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***

"By the way... how have you not grown tired of it yet?" Luciano looked rather weary himself.

"Why would I? The stories are different each time."

Inés was sitting at the long table in the middle of her study, where morning newspapers lay neatly arranged by Alfonso. They ranged from reputable newsletters favored by intellectuals to the imperial papers that existed solely to praise the emperor, the lifestyle magazines that discussed the extravagant lives of the Mendozan aristocracy, and even down to the yellow newspapers sold for a single coin to menial workers. The quality of the paper and their contents varied drastically, but they all shared one undeniable truth: every front page bore the name Cárcel Escalante, no matter what day it was.

"But they are all about Cárcel Escalante," Luciano replied sullenly, having grown used to seeing his sister peruse all these newspapers day by day.

"That's right. They are. That is the whole point." It was rare for her eyes to sparkle like they did today as she replied to him as though he had said something delightful.

Then she turned back to the papers on the table. Her gaze examined each front page with care, taking up a newspaper to examine its other pages thoroughly and merely skimming through others.

As she rustled busily through the newspapers, Inés continued, "They are about the unchanging, steadfast, and impossible to defeat Escalante. That is the core of these stories."

"And what if your husband ends up being summarily defeated one day?"

"He can lose as many battles as he likes. All I need to do is to frame it in his favor. I could make him look even more impressive than when he achieves a victory." Inés made it sound like this was an incredibly simple matter. It was clear that she was capable of anything as long as her husband made it back alive and preserved her sanity. "But speaking of such things is unlucky, so please refrain from doing so, Luciano." Superstitious noblewomen often said that speaking of misfortune brought it about, showing that Inés was not willing to take any chances when it concerned her beloved husband.

"If you insist," said Luciano with an exasperated scoff and continued to watch his sister scanning the newspapers with eagle eyes.

"In any case, at this very moment, all of Ortega trusts in Cárcel more than anyone else. He is an indispensable line of defense too. The fact that he is equated to Admiral Calderon means that the imperial family cannot touch him. At least not with charges they could come up with in Mendoza, which is so far from the battlefield." Ironically, her conviction that he could not be touched by the imperial family was based on a fundamental worry.

"Yes, everyone would think that way, Inés." Luciano approached his sister and rubbed her back reassuringly, feeling sorry for how she had been suffering from anxiety ever since her husband had gone off to war. But today, his eyes were not filled with sympathy, especially now that he noticed how her own eyes glinted as they searched for any errors in the newspapers before her. He let out a small sigh she wouldn't hear.

"And I mean to make people think of him that way without needing to pause and consider it first, Luciano."

"You are going to hammer stories of your husband into the minds of the populace so that they do not have the chance to form their own opinions. I know."

"That's right. I am going to make sure that all of Ortega speaks of him for decades to come, just like they have done with Admiral Calderon. I want Cárcel to become impervious to any emperor."

To any emperor. Luciano narrowed his eyes as he looked at his sister.

Inés then straightened up and regarded the many newspapers laid out before her as though they were a work of art, but also in a businesslike manner. They only spoke of the victory of a short battle that had been announced the day before, but seeing it printed in the newspaper always felt different. Of course, most of the papers were following her direction thanks to the emperor's greed, and thanks to that, there were no surprises, but it was all still awe-inspiring. Though the language each paper used varied, they all spoke of the same thing in the end-that Cárcel Escalante was a very gallant man, a brilliant strategist, and that he was planting Ortega's flag far out in the sea thanks to his superior instincts and tactics he must have gotten from his grandfather.

"Escalante Prison Brings Fear to the Sea"

Inés caressed the picture under one of the headlines, starting with the navigation charts, the sword, the telescope, and the quill laid out on the table depicted therein. They were objects he might be using on his ship. She had pored over dozens of naval history books used at El Ledequilla, as well as the various books on battle tactics that were heirlooms from Admiral Calderon in order to have more appropriate metaphors on hand that would elicit more hero worship. But the image on the newspaper was of a world Inés herself had never experienced herself. A world of his own.

"And His Victories Have Made Us Respect House Escalante Once More"

It might have been true that she was doing her best for him, and was controlling the media to her liking, but there were no falsehoods printed here. Cárcel Escalante was far too good for his emperor, for the cousin he had been ordered to serve ever since he was a young boy, for all of Ortega, and even his own wife.

For many, many years now... she thought to herself as she gazed at the newspapers with blurred vision before her face brightened up again, and she began to carefully cut out certain articles with a knife. It was a new hobby she had picked up with the excuse of showing them to the ailing Duke Escalante. Frankly, it was the only hobby she had these days.

Luciano watched his sister act like such a besotted spouse as though this was no longer surprising to him, but his eyes were keen as he focused on her expression. "A single letter from Cárcel Escalante seems to have worked wonders. Just yesterday, you looked like you were dying even after hearing about the victory."

"That was because you only saw me after the exhausting day I had gone through. I keep telling you, I was not unwell at all-"

"So this face you're making has nothing to do with your husband?" After Cárcel had left, Inés's determination and venom had remained unchanged. He was referring to her lips that seemed to have loosened from their usual grimness and her eyes that sparkled with laughter at random. He was no longer embarrassed to point these things out to her.

"Of course it does."

"You won't even deny it now."

"Well, if you had seen me smile like an idiot earlier, you would have thought I were on the brink of insanity."

"I would not have been surprised to see you look so lovely and delighted, since you have caused me much surprise on account of Cárcel Escalante already. But more importantly, Inés..."

"Yes?"

"Are you really not going to do anything?"

"About what?" she asked disinterestedly.

Luciano ran a hand over his furrowed brow and sat on the edge of the table. "The crown prince's wife getting her hands on tardilaca." He seemed ashamed to even pronounce the name as contempt washed over his expression.

But Inés, who was very likely to be the target of this drug, shrugged.

Long ago, he hadn't hesitated to scoop up and run off with his sister when her skirt was dyed red with her first ever monthly bleeding because she had frozen to the spot, but after so many years of being raised differently, he now got too embarrassed to even look her in the eye if she so much as mentioned her menstruating.

He may have been adept at ordering people around, but at his core he was far too prim and proper. Even mentioning the name of an aphrodisiac used by the lowliest of prostitutes before his sister had to be torture. Especially because it was very clear who Alicia Valenza had in mind when she had gotten the drug and why she had done so. The woman had never used anything of the sort on either herself or any of the prostitutes disguised as ladies-in-waiting she had pushed into her husband's bed.

Putting down her knife, Inés propped up her elbow and leaned her chin against her hand to look up at her brother. "What do you think the mere fact that she procured that obscene drug will accomplish? Nothing has happened yet. What if she simply says, with that innocent face of hers, that she intended to take it herself-to satisfy her husband and provide the imperial family with an heir? And even if it were revealed that she forced aphrodisiacs down the throats of her ladies-in-waiting and led them into her husband's bedroom like a brothel madam-what of it? It would be vile, disgraceful, and unsightly, of course. She might even be too ashamed to show her face for a few years. Oh, but then again, Alicia Valenza would only wait for a few days. Everyone would pretend she didn't exist for a while. And even if we shouted the truth across all of Mendoza, exposing the crown prince and his wife for the disgrace they are, what would it change?"

"Ines..."

"The emperor still only has Oscar as a son, and Alicia has been blessed by the pope as his wife. Though the church forbids us from mating in groups like animals, it would simply be treated as a well-intended act by the crown prince's wife. Some men will probably even envy Oscar for it. Besides, the emperor would not welcome the news of his son taking drugs every night to sleep with his wife's ladies-in-waiting being known to the world when Cárcel is earning so much fame and reverence out on the battlefield."

Luciano rubbed his face in frustration and got to his feet.

Inés reached out and calmly held onto his hand as she continued, "The emperor has always been battling with a sense of inferiority toward his wife's family, which means that he will do everything he can to squash the rumors, and it won't be difficult for him to do so. In the end, Alicia Valenza will be seen as nothing more than a sacrificing wife, willing to commit whatever vile acts were necessary to please her husband. Whether or not the emperor manages to bury this story, we will lose our chance."

"Inés, please…"

"Luciano. The foolish man needs some leeway. Just look at how he is letting me control the newspapers because he is so busy reveling in his money. Something too sensational and dramatic to be swept under the rug must occur for it to be worth depriving him of this bliss. But we do not have enough to ruin them yet. In other words, that disgusting drug must leave the hands of Alicia and her ladies-in-waiting and come to me first."

"Your calculations are irrelevant to me, Inés. I am simply worried about you."

"I know."

"If you know, then you ought to-"

"That is why my judgment is more accurate right now, Luciano. Because I do not worry about myself one bit."

Her brother brushed away her hand in frustration. "What on earth are you thinking? If you get involved in something like that..."

"I will, but I won't really. I promise."

"I cannot imagine what you have planned, but I know for a fact that it is pure lunacy. Damn it, Inés! From the moment I heard that the crown prince's wife got her hands on tardilaca, I have been worried sick. I am running out of patience."

"I know, Luciano. I know that we are both expecting the same thing from her."

"You know nothing, Inés." Inés reached out to take him by the hand again, but he grabbed her by the wrist first and pulled it closer to him. "After I found out, the mere thought of someone at the palace suddenly...well, of someone knocking you out and dragging you into that blasted crown prince's bedroom..."

"Luciano."

"I cannot let you walk around alone when that is a real possibility right now. This is more than enough justification, Inés. I can get rid of that wench."

"We have to let her win. Just once."

"Do not say that as though you were expendable. No matter how much you have calculated and planned out, if we make even one wrong move, you and everything you have achieved will fall into their clutches. And even if nothing happens, as you are trying to assure me, what if it makes it look like you..."

"Like I am his mistress, just as Oscar always wanted?"

Luciano, who had subconsciously tightened his grip on his sister's wrist, forced himself to let go and straightened up, his expression cold. His gaze bored fiercely down on her from above as if he were looking at someone foreign to him, but she knew that love sometimes took the form of anger.

Inés gave him a soft smile. "That will never happen, Luciano. You said you would trust me, didn't you?"

"The problem is that getting caught up in such nasty rumors is not even the worst-case scenario. Please, Inés."

"The fact that she is in possession of tardilaca may be quite the disgrace, but we cannot tie it to Oscar, nor can we ruin them both with it. If we use it as an excuse to attack them, we will have to put an end to it all then and there, but that would make it look like we forced their ruin with our own hands. The world will be able to plainly see our involvement."

He breathed out a soft expletive. "Inés..."

"Luciano, we must stay blameless until the very end, in every way. The ruin of the crown prince and his wife, and the ascension of our new emperor...none of that can be traced back to us in any way from the perspective of the public."