TPP 12

CHAPTER 12

Leonard’s eyes were far too clear to dismiss his ridiculous proposal as the result of drunkenness.

In the end, the silence that had fallen over the card table lasted only a moment before it erupted into enthusiastic cheers.

“Wouldn’t this be entertaining? How about we bet all the chips on the table?”

“Excellent! I’m in, I’m in!”

Peter immediately shoved the stack of poker chips in front of him toward the center with excitement.

Bjorn let out a low sigh and leaned back lazily in his chair.

One by one, more fools began showing interest in the pointless wager, and the card game they had been so focused on moments ago was quickly forgotten.

Leonard, you bastard.

Bjorn glanced at him with obvious annoyance.

You think I’ll lose this ridiculous game too? Just watch. I’ll completely overturn your little scheme.

However, Leonard did not even flinch beneath his irritated gaze.

Meanwhile, poker chips from every corner of the table piled up in the center, creating a mountain of stakes far larger than anyone had initially expected.

The participants, who had started the bet as nothing more than a joke, now found themselves genuinely eager to win.

There was only one person who had yet to place a single chip.

“Bjorn, are you joining or not? Come on.”

Peter slipped beside him and began persuading him.

Everyone in the room knew that Bjorn Dniester never participated in this kind of meaningless wager.

That was exactly why they needed to offer something tempting.

The opportunity to win against a prince famous for his extraordinary luck at gambling rarely came twice.

“Join us, won’t you?”

Peter asked again, his voice becoming slightly nervous as he pushed the chips piled in front of him closer to Bjorn.

Although the Grand Duke was irritated by their persistent begging, he ultimately did not reject their challenge.

Leaving a game halfway through annoyed him even more.

And besides…

It was difficult to ignore such an attractive bait.

Peter happily gathered the remaining chips and placed them all in the center of the table.

The value of the wager—the prize for winning Erna Hardy’s favor—was now enough to purchase a townhouse in the heart of the capital.

“Let’s begin at today’s art exhibition. Everyone will be attending, so there should be no complaints about fairness.”

Leonard, the person responsible for starting this ridiculous bet, announced it with a serious expression as if he were declaring an important royal matter.

After finishing the rest of his drink, Bjorn pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time.

Morning was approaching.

And soon came the opening ceremony of the Royal Academy of Arts’ annual exhibition—an event he was obligated to attend despite having absolutely no desire to do so.

The morning sunlight slowly began to spread across the sky, announcing the beginning of a new day.

However, Erna was already awake long before dawn.

She sat at her desk, carefully crafting lilies of the valley from paper.

The artificial flowers were astonishingly realistic. Each delicate stem and tiny leaf had been carefully shaped until they looked almost indistinguishable from freshly picked flowers.

Erna gazed proudly at the small bouquet she had created with her own hands.

Among artificial flowers, the more fragile and intricate the design, the more valuable it became.

That was why handmade lilies of the valley were among the most expensive flowers to create.

They were also her favorite.

And the flower she was best at making.

When she had first started creating and selling artificial flowers, she had spent most of her time making lilies of the valley because they were in such high demand.

Although orders for them had decreased noticeably over the years, they remained the flowers she loved the most.

As the first rays of sunlight reached her desk, Erna stood up.

Life in the capital began much later than life in the countryside.

It was something she still struggled to understand.

Back home, she would wake before even the rooster had begun to crow.

Naturally, she found herself rising early even after coming here.

Rather than wasting those quiet hours, she had decided to spend them making flowers.

Now, she had already created enough to fill an entire basket.

If only I could find somewhere to sell these…

She looked down at her carefully crafted flowers with a hint of regret.

In Buford, her artificial flowers were sold through Mr. Alle, the owner of the general store.

He had first expressed interest through Mrs. Greeve, who later passed the message on to Erna.

At the beginning, the flowers were only sold in small quantities through the village store.

But as Erna’s skills improved, Mr. Alle eventually hired someone to distribute her work to larger stores in the city.

Compared to a small countryside shop, the stores in the capital were far bigger and attracted countless customers.

Erna could hardly imagine what a store that sold almost everything imaginable would look like.

Yet that thought did not frighten her.

If her flowers could reach those shops, she would be able to earn twice as much as she currently made at Ale Cine.

The income from selling artificial flowers had greatly supported the Baden family.

The tea boxes and sugar containers were no longer empty.

There was no longer a shortage of fabric.

She no longer had to worry about wearing worn-out clothes.

Because of the results of her hard work, the city store had once seemed more magnificent and important to her than even the Royal Palace.

Of course, that impression changed completely after she finally visited the palace herself.

Is there some way I can sell my flowers directly to the stores?

Erna stared at the finished flowers, deep in thought.

Although she had managed to protect the country house through her agreement with her father, the Baden family’s living expenses would soon become difficult again.

The money she had previously provided was no longer available.

Mrs. Greeve’s eyesight had deteriorated greatly, making it impossible for her to continue creating artificial flowers.

So for years, Erna had quietly taken over the responsibility herself.

“I can do whatever I want here. All I need to do is find a store willing to sell these.”

She spoke softly to herself.

“If that’s impossible… perhaps I could send them back to Buford. And if shipping costs too much, I could personally deliver them myself. At least then I could visit everyone once every season.”

Just as she reached that conclusion, a light knock sounded at the door.

Lisa entered carrying a large box.

Inside was a new dress and hat prepared for her.

“This dress is quite decent, isn’t it, my lady?”

Lisa smiled brightly as she lifted the blue dress from the box, presenting it as if she were showing a toy to a child.

Erna smiled and nodded.

Even though it was the middle of summer, the dress was still considered rather daring by her standards.

It exposed no skin below her collarbone, but compared to the dress she had worn that night, it was undoubtedly much more appropriate.

“Why did you bring new clothes?”

“Didn’t you know? You are attending the opening ceremony of the Art Exhibition today.”

Erna and Lisa stared at each other, both equally surprised, though for entirely different reasons.

“The art exhibition? Me?”

“Yes! It’s the famous exhibition held every summer at the Royal Academy of Arts.”

Lisa looked delighted as if it were her own achievement and held the dress up once again.

The Royal Academy of Arts.

A slow smile spread across Erna’s face as she repeated those words.

Because that place was connected to the memory of the only friend she had ever cherished.

Pavel.

Maybe… I can see Pavel again.

With that small hope in her heart, Erna began her day with more energy than usual.