The Problematic Prince

✧ If You Eat It, You Will Die✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“She is the prettiest girl you’ll ever make a deal on! If you see her, you will definitely agree with me.”

Brenda Hardy said in a tone that was mixed with anxiety and glanced at the table clock. That estranged little country girl had to go out for her leisurely walk at this ‘important’ time! The Viscountess despised Erna to her core, in many ways. 

“That should to be the case, Viscountess.”

Countess Meyer’s impatient gaze, which was fixed on the little messy garden outside through the window, fell on Brenda Hardy.

“Or else, you are just wasting my time, and I despise wasting my time on useless things.”

Contrary to her soft and calm voice, her eyes staring at the Viscountess were cold. Suppressing the tremor in her stomach, Brenda Hardy managed to force out a reassuring smile. She had to be patient and behave courteously considering the situation she was in. 

Countess Meyer was an infamous figure who was known for her good reputation in the Lechen socialite marriage market. Born as the daughter of a humble half-baron, she managed to rise to the rank of countess. Then Her marriage in a wealthy family worked as insurance for her, also for her daughters to be married in richly  reputed families. The eldest daughter became a countess, and the second daughter became the wife of a wealthy merchant. She even succeeded in finding good husbands for the girls in her chaperone. Then rumors spread of her good eyes in finding suitable marriages and women from all kinds of families and classes  started lining up.

It was almost a miracle that such Victoria Meyer was sitting in the living room of the Hardy family. Originally, she announced that she would not be taking any chaperone this season, as she wanted to spend the summer with her second daughter abroad. However, that plan went awry when the second daughter went on a long trip with her husband. After finding out about the change of plan, Brenda Hardy utilised all of her contacts to have Countess Meyer’s appointment before another family could take her away.

The Viscount wanted to sell this daughter of his who suddenly appeared unannounced.

When Brenda Hardy first heard about this, even she thought her husband had finally gone crazy! But he was pretty serious, and managed to point out all the reasonable excuses he had for such ambition. For a family driven to the edge of a cliff because of debt, offering their daughters for sale at the wedding market was not scrutinised that negatively in the social circle. It was not like they were committing a treason! 

In fact, Were all the marriages in the society  not just some transactions in the end? 

Of course, expressing  such blatant thoughts about these ‘business practices’ openly was somewhat of a ‘low-class’ thing, but the current Hardy family was not in a position to consider all that. In addition, that girl Erna was sure to be a top-notch sale!

In the end, Brenda Hardy accepted her husband’s crazy proposal. What was there for her to refuse? She was going to kick that girl out anyway, might as well earn some fortune!

This kind of business was supposed to be a quick process, so most probably they would get a hand on a profitable match by the end of this summer.

“Madam, Miss Erna has arrived.”

Just as the wrinkles on  Countess Meyer’s forhead were noticeably deepening, a maid announced the good news. Brenda Hardy jumped up from her seat, almost forgetting her ladylike manners for a moment.

“Come quickly, Erna! We have been waiting for you for a long time!”

As Erna entered the drawing room, the stepmother welcomed her with such a warm greetings that it almost seemed sincere.

Countess Meyer, placing her hand fan down on the table, also turned her head to look at Erna. Even after having a bunch of new clothes that they bought for her, Erna was still wearing a rustic dress.

“Come here! Say hello to Countess Meyer.”

Brenda Hardy rushed Erna with an anxious voice. Suddenly faced with a complete stranger, Erna’s face stiffened visibly. 

Look! Look at that village girl’s sense of manner! 

Brenda Hardy’s blood almost dried up in fear thinking that the Countess would stand up from her seat to leave at any moment!

“Greetings to Countess Meyer. My name is Erna Hardy.”

Erna, who approached after a brief pause, greeted the Countess in proper manners with her usual gentle voice. 

Countess Meyer’s eyes were as sharp as a blade, carefully examining Erna’s every inch.

“What do you think, madam? Do you like her?”

Brenda Hardy, who could not stand the silence, asked hastily.

“I guess you were not lying.”

Countess Meyer, who had a strange expression on her face, nodded. Slowly, with an elegant posture, she got up and walked towards Erna.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Hardy. Let’s see how well this goes for all of us!”

The Countess reached out her gloved hand in front of Erna for a handshake.

“I’m Victoria Meyer. I will be holding the charge of your chaperone, Ms. Hardy.”

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

When the noise of  scissors cutting the fabrics ceased, the bedroom fell into silence again.

Erna, who was leaning over her desk, diligently moving her hands, let out a long sigh and sat back straight. In her tired eyes looking at the finished peony flower, there was sparkle of overwhelming joy and satisfaction.

Concentrate on your work when your head is cluttered.

It was Erna’s old habit. She used to help Mrs. Greve in making and selling artificial flowers. It was useful for some little earnings.

Also grabbing scissors to work on something while caught in stressful thoughts helped Erna in relieving. 

It’s a little funny that she brought her work all the way here. But to Erna, these things felt like part of her body.

After organizing the scraps of cloth and tools, Erna went to the bathroom and washed her hands thoroughly. The small hands, which had been smeared with marks, soon returned to it’s original smooth and soft state. 

Looks like it’s not going to be a very smooth summer.

Erna thought as she looked blankly at her expressionless reflection in the gorgeous brass mirror.

It had already been ten days since she moved to the Hardy family’s mansion. Each day seemed to pass by very slowly which was almost painful.

After arriving in Schwerin, Erna spent most of her time with the Viscount. To be more precise, she was dragged around. 

Erna was not given any choice to say no while being hauled in and out of the many colorful shops and buying piles of things. It was all about putting on, taking off, and being towed from place to place. Precisely, it was like being treated as a doll in some child’s hand.

“Lady!”

The maid, who saw Erna coming out of the bathroom door in the bedroom, exclaimed with delight.

“I was wandering where you might have gone to!”

“I’m sorry if I have caused you worries!”

“That’s ok, Lady Erna! You don’t need to apologize!” 

Embarrassed, Lisa waved her hands hurriedly.

Erna smiled a little watching her enthusiasm and slowly approached the table where afternoon tea was served. Lisa, after hesitating for a moment, also approached near her.

“Next time, bring another teacup for you too.”

Erna casually said this to Lisa, four days ago,  during tea time. Lisa, who could not understand her meaning for a while, visibly jumped in shock.

“No, no! I can’t do that, Miss! And you shouldn’t say that either! You will get in trouble!”

“Why? I used to have afternoon tea with Mrs. Greve back at home.” 

Erna only tilted her head with a blank face.

“Who is Mrs. Greve?”, Lisa lowered her voice and asked nervously.

“She is the housekeeper of our Baden house.”

Erna, also lowering her voice without knowing, responded calmly.

The secret tea time of the young lady and the maid started after this conversation and had been going on peacefully for several days now.

She’s definitely a bit of a weird girl!

Lisa somewhat agreed with what the Hardy servants were whispering.

This new daughter of the Hardy family, who suddenly appeared one day, had no aura of a so called ‘noble’ lady. Considering her appearance or her attitude, she was far from being a graceful young lady of the usual aristocratic society here. 

However, any accusations of her being arrogant or eccentric were pure nonsense. She always tried to minimize her presence and did not talk much. Her face might give off a childlike vibe at the first impression. But if someone managed to know her, they would say she was a generous girl with a likeable  personality. 

“Wow! Did you make that?”

Lisa’s eyes widened when she discovered the flower placed on the desk. Erna blushed a little and nodded her head shyly. The shadow of her long eyelashes, which swayed with each slow blink, seemed like a butterfly’s flapping wings.

“So pretty! You’re truly capable, Lady Erna. I would easily believe even if someone said it was a real flower!”

Lisa was truly amazed. When she looked back at Erna’s face, which was radiant with smile because of her sincere compliment, she was stunned. Then instantly her mind sank in sorrow thinking about the future of this naive girl.

This despicable family!  You have lost everything because of your greed! Now you are trying to sell your daughter to make up for your debt! 

When Viscount Hardy suddenly wanted to bring back the daughter of his ex-wife into the house, the servants often murmured such accusations. 

“Obviously they will sell that girl for a pretty high price, but who are we to judge? No matter what they manage to sell for money, is it not good for all of us that this family goes on well?”, they said.

Lisa seemed to be able to understand the weight behind those words now.

Does this lady know about this?

The question that suddenly came to mind disturbed Lisa. It was at that time when Erna, who had come to Lisa’s side at some point, suddenly brought forth the peony that she made earlier.

“Lady Erna! You are giving me this flower?”

Lisa asked in disbelief and Erna nodded her head slightly.

“No, Lady!..I’m ..”, she tried to speak, but her speech was in disorder. “I mean, I’m not refusing you, obviously! I’m just shocked…….!”

Erna smiled calmly seeing her confused face. 

“I’m giving you this as a present. It will look pretty on your hat. It can also be used as a brooch.”

Erna shoved the newly made peony in Lisa’s hand.

Lisa, not having the heart to refuse this innocent girl’s sincerity, decided to accept the gift with much joy. Erna smiled in relief. Her sweet smile resembled the pretty flower she had made.

“Shall we go for a walk? Schwerin must still be very foreign place to you. In return of your gift, I will show you my favourie places.”

Lisa jumped up from her seat with enthusiasm. Erna looked up at her with surprised eyes mixed with a hint of tension.

“What if I cause you trouble?”

“You won’t! It’s my earnest duty to take good care of you, My Lady.”

Lisa, smiling brightly, quickly brought Erna’s parasol and hat out.

“Follow me, Miss!”

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Schwerin was the second largest city, right after the capital.

The noble families usually had their own  mansions in the southern part of the city. Schwerin Palace, the royal summer residence, also nested there. 

From densely packed high-end shops and hotels to luxurious theater houses, it was a bustling city boasting the splendor of a resort town where famous nobles of the kingdom come to enjoy and relax during the summer season. 

A little further in the north, there was a huge port connected to the vast ocean. Schwerin indeed was a city where commerce and finance developed vigorously since the ancient times.

Erna listened to Lisa’s  chatterings and walked in a slow pace. She already had some prior knowledge about the city from reading books. But, now that she was watching everything right in front of her eager eyes, everything felt new.

“Look, My Lady. That hotel is very well reputed here in Schwerin. It’s the best!”

Lisa gathered Erna’s attention and pointed to a hotel located at the intersection of three avenues. The hotel did look elegant in Erna’s eyes. Heavily decorated with flowery designs but it’s antic vibe didn’t vanish away.  

“The restaurant and tea room over there are  very popular among the ladies here.What do you think of those, Miss?”, Lisa quickly asked. 

But before Erna could look away from the hotel and reply, a tall and finely dressed man caught her eye.

The man who just came out of the hotel’s entrance walked in long strides. There was a woman next to him who seemingly tried to say something, but the man didn’t pause and just walked on his way. 

Behind them, a crowd of curious people followed along, though keeping safe distance. Considering the amount of attention given by the spectators around, he seemed to be a fairly famous figure to Erna.

“Oh no, My Lady!”

Erna, almost feeling dizzy because of Lisa’s sudden grab on her arm, torn her gaze apart from the man’s face and looked back at Lisa.

“Yes, Lady Erna. He is unquestionably handsome to look at! I know that feeling. But you must not…You can’t…..!”, Lisa tried to speak everything anxiously at once and her tongue clenched once again.

Erna was dumbfounded by Lisa’s out of context ramblings and shifted her gaze back at the blonde man  wonderingly. The carriage carrying him and the woman soon disappeared following the other side of the street.

“Because it’s never going to happen! And that’s very fortunate!”

Lisa took a deep breath and stood in front of Erna. But Erna was still very much in confusion. 

“What are even talking about, Lisa? Who was that person?”

“That…You don’t need to know that! Don’t ask.”

“Does he have a bad reputation?”

“Ugh. Tell me about it! No, that’s not the point. Lisen, My Lady!”

Lisa shook her head and grabbed Erna’s other arm too.

“Remember this, Miss. Not him! Never ever!”

“What? Why?”

“….that’s a poisonous mushroom!”

Lisa clinched her teeth,  her eyes fixed. Even though she was uttering absurd words that made no sense to Erna, her face showed a gravely serious expression.

“Remember my words, My Lady. That man is a poisonous mushroom. If you eat it, you die!”

Follow current novels on ALL NOVEL BOOK