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CHAPTER 10
“Lady Erna, have you ever been to the seaside? The sunset there is absolutely beautiful. Shall we go this evening? …No? Ah, of course—you’ve only just recovered. The night air probably wouldn’t be good for you yet. I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
Lisa’s cheerful chatter gradually faded into concern.
Erna, who had been quietly listening beside her, stopped and looked up at the anxious maid.
“I’m really all right now, Lisa.”
“Really?” Lisa studied her pale face with knitted brows. “Though… you’ve always been as white as freshly fallen snow.”
She tilted her head before breaking into her usual bright smile, a smile so warm that Erna couldn’t help smiling back.
Soon Lisa was happily pointing out one sight after another, introducing Schwerin and all its famous places while Erna followed a step behind. It was still early in the morning, and most of the shops had yet to open. The streets were unusually quiet, allowing them to enjoy a peaceful stroll through the city.
After returning from the royal ball, Erna had fallen ill and spent three full days confined to bed. Only when her fever refused to break did the Viscount finally summon a physician. Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious illness, but her body had simply given in after the sudden upheaval of moving to Schwerin and the exhausting ordeal of the ball.
Can I really endure a whole year like this?
Whenever she remembered that night, her chest tightened until she could scarcely breathe.
She had tried describing the terrifying sensation to the doctor—the way her vision had gone white as though all the air had vanished from the world.
“You’ll be fine once you grow accustomed to it. Don’t overexert yourself.”
That had been his only reply. According to him, it was nothing more than ordinary nervous exhaustion.
It didn’t feel that simple.
Still, Erna accepted his diagnosis without protest.
She had made a promise. For one year, she would live as Viscount Hardy’s daughter. She had to endure—for her grandmother’s sake, and for the honor of the Baden family.
“Good morning, Miss Hardy!”
A loud voice suddenly rang across the square.
Startled, Erna jumped and hurriedly looked around.
A gentleman stood on the terrace of an elegant building beyond the fountain, waving enthusiastically at her.
“Good morning!”
He called again, and the men seated around his table all turned to look in her direction.
Erna stared at them in bewilderment before instinctively taking a step backward.
Then her eyes met those of the blond man sitting lazily behind them, his chin resting on one hand.
The only face she recognized.
The Poisonous Mushroom Prince.
✧ ✧ ✧
Look at that.
A quiet laugh escaped Biern’s lips as he watched Erna Hardy retreat in panic.
Lately, he seemed to laugh far more often than usual.
He supposed he owed that to Viscount Hardy—the unfortunate man whose ruined fortunes had unexpectedly provided him with such amusing entertainment.
After offering Peter an awkward greeting, Lady Hardy had immediately hidden behind her maid.
Or rather, the maid had tried to stop her from fleeing.
After a brief struggle, however, Lady Hardy escaped, turning on her heel and hurrying away. The layers of lace and frills fluttered wildly behind her, making her desperate retreat look almost comically dramatic.
“That maid really is the watchdog from hell.”
Peter shook his head with a sigh.
“At least it’s comforting that she ran away after seeing Biern. So it wasn’t my face she was avoiding.”
“I suppose that settles it,” another man laughed. “There really isn’t anything between you two. Did Lady Hardy simply use Your Highness to draw attention to herself at the ball?”
“The mighty Grand Duke, used and abandoned by a woman! Tell us, Biern—how does it feel?”
The table erupted in laughter, their voices still thick with last night’s wine.
Biern merely let out a quiet sigh.
Without offering a single reply, he rose to his feet and walked away.
His expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever.
Only after watching him leave did the others finally relax.
“I still don’t understand him at all,” Peter murmured, watching Biern’s retreating figure.
The others silently agreed.
To the outside world, Biern Dniester was a carefree prodigal son—charming, indifferent, and effortlessly elegant.
That impression wasn’t entirely false.
Yet anyone who knew him well understood how impossible it was to read the man beneath the smile.
In fact, the more casually Biern smiled, the less anyone could tell what he was truly thinking.
“Oi, Your Highness!”
Peter’s indignant shout echoed through the morning square.
“You actually got scared!”
✧ ✧ ✧
Biern’s carriage rolled smoothly away from the gentlemen’s club.
Leaning lazily against the cushioned seat, he watched the city drift past the window.
Bustling shopping streets and government buildings gradually gave way to the broad riverside avenue, where towering trees lined both sides of the road. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering shifting patterns of light and shadow across the carriage as it passed.
His heavy-lidded eyes followed the moving scenery.
The deep green forests were growing richer by the day.
Summer was coming.
Which meant these peaceful days would soon be over.
The royal family was expected to arrive in Schwerin by the weekend, spending the season at the Summer Palace situated within the Grand Duke’s vast estate. Though the palace and his own residence were separated by enough distance to require a carriage, they still occupied the same grounds.
Every summer, that meant endless royal duties.
It was simply one of the responsibilities that came with being Grand Duke.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Biern rested until the carriage crossed the Arbit River and entered the palace grounds.
Beyond the grand gates bearing the royal crest stretched magnificent gardens laid out in perfect geometric patterns. Marble fountains sparkled beneath the morning sun, while narrow waterways wound gracefully between flowerbeds and trimmed hedges.
A cool breeze drifted through the open window.
As it brushed the hair from his forehead, Biern slowly opened his eyes.
Ahead stood the Water Palace—the Grand Duke’s residence—built where the Arbit River met Schwerin Bay.
The palace had earned its name honestly.
From its terraces, one could overlook both river and sea, while countless fountains, canals, and streams transformed the estate into a kingdom of flowing water.
“Your Highness.”
The carriage door opened.
Mrs. Fitz greeted him, though unusually, there wasn’t the slightest trace of reproach in her voice.
Biern stepped down and regarded her with quiet curiosity.
“You have a visitor.”
She hesitated before continuing.
“Princess Gladys is waiting for you… in the library.”
Biern stopped in the middle of the entrance hall.
Slowly, he lifted his head and slipped both hands into his pockets.
The crystal chandelier overhead cast a cold brilliance across his face.
“Your Highness, we tried to—”
“I know.”
His calm interruption silenced her.
Without another word, he began climbing the broad staircase.
“A pot of tea,” he said evenly. “Strong.”
Though a faint smile rested on his lips, his eyes were utterly devoid of warmth.
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
Mrs. Fitz swallowed the rest of her words, bowed, and hurried away.
Moments later, Biern disappeared beyond the library doors.
✧ ✧ ✧
“I should apologize to him… shouldn’t I?”
Erna asked cautiously.
“Apologize?” Lisa exclaimed the moment she returned from the kitchen. “Miss, you absolutely mustn’t!”
Startled by her reaction, Erna looked down at the teacup she was nervously turning between her hands.
She still wanted to apologize to Prince Biern for the scene she had caused at the ball.
But every time she thought about approaching him, she remembered that he was always surrounded by people.
Even if he had been alone…
She wasn’t certain she could have done it.
Her trembling fingertips tightened around the porcelain cup.
The moment their eyes met, memories of that dreadful night came flooding back, stealing her breath all over again.
How could she possibly face him after making such a spectacle of herself?
Every time she gathered the courage, she ended up fleeing before she reached him.
And with every memory came that humiliating debutante dress…
…and Prince Biern’s calm, unreadable gaze falling upon her exposed shoulders.
The embarrassment alone nearly made her wish the earth would swallow her whole.
What a dreadful place this city is…
“I still think I should apologize, Lisa,” she said quietly after a long silence. “I caused His Highness a great deal of trouble.”
Lisa groaned dramatically.
“Just wait here, Miss.”
She hurried from the room and returned moments later carrying a large wooden box.
“These are for you—but only to borrow. After you’ve finished reading them, you have to return everything. If you particularly like one, I’ll try to get another copy for you. We maids saved these together.”
Erna blinked in confusion.
“For me? Why?”
“Because you need to study!”
Lisa puffed out her chest proudly.
“Whenever I wasn’t busy, I collected magazines and kept up with all the latest gossip. I know everything that’s happening in Schwerin.”
She handed Erna the magazine resting on top of the pile.
Its front page featured a lengthy article about none other than Prince Biern—the infamous Poisonous Mushroom Prince.
Erna accepted it hesitantly.
After turning a few pages, she frowned.
“Why are there holes…?”
“Oh…” Lisa coughed awkwardly.
“Those shameless maids cut out all of His Highness’s portraits. They complain about him endlessly, but the moment his picture gets printed, this is what happens.”
After grumbling about the hypocrisy of her fellow servants, she suddenly remembered something.
“Oh! While you’re studying, I’ll run a quick errand!”
Before Erna could respond, Lisa hurried out once again.
Left alone, Erna stared down at the magazines piled neatly on her lap.
From a single glance, she could tell they were filled with sensational gossip.
For a long moment, she hesitated.
Reading about other people’s private lives felt improper…
Yet curiosity quietly won.
She turned the page.
Though many of the illustrations had been carefully cut away, enough remained for her to understand the articles.
By the time the tea beside her had gone cold, Erna had worked her way through nearly every magazine.
Scandals involving Schwerin’s aristocracy.
Fashion columns.
Advertisements.
Horoscopes.
Romantic advice.
The magazines offered an entirely different world from the modest publications sold back in Buford.
When she finally closed the last issue, she had learned one thing above all else.
The most notorious figure in Schwerin’s society was, without question, Prince Biern Dniester.
She knew gossip could not always be trusted.
But some stories left her deeply unsettled.
Most disturbing were those concerning the prince’s son.
According to the articles, after divorcing Princess Gladys, Prince Biern had never once gone to see his child.
Not even when the boy fell gravely ill.
Not even when he died.
Not even for the funeral.
Erna stared silently at the stack of magazines.
Almost without realizing it, she bit her lower lip.
It was wrong to judge someone based only on rumors.
Especially someone she barely knew.
And yet…
Her heart had already begun to lean in one direction.
His Highness… must be a very bad man.
