Chapter 26

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 26

Chapter Title: I'll Help You

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“I was such a fool.”

It was only after enough time had passed to finish a cup of warm milk that Erna finally spoke. The motion of pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the milk from her lips was remarkably calm, at odds with her battered appearance.

“I shouldn't have trusted a man like my father.”

Erna gripped the still-warm cup tightly.

Perhaps because she'd vented all the emotional residue on the impulsive flight from home to this place, her mind felt clearer now. The wounds on her body still hurt, but that was all. She no longer wanted to cling to anything connected to her father. That was the conclusion she'd reached during the quiet hours lying curled up on the bed, staring into empty space.

“I'm really sorry for putting you out like this, Pavel.”

Having gathered her emotions once more, Erna slowly lifted her head to meet Pavel's gaze.

“You're the only one I can turn to...”

Erna trailed off, her eyes dropping. The face of Prince Biern, whom she'd bumped into by chance in the square, faintly appeared and vanished in the empty cup.

He might have helped her, but no matter what, Erna didn't want him seeing her like this. Caught up in that thought, she'd run through the square. Oblivious to the pain of her wounds. Mindlessly charging forward.

“You did the right thing, Erna. I told you, if you ever need help, come straight to me.”

Pavel let out a deep sigh and rose from his seat.

He removed the empty cup Erna was clutching and went to the bedroom, returning with a quilted blanket. Erna's eyes widened in recognition.

“Grandma's blanket.”

A smile spread across Erna's lips as she gently stroked the blanket Pavel draped over her shoulders. Her torn wounds stung, but she didn't erase the smile.

“Yeah. It was Baroness Baden's gift to celebrate your enrollment.”

Pavel, who had been wearing a stern expression all along, finally let out a helpless laugh. Memories surfaced of the kind old lady who'd repeatedly urged him to always cover up with the quilt—even in summer—especially in a big city rife with all sorts of illnesses, as she handed over the gift package. Fresh anger surged within him.

Erna was their treasure. Viscount Hardy, who had long since forfeited his right to be called a father, had no qualification to treat that treasure this way.

“Shall I take you to Burford?”

Pavel made the impulsive offer as he watched Erna, her eyes reddening, caress the blanket.

“I'd love to, but... not right now.”

Erna shook her head after some deliberation.

“If I break the contract, they won't leave House Baden's estate alone.”

“Contract?”

“Marrying whoever Father tells me to. That's the contract, apparently.”

The knuckles on Erna's hand clutching the blanket turned white. She whispered the word "contract" to herself and let out a wry chuckle.

“But you can't just stay in House Hardy like this, Erna.”

“I know. I won't obediently let myself be sold off as Father wants. Before that happens, I'll find some way...”

“What if you just give up the house?”

Pavel took another step closer to Erna. His hand gently gripped her blanket-wrapped shoulder.

“I know how precious House Baden's estate is to you. But Erna, that house can't be more important than your life. Baroness Baden would think the same.”

“But if I do that, Pavel, we'll... we'll have nowhere to go.”

Erna looked at him with desolate eyes.

She'd considered it, but it was realistically impossible. Even scraping together every penny they had, they could barely afford a rundown rental. She and her grandmother might manage a place to stay, but supporting the two servants as well was out of the question. And Erna could never abandon them. They were family. Real family, incomparable to a man like her father.

“I'll help you. By month's end, I'll get paid for the painting. It's not a fortune, but it should be enough for a countryside rental for your household.”

Pavel voiced the impulsive thought that had struck him the moment he first saw Erna arrive covered in wounds, delivering it in a calm tone.

“I can't let you do that, Pavel!”

“Don't worry. It's a loan. Pay it back later, once you've secured yourself. That's all.”

Already anticipating Erna's reaction, Pavel explained steadily.

“Think about it realistically, Erna. Your father will sell you off before autumn ends. It's impossible to save enough to support your family before then.”

Erna couldn't deny the cold, hard reality pointed out to her. Pavel met her speechless eyes squarely and took a quiet breath.

It might be reckless.

Pavel knew that too. Running away like this wouldn't bode well for a noble lady's future. But at least it was the lesser evil. And right now, what Erna needed wasn't the best option, but the lesser one.

“For now, just focus on getting away from your father.”

Pavel persuaded her in a gentle, coaxing tone.

“Let's do that, Erna. Okay?”

That was the line.

Was that appropriate boundary still valid?

A faint doubt she couldn't easily resolve flickered and faded.

Erna Hardy had vanished.

She was nowhere to be seen—not near House Hardy, nor in the bustling streets, nor at any social gatherings. Viscount Hardy and his wife trotted out the obvious excuse of health issues, but no one bought it easily.

“If she doesn't show up even for the court ball, what happens to us?”

Peter yawned widely and asked with feigned seriousness. Biern suddenly realized the decisive day was fast approaching.

“No way. She'll attend that. It's the highlight of the summer season.”

“But if her health really is bad, even that might be tough, right?”

“Health my foot. She's just laying low because of the scandal.”

Leonard sneered at Peter, but his expression stiffened for a moment. At the same time, everyone's eyes turned to Biern. Uncharacteristically calm for the one who'd tensed them all up, Biern was simply eating his apple. His gaze remained fixed on the lounge entrance.

“Give it up, Biern. No matter how stupid that guy is, he wouldn't show his face in front of you unless he's lost his mind.”

Peter shook his head and refilled Biern's glass. It was then that Robin Heinz—clearly far stupider than expected—entered the club's lounge.

“That lunatic.”

Leonard sighed in sympathy. Caught off guard by Biern's presence at such an early hour, he hesitated briefly before regaining his arrogant demeanor.

Biern, who had been quietly waiting while munching his apple, slowly rose once the group settled. His footsteps toward Robin Heinz's table were as light and cheerful as the lounge's atmosphere of laughter and banter.

“Long time no see, Heinz.”

Biern stopped beside Robin Heinz, who was pointedly ignoring him and posturing defiantly. The bravado from his tabloid provocations was gone; he looked quite tense.

The room buzzed with attention, but Biern casually took the seat beside him—as if he were just another member of their usual crew.

“Drink.”

Biern picked up the freshly served bottle and poured into Heinz's glass himself.

“You think I'd do anything to you here?”

He slid the glass toward the frozen Heinz and gave a brief nod to the waiting waiter. Soon, a crystal glass with ice was placed before him as well.

“That woman seduced me first. Turns out she was playing both the Grand Duke and me, weighing her options. That's why the fight with the Grand Duke happened—all the blame lies with that scheming bitch.”

Biern calmly summarized the interview from yesterday's tabloid.

As more people speculated that Heinz might have started it, he'd been frantically giving interviews to defend himself lately. Sacrificing Erna as the scapegoat was a solid strategy, since no one would take her side.

“Was that really how it went down that day? My memory's a bit different.”

Shooing the waiter away with a gesture, Biern poured his own glass. The languid leisure of a summer afternoon in the bar shifted in an instant.

As Robin Heinz averted his eyes in a fluster, Biern's gaze drifted to the shadow of palm leaves swaying on the marble floor. The lengthening silence bored him; his patience wasn't deep enough to endure it.

“This is getting awkward.”

Biern set down his half-empty glass and wiped the water droplets from his fingers with a napkin.

“At this rate, Heinz, I look like some unwelcome guest ruining a pleasant drinking session.”

Biern lightly placed his neatly dried hand on Robin Heinz's shoulder.

“When you were blabbing away so excitedly, did you really think you'd never see me again? That'd hurt my feelings.”

“...What the hell do you want?”

“Nothing that grand.”

Biern released the shoulder he'd gripped hard and stood up.

Only then did Robin Heinz exhale properly—and in that instant, the chair toppled, the world flipped. Meeting the gray eyes looking down at him, he finally realized what was happening. Just like that night, Biern was smiling.

“You bastard... Aaaagh!”

Robin Heinz screamed and sprawled back to the floor as he tried to rise. Biern's shoe was pressing firmly into his solar plexus.

“According to you, we're rivals. Love rivals over one woman. Something like that, right?”

Still pinning him down, Biern grabbed the whiskey bottle on the table.

“Since you say so, I'll treat you accordingly.”

“Biern, you!”

“Oh. You didn't know?”

Biern tilted his head slightly downward, neck straight. As he slowly tipped the bottle, whiskey poured onto Robin Heinz's flushed face.

“This is how I treat love rivals.”

Even as he looked down at the writhing, screaming man, Biern wore a gentle smile.

He set the empty bottle at the table's edge and finally lifted his foot from the fool who'd dubbed himself a rival. Robin Heinz's enraged howl, unable to contain his fury, drowned out the murmurs of the surrounding onlookers.

A cripple who could only squawk from a step back.

Biern shot him a glance devoid of any attempt to hide his contempt, tossed money for the drinks beside the empty whiskey bottle, and turned away. His departing steps were as light and leisurely as his approach. For the first time in a while, his lately dull, tedious daily life felt invigorated.

He gave a perfunctory wave to his calling companions, left the club straightaway, and boarded his carriage. Passing through Tara Avenue, he spotted Erna's maid walking with a large bundle.

Erna herself was still nowhere to be seen.