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I will kill you. I will destroy you. Whatever it takes, I will make sure you die... The moment of seething fury shot through Inés as a vivid memory. She could feel the helplessness of her sickened body, unable to lift even a finger, much less vent her rage.

"I worry that you will not be able to enter heaven because of this hate you harbor for me." The crown princess gave her a radiant smile following her confession and caressed Inés's cheek as if taking pity on her.

Inés felt like she was falling straight into the pits of hell. She wanted to crush Alicia's hand to dust; she wanted to stab the glinting, kind eyes of this murderer. Alicia had asked her to forgive her, so that she could be at peace-she was completely out of her mind.

"But I also enjoy the sight of you laying there, unable to speak and simply listening to me. Perhaps I should have destroyed your voice instead of your womb. That would have been much better for both of us," Alicia mused, then continued, almost in a coaxing tone. "All you need to do is nod to tell me you forgive me. For your own sake. Think of your children who are waiting for you in heaven." She-the absolute monster that she was-chuckled as though she had made a fantastic jest.

When Inés did not respond, Alicia scoffed. "Must you insist on maintaining your pride when you are moments away from dying? No wonder your husband hasn't returned home for a long while. He must have been so sick of you. Poor woman, you should not have caught Oscar's interest in the first place, or become part of House Escalante..."

In the end, Inés had lost everything simply because of the crown prince's interest in her. She lay there dying because of something she had never wanted.

Her mouth that could make no sound, her body consumed by illness poured out an endless barrage of curses at Alicia. The woman smiled as though she understood, then pressed a finger against Inés's lips to silence her and whispered, "Your temper is far too terrible for you to get to heaven. If I had been in your shoes, I would not have made the foolish mistake of rejecting Oscar. I never would have let someone like me rise above you in status either."

Inés glared at her.

"You fool... You actually love your husband, don't you? Your eyes are filled with such regret. But it is the man who was married to such a horrible woman who is to be pitied as much, or even more, than those poor children of yours who died. Cárcel Escalante, the man with such a great sense of responsibility."Alicia smirked down at her. "Even now, if you were to send him a message saying that you needed him and that you were dying, he would put aside everything in Calztela and run over to this pathetic little hideout of yours. If only he knew that you didn't push him away because you despised him, but because you are like a cat, unwilling to let anyone witness your death, hiding away. He would give up everything to be by your side. Even if you never offered him a single word of kindness. Just as he used to follow you around like a puppy when you were both young... Except now, he would do it out of obligation, not love. Even though he is sick and tired of you, and would find your current state disgusting, he is far too considerate to let any of that show and would treat you with the utmost respect."

Inés could do nothing but listen.

"But you must be accepting your death in this way because you do not wish for that. I have always admired your aloofness. But if you do not die, his sense of duty will not be resolved. As selfish as you are, you must want him to be at peace. Are you not weary of your body that refuses to die even in this state? I am sure you cannot stand it, considering your temper."

An eerie sensation returned to Inés's paralyzed hand. She could feel her fingernails scratching down Alicia's wrist.

Alicia brushed her away easily and slapped her across the cheek a few times as if disciplining a misbehaving beast. She smiled, coldly, no trace of guilt left on her face. Then she grabbed Inés, who was chuckling to herself without a sound, by the chin and mentioned, as if she had just remembered, "I feel sorry watching you struggle to resist in your final moments, so I'll tell you some good news.

Viviana Castagnary will die soon. The betrothed of your husband's only brother, Miguel Escalante. When that poor girl dies, you can go to Almagro Castle and see your wonderful husband one last time without compromising your great ego. Although I suppose it won't matter if you die before she does."

Just then, someone called out, "Inés!" The voice sounded far away, as though it were coming from outside of the building she was in.

Inés tried to hold on to the memory and Alicia's fading voice the best she could, but her vision soon cleared. She could make out Luciano's face again. The sensation of cold water going down her throat felt strange. She writhed in pain, her body remembering the agony of that moment all too well.

Just as Alicia Valenza had said, her body had refused to die-she had spent ten days on the brink of death. After a close brush with death, she had come to once more. The reason the memories had felt so strange was because her symptoms had returned again and again, like the ebb and flow of the tide. She had imagined that the tide would one day sweep her away into her death-that her end was approaching fast.

But she had been able to move again; her body had accepted food once more. The good news Alicia had told her didn't concern her. It didn't matter where-whether it be at Viviana Castagnary's funeral, in Mendoza, or in Esposa-as long as she could see Cárcel Escalante. For just a short while. She hadn't thought of it as longing to see him one last time before she died. She had wanted to do it despite anything, even if she suddenly changed her mind and lost her courage.

In Alicia's eyes, she must have seemed like she was about to die any minute, but Inés had survived long enough to attend Viviana Castagnary's funeral. And, unable to spare even a moment's pity for the poor girl who had died, or Miguel Escalante's despair, her gaze had been fixed on Cárcel as she counted the days she had left. Then, she had wished she had attended as a ghost instead, so that only she could see him and he could not. She had not wanted him to see her in such a miserable state, yearning to see him after all those years she had wasted; she had hoped he would stay ignorant of her plight while she could watch him as long as she wanted.

In the end, she had left Almagro as if on the run, and he had managed to follow her. In the same spot where Alicia had mocked her as she lay dying, he knelt by her bedside and pleaded with her, his head hung in despair.

"I know that you despise me, Inés. That I bring you nothing but pain. But please, do not tell me to leave you here alone. I beg of you."

I am the one who is despicable. This is all my fault. I despise myself when I am with you... She had wanted to tell him, but the answer that actually emerged from her lips had been cold and unfeeling. She had told him that she wasn't alone, since she still had her maids and servants. She could recall his teary blue eyes glaring daggers at her for the very first time then.

She felt like laughing. But all she could manage was a string of dry coughs. Slowly, the pain of the past began to fade, and the vivid recollection of that time melted back to give way to the sight of her brother and father. Their faces were grim.

She was back. She wondered whether that life was repeating itself once more.

"Inés... blast it, Inés!" Luciano called out to her desperately.

"It cannot be that again, can it? I thought it stopped when she turned twenty..."

Inés blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision. She had been brought to a guest room. "Did I actually faint in the hall?" she asked.

"Is that... your utmost concern?" Luciano asked.

"Yes, it is. Don't tell me that people were watching when-"

"When I first steadied you, I led you out into the hallway. And you managed to walk on your own two feet." Luciano gave her a fierce look, silently asking whether that was a satisfactory answer, and ran a hand down his grimacing face. Behind him, Duke Valeztena slumped down into a chair as if all his strength had left him.

Inés stared over at her father for a moment before letting out a sigh and untying the ribbon around her wrist. A sprig of dried herb fell into her palm; she handed it to her brother.

"What's this?" Luciano asked.

"Panote."

"What?"

"Alicia Valenza has been poisoning me with it for a while, through the apothecary. Or through those who have access to the food I eat."

He looked stunned. "But how? Everything she gets a hold of is-"

"The apothecaries of Mendoza may have never seen it before, but it's a medicinal herb that grows all over the Barca estate. She didn't need a supplier for this." She paused for a second before she stated, "It destroys a woman's womb."

The duke snatched the sprig of panote from her hand, his expression fierce.

Inés blinked away the drowsiness threatening to overcome her again and muttered slowly, "For now, we need to find out... for how long and how much my body has been affected. Please call for both Mario and Angelica."

"He is already-"

The door opened, and Miguel's voice interrupted him. "I've brought a physician."

Mario, who entered the room after Miguel, looked just as nervous as he had at the palace before. Anxious, he had been surreptitiously keeping an eye on Juan's condition back at the hall, so being called here must have made him tense enough to make him hold his breath.

Duke Valeztena suddenly held out the sprig to him, and Mario jolted as he accepted it. He stared down at it for a while. Then, in an unsure tone, he said, "It... looks like panote."

"Looks like? How dare you make guesses!" the duke shot sharply.

"Do not torment him, Father," Inés put in. "The fact that he even knows that name has rendered him of great value to me."

"What do you..."

"Once we find out through Angelica when my medicine was changed and have the two of them examine me in turn to get their professional opinions."

"How are we supposed to trust that woman?!"

"She has examined me ever since I was a child."

The duke showered her with questions, and Miguel hurriedly left the room to call for another attendant. Luciano stood still in the middle of the room, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

In the middle of this chaos, Mario approached her bedside. Judging by the despair on his face, he seemed to be aware of the effects of panote. He looked flustered, as though he knew that he was in the awkward position of declaring that Inés had either already miscarried or would never be able to bear children. It almost made Inés laugh to see him look so miserable when she was the person affected and he merely had to give them the news.

She let him check her pulse, as though she didn't care at all, and paid no attention to him as she nonchalantly answered his questions. The duke regarded her with a disapproving frown, but he soon began to look miserable as well.

There was a moment of silence, as if time stood still. Mario flinched at Luciano suddenly standing right next to him, and then, looking even paler than before, straightened up.

"Pardon me, but... I believe you ought to call for a physician more skilled in examining women," he suggested.

The duke grimaced. "Has Inés truly become..."

"I believe she may be pregnant."