"You appear rather displeased, Your Highness"
She remarked, as the two then continued to walk in the beautiful garden of the imperial palace, both had been kicked out by the King, wanting to form a bond between the two,
"Do I? I'm glad that you've noticed, Lady Ariana" he sarcastically said, glaring at her as if she had sinned, when in fact she's the victim in this matchmaking scheme
'Does he think I want to walk straight to death? He's the villain! Why would I want to entangle with him?'
She thought as she scoffed at the way he was acting, rolling her eyes at him,
She then walked a little bit faster, surpassing him and he then turned to look at him, with a bright smile, "Don't you worry, your Highness, I would rather jump off the cliff than marry you" she seriously told him, and turn her back from him, and continue to walk in the garden, with her hands moving freely
He couldn't believe on he had just heard, for a Duke's daughter who seemed too full of herself,
'Who on Edenbell wouldn't want to marry me? Tsk' he thought as he shook his head in a displease,
"That's the best then, we should just go on our ways and-"
He didn't finish his words, as he saw her, sniffing one of the flowers in the garden, her enchanting ruby eyes, looking at the flower, as she then let out a small genuine smile as she appreciated the beauty of the flowers in the garden, she then tuck a few strands of her hair behind her ear,
He didn't notice, that a small smile crept on his face, admiring the view in front of him, as she still kept on admiring the beautiful well-kept garden, "I could ask the gardener to give you that if you like it so much" he blurted out of the blue, she then looked at him with a confused look,
That's when he realized that he said those words out loud, he then turned bright red due to embarrassment
"I..umm... erm..."
Hearing him stuttering, he couldn't help but let out a small gentle laugh, Never she ever dreamed that the evil tyrant villain she had written in her novel would be embarrassed and turn bright red,
He noticed she was looking at him intently which made him more, embarrassed,
"What are you looking at?! Hah!?" wanting to keep his pride, as a man, as the feared prince, a very evil prince who won't appear weak,
"Nothing! And sure, I would like to have this flower please" she told him, not wanting to make him embarrass any further and change the subject,
She then pointed to the flower she admired, a beautiful white rose, "Ok, I'll have it delivered to you in your mansion tomorrow" he casually said, a fake cough to change the mood, as he then tucked his hands in his pocket and look at the other direction, not wanting to make eye contact with her,
"Thank you, Your Highness," she said, letting out a smile again, and went back to admire the flowers, her back facing him, "Do you love Roses, Lady Florence?" He asked her, just out of the blue, she paused for a second, hearing him call her last name,
"Ah yes I've got a whole garden back home where I grew up, and please call me Aria, I'm quite uncomfortable being called Lady Florence" she replied, looking at his royal blue eyes,
"Ok? Lady Aria," he says, not used to calling a Lady in her first name, "Did you live your whole life back in the countryside? You've never set foot here in the capital?" He asks her,
"Not until yesterday, when I arrived, I haven't" she honestly said, as she then turned to look at him with an innocent look,
"You should stroll around the capital, Lady Ariana, I've heard from sister that there's a new cafe that has opened, you should go and check that out" he suggested, looking at the young girl, younger than him for 2 years,
'Is she telling the truth or not?'
He had doubts about her, especially since an unidentified person had dared enter the Imperial Library, not even bandits dared to steal some sacred treasures inside, but an intruder had entered, more or less a girl
Coincidentally, on the same day that the young Florence lady had arrived after living in the countryside since birth,
And there are rumors that the famous author had lived among them in the capital, more the reason to not suspect the young lady,
"I guess I should" she responded in a happy tone, smiling brightly at him,
"Ariana!"
Both their attention diverted to where the voice had come from, only for them to see her eldest brother, Axel Dave Florence, the heir of the Dukedom, walking straight in their direction,
"Your Highness" he bowed at the young Prince, who gave him a short nod, "Do you need something, Brother?" She asks his brother with a confused look, his sky-blue eyes look at her red ones,
"Allen asked me to give you this, he can't come home as he is going to the Dratican Kingdom for his business, and he thought that you'd love this," he says, without any emotions, handing her a neatly wrapped package,
"Thank you" she responded, as she took the package from her brother's hands, and slowly opened it, trying to act as weak and gentle as possible,
Her eyes widen, seeing what is inside, Prince Luke takes a sneak peak, and his face turns sour recognizing it,
"Oh My! It seemed Big Brother Allen was indeed the best brother!" She happily exclaimed, hugging the book tight,
"Are you a fan of Ria?" He asked the young girl, reading the title of the book that has been a hot topic among everyone, may it be male or female, curious on who the victims this time,
"Yeah, are you also a fan?" She excitedly asks the Prince, "I'm not," who only just denied it,
'Tsk, second brother has a keen eye, he noticed that I don't own the latest book' she thought, mentally thanking her second brother who had helped her, dispelling the rumors of her being Ria,
She took a glance, and saw a few gardeners and a few noble people had heard her voice of admiration to the author,
"Is it a book written by that Author?"
Her attention diverted back to her brother, who remained expressionless, "Yeah, the latest book, Second brother had noticed I don't have a copy, he bought me one, isn't he the best?" She boasted as she flipped the pages of the book, reading a few lines that she had written,
"She's not that great you know"
Hearing his words, she scoffed, "She is the best, whether you accept it or not, she is probably richer than you, you know" she retorted to her brother's words, crossing her arms,
'She's the best because she's me' She thought, raising her right brow at her brother,
Seeing how she acted, the young Duke could only shake his head in disappointment, seeing how childish his sister could be,
"Tsk, so childish" he muttered, not knowing that she could hear him, she shot him a glare which he seemed not to notice,
"If your business is done, you can now go back," she told him
"And also, Father asked me to fetch you, We're going home you see" he responded to her as his eyes then looked at the 2nd Prince,
"Your Highness, I'll be taking my sister with me, as it is already late, it's time for us to go back home"