Extra - 1
Alex, the only daughter of Bianca and Zachary, was different from an early age. Sometimes she seemed like a very calm child, but other times she was a very complicated girl.
It's not that she cried a lot. On the contrary, she never cried except when she was born, so much so that they wished to see her cry.
The problem was that she was full of energy. Alex moved a lot. It was hard to believe that only a year had passed since she was born.
If you took your eyes off her, she would often crawl from one end of the room to the other, and sometimes even escape from the bed.
During Alex's frequent escapes, Nicholas was asked to increase the height of the crib. But even that had no effect.
How the hell did she get over a crib that was taller than her? When someone looked at her, she smiled, so you couldn't tell.
Yvonne held Alex, who was trying to escape from the room, from behind.
"How did you get out today, young lady?!"
She was glad to have found her before Alex left the room. Yvonne patted her chest.
Last time, she couldn't notice Alex's escape, so she had to search the entire Arno Castle.
Not only Zachary, the lord, but also Vincent, the butler, the three commanders, and even the castle's stableman and foreman mobilized to find Alex. After searching the castle for half a day, they found Alex, who was sound asleep in an oak barrel in the kitchen.
After that happened, Alex became even more worrisome. Yvonne and Bianca kept an eye on her, but sometimes this happened when they weren't around.
Yvonne held Alex tightly. Alex struggled in Yvonne's arms as if it was unfair to have been caught. Her opposition was so strong that Yvonne's arms weakened, and she barely managed to prevent Alex from falling to the ground. Yvonne was perplexed as she tried to calm Alex down, who was different from ordinary children.
"Yvonne, did Alex get out of the crib again?"
Just as Bianca entered, Yvonne's face lit up. It was the only way to get out of this situation.
"Oh, Madam. How can I console the baby? Still, the young lady likes it when she sees Madam."
"Wait a moment."
Bianca approached Yvonne and Alex with a puzzled expression.
Alex, who had endured for a while, leaned back, recognized her mother, and smiled widely. Alex reached out a hand toward Bianca and struggled to reach her mother. Bianca sighed and approached Yvonne.
"Come here."
"No, Madam, she can't. The baby is too heavy."
"It's okay."
While Bianca and Yvonne discussed, someone from above grabbed the back of Alex's neck and lifted her. It was Zachary.
"Bianca, as Yvonne said. Alex is too heavy. Too much for you."
"She's only one year old, and she's not that heavy..."
Bianca frowned. She knew Alex was too big to be considered a one-year-old. Alex was like a three-year-old child. Still, does it make sense not to hold her properly? Yvonne and Zachary were overprotective. Bianca slightly pursed her lips.
Zachary skillfully held Alex. Alex laughed when she was held in her father's arms.
As Zachary's fingertips surrounded Alex's nose, Alex's eyes followed the movements of his fingers silently. Zachary looked at Alex and said softly.
"It seems like you've been causing trouble for your nanny and mom again today, Alex."
Alex just smiled as if she didn't know anything. Yvonne, who had been busy trying to keep up with Alex's escape, smiled wearily.
Bianca sighed as well. Even though she is her own daughter, she didn't understand her as she had never lived such a lively life. Meanwhile, Bianca, exhausted, shook her head with a weak expression on her face.
"Still, I survived because I have Yvonne."
"See, Madam? Aren't you happy that I stayed?"
"Of course."
Yvonne groaned and shrugged her shoulders. Bianca smiled and nodded. Without Yvonne, Bianca wouldn't have been able to take care of Alex for a week, let alone a day.
When Alex became somewhat docile because of Zachary, Yvonne took care of Alex. Yvonne's face, looking at Alex, was as soft as wool.
Meanwhile, the clouds covering the sky passed, and the sunlight entered through the window and colored the room. Now that she thought about it, it was too early for Zachary to come. Bianca asked Zachary.
"Why are you here at this hour? You're usually very busy."
"I miss you."
The words he casually said, without a single moment of hesitation, were very sweet. If it had been in the past, he would have stayed silent and just looked at her. Bianca stuck out her tongue at her husband's increasingly cunning attitude.
"Anyway, you've gotten better at flattery."
"That's not it."
"Yes, yes."
Zachary desperately tried to convince her of his sincerity, but Bianca nodded.
While the two were talking, Yvonne quietly left the room with a smile on her lips, holding Alex in her arms. It's easier to serve as a subordinate when the lord and lady have a good relationship rather than a bad one. To give their masters a little time alone, she decided to let Alex get some fresh air.
"...Because that's how it was. What do you think, Yvonne?... Yvonne?"
When Bianca looked back, Yvonne was already gone.
"She went out with Alex a moment ago. Yvonne is clever, that's why I feel very comfortable."
"It's probably me who benefits from Yvonne's cleverness more than you."
Even Bianca herself thought that she wasn't an easy master to serve. She's very demanding and sensitive... She knows very well that it's not that her personality has softened, but rather Yvonne's handling of everything prevents her nerves from exploding.
"Besides, Yvonne brought Lucy, so I'm much more comfortable. She's a clever and kind girl, just like her older sister."
Bianca smiled softly, thinking of Lucy. Lucy was Yvonne's younger sister. They met on Yvonne's wedding day. At that time, the situation wasn't appropriate for introductions, so she only watched her from a distance.
In fact, Bianca was more worried about the bearded man sitting next to her than Lucy. The face of the unknown man she saw for the first time was red from drunkenness, and his gleaming eyes looked around. He's a man who will hit you hard no matter what you do.
Later she found out that he was Lucy's husband. She knew that Yvonne's sister had gotten married, just like Bianca, with a large age difference. That's why Yvonne cared and worried more about Bianca. But she never thought that her husband would be like that... That's when she realized that her own husband, Zachary, was an exception.
Lucy said she couldn't bear the hardships of life and married a carpenter who had a significant age difference with her. However, the marriage didn't seem to have worked well. Lucy, who had a sharp tongue, kept silent about her marriage, but it was evident when she saw her husband.
Lucy's husband widened his eyes at Yvonne's marriage. He had been disrespectful to Lucy's parents until now.
He considered the useless bride's family to be in extreme need, and her older sister working at the castle and sending things, but he regarded her as unfortunate.
A bold, strict, and tough girl. He thought no man would take such a woman. However, Yvonne's marriage partner turned out to be a gentleman who even received a barony. It was also evident that both Gaspard and Yvonne were favored by the Dukes of Arno.
When he saw something worth obtaining from Yvonne and her lady, he received them with delight. He sought opportunities to meet with them, and one day he even made it to the castle.
His attempt ended in just one attempt.
Because he was decisively stopped by Bianca. Bianca was not good at remembering human faces, but she remembered Lucy's husband clearly because the first time she saw him was very unpleasant. Bianca felt furious seeing him sneaking into the castle.
Although she was reluctant to hear about Yvonne's brother-in-law, the guards who let him in were severely reprimanded.
Bianca scolded them, then Vincent scolded them, and finally Zachary scolded them. They were scolded by their superiors three times in a row, and after that, they never allowed Lucy's husband to enter the castle again.
As if to provoke his anger, they insulted him with curses and threw him out.
His face, which had been humiliated, turned red. Unable to even approach Arno Castle, he returned home and beat Lucy.
Unable to bear it, Lucy fled to Arno Castle to meet Yvonne. The intrusion of one person annoyed Bianca, Vincent, and Zachary. If they let Lucy into the castle, they could be scolded again.
But Lucy's condition was truly miserable. In the end, the guards let Lucy into the castle with the determination to be dismissed from their positions.
And Yvonne, who saw Lucy's appearance, was surprised. Even Bianca hardened her face. Lucy cried bitterly with relief upon seeing Yvonne's face.
Bianca praised and rewarded the guards.
The guards, bewildered by the unexpected compliment, raised their shoulders knowing they had made the right decision. Bianca urged them to keep Lucy's husband out of sight.
Realizing that it was he who had made Lucy like this, the guards beat their chests saying not to worry.
As Bianca had guessed, it didn't take long for Lucy's husband to arrive at Arno Castle. When they threw him out, he thought the guards would kick out Lucy, so he let her go, but Lucy entered the castle!
He burst into anger, screaming for his wife to come out. However, when the guards approached Lucy's husband roughly, he got scared and immediately ran away.
Tags:
TWB (Novel)