66. A Vain Masterpiece
The Prince was a habitual criminal.
When he felt like it, he played the role of a fairly affectionate husband, but otherwise, he was heartless, as if he had forgotten his wife's existence. Just like today.
“Your Highness is really fast.”
Lisa sighed, the words now a habit. She could now confidently say that no man in the world lived more freely than Prince Bjorn.
“Yes? Lisa, what did you say?”
Erna, who was poring over a brochure detailing the city's tourist attractions, looked at Lisa with a genuinely benign smile. It was hard to believe that the unfortunate Grand Duchess, who had been spending her honeymoon with her maid, was enjoying it again today because her husband, who had spent the night drinking and playing cards with friends, was sleeping in the middle of the day.
"No."
Lisa didn't want to irritate Erna, so she just brushed it off. "Of course," she thought. "It was fine if Erna looked so happy."
As soon as the tea she ordered arrived, Erna put down her travel brochure. The hotel's tea room, famous for its beautiful teaware and sumptuous desserts, was indeed just as described in the brochure.
As planned, tea time was supposed to be shared with Bjorn, but his unexpected and somewhat debaucherous gatherings derailed the plan. The guests who visited the visiting Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were all descendants of the kingdom's high-ranking royal and noble families. While they certainly had a dignified presence, the sights this morning were anything but. Bjorn Dneister, the first Prince and Grand Duke of Letzen, was no exception.
“Oh my goodness. It’s so pretty! How can I eat it? It’s such a shame.”
Lisa surveyed the afternoon tea spread across the table with a moved expression. She should have been saddened by the thought of Erna enjoying this delight with her instead of her husband, but the corners of her frivolous lips showed no sign of lifting.
“Eat plenty, Lisa. Then you can enjoy the rest of your trip.”
Erna was clearly offering advice with the gentleness of an angel, but Lisa felt a little threatened.
She is determined to see it through to the end today as well.
From morning to night, Erna traveled diligently, following an elaborate, spiderweb-like plan. Curious and diligent, she rarely wasted time. She was curious about everything and amazed by the smallest things. It was a stark contrast to Bjorn, who, outside of his duties as Prince of Letzen, was indolent and apathetic.
“It’s so delicious.”
Lisa took a huge bite of the scone, thickly slathered with cream and jam, and was genuinely impressed. Compared to the brick-like scones from the tea room she and Erna always visited when stopping by the department store to pick up some flower arrangements, the taste was heavenly. Her praise was beyond words.
It was only last summer that she was sipping tea from a chipped cup while sitting in front of a cheap, almost inedible scone, and now, in just two seasons, she's enjoying this luxury in a luxury hotel abroad.
“Your Highness, I feel like I’ve really made it.”
Lisa's serious conclusion caused Erna to burst into a cheerful laugh. Even though it wasn't a loud laugh, it caught the attention of the guests in the tea room. Erna herself seemed unaware of the fact or the reason for it.
Ah, Lisa Brill's vain masterpiece.
Lisa, who had been staring blankly at the unrewardingly beautiful Erna, ate the remaining scones as if mustering her resolve. She didn't refuse the cookies and cakes Erna offered her either.
She still doesn't know why she's going to a place like the Sewer Museum, but she decided that if Erna liked it, it was fine. Perhaps it was a blessing to be out in the wind. Lisa didn't want to imagine the expression on Prince Bjorn's face when he learned that his wife's planned day would end at the Sewer Museum.
“But Your Highness, why are those people standing in line like that?”
Lisa put down her fork and turned her gaze to the long line of people beyond the shop window. It was a long line, snake-like, almost circling the entire building.
“These are the people trying to climb up to the dome of that cathedral.”
Erna's fingertips pointed to the cathedral standing diagonally across from the hotel's display window. Atop the magnificent building sat a dazzling golden dome. The dots, seemingly ants, circling around it, likely represented the people who had lined up to ascend.
"This cathedral was built 200 years ago by the Queen who came from Letzen after marrying her husband. The King and Queen cherished and loved each other dearly throughout their lives. So, there's a legend that if you climb up there with your loved one and hear the bells, your love will come true. Apparently, the King and Queen of Pelia did just that when the cathedral was built."
Erna answered as if she had lived in this city for years. It was one of the things she had diligently studied since the day she heard Pelia would be her next honeymoon destination. It was also the biggest reason she had been counting down the days until she arrived in Pelia.
“Wow. Your Highness, it’s not me, you have to go with the Prince! Of course! You understand?”
It was hard to imagine the Prince, who rarely sat properly except when performing official duties, climbing up to that high place, but Lisa still shouted with all her heart.
Erna, who had been looking up at the cathedral dome with her eyes closed, nodded shyly.
“Yeah. I will.”
In fact, they had already decided to do so. It was a promise made on the bed in the cabin of the ship sailing to Pelia.
"It's my birthday in ten days," Erna said, a question she'd been hesitant to mention. It felt awkward to say it herself, but she didn't want to let her twentieth birthday, her first since marriage, pass by in vain.
Bjorn readily nodded in agreement to Erna's request for a gift: to ascend the cathedral dome together. It was a willing acceptance that left Erna, who had hesitated dozens of times, trembling with fear of rejection, flustered.
The cheer of joy she's unintentionally let out shattered on Bjorn's lips. The movements were so large and rough that it was difficult to find the time to express her gratitude. It was a far too romantic conversation to be shared in such a savage setting, but it was inevitable. Looking back on the past three months of their marriage, Bjorn had been most generous in moments like these.
Should I remind you of your promise again?
After a moment of hesitation, Erna quickly changed her mind. It was clearly a promise made while looking into her eyes. He even offered her a sweet smile. If he wanted to, he would be a loving lover, no matter what. Of course, he had a weakness for not being able to accept such feelings easily, but there was no way he would forget his wife's birthday.
“Shall we go now?”
Erna stood up, examining her empty plate. Her face beamed with a smile that could light up Pelia's sewer.
Erna is coming.
Bjorn could tell just by the sound of her footsteps. Until she approached quietly, she was accompanied by her servants. But now, as her pace became more rapid, she was alone.
And now.
“Bjorn!”
The door opened with a knock. She was a strangely stubborn lady, always insisting on unnecessary courtesy, even though she never asked permission.
Erna, spotting him, quickly approached and stood in front of the sofa. Bjorn lifted his gaze from the magazine he was reading. Erna was looking at him with a bright smile. Her green velvet dress was adorned with ribbons and frills. Today, too, she looked like a gift box.
“Did your guests walk back on their own two feet?”
Erna slowly looked around and asked a sharp question with a kind smile on her face.
“Well. Maybe.”
“Thank goodness. I was really worried you might have left on your own.”
Even when she's being sarcastic, her face still looks like an angel.
Bjorn chuckled and tossed the magazine onto the table. Erna lowered her leg from the armrest on the other side and sat down quietly.
As soon as she sat up, Erna, as if she'd been waiting, began to babble about her day. She'd been working so hard to explore the city. It was amazing how, even after running around every day, she still had so many places to go.
“I also went to the Sewer Museum. I even took a boat ride there.”
Erna's story, which was boasting about the tea time she enjoyed at the hotel, suddenly took a strange turn.
"...What?"
Even when he asked her what he had heard, unable to believe it, Erna still showed a bright smile.
"It's the Sewer Museum. You didn't know? It's right here. It was truly fascinating. Did you know there were such large, long, and complex tunnels underground? It was just like in novels. Why, it's like the scene in a novel where you escape through an underground sewer."
Pelia, you perverts.
While Bjorn marveled at the fact that there were madmen in this world who would think of creating such a museum, Erna continued to ramble on about the wonders of the underground world.
“I also took a boat ride to see the sewers, and the guide even showed me how to find things that had fallen into the sewers.”
Watching Erna beaming, Bjorn felt grateful for Pelia's prodigal sons' surprise visit last night. Dealing with Pelia's drunken dogs seemed far more elegant than boating in the sewers.
“So, right now, it’s the way back from there. The sewer.”
"Yes."
His gift box nodded confidently. Bjorn sat closer to the edge of the sofa, creating a distance between himself and the sewer adventurer. Erna, who had been quietly watching him, began to wrinkle her nose.
"Are you really thinking I'm dirty right now? You, my husband, who broke our promise while drunk and left me traveling alone all day?"
Erna, sighing as if she were dumbfounded, pressed her body against his. The more he retreated, the closer she came, and more he retreated, the closer she came, until she was already practically sitting on his lap.
Bjorn burst out laughing and threw himself onto the sofa, clutching the rolled gift in his arms. Erna still exuded a sweet floral scent today.
“The hat must be sad, Erna.”
Bjorn took off her cumbersome hat and threw it on the table.
“It’s not like it was made for traveling in sewers.”
Bjorn, having removed the cloak draped over her shoulders, now began to lift the hem of her voluminous dress. Erna, who had been lying obediently on top of him, flinched just as his hand touched her garter belt.
“Can you please look at this for just a little longer?”
Erna grabbed his wrist and asked seriously.
“It’s a new dress. Lisa worked really hard on it.”
“You’re prettiest when you’re naked, Erna.”
Bjorn untied the garter belt without a second thought. Erna, uncharacteristically for a woman who had received such rave reviews, looked astonished.
"Oh my goodness. That's such an insulting thing to say. How would you feel if I said something like that?"
Erna snapped in a fit of anger, but quickly regretted her choice. Her husband, already half-naked, was smirking, the corners of his mouth raised. He seemed to have already heard the answer.
“Don’t say it.”
Erna quickly placed her hand over her husband's slightly parted lips.
“I will decline to answer.”
Fortunately, that wish came true, although it was in a far more obscene direction than the answer he had hoped to block.
The Prince was a habitual criminal.
When he felt like it, he played the role of a fairly affectionate husband, but otherwise, he was heartless, as if he had forgotten his wife's existence. Just like today.
“Your Highness is really fast.”
Lisa sighed, the words now a habit. She could now confidently say that no man in the world lived more freely than Prince Bjorn.
“Yes? Lisa, what did you say?”
Erna, who was poring over a brochure detailing the city's tourist attractions, looked at Lisa with a genuinely benign smile. It was hard to believe that the unfortunate Grand Duchess, who had been spending her honeymoon with her maid, was enjoying it again today because her husband, who had spent the night drinking and playing cards with friends, was sleeping in the middle of the day.
"No."
Lisa didn't want to irritate Erna, so she just brushed it off. "Of course," she thought. "It was fine if Erna looked so happy."
As soon as the tea she ordered arrived, Erna put down her travel brochure. The hotel's tea room, famous for its beautiful teaware and sumptuous desserts, was indeed just as described in the brochure.
As planned, tea time was supposed to be shared with Bjorn, but his unexpected and somewhat debaucherous gatherings derailed the plan. The guests who visited the visiting Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were all descendants of the kingdom's high-ranking royal and noble families. While they certainly had a dignified presence, the sights this morning were anything but. Bjorn Dneister, the first Prince and Grand Duke of Letzen, was no exception.
“Oh my goodness. It’s so pretty! How can I eat it? It’s such a shame.”
Lisa surveyed the afternoon tea spread across the table with a moved expression. She should have been saddened by the thought of Erna enjoying this delight with her instead of her husband, but the corners of her frivolous lips showed no sign of lifting.
“Eat plenty, Lisa. Then you can enjoy the rest of your trip.”
Erna was clearly offering advice with the gentleness of an angel, but Lisa felt a little threatened.
She is determined to see it through to the end today as well.
From morning to night, Erna traveled diligently, following an elaborate, spiderweb-like plan. Curious and diligent, she rarely wasted time. She was curious about everything and amazed by the smallest things. It was a stark contrast to Bjorn, who, outside of his duties as Prince of Letzen, was indolent and apathetic.
“It’s so delicious.”
Lisa took a huge bite of the scone, thickly slathered with cream and jam, and was genuinely impressed. Compared to the brick-like scones from the tea room she and Erna always visited when stopping by the department store to pick up some flower arrangements, the taste was heavenly. Her praise was beyond words.
It was only last summer that she was sipping tea from a chipped cup while sitting in front of a cheap, almost inedible scone, and now, in just two seasons, she's enjoying this luxury in a luxury hotel abroad.
“Your Highness, I feel like I’ve really made it.”
Lisa's serious conclusion caused Erna to burst into a cheerful laugh. Even though it wasn't a loud laugh, it caught the attention of the guests in the tea room. Erna herself seemed unaware of the fact or the reason for it.
Ah, Lisa Brill's vain masterpiece.
Lisa, who had been staring blankly at the unrewardingly beautiful Erna, ate the remaining scones as if mustering her resolve. She didn't refuse the cookies and cakes Erna offered her either.
She still doesn't know why she's going to a place like the Sewer Museum, but she decided that if Erna liked it, it was fine. Perhaps it was a blessing to be out in the wind. Lisa didn't want to imagine the expression on Prince Bjorn's face when he learned that his wife's planned day would end at the Sewer Museum.
“But Your Highness, why are those people standing in line like that?”
Lisa put down her fork and turned her gaze to the long line of people beyond the shop window. It was a long line, snake-like, almost circling the entire building.
“These are the people trying to climb up to the dome of that cathedral.”
Erna's fingertips pointed to the cathedral standing diagonally across from the hotel's display window. Atop the magnificent building sat a dazzling golden dome. The dots, seemingly ants, circling around it, likely represented the people who had lined up to ascend.
"This cathedral was built 200 years ago by the Queen who came from Letzen after marrying her husband. The King and Queen cherished and loved each other dearly throughout their lives. So, there's a legend that if you climb up there with your loved one and hear the bells, your love will come true. Apparently, the King and Queen of Pelia did just that when the cathedral was built."
Erna answered as if she had lived in this city for years. It was one of the things she had diligently studied since the day she heard Pelia would be her next honeymoon destination. It was also the biggest reason she had been counting down the days until she arrived in Pelia.
“Wow. Your Highness, it’s not me, you have to go with the Prince! Of course! You understand?”
It was hard to imagine the Prince, who rarely sat properly except when performing official duties, climbing up to that high place, but Lisa still shouted with all her heart.
Erna, who had been looking up at the cathedral dome with her eyes closed, nodded shyly.
“Yeah. I will.”
In fact, they had already decided to do so. It was a promise made on the bed in the cabin of the ship sailing to Pelia.
"It's my birthday in ten days," Erna said, a question she'd been hesitant to mention. It felt awkward to say it herself, but she didn't want to let her twentieth birthday, her first since marriage, pass by in vain.
Bjorn readily nodded in agreement to Erna's request for a gift: to ascend the cathedral dome together. It was a willing acceptance that left Erna, who had hesitated dozens of times, trembling with fear of rejection, flustered.
The cheer of joy she's unintentionally let out shattered on Bjorn's lips. The movements were so large and rough that it was difficult to find the time to express her gratitude. It was a far too romantic conversation to be shared in such a savage setting, but it was inevitable. Looking back on the past three months of their marriage, Bjorn had been most generous in moments like these.
Should I remind you of your promise again?
After a moment of hesitation, Erna quickly changed her mind. It was clearly a promise made while looking into her eyes. He even offered her a sweet smile. If he wanted to, he would be a loving lover, no matter what. Of course, he had a weakness for not being able to accept such feelings easily, but there was no way he would forget his wife's birthday.
“Shall we go now?”
Erna stood up, examining her empty plate. Her face beamed with a smile that could light up Pelia's sewer.
***
Erna is coming.
Bjorn could tell just by the sound of her footsteps. Until she approached quietly, she was accompanied by her servants. But now, as her pace became more rapid, she was alone.
And now.
“Bjorn!”
The door opened with a knock. She was a strangely stubborn lady, always insisting on unnecessary courtesy, even though she never asked permission.
Erna, spotting him, quickly approached and stood in front of the sofa. Bjorn lifted his gaze from the magazine he was reading. Erna was looking at him with a bright smile. Her green velvet dress was adorned with ribbons and frills. Today, too, she looked like a gift box.
“Did your guests walk back on their own two feet?”
Erna slowly looked around and asked a sharp question with a kind smile on her face.
“Well. Maybe.”
“Thank goodness. I was really worried you might have left on your own.”
Even when she's being sarcastic, her face still looks like an angel.
Bjorn chuckled and tossed the magazine onto the table. Erna lowered her leg from the armrest on the other side and sat down quietly.
As soon as she sat up, Erna, as if she'd been waiting, began to babble about her day. She'd been working so hard to explore the city. It was amazing how, even after running around every day, she still had so many places to go.
“I also went to the Sewer Museum. I even took a boat ride there.”
Erna's story, which was boasting about the tea time she enjoyed at the hotel, suddenly took a strange turn.
"...What?"
Even when he asked her what he had heard, unable to believe it, Erna still showed a bright smile.
"It's the Sewer Museum. You didn't know? It's right here. It was truly fascinating. Did you know there were such large, long, and complex tunnels underground? It was just like in novels. Why, it's like the scene in a novel where you escape through an underground sewer."
Pelia, you perverts.
While Bjorn marveled at the fact that there were madmen in this world who would think of creating such a museum, Erna continued to ramble on about the wonders of the underground world.
“I also took a boat ride to see the sewers, and the guide even showed me how to find things that had fallen into the sewers.”
Watching Erna beaming, Bjorn felt grateful for Pelia's prodigal sons' surprise visit last night. Dealing with Pelia's drunken dogs seemed far more elegant than boating in the sewers.
“So, right now, it’s the way back from there. The sewer.”
"Yes."
His gift box nodded confidently. Bjorn sat closer to the edge of the sofa, creating a distance between himself and the sewer adventurer. Erna, who had been quietly watching him, began to wrinkle her nose.
"Are you really thinking I'm dirty right now? You, my husband, who broke our promise while drunk and left me traveling alone all day?"
Erna, sighing as if she were dumbfounded, pressed her body against his. The more he retreated, the closer she came, and more he retreated, the closer she came, until she was already practically sitting on his lap.
Bjorn burst out laughing and threw himself onto the sofa, clutching the rolled gift in his arms. Erna still exuded a sweet floral scent today.
“The hat must be sad, Erna.”
Bjorn took off her cumbersome hat and threw it on the table.
“It’s not like it was made for traveling in sewers.”
Bjorn, having removed the cloak draped over her shoulders, now began to lift the hem of her voluminous dress. Erna, who had been lying obediently on top of him, flinched just as his hand touched her garter belt.
“Can you please look at this for just a little longer?”
Erna grabbed his wrist and asked seriously.
“It’s a new dress. Lisa worked really hard on it.”
“You’re prettiest when you’re naked, Erna.”
Bjorn untied the garter belt without a second thought. Erna, uncharacteristically for a woman who had received such rave reviews, looked astonished.
"Oh my goodness. That's such an insulting thing to say. How would you feel if I said something like that?"
Erna snapped in a fit of anger, but quickly regretted her choice. Her husband, already half-naked, was smirking, the corners of his mouth raised. He seemed to have already heard the answer.
“Don’t say it.”
Erna quickly placed her hand over her husband's slightly parted lips.
“I will decline to answer.”
Fortunately, that wish came true, although it was in a far more obscene direction than the answer he had hoped to block.
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