CH 103

“Shouldn’t this news be kept under wraps? I’m feeling so much shame that I can not show my face in public.”

The young maid had gone into the city on an errand and came running back in tears. The sighs of those already aware of the news greeted her.

“You can not fathom how much I am ridiculed and taunted by others. It has become impossible for me to mention to anyone that I work for the Grand Dukes estate.”

The maid panted heavily as she spoke and as the last word spilled out, she broke down into tears once more. It seemed like every conversation was centred on the Grand Duchess of late, all because of the scandal. The Grand Duchess was revealed to be a fraudulent member of the Royal Family.

“I know what you mean,” said another servant. “It’s become impossible for me to socialise with my friends any more. Even when the Princes reputation was at its lowest, it was never this bad.”

“There is one stroke of good fortune to come from all of this,” another servant said. “How convenient is it that the news of the Grand Duchess’ pregnancy should arise, along with her being sued for fraud?”

“I feel sorry for the Prince, he can’t divorce his wife now that she is pregnant. It seems as if she is going to end up dragging him down with her.”

“Why think like that? He parted from Princess Gladys while she was with child. So what’s the difference with the Grand Duchess?”

With each comment, the tension in the room deepened. Those who supported the Grand Duchess were at a loss for words and even if they did come to her defence, the comments only became more slanderous. It was safer for everyone if they remained silent in this.

“The Prince is working diligently, day and night, to sort this mess out and yet, she seems to be using the pregnancy as an excuse. All she does is eat well and sleep well. I can’t even begin to imagine how comfortable she must be, as if she has no sense of shame.”

As if the constant mocking jabs were enough to invoke her name, the service bell rang for the Grand Duchess’ room.

“See how diligently I tend to her every need?”

A group who had sympathised with the mocking words burst into laughter. It was noon and the sun was blazing, it was time for a refreshing lunch.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“You should eat more, Your Highness,” Mrs Fitz said, eyeing the half empty plates. “You must think about the health of the baby, Doctor Erickson was very insistent, you need to eat and rest for the well being of your child.”

Erna looked at her through blank eyes and nodded in agreement. She took hold of her spoon and forced the food into her mouth. She chewed it and eventually swallowed it.

“You’re doing well, Your Highness.”

Finishing up the last of her food, Erna slumped back on the mound of pillows behind her. Mrs Fitz and Lisa cleared away the used plates and cutlery.

Erna stared out the window, out at the scorching summer afternoon. She felt so confined, like the hot summer days, her father fraud case and the pregnancy, they all felt like the coils of a snake around her. Her name was being tossed around more than ever.

It was not hard to figure out the full story behind the fraud case, which had led to Erna’s abrupt expulsion. Walter Hardy, her father, had been perpetually plagued by financial troubles and had resorted to selling his daughters name in exchange for bribes. In an effort to deceive, he had forged a letter in his daughters name, the Grand Duchess, using her seal and everything. It was not the victims fault to have mistaken the perpetrator to be the Grand Duchess.

Erna let out a deep sigh as she massaged her hands, they were still cold even on such a hot day. She had been informed that an officer would be visiting later in the afternoon, to ask her some questions.

Bjorn had delivered the news to her the other night, in a tone of profound exhaustion. She was aware of how tirelessly he had been working to clear this mess. She couldn’t look him in the eyes and just nodded her head.

He had kept a vigil at her bed for some time, departing without uttering another word. The sound of the bedroom door opening and closing lingered for quite some time.

“They said you were pregnant,” he had said. It might have been a trick of her imagination, but she felt the tone was more indifferent than usual, as if inquiring something utterly trivial. Erna could only manage a slight nod. She had been taken aback by his lack of a reaction.

“Rest, Erna.” Then he left.

Erna couldn’t help but wonder if Bjorn was unhappy with her being pregnant, considering she was only a trophy wife. Alternatively, he could still have been sour over his altercation with Pavel.

Erna waited anxiously for his return, but he never came back. That night, he broke his promise to share her bed. At first, she was sad and angry, but when she learned of his reason for being absent, she felt sorry for him.

Her father’s reckless greed had not only destroyed the Grand Duchess’ reputation, but had also resulted in an incident what had caused Bjorn, and the rest of the Royal Family, to become a laughing stock over night. The level of criticism and ridicule directed toward them increased with each passing day.

Although the investigation had exonerated Erna of her father’s dealings, it did not put an end to the awful ordeal. After all, the Royal Family’s daughter-in-law was now branded a criminal and a fraudster. Who could possibly tolerate such a thing? Even Erna found it hard to come to terms with.

She was ashamed, for lack of a better word.

She felt deeply ashamed of her own immaturity and naivety. As a girl who longed for Bjorn’s love and had dreamed of a life of happiness, she realised she never truly understood what that would have entailed. The situation had exposed just how careless she had been.

Erna’s fingers trembled as she wiped away the hot tears that spilled down her cheeks. She managed to regain some control of her emotions just as a heavy knock came at the door. It was Lisa, her expression was sombre.

“Your Highness, there are guests.”

Erna checked the time and nodded, sliding out of the bed and prepared for the officer who would be arriving shortly.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Bayle followed after Bjorn, his legs moving wildly to keep up with Bjorn’s long, deliberate strides. He was brought into the entrance hall of the Grand Duke’s residence. It was an excessively display for a mere fraud case, for which he was merely looking to take the statement of the defendant.

Prince Bjorn had personally hand picked Bayle out of a crowd of lawyers and formed a formidable defence team for the Grand Duchess. Bayle gave legal advice that suggested he could clear the Grand Duchess without resorting to any extreme measures, but Bjorn seemed to have completely disregarded it and pushed forward with his own approach.

Was that the only thing Bjorn ignored?

The public’s anger over the scandal demanded the Grand Duchess to appear at the police station in person and face the consequences directly. Even the republicans, who opposed the Royal Family, joined in, pouring out daily attacks and insisting she didn’t deserve the courtesy of the Royals.

It was a coordinated effort to put pressure on the Royal Family  and bring about the end of the Grand Duchess’ downfall. Even the Police Chief, a loyal royalist, seemed to waver in the face of such intense public outrage, but Prince Bjorn remained unfazed.

Prince Bjorn remained firm in his beliefs that the Grand Duchess should not be subjected to the public’s demands, especially given her newly discovered, delicate condition. He expressed this to the Police Chief, expressing that his wife’s health was of the utmost importance and that any undue stress could cause harm to both Erna and the baby. He challenged the Police Chief to take responsibility if any harm should befall Erna and asserted that he had full confidence in the defensive team.

No matter what anyone said, the Prince only repeated the constant claim. The criticisms he faced for his actions were abundant and clear, accusing him of being a heartless father towards the son he had with Princess Gladys, but now treasuring the child in the womb of a criminal. The Prince remained stubborn and refused to listen to any of it.

In the end, the mad wolf won.

No matter how miserable the Grand Duchess got, the child she carried inside was the Prince’s baby and the King’s Grandson, so no one dared harm her.

The unyielding will of Prince Bjorn persisted despite the disapproval and ire, not only of the public, but also the Royal Family and high ranking officials. It bordered on madness all of its own.

Bjorn had ordered Bayle to resolve all outstanding issues. It was an order that carried so much significance that it sent a shiver down the lawyers spine. Bjorn wanted to pre-empt any future interrogations and confrontations involving his wife.

Bayle made his way to the drawing room, where the Grand Duchess waited. He couldn’t help but let out a quiet, subconscious sigh. Defending her was a straight forward task, dealing with the Prince was not.

A mere examination of the Grand Duchess handwriting would suffice, to reveal that the Grand Duchess had not sent the letters that had misled the victim. It also turned out that it was not the Grand Duchess’ seal that had been used by Walter Hardy.

The conundrum was that clearing the Grand Duchess would only go on to implicate her father, Walter Hardy, as a criminal.

The nature of the offence was so flagrant and heinous that even the most accomplished lawyer would be hard pressed to defend it. In the word case scenario, the King’s in-law would be imprisoned, charged with fraud, insulting the Royal Family and moral reprehensibility for attempting to sell his own daughter.

Bjorn had listened intently to the arguments of his legal team and gave an answer like the ground had fallen in from beneath their feet. No one dared break the uneasy silence and just watched the Prince smoke his cigar.

‘Do not focus on Walter Hardy, he is not to be considered’ Bjorn had told them. ‘Instead, simply concentrate on defending my wife.’

Bjorn behaved like a man that would lay down his life to defend the Grand Duchess, so what choice did Bayle have?

There was no room for doubt that he had no intention of divorcing  the Grand Duchess, and distancing himself from the mess, how would they have handled the situation to abandon the poor girl anyway? Bayle couldn’t find a decent enough answer for that question.

Given the circumstances, it was highly unlikely the Royal Family and the public would ever allow the daughter of a convicted felon to retain her title and position. Given the Prince’s reputation for being obstinate and unpredictable, it was possible that he had his own motives and it might be easier just to accept that.

Bayle took a deep breath as they approached the door to the drawing room. It creaked open and revealed the Grand Duchess, who they had worked so hard to defend. Gazing upon her, Bayle was reminded once again of the core of their defence.

Their sole focus was on defending and saving this little girl before him and Walter Hardy was not a consideration.