C19
Yvonne asked if she could join Bianca on her walk the next morning. Bianca nodded impulsively, taken aback by the sudden question, but a smile naturally appeared on her face once she saw Yvonne smiling as she commented that she hoped the weather would be nice tomorrow.
Once Yvonne left, Bianca took up embroidery. However, she eventually found herself staring at the wooden frame in a daze. It was something that she had started out of habit and, although she was halfway there, she found that she couldn't go any further. Finally, she moved the messy embroidery hoop out of the way. It wasn't like she made any progress even if she continued to hold him anyway.
It had been a long time since he last went for a walk with someone. Bianca carefully placed a hand on her chest. It may have been due to the feeling of anticipation, but her heart was pounding.
Bianca remembered Yvonne's innocent eyes looking at her. She wondered what Yvonne would be like in her past life, but realized that he couldn't recall any memory of her. But that was to be expected. After all, the Bianca of the past considered servants nothing more and nothing less than temporary tools.
It is likely that Yvonne has also been nice to her in the past. After all, a person's nature was not something that could be easily changed. However, Bianca's past self had not been able to recognize Yvonne's thoughtful kindness. If, by chance, she had become aware of Yvonne's existence, would things have been different?
Bianca shook her head slightly. She had been too foolish and inexperienced to see how valuable each little encounter was. Even if she had had the chance to meet Yvonne in the past, Bianca wouldn't even have bothered to look at her properly.
Still, thanks to the things she had learned in her past life, the current Bianca was able to accept Yvonne's goodwill. It was just a suggestion for a walk, but it was something that had never happened in the past. Every time things like this happened, a small smirk would fall on Bianca's lips as she felt sure that she really was living a second life.
Later that day, however, another event that hadn't happened in her past life surfaced: Zachary coming for her.
Zachary stood stoically by the door as Bianca stared at him, surprised by his unexpected visit.
"Aren't you going to let me in?"
“…No, please come in.
Once permission was granted, Zachary walked through the door and into his rooms. The soles of her boots were clean, but Bianca felt that she could see the tracks left by her footsteps. She was as huge and intimidating as ever in her eyes. Her expression was calm, not wanting him to notice her fear of him, but she couldn't hide the involuntary tremor in her shoulders.
-Your hand. Please open it.
—…….
Bianca obediently opened her palm at his assertive command. Bianca hated the way she talked as if she was dealing with one of her subordinates. It was a frank way of speaking, without words or verbiage. He was a man whose method of persuasion was to use a sword. As such, his physical prowess was outstanding, but he lacked a smooth tongue. There was no particular reason for him to be good with words. At best, any soft-spoken skills he had were used to boost the morale of his troops.
Joy and disgust weren't emotions Zachary displayed openly. Although that was a common trait in nobles, Zachary's placidity was on another level. He was a man resembling a very sharp sword. It was impossible to find an ounce of emotion in him...
At least, that had certainly been the case until now.
"It still looks like burning coal." Why the hell did you refuse to call the doctor?
That same Zachary, who rarely showed emotion, was making his displeasure clear as he punished Bianca. The latter lowered her eyes at her unfamiliar behavior, the shadows of her eyelashes hiding the confusion swirling in her pupils.
Bianca answered quietly.
"I didn't want to cause a scene. Also, Yvonne took a look, so I'm fine.
"Yvonne?"
"Yes, one of the maids."
—…….
Zachary fell silent. One of his eyebrows arched up, as if he couldn't believe that Bianca had remembered a maid's name. Bianca herself didn't think she would either, so her perplexity wasn't a surprise. Still, that didn't mean he could go into detail about her sudden change of heart. As such, Bianca feigned nonchalance and acted as if remembering the maid's name came naturally to her.
Instead of pressing further on the maid, Zachary pursed his lips disapprovingly. He must have been unhappy that she didn't follow his orders, since he kept talking about seeing a doctor.
"But you should still let the doctor take a look at you."
-It's no big deal. Once one decides to lay a hand on someone, he must be prepared to feel pain for himself. Of course, I thought it would be too much to bear a second time, so I resorted to a cane.
Bianca looked at her hand. Although Yvonne's herbal bath earlier had an effect, her hand was still swollen. A noblewoman didn't necessarily need to be strong or fit, but to think that her body would be that weak. Bianca could only sigh.
Now that he thought about it, he wondered how he had dealt with that cheeky maiden. Bianca remembered Ante and asked about the latter's punishment.
"How did you handle things with that other maid?"
“She has been fired.
Zachary's response was immediate and firm. A smile spread across Bianca's lips. Of all the things Zachary had done, this was one of the rare actions he liked. It was a relief that the woman wasn't really his mistress. If she was her, then she wouldn't have been kicked out of the castle. Feeling relieved to get rid of a thorn in her side, Bianca unknowingly muttered to herself under her breath.
"It's a relief that I'm not your lover."
“…How long do you plan to bring up that talk about a mistress?
Zachary retorted in exasperation, having overheard Bianca talking to herself.
Witnessing his obvious disgust, Bianca realized her mistake.
No matter how public the knowledge of having a mistress was, it was something that should be hidden and not explicitly mentioned. Nuisances tended to bristle, their faces flushed with anger, whenever it was pointed out to them that they had a mistress, as if their weakness had been attacked. If they were so strict about decorum in the first place, then they shouldn't have gotten involved with a mistress. The fact that they didn't think that far was laughable.
In any case, the subject of a mistress was a touchy subject for both men and women. Therefore, it was only expected that Zachary would get angry while Bianca kept insisting on that matter.
"I apologize if I offended you. Bianca said meekly.
"I think you're wrong about something."
But his apology did nothing to quell Zachary's emotions. His black eyes glowed a pale blue and the veins in his hands bulged as he squeezed them. A single hand of hers was large enough to cover Bianca's entire face, and when clenched into a fist, it was the size of both of Bianca's fists put together. Bianca was well aware that Zachary wasn't a thug who beat up women, but that didn't stop her from instinctively being on guard or getting goosebumps.
“I don't have such a thing as a mistress.
His words came out firmly, each word clear and emphasized, as if he was going to notch her head with a clenched fist.
-… sorry?
Bianca could only blink at the unexpected comment. Zachary didn't even give her time to collect her thoughts. He took firm, unwavering steps toward her. The sound of her shoes hitting the ground was intimidating. Her aura was so menacing that Bianca unknowingly started to take steps back, but Zachary didn't stop and kept moving toward her as if he were stalking prey. Bianca backed away until she couldn't take it anymore, her back met the cold stone wall.
—Ah…
Bianca made a dumbfounded sound, finding herself trapped between a wall and Zachary. Her tense body reacted instinctively, her shoulders shaking and her teeth chattering. Anyone could see that she was seized with fear. She seemed as submissive and pitiful as a buzzing mouse. Bianca bit her lip, catching the reflection of her in Zachary's bright dark eyes.
"... I don't know what kind of scoundrel you see me as, but..." he muttered as he raised his arm.
His palm, which was large enough on its own to cover her entire face and suffocate her, moved closer to her eyes to obscure her line of sight. Bianca could no longer see what face she was making as she watched her.
With his vision blocked, his other senses were enhanced. The sound of her heart beating, the cold sweat rolling down her body, the moan of the raging wind outside the castle, the chill of the stone wall behind her, the sound of saliva running down her throat, the smell of Zachary , a mixture of thick grass and iron, as well as the low timbre of his voice….
“I… I'm not that shameless.
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