C102
Bianca, worried about Zachary, reached out and swept the back of his hand. The warmth of the soft skin on the back of her hand soothed him, but at the same time, it spread throughout her body.
Zachary knew the feel of this hand touching his bare skin. And just the thought that he might be able to share that feeling with others made him angry.
Since last night, they have become a solid undisputed couple, but Zachary is still anxious. It was foolish to relax his mind. On the contrary, he was more thirsty and impatient.
Although he spoke to Jacob like he was arrogant, it was Zachary who was obsessed with jealousy.
However, is Zachary's degree of obsession different from being her husband?
Zachary, who was so thirsty for even one of Bianca's glances, couldn't like the way Jacob looked at Bianca.
Enduring the pain of burning nerve cords, Zachary's eyes flashed blue with anger.
The atmosphere between the two escalated explosively.
It was too trivial a matter for the old king to step forward, but not light enough to cover it up. In the end, the first Prince Gautier intervened.
-Ha ha. It is the first time that Jacob feels interest in a woman. So it looks like he doesn't know how to keep his distance. He must not have meant to insult the Earl or Countess, I hope Earl Arno will be lenient.
Gautier tried to deaden the atmosphere.
Although both Zachary and Jacob were dissatisfied with each other, the first prince went so far as to intervene, so they couldn't turn a deaf ear to his efforts. Zachary nodded bluntly and Jacob ended the conversation.
However, the topic itself remained with Bianca.
The atmosphere just now was fierce, and no one openly raised their voices when Prince Gautier intervened, but they continued to talk to each other.
"...But for some reason, the second prince is also like that, isn't he?"
“By the way, even with his escort….
"You mean the escort who gave the maid a rose?" He gave the maid a rose but is he in that kind of relationship with the countess?
"Then it could be another escort."
Rumors sparked more rumours.
Bianca snorted hearing that she might have an immoral relationship with Gaspard from the voices that passed by like the wind whispering in her ear. How absurd. With “that” Gaspard?
When a relationship with Jacob was suspected, the faces of everyone in Arno hardened, but this time they all burst into absurd laughter. Only Gaspard, the person involved, slightly frowned, but even Yvonne, to whom she confessed, couldn't hold back her laughter.
But he couldn't laugh. Bianca was dragged like this over and over again, as if they were trying to brand her.
Zachary, frowning at the rumors revealing someone's insidious inside, was about to say something, but Bianca shook her head.
-Do not do it.
Zachary looked at Bianca, as if he couldn't understand. Her black eyes gleamed with annoyance.
"Are you going to keep listening to that nonsense?"
Bianca smiled slightly and tugged on Zachary's sleeve. Zachary's body collapsed easily at Bianca's touch. Bianca whispered into Zachary's ear.
—Originally, the harvest is done when it is ripe.
The corners of Bianca's lips turned up. Although she hated annoying and troublesome things, she was not an easy prey.
Bianca was also aware of malicious rumors about her. Until now, Bianca was unknown and only circulated through rumors, but today Bianca finally appeared in front of people.
If you really want to screw it up, you won't miss this opportunity. What Bianca was looking for was the moment when her rival would appear.
Zachary, unaware of Bianca's intentions, still seemed dissatisfied, but, as Bianca insisted, he kept his mouth shut.
Rumors about Bianca quickly cooled down as the parties kept their mouths shut. It was also because Zachary looked around the banquet hall with a bloody gaze.
Bianca told him to stay put, but didn't tell him that she couldn't glare at them, Zachary looked at each person at the banquet with a sharp gaze. The busybodies closed their mouths one by one, and soon the subject of them was buried among the music and other talk.
In the midst of the banquet that was going on like this, there was talk of hunting among the men. Hunting was a game enjoyed by noblemen. A sense of heroic satisfaction rose in the hearts of men when they led horses to chase down prey, and the noblewomen who participated in the hunt by raising falcons also felt as if they were the warrior women of myth. Even if your record is below ideal. Nobles with a passion for hunting exaggeratedly described their achievements.
“I heard that His Highness is holding a hunting contest this summer. I am looking forward to it. This time I will definitely catch a wolf.
-Ha ha. Your self-confidence is as high as the sky. I can't lose either. The wolf is mine.
They said enthusiastically. However, no matter how exaggerated they were, they were no match for Zachary.
“No matter how hard we try to catch a wolf, won't it end if Count Arno catches a bear in this hunt?
-That's how it is. Didn't Count Arno catch a bear on the last hunt? I have heard rumors that the bearskins offered by the Earl still adorn His Majesty's bedroom...
The conversation flowed naturally to Zachary. The laughter of those who were worried that Zachary would sweep the prey from him was erased.
-Ha ha. Count Arno will take care of you up to a point.
“Hey, remember this tournament. Didn't he mercilessly defeat his opponent just because he came with the Countess?
Once again, the conversation turned to Bianca. However, as if they had forgotten the earlier rough atmosphere, the men continued to look at Zachary excitedly.
But that was a story limited to men. One by one, the women who had been silently absent from the conversation began to speak to Bianca.
"Has the countess ever hunted?"
-Nope. I recently learned to ride a horse.
"Oh, horseback riding is a culture, isn't it?"
A noble wife raised her voice as if she was exaggeratedly surprised by Bianca's response. Bianca couldn't remember who she was, but Bianca's maid, Yvonne, clearly remembered her. She was one of the nobles that she had met alongside Ante before.
She was Celine, the young Viscountess Volne. Unlike other aristocratic women who were married, she, still single, came to the capital dreaming of romance with a decent man.
But all the men's attention turned to Countess Arno. She would have disliked her less if Bianca had been as beautiful as Princess Odelli. But for Celine, there was nothing special about Bianca. Only her second prince flirted with her, and the men who felt that she was a great woman just clung to her like inertia. She was also envious of her extravagant outfit. Every time she confronted Bianca, Celine's self-esteem was shattered.
And it wasn't just Celine who had a grudge against Bianca. The other women took the hook that Celine planted.
"Then you won't be able to hunt."
"If you can't even ride a horse properly, you can't train falcons."
-That's how it is…. We often do falconry amongst ourselves, but unfortunately, Countess Arno will not be able to join.
They mocked Bianca as if she didn't have the skill to raise a falcon. They all laughed and looked at Bianca. They wondered how she would react to this insult.
Would his face distort with anger? Or would she lower her head in shame?
But he did neither. Bianca took a sip of wine. Her pale green eyes were so indifferent that she seemed as if she hadn't heard her conversation.
Rather, the neck of her husband, Zachary, became hot. Since it was not polite for a man to intervene in women's conversations and intimidate them, he thought about how to defend Bianca without being a nuisance. But there was no right way.
I could feel his teeth gritted under his cold face.
Bianca lowered her unflappable hand under the table and patted Zachary's thigh. As if she were petting a dog's head, her tense thighs loosened a bit.
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