C86
As soon as the speaker's shout ended, Zachary majestically appeared on a black horse.
The sun glinted off silver armor etched with molten gold, and the black surcoat he wore billowed elegantly in the wind. On top of the helmet was a sculpture of a wolf with its mouth open as if it was going to run out and bite the opponent at any moment.
The spectators held their breath and watched Zachary's every move, as if they were going to the temple.
Fernand alternated several times between Zachary and Bianca. Bianca said that it was her husband's turn, and the last of the tournament was the Earl of Arno. That means Bianca's husband is the Count of Arno. Fernand opened his mouth in disbelief.
When having a fiery romance with a noblewoman, there are risks involved.
Among the nobility, court dates, in which both husband and wife have mistresses, are in vogue, but not everyone agreed with the trend.
Honest husbands often couldn't even stand it when gentlemen praised their wives.
In fact, he burns his lust for women and enjoys them to the fullest. But if ever the husband finds out that his wife is having fun with another man, he will swing a club at his wife, and also at his mistress. If the man he was dealing with was a mere minstrel, the club became the hilt of an axe.
There were also dangerous moments for Fernand, and so far he has been living on a tightrope. However, if the opponent was Count Arno, he would pierce through Fernand's neck with precision, unlike the ax blades of obese nobles with a prominent belly. Fernand prayed fervently to himself that the Earl of Arno was not the "wild" type.
Fearful, Fernand slowly walked away from Bianca. Still, he forced a smile on her face, not giving up on her intention to make a good impression on her.
What a stupid look!
Bianca scoffed.
Judging by Fernand's emotions clearly revealed on his face, he seemed not to know Bianca's identity. If so, he may not have planned to approach her on someone's orders.
But that didn't mean she was relieved. Rather she was quite upset. She Thought that she was a hogu*like woman who could be seduced by anyone?
(T/N: 호구, it's an idiom. It refers to a person who is so foolish that everyone uses them for their own benefit.)
It was unexpected that Fernand would be afraid of Zachary, as he had openly come to Arno's estate in the past and seduced Bianca.
"That's good. I hope you don't even think of taking this opportunity to take a step towards me. ”
Bianca's lips twitched.
Fernand, ashamed of being ridiculed by the woman he had been seducing for a long time, blushed. He opened his mouth to apologize, but when he started the match, the space was filled with the thunder of hoofs and the cheers of the people, so he couldn't say anything.
* * *
Zachary stood at the tent entrance until Bianca's back disappeared. If it hadn't been for the scarf Bianca had tied around her forearm, he might have mistaken her visit for an illusion.
That's how hard it was to believe what happened just now.
As Zachary thought about what had just happened, one of the servants spoke to him cautiously.
—Count… You still have to finish preparing.
—…. Yes.
Only then did Zachary come to his senses.
He returned to the shop and carefully inspected the seams of the armor.
When a knight was fully armored, his armor and helmet weighed about the same as a sack of wheat. The weight wasn't light at all, but Zachary, who had worn the armor all his life, was used to it.
Fully armed, Zachary slowly put on the helmet the servant had given him. Light slowly filtered through the long, narrow space. Vision blocked, air uncomfortably stuffy, external stimulation limited, Zachary breathed deeply into the armor that separated him from the outside. His black eyes shone as blue as a wolf's in the dark.
Originally, Zachary rarely entered tournaments. Because he didn't think he was at the level to participate. He was busy wandering around the battlefield.
However, this time, there was subtle friction with the other party to the compromise, the Kingdom of Castile, and because of that, King Sevran, who thought he couldn't lose the tournament, called Zachary and asked him for a special favor.
The king asked her for a favor, and at the same time Bianca had come to the capital.
Zachary didn't know much about the social world, but he did at least know that the act of a lover or husband entering a tournament and handing out roses is highly enviable. If he wins and the others treat Bianca favorably, Zachary would be willing to enter tournaments again and again.
Even at that moment, Zachary only had the lukewarm thought that he had to deal with the things he was ordered to do. Of course, he had never had anything to do with the extravagant feeling of inattention, and that was the case in tournaments as well. In the first place, he had no intention or reason to lose, so Zachary's victory was almost certain.
Bianca didn't have to come see him. Participating in the tournament was entirely Zachary's choice, and he just had to do what he wanted to do.
But Bianca came to visit Zachary.
He walked to the stadium to watch his game, and from there, he went further and approached Zachary and handed him a tissue. Zachary couldn't believe the situation, since he had never thought about getting a tissue.
The scarf looked white and fragile, like Bianca.
Even Bianca, didn't she say she did it herself?
The fact that Bianca had done such a troublesome job for Zachary left him powerless. Zachary clenched his fists impatiently wanting to somehow convey this overwhelming feeling to Bianca.
What enveloped Zachary now was the fighting spirit that forced him to win. It was a drive more intense than any other difficult war he had faced.
“I should thank the king for asking me to come to the tournament.
If it hadn't been for the tournament, Bianca wouldn't have given him a handkerchief. The tip of Zachary's lips, which was covered by the helmet, twitched and lifted. His pounding heart fluttered like he was about to explode. Even the slightest stimulation seemed to override it. Zachary pulled hard on the reins to stay focused.
-Count. Now it's his turn.
-Yes.
Zachary left the store. Five or six servants clung to him and served him. Two servants raised Zachary's ebony-black spear. It was so heavy that they even tripped several times in the process.
Zachary's black warhorse snorted. Zachary jumped on the horse and looked directly at the stadium in the distance. Just imagining the figure of Bianca waiting for him there made his throat go dry.
“What kind of expression is Bianca making while waiting for me? Come to think of it, she kept worrying that she might hurt me. Is she still anxious?
Will she find herself leaning forward at an angle, and with a flickering gaze... Or will she try to remain impassive as if she doesn't care as usual?
This last one was a bit more like Bianca.
Zachary rubbed the corners of his mouth and a smile leaked out. The smile that even he didn't notice was covered by the helmet, so no one could see it.
Already on the horse, Zachary positioned himself at the end of the arena. The previous match was Jacob's match.
To be honest, he was a bit surprised to hear that Jacob would be participating in the tournament. No matter how good he was at martial arts, there was nothing he could do against Zachary, and history said he would inevitably lose, so he couldn't believe that "that" proud prince had gotten into a battle he could lose.
"What is your plan?"
Still, she couldn't figure out what he was up to.
Then, as Zachary watched Jacob with a watchful eye, the opponent cast a refrain.
It seemed that the knight was not brave enough to show off his skills against the royal family. The victorious Jacob led his horse towards the stands.
And the person to whom he gave the rose….
Zachary's face twitched and his mouth twisted. Jacob's horse stopped in front of Bianca. He spoke to Bianca for a moment, then handed the rose in her hand.
Zachary's quick eyes caught Bianca's face covered in discomfort, but that didn't comfort him.
This is not the first time that Jacob has played a trick on Bianca. Her body went cold as if Zachary's blood had drained from her body at once.
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