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As she took a sip, her attempt to look sophisticated was interrupted by the crunch of gravel underfoot. She glanced up, eyes widening as a tall figure approached.

Vyan\'s dark hair fell artfully over his forehead and red eyes that seemed to see straight through to her soul, strolled toward her with the confidence of someone who knew exactly how good they looked.

"Well, isn\'t this a delightful surprise," he drawled, his voice tinged with amusement. "A garden as lovely as this really deserves an equally enchanting occupant."

Maria blinked, tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy. "Enchanting occupant? Who— Oh, you mean me!" She giggled again, clearly pleased with the compliment.

Vyan\'s smile widened as he took a seat across from her. "Indeed, Your Imperial Highness. Do you mind if I join you? I have heard the tea you make for yourself is to die for."

"Of course! Tea is always better with company," Maria chirped, pouring him a cup with more enthusiasm than precision, a bit of tea splashing onto the table. "Oops! Sorry about that."

Vyan accepted the cup, his fingers brushing hers briefly. "No harm done. So, do you come here every day?"

Maria shrugged, almost spilling her own tea in the process. "Oh, you know, I just love being surrounded by flowers. And butterflies. And... oh, look, a squirrel!" She pointed excitedly, nearly knocking over the teapot.

Vyan followed her gaze, bemused as he thought, Wow, she is a real piece of klutz. "Charming." He turned his gaze back to her. "You seem quite at home here."

Maria beamed. "I do! The flowers are like my friends, and the butterflies are like my… um, flying friends! And the tea is just the icing on the cake!"

He took a sip of his tea, raising an eyebrow at her eclectic description. "That\'s great, but that\'s not what I was getting at. I meant in general. Like how do you feel about being here as a hostage? I am sure you miss your actual home in Haberland."

"Oh…" Her smile faltered a little, her grip on the teacup tightening. "I do miss my homeland a little." Then, she perked up again. "But it\'s nice here in Haynes too!"

"I see," Vyan nodded and quietly sipped his tea, his brain twisting.

Princess Maria was the only princess of the Haberland Empire and the cherished daughter of the imperial family. So, one might wonder, what was she doing in Haynes?

After her brother, the crown prince of Haberland, was injured in the Ganlop War, Maria had no choice but to take his place. Haberland prided itself on sending its royal blood to the front lines, unlike Haynes, which kept its imperial progeny safely within palace walls.

Maria, lacking expertise in war tactics, stayed with the Haberland Army primarily as moral support. But when the tides turned in Haynes\' favor and her troops urged her to flee, Maria refused to act cowardly. She had vowed to face her enemies with her head held high.

As a result, she was captured and taken hostage—the key to all the unfair bargains Haynes could extract from Haberland. Within two months of Haynes\' victory, they began draining Haberland dry, reaping substantial economic benefits under the stewardship of the Crown Prince of Haynes.

But what if this invaluable bargaining chip slipped through Haynes\' grasp due to someone\'s carelessness? That person wouldn\'t just lose his fiancée; he would lose his crown.

And just as Haynes would be grappling with the loss of their hostage, Althea would appear to save the day—the one destined to bring Maria back. At least, that\'s what Vyan was counting on.

Of course, there was a lot at stake here. If Althea failed to find Maria, it would deal a significant blow to Haynes\' economy—a matter of little concern to Vyan, though Althea certainly cared.

For now, his task was to entice Maria into escaping the palace and then assist her in succeeding.

"How does Prince Easton treat you? Is he taking care of you well?" Vyan asked.

"He is a little cold sometimes, but he is really nice," Maria chirped. "I am really comfortable here, thanks to him."

"That is great to hear," he shot his picture-perfect smile. "Oh, by the way, are you joining the Monster Hunt Festival? It\'s a rich tradition of Haynes."

"Ah, I wish," she sighed wistfully. "It sounds like so much fun, with all the noble hunters and festive activities," she sounded like she really wished to join. "I am positive you must be participating."

He let out a light chuckle. "Well, I have to, considering I am the host."

"Host?" Her eyes widened as she leaned forward on the table. "Oh, gosh, does that mean I have been talking to the Grand Duke this entire time?"

Vyan\'s eyebrows shot up to his forehead. "What? You didn\'t know?"

She shook her head sincerely, and he was genuinely baffled. For some reason, he also felt incredibly offended.

"I thought you were being so hospitable to me because you knew I was the Grand Duke," he reasoned, his voice getting an octave higher.

"I swear I just thought you were a regular visitor!" she cried out, flustered.

"Why would you think that?" He looked down at his attire in distress. "What is it about me? Do I not look the part? Do I perhaps give off a commoner aura?"

"When did I say you looked like a commoner?" she protested.

"But that\'s what you meant," he pointed out.

"No, I did not! My mother always taught me not to judge people by their appearance, so I only did my best to obey her words," she explained in a haste. "So I just assumed you were just a well-dressed handsome individual—"

He cocked a teasing eyebrow, and she paused, her face starting to color red.

"I mean, objectively speaking, of course! I was just thinking from an objective perspective—" She cupped her hot cheeks, feeling overwhelmed. "No, that does not make sense. What am I saying? I am making such a fool of myself—"

Her frantic rambling was cut short by the ring of laughter. She finally looked up at Vyan, just to find him laughing in amusement, his mouth hovered by the back of his knuckles.

"You really are a pure-hearted person, Your Imperial Highness," he let out, his tone genuine, his eyes alight.

Maria felt a warmth spread through her chest, engulfing her body whole. For the first time, her eyes, usually lost in the beauty of nature, were captivated by a man.

She couldn\'t tear her gaze away from him. Laughter had always seemed merry to her, but had it ever sounded so attractive before?

Her cheeks flushed a beautiful shade of pink as she opened her mouth to speak. "Your Grace—" she began, only to be interrupted by a shrill, feminine voice.

"Vyan, what are you doing here?" Discover stories on m _v _le _mp _yr.