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It was as if her bright blue black eyes were laughing at him like he was stupid. Jacob ached inside, but fought to calm his mind. His pride was hurt by the fact that he was provoked by the person he was trying to provoke. Jacob straightened his lips and smiled once more. However, the smile of his that made his cheeks tremble was not as confident as before.
“Well, it's to my advantage if his weaknesses are exposed even if he's afflicted with the wrong emotions.
“…The prince is too talkative for a gentleman. Maybe it's because he doesn't have enough experience to be a knight.
It was unfamiliar for Zachary to be sarcastic, so Jacob and Robert's jaws dropped. Zachary was always the kind of person who showed actions instead of words, and for that reason, how difficult was it for Robert and the other vassals to read his intentions from the slightest amount of comments?
Jacob later realized that Zachary had quoted his earlier words to Robert. Jacob's face twitched.
Even after giving Jacob a chance, Zachary's face remained unchanged. Zachary blinked and looked at Jacob. His voice was as calm as a whisper in his ear, but at least as clear as Jacob's.
"No faith, no thought, no resentment." The knight speaks only with the tip of his spear.
Yes, the gentleman must show everything in actions. It was the same with love. Zachary had no talent for speaking elegantly with poison on the tip of his tongue, nor for expressing himself sweetly as if he were dipped in honey. He just does everything he can for her.
There was no point in arguing with Jacob. Zachary drove straight into the arena. Quickly realizing the situation, Robert smiled and narrowed his eyes at Jacob, then picked up the spear and followed Zachary.
Jacob's face hardened.
Unlike his characteristic soft demeanor, the expression on his face was unusually serious. He was frustrated because nothing went right. Most annoying of all, the chances of him defeating Zachary in the next match were slim to none.
Of course, he knew from the beginning that he would be defeated by Zachary, but immediately after hearing what Zachary said, he became even more excited.
There were many reasons why Jacob had to participate in the tournament.
To show himself in front of his father and try to create a positive image, and to give Bianca a rose to implicitly confess his feelings...
Having reached the semi-finals, the intention to appeal to the king was fully realized, and the king also seemed delighted with his performance. But Bianca didn't like her rose very much. She maybe she was shy, she thought. From what she observed of her, she doesn't seem to have the kind of personality that would visibly welcome a stranger's approach.
Still, there is no tree that does not fall after receiving ten blows. Even if he loses today, there is still the banquet….
Once you get close enough to her in the tournament, you can cut down the tree even at the banquet. If he knocks her down like this, he can pay for today's humiliation...
After staring at Zachary for a long time, Jacob spurred his horse on while gritting his teeth. The eyes
mischievous blues shone deeply.
* * *
The results of the match between Zachary and Jacob were disastrous. He maybe he forgot that his opponent was a prince, because Zachary knocked Jacob to the ground. It was such a conspicuous loss that he didn't even need to play twice.
No matter how much less he cares than Gautier, Jacob is also the king's son.
The fact that his son had been teased made the king feel a bit uncomfortable. It was an act of dropping not only his son's face, but also his own face. If Zachary had thought about the king's face, he would have won moderately….
The king groaned disapprovingly and clicked his tongue.
Gautier, who was by the king's side, quickly noticed the king's uncomfortable feelings. Gautier sided with Zachary as if to appease the king.
“As expected, Count Arno is a great knight. With him, the match against Castilla will not be lost.
"But did he really need to throw it like that?" Jacob is also a prince. Looking down on the royal family is no different from looking down on me.
"It's a gentleman's fight." Rather, the reason Count Arno did such a thing was because Count Arno recognized Jacob. It's because wild beasts often chase their opponents to finish them off.
-Hmm….
The king groaned pitifully. Gautier's words were plausible, but he couldn't put aside his sadness right away. Gautier repeatedly defended Zachary.
"Don't you already know how loyal Count Arno is?" If requested by my royal father, he will go out and bring victory on any battlefield no matter how difficult.
-Correct. That's right… This time he joined because I ordered him to participate, since he's not really interested in tournaments or anything like that. He even won. Count Arno takes care of his people.
-That's how it is. He is the faithful vassal of my father.
As the cherishing eldest son sweetened his words, his bad feelings dissipated. The persuaded king smiled brightly, and the sharp atmosphere was destroyed in an instant.
The victorious Zachary approached Bianca. Sauveur smiled again and again and slowly walked away. Zachary, who looked closely at Bianca, said concerned.
-You look tired.
“It's because I tossed and turned in bed yesterday.
-How?
-…I had a nightmare.
Bianca answered with difficulty. Due to the arrow that flew from somewhere, it seemed like the Zachary in front of her would be shot down at any moment.
It was a meaningless dream. Although she received the news that Zachary was killed by an arrow, Bianca did not know if it was true. Because the body was not identified. She wished she had paid him a little more attention at the time.
Bianca fought to hide her anxiety with a smile.
“I must have been anxious.
Although it wasn't a lie, it felt like a lie. There must have been a lot of questionable answers, but Zachary didn't ask. Instead, he handed her a rose and commented lightly.
“I'll be back soon after I win, so please be patient.
Saying that, Zachary turned the horse's head before Bianca could extend the hand that had received the rose. Bianca stared at her back. She worries about me? Or is that what I want to believe?
Compared to the kindness that ordinary people talk about, Zachary's kindness felt like a lot had been left out. A soft voice, a friendly attitude and a bright smile. Until Bianca came back, she didn't even realize that Zachary was favoring her.
It was only when he grew older and looked around more widely and wisely that he realized his sincerity. Her friendly attitude of hers, hidden behind her words, was it poison or honey for her…?
He could see a little wider than before the return, but that didn't mean he could see further. Accumulated prejudice. The reality difficult to know. Afraid that she didn't know if Zachary's blunt kindness would be positive or negative for her future, she sat with her eyes closed and her ears covered.
When you step on it, where is the certainty that you won't fall off a cliff?
Instead of curiosity about the unknown future, he felt fear. He was too pessimistic and hopeless to be accepted at the age of 16.
Other than that, time passed.
The final match was about to begin.
All the women caught up in the excitement of the battle raised their voices and called out Zachary's name.
Bianca's mood quickly cooled at the high-pitched, high-pitched buzzing that chanted her husband's name.
The cheers were so great that Sauveur, who was at his side, said.
"As expected of our Earl." He is very popular.
—……..
“But he doesn't even care about the people around him. He is too inflexible.
Sauveur clucked his tongue. Despite the noise, Zachary was calm. Maybe it's because the noise around him is coming from voices that have nothing to do with him. But if Bianca were to call out Zachary's name here… Sauveur smiled and whispered softly.
"Did you know, ma'am?" I think it was two years ago…? At that time we ask the Count to have a mistress and get some comfort. The Count was at his best and the lady was young...
And petty. The words Sauveur swallowed sounded as if they had come from his mouth.
Bianca was not surprised by Sauveur's sudden comment. Didn't Bianca also assume that Zachary had a mistress? However, she was curious to know what Sauveur meant by saying this.
What Sauveur said must have been quite refined. Even Bianca thought that she was too hard on Zachary in the past.
…too hard? When did she start to think that way?
Bianca had screwed up enough, but she wasn't the type to regret what she'd screwed up. Even after she returned, didn't she regret being cheated on by Viscount Huegh and Fernand instead of becoming a proper wife for Zachary?
Bianca's insides shook like a ship in a storm, but other than that, she seemed calm on the outside. As if staying in the eye of a typhoon was calm.
Sauveur laughed bitterly at Bianca's attitude.
“She's not even surprised. Is it because she expected it or maybe not…?
—…….
“…Well, anyway… The Earl refused our offer. And then he scolded me to stop talking nonsense. At that time, the Earl was really cruel. I felt that he preferred to return to the battlefield.
The fact that Zachary didn't have a mistress she had already heard from him. However, it was surprising that he didn't do it even though the people around him had requested it.
As soon as he heard that story, he felt a lump drop from his chest. The damn feeling didn't leave her heart.
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