B-ronken-R-ing 159...

Emiliano's words pierced through Cárcel's mind like glass shards. In an instant, a shroud of darkness descended over his eyes. He only realized that he was shivering when Emiliano grabbed his arms, grounding him in a reality that was swiftly slipping away. No matter how hard he tried to look at the painter, his vision remained dark.

A figure resembling Emiliano hovered before him, but it looked foreign. He couldn't register anything in his ears. All of the painter's words crumbled into incoherent fragments, leaving Cárcel in a fog of confusion.

"Remembering is a punishment given only to those who take their own lives."

That meant Inés had already died at least once before she met him in this life.

Dazed, he brushed a hand over his cheeks, finding them wet with tears he had not realized he was shedding. Even now, Emiliano's face was a blur, as if he had been struck blind.

She... took her own life.

His vision darkened even further until everything was pitch black. Now he could see Inés turning toward him with a radiant smile on her face. For a heartbeat, he thought he was reliving a recent memory from Mendoza, but then he realized that he held no such recollection when Inés brushed past him, her crimson dress flowing, to embrace another woman.

Cárcel's throat tightened, burning with unshed tears. She had indeed worn that dress quite often. He knew that she would never smile at him like that, but she looked so perfect and beautiful right where she was, as if she'd never go anywhere.

At that moment, a haunting voice-an old memory-invaded his mind. "Escalante, I fear my sister is going to die. My sister, Inés, is..."

A piercing screech began to ring in his ears, drowning all thought. Although his body felt lifeless and numb, he continued to scream inwardly in desperation. Think! You must think, you must remember...

A vile voice from his memories slithered into his thoughts. "Do not give me any reason to doubt your loyalty, Cárcel. I despise the way that you look at Inés."

The memory was a dark, scorching blob-it was impenetrable and painful to touch. Yet Cárcel forced himself onward, feeling as though he were walking into an inferno.

Even one sentence would be enough. He simply wanted something that would allow him to learn more about his dear Inés... It could be any memory, anything at all... Anything to save her from wandering alone in the desolate fields of forgotten memories.

A jumble of memories flooded into his mind.

"Is he having you run his distasteful errands now, Duke Escalante? Did he order you to keep an eye on his wife after he left to fondle those harlots all night long?"

"I found it curious that you've remained unmarried when you were appointed to your position in the prime of your youth. You never succumbed to the temptations of beautiful women, as if you were some ascetic... I doubted those rumors, and I pondered over it..."

"If Valeztena had been less protective of his daughter, I could have claimed her many years ago, when I was even younger than yourself..."

"I should have made her my wife when she was but thirteen. I should have done it back when her entire world revolved around me and made her my lapdog."

"I don't have a room here, but I do have a jail cell."

"I would never doubt your pure intentions, my dear brother. But others might get the wrong idea... They might believe you harbor indecent feelings. Once they realize that you love your Lord's wife, they will begin to point their fingers at her instead. They will weave tales of her impropriety, and we cannot allow that. She is unlike any other woman in Mendoza. She is destined to bear royalty as my wife..."

"Inés is the only woman that I love, as the entire world must know. However, if she has given her heart to another man..."

"Do you truly intend to taint and disgrace your own Lord's wife? Do you realize what would happen to her if I were to interrogate her for defiling herself with another man's touch? Or... do you perhaps wish to go to such lengths to claim her for yourself?"

The memories cascaded through his mind chaotically. The torrent of painful recollection was almost worse than ignorance.

"At first, I did not understand. You refused marriage, even under the threat of losing your title. You spurned the advances of every woman who sought your favor whenever you returned to Mendoza, and even the enticing harlots that I placed in your chamber. I was truly baffled when you even refused to touch the one that resembled my Inés... with her thick, luscious black hair, ivory skin, and eyes shining like peridot."

A sinister laugh echoed, rising from the murky depths of his memory.

"I couldn't fathom why any man would behave so. Then I thought to myself, Perhaps he is not a man. Perhaps he is a cur that only lusts after his lord's wife. Cárcel...you are my sword and kin. I would rather wield that blade to sever Inés from my life than lose you. You are right-I would never doubt that Inés loves me, and only me. My love for her knows no bounds."

Another whisper of that contemptuous, vile laughter surfaced.

"Yet, rumors and another man's attention are enough to tarnish a woman forever. It matters not if Inés truly loves me and has been steadfast in her fidelity. Cárcel... I know that you have never taken any of those women to your bed. But you do not have to deny your lust for my wife. You are the noble sword of Escalante, and the blame shall be hers."

A wave of nausea nearly overtook him. How dare he speak of her love for him?

"I had no idea... and it was too late when the truth dawned on me. I thought she was content with the crown prince in private, as she assured me, even after the empress turned against her. I thought their marriage was perfect, not knowing that the vile wretch has been treating my only sister like chattel... I-I thought he made her happy, and I wished her happiness. I even advised her to curb her temper and strive to appear obedient to her loving, respectful husband. Oh, Escalante... I urged my sister to find joy in that hell!"

Cárcel hung his head. He had long known that Inés had lost all of her happiness, even before her brother came to him, crying and begging. After all, he had been watching her while she gazed upon a twisted world, trapped in the imperial palace. He had seen the profound grief and suffering in her eyes.

Still, he had thought that her own husband would cherish her like the precious jewel she was. He had witnessed the crown prince's adoration for Inés from a tender age.

He remembered Oscar saying, "I am a lucky man, Cárcel. I know that you will never find someone as endearing as Inés, even after you fully mature into a man."

In her youth, Inés had looked so happy whenever she was with the crown prince. He had seen the adoration and excitement in her eyes when she gazed at Oscar. She had maintained that love for a few years into adulthood, even though it faded away soon enough. But Cárcel had believed that he had been the cause of the crown prince's suspicions, and he thought Oscar would never cast Inés away. If they were branches growing from the same tree, he thought Oscar would always choose to cut Cárcel down, never Inés-that the crown prince would probably do so regardless of anything concerning her.

Cárcel had naively thought that Inés would forever remain the precious wife of the crown prince...that she would never know of Cárcel. He had been sure that Oscar was only using her as a cruel excuse to pile suspicions upon him and drive him away even further, just to see how Cárcel would react.

In a way, he had even thought that Oscar was posing an unspoken question to him, asking if Cárcel truly wanted to ruin Inés's life. It would have been a senseless inquiry, just like anything else that the crown prince had ever uttered...

Even then, Oscar's eyes had sparkled whenever he saw Inés, as if she was the only thing that mattered in the world. He acted like his love for her was all-consuming, and treated her like the most delicate and precious gemstone that he owned. Even when Inés no longer returned his smiles, Oscar's gaze had never lost its burning adoration... which was why Cárcel had believed that Oscar would never hurt Inés, not after he had declared how much he adored her.

"Is Inés still the sole object of your lust? But how could she be, when you do not even remember her... your own wife? Ah, my poor, noble cousin.

Were you so naive to think that I would love a woman who cherished a cur like you in her heart?"

Cárcel could not help himself. He slammed his forehead against the stone floor, sending a wave of pain through his skull. Shocked, Emiliano rushed forward and reached out to shield his forehead from further harm. But Cárcel staggered to his feet and began to feel his way along the wall, desperately searching for the door.

"Your Lordship! Please wait. Your head is bleeding!"

"I had to wake up."

"But... there is so much blood!"

"I'm fine. I assure you, I am fine..."

Emiliano sounded horrified as he yelled, "You cannot even stand up straight!"

"The door."

Oscar's disgusting voice continued to plague his mind. "Indeed, it's a pity that you two do not remember each other. It would have been far more entertaining if you had followed my example and made wiser choices... Then you would know just how precious she was to you in the past, and she would see her former husband in such a miserable state. Your current pain would pale in comparison to the crushing anguish you would feel. You would claw at yourself every night, imagining your beloved wife moaning in my arms... You would be reminded of your loss every time you saw Inés bearing and raising my child. Perhaps you could even suffer and grieve as you watch her having to raise a love child, living in mockery and shame... for she is infertile, as my mother said."

Cárcel cursed under his breath and continued to stumble forward, his hand still trailing along the wall.

"Open... the door," he growled.

He barely heard Emiliano's distant, pleading voice. "Please, I'm begging you. Please take a seat...I'll fetch a priest to heal you..."

"I wonder what your past self would do if her life were tainted by even greater dishonor... Oh, I see that look in your eyes. You want to kill me, even though you have no recollection of your former life. Are you planning on granting her wish?"

In that accursed, despicable lifetime, Cárcel had never considered the possibility that he might love Inés. He had simply been her playmate as she grew from a little four-year-old girl into a beautiful woman.

Even with the mind of a child, he had instinctively distanced himself from her when he sensed Oscar's hostility and suspicion. He had wanted to spare that fragile little girl any possible distress.

However, the more he tried to distance himself, the more Inés grew prominent in his mind. Her face and voice lingered in his mind whenever Oscar lashed out him in his jealous rage.

"I wonder if Inés knows of your sordid affection for her. Would she ever imagine that you must medicate yourself to become erect and bed other women?"

Cárcel felt dazed and lost. Oscar's relentless interrogation had driven him to finally realize his own feelings for Inés.

"To think that your naive, younger self used to act like you couldn't even glance at a woman who was not Inés... It was always amusing to watch you nervous around her. And now? You've become what you once scorned, all for a woman who you can only admire from afar. How pathetic you are. The woman that you love is no better than a common harlot to me."

In that instant, the urge to strangle Oscar overwhelmed him. Indeed, he had loved Inés. That undefined emotion in his heart had been love.

He had realized his love for her in such a tumultuous revelation that he lost all of his loyalty to his own country-the loyalty that his grandfather, Admiral Calderon, had ingrained into him. Now, his hazy memories solidified enough for him to recall that moment of sudden loss.

Cárcel slumped against the wall, striving to steady his breath. He then exited through the same door Emiliano had just passed through and raced down the unilluminated corridor. Though he staggered and swayed at first, it wasn't long before he regained his balance.

"I remember how you couldn't take your eyes off Inés as a child, whether on the hunting grounds of Perez or within the palace walls. Well, I have reduced your dear Inés into a harlot. I imagine that she would take you in her mouth if I placed you in her bed. She always does it for me, even after I have lain with a male harlot. Ah, perhaps that would mean that she has finally recognized her true husband. In that case, I am sure she won't hesitate to spread her legs for you."

Cárcel dug his fingernails into his throat. What if he was to blame for her suffering? The thought was completely unbearable. His hands shook as he clutched his neck, as if trying to tear out his windpipe. He continued to stumble forward, forcing his feet to push his weight off the ground.

It did not take him long to reach the grand nave. He flung the door open, his gaze locking onto the statues of the eight apostles. Torches framed each apostle's face, illuminating their features. Cárcel looked straight at the one that Emiliano had gazed upon earlier. He strode across the hall to the altar, where he found the holy relic of protection and snatched it up.

"Your Lordship!" Emiliano cried.

The iron relic felt cold and heavy in Cárcel's hand. He calmly made his way toward the statue. An ominous feeling took over Emiliano, prompting him to run after Cárcel. However, Cárcel reached the statue of Anastasio before Emiliano managed to stop him.

With blood still dripping down his face, Cárcel struck the apostle's slender ankle with all of his strength. An immediate, audible crack resounded. Emiliano froze a few steps away, staring at Cárcel in sheer shock.

Cárcel was desecrating a sacred statue, one of the holy guardians of the cathedral under reconstruction.

He was deliberately committing a crime that the Bilbaoan Order would deem more heinous than murder.