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CHAPTER 04
“Honestly! At this rate, bankruptcy is only a matter of time. Is there really nothing you can spare for your ex-wife’s daughter? She’s still just a child!”
Brenda Hardy’s shrill voice echoed through the drawing room.
Walter Hardy remained silent, slowly swirling the liquor in his glass.
The shock that had numbed Brenda the night before had finally given way to boiling anger.
“Are you even listening to me? Walter! Viscount Hardy!”
Unable to contain herself any longer, she snatched the bottle from his hand.
Ever since being swindled out of his fortune, he had drowned himself in alcohol from morning until night. But today, his drinking grated on her nerves more than ever.
“A young lady claiming to be a daughter of the Hardy family has come to see you.”
The maid’s hurried report from the previous evening still echoed vividly in Brenda’s mind.
At first, she had assumed some lunatic had appeared at the gates.
Had the maid not added the name—
Erna Hardy.
—Brenda would have ordered the servants to throw the girl out without another thought.
Annette’s daughter.
Why now?
Why all of a sudden?
She had rushed to the entrance in disbelief.
And there…
She had frozen.
The girl looked exactly like her mother.
It was as though Annette Baden herself had returned from the dead.
Even that absurdly old-fashioned dress had reminded Brenda of her.
“Honey!”
Brenda slammed her hand onto the table.
“What are you planning to do about that girl?”
“I’ll send her back.”
Walter finally spoke, his voice flat.
“I’ll persuade her to return home. That’s all, Brenda.”
Brenda let out a sharp laugh.
“Easy for you to say.”
She folded her arms.
“She came all the way here with that ridiculous request. Do you honestly think she’ll just turn around and leave because you asked nicely?”
Her snort dripped with sarcasm.
Erna wanted them to preserve the Baden family’s country estate.
The request was outrageous.
Shameless, even.
Yet she had asked with such anxious sincerity that Brenda had been forced to exhaust every ounce of patience she possessed just to keep herself from throwing the girl out on the spot.
More than once…
She had almost called her Annette.
The resemblance was simply too uncanny.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
“Master, Madam. Breakfast is ready. Miss Erna is waiting downstairs.”
The maid’s careful voice softened the tense silence.
Brenda lowered hers.
“Talk some sense into her.”
She glared at Walter.
“Make her understand, then send her home. Do you hear me?”
Walter rose without another word.
Last night they had given the girl a room and a proper meal out of nothing more than basic decency.
Today…
He intended to send her away.
Their household was already drowning in debt.
The last thing he needed was another child to support.
That had certainly been his intention.
Until he walked into the breakfast room.
Erna immediately rose to her feet.
Morning sunlight streamed through the tall windows overlooking the garden, bathing her in soft golden light.
Perhaps it was because he had been too drunk the night before.
Only now did it truly feel as though he was seeing her for the first time.
“Good morning, Father.”
Her voice was quiet.
Gentle.
Clear as spring water.
“…Father?”
Walter repeated the word almost unconsciously.
Erna tilted her head ever so slightly.
Trying to hide her nervousness, she clasped her trembling hands together.
Everything about her resembled Annette.
The delicate figure.
The graceful posture.
The finely sculpted features.
Only the chestnut-brown hair seemed to belong to him.
Walter swallowed hard.
His eyes lingered on his daughter.
Even dressed in that terribly outdated gown…
She was astonishingly beautiful.
Properly dressed, she would undoubtedly become one of the finest beauties in society.
Perhaps…
Even Princess Gladys herself would not outshine her.
The thought struck him like lightning.
A forgotten treasure.
One that had suddenly appeared before him.
“…Let’s eat first.”
The words escaped him before he realized it.
Brenda stared at him in disbelief.
What happened to sending her away immediately?
She shot him a murderous glare.
Walter ignored it.
“I think…”
He looked meaningfully at his wife.
“…we need to discuss this a little more.”
* * *
The Grand Duke’s carriage did not return until well after dawn.
At Schwerin Palace, however, no one considered it unusual.
“Good morning, Mrs. Fitz.”
Biern greeted the elderly housekeeper with his customary easy smile.
The faint scent of alcohol drifting from him only deepened the lines between her brows.
“You’ve returned quite early, Your Highness.”
Her words were edged with disapproval.
Biern merely smiled.
Offering polite nods to the servants lined along the hall, he strode toward his chambers.
His posture remained impeccably straight.
Not a trace of last night’s revelry could be found in his elegant bearing.
Mrs. Fitz sighed inwardly and followed after him.
“An invitation has arrived from the Royal Palace.”
Her voice grew noticeably firmer.
Biern paused with one hand on his bedroom door.
“The palace?”
He glanced over his shoulder.
“What for?”
“This year’s Founding Ball.”
Mrs. Fitz held out the invitation.
“His Majesty has expressly commanded Your Highness to attend in your capacity as Grand Duke of Schwerin.”
She hesitated before adding,
“He also stated that if you refuse, every servant in this residence will be held accountable.”
Biern gave a quiet laugh.
“That sounds considerably more like a threat than an invitation.”
Opening the bedroom door, he stepped inside.
The redness lingering in his eyes and the heaviness of his movements betrayed a fatigue his composed expression concealed.
Every May, the Kingdom of Lechen celebrated its founding.
The royal ball marked the grand opening of the social season.
Many noble families spent an entire year preparing for that single evening.
Since relinquishing his claim to the throne, Biern had not attended once.
Apparently, the royal family’s patience had finally worn thin.
Or perhaps…
It had something to do with Gladys.
Her name had been on everyone’s lips lately.
As the maids quietly drew the heavy curtains, shutting out the brilliant morning sun, Biern removed his jacket and loosened his cravat.
Mrs. Fitz still looked as though she wished to say something.
But seeing him begin to unbutton his shirt, she silently turned away.
Is there anyone you’ve taken an interest in?
His mother’s question from the charity gala resurfaced.
Surely one divorce is enough.
He had answered lightly.
Almost jokingly.
Yet his mother’s worried gaze had remained fixed upon him.
Perhaps this invitation was connected to that conversation after all.
Biern tossed his shirt aside and collapsed onto the bed.
The maids quietly withdrew after closing the final curtain.
Darkness settled over the room.
Within moments, the steady rhythm of his breathing filled the silence.
* * *
Something about the Hardy household felt…
Wrong.
That was the conclusion Erna had reached after four days beneath its roof.
A heavy, unfamiliar gloom seemed to linger throughout the mansion.
She almost wished they would simply refuse her request outright.
At least then she could return to Buford with a clear answer.
Instead, Viscount Hardy continued to avoid giving one.
Don’t think about it anymore.
Today.
Today she would ask once more.
If he still refused…
She would leave.
She could not continue imposing herself as an unwanted guest.
Most of all, she worried about her grandmother.
She had left nothing behind except a hurried letter before disappearing in the middle of the night.
Perhaps a walk would clear her mind.
The thought lasted only a moment.
Yesterday’s outing had frightened her enough.
A stranger had followed her through the square, refusing to leave her alone no matter how many times she tried to ignore him.
She had ended up running all the way back to the mansion.
“Miss! Miss Erna!”
A cheerful voice accompanied several light knocks.
Erna sighed softly and closed the curtains.
“Yes… come in.”
She quickly straightened her dress and sat at the small table by the window.
A young maid entered carrying an afternoon tea tray.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, Miss!”
The maid laughed brightly.
“You don’t have to thank me every single time.”
Erna smiled shyly.
“I’m sorry…”
Lisa.
That was the maid’s name.
She had been assigned to care for Erna during her stay.
Kind-hearted and endlessly cheerful, Lisa had made those lonely days considerably easier.
Still…
It had been such a long time since Erna had spoken so casually with someone her own age.
Not since Pavel had left home for the Royal Academy of Arts.
The memory surfaced unexpectedly.
Schwerin.
The academy was here.
A pang of regret tightened her chest.
She wished she had remembered to bring Pavel’s address.
But she had fled home in such haste that night…
There had been no time.
Baden Village lay in one of the kingdom’s most remote corners.
The nearest neighboring village required nearly an hour’s walk.
Hidden away from the rest of the world, the Baden family had lived there for generations.
So had Erna.
Without Pavel, plants and livestock had often been more familiar companions than people.
“Lisa…”
The maid looked up immediately.
“Yes, Miss?”
“Is the Royal Academy of Arts far from here?”
“About five stagecoach stops.”
Lisa smiled.
“Do you know someone there?”
Erna quickly shook her head.
“No… I was only curious.”
Showing up without warning would surely inconvenience Pavel.
She couldn’t burden anyone else while she herself was relying on others’ kindness.
After a brief hesitation, she spoke again.
“Lisa…”
“Yes?”
“Has something happened to the Hardy family?”
Lisa blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“The atmosphere here…”
Erna folded her hands neatly in her lap.
“It feels… different somehow.”
For a fleeting instant, Lisa’s expression stiffened.
“N-no.”
She forced a smile.
“I wouldn’t know anything, Miss. I haven’t worked here very long.”
“I see.”
“There’s really nothing serious.”
She hurriedly poured the tea.
In her haste, several drops splashed onto the saucer.
While Lisa looked away, Erna quietly wiped it clean with her handkerchief, carefully hiding the tea stain before anyone noticed.
Just then—
Knock.
A different maid stood outside.
“Miss Erna.”
Her voice was formal.
“The master wishes to see you.”
It was the words Erna had been anxiously waiting to hear for four long days.
