Marriage of Convenience

Chapter 9 – 15 Year Reunion (3) + Illustration

Translator: Skye

Bianca paused multiple times on her way to Zachary’s room, wondering if she was going in the right direction as it was a place she seldom visited.

When she finally arrived at his door, she found that it was ajar. She could hear the sound of the servants moving around through the crack. It seemed they were busily assisting their lord who had returned for the first time in a long while.

Bianca gave several graceful knocks on the door. It would be impolite of her to step in without notice regardless of the door being open or not.

“Who is… Madam?”

Vincent furrowed his eyebrows when he opened the doors and discovered the unexpected visitor. Bianca wasn’t surprised. Though Vincent failed to hide his troubled expression, she remained unperturbed, not even raising a brow, and quietly asked, “The count?”

“He is getting ready to bathe,” Vincent replied curtly.

Every time Zachary returned from war, the first thing he did after stepping into his castle was bathe. It was a habit, something he never skipped. Vincent found it ridiculous that Bianca, his lord’s wife, was unaware of that fact. It only further cemented the steward’s view that she had absolutely no interest in her husband.

“I’m here because I have something I would like to discuss with the count.”

Bianca felt a small sense of relief at how her voice came out steady without a single tremble.

Bianca suddenly asking to see Zachary was an event akin to the sun rising in the west. Vincent’s eye inspected Bianca while the latter pretended to be unbothered by his openly suspicious gaze, only raising her chin casually. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest from the fear of how things would play out.

No matter how hesitant he was, Vincent was not in a position where he could hinder the lady of the house. Having no other choice, he let Bianca in.

“Please wait a moment, I’ll go and notify the lord.”

“Alright.”

The steward disappeared, leaving Bianca alone in the room. Her trembling hands reflected how anxious she felt. She was able to hide her hands with her sleeves but she could not do anything to stop her legs from pacing back and forth.

Zachary’s room was much larger and wider than hers, but it was also that much more empty. The walls did not hold any particular decorative design, the curtains were plain, and the carpet was generic and monotone. The only items in the room that could be called decorations was a tapestry with the Arno crest and a few weapons hanging on the walls.

Thanks to the servants who had dutifully worked to prepare the room, the fireplace was already ablaze. It might have been because Bianca was continuously tense and nervous since the morning, but it only took a second for her attention to falter and be stolen by the flickering embers of the burning firewood.

A deep voice belonging to a man interrupted her thoughts.

“It’s been a while.”

Startled, Bianca turned her head. Standing tall like a mountain next to the door was her husband, Zachary de Arno.

He boasted thick eyebrows and sharp eyes which always appeared clear and unwavering. The high bridge of his nose matched his self-esteem while his tightly closed lips reflected his reserved personality. The expression on his features looked as if he were looking at an enemy leader rather than his wife.

Was he 29 now? Bianca had died at the age of 38, so Zachary was currently much younger than the age Bianca had lived up to. He was at the peak of his youth, and yet he hardly gave off the sense of youthfulness. It was a result of Zachary’s years of experience far outweighing his actual age.

Out of all the distinguished nobles who were self-made, Zachary was the cream of the crop. Born as the second son of the Hugues family and unable to inherit his father’s title or territory, he was only left with two options. Zachary had unhesitatingly picked up a sword and chose the path of a knight, leaving for the battlefield at the age of 16.

That was what being 16 years old meant; it was an age when one was acknowledged as an adult. Males were kicked out of their houses, females were sold off to other families, and the majority of children still left in the house were dispersed before even reaching that age. The only one permitted to stay was the heir. The other exception were ladies belonging to powerful families who did not need to participate in marriage businesses.

16 was also Bianca’s current age.

While Zachary had taken up his sword at this age, Bianca…

Bianca broke her train of thought as continuing would only further complicate her mind. After a simple glance, she noticed that Zachary’s current attire was much lighter than the usual burdensome and heavy armor he wore.

He was wearing a simple tunic and pants, as well as leather boots. The silver-grey hair covering half of his forehead looked a bit damp. It seemed she had intruded in the middle of his bath.

“Am I interrupting your bath?”

“I’ve yet to start.”

His voice was flat. Zachary was always a man of a few words. Not only was he one to never talk about trivial matters, but he did not speak much about things that were necessary either. It seemed almost impossible to have emotional exchanges with him, much less attempt to get any minor information from him.

Creeaaak.

The door behind Zachary closed, most likely the servants who left so as not to disturb the couple’s conversation. Bianca swallowed a gulp, her slender neck quivering faintly. The only ones left in the room were now her and Zachary.

Zachary pulled himself from the doorframe and took one step then another into the room. But instead of stopping directly in front of Bianca, he stopped a distance away.

It was undoubtedly a distance one used to observe the other while waiting for a chance to strike. At that moment, he resembled a predator circling his prey, and of course, the prey being none other than Bianca.

Zachary peered down at her. Though Bianca wanted to turn away from his piercing dark pupils, she could not. Showing fear would only steal away the credibility of what she needed to say. Noticing her stiff expression reflected on the window, Bianca morphed her features and put on an act of bravado.

Zachary was the one to break the silence.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean? It’s only natural for the lady of the house to find her husband who has returned home from war.”

Despite quipping back with a forced smile, Bianca was well aware that it was, in fact, outside of the expected in regards to their relationship. Her ears grew red from this embarrassing and awkward situation, fully sympathizing with how taken aback Zachary must be by her abrupt visit.

“It must be something urgent.”

She bit her lips at his tone that seemed to be expressing that she wouldn’t have come to find him if it wasn’t urgent. She was able to get a better grasp of just how he thought of her the more he spoke.

The discord in their relationship was bigger than she thought and it seemed it wouldn’t be easy to patch. But if she were to view it in another perspective with the roles reversed, it was likely that Bianca would build higher walls around her heart if Zachary were to come to her and suddenly act like Fernand. That was how suspicious this situation appeared.

“…I’m just here to say hello and see how you’re doing.” Bianca responded patiently, tightly clenching her fists.

“Exactly.”

Zachary didn’t even blink once. His gaze was focused like he was trying to figure out her intentions.

“It must really be something urgent if it’s to the extent you’re asking me about my well-being, isn’t it?”

His voice came out monotonously, but the sarcasm mixed in his words were as sharp as jutting nails. Each word that left his lips only attacked her, like they were asking ‘You haven’t been interested in me all this time, so why now?’

Bianca knew that her sudden visit wouldn’t be welcomed. Everything that happened so far was within her expectations, but she still found her tongue growing stiff and her heart pounding in her chest. It felt like she had stones in her mouth. She took in several breaths trying to calm herself while contemplating how she could lighten the mood.

But Zachary didn’t give her the leisure to do so as he added, “There must be something you want, isn’t there? If that’s the case, you can just let Vincent know.”

“That’s not it. I just…”

Bianca pursed her lips, unable to voice what she wanted to say easily. She didn’t know what she would need to say in order to get him to listen without misunderstanding. Gripping the fabric of her dress, the bones of her slender and pale fingers noticeably stood out.

For now, she had no choice but to continue being adamant, regardless of whether he believed her or not. Even if both of them knew her words were lies.

Bianca forced a smile on her pale-stricken face. It was likely it appeared awkward and odd to others, but this was the best she could do for now.

“…You’ve just returned from war, have you not? As your wife it‘s only expected that I should come by.”