StoryofMinglan's Topics (73)

There is never a shortage of posts condemning Carcel for his premarital lifestyle. However, exactly how long has Ines been plotting against him? Ines plotted 17 whole years. Manhwa shows her talking with lawyers who visited her home estate, Perez, at the young age of 12. She questioned the lawyers about divorce and related topics. Just imagine while she’s doing that, 12 year old Carcel was busy taking succession lessons as heir and probably doing all the things that little boys do.

Not only that, even after marriage, Ines spends six months plotting to get Carcel to cheat. She even goes as far bringing in a crazy woman who is obsessed with Carcel from afar and she and her friends encouraged the woman to be bold and go to the bedroom where Carcel was. But no worries. It was all part of her plan since 17 years ago and she needed to see it to the end.

We saw all her efforts to get him to commit adultery after marriage but what about before marriage? Here’s Tappytoon’s dry version of only part of her plan during the engagement years at a time when she wasn’t completely ignoring him. The summary confirms a few things and fills in the lack of info in the manhwa that addresses the details of her plan that began during the engagement years.

1. Ines wore black dresses and boring buns to support her plan. This is the appearance she had in the first chapters of the manhwa until marriage.

2. Ines reveled in the reputation she created where nobles gossiped that Carcel is too good for her and named her The Black Crow. This bad reputation is confirmed in the manhwa.

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She had been scheming to get Cárcel to cheat on her for her whole lifetime. She downplayed her attractiveness by wearing black dresses. When others remarked that only women who were “mourning, living as a nun, or had become clinically insane” would wear black dresses, she smirked in delight. She matched the drab frocks with boring buns or braids.

She had kept this disinterested and uninteresting identity in front of everyone not just Cárcel. The whole world needed to remind Cárcel that she was never enough for him. She needed to ensure that he would not have a sudden change of heart one day. She did not want him to ever be intrigued by her even for a split second.

Inés had grown a sizable ego from her past experiences. She worried that Cárcel would fall for her at least once in their long relationship. To hide her charms and her decent face, she needed to be careful to choose the least attractive outfits and avoid all makeup. Once she stripped naked, she wouldn’t be able to hide behind the ugly clothes though. A sigh escaped her throat at the mere thought.

Thus, she resolved to be extra careful. She had to keep associating herself with all the boring and ugly things in his mind. She would continue to exhaust him with her suffocating attitude, gaze and outfit. Back when he feared her the most, she sent him an overwhelming amount of presents and letters to scare him off. He didn’t panic immediately as she expected. Still, she did manage to send him off to military academy and navy army in fear of marriage.

Inés would eventually have to marry into his family even if he tried to ignore her for many years. Their betrothal was inevitable — no wonder he was stricken with fear. Inés wanted to seize this chance and get him to be so stressed about their imminent marriage that he had no choice but to cheat on her when they did marry.

Until their marriage ceremony, she planned to make him feel less guilty about cheating.

Whether the manhwa artist did a good job or not is up to the reader to decide but for the record, Cárcel is the best looking man in the novel canon. Everywhere he goes, there is someone who talks about his looks. Even children. Factually, Ines describes him as the most handsome man in the world without or beyond borders.

Here is a quote where Ines compares Carcel and Emiliano’s appearance directly. This came up in ep43 but the manhwa, as usual, left out the part where Ines compares the appearance of both men and simply just talks about who would be faithful to their pregnant wife.

Anyway, this quote is Tappytoon’s ‘SOULLESS’ version of the Korean text:

Despite his handsome face, Emiliano was single-minded and never pursued more than one love. He was an exception to all rules. Technically, Cárcel was even more handsome than Emiliano. He even had the body, title, and wealth. Cárcel Escalante had more than one could list on one hand. Even if he did not wish to cheat on his wife, he was born with the perfect conditions to do so.

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This is Kim ChaCha’s Korean direct translation version:

Emiliano was the only man she knew who didn't betray his pregnant wife, but even when Inés was most deeply in love, she made a cold judgment that

'He wouldn't dare betray me because he has no money.'

Of course, he had his face so what couldn't he do if he was just eager...? Emiliano knew only one thing in principle. Whether it was love or painting. But this sort of man had always been irrelevant to the subject.

If one considered the face, this side was better (CARCEL). Perfect face, perfect body, natural power, huge wealth... He possessed so much that he didn't know what he didn't have. Cárcel Escalante had everything good to use to betray, even if he didn't try to betray his wife.

A lot of readers have a tendency to think of Emiliano ONLY as innocent because he is portrayed as a good person (he generally is) compared to the horrible crown prince and maybe they even think he is a saint. However, Emiliano is human too. Do readers even know that he was hired by the imperial family to go paint the crown prince’s fiancée? Ines went to his bedroom one night when they were complete strangers and questionably seduced him. Unlike Joseph who ran away naked from Potifer’s wife, Emiliano gave into his lust and accepted Ines’s sexual advances fully knowing this is the crown prince’s fiancée he was hired by the imperial family to paint who will marry in three mere months. I often see some people accuse Carcel of falling for Ines either because she rejected him or because of his wet dream in ep6 which is false since we know he only realized he love Ines when she almost died. What about Emiliano? The very next morning after Ines sexed him, he declared he loved her. In other words, two strangers had sex for one night and the very next morning the man says he loves her while knowing nothing about her. Love at first sight, first sex or both?

Regarding this current timeline, Ines’s goal was always not to get in touch with Emiliano and she sticks to it. Emiliano is the one who had other intentions. Why did he leave the pendant at the jewelers if he had no desire to attract Ines’s attention? Ines even uses a third party (banker) to sponsor him as Lourdes just told Carcel in ch96. That’s how much Ines hid her identity because she was determined never to go near Emiliano. Emiliano is the one who triggered the notice of both Ines and Carcel who were just going along and living their lives. It fact, in season 3, it will be revealed that it’s Anastasio who stopped Emiliano’s intentions. So, no one is dragging him into anything. He could have easily sold the pendant to Carcel when the jewelers got in touch with him if he wanted to and put an end to Carcel’s desire to purchase the item for Ines.

Let’s also recognize it’s Ines who suffered the most by far. She is the one who ended up killing her own child with her own two hands then stabbing herself in the neck (imagine the horror). Emiliano was shot to death but Ines was left to face everything alone. She is the one who lives with a massive amount of guilt. As the novel author states, Ines in this current life is like a murderer who cannot forget her guilt for even a moment. SHE is the one that was broken and suffered but fortunately for her, Carcel, Calztela and all the people who love and care for her are helping her to heal.

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In that life, Ines was abused by her mother since a young girl. It’s quite heartbreaking. To give further insight, here is something that her mother said to Carcel near the end of that timeline:

Olga: “I literally ruined everything."
Cárcel: “....... "
Olga: “I don't know everything, how you both lived. But it's obvious that child has given you a very unpleasant marriage."
Cárcel: “…No."
Olga: “I'm sure you've hated her a lot. With her stubbornness and pride, it wouldn't have been normal."
Cárcel squinted his eyes narrow as if to gauge her heart.
Olga: “ But all that's made you suffer and hurt is not her, but me. Just as I've made Leonel's life difficult...."
Cárcel: “......"
Olga: “I raised my daughter like that. It made her not know what is good is good, when to laugh when she should laugh, when to say she's hurt when she's hurt."

Seriously, do not read if you don’t want a huge spoiler. This adds context to the death Ines saw. This also gives the answer why the manhwa is called The Broken Ring.

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Ines’s last letter to Carcel before she died in the first true timeline:

Hello, my Escalante. I wore the earrings you gave me before I went to bed today. Maybe it was some sort of certainty. I had a feeling that I would finally meet you. I hope you like it as you did then.

I'm sorry to Juan, but I didn't save the cigars you gave me and smoked them all. I've been saving the last one for dozens of days, and that's gone now. I didn't want to leave anything you gave me behind.

It didn't hurt much while you were away. Really. You've always imagined only the worst, but how tiring it must be for you to pray for me at sea when God didn't let me know pain. Even now, I'm just comfortably lying in our bed waiting for the end.

Cárcel, when I’m lying on your pillow like this, sometimes it feels like the waves come to my bedside. Then at some point, the sound of waves covers my head, and when I open my eyes again, I dream of you sitting by my bedside. Esposa, your former residence in Calztela, the house in Logorño. Everywhere.

By the way, having you everywhere means I want to have you everywhere. You won't understand, so I'll let you know for the last time. I need to tell you how foolish you are in my dreams. Why aren't you doing anything like that? I hate that you're only always quietly looking at me. Thanks to you, I always have to suppress myself from wanting to hold your hand because I'm afraid you'll disappear if I reach out. I have to endure it even if I want to call your name because I'm afraid it'll be an illusion if you talk to me. You say you tease me in all sorts of ways in your dreams. I always thought it was unfair.

Will I finally be able to hold your hand when I see you again? Maybe you won't disappear even when I call your name? I can't wait to see you. Even so still, I hope you're not at the end of this road. Cárcel, I really love you. I confess a confession that won't even be passed on to you. So I pray God wouldn't be able to hear my prayer.

May my life be the only thing that's fading away from the world you don't know. May you be safe. Please, promise me. Don't hurt too much because of me when you come back. Someday you will meet a lady you can love again, see children you haven't been able to see with me, and live with a good family for a long time.

You will take your wife to Ille Tasya as you wanted to, take your sons and daughters to your grandfather's hunting ground as you wanted, travel to all the beautiful places in Esposa with the new family you love…….

Cárcel.

My beloved Cárcel.

I'm willing to close my eyes in the hope that you're alive.

So you don't have to come see me.

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Edit, unbeknownst to Inés, Cárcel died on the battlefield at the same moment she died in her bed in Calztela. Anastasio answered her prayer that if Carcel dies on the battlefield, she didn’t want to spend another moment alive in a world without him.

Does no one realize who Lourdes is? Red hair? Blue eyes? Those are big hints.

Carcel and Ines weren’t really close in the past two timelines. However, Carcel helped Ines whenever he could.

During the Crown Princess timeline, Carcel stayed far away from Ines once he realized he loved her as a teenager. They were even more estranged after he returned from the academy. Ines said he used to look troubled when he saw her and kept his distance at banquets. In this crown princess timeline:

-Carcel secretly gifted her his grandfather’s cherished gun since it was lighter than most guns and the recoil when using it significantly lessened the burden on her shoulder. Why didn’t Carcel give it directly to her instead of giving it to Oscar who lied the gun was from him? To avoid causing her any trouble.

-Near the end of the main story, Ines will learn that Carcel was doing what he could to protect her in the crown princess timeline. I won’t say how he tried to protect her since it would be a spoiler. Anyway, he could only do so much for her since he wasn’t her husband and had no close relationship with her.

-Ines will also learn how Carcel helped to avenge her.

In the Fugitive timeline, Carcel and Ines had little interaction. When he was able to help her:

-Carcel hid Ines and her family for a night in a safe house. This is mentioned early in the novel. Carcel also made arrangements to help her people but something happened that will be revealed in the upcoming Bilbao arc. This is the only contact Carcel had with Ines in that timeline after she ran away. The years before that occurred the same way as the previous timeline since the timeline is a repeat of the crown princess timeline until Ines decided to run away. That means Ines was engaged to the crown prince during the past 10 years just like the timeline before. So she and Carcel were just rivals in hunting. Nothing more. Not even friends.

I often see readers talk about Ines and freedom as though marrying Carcel somehow limits her freedom. The way I see it, the only times she wasn’t free is in her two previous lives. As crown princess caged in the palace, restricted by palace rules, and oppressed by a terrible MIL and horrible husband, she wasn’t free. As a fugitive, hiding from the authorities, hiding from her neighbors, and using the fake name Juana, she wasn’t free. She couldn’t freely go anywhere in Ortega. She said she didn’t dare go near populated places. She couldn’t make friends with anyone and had to keep to herself since she’s a fugitive and everyone in Ortega knew she publicly cuckolded the crown prince.

In contrast, married to Carcel, she can practically do anything. He doesn’t restrict her in any way unless it’s for something like her health. Heck, her initial plan was to live on her estate and spend her life doing the things she loves to do like hunting and horseback riding but now she gets to enjoy those things with someone who loves doing those things too. She can go anywhere in Ortega using her own name. Her family nor in-laws restrict her in anyway. She made genuine female friends for the first time in any life. To top it off, she eventually gets a grand ship equipped with canon guns that can set sail from the shores of Ortega to go anywhere in the world it could take her. That’s beautiful freedom.

Ines is thoroughly a noble woman who is a product of her society. She believes in marriage and having children. I often see readers mistake her for some woman who doesn’t want marriage, doesn’t want a man and doesn’t want children. As unhappy as Ines was in her marriage with the crown prince, even she thought the unmarried Carcel was irresponsible for failing to do his duty to marry.

As to children, in this current timeline, after Ines decided not to get a divorce from Carcel, why then is she still focusing on trying to get pregnant if she doesn’t have to get a child right now in order to divorce him? Before the hunting trip, at the hunting lodge, and in Mendoza, we as readers saw she wants to get pregnant now despite the fact there’s no rush. In the novel, we know she reminds Carcel that her mother had Luciano at 18 years old. The fact that she mentions this further affirms the fact that she observes custom/tradition. She thinks Carcel and her at age 23/24 are far overdue for children.

The only reason Ines thought about independence in the beginning of the story was because of her two horrible past lives. She just wanted to live to die. She wanted to live her life without making any more mistakes so that she can die a natural death. If Ines truly wanted to divorce Carcel and she hated marriage, she still had the opportunity to do it. However, she chose to stay married to Carcel. No one forced her to stay married and it’s the best damn decision she will ever make in any of her lives. Since I read to the end of the story, I can say her journey of love and healing is simply amazing.

On a side note, I don’t know what it is about Ines that makes some readers think they know her better than the author who created her. When I read the novel, I was quite surprised how much Ines follows the traditions of her noble society in terms of marriage and children.

Occasionally I see readers claim Carcel only began to love Ines after she rejected him. This is FALSE. First and foremost, Carcel is always naturally drawn to Ines at 7 years old and then develops a romantic “like” for her in his teenage years. This current life is probably the only time he was confused about what he felt for her in his teenage years because he didn’t experience a courtship with her despite being engaged to her and the manhwa cut out the fact that she was hard at work lovebombing him via letters and employing various methods to confuse him and twist his views of love so he wouldn’t fall for her. In this current life, Carcel realized he loved Ines after she almost died. Earlier the same day, his mentor told him that he’s in love with his wife and Carcel found it unbelievable. He kept denying that he was in love with his wife.