C7
"Where is the earl?"
Vincent's features changed strangely when he heard Bianca suddenly ask for the earl's whereabouts. He was already well aware of how little interest Bianca had in Zachary, but this was too much.
"...Lord Arno went on campaign, remember?"
Vincent responded, disapproval evident in his tone.
It is not surprising. Bianca had been causing a stir for the past few days until she finally accepted the fact that she had returned to the past. She found it odd that Zachary hadn't made a single appearance, since he would surely have come to see her at least once despite how insensitive their relationship was.
Bianca felt a great sense of relief to hear that he was currently out. Although she had already strengthened her resolve, she would gladly welcome the extra time to prepare herself mentally. She swallowed a sigh of relief that she didn't have to face Zachary yet.
She feigned nonchalance and responded casually.
"Is that so?" When is he expected to return?
"Based on our last correspondence, you said you estimate to be back around the beginning of winter."
-Hmm.
Bianca nodded her head slowly and looked away from the window. The turn of her neck reflected a noble elegance as well as the degree of her indifference towards Zachary. Irritated by such behavior, Vincent's expression crinkled, looking as if he had tasted something acrid.
Vincent was a man in his forties and was known to have had a long relationship with Zachary, dating back to when they were both under the Hugues family, before Zachary received his baronial title. As Zachary's oldest vassal, Vincent's loyalty was unmatched, and as the castle's steward, he too frequently butted heads with Bianca.
There were many in the castle who were unhappy with Bianca and disliked her, but it was none other than Vincent who was at the top of that list. He probably cursed Bianca more than the maids who had crushes on Zachary. Besides, Vincent didn't even bother to hide her distaste for her, possibly because he was sure he wouldn't get kicked out even if Bianca ratted him out in front of Zachary.
However, when it came to being a butler, Vincent was excellent. His hostile attitude was just out of spite. He made an effort to grant everything that Bianca, the lady of the house, wanted for the most part. There was nothing in his actions to criticize or identify as negligent.
So Bianca brushed off his brash behavior, content with the fact that Vincent knew his place and never stepped out of line. Either way, it wasn't like she coveted strong loyalty from her servants. Bianca was quite lenient towards those who weren't lazy, did their job properly, and weren't thieves trying to steal her master's possessions...
Of course, that was Bianca's opinion and hers alone. All of Arno's castle servants stayed away from her, although it was unclear why, as she was not a particularly evil teacher.
Well, even so, Bianca had no desire to try to find out the reason and fix it in this life. She had regrets from her previous life of hers, but they only pertained to certain important points in time. She had no reason or need to become particularly nice. It wasn't like she asked for such a miracle to become a new person.
Although she had fallen from grace in such a miserable way, it didn't change the fact that she was a lousy wife who could only think of the humiliation of being cast out instead of mourning her husband's death. Instead of promising to love her husband if he was given a second chance at her life, she was a woman burning with determination to get revenge on Fernand. That was the kind of person Bianca was. Saying goodbye to her old self and taking revenge on the people who had brought despair to her past life was the scope of her purpose. Her reputation or her relationship with others were not very important.
Looking at Bianca, who was looking out the window lost in her own thoughts, Vincent asked in a stiff tone.
"Is there something you need from me?"
-No, not really.
Blanche shook her head. She no longer needed him, since he had answered the only question that caused her curiosity. But something came to her mind just as she was about to fire him from her.
“Oh, right. It will be quite cold this winter, so prepare me a cloak made of fox fur. A white would be better.
-… I understand.
Vincent frowned, an expression that seemed to be saying "I should have known." Bianca always asked for new fur coats even though she already had several. She was alarming how she was spending money on luxurious products like it was a normal day even though her husband was on the battlefield.
The young lady of the house was known for her extravagance. She had grown up as a precious child of the Blanchefort family, so there was nothing that she could not have obtained with money. After all, the dowry paid by the Blancheforts had been enormous.
Although a dowry was a wedding contribution by the bride's family, it was customary to return to the bride an amount greater than the original dowry if her husband died prematurely and she was widowed. Then, after her husband's death, the bride would walk away with double the original dowry and she would either remarry or live alone.
Thus, the bride's family would try to prepare a dowry that reflected how much they wanted her, while the groom's side would welcome the sudden increase in funds.
But the amount proposed by Blanchefort had been too great. It was an amount that approached the two-year budget for the Arno territory, so in case Zachary died in the war, most of the Arno assets would go to the Blancheforts. As a result, Zachary had no choice but to bear the embarrassment of imploring them to adjust the amount.
And so, the bride who had arrived was a typical young woman of noble birth, wrapped in grace and arrogance. A lady who preferred jewelery and fox fur to playing house despite her young age. She only conversed with her nanny, whom she had brought from the Blanchefort estate, and she refrained from exchanging words with the other servants unless absolutely necessary.
The servants watched as Bianca drew the line, almost as if she, the precious daughter of an earl, had no desire to mingle with those of such humble birth. Bianca's gaze also played a part in making the servants feel that way.
At first glance, the Blancheforts' characteristic green eyes seemed to be filled with warmth that resembled spring flowers, but a proper glance made one see that their eyes were actually as cold as ice.
They were so icy cold that weak-minded servants were already walking on eggshells around Bianca when she was only 7 years old, while those who were strong-minded snorted defiance. Vincent had a hard time trying to calm down the stubborn people who complained about her.
And the lord of the castle, Zachary of Arno, was no exception to Bianca's icy gaze.
Zachary was the son of a lowly viscount and at the time of his marriage to Bianca, he had only been a baron. He couldn't inherit his father's territory or title from him, since he was born as the second son, so he was left with only two options: the path of a religious brother or the path of a knight. He had chosen the path of a knight without hesitation, he set out for his first war at the age of 16 and ultimately made significant contributions. Then, at the age of 20, Zachary had received the title of baron along with the territory of Arno, making his name known.
Even so, it was still incomparable to the prestige of the Blanchefort family. Zachary himself did not understand why Count Blanchefort had offered him his daughter's hand in marriage.
How good would it have been if the earl had conveyed his important answer through his daughter? Unfortunately, it seemed that 7-year-old Bianca had no idea. She just continued to mutter as if she was unhappy and avoiding her husband.
Zachary had gone to great lengths to try to accommodate her, trying to eat together and buying her the things she liked...
But due to his rigid features and harsh tone, it didn't seem to have a positive effect. Still, he had been doing his best, and as such, there was no reason for his wife to ignore him and essentially give him a cold wind-like reception.
Vincent had the impression that Bianca was pushing Zachary away because inwardly she despised his title and his blood. He was infuriated by the belief that her lord, who lacked nothing, was being looked down upon by a young woman who had nothing to boast of but the fact that she was born into a renowned family.
However, because his teacher, Zachary, overlooked Bianca's behavior, there wasn't much Vincent could do.
And so nine years passed. Bianca was no longer a child but a young woman, and she would soon be a woman. The consummation of the marriage they had been postponing due to Bianca's young age was nearing.
Since most of the nobles participated in arranged marriages, it was rare for there to be love between them. Many couples lived thinking about the contracts drawn up by their respective families, the attraction to each other when they shared a bed, and their son and heir who shared their blood.
An heir. Would it be better if there was an heir?
Since Zachary was a nobleman who had received his title through his achievements on the battlefield, he spent nearly half of his time on the front lines. As his lord's vassal and butler, Vincent was nervous that his lord frequented the war zones without even an heir.
That's why he had been begging Zachary to have an heir, but the latter ignored him with the only argument that Bianca was young.
But what was the result of that? The still childish countess called for white fox cloaks while her husband played out her life on the battlefield.
Vincent heaved a sigh. He decided that he would try to bring up the idea of an heir once Zachary returned this winter. The lady herself would surely mature if she gave birth to a child, she would need it.
Vincent clicked his tongue and left the room.
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