The Problematic Prince

 Suddenly, there was a wolf.

   Erna had been waiting for the postal carriage as she had always done, but instead of the divorce paper, her husband arrived, presenting a surprising twist.

  “Hey, that’s not a postal carriage, its a wolf, Your Highness, its a wolf.” Lisa declared, as she scrutinized the carriage coming up the deserted rural road.

   “A wolf? Really, a wolf?” Erna responded.

   Soon after, a carriage being drawn by four beautiful horses pulled into Baden Street. There was two smaller wagons trailing behind.

   At first, Erna hoped it might be a lawyer sent over by the Royal Family, but giving the grand nature of the arrival, the hope died pretty fast.

   But why? It didn’t make any sense, why would Bjorn come back when he had already agreed to the divorce? To visit again like this, particularly after what had occurred between them the last time he was here, made no sense.

   She thought it was pretty clear that they were now forever estranged. She could still feel the tingle of the slap on her hand. She had stared at it for a long while after it happened. Her mind was in turmoil and she couldn’t sleep until the next morning.

   It took her days to regain her composure and settle back into her normal routine, but at least she had finally succeeded in removing that man from her life. She dared hope that she could make a fresh start.

   “What on earth is all this, Erna?”

   Erna found herself rudely awakened by Baroness Baden. The pair watched the carriage pull in through the open gate.

   Erna’s lips moved, but no words came out. She slowly made her way forward to welcome the carriage like a good host. The carriage stopped in front of her, with the dazzling wolf crest imposing before her eyes.

   “No way…” Baroness Baden sighed, recognising the Royal Crest ~the Dniester wolf on the carriage.

From beyond the open carriage door, the uninvited guest made his appearance.

Bjorn Dniester.

There was no mistaking the identity of the man before her, as he greeted her with a smile.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The clang of the closing door was a grand statement in the quiet room of the mansion. Erna checked the latch was secure, before letting go of her tight grip on Bjorn’s arm.

   “At least you don’t drag me to the cattle-pen this time,” Bjorn said with as charming a smile as he could manage.

   Erna glared at him, despite her bewilderment and Bjorn just carried on smiling. His eyes wondered about the room, admiring his surroundings.

   News of the Grand Duke’s arrival was already spreading through Buford and although he could have gone unnoticed, Bjorn chose to conduct himself with the utmost formality, something he would not normally have done.

   But for Erna, Bjorn was willing to undergo what ever inconvenience and hassle for this one specific person, to make amends for his previously rude gesture. It also had some tactical merit. It would not be easy for Erna to turn him away in front of everyone.

   For the moment, Bjorn’s strategy was paying off. The Baroness invited Bjorn into the house for some tea, though she did look very disapprovingly at Bjorn. Erna shot daggers at him the entire time, not even trying to hide her discontent.

   As soon as they were in the mansion, Erna unceremoniously dragged Bjorn up to her room. While it was not the most hospitable way to treat a guest, Bjorn was willing to undergo the ordeal.

   As Erna breathed heavily, trying to control all the built up anger and frustrations, Bjorn casually strolled over to a chair and sat down, like he were an expected guest. He removed his gloves and rested his cane against the arm rest.

   “Why are you doing this?” Erna shouted, the anger finally winning over. “You said you wanted the divorce, so why are you here now?”

   “Well,” Bjorn said, looking up at Erna, “I changed my mind.”

   “What?” Erna said, her anger stalled.

   “I don’t wish to get divorced, Erna,” Bjorn said, lips curling to a soft smile. “I had second thoughts, I don’t see why we should get divorced.”

   “Why are you backing out, are you a coward?”

   “I guess I am,” Bjorn remained composed as he took the hit to his ego.

   Erna was left in shock and let out a sigh of astonishment. It felt like she had hit her head falling out of a tree. She started to wonder if that man she saw a few nights ago was merely an illusion.

   “I want a divorce,” Erna said, but she did not feel the conviction. “No matter what you say, my heart remains steadfast.”

   “Then, will you sue me?” Bjorn said.

   “If I must, as much as I need to.”

   “Even against my lawyers?” Bjorn looked at Erna sidelong.

   “Do you really want me to sue for divorce?” Erna said.

   “If you bring a lawsuit against me, am I not allowed to defend myself? Of course, I must choose the best royal lawyers to fight for our cause.”

   “Oh my god.”

   Erna stepped back with a look of shock on her face. Her cheeks flushed with anger, her lips were tight and thin. Bjorn just simply looked at her, thinking that she looked cute and did not judge her for the way she felt.

   “Would your reason for divorce hold up in court Erna? That you no longer love your husband~.”

   Erna’s cheeks turned even redder and swelled with the build up of barely contained rage at Bjorn’s teasing. The memory of Buford’s baby deer, with flowers on her head, was only a memory that brought a smile to Bjorn’s face in that moment.

   “What do you want?” snapped, barely holding on to control.

   “Like I said, I don’t want a divorce and you can’t get it through the court or money.” Bjorn said with narrowed eyes.

   “Why are you like this?” Erna said, despite her best efforts, Erna could no longer contain her anger.

   It never occurred to her that Bjorn might refuse the divorce. Bjorn Dniester she knew was a reasonable man and although it might be difficult for him to accept the unilateral decision, she believed he would ultimately come to terms with it.

   “Why are you torturing me like this? Why did you come all the way out here?”

   “I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

   Erna was momentarily stunned. He was being absolutely serious and it disarmed Erna completely.

   “I beg your pardon?”

   “Exactly what I said, you and me, a date.”

   “Are you drunk again?” Erna said seriously, she couldn’t think of any other reason behind it.

   “No, in fact, I haven’t drunk since I was last here.” Bjorn gave Erna that same smile he gave her when she was convinced he loved her. She was repulsed by it now and glared at the beautiful demon before her.

   Bjorn’s platinum hair, combed to the side, shimmered in the morning sun. It was difficult for Erna to see the man that was so dishevelled and drunk the last time he was here. He was relaxed and his bored expression was that of a well fed lion, with his elegant suit and upright posture, his chin held high.

The moniker “poisonous mushroom,” coined by the tabloids, proved to be a fitting depiction of the man standing before her.

   “But why are you doing this? We’re married, Your Highness,” Erna said, regaining control of her composure. “The ignorant country girl, that had swallowed the poisonous mushroom and paid the toll, has now developed a resistance to its affects. Perhaps one could say that its fortunate.”

   “So what? We got married without even trying dating first, so why don’t we try it? I know you don’t love me any more, Erna. I understand that I am someone who can no longer provide you with the love you deserve. If that’s how you truly feel, then I accept that. However, I would at least like to start anew and see if we can rekindle the love that brought us together.”

   “What, really?” Erna said, scrunching her nose, though once again she didn’t feel the conviction.

   “You wont regret it, I’m an expert at dating.”

   Erna couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat as the poisonous mushroom laughed. She wasn’t even angry any more, she just felt foolishly dumbfounded.

   This man is crazy. If he wasn’t drunk, then he was just plain crazy.

   “I’ll make this clear, I hate you and you should just go back now.”

   “Ah, I forgot to mention, I will be staying here for quite some time yet.”

   “What do you mean?”

   “Well, you are still my wife and I am still your husband,” Bjorn said casually as he put his gloves back on. “I am the son-in-law to Baroness Baden and I am the Prince of Lechen.” He stood and adjusted his suit and jacket. “Is there any reason why I can’t stay, in the house I protected and brought out of my own pocket?” Bjorn stood before Erna like a proper gentleman. “Is that not right, Erna?”

   “Are…are you threatening me?”

   “No, I love you, Erna,” Bjorn smiled, “so let’s go out on a date.”