Once Lisa left, Erna sat at the table and stared at the letter and flowers. It felt strange, she knew they were from Bjorn, but they didn’t feel real to her. She felt awkward as she looked at the unfamiliar gifts that didn’t match the personality of the person gifting them.
After sitting in the oppressive silence a little longer, she finally let out a sigh of resignation and opened the letter.
To My Wife.
I’m sorry for starting my letter on such an unpleasant note, but to begin with, I must apologise for unintentionally spoiling your birthday. My intentions were to express the depths of my feelings for you, but it seems that message did not come across.
It does make sense for the Prince of Lechen and the President of the Bank of Freyr to gift his wife something simple for her birthday at the very least. I would like you to consider this from my point of view at the very least. Of course, I acknowledge my mistake of not being considerate and focusing solely on expressing my feelings. Please don’t misunderstand me on that.
Even now, I still wish to congratulate you on your birthday and I hope you appreciate the small gift I got you. I do not know how else to express myself other than giving gifts and I can see how this might be the wrong approach, but never the less, I will present you with one, small gift on your birthday.
I hope you can enjoy a birthday dinner with the Baroness, I won’t be there. I wish that today will be a joyful day for both you and the Baroness, who I can see loves you dearly.
Your Husband
Bjorn Dniester
Erna let out a bewildered sigh. This was the first time she had received a letter like this and she struggled to make sense of it. To make matters worse, Bjorn’s ‘incredibly-elegant-and-stylish’ handwriting made most of it illegible to her.
Taking a moment to compose herself, gazing out of the window, Erna gave the bizarre letter another read. The more she examined it, the more ridiculous it appeared, but one thing was clear, Princess Gladys’ claims that Bjorn wrote beautiful letters was a falsehood.
Erna placed the letter on the table like it was some kind of eviction notice, or a rival challenging her. Glancing at the table, she wore a vacant smile as she saw that it was dinner time.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
“Alright, that should do it,” Lisa said as she stepped back from her handy work.
Erna sat in the chair and studied herself in the mirror. She adjusted her attire a little, not liking the way certain folds and ribbons were sat. She only wore her hair up and a slightly more formal dress, yet she felt self consciously over dressed. This was the first time she had dressed as a lady since returning to Buford.
“You look absolutely stunning, Your Highness. You truly shine like the stars.” Lisa could tell that Erna was a little unsure of herself and so offered words of encouragement.
Giving one final adjustment to the ribbons in her hair, Erna left for dinner. She paused at the top of the stairs, remembering the uninvited guest. She looked across the hall to the bedroom Bjorn had been staying, he will keep his promise. All she had to do now was have dinner with her Grandmother, but for some reason, the next steps didn’t come naturally, or easily.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” Lisa said.
“Just a minute,” Erna said.
She approached the closed door of the guest bedroom and knocked in the most politest manner she could manage.
“Your Highness, its me,” Erna said, knocking once more.
Bjorn came to the door and as he promised, it looked like he had no desire to join in for the dinner. He was dressed in a partially unbuttoned shirt, suspenders dangling loosely by his legs.
“Why are you here?” Bjorn asked plainly.
“That’s…Won’t you come down to dinner?” Erna proposed calmly.
“Didn’t you get my letter? I think it would be inappropriate to invade your birthday dinner with your family.”
“Yes, I got your letter, but…”
“But?”
“But…whether I like it or not, you are a guest in my home and it would be improper not to have you come down for dinner.” Erna stared into Bjorn’s eyes, unwavering and confident. There was a long, awkward silence before Bjorn finally nodded.
“Wait for me, I will get ready.”
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
The dinner commenced a little later than planned, with the sudden attendance of the Prince, but the food was presented to Erna, the Baroness and the uninvited guest like nothing was out of the ordinary. The food was abundant and delicious, all thanks to the special day and the result of hosting the Prince of Lechen.
The table was not very big, so Bjorn ended up sitting next to Erna, who conducted herself in a very lady-like manner and showed no more discontent toward him. Bjorn watched her, as she and the Baroness engaged in conversation.
At the end of the dinner, Erna’s birthday cake was brought out. It was a large, traditional cake that reflected Erna’s taste perfectly, reminiscent of a bygone era, as if a cherished heirloom.
“Make your wish quickly, my lady,” Mrs Greve said. There was a slight resemblance between Mrs Greve and Mrs Fitz, Bjorn noticed and let out a chuckle.
“Are you ready, my baby?” the Baroness said.
“Yes, I’m ready,” Erna said and with a resolute expression, she rose from her seat.
Her gaze briefly met Bjorn’s and in that moment, he sensed a profound look from her. It wasn’t merely a passing glance, but there was something more behind it.
What will your wish be?
Erna leaned forward and blew out the candles. Applause erupted from everyone that had come into the dinning room. Bjorn joined in the brief applause. There was something more resolute about Erna, she seemed to gain a sense of calmness about her. This made Bjorn want to ask her about her wish even more, but refrained from asking.
“Happy birthday, my dear, I am so grateful that you came to me so long ago,” the Baroness said.
It was a brief toast, but one that was so heartfelt it didn’t need anything more. With it just being the three of them at the dinner, it was now Bjorn’s turn to say something.
“Happy birthday, Erna.”
Bjorn offered the simplest toast he could, raising his wine glass. After a brief pause, Erna tapped her wine glass against his. The clink resonated in the silence.
As the celebrations moved on from the cake, excitement rose as it was time for the gift giving. The Baroness presented Erna with a hair pin, Mrs Greves gave Erna a knitted shawl and Lisa gifted a pair of lace gloves. Finally, it was Bjorn’s turn and he gave Erna a small box tied with a ribbon, just small enough to fit in the palm.
Erna looked at Bjorn in silence and their eyes met. “I know you dislike my gifts, but since I was invited to dinner, I felt it prudent to observe the minimum level of formality.”
Erna took the gift and tension rose across the dinner table. She untied the ribbon and opened the box. The atmosphere in the dinning room became frigid and not understanding the reason for the sudden change, Bjorn’s brow furrowed.
The gift inside the box was a presentation of luxury and expense. It was a stunning brooch with a large diamond at its focus and several rubies clustered around it. It was the most expensive gift in the room.
Dammit, what the hell is that thing doing here? Bjorn thought as he studied Erna’s face for a reaction.
Despite his attempts to make amends for past mistakes, with one simple, genuine expression of love, he had banished himself right back to the start. Bjorn struggled to contain the slew of expletives that ran through his mind at such a terribly simple mistake.
“Thank you, its very pretty,” Erna said, calm and composed, like it was nothing.
With the presents set aside, the meal continued to its conclusion. Bjorn watched Erna calmly and in return, she smiled.
Erna engaged in lively conversation and enjoyed the meal with gusto.
She was a beautiful 21-year-old Erna, captivating in her grace and radiance.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
“Your Highness, look over there,” Lisa said, stretching out of the window.
Erna had just gotten herself prepared for her usual morning walk when Lisa called out in surprise. Erna looked out the window and saw there was a carriage parked under the porch, covered in the snow that fell last night. It wasn’t the one used by the Baden family.
“Is the Prince finally going back to Schuber?” Lisa said, seeing Bjorn stood at the head of the carriage.
Bjorn was in his travelling attire and servants were loading luggage onto the carriage. As Lisa pointed out, there was nothing strange about him leaving right away.
“It is indeed quite strange, he never mentioned anything about leaving. Did he say anything to you, Your Highness?” Lisa said.
“No, not at all,” Erna said, her voice tinged with a hint of bewilderment.
Erna pushed away any thoughts and speculations, and went for her morning walk as usual. Since Bjorn had come to her home unexpectedly, it was fitting that he would leave under the same circumstance. Whatever he chose to do was no concern of hers.
Firm in her belief that it was none of her concern, Erna came out of the front door where Bjorn’s carriage was waiting. Bjorn was engaged in conversation with the coachman and turned his head slowly when he felt Erna’s presence. There eyes met briefly, connecting in the dawning sun.