C101
Suddenly, the maid she had placed in front of her turned into a snake aiming at her husband, not a pitiful victim.
Furthermore, Zachary's reaction strengthened Bianca's words. Although he remained silent, his gaze, as cold as a sword, looking at Ante, seemed to want to cut her at any moment.
Those who realized how things were going fueled the gossip. Men who thought of Ante as a pitiful person averted their gaze pretending not to know, and the eyes of all the women shone brightly.
Celine's complexion darkened when she realized the gravity of the situation only later. If that were the case, it wouldn't be Bianca's reputation that would be ruined, but hers.
Public opinion flowed in the way Bianca desired. But without easily showing her joy, Bianca remained silent.
"Furthermore, speaking lightly about internal affairs of your former territory... It doesn't seem very smart to have such a frivolous person as a confidante, Countess Davoville."
Bianca told Catherine, completely ignoring Celine. She had no ill feelings towards Catherine at all.
It was simply frustrating that she had no eyes for choosing people, like Ante, who didn't know how high the sky was, and instead was used as a shield by people like the young viscountess.
Bianca was not good at having people around her, so she was not in a position to give advice. To be honest, she wasn't very good at managing maids. But was there anyone else but her who could speak bitterly to the Countess of Davoville? That must be why she had become what she is now. Bianca, who had decided to carry the flag herself, didn't hesitate to complain.
"To get a good maid, it's important to find out why she left her previous job. Especially if you have such a maid by your side. And how about considering the dignity of those you associate with? I hope you don't lower your reputation by hanging out with arrogant people who are swayed by rumors. I'm well aware that the Countess of Davoville is a thoughtful woman."
With each dry word from Bianca, Catherine's head bowed deeper. Her face was as red as her hair.
Bianca looked at the Count of Davoville sitting next to Catherine. His pure white face was filled with joy. His curved eyes seemed inwardly pleased with the current situation.
That was definitely strange. That his wife would listen to what another woman said, in the banquet hall, somehow related to the honor of the family. And yet, she seemed so happy... Something was going on, and Bianca's forehead wrinkled slightly.
But that was something between the Count of Davoville and his wife.
Bianca calmed her nerves.
The relationship between the Counts of Davoville was as famous as that of Zachary and Bianca. As far as Bianca, who didn't care about other people's affairs, knew.
The Count of Davoville was a resident son-in-law. The Davoville family was a prestigious family, comparable to the Blanchefort family. It is said that women can also inherit the family, but Catherine, the only daughter of the family, was shy, and if she were to inherit the Davoville family, the family would soon collapse. So, the resident son-in-law who was chosen and brought in by the former Count of Davoville became the current Count of Davoville.
As if the former Count of Davoville had not made a mistake, he did his job very well. Even in an era when the sword was mightier than the pen, he wielded such influential power as an official that he became another pillar of the First Prince's faction. If Zachary is the Iron Blood Knight, then Count Davoville, who was famous for his wit, was called "The Serpent's Tongue."
Since she didn't want to get involved with him, Bianca felt fortunate that the Count of Davoville was willing to let it go. Bianca had done nothing wrong in this case, but it would have been quite embarrassing if he had been vengeful about it.
Count Davoville looked at Bianca and nodded. As if expressing his gratitude. Bianca also responded by nodding, harboring an uneasy feeling that she couldn't forget no matter how hard she tried.
"Take her away."
Count Davoville gestured to the knight behind him. The knights of the Davoville family rushed in and pulled out Ante, who was standing expressionless in the banquet hall.
Ante's face turned red as they forcibly took her away, but she couldn't respond to the sharp gazes that were looking at her.
The eyes of Count Davoville, looking at Ante, were sharp. This contrasted with Catherine's panic, who didn't know what to do. Catherine still thought that Ante was in trouble because of her, and she cast a sad glance at Ante, who was being dragged away.
Count Davoville whispered softly as he held Catherine in his arms. The way he comforted Catherine was so sweet that it couldn't easily match the happy smile he had before.
Now that she thought about it, despite the nickname Serpent's Tongue, there were rumors that Count Davoville was a trusted man for the Countess. The essence of the story was that while he spewed cutting insults at the nobles, he was incapable of saying anything bad to the Countess.
Count Davoville's skills were too great to say that he was brought in as a resident son-in-law, and it was publicly assessed that the countess was not a very attractive woman for him to fall in love with. Everyone, including Yvonne, who had shared the story with Bianca, dismissed the rumor of their romance as unreliable.
But now, Bianca thought that the rumor might be true.
Bianca stopped thinking about what would happen to Ante.
Now, Ante's mistress was the Countess of Davoville, and from the expression on the face of Count Davoville next to her, it seemed that he would have taken care of Ante even if Bianca hadn't stepped forward.
Furthermore, in a place where nobles gathered like this, her face had been firmly recorded, so she wouldn't be able to work as a maid in Sevran again. After finishing the matter with Ante, Bianca's arrow was aimed at Celine.
"And miss... Excuse me, but what family are you from?"
"...I am from the Volne family."
When they took Ante out of the banquet hall without saying a word, Celine's mind went blank. It wasn't what she expected.
First of all, she believed so much in Ante's words that she never thought the rumors about Bianca that Ante had been circulating over and over again were an exaggerated lie.
Even though she herself has been telling a lot of speculative lies!
"Could it be that the young Viscountess Volne still needs to learn how to attend a banquet like this? The atmosphere of the banquet has been disturbed by the rash actions of the young lady. Furthermore, in an auspicious banquet with people from another kingdom..."
Bianca looked worriedly at the Castile delegation. At that moment, the people around her startled and examined the expression of the king.
Up until now, they had been taking the situation lightly due to curiosity, and they didn't even realize that the king's expression was growing increasingly disgusted as the story unfolded.
The king's blue eyes, looking at Viscount Volne, were filled with anger!
Due to his dignity as king, he couldn't involve himself in women's quarrels, and he only wished for Viscount Volne's family to take care of their daughter, but Viscount Volne was drunk and only laughing, and Viscountess Volne had disappeared somewhere.
In the face of the king's anger, those surrounding Viscount Volne hit him in the ribs. It was then that the viscount, realizing that the situation was taking an unusual turn, flinched. Not wanting to receive the king's gaze any longer, he hurriedly moved Celine away.
"C-Countess. I apologize. It seems I neglected the upbringing of my daughter. I understand your anger, but could you forgive me for this foolish behavior of hers?"
Bianca was much too young to be called a child. The nearby nobles who knew it mocked and laughed, but Viscount Volne bowed with a brazen smile.
It was clear at a glance that Viscount Volne was insincere. There was the illusion that the smell of alcohol emanated from his strangely wide-open eyes and hoarse voice.
When Celine pushed Bianca down, she had laughed while watching. Far from trying to get Celine to stop being rude, it might have made her feel better that her daughter had struck Zachary by attacking Countess Arno. Bianca's conjecture was not an exaggeration. Her thoughts could be felt in her spiteful eyes.
Bianca smiled, suppressing her urge to burst out laughing.
"Of course, I can forgive him. Although there was a slight disturbance, it seems that the unknown rumors circulating around me have been resolved to some extent thanks to this opportunity."
-----
"Oh my God. The countess has a beautiful heart and face. She is truly worthy of being the lady of the golden rose."
"She is a countess, but at the end of the day, she is just a girl. She easily forgives me with just a few kind words. Anyway, Celine, you stupid bitch. You drew the king's attention because you were arrogant for no reason...! It's pathetic that you can't even secure a suitable husband. I wonder how long I'll have to clean up after this."
He belittled Bianca, who was younger than his daughter, and his deep thoughts were revealed on his face.
Viscount Volne blamed Celine, but in a way, it was also Viscount Volne who caused this to happen. Viscount Volne wanted to become a recognized noble in the capital. But his family had no geographical advantage, no wealth, and no military power. In order for his family to rise, he had no choice but to engage in marriage negotiations, and that's why he always pressured Celine. Even when they arrived in the capital this time, he threatened to get angry if she couldn't attract a suitable young master.
So Celine always sought out men of the appropriate age, but it was in vain. It was because the young men only paid attention to Bianca and Princess Odelli.
Princess Odelli was originally a member of the royal family, and her beautiful appearance was an incomparable rival. But Bianca was different.
Celine naturally compared herself to Bianca, who was her age. In her eyes, she looked much more pleasant than brown-haired Bianca. So what was the difference?
Furthermore, Bianca's marriage was the perfect marriage that Celine desired and would never attain. Inferiority and frustration. In addition, Bianca's stubborn attitude, as if she didn't want to associate with them, was enough to make her sarcastic. That was the moment when Celine became particularly persistent and disliked Bianca.
But the Viscount Volne didn't know that.
"There are many eyes watching now, but as soon as we return to our quarters, I will slap this foolish girl."
He cursed Celine inwardly and smiled at Bianca with a smile full of remorse. It was a smile full of pretense.
But his smile didn't last long. It was because of the words Bianca added, shaking her head as if regretful, in a trembling tone.
"But look, Viscount. The honor of the viscounty is not something that can be forgiven. I trust that the Viscount will behave properly for the troubles he has caused His Majesty."
"Haha, what do you mean by causing troubles for His Majesty, Countess? Our viscounty..."
What the Viscount Volne avoided the most was the intervention of the king. Since the king had not yet directly intervened, he thought it would be good to cover up the situation as it is, but the Viscount Volne was surprised by Bianca's words, which seemed to provoke the king's anger.
He quickly raised his voice to cover Bianca's mouth, but Bianca continued speaking without hesitation.
"The viscount called the young lady young, but as far as I know, the young lady must have already reached the age of majority. Viscount Volne stood by even though his behavior was so bad that he followed false rumors and disrupted a banquet with envoys from other countries with unconfirmed stories. Wouldn't this be a sign of the level of the Volne viscounty itself?"
Bianca, who had been calm and silent until now, didn't miss a single word as she argued with the viscount, but she pushed him, and everyone around was surprised.
With sharp rhetoric comparable to that of Count Davoville, called the Snake Tongue, everyone clearly realized that Bianca should not be easily touched.
Viscount Volne's face turned red in the face of Bianca's words, openly accusing his territory. It was impossible to tell whether it was due to intoxication or anger that he would have liked to strike young Bianca. Perhaps both.
If Bianca had not been the Countess of Arno and had not been standing by Zachary's side, it would have been a big problem. Her figure, as she tried to squeeze out her anger, swelled like a volcano.
"Fortunately, the matter was resolved before anything significant happened, and the state of Sevran was not compromised, but it is clear that there was a risk. Viscount Volne. This is a disloyalty that occurred because the viscount was neglecting family affairs."
Bianca didn't care and continued. As she casually brought up what she was desperately trying to hide, Viscount Volne muttered abusive words to himself. Unaware of anything, Bianca smiled and continued speaking.
"There are many ways to apologize to His Majesty... Well, wouldn't it be a good idea to stay silent for a while? It is a joyous time for a royal wedding. There is no need to present oneself and go against the heart of His Majesty. Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"
Viscount Volne's eyes anxiously turned towards the king. The wife of the kingdom's hero was blatantly insulted at a banquet. The opponent is just the daughter of a viscount. Which side the king would take was an obvious outcome.
However, the reason Viscount Volne and Celine had come to this point was because this was a women's quarrel. There was an unwritten rule in social circles that conversations should not mix even if a woman and a man were seated together at a banquet. Behind the scenes, there is a corner where secret entanglement is also tolerated in the name of courtly love, but on stage, it was about adhering to the old unwritten rules thoroughly.
The king was no different. Rather, he tried to be a better example because he was a king.
Bianca dared to speak to the king, but this time the king will ignore her. If the king doesn't intervene, it can be well covered up. Unless the king intervenes... in fact, he intervened in the women's conversation to cover up the incident, but Viscount Volne clung to complacency, hoping that the king would not intervene.
"...Countess Arno is right."
"Y-Your Majesty!"
But the king sided with Bianca. Viscount Volne desperately shouted in response to the unexpectedly clear judgment of the king. Bianca, carrying the king's protection on her back, poured boiling oil onto the troubled heart of Viscount Volne.
"I hope you pay more attention to your family affairs from now on. Don't be late and try to cover it up."
Viscount Volne's neck seemed about to burst. It was not enough to be humiliated in front of a young woman, but he couldn't easily suppress his anger because he was humiliated in front of people.
If he retreats like this, Viscount Volne won't be able to set foot in the capital for a while. Moreover, the duration of this period depends entirely on the whim of the king, so he could be expelled from the capital without any promise.
For Viscount Volne, who tasted the honey dripping from the capital, it was like a death sentence.
He couldn't allow that to happen. At the very least, he had to find a partner for Celine to marry.
This incident has exposed the shortcomings and recklessness of his daughter everywhere, so she won't even dream of a worthy marriage.
However, once they were expelled from the capital, the possibility of marriage itself would be slim.
Viscount Volne was not concerned about the future of his daughter. He was concerned about the restoration of the family!
As he was considering selling his daughter at a slightly higher price, the current situation for him was nothing short of a disaster.
He should have silenced Celine when she was speaking. At that time, Viscount Volne laughed at Count Arno's rigid expression, but now he completely forgot about his actions and solely blamed Celine.
Anyway, he couldn't just keep quiet and step back. As if cold water had been splashed on his head, he sobered up instantly. Viscount Volne desperately pleaded with the king.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider. My daughter doesn't even have a suitor yet. If she can't remain in the capital under these circumstances, she will never be able to marry."
"What does a local noble's marriage have to do with the capital?"
"That's right. Because Viscount Volne is desperate, he may be making unreasonable excuses."
The ridicule from the public that had been directed at Bianca turned towards Viscount Volne. Laughter echoed in the banquet hall. Viscount Volne grimaced at this and once again exclaimed desperately.
"The stigma of not being able to come to the capital is a great aftermath for locals like us. This time, my daughter was frivolous, but isn't it regrettable to be humiliated for just this? Please have mercy on me and consider the life of a girl, Your Majesty."
Viscount Volne pleaded with compassion. Although he bowed submissively, Viscount Volne's face trembled with anger.
Tags:
TWB (Novel)