the fire and trying to stab Juan in the back with a smile.

Inés wondered how Cayetana would react upon realizing just how ungrateful and monstrous her son was.

"The two of them will start butting heads on everything," Inés said, as if finishing Isabella's train of thought. "At some point, the crown prince will become incredibly irritated by his own mother..."

"Yet Cayetana will linger by Juan's side until he fully recovers, like a puppy that needs to relieve itself."

It was a harsh comparison indeed, but still an accurate one. Inés realized that Isabella had started treating her as an equal. Now, she was no longer a family member or subordinate that Isabella had to protect-it was obvious that Isabella felt she could share her deepest secrets with her.

"I have a vague idea of what your goals are," Isabella said quietly. "I can help. I shall become your spy and tear relationships apart if necessary. I have become quite accustomed to whispering in people's ears, thanks to my husband's dear sister."

Inés opened her mouth to tell Isabella that she needn't go out of her way to help her.

Before she could, however, Isabella added, "I will not lose my husband, my son, or you to that demon." There was a rage blazing in her blue eyes, almost identical to Cárcel's, that looked quite strange in her usually kind face.

The words died in Inés's throat. She slowly turned to look at Miguel, who nodded firmly at both of them.