The Problematic Prince

Lorenz Dix headed toward the reception of the Grand Duke’s residence.
He was a renowned interior decorator who frequented the Royal Palace and came to the Grand Duke’s mansion regularly.
However, this meeting was to be with the Grand Duchess and Lorenz was excited.

   She was undoubtedly Lechen top celebrity right now.
Her name being on the lips of everyone.
Of course, the Grand Duchess had been a popular topic of discussion before, but now was a stark contrast.
The Princess, who was revealed to be a witch had metaphorically been burned at the steak and the true Princess risen out from the ashes.

   “Your Highness, Mrs Fitz, the designer, Mr Dix, has arrived,” an elderly lady spoke softly after knocking on the door.

   Lorenz Dix swallowed a nervous lump and looked over the ornately carved door showing the Dniester coat of arms.
The Queen, Princess Louise and Princess Gladys were all names he could boast as those he had worked for, not Princess Erna was going to be added to that list.

   “Oh, yes, please come in,” a calm and clear voice responded.

   Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the door and into the room.
He had not seen the Grand Duchess through the entire process of redecorating and never expected to see her, but fortune favoured him today.

   “Well, I meet  Your Highness,” Lorenz said, walking to the middle of the parlourj, where the Grand Duchess was waiting and bowed before her with perfect manners.

   “Hello, Mr.
Dix,” the Grand Duchess said, her voice was soft and pleasant and filled with laughter.

   He sat himself down in the designated seat and lifted his head with the utmost respect.
The moment his gaze met the smiling Grand Duchess, he understood.
The reputation of her being two-faced was not just a sarcastic remark.

   The Grand Duchess sat before him was much more stunning that the photos and portraits in the newspapers.
Her small and slender physique conveyed an impression of a young girl, yet her well groomed posture and composed expression exuded a dignity befitting a noblewoman of the Royal Family.
Above all, her eyes, those clear eyes that calmly regarded the world, were strikingly beautiful.

   “I heard you decorated the bedroom very beautifully, thank you for your hard work.” Her smiling face shone softly in the autumn sun.

   The Grand Duchess or Princess Gladys, who really had the upper hand when it came to beauty? Now that he had finally met the Grand Duchess, it seemed that the answer was clear, it was the Grand Duchess.

   As expected the beautiful women of Lechen were unparalleled, that’s not to say that Princess Gladys was not beautiful, each possessed their unique charm.

   “Mr Dix?”

   It was only when the Grand Duchess called his name did he realise he had been silent for a long while.
He smiled trying to hide his embarrassment.
It seemed that those who criticised the Prince for choosing to marry the Grand Duchess, should deeply reflect on their attitudes.

   He couldn’t understand why the evaluation of such a beautiful woman had been so harsh, every one must have been cursed by that witch from Lars.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“I think that will be sufficient, Mr Dix,” Mrs Fitz said, interrupting the decorators diatribe.
“Please leave it at that.”

   Mrs Fitz saved the timid Erna from being cascading with ceaseless drivel from the decorator and once Lorenz fell silent, the room returned to its peaceful ambiance.

   Through his entire monologue, Lorenz had not taken his eye off the Grand Duchess, even when he was explaining the design choices of the ceiling and floor.
It seemed like he was more interested in impressing his audience more than anything else.

   “Do you like it, Your Highness?” Mrs Fitz asked, shooting a withered look at the decorator.

   “Yes,” Erna said, “its very pretty.”

   The response felt some what obligatory, but Lorenz was aglow with excitement.
Despite his flippant behaviour, the decorators skill was undeniable.
The bedroom, which was once as sombre and solemn as the rest of the palace, now reflected Erna’s wishes accurately, yielding a result worthy of praise.

   “Please, take a look around, Your Highness and if there is anything you would like to change, please, just ask,” Lorenz said.

   “No, I like every thing,” Erna said as she looked over the brightly coloured wallpaper, the elegant, feminine furniture and the charming décor that fell upon the bed.
Fashioned from precious walnut, it was a stunning piece of furniture.
The bedding was equally exquisite lace and soft cotton.

   “Your highness…” Mrs Fitz said, with a puzzled expression.

   “Yes, the picture has also been replaced,” Erna said.

   The first painting that had caught her eye, a landscape of a field of wild flowers in full bloom, fit much better in the bedroom where most of the paintings were floral in nature.
A fitting theme for a bedroom, where the beauty of nature could be appreciated and admired.

   Overall, Erna had no complaints about the rooms design.
In fact, the abundance of floral décor added a touch of warmth and charm to the space.

   “I will be starting on the drawing room next week,” Lorenz said, who moved to stand at the Grand Duchess’ side.
“Following your direction, Your Highness, we can bring the room up to the same standard.”

   Mrs Fitz noticed the decorator getting a little too familiar with the Grand Duchess, but did not back down.
The drawing room had been the first room he wanted to redecorate.
The mishmash of contrasting themes really put the man on edge.
The elephant and the typewriter, the deer antlers wrapped in ribbons, his first impression was that the Grand Duchess was some sort of eccentric.

   “Lets discuss the drawing room later,” he said, noticing the Grand Duchess’ sluggish responses to his vision.

   “Mr Dix,” Mrs Fits said, her voice cutting through him like a frozen knife.
She looked at him with an equally sharp gaze.

   “Well, looks like our time is up, so please, take your time in deciding what you want to do and take a look around, Your Highness.” Mr Dix then followed Mrs Fitz out and when the door was closed quietly behind them, Erna was left alone.

   Erna could feel her body tremble as she remembered that she only had a week and tomorrow was the last day.
She was going to have to move back in here.

   Anxious, she paced around the bedroom, her gaze fixed on the new bed.
Her eyes widening with each passing moment.
She felt like she couldn’t breath.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Bjorn let out a deep sigh as he read the telegram.
He thought he had cut the Hartfords from his life for good, but now Alexander Hartford had just arrived in Lechen.

   He had heard that the family might be sending someone a few weeks ago, in an attempt to save face.
They could not be that desperate as they were not sending the Crown Prince.

   “Please prepare for my carriage’s arrival as soon as possible,” Bjorn said to the servant who had brought him the telegram, getting up from his half finished cup of tea.
It was supposed to be breakfast, but it was rather late, nearly lunchtime.

   Bjorn strode off to the bathroom.
Even though he was reluctant to accept the invite, Leonid had pressed the importance of the matter.

   Diplomacy was rarely a simple matter, especially since Lars had shown no signs of breaking the pact with Lechen, but their relationship was delicate because of the revealed secret.
Courtesy needed to be shown if they were to remain allies.

   As he was finishing up getting ready, a servant came and informed him the carriage was ready.
When he hurried down the stairs, he saw Erna at the bottom, waiting to see him off.

   “Bjorn.”

   When he heard her soft voice called his name, his heart softened.

   “Yes,” Bjorn smiled, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.
“I have to go and meet with the cry-baby Prince, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Just as he was about to climb into the carriage, he remembered, “Ah, did you move all your stuff back into our bedroom?”

   “Yes,” was all she said, with a smile.

   “I will get the last of it done tonight, Your Highness.” Mrs Fitz replied for Erna.

   “Erna, I will be back,” Bjorn said, as he closed the door of the carriage and poked his face out of the window.

   Erna said nothing and simply smiled at Bjorn.
Bjorn ordered the carriage to ride on, satisfied that when he got back, Erna would be back in her place.

   Bjorn looked back as the carriage pulled away.
Erna was still standing there, watching him leave.
She would probably still be there long after he was out of sight.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*