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In fact, when they learned of her accident, they transformed into frantic hens, insisting she stay longer. It took a flurry of reassurances that she was indeed perfectly fine before they reluctantly let her go.

Her time at Ashstone had been a pleasant surprise, especially the mornings. The Order of Phoenix there was a refreshing contrast—hardworking and genuinely friendly, unlike the stiff-upper-lip crowd at Estelle\'s.

She even managed to crack the tough exterior of their commander, Sir Jacques, a man so gruff he made granite look soft. His strictness, which even had Vyan toeing the line, had become a source of mutual respect. She loved giving new mischievous ideas to Sir Jacques to make Vyan sweat harder.

As she flopped onto her bed, a satisfied sigh escaped her lips. Memories of Vyan flitted through her mind, stirring a warmth in her chest that she couldn\'t quite explain.

A smile tugged at her lips as she whispered to herself, "Yep. Despite everything else, he will be the one I will miss the most."

Almost as if the universe had heard her, the artifact on her dressing table began to glow with a faint light.

She bolted upright and dashed to it, eagerly opening it to reveal a new scroll. Clyde had given her this magical box as a farewell gift with a teasing grin, saying, "Now, I better not catch you kids exchanging letters all night."

She chuckled at the memory, recalling how Vyan had unceremoniously shoved Clyde away after this, his ears tinged with embarrassment.

Without further delay, she perched on her dressing chair and eagerly unrolled the scroll, her fingers tingling with anticipation.

"Hello, Iyana."

Instantly, her face flushed, and she slapped a hand over her cheeks, which were heating up like a stove. "Stop it," she muttered, fighting the ridiculous grin spreading across her face. "Why are you smiling so much from a simple hello?"

After a moment of wrestling with her bashfulness, she resumed reading,

"I hope you reached home safely. I was wondering if everything went well according to what you and I planned. I hope you did not confront Sienna… Never mind. I am pretty sure you still did, despite me suggesting you not to."

Her brow furrowed as she grumbled, "Why do you know me so well?"

"Anyway, there is nothing to do now, I suppose. It is a good thing that Sienna is not on the same level as you. Still, I hope you remain more alert from now on, and I shall see you at the Monster Hunt Festival in a week.

Sincerely,

Vyan."

"That\'s it?" she scowled, annoyed. "That\'s all you had to say to me? And why didn\'t you leave me any questions to answer back? Vyan, are you dumb?" She nearly shouted at the piece of paper, only to take a deep breath and calm herself down.

"Calm down, Iyana. It\'s just a letter, not a life-or-death situation," she muttered to herself, reigning her temper.

Gathering her thoughts and a bit more patience, she scribbled a response. Once finished, she tucked the small scroll back inside the rectangular box with a satisfied smirk.

At the same time, far in the west, Vyan sat slumped at his office table, his head resting on his folded arms. The desk was a battlefield of paperwork, documents piled high like miniature skyscrapers.

Just as he was about to fight against his exhaustion and get back to work, the magical artifact on the corner of his desk glowed, snapping him to attention. His head shot up, and the fatigue vanished in an instant.

Eagerly, he opened the scroll, only to let out a loud and perplexed, "Huh?"

"Dear Vyan,

Thank you. I shall keep your words in mind.

Sincerely,

Iyana."

"What is with this passive-aggressive reply?" he muttered, frowning in confusion. He could almost feel the heat of her glare emanating from the paper. "I put so much time into writing her that letter. Did it mean nothing to her?" he grumbled, disappointment washing over him.

With the weariness of a soul much older than his years, he sighed and started to return to his work. But just then, another glow caught his attention. He instantly opened the box with the speed of a child on a festive morning.

"By the way, how was your day?"

A huge grin spread across his face as he read those simple, informal words. He could almost see her expression—contemplative, shy, but curious and earnest.

That was when Vyan made the fateful decision to let work wait and write a response to Iyana. For the first time in ages, he chose to procrastinate, relishing the rare indulgence of letting himself be just a little bit irresponsible.

———

The next afternoon, a yawn slipped out of Vyan before he could clamp a hand over his mouth, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Oh, I am so sorry, Your Imperial Highness."

Maria giggled softly, her laughter like the tinkling of bells, as she sipped her tea. "Am I boring you with my endless chatter, Your Grace?"

Vyan shook his head so quickly it was a wonder it stayed on his shoulders. "No, not at all. I just got very little sleep last night."

"Ah, the festival preparations, I presume?" she said with a knowing smile. Vyan chuckled sheepishly, knowing that festival work was the furthest thing from his mind last night. "Am I interrupting your busy schedule then?"

"Not at all. I sought you out, remember?" he countered, holding up his teacup. "Besides, your tea is a miracle. I can practically feel the exhaustion melting away with every sip." Despite his ulterior motives, he genuinely adored Maria\'s tea.

Maria beamed with delight. "I am so glad you like it." experience NovelFire,le,mp,yr content

"I have to know, though," Vyan said, leaning forward with mock seriousness. "Do you use some kind of magical herbs in your tea?"

"Why, yes. How did you guess?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

"I could feel the healing effect," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Is it a herb that only grows in Haberland?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yes, and there are even better ones back home. I wish I could have made you try them, but unfortunately, this is the only one that gets exported." A wistful smile played on her lips, and Vyan saw his chance.

"I almost wish I could help you escape this place," he said, feigning nonchalance. "It\'s clear how much you miss home."

Maria\'s eyes widened, and she glanced around nervously. "Your Grace, you shouldn\'t say such things so carelessly. Someone might get the wrong idea."

"But what is there to misunderstand?" He locked eyes with her, his gaze intense and sincere. "I mean it. If you wanted to leave, I would help you."

Her heart raced, unsure whether it was from the weight of his stare or the wildness of his suggestion.

"But why would you do that for me?" she asked, her voice a mixture of doubt and confusion.

Vyan wasn\'t expecting such a direct question from Maria—someone he was considering sweetly trusting and a bit naive. But it didn\'t throw him off completely.

Her gullible nature did not equal her being completely stupid. Underestimating her had been his mistake.

Taking a deep breath, he softened his tone and said, "Because I can\'t stand seeing you exploited like this. I know what it is like to endure things silently, even when every fiber of your being screams against it. It is like being trapped, unable to confide in anyone, especially those you care about, because you know they would feel awful."

His words hit Maria hard, and she felt her emotions bubbling over. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn\'t hold them back.

On the other hand, he might have been manipulating her emotions, there was a core of truth drawn from his own experiences; he used to do this back in his knight days.

He pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her, a gesture that sent butterflies fluttering in Maria\'s stomach. It was an instinct that was natural to him, unknowing of the effect it would have on the other party.

"You should not cry, Your Imperial Highness, especially not here. This place doesn\'t deserve your tears," he whispered, his voice a soothing balm.

"Will you truly help me escape, Your Grace?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, eyes shimmering with hope.

At that moment, Vyan felt a pang in his chest, seeing the immense hope in her eyes.

Is there really any point in deceiving this person?

"Your Grace?" Maria called him, her innocent eyes brimming with concern.

Vyan snapped out of his thoughts. Maybe, just maybe, if he told her the truth, she would understand. It might even make the plan smoother.

"Actually, Your Imperial Highness, there is something I need to tell you…" he began, and with a deep breath, he launched into his explanation.

Once Maria absorbed all the information, she flashed him a bright smile and said, "Sure, I will do that!"

"What?" Vyan was dumbfounded by her quick agreement.

Maria giggled, her laugh light and musical. "Your Grace, if you wanted, you could have continued deceiving me. But you decided to tell me the truth, and I appreciate it."

Vyan blinked, still processing her unexpected response.

"Besides," she continued, "it would be impossible for me to escape the Haynes borders without being caught. So, it\'s in my best interest to take up Princess Althea\'s offer. This way, Haynes and Haberland might become allies in the future, and I don\'t think Prince Easton is too keen on that, unlike Princess Althea."

Vyan smiled, recognizing once again that she was far from foolish. "Thank you, Your Imperial Highness, for understanding our situation," he said sincerely.

Maria grinned at him, her eyes sparkling with admiration and a fondness he was completely oblivious to.

This was the first time a man hadn\'t tried to exploit her naivety. If he had continued his deception, she would have taken him at face value, trusting him completely.

Yes, it was strange how much she trusted him after just meeting him twice. But there was something about him... something that made her pulse quicken, her heart race, and her brain take a backseat.

Was this what liking someone felt like?