A Marriage of Convenience /The Marriage Business

Chapter 8 - 15 Year Reunion (2)

Winter was fast approaching. The autumn leaves slowly vanished, snow taking its place and coating the bare branches of trees in white. It was also the return of Zachary and his men to Arno Castle.

Vincent was successful in attaining a white fox fur cape before the start of winter. Not only were white foxes hard to catch, but they were also coveted by many for their beautiful white fur. They weren’t something that could be purchased by acting fast. One would need connections with hunters and merchants in order to obtain one. As such, Vincent proved to be quite the capable steward for being able to acquire one so quickly.

Bianca requesting such an item was not a simple act of indulging in luxury nor was it to confirm the memories of her lavish past. It was to pull herself together and strengthen her resolve.

Brushing her fingers over the soft fur, Bianca closed her eyes. If she wanted to continue wearing these fine coats, to continue living in comfort, then she would need to offer something up herself.

Bianca always expected to be given things when she was younger, but she was now someone who had gone through many experiences life threw at her, and consequently realized that everything had a price.

What she had to do now was also, in its own way, a ‘price.’

Wrapping the cape around her shoulders, she turned to gaze out the window. Zachary and his men seemed to have entered the castle as she could only see the stablehands holding the reins of the horses.

She took in several deep breaths. She couldn’t believe the time had finally come to face her husband. She couldn’t forget the figure of him she saw moments prior, like it was vividly engraved in her mind. It was a familiar face without a doubt, but her memory of Zachary’s face was hidden behind a cloud of fog, so to see his young features suddenly burst out from the mist brought a strong sense of unfamiliarity instead of elation.

When was the last time she had seen Zachary again?

It made sense for her memory to be fuzzy, as it had been more than fifteen years ago. Bianca convinced herself that it was only expected for him to seem unfamiliar.

Despite this being Zachary’s first return to the castle in months, it was likely that he would neither send someone for her nor come looking for her himself. Bianca and Zachary’s face-to-face meetings were simply coincidental occurrences resulting from the two happening to be within the same radius as the other. The only other times were if there was a particular reason they needed to see the other, and for Zachary, returning from war did not fall under that category.

Bianca left her room, understanding she could only see him if she went to go find him herself. Her legs were shaking underneath her skirt, but she feigned composure, straightening her back and raising her chin.

Noticing Bianca walking down the hall with graceful steps, the maids bowed their heads and stepped back in order to avoid her.

Bianca headed for the entrance hall, expecting Zachary to be there. The closer she got, the louder the noisy laughter of men.

It appeared the Arno Knights found the campaign this time to be the opposite of difficult, as their faces were overflowing with victory and joy.

Their voices were raised, boisterously prattling about their accomplishments on the battlefield. The eyes of the male servants were filled with envy while the cheeks of the maids were tinged pink as they stole glances at the knights. The celebratory banquet had yet to even begin, but the lively atmosphere made it seem like it already had.

At least, until Bianca appeared.

“And so I took the bastard’s neck and wham! I gripped his neck firmly with my two hands and shook–”