70. Romantic words
Erna, bedridden with a cold, finally got out of bed on the third day. Another day passed, and she was finally able to leave her bed and sit down at the breakfast table.
“Fortunately, you won’t be the ghost of Pelia, Your Grace.”
Bjorn smiled faintly and joked as he saw his wife waiting for him at the table.
Erna, startled, tidied up her outfit and pretended otherwise. She was wearing a floral-embroidered house dress, a shawl, and even a brooch with her favorite flower. Her hair, loosely braided and draped over one shoulder, had a single pink ribbon attached to it, much like a shawl. She looked haphazardly dressed, but not bad.
Breakfast time went by normally.
Erna's words were quieter than usual, but not enough to bother him or annoy him. While still gaunt, she no longer looked ill, and she slowly emptied her plate of food.
“Are you late again today?”
Erna put down the teacup she had been fiddling with and asked quietly. Bjorn, who was about to stand, sat back down in his chair and leaned back against the backrest.
“Tell me, Erna. Otherwise, I won’t know.”
Bjorn calmly ordered Erna, who was observing him closely.
“Even if I tell you, you keep forgetting.”
“That’s it...”
There was a smile in his eyes as he watched Erna retort sharply.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit strange to say something important at a time like that?”
“Of course, I also want to speak in a slightly more elegant way.”
"However?"
“But you only listen to me when I feel good.”
Erna's expression was too serious to be a joke. She seemed to be treated like quite the brat, but considering recent events, it wasn't exactly a misjudgment.
“Then, please say it elegantly.”
Bjorn nodded to the attendant who had come to announce the departure time. It was a promise that wouldn't prevent them from giving him a moment's respite. While bald eagles are quite impatient, they wouldn't declare war just because they waited a few more minutes.
“I’ll listen, Erna.”
Bjorn spoke to his wife, who was hesitant to speak, in a much gentler tone.
When he recalls Erna that day, sobbing bitterly, he can almost hear the sound of snow fluttering across the quiet world. The sound of snowflakes, those vain and beautiful things, falling gently.
“I’d love to have dinner with you! So... if you have time.”
Erna, her expression still excited, finally spoke. Her voice was still hoarse, though it didn't convey a particularly elegant atmosphere.
“I will.”
After a moment of reflection, Bjorn readily agreed. It was a day with no other plans than a meeting with the Pelia royal family. Chances were that the meeting wouldn't last long. It was one of the few strengths of the impatient bald eagles.
“Can you look me in the eye one more time and tell me?”
Erna, who had been smiling brightly, frowned as if to say that she was not impressed.
Bjorn willingly looked into those wide, serious eyes. Erna, who had been staring intently, soon smiled in relief.
"How about tomorrow? If you don't have anything else to do, I'd love to travel with you."
As soon as she opened her mouth, Erna, who had been talking excitedly about this and that, asked with a very excited face.
"No."
What kind of trip is this when your body hasn't even fully recovered yet?
Bjorn cut off his wife's incomprehensible yearning with a lukewarm reply. Erna's face looked as if she'd been unexpectedly slapped.
“Why? Didn’t you say you’d listen if I told you?”
“I heard.”
Bjorn nodded calmly.
“I refused.”
The answer that followed was no different.
“Is there a problem?”
“You’re treating me like a child again and teasing me.”
Erna looked as if she had been scammed.
“I’m twenty years old now.”
"So?"
“So, I hope you don’t look at me as young anymore.”
“Does it matter if you’re younger than me when you’re twenty?”
“I'm only five years younger now.”
Once she started talking, she started babbling away. Bjorn admitted his mistake, saying that his assessment that she was a quiet woman was probably wrong. If you look closely, you can see how chatty she really is.
“I wish you could be more affectionate with me sometimes. Like now, like this.”
Although shy, Erna calmly continued to speak.
“And also...”
These words were somehow too embarrassing for the servant, who had briefly left the room while he hesitated. Judging by the troubled look in his eyes, it seemed like Bjorn must now leave.
“Sometimes, I want to hear romantic words!”
Erna, unable to miss this rare opportunity, mustered up her courage and made an embarrassing request.
“Romance?”
Bjorn, standing up from the table, chuckled and asked again. He seemed to have forgotten her earlier request, and his expression was the same. His gaze, as if addressing a childish child, made her heart ache.
Erna, who had been planning to give a good example, changed her mind and left, keeping her mouth shut. She decided not to pay attention to Bjorn's order to return to the bedroom. He was the same, after all, so it was only fair.
“See you later.”
Erna greeted Bjorn, who had boarded the carriage.
“Of course!”
At the moment of reiterating his request, she never forgot to stare intently at Bjorn. Her eyes, strained open, shone beautifully in the sunlight.
Bjorn looked into her eyes, nodded again, and set off. As the cathedral in question came into view through the window of the carriage, which was speeding along at a faster rate than usual, a low chuckle escaped me without me realizing it.
There was a minor commotion, but everything eventually fell into place. Without unnecessary emotional drain, light and refreshing. Bjorn particularly liked the fact that she was so easygoing and clear-headed.
Just as he was beginning to feel satisfied that this somewhat impulsive marriage had been a good choice, the carriage entered Pelia's palace.
It was nearing the end of afternoon tea time when an unexpected visitor arrived at the guest house where the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Letzen were staying.
Lisa, who had gone out to negotiate with the man who wanted to meet the Grand Duchess without an appointment, came back out of breath with a surprised look on her face.
“You have to see it! It’s truly something, words can’t describe it!”
Lisa began to push Erna's back with a firm stance. Caught up in the momentum, Erna found herself absentmindedly heading to the reception room where the guests were waiting. The other servants waiting there also shared Lisa's expression. Even the head maid, who rarely revealed her personal feelings in front of Erna, was like that.
“What on earth is going on?”
Erna's gaze, which was examining the strange man bowing politely, the people lined up behind him, and the ornate boxes they were carrying, stopped on Karen's face.
“First of all... please sit down.”
The maid, clearing her throat, guided Erna to the sofa in the center of the reception room.
“They say this is a gift prepared by the Prince.”
Erna's eyes widened as she sat stiffly, at Karen's whispered voice in her ear. Just as she was about to ask again, at a loss for words, a middle-aged man who had been waiting approached her.
“It is a great honor to present our jewels to Your Royal Highness, the Princess of Letzen.”
He greeted her in his awkward Letzen language and bowed deeply again.
“As instructed, we have carefully selected only the best products.”
He smiled with pride, his face unconcealed, and at his nod, those who had been waiting silently, like shadows, in a corner of the reception room lined up before Erna. The moment they opened the box they had been carefully holding, Erna finally understood. Why had everyone looked so shocked? Erna's expression was the same now.
“Please take your time and choose.”
As he stepped back, the men carrying the boxes took a step closer.
Erna stared blankly at the dazzling display of light unfolding before her.
It was a jewel. A jewel so splendid and beautiful that it made her mind dizzy.
“Bjorn!”
As soon as he entered the reception room, he heard Erna's voice.
Bjorn paused for a moment, taking in the unexpected sight. The jeweler, who should have left long ago, was still guarding the reception room of the guest house. Erna, who had been sitting before them, looked tense and hurriedly stood up and approached him.
“You haven’t chosen yet?”
Bjorn glanced at his watch, dumbfounded. If the jeweler had arrived on time, she would have had time to choose his gift long ago. Surely they couldn't have disobeyed, so there was only one possibility: his wife was being overly indecisive.
“I... I absolutely can’t do it.”
Erna pleaded, clutching his sleeve. To anyone watching, she looked as if she'd been pushed into a corner.
She's been struggling to choose just one of the accessories that were thrust in front of her.
Bjorn let out a long sigh and escorted his wife to the sofa. Beside him, Erna still had the look of a frightened child.
After exchanging a quick glance with the jeweler, who was smiling awkwardly, Bjorn leaned in closer to his troubled wife.
“Please choose quickly, wife.”
“I’m sorry, Bjorn. I can’t do it.”
"Why."
“I don’t know much about this, and it all looks so beautiful and precious...”
As she continued to stammer, the confusion in Erna's eyes became even more pronounced. The situation was quite upsetting, and even a single word made her look like she was about to burst into tears, so Bjorn decided to hold back for now.
“If you can’t choose just one, take them all.”
“No! That’s not what I meant. Absolutely not.”
Erna was so surprised that her cheeks turned red and she started to squirm.
"I already have a lot of jewelry. I was given too much when I got married. I'm not being greedy. Seriously. I just..."
“Erna.”
“Can’t you just choose?”
At the very moment when his remaining patience was reaching its breaking point, Erna took his hand. It was an extremely cautious gesture; more accurately, she barely managed to wrap one finger around his.
"I'd appreciate it if you would. I'm sure you have a much better eye for detail than I do, and if you choose... it would be special. Yes?"
Erna's grip tightened. The fact that the woman was trembling with tension soothed Bjorn's sharp emotions.
Bjorn lowered his hand from his cheekbone and nodded toward the jeweler, who was observing him closely. He hurried over and stood next to the sofa.
“Bring the most expensive one.”
The jeweler's eyes widened slightly at the Prince's command in Pelia. However, he quickly regained his composure and summoned the clerk standing in the center.
He received a box containing a blue diamond necklace and politely presented it to the Prince of Letzen.
"This is a necklace I crafted recently. I'm proud to say that a diamond like this doesn't exist anywhere else on the continent, not even in Pelia..."
“With that.”
Before he could finish speaking, the Prince gave an order.
He was sorry to miss the opportunity to explain how precious this jewel was and how exquisite the craftsmanship was, but he quickly accepted the offer.
Bjorn placed the box he had received from the jeweler into his wife's arms.
“A little while ago, what did you say?”
Erna, who was examining the necklace and him with eyes filled with fear and joy, asked a cautious question.
“Romantic words.”
A smile spread across Erna's face at the words she uttered with a chuckle. Bjorn gazed deeply, longingly at that smile, blooming like a flower bud.
The eyes of his wife, more beautiful than the jewels Pelia boasted about, were filled with only him.
This was quite a satisfying romance.
Erna, bedridden with a cold, finally got out of bed on the third day. Another day passed, and she was finally able to leave her bed and sit down at the breakfast table.
“Fortunately, you won’t be the ghost of Pelia, Your Grace.”
Bjorn smiled faintly and joked as he saw his wife waiting for him at the table.
Erna, startled, tidied up her outfit and pretended otherwise. She was wearing a floral-embroidered house dress, a shawl, and even a brooch with her favorite flower. Her hair, loosely braided and draped over one shoulder, had a single pink ribbon attached to it, much like a shawl. She looked haphazardly dressed, but not bad.
Breakfast time went by normally.
Erna's words were quieter than usual, but not enough to bother him or annoy him. While still gaunt, she no longer looked ill, and she slowly emptied her plate of food.
“Are you late again today?”
Erna put down the teacup she had been fiddling with and asked quietly. Bjorn, who was about to stand, sat back down in his chair and leaned back against the backrest.
“Tell me, Erna. Otherwise, I won’t know.”
Bjorn calmly ordered Erna, who was observing him closely.
“Even if I tell you, you keep forgetting.”
“That’s it...”
There was a smile in his eyes as he watched Erna retort sharply.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit strange to say something important at a time like that?”
“Of course, I also want to speak in a slightly more elegant way.”
"However?"
“But you only listen to me when I feel good.”
Erna's expression was too serious to be a joke. She seemed to be treated like quite the brat, but considering recent events, it wasn't exactly a misjudgment.
“Then, please say it elegantly.”
Bjorn nodded to the attendant who had come to announce the departure time. It was a promise that wouldn't prevent them from giving him a moment's respite. While bald eagles are quite impatient, they wouldn't declare war just because they waited a few more minutes.
“I’ll listen, Erna.”
Bjorn spoke to his wife, who was hesitant to speak, in a much gentler tone.
When he recalls Erna that day, sobbing bitterly, he can almost hear the sound of snow fluttering across the quiet world. The sound of snowflakes, those vain and beautiful things, falling gently.
“I’d love to have dinner with you! So... if you have time.”
Erna, her expression still excited, finally spoke. Her voice was still hoarse, though it didn't convey a particularly elegant atmosphere.
“I will.”
After a moment of reflection, Bjorn readily agreed. It was a day with no other plans than a meeting with the Pelia royal family. Chances were that the meeting wouldn't last long. It was one of the few strengths of the impatient bald eagles.
“Can you look me in the eye one more time and tell me?”
Erna, who had been smiling brightly, frowned as if to say that she was not impressed.
Bjorn willingly looked into those wide, serious eyes. Erna, who had been staring intently, soon smiled in relief.
"How about tomorrow? If you don't have anything else to do, I'd love to travel with you."
As soon as she opened her mouth, Erna, who had been talking excitedly about this and that, asked with a very excited face.
"No."
What kind of trip is this when your body hasn't even fully recovered yet?
Bjorn cut off his wife's incomprehensible yearning with a lukewarm reply. Erna's face looked as if she'd been unexpectedly slapped.
“Why? Didn’t you say you’d listen if I told you?”
“I heard.”
Bjorn nodded calmly.
“I refused.”
The answer that followed was no different.
“Is there a problem?”
“You’re treating me like a child again and teasing me.”
Erna looked as if she had been scammed.
“I’m twenty years old now.”
"So?"
“So, I hope you don’t look at me as young anymore.”
“Does it matter if you’re younger than me when you’re twenty?”
“I'm only five years younger now.”
Once she started talking, she started babbling away. Bjorn admitted his mistake, saying that his assessment that she was a quiet woman was probably wrong. If you look closely, you can see how chatty she really is.
“I wish you could be more affectionate with me sometimes. Like now, like this.”
Although shy, Erna calmly continued to speak.
“And also...”
These words were somehow too embarrassing for the servant, who had briefly left the room while he hesitated. Judging by the troubled look in his eyes, it seemed like Bjorn must now leave.
“Sometimes, I want to hear romantic words!”
Erna, unable to miss this rare opportunity, mustered up her courage and made an embarrassing request.
“Romance?”
Bjorn, standing up from the table, chuckled and asked again. He seemed to have forgotten her earlier request, and his expression was the same. His gaze, as if addressing a childish child, made her heart ache.
Erna, who had been planning to give a good example, changed her mind and left, keeping her mouth shut. She decided not to pay attention to Bjorn's order to return to the bedroom. He was the same, after all, so it was only fair.
“See you later.”
Erna greeted Bjorn, who had boarded the carriage.
“Of course!”
At the moment of reiterating his request, she never forgot to stare intently at Bjorn. Her eyes, strained open, shone beautifully in the sunlight.
Bjorn looked into her eyes, nodded again, and set off. As the cathedral in question came into view through the window of the carriage, which was speeding along at a faster rate than usual, a low chuckle escaped me without me realizing it.
There was a minor commotion, but everything eventually fell into place. Without unnecessary emotional drain, light and refreshing. Bjorn particularly liked the fact that she was so easygoing and clear-headed.
Just as he was beginning to feel satisfied that this somewhat impulsive marriage had been a good choice, the carriage entered Pelia's palace.
***
It was nearing the end of afternoon tea time when an unexpected visitor arrived at the guest house where the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Letzen were staying.
Lisa, who had gone out to negotiate with the man who wanted to meet the Grand Duchess without an appointment, came back out of breath with a surprised look on her face.
“You have to see it! It’s truly something, words can’t describe it!”
Lisa began to push Erna's back with a firm stance. Caught up in the momentum, Erna found herself absentmindedly heading to the reception room where the guests were waiting. The other servants waiting there also shared Lisa's expression. Even the head maid, who rarely revealed her personal feelings in front of Erna, was like that.
“What on earth is going on?”
Erna's gaze, which was examining the strange man bowing politely, the people lined up behind him, and the ornate boxes they were carrying, stopped on Karen's face.
“First of all... please sit down.”
The maid, clearing her throat, guided Erna to the sofa in the center of the reception room.
“They say this is a gift prepared by the Prince.”
Erna's eyes widened as she sat stiffly, at Karen's whispered voice in her ear. Just as she was about to ask again, at a loss for words, a middle-aged man who had been waiting approached her.
“It is a great honor to present our jewels to Your Royal Highness, the Princess of Letzen.”
He greeted her in his awkward Letzen language and bowed deeply again.
“As instructed, we have carefully selected only the best products.”
He smiled with pride, his face unconcealed, and at his nod, those who had been waiting silently, like shadows, in a corner of the reception room lined up before Erna. The moment they opened the box they had been carefully holding, Erna finally understood. Why had everyone looked so shocked? Erna's expression was the same now.
“Please take your time and choose.”
As he stepped back, the men carrying the boxes took a step closer.
Erna stared blankly at the dazzling display of light unfolding before her.
It was a jewel. A jewel so splendid and beautiful that it made her mind dizzy.
***
“Bjorn!”
As soon as he entered the reception room, he heard Erna's voice.
Bjorn paused for a moment, taking in the unexpected sight. The jeweler, who should have left long ago, was still guarding the reception room of the guest house. Erna, who had been sitting before them, looked tense and hurriedly stood up and approached him.
“You haven’t chosen yet?”
Bjorn glanced at his watch, dumbfounded. If the jeweler had arrived on time, she would have had time to choose his gift long ago. Surely they couldn't have disobeyed, so there was only one possibility: his wife was being overly indecisive.
“I... I absolutely can’t do it.”
Erna pleaded, clutching his sleeve. To anyone watching, she looked as if she'd been pushed into a corner.
She's been struggling to choose just one of the accessories that were thrust in front of her.
Bjorn let out a long sigh and escorted his wife to the sofa. Beside him, Erna still had the look of a frightened child.
After exchanging a quick glance with the jeweler, who was smiling awkwardly, Bjorn leaned in closer to his troubled wife.
“Please choose quickly, wife.”
“I’m sorry, Bjorn. I can’t do it.”
"Why."
“I don’t know much about this, and it all looks so beautiful and precious...”
As she continued to stammer, the confusion in Erna's eyes became even more pronounced. The situation was quite upsetting, and even a single word made her look like she was about to burst into tears, so Bjorn decided to hold back for now.
“If you can’t choose just one, take them all.”
“No! That’s not what I meant. Absolutely not.”
Erna was so surprised that her cheeks turned red and she started to squirm.
"I already have a lot of jewelry. I was given too much when I got married. I'm not being greedy. Seriously. I just..."
“Erna.”
“Can’t you just choose?”
At the very moment when his remaining patience was reaching its breaking point, Erna took his hand. It was an extremely cautious gesture; more accurately, she barely managed to wrap one finger around his.
"I'd appreciate it if you would. I'm sure you have a much better eye for detail than I do, and if you choose... it would be special. Yes?"
Erna's grip tightened. The fact that the woman was trembling with tension soothed Bjorn's sharp emotions.
Bjorn lowered his hand from his cheekbone and nodded toward the jeweler, who was observing him closely. He hurried over and stood next to the sofa.
“Bring the most expensive one.”
The jeweler's eyes widened slightly at the Prince's command in Pelia. However, he quickly regained his composure and summoned the clerk standing in the center.
He received a box containing a blue diamond necklace and politely presented it to the Prince of Letzen.
"This is a necklace I crafted recently. I'm proud to say that a diamond like this doesn't exist anywhere else on the continent, not even in Pelia..."
“With that.”
Before he could finish speaking, the Prince gave an order.
He was sorry to miss the opportunity to explain how precious this jewel was and how exquisite the craftsmanship was, but he quickly accepted the offer.
Bjorn placed the box he had received from the jeweler into his wife's arms.
“A little while ago, what did you say?”
Erna, who was examining the necklace and him with eyes filled with fear and joy, asked a cautious question.
“Romantic words.”
A smile spread across Erna's face at the words she uttered with a chuckle. Bjorn gazed deeply, longingly at that smile, blooming like a flower bud.
The eyes of his wife, more beautiful than the jewels Pelia boasted about, were filled with only him.
This was quite a satisfying romance.
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