In the Duke's Grasp: Chapter One: A Poisonous Mushroom on a Spring Day
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Chapter One: A Poisonous Mushroom on a Spring Day
After her grandfather's death, Erna's quiet rural life collapses under the weight of sudden debts. She travels to the city of Lechen in search of her father, whom she barely knows, but finds no welcome. Instead, she falls into the trap of his schemes and is thrown into the harsh marriage market. At the edge of falling into chaos, Prince Bjorn appears as a lifeline, but his help carries a warning. "Do not approach the poisonous mushroom." Now, Erna faces a crucial choice: does she risk swallowing the poison hoping for a better future, or surrender to an inevitable fate?
Erna Hardy was a good-hearted girl raised on virtue, and it was time to become a good wife or at least, that is what the long letter she received said. The letter offered her a "special opportunity" to marry its writer, but her response was completely different from what he expected.
"Impossible!" she whispered, tossing the letter aside. "This is ridiculous!"
She got up quickly and headed to the window. Despite the bright spring sunlight, the afternoon was gloomy. She opened the rusty double window and sat on its ledge, hugging her knees. The Varden family estate was located on high ground, allowing her to see the entire village. She looked at the apple orchard whose blossoms swayed with the breeze, at the winding stream, then at the hill covered in yellow spring flowers, until her eyes stopped at an abandoned chair in the corner of the garden.
The world does not care about the fate of a single human being.
It was a clear truth but it had become more painful. Erna had lost a dear person, and was about to be kicked out of her home, yet, nature was blooming around her as if mocking her sorrow. If her grandfather were here, he would have laughed, saying: "Isn't it wonderful that the world continues in beauty regardless of what happens to us humans?"
"Miss Erna! Miss Erna!"
The voice of Mrs. Grebe, the maid, came to interrupt her thoughts. It was lunchtime.
"Yes! I'm coming!"
She closed the window, hid the letter in her drawer, and adjusted her clothes before heading to the dining room.
"Everything will be fine." She repeated the words to herself like a spell as she hurried to the first floor.
"Erna, have you met a lawyer yet?"
After casual talk about the weather and the new blanket, Baroness Varden asked the awaited question. Despite her apparent calmness, there was worry in her eyes.
"No, Grandma. Not yet." Erna answered firmly. "I will meet someone before the end of the week."
The sun cast its light on her stiffened face. She could hear her heartbeat, and her lips went dry. The Baroness did not continue inquiring, she just nodded her head.
"I hope you find a solution."
Her voice faded into the silence.
The truth she cannot tell.
Erna looked at her grandmother sitting in front of her. She looked weaker over the past month, and this was understandable. She lost her husband suddenly, and now she might also lose her home to a distant relative they do not know.
Erna clenched her fist. She could not tell her grandmother the truth.
In fact, she had already met a lawyer, and his answer was nothing but a confirmation of what she already knew. Baron Varden had no sons, so his wealth would pass to his nephew.
She knew this ridiculous law existed, but it was unfair. She tried to prepare, taking extra jobs and saving money, hoping she would be able to buy the house. But "that day" came faster than she expected, and she wasn't ready yet.
"Unfortunately, this is the law of inheritance, Miss Hardy."
The lawyer said indifferently when she begged him for another solution.
"The best you can do is talk to Mr. Varden and ask for mercy."
In the end, she found no choice but to write a letter to Thomas Varden. She didn't have much hope, but when the reply came, she felt despair and humiliation.
"Everything will be fine, Grandma, don't worry."
After hiding the truth with a fake smile, she got up from the table and tied her apron around her waist. Mrs. Grebe approached her, and Erna helped her clean up skillfully.
But no, not everything was fine.
The Varden family was not wealthy as in the past, and nothing was left of their wealth but this country house. But their relative, Thomas Varden, the rightful heir, will get it soon and most likely, he won't hesitate to sell it.
Erna let out a deep breath, trying to suppress her anger.
In his letter, Thomas said he "understands" her situation but he "cannot wait until the Baroness's death" to sell the house.
But his refusal wasn't the worst part.
After she finished washing the dishes, she headed to the backyard and sat on her grandfather's chair under the elm tree. She could barely stop her tears from falling.
At the end of his letter, Thomas Varden offered a "compromise".
If she agreed to marry him, he would be "generous".
The beautiful spring view turned into a blur, but she opened her eyes wide. She would not cry over someone like him. Someone who treats a relative of his this way, a man old enough to be her father but doesn't act his age.
Then, unintentionally, she whispered: "Father..."
She suddenly remembered that her father was still alive.
She got up suddenly, her eyes narrowing with determination.
Yes, she must find her father.
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Elsewhere, Bjorn Dniester, the Grand Duke of Lechen, was lying in his room when the outside noise woke him up. The closed windows and heavy curtains could not block the cheers coming from the river.
He buried his head in the pillows trying to sleep again, but he finally gave up.
"These energetic fools..." he muttered as he got out of bed.
When he pulled back the curtains, he saw a group of aristocrats practicing rowing. The annual regatta had begun, and this commotion would extend throughout the summer.
He looked at them indifferently.
"If they have this much energy, let them use it for something more useful."
The boat race was trivial in his eyes.
His servant Greg entered the room and said respectfully: "Your Highness, we tried to prevent them from using the castle, but the city of Schuber allowed them to train there."
Bjorn laughed sarcastically: "Leonid Dniester will win anyway. How beautiful is the loyalty of his followers."
Leonid, his younger brother, was obsessed with rowing.
Minutes later, Leonid entered the room and threw a newspaper on the table.
"The family's poisonous mushroom..."
Bjorn read the headline and raised an eyebrow.
"A new title, huh?"
Leonid, in a more serious tone: "Gladys is returning to Lechen."
Bjorn's hand stopped moving.
"Gladys."
The former princess, his ex-wife, the woman who betrayed him and lost their child.
Bjorn looked at the newspaper.
The return was imminent.
He sighed and took a bite of the apple, then smiled coldly.
"I wonder... what will happen this time?"
He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, while his eyes reflected emotions that could not be easily read.
Spring has arrived.
The perfect season... for a poisonous mushroom to grow.
To be continued...