B-ronken-R-ing 159...

Even on the day she suddenly lost her parents in an accident, Alicia was more concerned about the change in her status than the grief of losing her family. She asked herself if an orphan of House Barca would still be considered a suitable match for the crown prince. If it had been anyone else, she would have answered with an unequivocal no. Her Oscar deserved nothing less than the best, after all.

Mendoza was a place of harsh realities, where the loss of one's mother was enough to spark rumors about her being unable to be educated properly. And an orphan who lost both of her parents in a single day was seen as even more inadequate. If a young woman without a mother to represent her in high society and a father to protect her were to become the crown princess, the outcome was obvious.

She wished she had had a brother to inherit her father's title. She might have allowed herself to grieve then. She wished she had married Oscar as the only daughter of the late Marquess Barca and the sister of the current marquess. If only that status had been preserved, instead of being reduced to the mere niece of Marquess Barca, as she was now.

Perhaps then, she wouldn't have felt so utterly desolate.

The rest of the world believed that Oscar had rejected her for years, but he had been the one to accept her, even after she had become an orphan. While Empress Cayetana had been ready to cast her off, he had insisted on keeping Alicia at his side.

From that day on, Oscar had become her entire world-the sole anchor in her life. The only one to help her preserve her social standing, the one and only man she would want for the rest of her life.

He had told her that it didn't matter that she had been orphaned and that he didn't care whom he married if he couldn't marry Inés Valeztena. Still, he had chosen Alicia in particular, and as long as she was useful, he would keep her by his side. He had elevated her to a higher position than the only woman he had ever wanted.

Oscar, his eyes following Inés as she disappeared under the trees, muttered, "She did make us look rather foolish."

His voice roused Alicia from her musings. "I should have been... more considerate of Madam Escalante," she said.

"Perhaps."

Alicia bit down on her lip in contrition. "If only I had been more welcoming... But really, I didn't feel bothered at all, Your Highness. Sharing a flower crown with her was nothing. I hadn't considered it the way she did."

"Of course not. Someone as loyal as you would never, Alicia."

"I know that you have been considerate of me, Your Highness. I wasn't insulted in the least. But for someone as proud as Madam Escalante, it must be difficult to see your kindness as purely intended-"

"Oh no, Alicia. Pure intentions? Do you truly believe branding my name on a woman who has no affection for me is pure?"

Alicia fell silent.

"Inés was being entirely rational. Thus, I am unreasonable for extending such an offer, and you are nothing but my docile betrothed."

"I do not mind being called that, as long as I am yours, Your Highness." Alicia carefully reached out to take him by the wrist.

Oscar peered down at her hand with a cold gaze before looking up to meet her eyes and giving her a soft smile. It made Alicia's heart blossom like the flowers on the flower crowns.

Oscar had finally begun to smile at her, now that their marriage ceremony was approaching. He had only started calling her Alicia instead of Lady Alicia since Inés's nuptial mass.

"Indeed. You are my bride."

"Next time, I will be more heedful. I was unsure of the extent of my involvement this time... I did not wish to overstep and risk raising suspicion or tarnishing your reputation, Your Highness."

"I am well aware of your prudence."

"As long as you recognize my efforts, I can tolerate anyone mocking me. Shame and reputation mean nothing to me in the face of my admiration for you, Your Highness. I should have endeavored to convince Madam Escalante so that she understood your intentions. Please forgive my failings..."

"There is nothing to forgive, Alicia."

"Your Highness..."

"I have long been aware that you were inadequate."

Her eyes, misty with tears that had welled up at his kindness a moment earlier, stared at him in a daze.

Oscar smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "How could someone like you ever hope to convince Inés?"

Alicia was rendered speechless.

"Inés is very intelligent, Alicia. She does not discard her honor as easily as you do. And she possesses the pride befitting her station."

Her hand let go of his wrist, sliding off helplessly. He snatched it back up and pressed his fingers into her hand, her palm, her wrist, then the tender flesh of her forearm. Then he drew his thumb over her shoulder for a moment before gently cupping her cheek.

"There is no need for you to try and overcome this natural disadvantage. Your flaws are meaningful in their own right. You have your own significance, Alicia."

She kept quiet as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Your blind devotion is your most beautiful trait. Even those wicked suspicions that rear their ugly head inside of you, and even your sense of inferiority, pale in comparison. You understand what is important and do not let trivial matters sway you. You know how to make sacrifices for what you want and have already calculated that being unconditionally committed to me is your best course."

"Your Highness, I would never dare to be so calculating-"

"The second thing I admire about you is that calculating nature you cannot seem to shed." His hand, which had been gently cupping her cheek, slid down to her chin and grasped it roughly. "So, consider the figures once more. When you have finished, do not delude yourself into believing someone like you could ever dare to sway Inés. You address her with such deference, yet you speak as though you could drag her to me like a dog on a tether. How dare you consider her beneath you." The smile vanished from Oscar's face.

Alicia cowered, quickly lowering her head as he released her chin.

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Of course, Inés will be placed below you. Not every seat is filled by those suitable for it. Destiny is rarely fair."

Alicia stared at his feet without a word.

"You will be my legitimate wife, Alicia. You are my betrothed, the woman destined to become the most noble lady in all of Ortega. So reassess your goals, and be satisfied. I promised you the highest seat, but that did not mean I would hand you Inés's tether."

"Of course. If she is to be your woman, Your Highness, her tether ought to be in your hands. I never thought otherwise."

"Yes... She ought to be in my hands. My woman, my wife, my Inés..."

Alicia raised her head at the sudden chill that had run down her spine.

Oscar had lost interest in her and was gazing peacefully out the window again, as if searching for Inés, who had disappeared under the canopy of trees. His expression was serene, as if everything was proceeding according to his expectations.

Inés's rejection, Luciano Valeztena's sudden appearance, and Inés Escalante's shrewdness, too.

She suddenly felt a strong impulse to say something she had purposefully withheld earlier. The words seemed to tumble out despite her best efforts to hold them back.

"Madam Escalante did not wear Lord Luciano's flower crown simply out of consideration for me."

Oscar's attention, always so difficult for her to gain, was fixed on her again instantly at the mention of Inés. Alicia clenched her teeth subtly before continuing, her expression as innocent as ever. "In fact, she was worried that accepting your flower crown would leave even the smallest of marks on her husband's reputation. But she added that even that might have been an excuse."

"An excuse, you say?"

"Madam Escalante said that she does not wish to do anything for any man other than her husband. Because she loves him dearly. She declared her love for her husband before us ladies."

Oscar's eyes, which had been as calm as a lake, suddenly darkened. It was as though a storm erupted over the previously calm waters, giving way to despair.

And for the first time, Alicia's perfect facade of dedication to his happiness cracked. She never thought Oscar's dismay, his anguish, could be so welcome. A thrill shot through her, more powerful than her fear.

Something Dante Ijar had told her flashed through her mind: "That ridiculous rumor about Cárcel Escalante's infatuation with his wife drove the crown prince to attempt his murder."

Alicia had always taken Dante ljar's stories with a grain of salt, but now, seeing the shift in Oscar's expression, she couldn't help but believe this one. She had initially dismissed it as mere gossip, but the truth was undeniable. Oscar had indeed attempted to kill Cárcel Escalante-the eldest son of his uncle, devoted to the throne, the nephew his mother doted on, and the loyal ally he needed to keep close for his future reign.

All because Cárcel had, unsurprisingly, fallen in love with his wife. Just because of Inés Escalante.

Moreover, Inés Escalante had displayed an unexpected fervor for her husband at Dolores's evening party and had openly declared her love for her husband during the Formente competition.

"Perhaps you should have prevented her from marrying Lord Escalante altogether. Everyone assumed their union would be distant and cold, but look at how it has turned out. If you truly desired her, why did you not simply claim her supposed virtue before she married?" Alicia's gaze bore into Oscar's, filled with a fervent devotion masked as counsel.

Many young ladies indulged in illicit trysts before marrying their betrothed, pretending as though nothing had happened. Alicia was suggesting the opposite-if Oscar had ravished Inés in a matter known to everyone at the palace, she would have become unsuitable as a wife for Cárcel Escalante. She would have belonged to Oscar, and that would have been the end.

"Then she would have been entirely yours, in both body and soul," Alicia added, praying that it wasn't love that drove Oscar.

If it were love, he wouldn't be orchestrating this madness, she reasoned. He would not want to ruin the woman he loved and drag her into the depths of society. As much as he desired this woman, Oscar could not truly be in love with her. Hence, Alicia could endure this moment.

After a moment of silence, Oscar finally answered, "No. Inés had to marry him. She is as astute as ever, and her remarkable memory has only sharpened."

"What do you mean?"

Alicia could never forgive.

"And she needs an honorable surname, so that she will no longer be tied to those vexing men of House Valeztena..." Oscar turned back to the window, a sardonic smile playing on his lips, his eyes glinting with a steely edge. "And I can't have her bear the emperor's illegitimate child as a virgin. Wouldn't you agree?"

Inés had emerged from the shelter of the trees. Alicia clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug into her palms. "Yes, indeed... That would be a disgrace as soon as our child is born."

Oscar was practically declaring his intention to make Inés's child his heir. Alicia would be reduced to nothing but an empty shell. He was telling her to crawl back under Inés's shadow.

What he felt for Inés Escalante was, undeniably, love. As horrifying as it was, it was what it was-a reality Alicia could never forgive.