C55
While Zachary and Bianca were immersed in their own world and chatting, Vincent, who was listening to their conversation, wanted to check if he was listening correctly.
Doesn't it sound like “that” Countess has offered the Count her first night?!
Also, it seems that there was a time when she called him darling, so it must be that a lot had happened between the couple without the butler knowing about it.
Vincent put aside his worries about whether the countess had eaten something wrong. It didn't matter now. Vincent went to see Zachary after he finished his urgent work.
Coincidentally, it was meeting time when Vincent visited Zachary. With the exception of Gaspard, Robert and Sauveur reported to Zachary on the internal affairs of the territory.
Vincent paused for a moment. Even considering the majesty of the lord, when it comes to Zachary's private history, he generally tends to report when no one else is there. But now was not the time. As people's attention focused on Vincent, who suddenly appeared, Vincent, who approached with quick steps, raised his voice, unusually blushing.
-Count. Since when has he been talking about the successor with the lady?
Zachary and Bianca only talked about their relationship. However, since Vincent's view of the aristocrats' relationship is completely entangled with the successor, it was only natural for his stream of consciousness to well up.
Frankly, was there any love between Zachary and Bianca?
Zachary asked with a frown.
"...Do I have to say that?"
-Of course! If I had known that such a story would come and go, I would have tried to serve a little more to-...
-A little more?
Zachary's questioning was a bit of a blur. Vincent kept his mouth shut. He was so excited that he made a speech error. Since it was an immature approach as a butler, there were no objections. As Vincent blamed himself, Zachary looked at Vincent with eyes as sharp as knives.
“Successor or no successor, she is Arno's host. No matter what attitude she takes, it's the same. So no matter how you serve it, that shouldn't change, right?
-… it was my mistake.
Zachary's voice was not loud, but there was an unmistakable dignity present. Vincent tilted her head so the top of his head was visible and prayed for his mistake. But he couldn't just apologize for a mistake. Since there was something more important than that, Vincent carefully pulled his luck.
“… Earl. From what I've heard, it seems that the lady wants a successor, and the earl rejects it… Am I guessing prematurely?
-That's how it is.
"No, why the hell do you refuse?"
How long had he been blaming her? Vincent jumped and raised his voice. Seeing Vincent's unfathomable fuss, Robert and Sauveur gulped and kept their mouths shut, silently listening to the conversation between Vincent and Zachary.
Everyone's attention was focused on the response that Zachary's lips would spit out.
Zachary answered lightly, like he was saying something obvious.
"Isn't he sixteen yet?"
Vincent gasped at Zachary's words, which seemed like an obvious reason for the sun rising in the east. Of course, Bianca was very big. Still, she was old enough to have an heir. Viscount Rudolf, who rules the estate next door, had no children when his wife was fifteen? How the hell do you have to wait any longer?
Vincent urged Zachary.
“Winter is over. The new year has arrived. The lady is also seventeen years old*. He's old enough!
(In Korea, on New Years, absolutely everyone is considered to have a birthday. That date is used and not the day of birth. That's why Vincent mentions that Bianca is already seventeen.)
"I should be at least eighteen years old."
There are really no windows in that stone wall*. Vincent wanted to punch his chest even though it would be an unreasonable act.
Years passed and Bianca was not the only one who turned 17. Zachary was now thirty. To be honest, it's Zachary who's in a hurry, who the hell is he worried about?
Since it was their tenth year of marriage, Vincent thought that this year should be the couple's annexation. If Bianca doesn't want to do that, she wouldn't know, but didn't she say his wife wants kids too?
Bianca had never said that to Vincent, but Vincent's mind had already changed as if Bianca had publicly announced that she wanted a successor.
Fortunately, Vincent's illusion was not that different from the truth.
Until now, I had seen Bianca with indifferent eyes, but it seems that the lady really changed this winter. When she Bianca said that she would look around the territory, she passed by without much thought, but after thinking about it again, there were signs from that moment.
"I said that now that I'm older, I think I need to learn one by one what I have to do as the hostess of the Arno family."
The lady is really ready to become a countess!
At first, she was disappointed that he gave up shortly after looking around the territory, but since Vincent's eyes are now covered in bean pods*, it seemed like Bianca no longer looked around the territory due to health issues.
(T/N: 눈에 콩깍지가 끼이다, used when you are so in love with a person that everything they do is good for you.)
That's how it is. In order to have an heir, the lady's health had to be managed with more sensitivity and delicacy.
How many women died giving birth?!
Vincent had already created his own illusion.
Lace played a very important role. The value of lace also played a role in Vincent's rapid change in attitude towards Bianca. Since he never thought that Bianca would have this kind of ability, the repercussions were incredible.
The only reason Bianca pretended to look around the estate was to urge Zachary not to treat her like a child forever, because she might be able to do her job as countess to some degree.
Even if you go obliquely, you just have to go to the capital.
(It's a proverb. Even if it's the wrong way, it doesn't matter as long as you get to Seoul. Similar to “The end justifies the means.”)
Zachary still treated Bianca like a child and wasn't going to back down, but Bianca got a helper named Vincent.
He never would have dreamed that Vincent would push Zachary's back with such enthusiasm. If Bianca had known, she would have greatly appreciated Vincent's hard work, but fortunately or unfortunately, Bianca wasn't here.
As Zachary and Vincent argued, Sauveur, who had been listening quietly, stepped in.
"Don't do that, how about you schedule the annexation soon?"
—……..
As Sauveur sided with Vincent, the room split. A sense of betrayal dripped from his eyes, under the raised eyebrows, disapprovingly, as if to say, "Sauveur, you too?"
But for Sauveur, it was a natural proposition. To be honest, Sauveur was just as frustrated as Vincent. When Zachary first announced that he was taking Bianca to the capital, he thought that Zachary was trying to curry favor with Bianca in order to obtain an heir. That must have been a hasty guess.
As much as he had admired his master's intelligence up until now, Sauveur was frustrated with Zachary's stupid behavior. Sincerely worried about Zachary, he raised his voice and insisted.
"It's a woman, you have to mark her and take her." The lady is so pretty, who knows what kind of fly she will fly around her when she goes to the capital?
—Sauveur. You are very frivolous.
“No, there are some minstrels in the capital who seem to have honey on their tongues, and there are many other great handsome men. Count, are you sure the lady won't look at them? To be honest, the lady doesn't seem to like the Count very much. But what does she mean that they won't even sleep together?
—……..
Zachary's face darkened at Sauveur's heavy facts. There was nothing wrong with Sauveur's words. Zachary sighed and squeezed his eyes shut. However, his mouth was tightly closed and his eyes were unflinchingly steady as if it would not break his will.
So Sauveur and Vincent burned even hotter. In particular, it was so shocking to hear that Zachary rejected Bianca.
That arrogant lady directly mentioned the succession, but rejected it in one fell swoop?
It was to the point where Bianca could have slapped Zachary's cheek. No, she may have done it without them knowing. As long as she was the Bianca he knew, that would be possible.
He's been around Bianca recently and has started to like her, but it's just a matter of interest. She didn't want to make excuses for what Bianca had been doing, and she didn't want to understand that she was a poor girl.
But now, for the first time, Sauveur sympathized with Bianca.
Compared to Bianca's proactive approach, Zachary's attitude seemed lukewarm, which annoyed him even more. Now is not the time to hesitate. In this case, he has to mark her. To push the back of that stupid count, who only needs to seal his marriage contract, Sauveur added Zachary as if to mock him.
"And sleep doesn't mean a baby will be born right away, does it?" I'm not asking you to have kids right away, I'm just asking you to do it first.
—……..
“The lady is seventeen this year. After all, they will have to join when she is eighteen. Even if it's a year before, no one will say anything. They have been married ten years.
“…At that age, a year is enough.
“Oh my God, it's frustrating.
Zachary didn't move, and Sauveur pounded his chest and held his forehead. Vincent's face was also disastrous.
Desperate that none of their attempts worked despite persuading him with all their might, the two shook their heads as if there really was no solution.
Contrary to Sauveur and Vincent's fervent insistence on pushing Zachary into Bianca's room, Robert stared at them. Not knowing what to say, Robert opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
It was disconcerting because they didn't seem to be the people I knew.
When Sauveur approached Bianca, Robert thought he was crazy. However, when Vincent, who is called the unshakable reason of the territory, the last bastion and defensive wall, seemed favorable to Bianca, what he had believed until now he began to tremble. As if he couldn't read the atmosphere himself.
Robert, who still thought of Bianca as a selfish and arrogant lady, felt that he himself was being ostracized. Although Zachary insisted that he couldn't join Bianca, he didn't say that because he disliked her.
So Robert sat quietly in a corner, like a sack of barley, and Sauveur and Vincent opened their mouths once more, to persuade Zachary, burning with determination to see Arno's heir.
But in the end, Zachary's persistence could not be broken, and the events of the day seemed to come to an end without much meaning.
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