Extra - 2
Bianca looked down at the castle with a sorrowful gaze. It was the typical strong man against the weak. She couldn't believe she was going through this... Bianca asked Lucy, who was sobbing.
"I think it would be better for you to divorce him. You don't have any children yet, right?"
"What? No... but divorce is a sin. God won't forgive me."
"Divorce is a sin, but with the Pope's permission, everything is forgiven. I'll get the Pope's permission."
Lucy's eyes widened at Bianca's words. To Lucy, the Pope was like a god, a being from a distant world.
Now that she thinks about it... she remembered the late rumors. It was rumored that the Countess Arno was a saint chosen by God. If that was the case, Bianca was a colossal being that Lucy couldn't even face.
Bianca looked at Lucy with a blank expression on her face, as if contacting the Pope wasn't too difficult. As if everything depended on Lucy's choice.
Lucy felt confused for a moment. Her chestnut eyes, similar to Yvonne's, widened. But in the end, Lucy strongly shook her head. It was because she couldn't cause so much trouble.
Yvonne, who felt frustrated with Lucy's response, scolded her younger sister.
"But Lucy, I can't send you back to him now that I know how he treats you."
"Even if I break up with him, it's the same. I'll marry someone else and then they'll mock me even more for being married twice."
Bianca, who had been silently listening beside the two, immediately asked.
"Do you need to get married twice?"
"B-but... It's hard for a woman to live alone. There are limits to staying with your parents... I'm sure my parents would think I'm a problem. They've been patient... They could have sent me back to my husband. So in the end, it's the same. Well, my husband isn't a really bad person. At least he works. So I don't go hungry..."
The more Lucy's stuttering words continued, the darker her expression became. What Lucy said was true, it was also the reality. Who doesn't want to live a comfortable life? However, that life wasn't allowed for Lucy. Fortunately, Lucy's only relief was that her older sister, Yvonne, had escaped the cycle of misfortune.
Lucy's voice was low enough to be heard, and as she continued to stutter, her words became longer and longer. If it were the usual Bianca, she would have waved her hand for her to speak in a simple and clear manner, but this time, she simply listened in silence.
After a while, Lucy's story came to an end. Bianca, who was reclining in her chair, asked sternly.
"Then why don't you live in the castle?"
"What?"
"Be my lady-in-waiting alongside Yvonne. I will send your husband a reasonable payment from your salary."
Bianca deliberately didn't mention the divorce story anymore. The reason Lucy hesitated to divorce wasn't because she couldn't break up with her husband, but because she realized she was afraid of change.
She must be accustomed to violence and didn't even think she could escape from it. Some people think they have nowhere to turn to... If that's the case, she would have to give her a place to lean on and provide her with an environment where she could slowly recognize that her way of thinking was wrong.
Bianca said it wasn't a big deal, but for Lucy, it was like an opportunity given by a heavenly angel. Still, Lucy didn't readily accept the offer.
"B-but my husband might get angry and ask for more money again."
"Don't worry about that. I will send your husband a particularly big man who will make a strong impression on him."
When Bianca said that, Lucy had no choice but to steel her heart. Lucy nodded heavily, and in that way, she became Bianca's lady-in-waiting alongside Yvonne.
As Bianca had guessed, Lucy's husband couldn't even refuse someone stronger than him. After separating from her violent husband, a smile slowly appeared on Lucy's face.
While Yvonne took care of Alex, Lucy attended to Bianca. While running errands for Bianca, she often chatted with other people in the castle. Life in Arno Castle was very peaceful.
Perhaps even now, Yvonne is walking alongside Lucy with Alex. Bianca, who smiled as she remembered the affectionate appearance of the sisters, soon recalled the conversation that had fallen into the wrong place.
"So, are you really here because you missed me? Did you even postpone your work for that?"
"Well... actually, this came. I wanted to show it to you as soon as possible."
Zachary took out a long, narrow box from his arms and handed it to her. Inside the box he handed her were five opals lined up.
The five opals, which shimmered with a brilliant light from different angles, were uniformly the size of a fingernail and had the shape of an icosahedron. There were patterns that seemed to have been painted in various places and filled with gold. It was the first time she had seen such craftsmanship. Bianca, who had barely guessed what it was, tilted her head.
"Why is the jewel like this? It's also decorated with gold. What's the reason?"
"I heard it's a gemstone made from jewels. It's a gift for you."
"Oh, my goodness."
Even Bianca, who was familiar with luxury, had never received such a luxurious gift. She had never had anything like this jewel before. Doesn't she have enough jewelry to fill the chest? But this is a precious stone, not an earring or a necklace! It was understandable why Zachary came running to show it to her.
Bianca immediately collapsed onto the carpeted floor. Zachary was surprised by the unexpected and reckless behavior. Anyway, Bianca took the gems out of the box and rolled them on the carpet. With a sound, the jewels scattered all over the place.
Bianca, who held the sleeve of her right arm with her left hand, soon carefully caught one jewel with her hand. One became two, then three... The jewels that rose in the air shone with a flickering light.
The movement, which was hesitant at first, became increasingly skillful. Zachary sat down beside her. Zachary watched for a while, holding his breath, unable to take his eyes off Bianca as she played.
Bianca noticed Zachary's gaze and awkwardly smiled. Even thinking about it, she seemed a little excited by the memories of her childhood. Bianca added as an excuse.
"It's been a long time... When I was young, I used to play with my nanny a lot. After my nanny died, I played alone, but it wasn't as fun as when I played with my nanny. So my hands are a bit stiff."
Contrary to saying her hands were stiff, her fingers moved quickly among the jewels.
As she didn't have much connection to the active world, young Bianca wasn't interested in playing outdoors. For such Bianca, the nanny used to teach her many games that she could play in her room.
Chess, reversi, cards, gonggi... The rules were complicated and it was difficult to use her brain a lot, but the nanny used to play simple things like gonggi with her. Young Bianca had a lot of fun.
Zachary's mouth stiffened when Jean's story came to light. It was because although Bianca's memories of Jean were affectionate and fond, Zachary's memories of Jean were not very pleasant.
Therefore, as Bianca was enjoying herself for the first time in a long while, she didn't want to disturb her memories. Zachary struggled to find good memories of Jean.
"She always cared about you."
"I heard that my nanny wasn't very respectful to you. I heard it from Vincent. I'm sorry."
However, Bianca, who was already aware of the conflict between Jean and Zachary, saw through Zachary's innermost thoughts.
Zachary, feeling embarrassed, couldn't easily respond. Unable to comprehend how much Vincent had spoken, he struggled to give the simplest answer possible.
"You have nothing to regret. And her position was also understandable. She protected you and raised you. Just like Yvonne is raising Alex now."
"Yes. Unlike Alex, who is lively instead of crying, I was a quiet girl but cried very often. My nanny had to hold me and comfort me every day. When she let go, I started crying again, so she couldn't do anything else."
"You were spoiled."
"Yes."
Bianca smiled slightly. Even when she thinks about it, she was a very demanding child when she was young. Since Jean was the only one who matched her temperament, Bianca kept her distance and clung to her.
Of course, it isolated Bianca. Although it was fine... Young Bianca's world was narrow enough to contain her short arms open, so it didn't matter if she could only hug her nanny.
"...Jean had great expectations for me. Jean was a maid brought by my mother, and my mother's family has produced several queens... I thought the same way too. So when my father decided to marry you, I was really against it."
Bianca whispered softly. Bianca's narrow world didn't remain the same forever. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't keep it that way. After Jean's premature death, Bianca's life fell endlessly like a rolling stone down a slope. It was difficult, but the world expanded compared to when she was stagnant.
Her field of vision also widened. Having given birth to Alex and feeling Yvonne's pure kindness by her side, she was able to see things she had never seen before. Why did Jean love her so much? But why did she still reject Zachary, who would be with her for the rest of her life...?
Jean claimed that Bianca could have become a marquise or a duchess, even a member of the royal family... What would she have said if she had been with her when Jacob was harassing her?
The vivid memories cracked. It was a useless assumption. If she thought more deeply, her distant childhood memories would crumble as they are, so Bianca deliberately stopped delving into her thoughts. However, this doesn't mean that the remnants that have already been excavated will disappear. A look of loneliness crossed her face.
"Perhaps Jean was looking at my mother in me, not me..."
What Jean sought was not Bianca's happiness, but the success of Bianca's lineage. She was a loyal vassal, but Bianca didn't want her to be a vassal.
Tags:
TWB (Novel)