A Marriage of Convenience /The Marriage Business

Ch.31

"I don't enjoy myself in the capital, but you'll have some fun. Oh, that doesn't mean it's not fun being with you..."

Zachary, who seemed to have lost his composure, was sweating profusely and uttering nonsensical words. He said he would stay at Prince Gautier's palace when he went to the capital, that it was hotter in the capital than in Arno, so he would have to wear finer clothes, and so on. Those were useless words that didn't need to be said now.

Bianca continued listening to him silently, but involuntarily tilted her head. He was a man who always had a purpose and spoke only the necessary words. Even if it sounded like an idle comment at first glance, she thought it might mean something. But the more she listened, the less she could understand what he was trying to say.

Bianca wasn't the best at managing her facial expressions. Gradually, subtle wrinkles began to form between Bianca's forehead, and her straight eyebrows hardened. Her discomfort was immediately revealed on her face. Zachary, who had been stuttering and uttering strange words, finally realized what he was saying.

Closing his mouth, he opened his mouth several times, then calmly shook his head with a groan.

"...have a good night. Then I'll just leave."

As if bidding farewell, Zachary turned around and hurried away. His steps were quick.

Bianca, who had been pondering over the words Zachary had thrown at her like gravel, noticed his departure a moment later. Bianca wasn't nimble enough to figure out why Zachary was doing this, but she instinctively knew she shouldn't let him go like that.

Bianca called out to Zachary.

"Darling."

Upon Bianca's call, Zachary's body froze. Bianca paused for a moment at the uncomfortable buzzing around the tip of her tongue. Darling. Had she ever called him so intimately before her return?

Bianca thought twice about the name she had unintentionally called. Dar... ling. Darling. It still felt unfamiliar. Suppressing the desire to touch her lips with the tip of her fingers, Bianca gathered the courage to express her gratitude.

"Thank you so much for taking me to the capital."

It was her sincerity to say thank you.

Until now, even if she had something to be grateful for, she didn't acknowledge it or say it out loud. Back then, somehow, it felt like she was losing. It was a feeling of recognizing that her worth was only at the level of being content with that. So, proudly, Bianca always held her head high, as if playing a tug of war with Zachary, with her mouth shut and her head turned sharply.

Now she knew it was a futile struggle.

She doesn't know why Zachary is doing this, but she was sure he wasn't rejecting her. Even when she met him after her return, she was surprised because his kindness, which she had never expected, still felt unreal.

Still, this opportunity couldn't be wasted. Now that this has happened, wouldn't it be better to pour the weight of her heart with a firm affection?

Bianca looked down at the floor for a moment, then lifted her gaze slightly to look at Zachary. It seemed like he had been slapped on the head with a hammer, as if he couldn't believe it. Bianca rolled her eyes.

Her long, voluminous lashes cast shadows, and the round line from her cheek to the tip of her chin shone like a crescent moon. Her fair skin was as white as snow reflecting moonlight, and between her pale pink lips, her white, well-kept teeth peeked out.

A bright smile appeared on her face.

Bianca thought Zachary would smile too. At least awkwardly. Or tremulously. However, Zachary took a step back with a look as if he had seen something he couldn't bear, then added the word "goodnight" and left the room as if fleeing. It was as if he couldn't be in this room anymore.

After Zachary left, Bianca, who was left alone in the room, hardened her face at his unfamiliar attitude. The bright smile scattered and vanished like a weathered stone wall. The fingertips of Bianca gently touched the tip of her mouth. The fingertips brushing against her soft cheeks trembled.

So, her smile... was it strange? Was it so monstrous? She has never heard anything about being ugly... Bianca stared at the door that Zachary had left with a perplexed look on her face.

Oh, he doesn't want to see me smile.

Bianca, who had no choice but to think that way, promised herself not to laugh in front of Zachary as much as possible from now on.

----

It snowed all night. Soft snow covered the world in white. On days when it was difficult to move due to snow piled up to their calves, villagers often came to the lord to complain about their difficulties.

Those who came with things like deer or rabbits on their shoulders spoke of small disputes in the village, and those who came empty-handed tried to borrow food with sad stories. Everyone bowed their heads and looked at Zachary.

It is the duty of the lord to listen to them, no matter how trivial. Zachary attended to the permanent residents from the morning to try and differentiate between right and wrong with fair eyes. Since he had a lot of work today, Zachary could only free himself after the morning had passed.

Zachary shrugged his shoulders widely, as if to relieve the stiff muscles in his back. Vincent served Zachary a hot drink with lemon, cinnamon, and rosemary.

"You've worked hard. You could have postponed non-urgent work until tomorrow."

"As a lord who often goes away, it's good to work when I can. Besides, they also have work, so I can't waste their time by making them come twice."

Zachary swallowed the drink and let out a deep sigh at the warmth filling his lungs.

It has been three days since he returned to the castle, but Zachary still didn't seem accustomed to his property. It feels like just yesterday when he was still spreading out maps and discussing where to build a camp in a tent on the battlefield, but now he can work peacefully without worrying about arrows flying from behind. He can even be served with a hot cup.

And above all, in the castle...

Zachary, who was overwhelmed with work, asked as if he had suddenly remembered.

"What about Bianca?"

"The same as yesterday. She took Sir Gaspard and her handmaiden for a walk."

"By her handmaiden, you mean..."

"Yvonne is her handmaiden."

Zachary frowned.

It seems that she will definitely be her handmaiden, but when did she become her handmaiden? He still couldn't believe that Bianca had someone besides her deceased nanny. Because she doesn't like being with anyone.

Although Gaspard was somewhat of a forced escort by Zachary, who was concerned about her walking alone, he couldn't see why she had Yvonne by her side.

He wondered if Vincent knew, so Zachary implicitly asked. However, Vincent shook his head as if he didn't know, saying that he had been relatively neglectful of Madam since he had focused on welcoming Zachary back after a long time.

If Vincent doesn't know, it's inevitable. Yvonne did nothing wrong, and he couldn't blame Vincent. It would be better to ask them how they got close, but it wasn't too important of a matter to ask.

Zachary chuckled and asked about Bianca's daily life as usual.

"What about her meals?"

"For breakfast, she had three olives."

"She still eats very little."

"Because she says she has no appetite during breakfast."

"I see."

Zachary's tightly closed mouth twisted with displeasure. Zachary wasn't a glutton, but as a knight, he tended to take care of every meal. Even in the morning, he would fill his stomach with two loaves of bread, three strips of bacon, and two eggs.

No matter how slim and light Bianca's body was, he couldn't understand how she could move after eating so little. Still, telling her to eat more didn't mean it would work, so Zachary could only sigh silently.
-