104. Bluffing
He had no idea.
But he wonders if he would send his wife's father to jail.
It was regrettable that he had unintentionally caused this commotion, but this wouldn't have happened if Prince Bjorn hadn't blocked the money supply in the first place. After all, those who had offered money and jewels to the Grand Duchess in an attempt to gain a connection were guilty, weren't they? It didn't make sense for him to be the only one condemned.
But how.
Walter Hardy looked at the Prince across the table with a gaze that was a mixture of extreme anger and desperate hope. Their eyes met, and Bjorn gave a light, refreshing smile, as if he'd forgotten where he was.
“Your complexion doesn’t look that bad.”
Bjorn, who had been waiting in the corner, was the first to speak, having been distracted by the police officer and lawyer. Walter Hardy trembled and clenched his fists.
Something he never expected happened.
Last weekend, the police officers who stormed into the mansion made that clear. Walter Hardy, overcome with anxiety and intoxicated, resisted with a commotion, but was only met with another charge: assault on a police officer.
The day the investigation revealed the Grand Duchess was yet another victim of a fabricated fraud, Walter Hardy was locked up in a detention center. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide behind his daughter's shield for long, but he never dreamed he would be subjected to such humiliation.
“How could you do this to me? How!”
"Well."
Bjorn shrugged and took out a cigar.
“That doesn’t sound like something a father would say after framing his daughter as a con artist.”
"That..."
The dim light of the interview room fell upon Walter Hardy, who was rolling his eyes anxiously. His face was aching, a face he hadn't seen before, but it was nothing compared to Erna's.
Erna.
Bjorn lit the end of his cigar, repeating the name that suddenly came to mind.
"Well, at least her name has been cleared now, hasn't it? In this situation, what good would it do to keep you, the Grand Duchess's father, in detention?"
Walter Hardy, realizing that shouting would do no good, now began to smile cowardly.
“I’m sorry. I won’t make that mistake again, so just this once, for the sake of my daughter and the grandchild she’s carrying, just this once...”
Walter Hardy's ramblings were interrupted by a long puff of cigar smoke from Bjorn. Glancing directly at him, Bjorn exhaled another puff of smoke, which he had inhaled deeply.
"My wife has no father, Viscount Hardy. And you're my child's grandfather? That's absurd."
Bjorn, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, pulled a document from his jacket pocket and thrust it at Walter Hardy. Upon seeing it, Walter Hardy's face darkened with thought. It was a pledge that renounced his fatherhood and promised never to appear before Erna again.
"Even if you're that girl's husband, how could you force something like this? How could you arbitrarily sever the bond between father and daughter?"
“You’ve already abandoned your daughter once, so why can’t you abandon her a second time?”
Bjorn smiled and brushed the ash off his cigar.
"If you agree, I'll try to prevent the unfortunate event of you being imprisoned. Of course, on the condition that you leave this city and live quietly as if you were dead for the rest of your life."
“That can never happen!”
“Then you will have to go to jail.”
Bjorn clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry and leaned back in his chair.
"The future of the two sons of the Hardy family, whose father served time for fraud, will be bleak, but if that's what the Viscount wants, then there's no choice. If we don't sever ties, I'll abandon my wife, and of course, you'll no longer be able to serve as royal in-laws."
“...Throw her away? Erna?”
The anger that had filled Walter Hardy's eyes instantly gave way to confusion. Bjorn, sitting cross-legged, seemed to mock him, seemingly at a loss for words.
"I'm giving you a chance, Viscount. I've decided it's less troublesome than another divorce. But if you insist on going to prison and continuing to cause trouble by acting as the Grand Duchess's father, then things will be different. Then I'll have no choice but to endure a certain amount of inconvenience."
“Do you think I would get caught up in a lie like that?”
“Why? Do you think I can’t do it?”
Bjorn's eyes narrowed as he stared at him.
“Please don’t do that, ah, at least for the sake of the child...”
“Ah. A child. Is that the corner you trust? The child that Erna has?”
A deep cynicism appeared on the corners of Bjorn's mouth, which were tilted crookedly.
“Look, Viscount Hardy. I think you and your daughter are overestimating yourself.”
Bjorn stood up from his seat and walked slowly towards Walter Hardy.
“I abandoned King Lars’ daughter, who bore me a son, so surely I wouldn’t be able to abandon your daughter?”
Bjorn's gaze, staring blankly down at Walter Hardy, held no trace of hypocrisy. Walter Hardy's breathing, facing those still, gray eyes, began to grow increasingly ragged.
"If you can't sever ties with your daughter, then you can raise the child yourself. The moment we divorce, I'll abandon the child, so he won't be recognized as a member of the royal family."
“Your Highness, Your Highness!”
“If it is your wish that the father, who has been in prison, and the divorced daughter live happily while raising the young grandson, then I will gladly respect it.”
Bjorn patted Walter Hardy on the shoulder as if to encourage him, then threw his half-smoked cigar into the ashtray.
"Then, I hope you'll think rationally about which path would be better for you, Viscount. Oh, and I'll warn you in advance that my patience isn't very deep."
He stepped back from the table, straightened his neck, and nodded. Walter Hardy, unable to control his anger, simply trembled, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal. Meanwhile, Bjorn left, his graceful demeanor unchanged from when he first appeared, and with a leisurely pace.
Amid the despairing sound of the iron door closing, Walter Hardy stared blankly at the papers on the table. His bloodshot eyes began to shake nervously.
She opened the large envelope, and a book, still in a tentative state, appeared. "The Name of Love and the Abyss." It was Hermann Publishing's next book, bearing the title decided upon at the previous meeting.
Tears slowly welled up in Catherine Owen's eyes as she watched in disbelief. Her brother's legacy, which had traveled across the ocean, was finally seeing the light of day. Fortunately, all of Lars' publishers rejected the manuscript. Thanks to this, she was able to compile it into a book, uncensored and full of the truth.
"For now, we'll publish the original in Lars. Most of the Letzen intellectuals interested in Gerald Owen are also fluent in Lars, so the book should generate a lot of buzz. When the hype has reached its peak, we plan to release a Letzen translation for the general public. By then, the book will likely be circulating in Lars."
Hermann, the publisher sitting across from her, calmly explained the upcoming schedule.
Catherine Owen listened intently, clutching the book tightly to her chest. The thought that the day when the name of the woman who killed her brother would shine brightly was drawing near, finally allowed her to breathe.
"The whole country is in an uproar over the incident involving the Grand Duchess's family. I'd like to schedule the publication after the situation has calmed down. What are your thoughts, Ms. Owen?"
"I like it."
Catherine Owen nodded without hesitation.
"Now that it's all done, there's no reason we can't wait a little longer. If possible, please publish it when it's most likely to receive attention."
"Then let's make that plan. Are you mentally prepared?"
Hermann's expression became much more serious. This incident would have enormous repercussions not only for Lars but also for Letzen. Of course, the nature of those repercussions would be quite different.
"Yes."
Catherine Owen opened her eyes, which had been closed tightly, and answered firmly.
“As much as you want.”
It was a stubborn gaze that seemed unshaken by anything.
Erna was asleep again today.
Bjorn, who had drawn the curtains to block out the afternoon sunlight, sat in the chair next to the bed and watched his sleeping wife. He loosened his tie and let out a long, soft sigh.
These days, Erna spends most of her time in bed, following her doctor's advice that it's better for her child.
Why at a time like this?
Looking at Erna's face, which grew more gaunt by the day, he often found himself thinking the same thing. It felt like the baby in her womb was pushing this already-difficult woman to the limit. The morning sickness was so severe. For a while, she struggled to even swallow a sip of water. It seemed to be improving these days, though.
But in the end, this child saved his mother.
A weak smile played on Bjorn's lips as he gazed at Erna's belly, which still showed no signs of pregnancy. Even without a child, he would never have left her to the world's prey, but the pregnancy had certainly become a powerful weapon against public opinion. Seeing her proving her worth from the inside, she seemed to be a true Dniester.
“Bjorn...?”
The moment he stood up, Erna opened her eyes. Bjorn adjusted the shape of his tie and sat back down in his chair.
“You came back early today.”
Erna carefully sat up and faced Bjorn. She looked unusually tired, as if she had just woken from a nap.
“How about busy work...”
Unable to overcome her anxiety and nervousness, Erna opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to finish her question. She was unbearably curious about her father's situation, yet afraid to hear the answer.
“I’m on my way back from meeting Viscount Hardy.”
Bjorn, who would normally have left without saying a word, gave a calm reply. Surprised, Erna let out a faint sigh and clutched the quilt.
“Erna.”
"Yes."
Erna managed to answer with a trembling voice. Even on a hot summer afternoon, a chill was palpable.
No way.
Ominous thoughts that she didn't want to think about began to run wild.
Surely, after all...
“You don’t have a father anymore.”
A quiet answer came, unexpected but still surprising.
“Erase Hardy’s name from your life.”
“What does that mean?”
"I've agreed to save Walter Hardy in exchange for breaking ties with you. The Viscount will accept."
Two days at most. Bjorn knew he would hear from Walter Hardy within that time. To him, his daughter was nothing but a source of income. He was a man of great worth, and he would never choose imprisonment over a daughter who would only be a burden on his life, let alone a source of profit.
Breaking up with her wouldn't stop the criticism pouring down on Erna. But at least she wouldn't be forced into this predicament because of her father, who no longer seemed human. That was enough for Bjorn. The world's criticism was irrelevant. He wouldn't allow such things to destabilize the Grand Duchess's position.
"Excuse me, Bjorn. Before you answer, I have a question."
Erna, who had been hesitating for a while, looked at him with clearer eyes.
“Actually... I know. Why did you marry me?”
“You know? What?”
Bjorn frowned and asked sharply. "Yes." His voice was clearly filled with the annoyance of his wife, who was making such absurd remarks about such a simple answer.
“That’s the bet.”
Erna paused for a moment, but mustered up her courage and continued speaking.
“I’m talking about the bet you made on me that started at a card game at a social club.”
He had no idea.
But he wonders if he would send his wife's father to jail.
It was regrettable that he had unintentionally caused this commotion, but this wouldn't have happened if Prince Bjorn hadn't blocked the money supply in the first place. After all, those who had offered money and jewels to the Grand Duchess in an attempt to gain a connection were guilty, weren't they? It didn't make sense for him to be the only one condemned.
But how.
Walter Hardy looked at the Prince across the table with a gaze that was a mixture of extreme anger and desperate hope. Their eyes met, and Bjorn gave a light, refreshing smile, as if he'd forgotten where he was.
“Your complexion doesn’t look that bad.”
Bjorn, who had been waiting in the corner, was the first to speak, having been distracted by the police officer and lawyer. Walter Hardy trembled and clenched his fists.
Something he never expected happened.
Last weekend, the police officers who stormed into the mansion made that clear. Walter Hardy, overcome with anxiety and intoxicated, resisted with a commotion, but was only met with another charge: assault on a police officer.
The day the investigation revealed the Grand Duchess was yet another victim of a fabricated fraud, Walter Hardy was locked up in a detention center. He knew he wouldn't be able to hide behind his daughter's shield for long, but he never dreamed he would be subjected to such humiliation.
“How could you do this to me? How!”
"Well."
Bjorn shrugged and took out a cigar.
“That doesn’t sound like something a father would say after framing his daughter as a con artist.”
"That..."
The dim light of the interview room fell upon Walter Hardy, who was rolling his eyes anxiously. His face was aching, a face he hadn't seen before, but it was nothing compared to Erna's.
Erna.
Bjorn lit the end of his cigar, repeating the name that suddenly came to mind.
"Well, at least her name has been cleared now, hasn't it? In this situation, what good would it do to keep you, the Grand Duchess's father, in detention?"
Walter Hardy, realizing that shouting would do no good, now began to smile cowardly.
“I’m sorry. I won’t make that mistake again, so just this once, for the sake of my daughter and the grandchild she’s carrying, just this once...”
Walter Hardy's ramblings were interrupted by a long puff of cigar smoke from Bjorn. Glancing directly at him, Bjorn exhaled another puff of smoke, which he had inhaled deeply.
"My wife has no father, Viscount Hardy. And you're my child's grandfather? That's absurd."
Bjorn, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, pulled a document from his jacket pocket and thrust it at Walter Hardy. Upon seeing it, Walter Hardy's face darkened with thought. It was a pledge that renounced his fatherhood and promised never to appear before Erna again.
"Even if you're that girl's husband, how could you force something like this? How could you arbitrarily sever the bond between father and daughter?"
“You’ve already abandoned your daughter once, so why can’t you abandon her a second time?”
Bjorn smiled and brushed the ash off his cigar.
"If you agree, I'll try to prevent the unfortunate event of you being imprisoned. Of course, on the condition that you leave this city and live quietly as if you were dead for the rest of your life."
“That can never happen!”
“Then you will have to go to jail.”
Bjorn clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry and leaned back in his chair.
"The future of the two sons of the Hardy family, whose father served time for fraud, will be bleak, but if that's what the Viscount wants, then there's no choice. If we don't sever ties, I'll abandon my wife, and of course, you'll no longer be able to serve as royal in-laws."
“...Throw her away? Erna?”
The anger that had filled Walter Hardy's eyes instantly gave way to confusion. Bjorn, sitting cross-legged, seemed to mock him, seemingly at a loss for words.
"I'm giving you a chance, Viscount. I've decided it's less troublesome than another divorce. But if you insist on going to prison and continuing to cause trouble by acting as the Grand Duchess's father, then things will be different. Then I'll have no choice but to endure a certain amount of inconvenience."
“Do you think I would get caught up in a lie like that?”
“Why? Do you think I can’t do it?”
Bjorn's eyes narrowed as he stared at him.
“Please don’t do that, ah, at least for the sake of the child...”
“Ah. A child. Is that the corner you trust? The child that Erna has?”
A deep cynicism appeared on the corners of Bjorn's mouth, which were tilted crookedly.
“Look, Viscount Hardy. I think you and your daughter are overestimating yourself.”
Bjorn stood up from his seat and walked slowly towards Walter Hardy.
“I abandoned King Lars’ daughter, who bore me a son, so surely I wouldn’t be able to abandon your daughter?”
Bjorn's gaze, staring blankly down at Walter Hardy, held no trace of hypocrisy. Walter Hardy's breathing, facing those still, gray eyes, began to grow increasingly ragged.
"If you can't sever ties with your daughter, then you can raise the child yourself. The moment we divorce, I'll abandon the child, so he won't be recognized as a member of the royal family."
“Your Highness, Your Highness!”
“If it is your wish that the father, who has been in prison, and the divorced daughter live happily while raising the young grandson, then I will gladly respect it.”
Bjorn patted Walter Hardy on the shoulder as if to encourage him, then threw his half-smoked cigar into the ashtray.
"Then, I hope you'll think rationally about which path would be better for you, Viscount. Oh, and I'll warn you in advance that my patience isn't very deep."
He stepped back from the table, straightened his neck, and nodded. Walter Hardy, unable to control his anger, simply trembled, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal. Meanwhile, Bjorn left, his graceful demeanor unchanged from when he first appeared, and with a leisurely pace.
Amid the despairing sound of the iron door closing, Walter Hardy stared blankly at the papers on the table. His bloodshot eyes began to shake nervously.
***
She opened the large envelope, and a book, still in a tentative state, appeared. "The Name of Love and the Abyss." It was Hermann Publishing's next book, bearing the title decided upon at the previous meeting.
Tears slowly welled up in Catherine Owen's eyes as she watched in disbelief. Her brother's legacy, which had traveled across the ocean, was finally seeing the light of day. Fortunately, all of Lars' publishers rejected the manuscript. Thanks to this, she was able to compile it into a book, uncensored and full of the truth.
"For now, we'll publish the original in Lars. Most of the Letzen intellectuals interested in Gerald Owen are also fluent in Lars, so the book should generate a lot of buzz. When the hype has reached its peak, we plan to release a Letzen translation for the general public. By then, the book will likely be circulating in Lars."
Hermann, the publisher sitting across from her, calmly explained the upcoming schedule.
Catherine Owen listened intently, clutching the book tightly to her chest. The thought that the day when the name of the woman who killed her brother would shine brightly was drawing near, finally allowed her to breathe.
"The whole country is in an uproar over the incident involving the Grand Duchess's family. I'd like to schedule the publication after the situation has calmed down. What are your thoughts, Ms. Owen?"
"I like it."
Catherine Owen nodded without hesitation.
"Now that it's all done, there's no reason we can't wait a little longer. If possible, please publish it when it's most likely to receive attention."
"Then let's make that plan. Are you mentally prepared?"
Hermann's expression became much more serious. This incident would have enormous repercussions not only for Lars but also for Letzen. Of course, the nature of those repercussions would be quite different.
"Yes."
Catherine Owen opened her eyes, which had been closed tightly, and answered firmly.
“As much as you want.”
It was a stubborn gaze that seemed unshaken by anything.
***
Erna was asleep again today.
Bjorn, who had drawn the curtains to block out the afternoon sunlight, sat in the chair next to the bed and watched his sleeping wife. He loosened his tie and let out a long, soft sigh.
These days, Erna spends most of her time in bed, following her doctor's advice that it's better for her child.
Why at a time like this?
Looking at Erna's face, which grew more gaunt by the day, he often found himself thinking the same thing. It felt like the baby in her womb was pushing this already-difficult woman to the limit. The morning sickness was so severe. For a while, she struggled to even swallow a sip of water. It seemed to be improving these days, though.
But in the end, this child saved his mother.
A weak smile played on Bjorn's lips as he gazed at Erna's belly, which still showed no signs of pregnancy. Even without a child, he would never have left her to the world's prey, but the pregnancy had certainly become a powerful weapon against public opinion. Seeing her proving her worth from the inside, she seemed to be a true Dniester.
“Bjorn...?”
The moment he stood up, Erna opened her eyes. Bjorn adjusted the shape of his tie and sat back down in his chair.
“You came back early today.”
Erna carefully sat up and faced Bjorn. She looked unusually tired, as if she had just woken from a nap.
“How about busy work...”
Unable to overcome her anxiety and nervousness, Erna opened her mouth, but couldn't bring herself to finish her question. She was unbearably curious about her father's situation, yet afraid to hear the answer.
“I’m on my way back from meeting Viscount Hardy.”
Bjorn, who would normally have left without saying a word, gave a calm reply. Surprised, Erna let out a faint sigh and clutched the quilt.
“Erna.”
"Yes."
Erna managed to answer with a trembling voice. Even on a hot summer afternoon, a chill was palpable.
No way.
Ominous thoughts that she didn't want to think about began to run wild.
Surely, after all...
“You don’t have a father anymore.”
A quiet answer came, unexpected but still surprising.
“Erase Hardy’s name from your life.”
“What does that mean?”
"I've agreed to save Walter Hardy in exchange for breaking ties with you. The Viscount will accept."
Two days at most. Bjorn knew he would hear from Walter Hardy within that time. To him, his daughter was nothing but a source of income. He was a man of great worth, and he would never choose imprisonment over a daughter who would only be a burden on his life, let alone a source of profit.
“So you abandon it first. That's how you keep your place.”
"Excuse me, Bjorn. Before you answer, I have a question."
Erna, who had been hesitating for a while, looked at him with clearer eyes.
“Actually... I know. Why did you marry me?”
“You know? What?”
Bjorn frowned and asked sharply. "Yes." His voice was clearly filled with the annoyance of his wife, who was making such absurd remarks about such a simple answer.
“That’s the bet.”
Erna paused for a moment, but mustered up her courage and continued speaking.
“I’m talking about the bet you made on me that started at a card game at a social club.”
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