339

***

There had to be a scapegoat to conclude the situation, and Alfonso publicly fired a servant, knowing the other employees would gossip among themselves without being prompted. As the servant had always been of questionable character, Alfonso didn't even need to frame him. As for Eva, she was sent to work at a country villa so that she could be silenced-the official reasoning was her theft.

Meanwhile, Inés was able to piece together a clearer picture of what had happened, aided by Leila's confessions. The young maid pointed out a particular merchant among the many who frequented the kitchen of the manor and described the accomplice who had been overseeing the operation. It was also revealed that the culprits had recruited other young maids-despicably enough, they had chosen girls who were only thirteen or fourteen years old, likely because they would be easily manipulated and intimidated, yet would not raise suspicion. Indeed, those young maids had not received much attention during the week-long investigation.

As it happened, Leila had been sent to Esposa Castle due to a sudden staffing shortage just two weeks after Inés arrived at the manor in Mendoza. And Veronica-the maid who had been bribed right after Leila-turned out to be a blatant liar despite her young age.

When Leila went to her, crumbling under the weight of her guilt, Veronica had snapped at her. "Don't be a fool. Do you really think that irritating hawk can hover around the kitchen forever or watch us all day long? Do you think she's going to stand right next to Her Ladyship as she eats and watch her take every single bite? She may act all lofty with us, but she's still just a maid. All we have to do is act like we're putting the herb in the food so that we get paid. I mean, what kind of idiot would actually do such a dangerous thing?"

At this, Leila had blanched. "B-but if we lie to them about the drug, and if they ever get caught, I-I might also get dragged away along with-"

"Think about it. Nothing will happen if we don't put the herb in Her Ladyship's food, meaning there won't be a reason for them to be caught."

"Oh..."

"What are you so worried about, anyway? You were too scared to do it more than a couple times!"

"B-but, Veronica... Then we'd be getting paid for s-something we didn't do..." Leila had said, her voice a whimper.

"So what? I don't feel bad about taking their money. They're downright vile for bribing young girls like us to hurt someone else!"

Veronica's words had only been half-true-by that time, Inés had been taking her medicine every day despite their inaction, which meant something terrible could have befallen her even if it wasn't a direct result of these young maids' actions. If the operation had been uncovered after the herb had damaged Inés beyond repair, the girls would have been doomed, despite not having harmed her directly. After all, the merchant who had been sneaking into the manor remembered every single coin they had been paid, and humans had a way of dragging others down with them when drowning.

"But... what if we get caught?" Leila had asked, wary-eyed.

"By whom? The Escalante family, or the ones who bribed us?"

"E-either one!"

"Look. If we get caught by the family, then we'll just say that we were being threatened. If those criminals discover our lies...well, how would they? It's not like they can split open Her Ladyship's belly and see if the herb has been affecting her. Just pretend that you're putting the stuff in the food, and we'll be fine."

This had not been enough to convince Leila. "You know just how shrewd Diana can be."

Veronica had scoffed. "I can see how a scaredy-cat like you might slip up, but even you're acting all innocent and meek while blatantly lying to that woman's face about putting the herb in the food! Guilt is such a funny little thing, isn't it? They have no idea whether you're feeling guilty towards them or Her Ladyship... They were right, you know. Nobody suspects us of anything-not even them."

"Still... I-I'm afraid of Diana."

"What are you scared about, honestly? Even if she manages to discover your lie, she'll just drag you somewhere and give you a few good slaps. Then you can tell her that you were simply too lazy to do the job."

"I don't want to get slapped!"

Veronica had shot back a quick retort. "Don't be so dense. Are you really scared of getting slapped in the face when you're messing with a wicked herb that can irreparably damage someone's life? Look, that woman loves money. That's why she's doing this. Slip a few coins in her pocket and ask her to turn a blind eye."

"But-"

"She's a coward, Leila! She'll do anything for money, but I bet she'll cower in fear if she has to do the job that we're given. Why do you think she doesn't ever put the herb in the food herself, all the while acting like she's our master?"

For someone so young, Veronica had a sharp wit. Inés had praised her with a smile-thanks to Veronica's sly, underhanded ways, Leila had been able to shirk her task without being discovered. In fact, Veronica's cleverness was the only reason Alicia's method of sneaking in the pouches of panote had gone undetected, while absolutely nothing had gone according to the crown princess's plan.

Veronica had also confessed that the maid who left before her had buried her pouch of panote in the flowerbed in front of the maids' quarters. Upon digging up the pouch, they found it almost completely full, just like the one that had been given to Leila. This meant that Inés had only consumed panote through food about six or seven times. Of course, even this number made her heart clench painfully when she thought of her unborn children, but she forced herself to focus on the brighter side of things-she had ingested a negligible amount of the poison through food compared to the numerous doses of the medicine she had taken every day. The damage had already been done, but at least she no longer needed to obsessively avoid all sorts of food.

Until that point, Isabella had insisted on punishing the girls severely for putting Inés's safety at risk, but she relented with a big smile upon discovering that Inés could finally eat without being terrified of the food itself.

Unfortunately, despite the hopeful light in Isabella's eyes, Inés still couldn't get most food past her throat. In fact, she was now repulsed by the mere smell of most dishes, no matter how much thought and care Isabella had put into selecting the ingredients. After a certain point, she would gag and heave even when her stomach was completely empty, and she felt slightly guilty that Isabella had to witness the sorry sight.

"You have gotten so thin, yet there are still many months left until you give birth," Isabella said with a worried sigh. "I understand you cannot eat much, but you can't afford to lose any more weight. I worry that you might not be able to nourish two children at this rate..."

"I'm sorry, Isabella."

"There is nothing to apologize for. I'm just worried about you, that's all. Look at you, unable to swallow a single bite..." Isabella frowned and wiped Inés's lips with a wet cloth as though Inés were her own sick daughter. There was no trace of revulsion in her gentle touch.

At first, the caring gestures had caught Inés by surprise, as she hadn't experienced them even when she was a child. But now she was more accustomed to them, partially because she didn't have the energy to push Isabella away.

She limply rested her head against Isabella's hand, who immediately handed the cloth to Juana and stroked Inés's pale cheek as if trying to warm it. Then she massaged Inés's left arm and hand, still stiff like a rock. A soft sigh escaped her lips, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Inés usually tried to fill her mind with positive, bright thoughts, but sometimes-like now-those thoughts were overshadowed by a looming fear of what lay at the end of the road. Whenever she imagined her letters to Cárcel never reaching him, and never receiving a response from him, even imagining her children being born "alive" became a burden. Time dragged on, and the idea of locking herself in this vast bedroom, dreaming of the world outside while cradling her belly with her bony arms, terrified her.

Isabella muttered with a soft sigh, "A part of me wishes there weren't two of them..."

"Personally, I'm glad that I will only have to go through this once to give birth to two children. It seems much more efficient."

"Efficient? I wouldn't call it that," Isabella replied with a disbelieving laugh, then glanced at Juana meaningfully as she continued, "I will have them bring you some apples. It's fortunate that you can bring yourself to eat those, at least."

When Inés gave her a small nod, Isabella patted her on the head, as if lovingly praising her young daughter.

Inés watched as Juana took away the dish she had barely touched, only leaving about a quarter of the food and discreetly discarding the rest to make it appear as if she had eaten. It would serve as proof of her continued consumption of panote, as well as her barren womb.

Some of the dishes had been prepared by Leila or Veronica in order to prove that Inés was still being poisoned, but everything else was a product of Isabella's thoughtfulness. Inés couldn't help but feel guilty for throwing up more of the food than she managed to eat.

"Even for morning sickness, this is lasting too long, and it's much too severe... I wonder who your children take after," Isabella muttered.

"I believe-" she began, but Isabella beat her to it.

"It has to be Cárcel."

Inés blinked awkwardly, still resting her head on Isabella's knees. "Actually... I was going to say they must take after me."

Isabella brushed Inés's damp hair away from her face, still beaded with sweat, and whispered, "Olga told me you never gave her any trouble while she was carrying you... She said that it must be Cárcel who passed on that difficult nature to your children."

Despite her casual tone, her words were overflowing with adoration and love. Of course, Olga had probably followed up with some kind of insult about just how problematic and difficult Inés had grown up to be, but it was clear that Isabella was only trying to be considerate toward Inés. That was why she had clashed with Olga, listened to her laments, and was bringing up the conversation in such a positive light.

Shaking her head weakly, Inés said, "Surely, they don't take after Cárcel. They wouldn't be giving me so much trouble if-"

"I couldn't eat anything but apples for a month while I was carrying Cárcel, not to mention that he was incredibly difficult throughout the entire pregnancy. I believe Olga may have been correct, considering you can barely finish an apple."

"I find that hard to imagine," she murmured.

"That he used to be so difficult? I know that he is quite undemanding now."

"According to Angelica..."

As Inés trailed off, Isabella slipped a small apple slice into her mouth. At this point, she felt more like a child than a woman carrying one. Isabella was gazing at her affectionately as she chewed on the apple, just as she always did.

She swallowed and continued, "... severe morning sickness can be a good sign."

"I thought she was much too careful to talk of nebulous things like signs," Isabella commented.

"She said my body is desperately trying to protect me and the babies from potential harm. In her experience, it may end up preventing a miscarriage or stillbirth," Inés said. Of course, this was only referring to pregnancy itself. Once, Angelica had said that a natural miscarriage was the best thing that could happen to her, since her body had already been damaged by panote. Therefore, experiencing such a strong morning sickness wasn't necessarily a good sign. However, she couldn't bring herself to be honest with Isabella.

Hearing this, Isabella sighed. "Well, that is wonderful news, but what does it matter if it only ends up draining your energy?"

"Still... I think it all makes sense, if they truly take after Cárcel."

"What do you mean?"

"They're trying to protect me," Inés whispered, brushing her hand over her barely swollen stomach. When she thought of them as resembling herself, she had simply seen them as difficult little things, but when she imagined them taking after Cárcel, she pictured them trying to protect her before they were even born.

Isabella murmured a short prayer as she placed a kiss on her forehead. "Yes... After all, they've already battled that poison and emerged victorious."

"Indeed."

"They are going to be strong and resilient, just like you. I'm certain of it."

Inés smiled silently as she swallowed the last bits of the apple, praying that some of Isabella's confidence would rub off on her.

***

"I hear this is your first time visiting Bilbao, Lord Luciano," said the old priest.

"Yes, Father," Luciano replied respectfully.

"And the esteemed Captain Escalante is your brother-in-law, is he not? He is truly a blessing upon all of Ortega."

"Escalante is quite an honorable family indeed," Luciano responded, staring off into the distance. He didn't wish to sound too humble, but he couldn't brag about his in-laws' accomplishments in front of a priest who disapproved of all material and vain things.

He was slightly taken aback when the priest, his eyes gleaming, asked, "Did you not hear of the events that transpired in Bilbao?"

"Ah...unfortunately, I had no way of hearing about these events."

At this, the priest's voice rose in volume. "Captain Escalante performed the holy work of the Lord in that new house of worship that we are building here. For a moment, we mistook him for one of the Lord's apostles!"

Luciano only looked at him with confusion, and the priest cleared his throat dramatically.

"That night, armed heathens crept into the new church like cockroaches. We had not stationed any holy knights there, since we placed the Blessed Sacrament in the crypt, which was meant to be a closely guarded secret even within the Bilbaoan Order. Our hope was that no grave robbers would get their hands on it before the consecration took place."

"I fail to see how that had anything to do with Captain Escalante."

"You see, those heathens managed to destroy one of the eight sacred statues, but the remaining seven were left completely untouched. This was thanks to Captain Escalante, who had lingered there until late into the night as if he had received a revelation from the Lord. Within our Order, such insight is called the eye of the apostle."

"Insight...?" Luciano muttered in disbelief, trying to process the idea of Cárcel possessing the eye of the apostle.

The priest continued with his grandiose explanation, speaking of how the tale of Captain Escalante risking his life to protect the great sacred statues of the grand nave would be etched above the gates of justice once the church was restored and consecrated. He even claimed that Cárcel would be remembered as the Saint of Bilbao in the distant future. Luciano struggled to comprehend any part of his speech, as his brother-in-law had never been such a holy, devout man. Despite his confusion, he still recognized that the story would be particularly useful to his sister.

He nodded along half-heartedly, thinking he would repeat the tale to his aide so he could keep it in writing, then told the priest that he'd be happy to discuss it in greater detail at another time. Perhaps Cárcel had indeed done something extraordinary and sacred, but there were more pressing matters at hand.