88. Please, please, please
The preparation was perfect.
The banquet room, decorated with tableware and flowers selected with Mrs. Fitz's help, was as beautiful as a spring landscape. Only after carefully examining the placement of the candlesticks and centerpieces, and each piece of cutlery, did Erna finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After meeting with the chef and confirming the food preparations, Erna quickly turned and headed to the banquet hall. That hall, too, was perfectly prepared to welcome guests.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness.”
Mrs. Fitz, who had been following quietly like a shadow, spoke up.
“I can guarantee that no one will find fault with this banquet.”
“I feel a little better when Mrs. Fitz says that.”
Erna looked around with a nervous smile. The banquet hall, illuminated by a magnificent chandelier, was beautifully illuminated. The long windows, stretching from the high ceiling to the floor, were draped in cream-colored silk curtains. The color matched the spring scenery beyond.
“Erna.”
As she turned around, following the voice calling her name, she saw Bjorn standing on the royal emblem carved in the center of the marble hall.
Erna cautiously approached her husband, who had reached out his hand. She took Bjorn's hand, and standing beside him, the grand ducal palace hall looked even more perfectly beautiful.
“I hope it will be okay?”
"It doesn't matter if things don't go well, Erna. Your birthday comes around every year anyway."
Bjorn lowered his gaze and gave an answer completely different from what he had expected.
“But after getting married, we only have one birthday together.”
“What on earth was the first thing?”
“It’s really important to me.”
Erna's expression was quite serious as she spoke incomprehensibly.
Bjorn, looking down at his wife, who was attaching grandiose meaning to trivial matters, nodded and smiled. The memory of his wife's first birthday, a memory no one had ever remembered, suddenly came to mind, but it didn't linger in his mind for long.
“Our first guests will be arriving soon.”
The news from Mrs. Fitz broke the peaceful silence between them.
Erna took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and took a nervous step forward, holding her husband's hand tightly.
Lisa, standing from a distance, looked at her masterpiece with a satisfied look.
Lisa had worked hard to surpass Princess Gladys, at least in terms of beauty. And she had finally achieved it. No matter what anyone said, Lisa was certain of it.
Today, the Grand Duchess of Schwerin, wearing a dress tinged with pale blue, looked as elegant and beautiful as a water nymph. She hates to admit it, but the last thing that made Erna shine the most was that she looked like a Princess, not like her own hands. This was the conclusion she reached after seeing the Grand Duchess, who sparkled even more beautifully next to her husband.
Lisa prayed earnestly that the sinful Prince would understand it.
Please, please, please.
“I think we’ll have to adjust our seating at the dinner table.”
Mrs. Fitz approached quietly and lowered her voice.
“I’ll wait a little longer.”
After a moment of hesitation, Erna did not change her mind.
“Your Highness.”
Mrs. Fitz looked at Erna with a look that seemed to say that she couldn't take it anymore.
It was almost time for the banquet to begin. If Duchess Arsene didn't show up, the seat next to Bjorn, the star of the evening, might be left empty.
“You need to make a decision quickly...”
The moment she opened her mouth, determined to somehow change Erna's mind, the hall, bustling with guests, was suddenly enveloped in silence.
Oh my god.
Mrs. Fitz turned her gaze to the entrance of the hall, where the guests' attention was focused, and an unconscious exclamation escaped her lips. Everyone else's reaction was no different.
“Oh my god. Grandma!”
Princess Louise's startled voice shook the hall. But Duchess Arsene, the very person responsible for this uproar, strode across the hall with an unfazed expression. She looked at only one person: the Grand Duchess.
“You came, Grandma!”
Erna, overcome with emotion, forgot all about the attention and pride of the crowd and ran towards her. She clicked her tongue as if to criticize her recklessness, but Duchess Arsene's eyes, facing Erna, were softer than usual.
"You look perfectly fine, considering you were attacked by a madman. I came here to see how pitiful you must be, but it turned out I wasted my time."
She spoke without hesitation about the incident that everyone was whispering about. But even more surprising was the Grand Duchess's nonchalance in the face of such an insult.
"What the hell is going on? You didn't even say anything to me."
Despite the Queen's questions about the unbelievable news, Duchess Arsene simply maintained a blank expression. Meanwhile, the King, the Crown Prince, and even Bjorn, who looked even more shocked than anyone else, gathered around her.
“It’s none of your business, so don’t be so weird.”
Duchess Arsene glanced at Bjorn, then quickly turned her gaze back to Erna. The corners of the old woman's mouth, which had maintained a cold expression throughout, slightly curved.
"I'm just the Grand Duchess's guest. Isn't that right, Erna?"
Following that question, all eyes were now focused on the Grand Duchess. Erna, momentarily forgetting her nervousness, smiled a secret, conspiratorial smile.
"Yes, Grandma. Welcome. I'm so glad you're my guest."
***
She wonders if she'll sit in that seat.
All eyes gathered around the spacious table were fixed on the upright old lady who had just entered the banquet hall. Upon learning that the hostess had chosen her seat next to Bjorn, Duchess Arsene frowned, clearly expressing her displeasure.
Then that's it.
Those who knew the Duchess's great temper held their breath and waited for the coming thunderbolt.
The news that Prince Bjorn, having committed adultery and been divorced, was ultimately deposed from the Crown Prince's position shook the nation. The Duchess Arsene stormed the palace and slapped her grandson's cheek, a sentiment still remembered as legend. She cursed him, vowing never to speak to him again, and she has remained true to that promise for years.
“I don’t know what the Grand Duchess was thinking when she did something like this.”
Just as Louise, frowning, whispered a complaint to her husband, Duchess Arsene picked up where she had stopped. Despite her expression, as if she were about to turn around and leave, she obediently headed for her seat. She sat down next to Bjorn, as if years of hostility had been forgotten, with a calm demeanor. To everyone's astonishment.
Bjorn, who had been staring straight ahead, finally looked at his grandmother when the chattering guests had quieted down. Just then, Duchess Arsene turned her head, too, and their eyes met before she could even avoid them. Though slightly shaken, neither of them looked away.
'Don't even think about fooling me!'
The sound of his grandmother's screams as she stormed into the palace seemed to come back to his ears.
'Tell me the truth, Bjorn. Why on earth do you want to throw yourself into this? Huh?'
Duchess Arsene refused to believe the superficial truth. She was convinced it was a smokescreen to hide something, and she was hell-bent on exposing it, driving Bjorn to the edge.
'This is me, Grandma.'
But that was the only answer Bjorn could give.
'Accept it.'
The Duchess Arsene's swearing ceased at those words, thrown with laughter. And then, a sharp slap echoed through the air.
It was a rather sharp slap, but the pain didn't last long. Neither did the dagger-like words that followed. But the tears in the bewildered grandmother's eyes at that moment remain a vivid memory, unforgettable even after all these years.
Should I have followed my mother's advice to at least tell the truth to my family?
Every time those tears came to mind, Bjorn thought. But the conclusion was always the same. Even if he could turn back time a hundred times, he would make the same decision a hundred times. If Gladys had given birth to a daughter, if he hadn't had to throw away the crown to preserve his lineage, he would never have revealed the truth to anyone in his life.
For the royal family and national interests.
He pretended to be a martyr, using that pretentious excuse, but looking back now, he's not sure. Perhaps it was extreme selfishness disguised as altruism.
But that was it.
Even now, that fact remains unchanged, and so he thinks he's always felt helpless. He can never give up the truth his grandmother seeks, so he would rather endure the contempt. Even though he knows it's still a deep love.
“Looking closely, I can see that you have quite a few wrinkles.”
Bjorn suddenly felt a sense of loss and laughed, telling a pointless joke. Duchess Arsene, who had been staring at him, also let out a dry chuckle.
“The first words of our conversation after so many years are truly moving.”
Even as she spoke bluntly, her eyes were still fixed on her grandson.
The stubborn old woman's resolve was broken.
The shock of that revelation sent a commotion through the banquet hall. Even the Queen, who rarely lost her composure, stared at the two, unable to conceal her emotional turmoil. Amidst the commotion, only the Grand Duchess remained calm.
Erna was smiling. Brightly. She seemed simply delighted to be able to give her husband a gift.
“Erna! Erna!”
Brenda Hardy called her name until she was out of breath. Erna, who was leaning against the balcony railing, catching some air, looked at her with a startled expression.
Brenda Hardy, having checked her surroundings and confirmed there were no eavesdroppers, hurriedly approached Erna. She must have been on edge, trying to find the right moment to talk alone.
“What is it, Viscountess?”
Erna hid her embarrassment and asked a calm question.
The invitation to today's banquet to the Hardy family was purely on Mrs. Fitz's advice. All sorts of rumors were circulating about the Grand Duchess, who was utterly ignoring her family. But if they weren't seen today, Mrs. Fitz said, the speculation would spiral out of control. It seemed necessary to pour some cold water on the rumors.
It was a reluctant undertaking, but Erna accepted. For Bjorn. She repeated those words like a mantra. However, that didn't mean she had any intention of becoming friends with the Hardy family. It was simply a formality, nothing more. To Erna, the name Hardy meant nothing more than that.
“If you have nothing to say, I will be going now.”
As the silence grew longer, Erna said her goodbyes and walked away. It was then that Brenda Hardy, who had been observing her, spoke.
“I’m starting to get worried since there’s still no news.”
“What news?”
“I’m talking to a child.”
Brenda Hardy looked as if she were a mother concerned about her beloved daughter's future.
"They're biting and tugging at you, and now you're even going crazy. I thought you'd better have a baby to stabilize your situation, so I asked around. I heard there's a drug that helps with pregnancy. I've worked hard to prepare it for you, so stop by Hardy's house sometime soon and take it..."
“Viscountess!”
Erna, unable to bear the insult, cried out coldly. But Brenda Hardy ignored her and continued speaking.
"This isn't the time to be so carefree, Erna. Princess Gladys, who bore him a son, was abandoned. If you can never conceive again, how can you possibly maintain your position as Grand Duchess? Huh?"
She took a step closer and grabbed Erna's hand.
“Think carefully. You know better than anyone what kind of man Prince Bjorn is.”
“Don’t talk to my husband like that.”
As Erna backed away, shaking off her hand, Brenda Hardy let out an exaggerated sigh.
"I know you don't particularly like me, but in this matter, no one will be more supportive than I, Erna. We're in the same boat."
Erna backed away as she reached out again. Just then, a servant came in to find the Grand Duchess, interrupting their conversation.
“Her Majesty the Queen is looking for you.”
The polite servant bowed his head and spoke softly.
The preparation was perfect.
The banquet room, decorated with tableware and flowers selected with Mrs. Fitz's help, was as beautiful as a spring landscape. Only after carefully examining the placement of the candlesticks and centerpieces, and each piece of cutlery, did Erna finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After meeting with the chef and confirming the food preparations, Erna quickly turned and headed to the banquet hall. That hall, too, was perfectly prepared to welcome guests.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness.”
Mrs. Fitz, who had been following quietly like a shadow, spoke up.
“I can guarantee that no one will find fault with this banquet.”
“I feel a little better when Mrs. Fitz says that.”
Erna looked around with a nervous smile. The banquet hall, illuminated by a magnificent chandelier, was beautifully illuminated. The long windows, stretching from the high ceiling to the floor, were draped in cream-colored silk curtains. The color matched the spring scenery beyond.
“Erna.”
As she turned around, following the voice calling her name, she saw Bjorn standing on the royal emblem carved in the center of the marble hall.
Erna cautiously approached her husband, who had reached out his hand. She took Bjorn's hand, and standing beside him, the grand ducal palace hall looked even more perfectly beautiful.
“I hope it will be okay?”
"It doesn't matter if things don't go well, Erna. Your birthday comes around every year anyway."
Bjorn lowered his gaze and gave an answer completely different from what he had expected.
“But after getting married, we only have one birthday together.”
“What on earth was the first thing?”
“It’s really important to me.”
Erna's expression was quite serious as she spoke incomprehensibly.
Bjorn, looking down at his wife, who was attaching grandiose meaning to trivial matters, nodded and smiled. The memory of his wife's first birthday, a memory no one had ever remembered, suddenly came to mind, but it didn't linger in his mind for long.
“Our first guests will be arriving soon.”
The news from Mrs. Fitz broke the peaceful silence between them.
Erna took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and took a nervous step forward, holding her husband's hand tightly.
Lisa, standing from a distance, looked at her masterpiece with a satisfied look.
Lisa had worked hard to surpass Princess Gladys, at least in terms of beauty. And she had finally achieved it. No matter what anyone said, Lisa was certain of it.
Today, the Grand Duchess of Schwerin, wearing a dress tinged with pale blue, looked as elegant and beautiful as a water nymph. She hates to admit it, but the last thing that made Erna shine the most was that she looked like a Princess, not like her own hands. This was the conclusion she reached after seeing the Grand Duchess, who sparkled even more beautifully next to her husband.
Lisa prayed earnestly that the sinful Prince would understand it.
Please, please, please.
***
“I think we’ll have to adjust our seating at the dinner table.”
Mrs. Fitz approached quietly and lowered her voice.
“I’ll wait a little longer.”
After a moment of hesitation, Erna did not change her mind.
“Your Highness.”
Mrs. Fitz looked at Erna with a look that seemed to say that she couldn't take it anymore.
It was almost time for the banquet to begin. If Duchess Arsene didn't show up, the seat next to Bjorn, the star of the evening, might be left empty.
“You need to make a decision quickly...”
The moment she opened her mouth, determined to somehow change Erna's mind, the hall, bustling with guests, was suddenly enveloped in silence.
Oh my god.
Mrs. Fitz turned her gaze to the entrance of the hall, where the guests' attention was focused, and an unconscious exclamation escaped her lips. Everyone else's reaction was no different.
“Oh my god. Grandma!”
Princess Louise's startled voice shook the hall. But Duchess Arsene, the very person responsible for this uproar, strode across the hall with an unfazed expression. She looked at only one person: the Grand Duchess.
“You came, Grandma!”
Erna, overcome with emotion, forgot all about the attention and pride of the crowd and ran towards her. She clicked her tongue as if to criticize her recklessness, but Duchess Arsene's eyes, facing Erna, were softer than usual.
"You look perfectly fine, considering you were attacked by a madman. I came here to see how pitiful you must be, but it turned out I wasted my time."
She spoke without hesitation about the incident that everyone was whispering about. But even more surprising was the Grand Duchess's nonchalance in the face of such an insult.
"What the hell is going on? You didn't even say anything to me."
Despite the Queen's questions about the unbelievable news, Duchess Arsene simply maintained a blank expression. Meanwhile, the King, the Crown Prince, and even Bjorn, who looked even more shocked than anyone else, gathered around her.
“It’s none of your business, so don’t be so weird.”
Duchess Arsene glanced at Bjorn, then quickly turned her gaze back to Erna. The corners of the old woman's mouth, which had maintained a cold expression throughout, slightly curved.
"I'm just the Grand Duchess's guest. Isn't that right, Erna?"
Following that question, all eyes were now focused on the Grand Duchess. Erna, momentarily forgetting her nervousness, smiled a secret, conspiratorial smile.
"Yes, Grandma. Welcome. I'm so glad you're my guest."
***
She wonders if she'll sit in that seat.
All eyes gathered around the spacious table were fixed on the upright old lady who had just entered the banquet hall. Upon learning that the hostess had chosen her seat next to Bjorn, Duchess Arsene frowned, clearly expressing her displeasure.
Then that's it.
Those who knew the Duchess's great temper held their breath and waited for the coming thunderbolt.
The news that Prince Bjorn, having committed adultery and been divorced, was ultimately deposed from the Crown Prince's position shook the nation. The Duchess Arsene stormed the palace and slapped her grandson's cheek, a sentiment still remembered as legend. She cursed him, vowing never to speak to him again, and she has remained true to that promise for years.
“I don’t know what the Grand Duchess was thinking when she did something like this.”
Just as Louise, frowning, whispered a complaint to her husband, Duchess Arsene picked up where she had stopped. Despite her expression, as if she were about to turn around and leave, she obediently headed for her seat. She sat down next to Bjorn, as if years of hostility had been forgotten, with a calm demeanor. To everyone's astonishment.
Bjorn, who had been staring straight ahead, finally looked at his grandmother when the chattering guests had quieted down. Just then, Duchess Arsene turned her head, too, and their eyes met before she could even avoid them. Though slightly shaken, neither of them looked away.
'Don't even think about fooling me!'
The sound of his grandmother's screams as she stormed into the palace seemed to come back to his ears.
'Tell me the truth, Bjorn. Why on earth do you want to throw yourself into this? Huh?'
Duchess Arsene refused to believe the superficial truth. She was convinced it was a smokescreen to hide something, and she was hell-bent on exposing it, driving Bjorn to the edge.
'This is me, Grandma.'
But that was the only answer Bjorn could give.
'Accept it.'
The Duchess Arsene's swearing ceased at those words, thrown with laughter. And then, a sharp slap echoed through the air.
It was a rather sharp slap, but the pain didn't last long. Neither did the dagger-like words that followed. But the tears in the bewildered grandmother's eyes at that moment remain a vivid memory, unforgettable even after all these years.
Should I have followed my mother's advice to at least tell the truth to my family?
Every time those tears came to mind, Bjorn thought. But the conclusion was always the same. Even if he could turn back time a hundred times, he would make the same decision a hundred times. If Gladys had given birth to a daughter, if he hadn't had to throw away the crown to preserve his lineage, he would never have revealed the truth to anyone in his life.
For the royal family and national interests.
He pretended to be a martyr, using that pretentious excuse, but looking back now, he's not sure. Perhaps it was extreme selfishness disguised as altruism.
But that was it.
Even now, that fact remains unchanged, and so he thinks he's always felt helpless. He can never give up the truth his grandmother seeks, so he would rather endure the contempt. Even though he knows it's still a deep love.
“Looking closely, I can see that you have quite a few wrinkles.”
Bjorn suddenly felt a sense of loss and laughed, telling a pointless joke. Duchess Arsene, who had been staring at him, also let out a dry chuckle.
“The first words of our conversation after so many years are truly moving.”
Even as she spoke bluntly, her eyes were still fixed on her grandson.
The stubborn old woman's resolve was broken.
The shock of that revelation sent a commotion through the banquet hall. Even the Queen, who rarely lost her composure, stared at the two, unable to conceal her emotional turmoil. Amidst the commotion, only the Grand Duchess remained calm.
Erna was smiling. Brightly. She seemed simply delighted to be able to give her husband a gift.
***
“Erna! Erna!”
Brenda Hardy called her name until she was out of breath. Erna, who was leaning against the balcony railing, catching some air, looked at her with a startled expression.
Brenda Hardy, having checked her surroundings and confirmed there were no eavesdroppers, hurriedly approached Erna. She must have been on edge, trying to find the right moment to talk alone.
“What is it, Viscountess?”
Erna hid her embarrassment and asked a calm question.
The invitation to today's banquet to the Hardy family was purely on Mrs. Fitz's advice. All sorts of rumors were circulating about the Grand Duchess, who was utterly ignoring her family. But if they weren't seen today, Mrs. Fitz said, the speculation would spiral out of control. It seemed necessary to pour some cold water on the rumors.
It was a reluctant undertaking, but Erna accepted. For Bjorn. She repeated those words like a mantra. However, that didn't mean she had any intention of becoming friends with the Hardy family. It was simply a formality, nothing more. To Erna, the name Hardy meant nothing more than that.
“If you have nothing to say, I will be going now.”
As the silence grew longer, Erna said her goodbyes and walked away. It was then that Brenda Hardy, who had been observing her, spoke.
“I’m starting to get worried since there’s still no news.”
“What news?”
“I’m talking to a child.”
Brenda Hardy looked as if she were a mother concerned about her beloved daughter's future.
"They're biting and tugging at you, and now you're even going crazy. I thought you'd better have a baby to stabilize your situation, so I asked around. I heard there's a drug that helps with pregnancy. I've worked hard to prepare it for you, so stop by Hardy's house sometime soon and take it..."
“Viscountess!”
Erna, unable to bear the insult, cried out coldly. But Brenda Hardy ignored her and continued speaking.
"This isn't the time to be so carefree, Erna. Princess Gladys, who bore him a son, was abandoned. If you can never conceive again, how can you possibly maintain your position as Grand Duchess? Huh?"
She took a step closer and grabbed Erna's hand.
“Think carefully. You know better than anyone what kind of man Prince Bjorn is.”
“Don’t talk to my husband like that.”
As Erna backed away, shaking off her hand, Brenda Hardy let out an exaggerated sigh.
"I know you don't particularly like me, but in this matter, no one will be more supportive than I, Erna. We're in the same boat."
Erna backed away as she reached out again. Just then, a servant came in to find the Grand Duchess, interrupting their conversation.
“Her Majesty the Queen is looking for you.”
The polite servant bowed his head and spoke softly.
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