Chapter 80: Greenhouse

"To abduct you."

Hugo's brows rose as the space between his brows wrinkled. The side of his lips curled up into a smirk, looking at me in amusement. 

"Ivo said I should take you away from here, so I came here to do just that," I explained in my usual tone, glancing at the warriors looking in our direction with an odd expression. "Can you cooperate?"

I waved our hands lightly as I set my eyes back to him. My brows rose when he didn't answer, but then frowned when he burst out in laughter. 

"Ah... that damn Ivo," he muttered while shaking his head. "So, where are you going to keep me captive?" 

My smile resurfaced on my face upon hearing his last remarks. "I don't know. But not in here."

"Then, let's go. Don't let my hand go, though. I will come back and beat all those guys until all their bones are nothing but powder." Hugo pointed his thumb over his shoulder with an arrogant countenance. My smile remained as I dragged him with me, heading to a place I didn't also know. 

As soon as my back faced him, I bit my lip and let out a deep breath. Inside me, I was screaming in embarrassment as soon as our eyes met. However, I didn't want to act awkward as I promised Ivo to help him. 

******

In the end, I just returned to the garden where I met Ivo this morning while still holding Hugo. He said nothing and let me drag him with me in silence. 

'I wonder if the warriors are resting well,' I wondered, thinking of anything random to distract myself from last night. 

"Bambi, I know you don't know the palace that well, but if we go straight ahead, we will reach a wall." I snapped my eyes when I heard Hugo break the silence between us. I looked back only to see him cock his head, batting his eyes ever so slowly.

"Oh?" I stopped and looked around, noticing that we were already deep in this vast garden. While doing so, I noticed a greenhouse not far away. 

"There," I said, pointing at the greenhouse. "Let's go there."

Hugo cast me a look with an arched brow before setting his eyes to where I was pointing at. "There, huh? Sure."

He was always the type who rarely argued with me, but today felt unusual. His tone, the way he looked at me, and his aura just felt different; they were warmer, although his arrogant expression remained the same. Hugo tugged my hand when he walked towards the greenhouse.

"Didn't you say you want to go? Why are you just standing there?" he asked with the same expression. 

"Uh, right." I nodded. This time, Hugo led the way without letting my hand go.

The closer we got to the greenhouse, the clearer the vines around it and the untrimmed grasses around the place. My brows furrowed, as the garden was very pretty. So it was odd to see a part of it that appeared entirely different. When we entered the greenhouse, the intrigue in my heart grew stronger. 

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Withered leaves scattered around, messy as if no one had stepped foot in this place for a long time. Although it preserved its beauty despite that, as if waiting for it to be taken care of after numerous seasons of neglect.

"Hugo, what happened here?" I blurted out when I couldn't contain my curiosity anymore. "Why is such a place deep in the main garden?" 

I looked up at Hugo as he stood next to me. He didn't have any particular change in his reaction as he glanced around in silence.

"No one is taking care of it, that's all." He shrugged as he cast me a quick look. "This place used to be so pretty where we all gather to spend a lazy afternoon with the late empress. It's been, uh... many years since anyone stepped foot in here."

My brows rose as I looked around again. A subtle smile dominated my face as I somehow imagined all of them in here with their mother. I already painted a heartwarming scene in my heart with the young Hugo and his siblings running around. 

My thoughts trailed off when I realized he mentioned his deceased mother. That second, I raised my dilated eyes to him, only to flinch when he spoke without looking at me.

"It's fine. You didn't open a wound in my heart," he said without a change in his expression. "It's just that I haven't been in this place for a long time, so I don't really know what to feel."

I pressed my lips into a thin line while squeezing his hand. "Hugo, if this place is an important place, why is it none of you took care of it?" 

"Hm... because it is that important." Hugo cocked his head to me, eyelashes fluttering ever so tenderly. "No one has the heart to go in here just to wallow in the past. Also, we're always busy. So, taking care of this place is the least of our worries."

I stared at Hugo before I sighed faintly. In silence, we looked around with our hands intertwined. Aside from the emperor, Hugo's sister never spoke a word about their mother — Hugo never mentioned his mother to me as well. Although I was curious, I didn't want to ask first. 

If they were not speaking anything about it, then that only meant they didn't want to talk about it. 

"So, are we just going to stand here?" he inquired after several minutes of silence. "What are your other plans once you successfully abducted a handsome prince?"

'I don't,' was what I wanted to tell him.

From a distance, the greenhouse was eye-catching. But now that we're inside it, there was really nothing to do here. We could sit down on the intricate chair covered with lichens and veins. I frowned, letting out a sigh, as I didn't know what to do anymore. 

I looked up, bearing the same frown. Hugo was now staring at me with raised brows, tilting his head the second he saw my expression. 

"Hmm. So you don't have a plan?" he hummed, blinking twice.

"I still need time to think about it." I looked away. He already knew that as I told him I only agreed with Ivo's request. Also, I never thought I would abduct anyone in this lifetime, so how would I know?

Hugo chuckled weakly. "It seems I am seeing a new side of you, Bambi. You aren't as stiff as before and do things now without putting too much thought about it... just like last night." I froze as soon as he mentioned 'last night.' 

"Rinnie, do you mean it?" He took a step forward, bending over until his face was a palm length away from me, eyes glinting sharply. "What you said last night, did you mean it?"

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