Special - 2
It didn't take long before the nanny's shouts searching for Bianca could be heard.
"Miss! Where are you, miss?"
Bianca searched for Zachary until her nanny found her. Upon learning that Bianca was alone in the garden, her nanny Jean was startled and shook Bianca's clothes.
"Oh, if you go out alone like this, this nanny's heart won't bear it. You can't do this again."
"Nana, are there guests in the mansion?"
"Guests? No one came today. By any chance... Did you meet someone?"
Jean asked, frightened that Bianca might have encountered a stranger. Bianca pursed her lips, then closed them tightly and shook her head. Only then did Jean breathe a sigh of relief and hugged Bianca.
In Bianca's small palm, there was a ball of stone. Upon discovering this, Jean frowned.
"It's dirty. There are stones in the room, so leave them here."
"No."
Bianca insisted. When Bianca acted like this, not even Jean had the confidence to convince her. Jean sighed and shook her head helplessly. Bianca carefully held the five stones so as not to lose them. The stones, which had been transferred to the warmth of Bianca's palms, were warm.
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Zachary realized that he had returned to Arno Castle.
Has he been dreaming for a while? However, the walls of Arno Castle, which he visited, were shining. Arno Castle must have been repaired once after being invaded by Jacob, but the flow of time has passed here and there over the course of twenty years.
It's still a dream.
Zachary clicked his tongue. Just when he wanted to see young Bianca smile a little more, he was pushed aside like a knife. It's his dream, but nothing goes his way. Zachary groaned inwardly.
Behind Zachary, someone called him.
"Sir?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zachary turned around. There was Bianca, who had grown a little taller since they had just separated. Bianca walked toward Zachary. Zachary was very uncomfortable with Bianca welcoming him. Is it a dream after all? Does it show the illusion he wants to see deep in his heart?
However, being called "sir" by his wife was an unexpected outcome. It was no different than stabbing him in the heart, considering he was concerned about his age due to his young wife.
However, Zachary had consciousness, and considering Bianca's age and his own, it was natural for him to sound like an old man, so he endured the title.
"Now that I think about it... Is the sir also related to Arno? I was surprised that the baron resembled him. At that time... Did you come to Blanchefort for my marriage?"
"...Yes. I am a relative of Baron Arno."
"But at the moment, the baron is not here."
Bianca raised her chin shyly and said. Judging by how quickly the baron was mentioned, a cold air blew, and it seemed that Bianca's husband, the young man from her dream, had also failed to win Bianca's favor.
"I didn't come to see the baron, it's fine. I'm just here to leave something."
"Are you close to the baron?"
"Yes."
"If I curse the baron, will you tell the baron?"
"No."
Zachary didn't hesitate to refuse. Bianca's smile widened as if she had expected it. Bianca approached Zachary and grabbed his sleeve. Then, as if leading him, she hopped and headed somewhere. It seemed like she was going to a place where she could curse Zachary, the lord of the castle. Zachary obediently followed Bianca.
The place Bianca was heading to was the garden. Unlike today, when rare flower varieties are in full bloom, back then, the backyard garden was adorned only with green shrubs and a sparsely stocked rose bush. He didn't think much of it at that time, but looking at it now, he realized how ugly his garden was at that time.
Even as they walked, Bianca constantly complained and cursed Zachary. After cursing for a long time, she added as if embarrassed.
"There's no one else I can tell this to other than you... Everyone in the territory is on the baron's side."
"What about your nanny?"
"The nanny is on my side, but she's the only one on my side. I just wanted to curse the baron a little, but the nanny cursed the baron too many times..."
Bianca measured the distance between her thumb and index finger, then spread her arms wide. As much as she knew how much her nanny hated him, Zachary smiled complicitly.
"So, what did the baron do?"
"I said I wanted white fur, but he brought squirrel fur..."
Bianca's shoulders drooped. Disappointment was evident in her face.
"...It's because the baron doesn't know what to do."
Zachary also began to have new memories of this time. It was because Bianca's nanny had been constantly criticizing Zachary for bringing squirrel fur to a noble lady.
The truth was a little different, but Zachary didn't bother to explain.
Confessing his thoughts, as a gentleman, was a lamentable and embarrassing affair. Zachary responded by ignoring Jean's tantrums.
Since then, the same thing has happened over and over again. The tedious interrogation and accusations only ended after the nanny died of the plague. However, it was after the relationship between Bianca and Zachary became completely irreparable.
"The baron is not interested in me. I said I wanted white fur, but they brought the wrong fur and he immediately went to war... It's because his pride is hurt that a girl like me is his fiancée."
As she spoke, Bianca began to whimper as if on the verge of tears. After growing up, Bianca never cried in front of Zachary. She may have thought her ego was hurt.
However, she is still young now, and she had no reservations about meeting him while crying from their very first encounter. Soon Bianca burst into tears.
"That's not true."
Zachary reassured Bianca, sweating profusely.
"First of all, the reason he gave you the squirrel fur was to warm you up immediately because he feared you wanted fur because it was cold... He went to war to earn money. Because the financial situation of Arno Mansion is not very comfortable."
The past Zachary thought it would hurt his pride to say such things, word for word. But that was his mistake when he was young. It was not easy to make oneself understood without speaking. Moreover, his useless pride was worth nothing in front of his young wife, hurt by misunderstanding and disappointment.
"You'll see. When the baron returns from the war, he will bring you a white rabbit fur. The baron appreciates you very much."
It was as if he was making up an excuse, but Zachary wanted the young Bianca to know.
At that time, Zachary wanted to buy white fox fur, but it was impossible to afford it with war earnings at the time. As if that remained as a regret in his heart, every time he saw the adult Bianca dressed in white fox fur, a corner of his heart ached.
Bianca widened her eyes as if she hadn't even thought of it. The nanny often complained that the estate was poor, but Bianca, who was still young, had no idea how poor it was. So when Zachary gave her the wrong fur, she never thought it was because he was poor.
"Don't you have a lot of money?"
"...Yes."
"Is that why the baron always wears rags like that?"
"Rags..."
Zachary sighed as he looked back at his appearance at that time. Still, he thought it was a fairly acceptable outfit... Whether Zachary was distressed or not, Bianca continued.
"Will I have to wear only rags soon? My nanny said that because my husband is poor, I won't have what I want. I am so pitiful."
"No."
Zachary smiled bitterly at Bianca's endless questions. He didn't know she would be such a talkative girl.
The current Bianca was even more so than Zachary, but she was quite reticent. Perhaps after the death of her nanny, she naturally became less talkative since there was no one to talk to on the estate.
Thinking about it made him feel sorry again. If Zachary himself didn't have time to be in the territory due to the war, he should have gotten her company... Bianca, bereaved by the death of her nanny, would have no one who could listen to her.
But he could only lament it over and over again, everything had passed. He could only hope that Zachary in this dream would not make the same mistake twice. Zachary whispered as he stroked Bianca's round head.
"Please wait a little longer. The baron will soon go from viscount to count, and he will bring you all the precious things in the world. There will be nothing you want that you can't have."
It was the reality that would exist right now if he woke up from this dream, but Zachary felt that even that wasn't enough. He wanted to pour all the sincerity he could give into the young Bianca immediately. But as soon as he thought that, Zachary's vision flipped and he felt dizzy.
It's already the second time. Zachary immediately knew what the omen meant.
"I still have more things I want to tell Bianca now..."
Zachary sighed silently with pity and regret. However, the shaky world threw him to another place without stopping.
Tags:
TWB (Novel)