C11
"Don't you think you should make up for that?"
—…….
Zachary was silent, as if he had no words. Believing that she had finally given him a decent hit, Bianca found her mood rising to the point where she would have started humming if she had been alone. The corners of her eyes curled up in delight.
She had been trembling with nerves moments ago, but now she found herself enjoying her conversation with Zachary, as if the previous moments had been a lie. Now that the reins were under his control, she was able to talk to him comfortably even though he initially found it frightening. He wanted to say more when he saw him looking so distraught and unable to do this or that.
Zachary finally let out a sigh. It was deep and long, like a sign of defeat, leading Bianca to feel a sense of triumph. Although repairing her relationship was proceeding at a snail's pace, Bianca felt that she had the upper hand.
“If I have to be honest, I'm confused as to why you're being like this all of a sudden.
By the way. Zachary was expected to be surprised. If Bianca hadn't traveled back in time, something like this would never have happened. It would certainly be a surprise if his wife, who normally never showed her face, suddenly appeared and started talking about an heir. Nor did they give her time to resolve the matter of his mistress.
“I don't care if you have a mistress. It's okay. I'm not telling you to break up with her. I could even take care of her.
Bianca said, putting on an air of consideration.
-… Lover?
"You don't have to pretend. I am not so naive.
After marrying a girlfriend of 7 years at the age of 20, Zachary had essentially lived the last ten years in solitude. It was unlikely that he hadn't secretly had a mistress all these years. It wasn't just the maids who believed that, but everyone in Arno's castle who knew what Zachary and Bianca's relationship was like. It was to the extent that even Bianca's father, Count Blanchefort, had indirectly hinted that she prepare.
Bianca herself thought it was only natural that he should have a mistress too. It wasn't like Zachary was infertile. No, he was a healthy, warm-blooded man. Just remembering how adamant he had been in her bed with her in the past, he couldn't imagine him without a mistress.
Wasn't she being generous enough to offer to take in her lover?! Zachary treated her like a child, but that was only because he didn't know that she was a different woman now. Bianca looked at him indifferently.
But Zachary was angry. He didn't make a sound or use the first one, but the emotion painted on his features was clearly that of anger.
—Oh.
He let out an exasperated sigh, as if he had no more reason to listen. She looked like she could spit curses at any moment, her eyes were sharp and piercing.
It was almost as if Bianca had hit his weakness.
Was his pride hurt by learning he had a mistress? How long was he planning to keep her a secret?
In hindsight, since it had never been revealed even after her death, Zachary must be planning on continuing to hide it until the very end. It was likely that he wanted to keep it a secret for as long as he could. It was also possible that he felt embarrassed after his wife brought it up.
But if he were to think about it sensibly, he should realize that he would also benefit from Bianca's proposal. He would receive her heir and at the same time be able to date her lover in the open air, without having to keep it a secret.
To Bianca, regardless of whether or not Zachary actually had a mistress, all that mattered was having his heir. As such, she believed he would concede with a little more persuasion. Just as she was about to continue, Zachary shook his head and ended the conversation.
"I don't know who told you that nonsense, but we can talk about an heir another time." It is completely useless to talk about it at this point.
"It's not completely-!"
—Vincent! Escort Bianca to her room!
Zachary barked, ignoring Bianca.
The door opened immediately and Vincent walked in, as if he had been waiting behind the door the entire time. Though only one person entered the room, his entrance caused the tide to begin turning in Zachary's favor and nullified Bianca's advantage.
Bianca frowned, though she wasn't the only one. Vincent's eyebrows drew together as well once he took in the mood of the room.
The sensible earl had raised his voice, even going so far as to order Vincent to escort the lady out. Vincent wondered what on earth the enigmatic countess could have done to justify such a reaction. He must have had the good Zachary with horrible words. Clicking his tongue, Vincent took a step toward Bianca. Since her mistress had told him to politely escort her, he couldn't force her out of her.
Minding his manners, Vincent bowed his head and said.
"Ma'am, please follow me."
However, Bianca paid no attention to her and instead fired daggers at Zachary.
So you're going out like this because you don't want to talk?
Bianca suppressed her anger and spoke as calmly as possible to appear level-headed and undisturbed.
“It's not useless. It is a matter of great importance to the Arno family, is it not?
For the Arno family! Vincent's eyes widened as soon as he heard those words. He never imagined that such words would leave Bianca's lips. Ah, he may have dreamed of something like that when Bianca first came to the castle 10 years ago, but he had thrown away all expectations after seeing her subsequent behavior.
hm. What could he be referring to, saying it's for the Arno family? Reduce your expenses?
Vincent snorted. Those were the few or no expectations he had of her.
Instead of answering Bianca, Zachary called out to Vincent, who was hesitating.
—Vincent.
His slow but steady voice was low and echoed throughout the room. Loyal attendant that he was, Vincent urged Bianca on again as soon as her name passed his master's lips.
"This way, ma'am."
Although he hadn't tried to take her away by force, that was only temporary. If Bianca continued to resist even a little, then it was possible that she would end up being embarrassingly taken away. It was horrible just imagining it. Bianca crumpled the fabric of her dress.
Zachary pretended he hadn't even heard of her having an heir. She had mustered up the courage to stand in front of him like that, so she lost heart and she felt her face heat up as she saw that it had all been in vain. She bit her lip. Her pride was hurt.
But what fueled the flame of his anger was that this would not be the end. She needed to get pregnant with her child as soon as possible. Even if she were to back down now, she would need to get close to him again, finally going through this ordinal and getting fired again and again.
Did you really have to take things that far? Bianca bit her lip. She thought that her tremendous pride had already been trampled by Fernand and completely scattered like sand when they chased her away to the convent, but it seemed that her pride had revived when she went back in time. There was no other explanation for why her chest felt so feverish. She felt as if she had a flame instead of a heart in her ribcage.
He had no recollection of grabbing at his clothes, causing his white fox cloak to fall off his shoulders. Only when she felt her weight catch on her elbows did Bianca realize how disheveled she must look. She blew out a breath, about to straighten the cloak, but Zachary was quicker.
His outstretched hand was carefully lifting the cloak that hung from his arms. Her fox cloak felt like it had turned into the wings of a cicada. In no time, her soft, smooth fur settled back onto her shoulders. The warmth of her hands hadn't touched her in the slightest during the entire exchange. Although her hands were quickly gone, her presence could still be felt like a weight on her shoulders.
Bianca didn't understand why he was being like this to her all of a sudden. To think that she would suddenly engage in an act of kindness, what could it possibly mean? Her mind was thrown into a state of confusion.
"Looks like you bought a new coat," Zachary commented. His voice was cold and calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, the opposite of Bianca, whose mind was confused about the possible intentions of her previous actions.
—……..
-You should.
His face was the same as when she had first seen him; he was calm, collected, and unreadable, as if his previous conversation had meant nothing to him.
"Thank you for coming to welcome me." -She said. She served as a farewell. Her dark eyes gazed at him indifferently, as if every wavering shard of emotion in her had been swept away by a wave.
It was then that Bianca realized that she had lost. She had believed that she would be able to take control of her relationship once she brought up lover talk, and she thought that she had indeed taken control of her the moment she saw him react. .
However, he now realized that he never got his hands on it in the first place. Clearly, it had all been a ploy by Zachary to make her think he had the upper hand over her and make her put on airs to figure out her intentions. Appearing like he was surprised earlier was also an act? Bianca's face fell.
Without even saying goodbye, Bianca staggered out of the room. Vincent followed her, the door closing behind him.
The door that slammed shut was as solid as the crack that existed between Zachary and Bianca.
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