Problematic Prince - Chapter 18

18. Up to there


“I think my father wants to marry me off.”

Erna, who had been walking along the riverside chattering about recent events, changed the subject.

“I think he believes that's the way to be a parent, even if it's belated. I don't feel that way.”

He frowned slightly, but his expression wasn't that serious.

Pavel let out a silent sigh and stopped walking. Erna, who had stopped as well, faced him with an innocent expression. Her eyes, sparkling like water reflecting the afternoon sunlight, deepened Pavel's thoughts.

Now that he had Erna, Viscount Hardy's motive was clear. He had bought his daughter on the condition that she would find the Baden family mansion, but he was willing to sell her for a higher price. Judging by the way he tossed her around like a commodity, from one man to another, it was clear.

“Erna, why don’t you go back to Baden?”

Pavel, unable to bring himself to tell her that her father had no interest in being a parent and that he was only trying to sell her out, gave her a roundabout warning.

"I'd love to, but I promised to stay in Schwerin for a year. Once I've served that time, I'll naturally return to Baden."

“Your father’s will may be different.”

"Even so, my decision won't change. I did get help from my father, but my grandmother is my family."

Despite her smiling face, Erna's gaze was stubborn. She seemed infinitely delicate, yet possessed a pride and unwavering determination, a look befitting the Baden girl Pavel had known for many years.

What on earth is best for this kid?

No matter how much he thought about it, Pavel couldn't find a solution.

Even if Erna decides to return to Burford, Viscount Hardy won't let his daughter go easily. He'll sell her to the highest bidder, no matter what. Knowing this, yet unable to do anything about it, left Pavel helpless.

'You're going to go that far, Pavel.'

It was one afternoon last winter when his father suddenly blurted out something out of the blue while he was helping out at the lumber mill.

"You're visiting the Baron of Baden. It's time to stop now. You and the granddaughter of that family are no longer children."

His father, smoking his pipe, looked up at the distant sky as he continued speaking. His tone was blunt, but his eyes were filled with genuine concern.

"There's no need to come down from next vacation. If you want to make a name for yourself as an artist, you need to focus on your work instead of wasting time in this remote corner of the country."

After giving some rough advice, his father left.

Pavel, removing his gloves, now covered in wood chips, stared intently at the sky where his father's gaze had landed. The characteristically pale, sharp winter sunlight stung his eyes.

Only when the light began to blind him did Pavel turn back. Five days had passed since he left his hometown.

He accepted his father's advice because he, too, felt the same way. Erna was like a younger sister to him, but Pavel knew the world saw them differently. He was the son of a lumberjack and the granddaughter of a fallen noble family. Rumors were starting to swirl around them. For their sake, it was time to part ways.

To keep that promise, Pavel didn't visit Buford even once for over a year. The frequency of his correspondence with Erna also decreased significantly. So, he thought it was over. He never dreamed he'd meet Erna here, in this way.

“Erna, if you ever need help with anything, be sure to come to me.”

Pavel urged with force. It was the best he could find without destroying the gap he'd worked so hard to create.

“Yeah. Thanks, Pavel.”

Erna, smiling happily, resumed her walk along the riverbank. With each gust of wind, the frills adorning the parasol's rim, the flowers and ribbons on her wide-brimmed hat, and the flowing lace of her dress swayed. Pavel, overcome with emotion at the sight of them, resembling a giant flower, chuckled.

It was towards the end of their walk that Erna, who was telling him about her recent activities, asked him an unexpected question.

"Oh, Pavel. Is there any way to sell arrangements in this city?"

“Arrangements? Are you doing that here, too?”

Pavel asked, bewildered. No matter how much the Hardy family's fortunes were declining, there was no way he would ask his daughter, who had been exposed to society, to do something like that. And the small fortune she earned from such work wouldn't be of much help to the family.

"It's not work. I just make flowers whenever I'm bored. I thought it would be nice if I could sell them like I did in Burford. I could send the money to my grandmother."

Although she said it as if it were nothing, Erna seemed quite desperate.

“I’ll look into it.”

Pavel nodded coolly. It wasn't hard to imagine the Baden family's situation, without the living expenses Erna had earned by selling flowers.

"I once sold a painting to the owner of Soldau Department Store. I'll ask him if there's any way to deliver it."

“Department store? Thank you! Thank you so much, Pavel!”

Pavel, who was looking at the excited Erna, smiled with a slightly disappointed expression.

Erna is still Erna.

That fact brought him conflicting emotions of joy and worry at the same time.

***

It was Erna.

The moment he caught sight of the woman through the carriage window, where he'd casually glanced, Bjorn was certain. It wasn't very close, but there was no room for doubt. The woman walking across the bridge was undoubtedly Erna Hardy, the impudent thief who'd stolen his trophy.

Bjorn narrowed his eyes and surveyed the unexpected sight. It wasn't until they had narrowed the distance that he became aware of the young man beside the woman.

Pavel Lore.

The moment he remembered the name he hadn't even known he'd remembered, the carriage passed the two people walking side by side. Bjorn quickly looked away from the window, but the afterimage of the woman smiling, like the sparkling waters of the afternoon river Abbey, lingered quite vividly.

A sassy lady who scoured the social scene in search of a groom while secretly enjoying an affair with a painter from the art academy. She was truly worthy of being called Gladys Hartford's successor.

“They’re playing around.”

As the carriage approached the busy street, Bjorn reached a clear conclusion. He also felt sorrow for the countless fools who had been fooled by that woman's innocent face.

In any case, thanks to the woman who suddenly appeared one day and stirred up the social scene, this season was not boring. It would be quite entertaining to see who would become the deer's pitiful prey. He could simply enjoy the commotion, more enjoyable than any play, and then collect his winnings and walk away.

The scenery that had been flowing while he put on his gloves stopped. Bjorn, having erased the meaningless memories, stepped out of the carriage with a light movement.

The Freyr Bank building, located in the heart of the financial district, had a majestic appearance, resembling a temple. Supported by eight massive pillars, the stone structure was adorned with beautiful reliefs. Freyr, the god of war and wisdom in Letzen's founding myth. It was also the name of the ship personally commanded by Philip II, the Conqueror, on his expedition.

Bjorn began to walk with refreshing steps towards the golden hall where the royal ancestral gods bowed.

***

The two parted ways after making plans to meet again at the same time and place next week.

Pavel tried to see her off, but Erna stubbornly refused. Erna's face lit up with innocent pride as she declared she now knew how to ride a stagecoach, having learned it from her maid.

Pavel stood at the edge of the bridge, watching Erna walk away. Over her back, a vague memory of the day he first met her came flooding back.

It was a late spring afternoon, and heavy rain had created puddles on the country roads. Pavel, returning from an errand for his father in a mule-drawn cart, spotted a young girl trudging along, covered in mud. It wasn't until he was close enough to recognize her that he realized she was the granddaughter of the Baron of Baden.

'Shall I give you a ride?'

Instead of pretending not to notice as usual, he struck up a conversation first. It was an impulsive choice. Erna froze in shock. It seemed she had jumped over a large puddle and fallen into it.

'I'll give you a lift since I'm passing by there.'

Pavel urged her again. After a moment of hesitation, the girl, surprisingly, obediently climbed into the cart. It seemed the rumors about her being a haughty noblewoman who wouldn't even associate with the village children were just baseless.

The child didn't utter a word the entire ride. With a stern expression, she simply stared down at her battered shoes. Regret filled him with a sense of futility, but he couldn't kick the child out of the carriage, so Pavel continued to drive in silence.

'This...'

Erna spoke for the first time after the cart had stopped. He thought she must be quite the unlucky noblewoman, jumping down without even saying goodbye. The child hesitated, holding something out.

Pavel took it absentmindedly. It was a tasteless licorice candy, like something a coughing old woman would eat.

While Pavel was dazed, unsure of how to react, Erna pulled something out of the basket she was carrying and offered it to him again. This time, it was a cookie wrapped in paper.

'Thank you. I'll enjoy it.'

Before the child could empty everything from her basket, Pavel offered a fitting greeting. Erna, who had been fidgeting and watching, finally smiled brightly in relief. At that moment, Pavel realized why the child had kept her mouth shut. The child was missing one of her front teeth.

Erna, embarrassed by being caught, quickly pursed her lips and began to run toward the Baden family mansion. Then, suddenly turning around, she waved a small hand in a belated thank you.

“Pavel!”

Erna, who had been walking away, suddenly turned around and called his name. Pavel stared at the present Erna, standing where his past memories had vanished.

"Thank you!"

Erna greeted him like the girl she was that day. She was still the same child who waved awkwardly.

Go that far, Pavel.

His father's complicated voice seemed to linger in his ears. Even now, Pavel readily accepted the truth of those words. After all, she was just a younger sister. And the fact that there was nothing more to go on between them was equally true.

Pavel waved goodbye, smiling like the boy he was that day, to the current Erna.

Up to there.

The red line was still valid.

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