71. Warm and healthy
With the final leg of his tour in Pelia, the Prince's duties were over. All that remained was a fortnight's rest and his return home. A week had already passed, so to be precise, only a week remained.
Erna, who had just emerged from the master suite's reception room, stopped, clutching the doorknob, and stared blankly at her husband. Bjorn was lying on the long sofa in front of the fireplace, reading a book. The table, with its half-empty bottles and glasses, now felt like a part of the landscape.
Erna crossed the living room with light, gentle steps. Bjorn, who turned his head at the sound of footsteps, smiled faintly and returned to the book he was reading. Seeing that he had no intention of putting his feet down, Erna settled into the chair on the right side of the sofa.
Over the past week, Erna has come to realize that her husband, whom she has seen since their marriage until recently, has been remarkably healthy.
He woke around noon, leisurely sipped tea, lay back in bed, and read the newspaper. Then, whenever he felt like it, he ate, drank, or napped. Occasionally, he went horseback riding or played cards. Most of the time he spent with Erna, he was either touching her or inside her.
“I hope your back doesn’t hurt so much that it’s hard to sit down?”
Erna broke the lingering silence with a pointless question. Only then did Bjorn, who had closed the bookcase, turn his gaze to Erna's face.
“You know my back health best, don’t you?”
Bjorn, who had thrown out an unknown word, sat up diagonally, emptied his glass, and then filled it again.
Erna, who had been watching the wine pouring with a clear, slurping sound, belatedly frowned and blushed. "Whatever." After taking a sip, Bjorn lay down again in the same position he'd just taken and looked at Erna.
“Don’t you get bored just lying around like this?”
Erna asked, habitually adjusting the shape of the ribbon tied in her hair.
“I’m working hard on my job, Erna.”
“What’s going on?”
“Saving stamina.”
“What are you going to do?”
“To do something dirty.”
His gaze, fixed on her, was serious, unlike the sly words he spat out. Erna instinctively opened her shawl, clutching it, and flinched back.
“Didn’t you do it a little while ago?”
When she asked him a serious question, Bjorn laughed. Erna, whose lips were quivering, finally couldn't continue and hurriedly lowered her eyes.
Whenever she saw that languid smile, the corners of her lips slightly raised, she would often find herself lost in a daze. All thoughts would vanish, leaving only the sound of her heart pounding.
Until her flushed cheeks cooled, Erna rolled her eyes and pretended not to notice. Even then, her senses were focused on one thing: the sound of pages turning behind a low laugh. The scent of wine wafted through the air. She was embarrassed by her own sensitivity to even the slightest movement.
Finally, as her heartbeat subsided, Erna turned her gaze back to her husband. The bright sunlight bathed the body exposed through the gap in his robe. Erna admired his beautiful body, but it felt a bit odd to see it at just past noon.
Erna, who had been pondering the situation, quietly approached and lifted up one of the loose ends of her gown. Bjorn, who had closed the bookcase, turned his gaze to his wife.
“What are you doing now?”
“It’s ugly.”
Erna, who was holding her breath and meeting his questioning eyes, whispered softly.
“Am I confident?”
Bjorn's voice, as he responded with a laugh, was soft, like his wife's.
The silent moment of staring blankly at each other ended when Bjorn suddenly dropped the hem of the gown Erna had lifted for him.
Erna, astonished, trembled as if she'd seen something she shouldn't have seen, and opened the front of her gown. She even tied the waistband tightly, but even so, the fact that it was shaped like a ribbon tied in her hair made Bjorn smile.
“Wife, come here and save up some energy.”
Bjorn gently grabbed his wife's wrist as she tried to return to her original position. As he caught Erna, who had lost her balance and fallen, the book he had been reading with such concentration suddenly became boring.
Bjorn gently stroked the back of Erna's head, who was quietly held in his arms, and looked up at the ceiling decorated with ornate panels.
“We have to go back in a week.”
The moment Bjorn's hand touched the shawl over her pajamas, Erna raised her head.
“Isn’t it a shame to just stay at home like this?”
“Even after seeing the sewers, is there still more to see in this city?”
“It’s not like that, but...”
The unnecessary shawl drifted over the books thrown on the carpet.
"We didn't do much together during our honeymoon, did we? So, can we go out together this afternoon?"
The ribbon that had been tying her hair soon fell over her shawl. By the time Erna realized it, Bjorn's hands were already unbuttoning her pajamas.
As Erna, frowning, began to squirm, Bjorn sat up, still holding his wife. Erna's vision shifted in an instant, and while she hesitated, Bjorn finished unbuttoning the remaining buttons.
As even the pajamas that flowed down her smooth skin followed the shawl and ribbon, Erna gave up and stopped resisting.
In the end, it's like this again.
It was truly upsetting and embarrassing, but she didn't completely hate it. You've fallen. You've fallen. It felt like she could hear her grandmother scolding me.
“What do you do when you go out?”
A large hand that had been stroking her hair touched her shoulder.
“Just. Let’s go sightseeing together and...”
As the hand gradually moved down and cupped her chest, Erna let out a soft sigh and trailed off the words she had been unable to finish.
“Oh, I want to buy a gift too.”
Erna, trying to regain her composure as her consciousness began to fade, spoke with renewed strength. If she continued to get caught up in this, she knew she'd end up wasting another day in this bedroom.
"Gift?"
Bjorn, his lips parting from her chest, asked softly. Erna nodded vigorously, feeling she couldn't miss this opportunity.
“A gift for Grandma. And for the rest of the family, too.”
“Tell Karen.”
“I want to do it myself. Yes?”
Erna's pleading eyes sparkled. She was generally docile, but occasionally, when she displayed a strange stubbornness, she could be quite persistent.
When he nodded, pretending not to win, Erna smiled as if she had the world in her possession.
"Thank you."
Two thin arms hugged the back of his neck.
"You seem like a much better person than you appear. You're warm and wholesome when I get to know you."
“Warm? Wholesome?”
Bjorn chuckled and asked back. Even by his own standards, which were quite generous, that wasn't a word that suited his life. But Erna nodded with a confident expression.
"You always helped me when things were tough and I felt lost. Sometimes I feel frustrated, but thanks to you, there are so many more good things and things I'm grateful for. You're not always determined, but you're always diligent and successful at whatever you set your mind to, which is admirable. And you enjoy card games instead of gambling, or things like horse racing, which are speculative. I admire your emphasis on achieving success through your own efforts. And you're also a bit of a drinker, but you don't have a problem with alcohol."
It felt like he had heard something more brutal than Leonid's curse, which said he should live like a cold-blooded fool and die drinking at the card game, but Erna was smiling happily.
“You are really trying hard, wife.”
When Bjorn burst into laughter, Erna, who had been a little nervous, smiled back innocently.
“Me?”
Erna's eyes began to sparkle.
“What about me?”
Even in the hand that gently stroked his hair, an unconcealable sense of anticipation was evident.
“My wife has a pretty face, too.”
Bjorn gave his wife a light kiss on the cheek.
“Your breasts are pretty, too.”
He also kissed the tip of her breast, which he was kneading with one hand. As Erna's eyes, once filled with a bright smile, gradually narrowed, his hand slid down between her legs.
"Also..."
Erna urgently kissed those lips that seemed to be trying to force out the next words she didn't want to hear.
Bjorn, who realized her intentions, giggled and returned the awkward kiss. Erna was now frowning, but it was cute and amusing in its own way.
Don't do it!
Staring intently into the blue eyes that held that command, Bjorn slowly opened his wet lips again. As expected, Erna kissed him again, silencing him from speaking.
Her eyes were so pretty, like they were about to cry. Bjorn liked that.
Lisa finally showed off her skills to the fullest.
The Grand Duchess rarely had a chance to properly dress, so the mission was a welcome surprise. And it was an outing they were both on together.
Lisa lavished all the knowledge she'd acquired from devouring magazines and browsing foreign shop windows on Erna, adorning her. She was determined to set an example for those who had scoffed at the idea of a Grand Duchess from the countryside keeping a maid from the countryside, a similarly rural background.
How satisfying the result is.
If only he could, he felt like capturing today's vision, even if only in a photograph. Even if the Prince's eyes were fixed beyond the clouds, not on the crown of his head, she was confident she would win today.
That's right. That's definitely right.
Lisa twitched her ears in disbelief. There had to be something wrong with her eardrums to hear such nonsensical words.
“Hello, Erna.”
But the sinful Prince once again broke the silence, now with a wicked smile.
If we go out together, we should do everything together. What a bother to come all the way here and leave your wife alone.
Lisa's teeth were grinding, but Erna smiled happily and nodded.
“Yes, I will. But Bjorn.”
Erna's gaze, slowly scanning the department store lounge, stopped on Bjorn's face as she sat down again. He had just opened the book he had brought to the table.
“Can I ask you for some advice?”
"Advice?"
“What would be a good gift to give to the royal family?”
What should we give to the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess?
It was a problem she's been pondering all the way here, but couldn't resolve. Still, she thought it would be okay since she was with Bjorn, but it seemed he wasn't quite ready to go shopping with her.
“Well, I guess everyone just takes what they want.”
The answer Bjorn gave after a moment of thought was utterly empty. Erna suppressed her surging emotions and surveyed the lounge once more.
This department store, the largest in Pelia, rivaled Erna's beloved Schwerin department store in its opulence and luxury. The lounge was equally impressive. Well-dressed gentlemen and ladies were relaxing, sipping tea at tables arranged around a single, massive palm tree. The sound of the water trickling from the indoor fountain and the sunlight streaming through the tall windows further enhanced the tranquil atmosphere.
Because she disliked the hustle and bustle of traveling with the Grand Duchess of Letzen, Bjorn brought only a minimal number of people. At first glance, they looked like a noble couple from the city.
Erna was delighted by that fact. It seemed like they could spend cozy moments together like a normal couple. But now it was just a pipe dream.
“What about you, Prince? What kind of gifts do you like?”
Erna asked again, her voice lowering even further. Bjorn, lost in thought, gave yet another empty answer.
"Money."
Hmm. It's useless.
Erna, having reached a calm conclusion, stood up from the table.
Before passing through the lounge entrance, Erna unconsciously turned around. Bjorn was sipping tea the waiter had brought him and flipping through a book.
With the final leg of his tour in Pelia, the Prince's duties were over. All that remained was a fortnight's rest and his return home. A week had already passed, so to be precise, only a week remained.
Erna, who had just emerged from the master suite's reception room, stopped, clutching the doorknob, and stared blankly at her husband. Bjorn was lying on the long sofa in front of the fireplace, reading a book. The table, with its half-empty bottles and glasses, now felt like a part of the landscape.
Erna crossed the living room with light, gentle steps. Bjorn, who turned his head at the sound of footsteps, smiled faintly and returned to the book he was reading. Seeing that he had no intention of putting his feet down, Erna settled into the chair on the right side of the sofa.
Over the past week, Erna has come to realize that her husband, whom she has seen since their marriage until recently, has been remarkably healthy.
He woke around noon, leisurely sipped tea, lay back in bed, and read the newspaper. Then, whenever he felt like it, he ate, drank, or napped. Occasionally, he went horseback riding or played cards. Most of the time he spent with Erna, he was either touching her or inside her.
“I hope your back doesn’t hurt so much that it’s hard to sit down?”
Erna broke the lingering silence with a pointless question. Only then did Bjorn, who had closed the bookcase, turn his gaze to Erna's face.
“You know my back health best, don’t you?”
Bjorn, who had thrown out an unknown word, sat up diagonally, emptied his glass, and then filled it again.
Erna, who had been watching the wine pouring with a clear, slurping sound, belatedly frowned and blushed. "Whatever." After taking a sip, Bjorn lay down again in the same position he'd just taken and looked at Erna.
“Don’t you get bored just lying around like this?”
Erna asked, habitually adjusting the shape of the ribbon tied in her hair.
“I’m working hard on my job, Erna.”
“What’s going on?”
“Saving stamina.”
“What are you going to do?”
“To do something dirty.”
His gaze, fixed on her, was serious, unlike the sly words he spat out. Erna instinctively opened her shawl, clutching it, and flinched back.
“Didn’t you do it a little while ago?”
When she asked him a serious question, Bjorn laughed. Erna, whose lips were quivering, finally couldn't continue and hurriedly lowered her eyes.
Whenever she saw that languid smile, the corners of her lips slightly raised, she would often find herself lost in a daze. All thoughts would vanish, leaving only the sound of her heart pounding.
Until her flushed cheeks cooled, Erna rolled her eyes and pretended not to notice. Even then, her senses were focused on one thing: the sound of pages turning behind a low laugh. The scent of wine wafted through the air. She was embarrassed by her own sensitivity to even the slightest movement.
Finally, as her heartbeat subsided, Erna turned her gaze back to her husband. The bright sunlight bathed the body exposed through the gap in his robe. Erna admired his beautiful body, but it felt a bit odd to see it at just past noon.
Erna, who had been pondering the situation, quietly approached and lifted up one of the loose ends of her gown. Bjorn, who had closed the bookcase, turned his gaze to his wife.
“What are you doing now?”
“It’s ugly.”
Erna, who was holding her breath and meeting his questioning eyes, whispered softly.
“Am I confident?”
Bjorn's voice, as he responded with a laugh, was soft, like his wife's.
The silent moment of staring blankly at each other ended when Bjorn suddenly dropped the hem of the gown Erna had lifted for him.
Erna, astonished, trembled as if she'd seen something she shouldn't have seen, and opened the front of her gown. She even tied the waistband tightly, but even so, the fact that it was shaped like a ribbon tied in her hair made Bjorn smile.
“Wife, come here and save up some energy.”
Bjorn gently grabbed his wife's wrist as she tried to return to her original position. As he caught Erna, who had lost her balance and fallen, the book he had been reading with such concentration suddenly became boring.
Bjorn gently stroked the back of Erna's head, who was quietly held in his arms, and looked up at the ceiling decorated with ornate panels.
“We have to go back in a week.”
The moment Bjorn's hand touched the shawl over her pajamas, Erna raised her head.
“Isn’t it a shame to just stay at home like this?”
“Even after seeing the sewers, is there still more to see in this city?”
“It’s not like that, but...”
The unnecessary shawl drifted over the books thrown on the carpet.
"We didn't do much together during our honeymoon, did we? So, can we go out together this afternoon?"
The ribbon that had been tying her hair soon fell over her shawl. By the time Erna realized it, Bjorn's hands were already unbuttoning her pajamas.
As Erna, frowning, began to squirm, Bjorn sat up, still holding his wife. Erna's vision shifted in an instant, and while she hesitated, Bjorn finished unbuttoning the remaining buttons.
As even the pajamas that flowed down her smooth skin followed the shawl and ribbon, Erna gave up and stopped resisting.
In the end, it's like this again.
It was truly upsetting and embarrassing, but she didn't completely hate it. You've fallen. You've fallen. It felt like she could hear her grandmother scolding me.
“What do you do when you go out?”
A large hand that had been stroking her hair touched her shoulder.
“Just. Let’s go sightseeing together and...”
As the hand gradually moved down and cupped her chest, Erna let out a soft sigh and trailed off the words she had been unable to finish.
“Oh, I want to buy a gift too.”
Erna, trying to regain her composure as her consciousness began to fade, spoke with renewed strength. If she continued to get caught up in this, she knew she'd end up wasting another day in this bedroom.
"Gift?"
Bjorn, his lips parting from her chest, asked softly. Erna nodded vigorously, feeling she couldn't miss this opportunity.
“A gift for Grandma. And for the rest of the family, too.”
“Tell Karen.”
“I want to do it myself. Yes?”
Erna's pleading eyes sparkled. She was generally docile, but occasionally, when she displayed a strange stubbornness, she could be quite persistent.
When he nodded, pretending not to win, Erna smiled as if she had the world in her possession.
"Thank you."
Two thin arms hugged the back of his neck.
"You seem like a much better person than you appear. You're warm and wholesome when I get to know you."
“Warm? Wholesome?”
Bjorn chuckled and asked back. Even by his own standards, which were quite generous, that wasn't a word that suited his life. But Erna nodded with a confident expression.
"You always helped me when things were tough and I felt lost. Sometimes I feel frustrated, but thanks to you, there are so many more good things and things I'm grateful for. You're not always determined, but you're always diligent and successful at whatever you set your mind to, which is admirable. And you enjoy card games instead of gambling, or things like horse racing, which are speculative. I admire your emphasis on achieving success through your own efforts. And you're also a bit of a drinker, but you don't have a problem with alcohol."
It felt like he had heard something more brutal than Leonid's curse, which said he should live like a cold-blooded fool and die drinking at the card game, but Erna was smiling happily.
“You are really trying hard, wife.”
When Bjorn burst into laughter, Erna, who had been a little nervous, smiled back innocently.
“Me?”
Erna's eyes began to sparkle.
“What about me?”
Even in the hand that gently stroked his hair, an unconcealable sense of anticipation was evident.
“My wife has a pretty face, too.”
Bjorn gave his wife a light kiss on the cheek.
“Your breasts are pretty, too.”
He also kissed the tip of her breast, which he was kneading with one hand. As Erna's eyes, once filled with a bright smile, gradually narrowed, his hand slid down between her legs.
"Also..."
Erna urgently kissed those lips that seemed to be trying to force out the next words she didn't want to hear.
Bjorn, who realized her intentions, giggled and returned the awkward kiss. Erna was now frowning, but it was cute and amusing in its own way.
Don't do it!
Staring intently into the blue eyes that held that command, Bjorn slowly opened his wet lips again. As expected, Erna kissed him again, silencing him from speaking.
Her eyes were so pretty, like they were about to cry. Bjorn liked that.
***
Lisa finally showed off her skills to the fullest.
The Grand Duchess rarely had a chance to properly dress, so the mission was a welcome surprise. And it was an outing they were both on together.
Lisa lavished all the knowledge she'd acquired from devouring magazines and browsing foreign shop windows on Erna, adorning her. She was determined to set an example for those who had scoffed at the idea of a Grand Duchess from the countryside keeping a maid from the countryside, a similarly rural background.
How satisfying the result is.
If only he could, he felt like capturing today's vision, even if only in a photograph. Even if the Prince's eyes were fixed beyond the clouds, not on the crown of his head, she was confident she would win today.
That's right. That's definitely right.
Lisa twitched her ears in disbelief. There had to be something wrong with her eardrums to hear such nonsensical words.
“Hello, Erna.”
But the sinful Prince once again broke the silence, now with a wicked smile.
If we go out together, we should do everything together. What a bother to come all the way here and leave your wife alone.
Lisa's teeth were grinding, but Erna smiled happily and nodded.
“Yes, I will. But Bjorn.”
Erna's gaze, slowly scanning the department store lounge, stopped on Bjorn's face as she sat down again. He had just opened the book he had brought to the table.
“Can I ask you for some advice?”
"Advice?"
“What would be a good gift to give to the royal family?”
What should we give to the King and Queen, the Prince and Princess?
It was a problem she's been pondering all the way here, but couldn't resolve. Still, she thought it would be okay since she was with Bjorn, but it seemed he wasn't quite ready to go shopping with her.
“Well, I guess everyone just takes what they want.”
The answer Bjorn gave after a moment of thought was utterly empty. Erna suppressed her surging emotions and surveyed the lounge once more.
This department store, the largest in Pelia, rivaled Erna's beloved Schwerin department store in its opulence and luxury. The lounge was equally impressive. Well-dressed gentlemen and ladies were relaxing, sipping tea at tables arranged around a single, massive palm tree. The sound of the water trickling from the indoor fountain and the sunlight streaming through the tall windows further enhanced the tranquil atmosphere.
Because she disliked the hustle and bustle of traveling with the Grand Duchess of Letzen, Bjorn brought only a minimal number of people. At first glance, they looked like a noble couple from the city.
Erna was delighted by that fact. It seemed like they could spend cozy moments together like a normal couple. But now it was just a pipe dream.
“What about you, Prince? What kind of gifts do you like?”
Erna asked again, her voice lowering even further. Bjorn, lost in thought, gave yet another empty answer.
"Money."
Hmm. It's useless.
Erna, having reached a calm conclusion, stood up from the table.
Before passing through the lounge entrance, Erna unconsciously turned around. Bjorn was sipping tea the waiter had brought him and flipping through a book.
Comments
Post a Comment