Zachary De Arno - Blush & Pixels

💔 Character Spotlight: Zachary de Arno

From: Marriage of Convenience (141 Chapters | Completed, [95 Main Story Chapters R15, 46 Side Story Chapters R19)

📖 Manhwa Info

Creators: antstudio • KEN01 • hanheun
Available on: Tapas
Genres: Romance • Historical • Second Chance

🩸 Character Overview

Name: Zachary de Arno
Title: Count → Duke of Arno
Alias: “Dear” (by Bianca)
Appearance: Silver-gray hair, black eyes, tall and imposing, known for his stern aura and warrior physique.
Family: Husband to Bianca • Father to Alexandra • Son-in-law to Gustave & Countess Blanchefort

🏰 The Arno & Blanchefort Families

Bianca de Arno: Wife, the woman he marries through political arrangement but grows to love deeply.
Alexandra: His daughter, future heir of the Arno duchy.
Gustave: Father-in-law, a powerful political ally.
Countess Blanchefort: Mother-in-law (deceased).
Roland: Half-brother (deceased), whose death shaped Zachary’s life.

⚔️ Background & Lore

Zachary was born as the second son of a self-absorbed writer who provided neither guidance nor affection. After the sudden death of his older half-brother Roland, Zachary was forced to survive alone. He enlisted in countless wars, rising through the ranks on pure merit and eventually earning the title of Baron through sheer bloodshed and discipline.

His marriage to Bianca is arranged when she is seven, a political decision involving money, alliances, and pressure he cannot refuse despite the 13-year age gap. Knowing she did not marry him by choice, he maintains strict distance and vows never to touch her until she turns eighteen. Throughout their early years, he tries to give her comfort within his limited emotional capacity, but their relationship is strained due to misunderstandings and the life he’s forced to lead as a warrior.

Through years of war, Zachary becomes the King’s right-hand sword — the most feared warrior in all of Sevran. Despite his growing fame and power, he remains a quiet, lonely man who carries the weight of responsibility, guilt, and fear of failing Bianca. Only after Bianca regresses and begins to change does their bond finally heal and grow.

❤️ Personality & Relationship

Zachary is stoic, loyal, responsible, and deeply self-sacrificing. He downplays his own desires to the point of emotional starvation, believing Bianca despises him. Despite being a feared warrior, he is gentle with her — never raising his voice, never forcing affection, always keeping a respectful distance because he thinks she deserves better.

He is the kind of man who quietly breaks but continues standing. A man who withers emotionally because he believes love is something he is not allowed to want. Yet when Bianca reaches for him, he chooses her every single time — not as a duty, but with his whole heart.

He’s not possessive or cruel — he is steadfast. A man made of steel on the battlefield, but soft and hesitant with the woman he loves.

💬 My Impression

Zachary is genuinely one of the best crafted husbands in any historical manhwa. He’s not loud, dramatic, or flashy — he loves in quiet ways that hit even harder. The guilt he carries, the way he distances himself because he thinks he’s unworthy, the way he still protects Bianca even when she’s cold toward him… it’s heartbreaking and beautiful.

He is the definition of: a man who never stops choosing her.