A Marriage of convenience PART II [Completed]

Side story 3

Extra - 3

For Bianca, who believed in her and followed her like a mother, a sense of betrayal pierced her heart.

"My mother, who was a countess, was her pride, so I might have wanted to be her pride too. Now that I think about it... Yes, I think I was her pride."

The remnants of the past turned into sharp thorns that pierced her chest. It wasn't very pleasant to unfold the reality that she had tried so hard to ignore, one by one before her eyes. She suddenly felt nauseous.

Seeing a shadow gradually cast over Bianca's face, Zachary stopped talking about it and consoled her.

"But the happiness of the moment with her is not a lie."

"...yes."

"Then that's it. I also had a lot of resentment towards my late father, but I dare not dwell on it. I'm the only one who suffers when I blame a deceased person for what they've done."

Zachary's words had bones*. Indeed, his father tried to hand over the Huegh family to Zachary, but reality only pushed him into difficulties. If he had been a little clearer about the issue of succession, Zachary wouldn't have wandered the battlefield at the young age of 16.

But thanks to that, he caught the attention of the Blanchefort family and met Bianca. To the extent that all of that happened, resentment for the past became futile.

The atmosphere grew heavier due to the stories, but the air between the two slowly mingled. Bianca reached out and caressed Zachary's cheek. Zachary blinked slowly and looked at Bianca, who was looking at him. Bianca let out a long sigh.

"Jean must have insulted you a lot... I'm glad you didn't send me back to Blanchefort."

"I'm grateful that she was just your nanny. No matter how dissatisfied I was with our marriage, she wasn't someone I could break it off with."

For Bianca, the consolation offered with a blunt face sounded like a joke. Bianca smiled gently, but Zachary was actually sincere.

And she wouldn't have known he would become a duke. Isn't that right? If that were the case, wouldn't he have been the type of husband the nanny liked?

"That's too much."

"It doesn't seem so to me."

"Why? Jean would have prayed every night for me to marry a duke."

Bianca asked, widening her eyes. When Zachary became a Count, he fulfilled her requirements as a marital partner, but now he is a duke. Not just a duke, but also a ruler of the Kingdom. The godfather of the future king... But Zachary didn't believe it that way and firmly shook his head.

"That was then. Now you're a Saint. So it's clear that a new standard would be set. A duke wouldn't even reach the tip of your toes."

"There wouldn't be an end."

"That's right."

The two looked at each other and smiled mischievously. If it were Jean, it might be true. It seemed impossible to find a marriage partner who would meet Jean's standards, even if one swam across the continent.

It was a story that needed to be overcome. Zachary was right. Reflecting on Jean's actions wouldn't help her future happiness. It only held her back. It was right to let it go now, remembering only the beautiful memories.

As the conversation grew longer, the Gonggi game stopped. One of the jewels rolled out of Bianca's reach. Fearful that Bianca was about to lean forward, Zachary, who had long arms, easily picked up the jewel and brought it in front of Bianca.