Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – The Villainess, Bianca (6)

Translator: Skye

Bianca, who was born as a daughter of a noble, was immature and ignorant of how to desperately protect what was hers. Hence, she had been chased out from her position, completely clueless. Bianca closed herself off while spending her days in the cold convent, and held strong regrets regarding her life.

Why did I believe in Fernand’s love? Why was I without a child? Why was I thrown away so wretchedly?

The cause behind all of Bianca’s regrets was Zachary.

Her husband, Zachary de Arno, to be more exact.

If there had been a child born from her and Zachary, then it was likely that she would never have been driven out like so.

No. If she had been on good terms with Zachary from the start, then she would have never been used by Fernand.

No, that’s not it. She never would have gotten caught up in the viscount’s schemes if she had never married Zachary in the first place.

Bianca wondered what would have happened if she had returned not to her 16-year-old self, but  to her 7-year-old body before her marriage with Zachary instead. But she knew she would have still ended up marrying him. After all, their marriage was one chosen by her father after much deliberation, and it was the best political marriage for the Blancheforts.

Even though she had returned to her 16-year-old body, Bianca was grateful to have been granted another chance at life. She had spent many years brooding over her regrets on the cold floors of the convent, so at the very least, it was clear what she had to do from now on.

Bianca vowed never to suffer the same degradation and humiliation she faced before.

If marriage was ultimately a business, she realized that the wisest choice would be to secure her own portion of benefits from it. Bianca’s light-green eyes gleamed with resolve as she pushed aside thoughts of trivial matters, instead focusing on what was of most importance.

To her knowledge, Zachary’s death would occur during war. He would be 36 years old and Bianca would be 23. That meant there was still seven years until then. In order to not be kicked out after her husband’s death, Bianca needed to make sure she did not spare any interest towards Fernand or other men, and focus on becoming pregnant with Zachary’s child. Then, their child would become the Arno heir and Bianca would do her best to handle the county’s affairs and endure until her child became an adult. It was a perfect plan. Once her child was of age, he would surely look after her.

But there was a problem. Bianca and her husband weren’t exactly on terms that would easily open up the chance for her to have a child.

‘If I’m still 16… Then that means we’ve yet to consummate our marriage…’

Bianca sighed, feeling stumped. There were still two years left until they’d consummate their marriage and Zachary would never reach out to her first on his own. He never seemed to be in a hurry. It was likely that they may have never slept together, even up until his death, if his vassals hadn’t pestered him so.

In that case, Bianca couldn’t just sit back and wait. Seven years may sound like a long time, but considering how Zachary would be constantly vacating the castle for the battlefield, it would be appropriate to say that the period of time Bianca would truly have with him was only half that amount. Though it was possible to become pregnant after a single night together, it wasn’t guaranteed. People did say that pregnancy came easily to those who wanted to avoid it, while evading those who yearned for it.

In other words, seven years was already much too short of a period to try and conceive a child, therefore Bianca couldn’t let two of those years go by just idling away.

Whether it be using seduction or persuasion, she would need to make the first move.

A blush stained her cheeks. How would she go about it? Should she proceed with some mild seduction and wait for him to respond? But Bianca was not a sensual beauty. The chances of success were low.

Or should she be bold and demand of it confidently? Zachary may nod his head and agree if she used the approach his vassals used, arguing that it was only natural to have an heir early for the sake of the Arno family.

Bianca let out another sigh. Even if she were to make the first move, it did not mean Zachary would like it, but rather be suspicious. His eyes would scan her for any underlying motives, wondering when she had started caring for the Arno family’s future. They were a couple whose relationship was no different from that of strangers, no, one could even say it was worse.

Looking back, it was amazing how Bianca had been able to keep her position as the lady of the house all the way up until Zachary’s death. If she were Zachary, she would have thrown herself out much earlier.

Perhaps Zachary had wanted to get rid of her, but took pity on her as the Blanchefort family had perished, leaving her with nowhere to go back to. Or it was possible that he wanted to seize the Blanchefort territory.

Bianca viewed the latter option as more likely. If not that, she could not think of any other reason as to why he would have put up with her misconduct.

Their marriage was a political one from the start and there existed neither love nor loyalty between them. Moreover, it wasn’t Bianca that Zachary needed to be loyal to; it was not she who he married but the Blanchefort family. In return, Zachary strengthened political cooperation with the Blancheforts and led the battles in the war for the first prince.

That’s right. Bianca and Zachary’s relationship was nothing more than a contractual one. Their goal was to unite their families and bring about mutual prosperity. Surely he would not refuse if she were to bring up the idea of an heir.

Even if he may hold someone else in his heart.

Bianca couldn’t forget the words of the maids who speculated that Zachary might have a mistress. At the time, she had shuddered and pretended to have not heard it. The thought of her husband–who she did not love–having a mistress only caused irritation, so she didn’t even want to waste another second on it. She didn’t even try to confirm if Zachary really had one or not. Frankly, Bianca thought it would be stranger if he didn’t have one.

An image of her husband gently caressing the cheek of another woman and pressing his body over hers naturally to Bianca’s mind. She wondered what kind of woman his mistress was. A serf? Or another noble’s daughter? Would Zachary have loved that woman?

A bitter smile marred Bianca’s lips. Regardless of Zachary liking another woman or not, Bianca’s goal remained unchanged. Of course, the thought of having to be embraced by a man who already held another was humiliating and revolting, but it was better than being used and expelled while having everything stolen from her.

‘I’m just going to carry out a business. After all, marriage is essentially a business. Zachary’s child will be the perfect source of financial support. I’m sure the child will protect my dowry and I won’t have to lose the Blanchefort and Arno territories to that damned viscount either.’

Bianca closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again, they were ablaze with rage. Thinking about it again, this had all been because of Viscount Hugues. Zachary’s death had been an opportunity for that cruel and deceitful man to come in and fill his own pockets. Rather, it was possible that he also played a part in Zachary’s death, as he was the only one who would benefit from it.

In addition, given the timing of Fernand first approaching Bianca, it was clear that the viscount’s instigative plot had been a long one in the making–like accumulating dust. He must have been planning to get rid of her from the start and thus why he had sent Fernand. He had used Fernand to hurt and extort everything from her. The viscount must have been over the moon when he took possession of everything she had–including her future and tokens of her past. Just thinking about it caused anger to surge inside of her.

If things ended up going well between her and Zachary, leading her to conceive without any problems and ultimately give birth to the next Arno…

Her next step would then be revenge.

Revenge on Viscount Hugues and Fernand. No matter when or how, she swore she would return just as much humiliation and pain they had given her.

Bianca was the daughter of a count, and though her husband was a baron, he had eventually become a count, and thus she had become a countess as well. She had an immense amount of pride, and that pride would have surely played a part in preventing her from being able to maintain an amicable relationship with Zachary. But to think a mere viscount would dare to interfere and mess with her life. It only added to Bianca’s fury.

At some point, the sun had completely set, causing the outside surroundings to become dark. The night sky was a perfect representation of how Bianca felt. There was no end to the darkness and it was hard to even see what lay ahead. But just like how the night would fade away when the sun rises, the darkness would disappear as well.

Her revenge would serve the role of dawn. Looking forward to that day, Bianca fully accepted the fact that she had returned to the past. She pulled her hand to her chest and murmured a prayer.

“I’m ever grateful for your mercy, for forgiving me of my sins and granting my wish to be revived. My faith in you is unyielding and I vow to act according to your will… With all sincerity, I swear it on this second life you have bestowed upon me.”

Bianca’s lips curved upwards in an uncanny way. Her eyes gleamed like fresh spring blooms, but there was also a blazing flame reflected in her pupils. A flame of desire tinged with obsession that refused to be easily extinguished.