C93
—May the eternal sun dwell in the bright rose of Sevran.
Zachary exchanged reverent greetings and received a box containing a golden rose. Zachary handed the helmet to Robert, who was next to him, and immediately got on the horse with only the rose out of the box. It was the moment when the flower of the tournament, the winner's golden rose, would be given to the woman he loved.
The woman who would receive the rose was determined. Everyone in the arena turned to Bianca. But Bianca didn't have the luxury of worrying about other people's looks. In a world where the edges of her vision were all tinted white, only Zachary could see clearly. Beside her, Sauveur spoke, but he could not understand it, as if it were the buzz of a bee.
"What kind of expression should I make right now?"
Bianca's cheeks crinkled awkwardly as she wondered whether or not to smile. How she was very nervous about Zachary's match, her complexion must be pale. She wouldn't be a very pretty face.
Bianca struggled to control her expression, but she couldn't seem to connect with it, so she couldn't determine if her expression was what she wanted it to be or not. She maybe she looks ugly. Bianca's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Wouldn't she look duller compared to the bright blonde women around her? She gloomy, dark…. Things that didn't bother him before began to bother him.
Meanwhile, Zachary got closer and closer. He was so close that he could even see the beads of sweat on the silver hair that was spread over his forehead.
Swallowing hard, Bianca got up and walked over to the railing of the platform. She had received a rose from Zachary before, but the tension was different than now.
Zachary reached over and pulled down the lace scarf that hung from his sleeve. As the white scarf swayed in the air, the eyes of all the women present fell on the scarf. It was something new that they had never seen before. The women whispered to each other wondering what it was.
They were more envious of that lace handkerchief than they were of the victory rose Bianca would receive from Zachary.
Zachary took the stem of the golden rose with the handkerchief and handed it to Bianca. Bianca's hand shook as she took the golden rose.
Zachary looked at Bianca with a deep gaze. Bianca's heart raced hard at the gaze as calm and still as a lake in the dark.
“Thanks to your protection I was able to win.
“… Sauveur said that it is only natural that the Count should win.
His throat was blocked and his voice sounded hoarse. No, why does he have to make such a dragging sound? She didn't want to look bad.
Bianca, embarrassed, added hastily.
“Thanks to the Earl's victory, I can enjoy this honor.
“It's an honor that wouldn't have happened without you in the first place.
Saying that, the corners of Zachary's lips rose in an arc. Bianca was speechless, taken aback by the deep smile she saw for the first time. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say or how to say it.
Zachary's curved eyes and upturned lips were a miss. Bianca and Zachary were normally unsmiling and very blunt. However, unlike Bianca's awkward and nervous smile, Zachary's smile was natural, and even the sunlight shining behind it made it seem holy at first glance.
Bianca's heart began to beat violently.
Thanks to the cries of the people around her, she didn't have to worry that she could hear her heartbeat, so luckily, she was the only one to hear that her heartbeat was strong. As if they were crying out for something….
Bianca has tried to pretend not to know. Telling herself that she wasn't in love with him, she had only grown fond of him… But it hurts when you realize the truth.
They were all lies. The moment the radiant glory shone down on her, Bianca admitted that she had fooled herself. In the end, that fact broke Bianca's heart.
“I can't let him die. I love him….
Yes, I am in love with him.”
Bianca feared that she would be prematurely convinced that Zachary loved her, but she couldn't control her own heart.
Do not trust him, do not allow yourself to feel the pain of being betrayed by him. But it's funny that she made the first move when she tried to stay away from her.
When she realized that she liked Zachary, she forgot how she had been able to stand so calmly in front of him until now.
The tension made Bianca's mouth go dry. Zachary, unaware of the rush of emotions running through Bianca's mind, murmured as he fiddled with her reins.
“It's all thanks to you. Thanks.
"...If you're so grateful, why don't you give me a thank you kiss?"
Bianca winced at the sight of Zachary repeatedly expressing his gratitude. Still, she didn't have the courage to meet his eyes, so she looked away from her.
He asked for a kiss, but to Bianca, that was just a word. Not unlike asking for a successor. So she didn't even expect Zachary to actually kiss her.
Would a man who doesn't even sleep with her kiss her in front of others?
She said it without much expectation, but Bianca's face turned redder than usual, perhaps because it was just after realizing her feelings.
She can't remember or feel the last time she kissed Zachary in her previous life.
At that moment, Zachary reached out and cupped Bianca's cheek. A rough sensation brushed her soft cheeks. The smell of leather and iron pierced his nose.
Before Bianca, taken aback by the sudden contact, tried to say anything, Zachary opened his mouth first.
"If you wish so."
-…what?
As soon as he said that, Zachary's body on the horse leaned towards Bianca with the railing of the platform in the middle.
Panicking, Bianca tried to step back, but Zachary's hand pinned her behind her head. The grip was so strong that Bianca couldn't move.
“Wait… hng…
The words he was about to say were swallowed by Zachary's lips and disappeared. Bianca widened her eyes and tried to understand the situation, but no matter how much she shook her head at her, she couldn't understand. What the hell was it that hit that solid iron wall to make him change his mind?
Zachary's kiss was like himself. Forceful, with actions over words and frank… but at the same time, delicate in a strange way.
The stadium fell silent, as if it had been splashed with water. But Bianca couldn't afford to worry about that. The lips that fell and touched again and again were hot, as if the heat from the last game still remained.
He could feel a lingering obsession as he tangled his tongue, as if he didn't want to let her go. Bianca tried to think rationally, but her head felt numb.
After a while, Zachary's lips slowly pulled away. But not completely. Zachary pressed his lower lip against Bianca's and took a deep breath. His eyes fluttered with unfamiliar complex emotions. Then, as Zachary slowly backed away from Bianca, the emotions in his eyes disappeared.
As their kiss ended, cheers from the audience, who had been holding their breath as they watched the young earl couple, echoed through the stadium.
The Count and his wife, the war hero who won the tournament. It must have seemed like the romance of the century.
While most people looked at them with curiosity and mild interest, Robert, who knew what the couple was like, gaped and Sauveur nodded with a smirk as if he had done well.
Meanwhile, Jacob's face distorted like a shield shattered by a spear. He watched them horribly through bloodshot eyes, but Bianca and Zachary couldn't afford to worry about him.
Amidst the deafening cheers, after holding her breath for a moment, Bianca pushed her chest with a flushed face and quickly shot a small whisper at him.
"I-I was kidding…!" In a place full of all these people, how…?!
"Were you kidding me?"
Zachary asked, eyes widening.
He seemed really naive because he seemed clueless.
She couldn't believe that this man with childish eyes had kissed her so tenaciously until just now.
Bianca blushed and bit her lower lip. She could feel her lips slightly swollen with the tips of her teeth.
As if it was a lie that he had smiled so brightly before, Zachary returned to his usual expression.
As Bianca fanned and cooled her burning face, Zachary was silent as if in thought. The silence didn't last long. Having quickly made up his mind, he said resolutely.
“What you said back then, is it still valid?
"W-what do you mean?"
"I mean wanting to have my successor."
"Of course, but...
Bianca answered the question abruptly. Her head was saturated with the kiss. Meanwhile, is it still valid? Successor? Bianca stared at Zachary.
Zachary looked at Bianca too, then leaned over and whispered softly in her ear.
“Tonight, I will visit you.
-What?
Bianca questioned the still incomprehensible words, but Zachary walked away from her without giving an answer, leaving only a faint smile.
Keeping his balance on the horse, he pulled back on the reins and spurred lightly, and Zachary's black horse soon moved away from Bianca.
Bianca was left alone, but Zachary's warmth on her lips, and the scent of leather and iron still lingered on the tip of her nose. Bianca stared at Zachary's back and unconsciously brought the golden rose he had given her to her lips. Her cold touch cooled her burning lips, but not her heart.
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