CH 135

The days in the countryside were extremely boring. Bjorn found himself always waking up far too early, making the days unbearably long and boring. Bjorn looked at his pocket watch, it wasn’t even noon yet. Normally he wouldn’t even be out of bed yet.

The intense enthusiasm of the servants in the Baden family, the blazing fireplace, and the buckets of hot water by the bed made the atmosphere stifling. He set the book back onto the bookshelf and went over the window to light a cigar. The cool breeze coming in from the outside overwhelmed the warmth kicked out by the fire and found he could breath again.

He sat on the windowsill, smoking his cigar slowly as memories of last spring came to his mind. He remembered spending every moment with Erna, from the second they woke up, to the second the fell asleep in each others arms.

The vacation they took at her home was the happiest Erna had ever been and at a time where all the flowers were in full bloom, there was only one flower Bjorn cared about, Erna.

Love was what Erna wanted, but Bjorn thought about the thing she wanted, but he didn’t have. The affection he felt was more like a form of mercy. He was a giver and very choosy about who he gave to and in return, he expected entertainment, but not from Erna.

When you give something to someone, it’s natural to expect to receive something in return.

His life was moved by clear calculations, its how he came to the decision to divorce Gladys and not be overcome with grief. He would judge and make decisions based on assessments and real world application, then take responsibility for those actions. What mattered most was the eventual outcome and if the gains outweighed the losses by any measure, Bjorn considered that a victory.

Bjorn was able to put that logic into use and rise victorious from practically any situation. Everything changed when he met Erna. She was someone who’s calculations never worked for him and he found himself unable to control his feelings around her. 

He chose her and made a sacrifice for her.

The problem wasn’t in the calculations, but the price. Erna’s love was unlike anything he had witnessed before, there was no order to it, like the fireworks of the summer festival. You knew they were going to happen, but you didn’t know the colour or what form the bloom of light would take until it happened. Her love was like a field of wildflowers in spring, growing where ever the wind blew the seeds. 

He was captivated by her love, yet he also grappled with understanding it.

With Erna, Bjorn received more than he gave and he was content with that, he felt like he had won some great victory, but as time went by, the balance became more prominent and it became more difficult to play the roll of Erna’s saviour. He tried to keep a lid on the ever decreasing balance and in the end, everything toppled over.

He tried his best to not lose Erna’s love, but the calculations became ever harder to predict and it felt like the very foundations of his life was fading away.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had acted with malice to selfishly hold onto Erna’s love and without realising it, he became obsessed. He tried to hold on tighter, but it was a pathetic notion that only pushed Erna further away.

Bjorn felt like the biggest fool in Lechen, as he tapped off the lose ash from his cigar. As he took another drag, a carriage pulled up to the front of the mansion, baring the Baden family crest. The coachman nodded to Lisa, who grumbled as she pulled open the door for Erna.

Bjorn flicked his cigar into the ashtray and looked about the room for the service bell, forgetting that in Baden, he had to handle his own affairs.

‘This is Baden!’  

On discovering that he would be staying in this house on the first day, Erna exploded

‘If you anticipate receiving the same level of service as when you visited with the Schuber Palace staff last spring, you’re in for a surprise. Here, you’ll need to handle tasks like drawing your own curtains and dressing yourself. There are not many servants available to attend to your every need at the ring of a bell.’

Her words came across as a severe threat.

‘I know.’

Coolly nodding his head, Bjorn admired Erna’s striking blue eyes, which seemed even more captivating when she was upset.

‘I understand.’ he said. ‘If it means being able to court my wife, I’m willing to endure any inconvenience.’

Erna glared at him then turned away without saying a word. The frills and lace on her dress fluttered with anger as she stormed off. Bjorn chuckled, captivated by Erna’s alluring charm despite her fiery temperament.

True to Erna’s warnings when he announced he would be staying, he put on his own jacket and coat.  He was starting to wish he hadn’t sent back all but one attendant, but he was hoping to ease the burden of the Baden family.  The first few days were difficult, but he managed.

Bjorn stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his attire before exiting the room. The sound of his footsteps reverberated through the sunlit hallways of Baden House.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Bjorn rode in his own carriage, driven by a grey haired coachman. The country side rolled leisurely past the window as he peered out the window, taking in the sights of the barren trees, desolate fields and lifeless, frozen grass.

He was bored out of his mind and as he shifted his gaze from outside, to inside, he felt the searing hot presence of the guardian of hell, Lisa Brill.

Bjorn met Lisa’s gaze and he gave her a wink,  Move’, but Lisa cocked her head as if she didn’t know who Bjorn was. Bjorn felt the annoyance at the slow moving carriage and the impertinent maid rising within him, but he fought to keep it under control. He had gone through so much trouble to get into this carriage, he could certainly afford to maintain his composure.

Bjorn had informed them that he needed to get onto the carriage as there was a matter of national, financial importance he needed to attend to and if he didn’t, Freyr bank was going to go bankrupt and ruin Lechen’s economy and although it was true, he did have business to attend to with the back, it wasn’t anything urgent.

Erna glared at him, as if she saw through his excuses and was about to change her mind about going out, but then the Baroness made an appearance.

“Erna, please calm down. Just because you are sharing a carriage, does not mean you are going on a date,” the Baroness reassured Erna, though the Baroness was secretly siding with Bjorn. “If you really have no feelings for the Grand Duke, you have nothing to worry about, do you?” The Baroness said, emphasizing the word ‘feelings’.

Erna cast a resentful glance at her Grandmother and reluctantly climbed into the carriage. The fact that Lisa acted like a human-barrier and sit between her and Bjorn made Erna feel a little better, but it was a terrible start to the trip.

Bjorn studied Erna carefully, as she tried to hide from his eyes by pulling her wide brimmed hat low over her face. She was dressed modestly and even the flowers in her hat were minimal, as if hesitant to draw any attention.

Bjorn suddenly remembered an encounter with Erna years ago, while his processional was passing through Schuber Station. He had been escorting the Queen Mother to a charity event to the Royal Hospital.

Along the way, his eye was caught by a young women, petite and dressed in a very indistinct manner, but her hat was an explosion of flowers and ribbons. He would come to marry that woman he had a fleeting glance of.

Bjorn let out a chuckle and a sigh of disappointment and although he shrugged his shoulders, Erna did not even glance in his direction.

Nevertheless, Bjorn continued to stare deeply at the beautiful woman he vividly remembered from the past, lost in thought for quite some time.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Meet back here in an hour,” Erna said, pointing to the same statue they had used as a randevu last spring.  “Lisa and I have important business. You also have you own business right? So let’s meet here after we finish our respective work.”

“Are you trying to get revenge?” Bjorn managed a smile, trying not to look too heartbroken. Yet, his casual attitude appeared to fuel Erna’s anger even more.

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” Erna coldly said and turned to walk away.

Bjorn could do nothing but watch as Erna, with Lisa, hurried across the plaza and went into a general store. Erna delivered her batch of artificial flower, of which they had brought a lot more than what was ordered, but Mr Ale readily accepted all that Erna brought.

Excited by their success, Erna purchased plenty more materials to make more flowers. Erna also bought a box of chocolates and some tea. After which, her mood improved considerably.

“Now lets get to the market, I want to buy you something too,” Erna said to Lisa, who jumped about with excitement.

It was the same market where the May Festivals running competition had been held. Erna hesitated as she realised, but didn’t want to allow herself to be haunted by meaningless memories. She had no regrets, so why couldn’t she move on?

Erna believed their marriage wouldn’t last long, everyone knew. She couldn’t imagine such a proud prince putting up with the likes of her for long, she actually expected him to mention divorce first and in a way, this felt like the right thing to do. She just needed to endure a little longer.

“Oh, Your Highness,” Lisa stopped walking, “look over there.”

Lisa was pointing to a small merry-go-round in the centre of the open air market. It was a rare sight, but not one to be as weirdly excited as Lisa was, but then Erna saw him, a tall man with red hair standing to the side of the ride.

“Pavel,” Erna muttered his name.

Pavel’s green eyes immediately locked onto her, capturing her attention.