C8
Winter was fast approaching. The autumn leaves slowly faded, snow taking their place, blanketing the bare branches of the trees with white. It was also the return of Zachary and his men to Arno's castle.
Vincent managed to obtain a white fox fur cloak before the onset of winter. White foxes were not only difficult to catch, but also coveted by many for their beautiful white fur. They were not something he could buy himself by acting fast. One would need connections to hunters and traders to obtain one. As such, Vincent proved to be quite a capable butler for being able to acquire one so quickly.
The fact that Bianca requested such an item was not a simple act of indulging in luxury nor was it to confirm memories of her luxurious past. It was to compose herself and strengthen her resolve.
Running her fingers through the soft fur, Bianca closed her eyes. If she wanted to continue wearing these fine coats, to continue living in comfort, then she would have to offer something herself.
Bianca always expected to be given gifts when she was younger, but now she was someone who had been through many experiences that life had in store for her, and as a result, she realized that everything had a price.
What he had to do now was also, in its own way, a "price".
Wrapping the cloak around her shoulders, she turned to look out the window. Zachary and his men seemed to have entered the castle as he could only see the stable boys holding the reins of the horses.
She took several deep breaths. She couldn't believe that the time had finally come to face her husband. She couldn't forget the figure of him that she saw moments before, as if it was vividly etched in her mind. It was certainly a familiar face, but her memory of Zachary's face was hidden behind a cloud of mist, so seeing her youthful features suddenly emerge from the mist gave him a strong sense of unfamiliarity rather than surprise. euphoria.
When was the last time you saw Zachary?
It made sense that her memory was fuzzy, as it had been more than fifteen years ago. Bianca convinced herself that he was only expected to appear unknown.
Even though this was Zachary's first return to the castle in months, he probably wouldn't send someone for her or look for her himself. Bianca and Zachary's face-to-face encounters were merely coincidences resulting from the two being within the same radius as each other. The only other times were if there was a particular reason they needed to see each other, and for Zachary, coming back from the war didn't fall into that category.
Bianca left her room, understanding that she would only be able to see him if she went looking for him herself. Her legs trembled under her skirt, but she feigned composure, she straightened her back and raised her chin.
Noticing Bianca walking gracefully down the hall, the maids bowed their heads and stepped back to avoid her.
Bianca headed for the entry hall, hoping Zachary would be there. The closer she got, the louder the men's boisterous laughter.
It seemed that the Knights of Arno found the campaign this time to be anything but difficult, as their faces were brimming with victory and joy.
Their voices rose, chattering loudly about their accomplishments on the battlefield. The male servants' eyes filled with envy while the maids' cheeks turned pink as they peeked at the knights. The celebratory banquet hadn't started yet, but the lively atmosphere made it seem like it had already started.
At least, until Bianca showed up.
"So I grabbed the bastard's neck and wham!" I grabbed his neck firmly with both hands and shook…
—Sauveur.
Sauveur, one of the captains of the Knights of Arno, had saliva dripping from his mouth as he excitedly recounted his experience when another captain, Robert, suddenly stabbed him in the side.
Still in a state of euphoria, Sauveur narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Robert, only then did he realize that the atmosphere around the entrance hall had become calm.
-Hey? Uhh…
—…….
Robert's demeanor had turned subdued at some point, his chin tilted slightly toward the top of the stairs. Sauveur's wide eyes looked up only to discover that he was none other than the lady of the castle, Bianca. Despite being only 16 years old, he exuded a sense of elegance and dignity that could not be easily ignored.
But that was not the reason for the heavy silence that settled over the entrance hall. The reason everyone immediately held their breath as soon as they noticed Bianca, that was because...
"Ma'am, may I ask what led you to come to such a raucous place...?"
Robert asked, lowering his head. There was nothing to criticize in his perfect and polite posture, but there was a restlessness in his dark green eyes that resembled a dormant volcano that could erupt at any moment.
And he wasn't the only one. Hostility and reserve were present in the eyes of everyone in the entrance hall. In her eyes, Bianca was not only young and demanding, but she was the lady of the house who couldn't find anything to like.
Bianca knew it too. There were times when she felt hurt by her attitude in her past, but she pretended that she didn't mind and she just raised her nose higher than her, fearing that they would look down on her if she let it show. . At the present, however, she had more important things to worry about.
His eyes swept the entrance hall. Confirming that Zachary wasn't here, she looked for Vincent but found that he wasn't here either. Bianca sighed to herself before turning to Robert and asking.
"Where is the earl?"
“…She headed to her room.
-Is that so? For what reason?
"He said he wanted to take a bath."
-I understand.
With a sharp shake of her head, Bianca turned around. She thought that she would meet Zachary at the entrance. Her tense body relaxed immediately, but her heart continued to pound in her chest.
Everyone left in the entrance hall let out a synchronized sigh once Bianca disappeared. Sauveur, who had been the most talkative before the interruption, took several deep breaths as if he had been holding his breath throughout the exchange. Robert looked down the hall that Bianca had disappeared down and commented.
"Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?"
"What do you mean?" asked Sauveur.
-Hey? I'm just saying I was surprised to see Lady Arno come all the way here.
-If you're right. She has always stayed locked in her room, never showing any interest in what our lord is doing.
—……..
The calm and aloof Gaspard nodded his head in agreement.
Sauveur, Robert and the quiet Gaspard. The three captains of the Knights of Arno were like Zachary's hands and feet, so they couldn't get a good look at Bianca because of the way she treated her husband. Just thinking about how much her mistress was doing for her only to have an attitude of 'is this all you can do?' Instead of even a word of thanks, she made them seethe with anger.
But what was the point in that? The mistress of the house was Bianca, and even if they cursed her, she would only cause more harm to themselves. Sauveur sighed and shook his head, dismissing Bianca's sudden change in behavior as nothing.
“I don't know why she's being like this all of a sudden, but I'm sure she's just acting on a whim. It's none of our business.
"But if she does something unwarranted that will only get on the earl's nerves again…"
“Well, what can we do even if that's true? We can't do anything about it.
-Yes. Ah, our lord is also a problem. Why does he always listen and never answer anything every time the lady does that? She could get angry at least once.
"Oh please, do you really think I'd ever do that?" He is someone who doesn't even dare to raise his voice, too scared that his girlfriend 13 years younger than him might fly away due to a slight gust of wind.
"And I mean how much longer are we going to have to please that young bride?!"
Robert unconsciously raised his voice. Belatedly noticing the words that had left his mouth, he looked around him.
Fortunately, it seemed that Sauveur had already dismissed the servants, as none of them had heard Robert's dismissive comment. Robert calmed down and lowered his voice, but it seemed like his anger hadn't completely subsided as there were still sparks in his tone.
“I shouldn't have teased him by saying he looked like he was playing house with a very young bride when the Blancheforts' marriage proposal came through. He should have told her to find another mate instead of her.
"Don't say something ridiculous. There is no other family like the Blancheforts. Weren't you the one who mentioned that our lord was able to receive the current title from him more easily thanks to the support of the Blancheforts?
—……
Robert fell silent, remembering the words he himself had said. His face reddened as he was corrected by Sauveur, who was the most flippant and the most politically lacking of the three captains.
In fact, it was something Robert himself had said, but Sauveur couldn't understand why his companion was so nervous.
Robert was the third son of a baron, making him the only one of the three who was of noble birth. Naturally, he retained the empty formalities and manners of a nobleman, courteous to the ladies, and normally composed. When Robert was being himself, one would never have imagined that he would speak so harshly about Bianca, a noble lady and the wife of his lord.
However, he was Zachary's most loyal retainer. Sauveur and Gaspard also had a lot of loyalty to Zachary, to the point of giving their lives for him, but Robert's loyalty went further, it resembled something closer to devotion.
He was also the one who most outwardly expressed concern for Zachary. Not to mention that Robert had been the happiest when he heard the news that his mistress, who was still a baron at the time, had received an offer of marriage from Count Blanchefort. It was none other than him who commented that his master was being recognized, but it was also because of this that he was most unhappy with the outcome of Zachary and Bianca's relationship.
Sauveur scratched the back of his neck awkwardly when he noticed Robert's silence. He remembered Bianca's figure earlier and started to babble to change the subject.
“Come to think of it, the lady was wearing a white fox fur cloak that I've never seen before. She must have bought a new one. Incredible.
“…It is improper for us to complain about something that the Lord has allowed himself. In addition, our territory is not so poor as to suffer from the purchase of a single layer.
Robert, having finally come to his senses, intervened.
Sauveur breathed a sigh of relief to himself, but continued to mutter to maintain his current change of mood.
"It's not a problem of money, but a problem of sincerity and consideration." I wonder if our lady knows that while she was in the clouds with her new fox fur, her husband was risking her life in front of her.
“She is indeed someone who spends a lot of money.
Instead of closing Sauveur's mouth again, Robert nodded. Gaspard, who was more reserved, frowned as if he was worried about his attitude. But since he wasn't good with words, he couldn't stop them and remained silent.
No comments:
Post a Comment