A Marriage of Convenience /The Marriage Business

Ch.51

When he entered the ceremony hand in hand with Count Blanchefort, he wasn't playing with a doll, but she herself was a doll. He wondered if she would reach around his waist. A girl in a beautiful and delicate wedding dress was led towards him with a veil.

Face to face, she looked even younger than he had thought. Now he had to stand beside that girl and have a ceremony. Zachary's mouth went dry.

Perhaps reading Zachary's bewildered gaze, Bianca was afraid to look at him and cried.

Even though he expected it to some extent, Zachary was stunned when he saw Bianca crying and screaming loudly.

While Zachary stood there, unsure of what to do, the people surrounding Bianca tried to comfort her. But Bianca never stopped crying. She feared Zachary as if he were some kind of demon lord.

While the people around Bianca comforted her, Zachary opened his mouth to help. But as he was afraid of Zachary speaking, Bianca's cry, which had calmed down a bit, grew louder and louder. Zachary closed his mouth again at the sound of her weeping.

Zachary's face hardened as the wedding proceeded along with Bianca's screams. His heart softened with despair, and he could let go of all expectations shortly after the wedding ended.

After a horrific wedding, the newlywed bride and groom made their way together to the groom's property. And that was the beginning of true hell.

At that time, the land of Arno was undeveloped, so there were many deficiencies, and the castle was very simple because there wasn't enough money to expand it. The property that Zachary had gained with so much effort was nothing compared to Blanchefort of Bianca.

From Bianca's perspective, it must have been like diving into hell all at once.

People meeting for the first time in an unfamiliar and ugly place. The only person she knew was the nanny who had followed her, so it was natural that Bianca could hardly adapt to Arno.

Still, Zachary tried. He knew he had been hated at first sight. But still, she was his wife; she couldn't cry terribly every time she saw him forever. Anyway, some time had passed since the wedding.

Since becoming his wife, Zachary vowed to do his best and tried to fulfill that vow.

Zachary made an effort to find ways to break through Bianca's barriers. Although the castle was simple, Bianca's room was decorated in a way that wasn't much different from when she stayed at Blanchefort. He hired a cook known for her excellent skills for Bianca and tried to buy what she said she wanted. Even if it was a bit too heavy for the Arno family's situation, which had just become a barony.

While trying to meet the standards of Bianca, who grew up in a wealthy family like Blanchefort, the budget of the Arno family naturally ran out.

There was a limit to the amount of money that could be earned in a limited territory, and in the end, Zachary had no choice but to go to war. Sometimes, even as a mercenary.

Since he was so attached to the battlefield, the smell of blood and dirt wouldn't leave his body. As he often left the estate, it was rare to see Bianca face to face. If they saw each other often, they might create a bond, but even that didn't work, so it was natural for them to go round and round without growing closer in their relationship.

A thirteen-year age difference.

A bride too young and noble.

Not the worst, but their marriage must have been a terrible match.

Would it have been different if Zachary had been a bit softer and kinder?

He knew how to distance himself from people he didn't like, but he didn't know how to approach her with a smile.