“From what I’ve heard, your love life isn’t going so smoothly,” the Duchess Arsene said as she met Bjorn’s gaze. She looked sickly, but did not appear as bad as the telegram had suggested.
Bjorn let out a sigh, the Duchess still contained an air of warmth as she looked at her grandson.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that, I’m still fine, as you can see.”
“Grandma.”
Instead of his usual sly response, Bjorn resigned himself to the anxiety that had gripped him on the journey over. He was hardly relieved when he faced the smiling woman before him.
‘Duchess Arsene is very sick’. The news reached him in the afternoon after returning to Schuber, after a hectic days travel. Mrs Fits had been waiting for him by the front door and delivered the telegram. She urged him to go to the Arsene Mansion, to which Bjorn turned, leapt back onto the wagon and made for the Mansion.
“It’s just cold,” the Duchess said.
“Pneumonia is more than just a cold, Grandma.”
“Please, an old person’s cold is noisier than a youths, the butler was just making a fuss.”
Bjorn let out a laugh, even as Charlotte, who was stood at the foot of the bed, let out a sympathetic whimper. The Duchess laughed along with Bjorn.
She observed Bjorn as he tenderly caressed the cat, whose name he had been unaware of for the past 10 years and likely would never know. She sighed and chuckled, reflecting on Bjorn’s character—reserved and unfeeling. It amazed her that a man like him could fall in love with a woman.
Duchess Arsene held onto hope because she understood the significance of Bjorn sacrificing his self-esteem to win back his wife. However, she was taken aback by how unexpectedly poor Bjorn’s dating skills turned out to be.
Duchess Arsene believed Bjorn possessed exceptional talent, different from his father. However, upon closer observation, Bjorn was indeed Philip Dniester’s son.
The clumsy Dniester wolf, who relied on his charming and graceful exterior without much success. But it’s amusing to watch his grandson behave like an innocent boy experiencing his first clumsy love.
How much of her time was left? There have been incidences recently where she has felt incredibly old, when the doctor had to attend her because of a little fever and the butler would be sending for the physician every other day. She was slowly starting to feel like she was not going to have enough strength to face the challenges of tomorrow.
She did not have many regrets in her life, but if she could make one last attempt to right wrongs, it would be with Bjorn. Her heartfelt wish was to see Bjorn leading a joyful life alongside a beloved wife. With that, she felt like she could embrace her inevitable passing.
The Duchess took a sip of warm water to moisten her lips, before ringing the service bell. The first thing she wanted to do was dispel the rumours that she was on deaths door.
The butler came into the room and handed the Duchess of a list of all the people he had sent the urgent telegram to.
“This,” the Duchess said, reviewing the list, “this bad news really reached out to all these people? Even to Grand Duchess, who was so far away, you have been diligent.”
“I’m sorry, your Grace, because the Grand Duchess loved you so much,” the Butler said.
The Duchess nodded, showing her understanding, then turned to Bjorn. “Unintentionally, this rumour seems to have aided your marriage a little.” She raised an eyebrow and smiled as she handed the list to Bjorn.
“Think of this as a way of making up for the surprise.”
“Did Erna get a telegram too?”
“That’s right, the telegram said that I was going to die, so Erna, being the good child that she is, will no doubt come. I will let you know if I get a message from her, if you wish.” The Duchess’ eyes twinkled with playfulness.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
The gentle motion of the train roused Erna from her slumber. She opened her eyes to look out on a country that was slowly coming out of the darkness and into the light, as it headed toward Schuber. If nothing held up the train, she would be in Schuber by noon.
Erna got up from her seat carefully, so as not to disturb Lisa, who was asleep beside her. Exiting the cabin, she felt a dampness on the air and a cool sensation that rainy days often brought. Everyone else was still asleep, leaving the second class car in silence.
Erna rested her forehead on the cool glass of the window and looked out at the bleak country side, the rain was now coming down as sleet.
When she got news that the Duchess Arsene was dying, her heart sank. In all the unfamiliarity and loneliness of being Grand Duchess, Duchess Arsene was the only one who truly cherished her deeply, caring for her like no other.
After Erna ran away to Buford, the Duchess kept sending her regular letters, unlike the rest of the Royal Family, who never even so much as inquired after Bjorn’s affairs. The Duchess penned thoughtful letters that expressed genuine concern for Erna’s well being and the course of her current situation.
Erna didn’t know how much the Duchess loved Bjorn and how much she wanted to prevent the divorce. Since Erna couldn’t provide the answer the Duchess longed for, she had no choice but to turn away from her heartfelt pleas.
If the Duchess was so sick, then Bjorn would be in a lot of trouble. No doubt he was deeply hurt to find out his Grandmother, who loved him very much, was not long for this world. Erna could understand what he felt, she would no doubt feel the same once her own Grandmother, the Baroness Baden, passed away.
So what was best for us?
Erna stepped away from the window and pondered the question. The sleet was easing and becoming delicate snowflakes. It was getting colder.
Even if she was to fall in love with him once more, that love alone wouldn’t solve everything. Being the First Prince of Lechen and the Grand Duke of Schuber, being Bjorn’s wife came with a lot of extra weight. Erna was no longer willing to follow in the footsteps as a naive girl, who believed that love was the key to happiness.
Will she ever be strong enough to carry that weight?
Erna subconsciously rubbed the back of her hand as she looked down the hall way of the car. They were now passing through mountains.
“Your Highness? What are you doing?” Lisa’s sleepy voice came to Erna from around the door. Erna quickly hid her hand and turned to face Lisa as she peered out of the cabin.
“Your Highness, by any chance…” Lisa started to say.
“No.” Erna suddenly flushed with embarrassment as she snapped without meaning to.
“No? Right, right.”
“No.” Erna said again, softly.
“Of course, am I really so predictable that you know what I’m going to say, before I say it?”
Erna felt like she would not be able to stand against Lisa’s interrogation, should she press further, so stepped away from the window, taking hesitant steps to escape. Just as she turned head toward the dinning car, there was a deafening roar that shook the entire world.
“What’s going on…” Lisa said, as she was about to chase after Erna. She did not get chance to finish her words as a deafening metallic sound cut her off and the train shook violently.
“YOUR HIGHNESS!!!”
Lisa called out at the top of her lungs and embraced Erna. The derailed train lurched over, windows shattered and the terrified screams of the passengers was all the could be heard in the darkness.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
Bjorn made his way to the VIP waiting room at the train station, instead of going to the platform. The servant, unsure of the decision, followed Bjorn’s instructions with a bewildered expression on his face.
“When my wife arrives, bring her here.”
Bjorn sat in a chair near the fireplace as he gave the servant his orders. This all seemed out of character for him, so it was understandable why the servant looked surprised, but he went off to follow his orders diligently.
“So, are you saying that I should bring Grand Duchess here?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
Bjorn looked at his pocket watch, ignoring the others in the VIP room as they gave him curious glances. When Bjorn looked up, putting his pocket watch back, the others in the room nodded to him respectfully. Bjorn engaged in pleasantries as far as social norms required.
Going down to the platform would have been a bad idea, the commotion that his presence would stir up, would only likely put Erna off and simply overwhelm her in the commotion.
The hands of the clock slowly moved toward the time of Erna’s arrival. Erna is coming. Such thoughts stirred a peculiar sensation within him. Maybe Erna had gone straight to the hospital upon hearing the news, without ever intending to come back to him.
As the time passed the appointed arrival of the train, Bjorn’s impatience grew evident in his anxious behaviour. A slight delay was always expected and well within reason, especially with the challenge of locating Erna within the bustling crowds, but even after ten minutes, the servant still had not come back.
Having reached the limits of his patience, Bjorn swiftly made his way to the platform, but just as he was about to step from the room, the servant burst into the room, his face bright red.
“Your Highness, there… there was an accident.”
Bjorn froze, eyes wide and desperate, even as his mind ran through the servants words, trying to find some way he had misheard, misunderstood, mistaken what the servant said. The servant gasped for air and took a moment to compose himself.
“There was a landslide in the mountains, the train derailed and…its Qthe train the Grand Duchess was on.”