C71
One step away from them. She felt like a position dedicated to him.
You can't enter this line yet. You are not completely family….
Zachary hasn't slept with her yet. Therefore, it was impossible to say that they were a complete family, even though they had celebrated the wedding. In fact, didn't Bianca refuse to call him honey for that reason?
To Bianca, Zachary was the "Earl of Arno."
She was free now. Zachary respected that freedom. Because he was still seventeen years old.
Although the difference between seventeen and eighteen was not so marked as to be cut with a sharp knife, he thought it might be justified by the holy ceremony of coming of age.
He believed that it could be a marriage based on mutual respect and love, and not a marriage as a business object.
And freedom was synonymous with being filled with dangerous responsibilities. The only difference was that it was Zachary, not Bianca, who took responsibility for it. That was unavoidable. Because it was always the responsibility of the husband and the older man to take responsibility for the relationship.
So far, Bianca has been talking about a successor and there's a reason she keeps coming back despite Zachary's denial. Because she believed that Count Blanchefort would not accept her.
But not now. Count Blanchefort, who was shocked to see her daughter whom he hadn't seen in a long time, would listen to her gladly even if she said that she wanted to divorce Zachary. Even if he divorces her, it doesn't change the fact that Zachary is on the side of the first prince.
Ten years was enough time to understand a person's humanity, and Count Blanchefort fully understood what kind of person Zachary was...
Now Bianca can go to Blanchefort whenever she wants to come back. If she wanted to leave, Zachary had no reason to hold her back.
Afraid to admit that fact, Zachary's mouth went dry, his clenched fists trembled, and tendons protruded from the back of his hand.
What if Bianca really fell in love with someone else? Then I…
"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?
Before leaving for the capital, Sauveur's words spread like ripples through Zachary's mind. What he had walked away from then, just in case, was now just around the corner.
Feeling the alienation of being alone in a different place, Zachary fell into deep and confused thought. The noise from the reception room rang like a dull thud in his ears. He felt as if he had been removed and moved somewhere.
It was his own voice that slipped into the middle.
“She can't leave me. If I do better... There is no reason for her to leave me. She has served us well for 10 years.”
"Are you sure?"
“…….”
“There is no need to worry. There is a better way than to trust her. Just sleep with her. Then she will be completely subservient to you.”
"That is not allowed!!"
"Why not? She is your wife, and she wants to have your heir…. There is absolutely no reason not to. All you have to do is leave your humble pride. Mutual respect? Love marriage? If you're so sure about that, why are you so confused now?"
As if there was a demon in his head, all kinds of sweet and seductive words sounded in his ears. The ground shook like an earthquake. The slender and large body that was able to nimbly balance itself even on top of the fiercely swaying warhorse staggered in shock.
Zachary took a deep breath and tried to come to his senses. Bianca, who was looking through her blurry eyes, was crying at the sight of her father that she hadn't seen in a long time, and she seemed to shine alone in the dark….
Until now, he thought that he had to keep his mind steady by himself, but now he realized that he couldn't resist relying only on his self-control and patience.
Once anxiety and desire arose in his head, he found himself cornered by them from time to time. No matter how many times I tried to rip it out, he would reappear.
Zachary gritted his teeth.
“These are all the devil's whispers to confuse me… If I can't bear it now and sleep with her…. I'm sure I'll hurt her. I can be more patient. I am Zachary from Arno. It was the patience to endure pain and suffering that saved me from the hellish battlefield. That patience will save my life, and hers and my future too….”
At that moment, Bianca turned to him.
With tears stained cheeks, she smiled brightly.
Zachary tried to smile at Bianca. He pulled at her cheeks painfully but her mouth was stiff. Zachary didn't know what expression he was making. He just did his best to give her some relief, at least silently, pretending to smile.
* * *
After that day's meeting went well, Bianca began dining with the Blancheforts often.
Although they alternately visited the apartments of the Arno family and the Blanchefort family, most of the time, Bianca and Zachary headed to the Blanchefort apartments.
Since that first meeting in more than a decade, many things had changed.
Johaseng and Gustave were surprised to see Bianca's exacting taste, the small amount of food she ate, and how Sevran's hero cared about every item on the menu.
They were particularly surprised by Bianca's eating habits, because in their memory, Bianca was a girl who smiled happier than anyone when she received a chocolate cake after eating.
They couldn't believe how much Bianca ate, she ate the same as a little bird.
Zachary laughed bitterly. It was because Bianca's fussy taste was also a problem for him. She still doesn't feel completely well, so she should at least eat well…. But no matter how much he said that, Bianca wouldn't listen, so Zachary had no choice but to worry on his own.
After dinner, the conversation did not last long. It hadn't been that long since Bianca had recovered, so everyone quickly left their seats because of her lack of resistance.
Perhaps because she ate as much food as a baby bird, the three men acted as if Bianca were a baby chick.
Bianca and Zachary returned to their rooms. They weren't a couple who talked often, and Bianca wasn't the talkative type. Needless to say, Zachary was forceful.
But lately it's been really terrible.
When did Zachary's attitude strangely change?
Bianca was able to find the answer quickly. It was the day she met her father.
When she thinks about the slip of the tongue she made back then, her heart races. She is very happy that they have cleared up his misunderstanding. Now that he has her father's protection, he doesn't have to worry about Zachary making fun of her for her mistakes.
Anyway, it was after that that Zachary's attitude strangely changed.
Although he was originally a forceful man, he has recently taken a turn for the worse.
When he was with his father, he still showed a somewhat softened reaction, but when they were alone, it completely disappeared.
She never spoke to Bianca, and she seemed firm enough to repel any word Bianca might utter. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a dead silence that fell between them.
Still, she began to get nervous after reuniting with her family. Until now, she had pretended not to know and she ignored him, but after facing them like this, she couldn't overlook her deaths. Bianca's nervous system began to burn.
Johaseng died when he was 20 years old, in a war in the Algoth region, the border of Sevran. As the Algoth area was a key point for Sevran, they all fought the war to prevent it from being taken over by the Kingdom of Aragon. Perhaps Zachary also participated in the war. Because he is a man who never loses a battle.
The reason Bianca remembers the war particularly vividly is that not only her younger brother, but also Prince Gautier, died in that war. It was understandable that Gustave, who had lost both his successor and his teacher, put aside the lingering feelings of life.
So Bianca somehow had to make sure they didn't die in the war. It would be nice if Prince Gautier lived too, but in any case, Gustave would not give up in vain if he saved Johaseng. Gustave was a prestigious nobleman. If he survives, he will be of great help to Bianca...
No. No. Bianca simply wanted her father and brother to survive.
Anyway, Bianca's head was burning because she was worried about her family dying.
In such a situation, her husband, Zachary, instead of helping her, seemed upset and moody for unknown reasons.
Just as Bianca and Zachary walked down the hall in awkward silence, they ran into a stranger on the other side.
Darkness descended, and only the light of the moon and torches illuminated the corridor. The person coming from the other side was getting closer and closer. It wasn't until he was close that they knew who the opponent was.
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