C50
The land of Arno was neither large nor close to the capital. There were no mineral veins, nor was it a convenient place for trade and transportation, but the land was fertile and abundant, so it was a lordship that would not go hungry. A land that was not attractive enough to fight for its possession, but that everyone covets.
It was the territory that Zachary gained at the same time that he was given the title of baron for his military service.
Zachary's efforts to acquire land and title were indescribable, but Zachary wasn't satisfied with it. Now that he became an earl, the income earned on the estate was sufficient, and although everyone praised Zachary for his military achievements, he still seemed insufficient.
When his father died suddenly at the age of fifteen, and when his older brother Roland kicked him out and forced him to become a knight, Zachary had no idea he would become so greedy.
“…I can feel the vicissitudes.
A few lights flickered at the end of the wide horizon where darkness fell. Zachary looked out the window at the expanse of land and remembered the past.
Roland and Zachary were not very good brothers. The first Viscountess Huegh, who was Roland's mother, died giving birth to Roland, and the second wife was Zachary's mother. Like Bianca's mother, she died of postpartum fever after giving birth, it was not uncommon for mothers to die during this period.
However, Roland was jealous of Zachary, who was taken care of by his mother, even for a short period. He used to say outright that he would kick Zachary out as soon as he came to power in Huegh, and he did.
Becoming a knight is expensive,
but it must have been because he wanted Zachary to die in the war, that he paid for expensive equipment, instead of taking him to a monastery.
At that moment, Zachary took the sword so as not to die. Because he knew there was no one to take care of him if he sat down to cry.
Zachary, who was desperate to survive, raised his sword without hesitation. Since it was a situation where he had to preserve his life, he didn't even care about success.
Fortunately, Zachary had a knack for war. With eyes to coldly read the war without getting caught up in the death of his opponent, he knew, understood and accepted that he had chosen to kill his opponent so as not to die. He stubbornly pushed his way forward without backing down.
As a result, Zachary's unstoppable background and martial arts made him a baron, eventually becoming an earl. Count of Arno! How good it sounds!
Zachary, who achieved success on his own, was an idol and hope for noble men who couldn't continue their families. And a handsome young husband-to-be. Zachary's life seemed to have nothing to envy in the world.
But his life was not as happy as he thought. It was the sharp sword that established him as an earl, so he had to go to war constantly to maintain that position. Besides, what Zachary wanted was a better and more prosperous future than the current one. Dissatisfied with the status quo, he rushed out onto the battlefield, unable to afford happiness. It was no exaggeration to say that the battlefield was Zachary's territory.
Zachary felt so inadequate, not out of a desire for fame or to win a higher tax levy. It was not because of his desire for revenge against his older brother, Viscount Huegh, that he was brutally kicked out.
Bianca, the beautiful young wife left behind on the farm! It was for her.
“Compared to the Blanchefort family, there is still a long way to go…
Although the title of count is the same, the Blanchefort family, which has been in power for a long time as a noble family, and the new Arno family, were not necessarily "the same".
No connections, no decency, no financial freedom. Zachary tried to do most of what Bianca wanted to do, but if he had still been at Blanchefort, he could have gotten even better things, without needing to say a word.
He was still a poor husband.
That doesn't mean he wasn't satisfied with his appearance on the battlefield. He was not happy, he was not unhappy. Zachary had a low threshold for happiness. He was completely satisfied with drinking a glass of cheap wine in the castle, the existence of vassals who believed in him and followed him, and the fact that he was fulfilling his wife's wishes to some extent.
It was a major development compared to his baronial days, which were truly the worst.
Perhaps from the moment he married her, Zachary had a vague idea of his future as he wandered the battlefield.
-Okay, yes. I brought Blanchefort's only daughter, and I have to pay a price for it. Blanchefort gave me the war horse... and made me the sword and spear of the 1st Prince. That was my value in the balance to bring it.
A self-deprecating murmur ran through Zachary's lips. As thoughts flowed to Bianca, he immediately remembered her wedding to her.
When he thinks of that moment, he still sighs.
Not long after he was granted the baronial title, Blanchefort offered to marry him.
There was no point of contact between the Blanchefort family, who were famous enough to have married into the royal family in the past, and the Arno family, who had just received the baronial title and were just getting started.
Even if the Arno family tried to draw a line there, it would be difficult due to the low rating, but it was hard to believe that he sent her a letter first.
But when he opened the letter, Zachary couldn't help but widen his eyes as if he couldn't believe it.
400 calves, 900 pigs, 100 ingots of silver, 300 rolls of silk, two chests of jewels, and a part of a territory…. Along with the huge dowry equivalent to the Arno family's two-year budget, one last comment was casually added to the letter.
It was then that Zachary discovered that the only daughter of the Blanchefort family, whom he would marry, was now seven years old.
Seven years old, can you walk?
Surely you will cry as soon as you meet him. Zachary thought about having a wedding with a bride of seven years and being alone at the wedding because the bride cried. Either way it was terrible.
However, marrying Blanchefort was a sweet temptation hard to refuse. In the end, a temptation so intense and seductive that she had no choice but to accept.
Would anything have changed if the marriage had been delayed a bit? However, Gustave, Count of Blanchefort, had a strong desire to celebrate the wedding earlier, so he had no choice.
It was natural for Gustave to be impatient.
The king of Sevran was old and the enemy kingdom of Aragon was growing in formidable force. Since the political landscape of the previous year and the political landscape of that year were changing rapidly, they tried to establish Zachary as the first prince's faction as soon as possible.
Why Zachary?
Since Gustave didn't say so, Zachary himself didn't know the exact reason. He could only vaguely guess when his subordinates said that he had invested in his future.
As much as he understood Gustave's decision, Zachary couldn't help asking for the wedding to be delayed.
But the marriage was proposed by the Blanchefort family, so the one holding the sword was also the Blanchefort family. So Zachary wasn't in a position to ask for anything.
In the end, Zachary gave in and accepted the marriage. But that did not allay concerns that the bride was seven years old. To be honest, he felt that he was bringing an adopted daughter instead of a girlfriend.
As much as Zachary was uncomfortable with the young bride, the young bride would also be uncomfortable with her suddenly elderly husband. He couldn't even imagine how much the girl who came out of the house would cry.
The very thought of comforting a crying child frustrated him. He is not friendly, he is not a good conversationalist and he is not nice, can he calm down a crying girl?
Zachary, who was in the dark, desperately wanted his girlfriend to be a little less weepy girl.
And her desire was completely shattered at the first meeting.
No comments:
Post a Comment