The Problematic Prince

✧ Breathe✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Viscount Hardy and Countess Meyer, who followed behind Erna while intentionally keeping their distance, looked back with bewildered faces. They didn’t dare to imagine that there would be a guest who hadn’t arrived yet, even more for that guest to be Prince Bjorn himself.

They decided to retreat backwards first, as the red carpet road, which started from the entrance of the banquet hall to the stage where the king and queen sat side by side, now belonged to Prince Bjorn. That should have been the plan until they found the troublesome brat that they had forgotten for a while.

“Oh my god! Look at that child!” Brenda Hardy, with a pale blue face, clasped her husband’s arm nervously.

Erna, who lost her wits due to a panic attack, stood frozen in the middle of the red carpet, completely blocking the Prince’s path. They could either wait and wish for that silly girl to move out of the way by herself in time, or they could drag her back. But in order to do that, they had to pass by Prince Bjorn who was already walking in front of them. Both scenarios were a nightmare and they had to choose what to do. While they were mentaly struggling, the distance between the Prince and Erna was getting smaller.

“All of these are part of your plans? Right?”

Brenda Hardy hopefully asked Countess Meyer, praying that she was the mastermind behind all of this scandal and everything was actually intentional. Fooling herself with such thoughts with a frown, she soon regained her original calm expression.

“Let’s see. Besides, there’s nothing we can do other than to watch what will happen.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Brenda asked with a trembling sigh. She would soon become the laughing stock of not only every aristocrat from all over the country, but also the Royal Family themselves. Even with such impending tragedy, this woman had the audacity to act like she was watching some sort of amusing show.

Viscountess Hardy started to get suspicious that Countess Meyer might have accepted their request to guide Erna just so she could humiliate the Hardy Family in front of the royalty. Just when her thoughts started to race with such thoughts, Prince Bjorn, with a frown on his face, finally stopped in front of Erna.

Erna turned around at the shadow casted over her.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

‘What the hell is this?’

Bjorn’s head tilted slightly as he looked down at the absurd lady in front of him. He already saw her while he was still further away as she stood there like a rock on his path. Of course, he thought she would simply back down sooner then move away and he would just walk passed by like nothing had happened. She would then become just like the countless others attending this party who were not worth remembering.

Too bad what he hoped for seemed to be too much. He could only wish that he would be able to persevere and hold his irritation at bay. In the end, he had no choice but to acknowledge her presence regardless of what the other party’s intentions were.

He lowered his gaze a little more and observed the petite lady. Even when her eyes were looking at him, she just stared at him in a daze, like a person who couldn’t actually see anything that was happening in front of them. Every time she blinked slowly, her large blue eyes, which were unusually bright like a clear summer sky, grew more hazy and transparent.

Bjorn, whose eyebrows were raised in confusion, stopped staring at the dazed Erna and moved his gaze behind her. His parents, the King and Queen of Lechen, came into his view with puzzled expressions on their faces.

‘It’s Bjorn again!’

The eyes of the people waiting in front of him seemed to be saying that with a sigh. Especially the accusation in Leonid’s face that was frowning and was obviously judging him harsher than the others. Not to mention Louise and her colorful expressions that cannot be described.

They should be at least grateful that the debutante ball, which he ditched for many seasons, was now at least a bit more entertaining due to his presence.

He raised his head once more, this time with a slightly bigger smile. However, there was faint irritation in his eyes as he slowly looked at the murals adorning the high ceiling and the huge chandeliers shining brightly above.

No matter how much he tried to remember, he had no memory of committing any sins against Erna which deserved such actions from her. The assumption that this strange lady might have mistaken him for Leonid came to his mind, but the idea was erased as quickly as it formed inside his head. Paradise would probably even come sooner than the day that naughty Prince didn’t cause trouble that concerns women.

He hoped that this lady, who was basically a stranger to him, would go away and disappear from his sight already. He lowered his gaze, which had been wandering aimlessly in the air, once again towards her. However, she was still standing in front of him as she trembled like a young beast driven to a hunting ground.

Bjorn finally had enough of this silly play that he didn’t even want to be part of, and took a step forward to move away from this weird scenario. His action, however, made the trembling Erna, who was gasping for breath as if she was strangled, end up staggering nervously when she noticed what he wanted to do.

With a sigh, he nimbly supported her trembling body that almost fell down. Even if he didn’t care about the stories of today’s affairs that would come out tomorrow, the rumor that the Grand Duke stunned a woman to the point of fainting in the Royal Palace would be too much even for him.

“Breathe.”

He whispered lowly to the lady who was turning blue from fright. Slowly raising her head, she looked at him with a surprised expression, as if she had only realized his existence just now. The jewel-like tears in her red eyes seemed to stand out even more because of her pale, porcelain complexion.

“Breathe.”

Like a child learning an unfamiliar word, Erna quietly repeated his words over and over again with her small red lips. Her adorable appearance made Bjorn snort out a small laugh.

“Breathe, breathe.”

He lowered his voice a little and whispered slowly. She nodded her head and obediently took a deep breath. She was still shaking, but she seemed to have successfully prevented herself from fainting due to fright.

“Breathe.”

She mumbled the words over and over again, steadily inhaling deep breaths and exhaling repeatedly. Her white shoulders that shook with the rhythm of her breathing were absurdly small and thin.

Finally stabilizing herself, Erna hurriedly backed away from his arms. Her face, which had been expressionless all along, finally showed some emotions. She was showing a face full of shame and vigilance, which should be not a response of someone who was responsible for making such a fuss in front of a stranger.

“Please accept our apologies, Your Highness.”

A middle-aged woman suddenly approached them and proceeded to support the lady in front of him.

Bjorn’s gaze, who briefly glanced at the person who suddenly arrived, quickly turned back to the little lady once again. She was trying her best to somehow cover up her shoulders and cleavage that was exposed by her low-neckline dress. In the end, her meaningless effort only ended up drawing more attention to those areas.

She acted like an innocent and pure lady, but still chose to wear such a revealing dress.

A crooked smile graced his lips as he stared at Erna. Her face, which had been pale like a corpse just a while ago, gradually turned red like a fully ripe apple. Carefully raising her head, their eyes met up with each other which startled her to the point of stepping backwards like a cute small animal. Belatedly realizing her actions, her ears also started to turn bright red slowly.

“I sincerely apologize, Your Highness. Miss Hardy is not accustomed to such large gatherings hence she felt uneasy and made a big mistake.” Another middle-aged woman spoke up while walking towards them. The moment she raised her bowed head, he recognized who she was and finally understood the full story of this absurd commotion.

It was Victoria Meyer. The very woman who was known as the best matchmaker in the Kingdom of Letchen.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Erna Hardy undoubtedly was the star of tonight’s ball, and no one can refute this no matter what they say.

A belated social debut and an unfamiliar yet unforgettable beauty, together with her recent entanglement with His Highness, Prince Bjorn. All these reasons made it clear that there was definitely no lady who could come close in surpassing her as the current hottest topic of the whole kingdom.

“As expected of Countess Meyer. She would even use the Grand Duke to make that girl stand out.”

“I guess what happened just now was all planned by her. How did she even know that Prince Bjorn would appear late?”

“If it was not planned then how can anyone explain that incident? I guess that girl isn’t ordinary either, at first I also thought that she was a clueless lady because she came from the countryside. In the end, she could even do such a clever thing.”

The gossiping ladies glanced at Erna, who was sitting quietly at the edge of the banquet hall, with eyes filled with curiosity laced with contempt.

A beautiful lady who even caught the eyes of Bjorn Dniester.

Thanks to the commotion a while ago, Erna Hardy instantly achieved such an infamous reputation in the aristocratic circle. Even Prince Bjorn, who was Princess Gladys’ ex-husband, acknowledged Lady Hardy’s beautiful appearance. In the end, those who criticized Viscount Hardy for exposing his vulgar greed by selling his daughter at a high price couldn’t even refute Erna Hardy’s beauty.

“Miss Hardy, how are you?”

Countess Meyer, who had been walking around the banquet hall, approached her. Erna reflexively grabbed her shawl and raised her head, her glaring eyes were filled with resentment.

“You’re a lady with more personality than I assumed it seems.”

Countess Meyer, who laughed lightly, sat down next to Erna and opened her fan.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The other girls were busy enjoying their dance, but Erna sat still alone on a corner bench. Many young aristocratic men came to ask her for a dance, but they were turned away without even making eye contact with her properly.

“How about dancing to at least one song? This is a debutante ball afterall.”

“… … I can’t. I don’t like this, ma’am.” Erna’s voice was still trembling softly.

She looked around anxiously and then bowed her head again. She was like an idiot without even a speck of sociability, but her troubled expression also became part of her charm when coupled with her pretty face.

Countess Meyer gently waved her feather fan. The ugly shawl bothered her but she decided to leave it alone because if she took it again, Erna would probably end up ripping the curtains of the royal palace just to cover herself. Lady Hardy had already shown everything she needed to show, so the dress had fully served its purpose.

“Lift your head.” Countess Meyer lifted Erna’s chin with the tip of the folded fan.

“It is basic manners to look into the eyes of the other person when having a conversation.”

“Madam, please… … .”

“You did quite well in front of Prince Bjorn. Did you completely forget about that?”

Contrary to her gentle smile, her voice was cold.

‘Prince?’

Erna, who had been contemplating for a moment, involuntarily hugged her body while clenching her lips. It was because the face of a specific man appeared in her mind once again.

She ended up losing all her judgment a while ago, which suffocated her physically and mentally as the world began to spin around without control. Only when she was finally able to breathe that she realized what she had just done, and especially to whom. Just reminiscing about it would make her feel the fear that overwhelmed her once again.

“I respect your decision of not participating in the dance, but try to at least keep a bit of dignity. Always keep in mind that this is a way to protect the honor of the Baden family, who have raised Ms. Hardy. Do you understand?”

The honor of the Baden family.

Countess Meyer, who said those words that scratched Erna’s heart deeply, quickly left her side without another word.

Finally alone once again, Erna closed her eyes and internally counted to calm herself down. It was only when she counted up to twenty that she was able to stabilize her breathing, and such an occurrence had never happened when she was still in Buford. For a moment, she couldn’t help but to feel like a helpless fool.

‘Just be patient for a little longer.’ Suppressing her urge to run away, Erna slowly opened her eyes after calming down.

Her gaze unexpectedly landed on the figure of Grand Duke of Schuber, the Prince of Lechen who just watched Erna Hardy’s pathetic figure up close.

He was effortlessly having a conversation while leaning against an ornate marble column, opposite of him stood a man who bore the same appearance. He was the twin brother of the Grand Duke and the current Crown Prince, Prince Leonid. They were surprisingly too identical in height, physique, and appearance; with the only difference being that the Crown Prince’s face was adorned with glasses.

Although Buford was a remote country that felt isolated from the rest of the world, the twin princes were still quite famous there in the end. Erna, who was indifferent to such rumors, even remembered their names. Prince Bjorn, who was originally chosen as the Crown Prince, and Prince Leonid, his younger twin brother. However, this arrangement had changed since Prince Bjorn’s bad conduct caused anger and resentment throughout the kingdom which ended up with him giving up this position to his younger brother.

Unable to avert her gaze, Erna let out a sigh without realizing it. She couldn’t shake off the feeling of déjà vu when she looked at Prince Bjorn, who began to walk with his back upright.

She realized although their appearance were the same, the twins’ gait was markedly different in the end.

Unlike the Crown Prince, who walked with an upright and modest posture like a soldier, the Grand Duke walks as if he was enjoying a leisurely stroll like the air surrounding him was flowing slowly. She finally remembered that this was the same figure that she had seen before at the train station and on Tara Avenue.

“Poisonous mushroom… … .”

The Grand Duke suddenly turned his head towards Erna, who muttered his alias dazedly. At the moment that their eyes collided with each other, she understood that she just lost her chance to escape.

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