A Marriage of Convenience /The Marriage Business

Ch 65

Jacob sighed and scratched the back of his neck. He was surprised, but his facial expression remained natural.

Jacob was a man with strict facial expressions. If his emotions were easily revealed on his face, there would have been no way for him to have gone unnoticed while attacking his homeland at the hands of the enemy.

Although he wasn't an extraordinary theater actor, the level of joy and sadness was revealed at the right moment and in the right manner.

Jacob clicked his tongue with an indifferent expression.

"Was I too explicit? Well, it must have seemed a bit exaggerated to say something uncomfortable. My father asked me what I was doing, so..."

Jacob rubbed his chin as he recalled what had happened earlier. Seeing Gautier leave a warning not to do anything strange, it could have been that way.

As confident as he was in his facial expressions, Jacob thought that only his absurd proposal was the problem. Even when he thought about it himself, it was a random suggestion.

But what should he do? When he realized that fact, it was already after it had come out of his mouth.

"I mean, I was surprised..."

When Bianca entered the reception room, Jacob was taken aback as if he had been hit in the back of the head. The reddish-brown hair cascaded down her slender neck. He never thought he would feel sexually excited by any particular thing, but Bianca's thick hair instantly captivated him. Jacob realized for the first time that he might be enthralled by dark hair.

Her white, snow-like skin contrasted with the color of her hair, making her appear even paler. The fact that such white skin had already been in the hands of another man stirred anger as if the innocent veil had been crushed under muddy feet.

Her body wasn't voluptuous, even with empty words, but the slender line of her body was elegant and smooth. Her body, as lush as a willow swaying in the wind, could be grasped with one hand. Her face was as beautiful as a delicately molded doll, but it was the expression on her face that made her look more attractive. The light green eyes beneath carefully trimmed eyebrows and the long lashes gleamed with coldness, as if expressing her arrogant and high self-esteem.

Until now, Jacob had ridiculed the vain pride of noble women, but not as much as when he met Bianca. Jacob, who mocked it, was convinced that such women wouldn't catch his attention.

But he couldn't take his eyes off Bianca. Jacob's eyes followed Bianca as if nailed to her. It would be good if they could make eye contact, but Bianca kept tilting her head at an angle. To the point where she seemed to purposely avoid Zachary's gaze.

Strange suggestion, strange attitude. Perhaps Gautier suspected more of Jacob's attitude. Jacob himself admitted that he wasn't his usual self. Bianca had a charm strange enough to capture Jacob in an instant.

"Yes. It's definitely the final outcome that I'm craving..."

Jacob clicked his tongue. He didn't even want to make eye contact with her, and the way she kept her distance was like a rabbit fleeing, so his instinct to chase after her grew stronger. He didn't even know that it excited him even more.

But, after all, she is also a woman. She has just arrived in the capital from the countryside, so she's only pretending to be shy. After living a luxurious life in the capital city, filled with luxury and pleasure, her closed bars will loosen. Jacob just needs to force his way through that gap.

And Jacob had plenty of confidence to attack women's weak points.

Jacob, who inherited the blood of the royal family of Sevran, had a beautiful appearance and, compared to Gautier, was full of masculine charm. Her husband, Zachary, was also strong and handsome like a warrior, but he was blunt and fierce. Unless, of course, she has unusual taste.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to like her husband very much. So things will be easy.

It didn't matter much that Bianca was already married or that her husband was Jacob's enemy in his decision to seduce her.

At first, the idea that another man's hand had marked her ignited a fire in his eyes. However, as he reflected on Aragon's promise, he was fortunate that Bianca was married. If Bianca had been a virgin, he wouldn't have thought about playing with fire. That would have been a big risk.

It would be a big problem if he got caught and they started talking about marriage, so he has only dealt with prostitutes and married women.

Jacob made numerous pacts to form an alliance with Aragon. Among them, the most important one for Aragon was that "the child born to the princess of Aragon would inherit the royal family of Sevran."

Compared to Sevran, which was wealthy and habitable, Aragon was a barren country with a lot of snow. Unlike Aragon, which had difficulties making a living, Sevran developed more and more, and under the growing gap, they used to denigrate Aragon as a barbaric country.

Part of this was why a matrimonial alliance was repeatedly formed with the kingdom of Castile, the power of the sea, but never a real union with Aragon.

To be involved in the royal wedding!
It was a matter of pride, and it was Aragon's dream. Otherwise, how could a war that was nothing short of a gamble for over 20 years have started, believing only in Jacob?

Although the marrying age has passed, Jacob has yet to marry to show his loyalty to the Aragonese royal family. It wasn't a bad thing for Jacob. There are women he can take with just extending his hand, and there are ladies who flirt with him, so there is no shortage of women. But the House of Aragon supported him as a future maternal relative. Even if it was through a war.

Furthermore, the fact that he wasn't married could have stifled some of the suspicions of rebellion that plagued him. It was because Jacob seemed sarcastic about things like that, while those who want to become kings usually use their in-laws to build a foundation. So the King and Gautier thought Jacob was greedy, but they didn't think he was alert enough.

So Jacob was pleased with his alliance with Aragon. He never coveted a woman enough to reject the multiple benefits that Aragon granted him. The same goes for Blanca. It wasn't worth giving up his alliance with Aragon for her...

Jacob knew himself well. He was greedy and had to have everything he desired to be relieved, but at the same time, he had a temper. Now, his lust for Bianca shakes him, but once he seduces her, the lingering bitterness in him will disappear.

If he still wants her after embracing her, he can simply kill Zachary. After all, Jacob had to deal with Zachary. He was Bianca's husband, but at the same time, he was Gautier's spear and shield. And to kill Zachary, cooperation with Aragon was important. In the end, Jacob had to join the Kingdom of Aragon.

"After Zachary dies, I can have her as my mistress, right? After all, I had no intention of getting along with the Princess of Aragon."

The Princess of Aragon. Everything was perfect. A sinister smile spread across Jacob's lips.

"Using a woman is not befitting of a gentleman, nor of a prince... But for someone who wants to be a king, it is possible, isn't it, brother? Although favored by my father, I was born as an enemy. The reason why the throne is in danger because of me is that my brother is too just."

In that way, even if he had bloodstains on his hands, he had to use them. Only the greedy, those who could use everything, whether it be a woman or a child, could sit on the throne. Gautier could only pretend to be virtuous. By doing so, Jacob was able to forge an alliance with Aragon, so that the throne seemed to be within his grasp.

Jacob, who murmured to himself, cast a gloomy shadow over his shining appearance.

It was the shadow of a traitor who had sold both his conscience and his honor.