CH 136

Bjorn didn’t hesitate for a moment to proclaim Pavel Lore was an asshole. He could see him standing with Erna by the merry-go-round. He knew it was him, he would recognise the infuriating man’s fiery red hair anywhere. The situation was a little more reassuring seeing the guardian of hell, Lisa, near by.

“Hello, sir?”

Bjorn’s attention was drawn to the attendant of the almond stall he was stood near. She was clearly agitated that Bjorn was hanging around, not buying anything and getting in the way of her customers. When Bjorn looked back at the merry-go-round, the pair had vanished.

While chasing after Erna, he unexpectedly came across a stall that caught his attention. As he looked around, he followed the delightful scent of honey and cinnamon mixed with the steam of seaweed, and there he found the snack Erna loved to enjoy in during the lively May Festival in Buford on sunny spring days. 

Bjorn decided to buy some almonds, though it was unlikely to be enough to sway Erna’s feelings for him, he held onto the hope of catching her eye for just a moment. There was also the problem of Pavel Lore, the fact that he had turned up here, now,  proved he was a bastard.

Bjorn stuffed the cone of paper full of sweet, honey almonds into a coat pocket and started to weave his way through the market stalls. 

Erna was going to hate him.

As the merry-go-round got closer, Bjorn paused to catch his breath. He knew Erna was going to side with that inscrutable bastard and lay blame on him, but when he witnessed Pavel Lore’s laughter, he knew he had to act. 

Erna was still his wife.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“It’s been awhile, Mr Lore,” Bjorn greeted him as calm and nonchalant as he could manage.

Erna and Pavel quickly shifted their attention to Bjorn. Lisa, who had been watching the merry-go-round, turned in surprise, she didn’t even try to hide it. Bjorn stood tall and proud beside Erna, like an alpha wolf trying to fend off any would be challengers.

“No, its fine,” Bjorn said as Pavel was about to extend a greeting, “lets refrain from creating any further commotion, shall we?”

With a playful wink, Bjorn gestured toward the onlookers in the crowd. He radiated elegance and composure, he looked like a completely different person compared to the man who had caused such chaos last summer.

Realising his intentions, Pavel offered the Prince a respectful bow.

“Your Highness, Buford is also my home town. I happened to be visiting for a couple weeks. When I saw Erna, I took the opportunity to catch up, as its been quite some time since I saw my childhood friend.”

“Of course, I understand,” Bjorn said and wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. “My wife is currently recovering from a poor turn of health.”

Erna flinched, taken aback by Bjorn’s affront, though Bjorn seemed completely unfazed. Pavel couldn’t help but frown at Bjorn’s demeaning attitude toward his wife.

“Mr Lore,” Bjorn said, “why don’t we find somewhere to have a drink? I remember you saying you don’t drink, but there must be a tea shop near by.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying,” Pavel frowned.

If it were not for the joyful laugher of the children on the merry-go-round and the street vendors hawking their wears, there would have been the most awkward silence between Bjorn and Pavel.

“Don’t do this,” Erna pleaded silently to Bjorn, pulling on his arm. “Let’s just go back now, I beg you…”

“I am only asking if Mr Lore would like to catch up with his childhood friend in a more comfortable environment. It wont be like last time, I promise.”

“What?” Erna hissed.

“The fight we had, at the picnic?” Bjorn brought up the matter without any shame. “I wanted to apologise for what transpired that day and so, thought we could do it over a drink, rather than standing out in the middle of the street.”

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Tell me,” Bjorn said as he set down his drink, “do you like rowing, Mr Lore?”

Pavel raised an eyebrow at Bjorn’s question and took up his teacup for a sip, hiding his surprise at the random question. He was not the only one drinking tea in a raucous tavern filled with day time drinkers.

“What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“Well, you seem to possess a skill that any team would kill to have on their boat.”

“I like to watch the sport, is that sufficient?” Pavel straightened his posture, he exuded a militaryesque demeanour.

No matter how Bjorn observed him, Pavel seemed reminiscent of Leonid. While he may be some what dull, there was an air of intrigue and sincerity about him, qualities of a man that would suit Erna quite well.

Bjorn readily acknowledged this and emptied his glass. The owner of the tavern, who was monitoring the patrons, waddled over and refilled the glass without a word.

“Was Erna your first love?” Bjorn said, moistening his lips with the fresh glass.

“Are you doubting my relationship with Her Highness again?”

“No, of course not, I know my wife is not that kind of woman.”

“So, why…”

“It’s not Erna I am worried about, it’s you, you loved her, didn’t you, you probably still do.” Bjorn said grinning.

“Well, so what if I was, what does it mean to you?” Pavel said, trying hard not to raise his voice. “Yes, she was my first love, she is beautiful and kind, but I swear, I have not kept anything from you. It was merely puppy love and after leaving my home town, I treated her like a sister.”

“Would an older brother run away with his sister in the middle of the night?”

“That’s…” Pavel felt a dryness in his throat. He knew that attempting to deceive the Prince with a feeble lie would be futile. “To be honest, I was very shaken at the time. If the rain hadn’t been so bad that night, if I hadn’t been so late, if things hadn’t gone so badly, I might have coveted Erna, no, I would have and Erna might have become my wife. But it did and Erna became the wife of a Prince. That’s the end of it. Since then, I have never once entertained the idea of Erna and myself.”

Bjorn observed Pavel’s resolute confession with narrowed eyes, memories of that fateful night in the pouring rain coming to him. Erna must have presented her marriage as the best choice she could make at the time, either as a trophy or a shield. Deep down, Bjorn knew that Erna’s true happiness would probably have been with the painter.

There would have been a lot of social stigma if a noblewoman were to run away with a painter, but she would have found joy in leaving that world far behind her. Bjorn turned away. In that moment, he didn’t care about what was best for Erna, or the potential gains and losses of that decision.

It was solely the desire to posses a beautiful trophy that had propelled him and Bjorn refused to let it slip from his grasp. Pavel Lore was a reminder of that night, the night he wanted to forget. That was why he went crazy every time he saw Pavel Lore, not because he ever thought Erna would be the type of woman to cheat on him, but because he was a reminder of Bjorn’s selfishness.

“I know,” Bjorn nodded, “and I did it even though I knew.”

“What do you mean?”

“You were really unfortunate and I apologise for my rudeness since that night, Mr Lore.” Bjorn finished his drink and stood, bowing before Pavel in an overly polite and formal manner. “I would like to say that such a thing would never happen again, but we can’t be certain of what the future holds.”

Bjorn placed a bill on the table and looked at his pocket watch, it was almost time for his randevu with Erna.

“I would suggest that you continue to be careful, maybe get married, so that I can refrain from harbouring any negative thoughts toward you.”

“Is that really your apology,” Pavel let out a laugh.

Bjorn watched Pavel for a moment in silence, then simply turned and left the tavern.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Erna’s breathing quickened as she strode through the market with her chin up. Lisa followed close behind, matching her pace.

Despite her efforts to dissuade him, Pavel had readily accepted Bjorn’s invitation for a drink. Bjorn assured Erna that he would be in time to depart the village at their prearranged time.

With no other option, Erna decided to wait patiently at the fountain, but as the time counted down, her anxiety intensified, until it reached unbearable levels and she finally succumb to her impatience. She disembarked from the carriage and ran to the meeting place.

Even if Pavel agreed, she would not allow it.

As the signboard of the tavern came into view, Erna’s steps quickened. The thoughts of what Bjorn could have done to Pavel filled her with dread. Were they fighting again? As she thought about it, anger welled up inside her.

Just as Erna was reaching for the door, Bjorn stepped out. Erna froze in front of him, shocked by his sudden appearance. When their eyes met, Bjorn offered her a smile.

While Erna remained flustered and unsure of herself, Bjorn moved in close to her, bringing himself right to the tip of her nose. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the packet of almonds.

Erna’s eyes went wide in astonishment as Bjorn handed over the bag. It was a nostalgic symbol of those foolish days they had shared together, a token she cherished and enjoyed simply because Bjorn had bought them for her.

“What’s this?” Erna said.

“I’m sure you already know.”

“Yes, but why are you giving them to me?”

“It’s ‘sugar-plum’.”  

The puzzling words echoed in the background of the spinning merry-go-round, blending with the music in a confusing symphony that left Erna uncertain about what she was actually hearing.