C15
Bianca frowned. She couldn't remember her name. There was no need for her to remember anyway, since she could always ask when she needed to.
-And you?
“…My name is Robert. the man replied, his jaw clenched.
He was one of the commanders of the Knights of Arno. Not only was he a former assistant to Zachary, proven by the fact that he had been present when Zachary and Bianca were engaged, and had weighed in on the Blancheforts' proposed dowry for Bianca, but also because he was close in age to Zachary. . The two were close enough to be considered close friends.
Though this was the first time Robert had spoken directly to Bianca, they had met numerous times in the confined confines of the castle. However, hearing that she didn't even know her name. Wait, is she even aware of my existence?
Her lack of familiarity with Robert further attested to her lack of interest in Zachary.
Bianca was dressed in satin garments bought with money Zachary earned from wallowing in pools of blood and maggots from decomposing corpses. And yet, seeing her show no interest in Zachary… A wave of anger flared through Robert, but he did his best to calm down. Of course, that didn't mean he could make his hostility subside right away.
Bianca remained composed despite the incomprehensible hostility coming from the man who had appeared out of nowhere. Although she was a bit irritating, this wasn't the first time she had dealt with something like this. Rather, it was Vincent coming out of her defense that surprised her, not the man's hostility.
“That is no way to treat the lady, Sir Robert. First, let go of her hand. Vincent warned strictly.
Although he was only a butler, he was Zachary's longest-serving assistant, and therefore Robert couldn't ignore him. With just a word from Vincent, he immediately dropped the staff, while he had shown no signs of letting go before no matter what Bianca said.
However, the one who emphasized the importance of rank in the castle the most was Vincent. He was severe when it came to classifying who were his superiors and inferiors, and how to mediate between them. As a result, he couldn't exactly hate Bianca, despite being aware of her distaste for her. Of course, that didn't mean she liked him either.
Bianca sighed silently. To think that she would have to explain herself in a situation like this. She felt pathetic, but she hid her torment from her before breaking the silence in a calm voice.
“I'm being relatively lenient.
"A lenient teacher would never throw a cane at a person." Robert flatly refuted.
To think that he had hit a person, a human being, not even a cattle so harshly! He was too cruel to be looked down upon as a master disciplining his maiden. Robert was the most upright and chivalrous of Zachary's three commanders, and he had a soft spot for women, but that was only for women recognized as "proper" ladies. His eyes were cold, seeing Bianca as a cruel woman.
It was impossible for Bianca not to read his thoughts, since she was facing his gaze directly. He had suddenly appeared and already considered her cruel without even knowing the whole situation. Bianca snorted. She was no longer even surprised by such prejudice.
“The lady is right. The punishment is not only appropriate, but also quite lenient. She before her forgot her duty as her servant, and we would have nothing to say even if she applied a more severe punishment. Vincent intervened.
It seemed that the maid who called him had also explained the situation quite well, better than Bianca thought. That was also unexpected. Bianca looked back at the maid who had brought the cane. The maid, a brunette, lowered her head even lower.
Robert was surprised that Vincent agreed with Bianca, since the butler was more sensible than anyone.
-What do you mean…?
“Calling me a thoughtless woman, I can understand that. It is the truth, after all. I can even overlook you calling me an evil woman who just likes to overspend money, since that's also true.
Bianca's voice was calm and monotonous as she revealed what the maids had been talking about earlier. Robert frowned as he listened to the sudden tale, unable to comprehend the situation, and his face wrinkled further as Bianca continued to reveal.
Bianca almost let out a murmur at how amused it was to see the goofy look appear on Robert's face, his initial bravado replaced by uncertainty and nervousness. After making an effort to hide her amusement, she tightened her grip on the cane.
He saw Ante wearing a subtle smile of victory from his position behind Robert. It was crystal clear that Ante believed that Robert had saved her and that she was now free of her. How ridiculous.
I am the lady of this house while Robert is a mere gentleman.
It was a miscalculation on Ante's part if he really believed that Bianca would simply back down just because of a knight's interference.
Bianca pursed her lips.
"However, just because I'm a mean and unflattering woman doesn't mean you can walk into my husband's room in my place."
Roberto's eyes widened. When he turned his head to look at Ante to confirm whether or not she had actually made such comments, Bianca took that opportunity to attack. As she had prepared beforehand, her next move was smooth and instantaneous. A red welt formed on the maid, who was caught off guard, and her skin was cut by the sharp end of the staff, causing drops of blood to splatter.
"Kyaak!"
Ante dropped to the ground while holding his face. It was painful, but what shook her even more was the fear she felt at the sight of her blood pouring down her face.
“This is not right, why did they beat me? There are so many eyes here. There is even someone who tried to stop her. Don't people usually stop at that point? Does he just not care what other people think?
Ante's reasoning was not wrong. However, her opponent was Bianca, who prioritized defending her pride over the whispers of others. If Bianca had been someone who cared what other people thought, she wouldn't have become a loner in this castle in the first place.
A satisfied smile appeared on Bianca's lips. She felt a sense of delight seeing Ante being dramatic, holding her face as if she was going to die soon.
“It will be good if you use this incident as an opportunity to reflect on your bad deeds.
Bianca's voice was dry and flat, as if she were simply reading the menu for dinner.
Tears fell from Ante's eyes. His pretty pale face only made the various injuries and rivulets of crimson blood stand out even more.
Robert bit his lip, looking down at the result of his carelessness. This would never have happened if he hadn't turned around. Although Ante had made comments that were out of character, it was not something that deserved a punishment as cruel as this. Wasn't Bianca the one who essentially allowed such a thing to happen in the first place, with the way she had been behaving all these years?
"Still, don't you think this is going too far?" Robert yelled, pinning Bianca with a look.
"What thing?" he teased, tilting his head as if he had no idea.
She couldn't understand why she had to listen to those words from him. Bianca weighed the insults in her head. She before her not only had she slandered her superior, but she also coveted a married man. Normally, that deserved a punishment where one would be kicked out after being stripped naked and flogged. Head still bowed, Ella Bianca nodded to herself. In fact, she had been merciful in her choice of her punishment.
If Robert had taken a moment to think about it a little more, he would have realized that Ante's crime really did deserve harsh punishment. However, the grievances he had against Bianca that had accumulated over the years prevented him from thinking clearly.
Then a deep voice interrupted.
"What's the commotion?"
It was brief, but the voice had such an intense dignity that it made everyone fall silent, as if they had been given a dose of cold water. They all turned their eyes in the direction of the voice and met none other than the lord of the castle, Zachary. Everyone was silent at the entrance of the one who had authority over everything in the hacienda.
Zachary wore a black fur vest over casual attire, as well as the leather shoes normally worn by soldiers. His silver gray hair seemed somewhat relaxed, hanging over one side of his forehead. His appearance was more like that of a young knight than that of a lord. However, what dwelt in his dark irises was the experience and intimidation of an experienced lord who had been through all sorts of twists and turns since his childhood.
They all turned to Zachary, their waists bent and their heads down. Only Bianca kept her head up and her chin up. She bit her lower lip. Why now of all time. She did not find the appearance of him welcome in the least.
Zachary was quite a merciful lord, never meting out harsh punishment without reason. His numerous days in battle resulted in countless bloodshed, but he was magnanimous when it came to things not related to the battlefield. For example, when someone stole a bag of grain from Arno's warehouse, the man's hand should have been cut off for his crime. However, Zachary had let him go on the condition that he return a bag of wheat the following year.
How would such an indulgent man view the current situation with Ante? Would he side with Bianca if she knew what the maid had been saying about him? Bianca wasn't sure. There was also no chance of her relaying Ante's words to Zachary. Although she could explain it to others without any problem, she did not trust to communicate it to her husband.
Above all, Bianca agreed with Ante that she was an unattractive, reptilian-like woman. Besides, Zachary had kicked her out of her room yesterday, hadn't he? She would only hurt her pride even more if she relayed Ante's words to her.
Ante was also aware of that fact.
Bianca and Ante's joy and sadness ended up switching places.
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