C88
The preliminary round continued until the second day. All participants from the Arno family had their preliminary round on the first day, so Bianca never had any intention of going on the second day in the first place. On the third day, among those who passed the preliminary round, the winners for the final were selected. Bianca also spent the third day in the dormitory at Zachary's request.
Bianca arranged the lace calmly. Initially, it was only meant to be given to the 1st Princess, the Crown Princess, and the Queen, but the 2nd and 3rd Princesses were overlooked.
Although they were young, they were members of the royal family and the only daughters of the current queen. Bianca, feeling uneasy about leaving them out, started weaving lace handkerchiefs from time to time, and now their completion was just around the corner.
Yvonne waited by Bianca's side all day, but unlike usual when she couldn't even be distinguished from the furniture, she was particularly restless.
The reason was obvious.
Bianca asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the lace.
"Why don't you go and see if you're so worried?"
"How can I leave when Madam is here?"
"What's the problem? I'll stay in the room the whole time... You seem curious to see how Sir Gaspard fared."
"Oh, I'm not curious. I like being with you."
Yvonne stubbornly shook her head. She said she wasn't curious, but her eyes slowly turned towards the door, and her legs trembled.
Bianca moistened her lips and let out a smile. Instead of asking further questions, Bianca pretended not to know and adjusted to Yvonne's pace.
"Is that so? Then did you give him an answer?"
"A-a-answer? What answer?"
Yvonne's eyes trembled. Instead of stuttering until the end, it seemed like she bumped into Gaspard and ran away.
Seeing Yvonne, who unexpectedly lost her composure, Bianca smiled and placed the lace frame she had been focused on for a long time on her knees.
Bianca stared at her, and Yvonne's expression changed back and forth as if she was even more embarrassed. There were countless ways to tease Yvonne, but Bianca didn't want to do that. When Gaspard gave a rose to Yvonne, she picked it up, and what she said became a boomerang that came back to her. Bianca comforted Yvonne with a modest compliment.
"Sir Gaspard is a decent man... But you don't have to let yourself be influenced. Do what you want. Because I'm behind you."
"Madam..."
Yvonne let out her words as if she was moved. Her eyes were so bright that if the room were dark, they could have floated like lights.
Although Bianca said that, Yvonne didn't seem to dislike Gaspard. She just seemed confused because she never thought it would happen to her.
Now that she thought about it, Gaspard continued to look after Yvonne.
At first, his treatment of even Bianca's maid was considered quite chivalrous, but his kindness was solely due to his sympathy for Yvonne.
Gaspard came from a knightly family, and he even liked Yvonne, so it wasn't a bad match. They would probably live a good life.
Gaspard was a tenacious man who never backed down from what he said. Since he lacked the ability to speak, his public confession meant that he genuinely liked Yvonne.
However, as a close confidant of Zachary, it was a flaw that he often had to be away from home due to the war. It's a bit difficult to marry a man who could die in the war...
At that moment, Bianca's head throbbed. Her head was vibrating, and her ears started ringing as if she had been struck hard with a bell on her head. Bianca's face turned pale blue.
Bianca's goal was to survive and continue with this prosperous life. There were no people around her goal. Her father and brother, Yvonne, Gaspard, Sauveur... and even her husband. They all became her sole consolation.
After returning to the past, all that was left for her was poison, and she thought she had to survive alone. However, as time passed, the poison and revenge faded away, and the current comfort dulled her.
Gently. She, who was absorbed in her own world, looked around and entered each of their territories.
Bianca was very satisfied with her current life. Zachary didn't hate her, and Yvonne took good care of her. Her tense relationship with her father was restored, and she could do as she pleased. Everything was perfect...
However, her marital life was a relationship that had an end.
The moment she learned to ride a horse with him, the strong forearms that held her trembling body, the black eyes that stared at her intently, the trembling hand that handed her the rose... Everything scattered.
If only she could have an heir, it wouldn't matter if her husband died. But at that moment, the wax of a candle of memories between them flowed, filling the space.
When was it? Now Bianca could no longer say that it didn't matter if Zachary died.
It was terrifying to think about the future to the point of unconsciously postponing it. There were only two ways to escape this horror. She could somehow break her bond with Zachary, or...
"Madam? Are you alright?"
Yvonne looked worriedly at Bianca, who suddenly grew pale and silent. Bianca made an excuse to dismiss Yvonne as she tried to gather her thoughts. Her smile was calm, but a cold sweat ran down her neck.
"At this point, today's match must have ended. Yvonne, can you go out and find out what happened?"
"...Yes! I'll go immediately, I'll perfectly find out every detail!"
Yvonne jumped out of her seat with a smile on her face. The Count, of course, would have passed, but it wasn't clear whether Gaspard would advance to the semifinals among the distinguished knights. Yvonne clicked her tongue because it had nothing to do with whether Gaspard passed or not, but she couldn't help wondering inside.
Yvonne hurried her steps and rushed out of the room.
Yvonne, who couldn't hide her excitement, was still young. Yvonne's appearance briefly changed Bianca's depressed mood.
That's right. At this moment, she's twenty-two... Seventeen-year-old Bianca looked towards the door through which Yvonne had left with a bitter smile. Yvonne is smart and will do well.
Bianca scoffed at herself. She remembered when she was twenty-two. The foolish time when she was possessed by Fernand and believed he was her true love.
Bianca sighed deeply. She had said she would never believe in love again because of her past with Fernand, but then she realized she couldn't keep her determination to simply not love.
Love is so terrifying.
In the past, it was a mistake to assume that because of Zachary's frankness, she could maintain a business-like distance from him forever. His blunt kindness soaked her heart like a drizzle.
"But still, it's fine. I don't love Zachary. I just grew fond of him... So. So I..."
Bianca murmured to herself. As if brainwashing herself. But her voice was weak.
While Bianca tried to make up her mind, it didn't take long for Yvonne to appear. However, she was too fast, so Bianca showed a puzzled expression on her face.
"Madam, I'm back."
"Why so fast... Oh, Sir Sauveur."
"I ran into her, and she said that the Madam was curious about the tournament results. So I came here myself. Wouldn't it be better to hear it from someone who was present rather than a third party?"
Sauveur, who followed Yvonne, spoke brightly.
Sauveur was so loud that she always ended up exhausted when talking to him. She wasn't a welcome guest in this situation, but if she thought about it from another perspective, it would be better to change her mood. Because the question about Zachary and her future was not something that could be answered immediately just by thinking about it.
Moreover, Yvonne was curious about the tournament results. Bianca relaxed her body and said, "Alright. Speak."
"The battle was very interesting. Hey... The knights from Castile are no joke. To be honest, I had no idea how well those seawater bastards* would perform on horseback, having only dealt with the Aragonese who ride around every day, but I had to bite my tongue."
Sauveur spoke for a long time. Bianca wanted to interrupt him and ask directly about the results, but she couldn't do it because Yvonne, who was by her side, was listening to Sauveur's story with shining eyes.
Tags:
TWB (Novel)