Chapter One

  The small bakery, "The Sweet House," was bustling with the usual mid-morning crowd. Sunlight filtered through the glass windows, casting soft patterns on the wooden floor. The bakery’s interior resembled a tranquil greenhouse—vines and potted plants hung from the ceiling, and the scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the floral aroma of the tea being brewed behind the counter. Outside, the quiet hum of the country of Rosemoor's inner streets went on as peacefully as they could be, now that the Kirean Empire was no longer a threat.

  Just months earlier, the country of Rosemoor had emerged from a brutal, years-long war against the Kirean Empire—a conflict that left cities in ruins and families scattered. Though peace had finally settled over the nation like soft snow, its cost was etched into the bones of every returning soldier. The war’s turning point, many said, came when Captain Lucien Vale led the infamous 3rd Recon Battalion into enemy territory—a suicide mission that somehow turned the tide. He returned a hero, though those who knew the cost never dared call him that to his face.

  Vanessa Sinclair stood behind the counter, her hands deftly kneading dough, her eyes focused on the task. Her long curly brown hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, a few strands escaping to frame her freckled face. The apron around her waist was dusted with flour, and her hazel eyes, though bright, held a distant look. Her deep dimples, a feature her mother always told her were beautiful, were hidden under the tight set of her lips.

  As usual, Vanessa worked quietly while Robin and Emma, her coworkers and close friends, entertained the steady stream of customers. Both women, tall, slim, and confident with their sleek hair and bright smiles, laughed at the flirtatious remarks tossed their way by the men standing in line. Emma had a striking smile, her blonde hair cascading down her back as she winked playfully at one of the regulars. Robin, with her dark hair and slender frame, was already engaged in casual banter with a few soldiers who had come in for their daily bread and tea.

  Vanessa rarely got that kind of attention.

  As she placed a tray of perfectly shaped rolls into the oven, her eyes darted toward the counter. One of the soldiers, his gear still strapped to his hips, leaned across the counter and handed Emma a small piece of paper. It was undoubtedly information for a date he just asked her on. Emma giggled, brushing her hair back as she accepted it. Vanessa shifted uncomfortably, her eyes lowering back to the dough she was rolling out for pastries.

  "God, I wish I had her confidence," Vanessa thought, pressing the dough harder than necessary.

  Robin noticed her quiet demeanor and nudged her as she passed by with a tray of tea cups. “You okay, Ness?” she asked softly, her tone full of genuine concern.

  Vanessa forced a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah, just busy. You know how it is,” she replied, her voice carrying the faintest hint of her low self-esteem, though she masked it as best as she could.

  Robin gave her a sympathetic look but didn’t push the subject. “Well, let me know if you need help with the cakes later. You’re the best decorator we’ve got.”

  Vanessa nodded and muttered a quiet "thanks," though her heart wasn’t in it. She knew Robin meant well, but that didn’t stop the creeping thoughts from whispering in the back of her mind. Thoughts that reminded her she was different. Too short, too curvy, too… unremarkable.

  Robin and Emma often got all the attention. When they went out together, Vanessa would be the one who lagged behind, pretending not to notice when men passed over her to compliment her friends. Even now, in the bakery, while customers flirted with Robin and Emma, Vanessa was left to work unnoticed. She convinced herself it was fine. She had her work, her skill in baking, her passion for decorating intricate pastries that looked almost too beautiful to eat. But even that passion couldn’t fill the growing void of loneliness in her chest.

  She glanced outside to see the same familiar faces of the town’s citizens walking by, their lives continuing peacefully. Soldiers from the Dominion Military occasionally strolled in, their bodies less tense, their faces more relaxed. It was still surreal to Vanessa, even months after the war, that they were safe now.

  Suddenly, the bell above the bakery door chimed, and two more soldiers entered. Vanessa's eyes instinctively lifted to the new arrivals. They wore the black jackets of the 3rd Recon Battalion, and for a brief moment, her heart quickened. Even though the war had brought peace, there was still something about the presence of soldiers that made her uneasy. But these weren’t just any soldiers. These were veterans.

  One of them, a man with blonde hair tied back into a braid, had a serious expression, his brows furrowed as if he had a lot on his mind. The other was taller, with an undercut and an air of intensity that radiated even in this peaceful setting.

  Captain Lucien Vale.

  Though Vanessa had seen Captain Vale a handful of times before—usually when he passed by the bakery with his squad—he was still somewhat of a mystery to her. People whispered about him. Some called him The Blade of the North, others feared him for his cold demeanor and ruthless efficiency on the battlefield. But here he was, stepping into "The Sweet House," with his usual stoic expression and sharp green scanning the room.

  Robin and Emma immediately straightened up, their playful tones softening, replaced by something more serious. Even they knew better than to flirt with someone like Captain Vale.

  Vanessa kept her eyes down as she prepared another tray of tea, her fingers moving deftly despite the sudden tension in the air. She knew better than to expect any attention from him. Men like him didn’t notice women like her.

  “Just tea for two,” Lucien muttered, his voice low but commanding. His companion nodded in agreement, his eyes briefly scanning the assortment of baked goods.

  As Robin took their order, Vanessa quietly set the tea tray on the counter, her hands brushing flour from her apron. Lucien didn’t even glance her way. His sharp gaze remained on the door, ever alert, ever focused, as if he couldn’t allow himself even a moment of peace.

  For a brief moment, Vanessa’s heart ached. She told herself it was stupid to feel that way. Of course Lucien Vale, the man who had saved the country and stood beside legends, wouldn’t notice someone like her. But still, it stung—a reminder of her own insecurities and the invisible wall she felt existed between her and everyone else.

  Robin and Emma exchanged glances as they served the tea, their usual banter replaced with a more subdued tone around the infamous captain. Vanessa, still feeling like the unseen background, turned back to the kitchen, her mind drifting to the suggestion her mother had made just the night before.

  “You should join that letter exchange pen pal group, Ness,” Vivian, her mother, had said over dinner last night, her warm, motherly smile filled with encouragement. “It’ll be good for you. You might meet someone interesting. Who knows, maybe he’ll be the one.”

  Vanessa had scoffed at the idea at first. An anonymous pen pal? Writing letters to someone she’d never meet? It felt ridiculous. But as she washed her hands and reached for the next batch of dough, her thoughts lingered on the possibility. It wasn’t like her life was exciting right now. Maybe, just maybe, it would be something new. Something to shake up the monotonous routine of her life.

  She sighed softly, her hazel eyes glancing toward the counter where Lucien sat, sipping his tea without a word.

  "Maybe... it’s time for something different," she thought, returning to her work.

  Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take a chance.

  But as Vanessa finished preparing the tea, her hands trembled slightly. Her heart raced in her chest as she realized she would be the one bringing it to Captain Vale himself. He was only a few feet away, sitting at the counter with his back straight, his eyes sharp and ever-watchful. Beside him, his companion—Sargeant Elias Thorne—sat with a distant look, his face cold and unreadable.

  Vanessa’s pulse quickened. This was the closest she had ever been to either of them, and the weight of that realization made her hands feel clumsy, her grip on the tray unsteady.

  “You’ve got this, Ness,” she muttered under her breath, trying to steel her nerves. It was just tea. She’d served hundreds of customers before, even high-ranking military officers. But this felt different. Lucien’s intense presence made her feel exposed, vulnerable in a way she wasn’t used to.

  Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the counter, the teacups perfectly arranged on the tray. But as she walked toward them, her mind raced with the insecurity that had haunted her for years. "What if they think I’m clumsy? Or worse, invisible?"

  She reached Lucien and Elias’s table. With every step closer, she felt her anxiety grow. The bakery, once filled with comforting aromas and soft chatter, now seemed overwhelmingly silent.

  “Here’s your tea,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

  But just as she began lowering the tray, her hand slipped.

  Everything happened in a flash—Vanessa felt the slick handle of the tray slip from her trembling fingers, and before she could react, the teacups tumbled over the edge. Time seemed to slow down, her eyes widening in horror as the delicate porcelain shattered on the wooden floor. The tea splattered everywhere, dark liquid spreading across the clean surface, seeping into the cracks between the floorboards.

  A gasp escaped her lips as the sound of the shattering cups echoed through the bakery. Vanessa froze, her entire body stiffening as she stared at the mess she had just made. Her heart pounded in her chest, so loud she could hardly hear anything else.

  “Oh, no…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her face flushed red, heat rising to her cheeks as shame and embarrassment crashed over her.

  For a moment, all she could think about was how much she wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Lucien or Elias. Instead, she crouched down quickly, frantically trying to clean up the mess.

  “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean— I’ll clean it up right away,” Vanessa stammered, her voice trembling as she tried to collect the shattered pieces of the teacups with shaking hands.

  Her fingers fumbled, the nerves getting the best of her. She couldn’t even look up at the men she had just spilled tea in front of—The Blade of the North, the man who had saved all of Rosemoor from annihilation. How could she have been so careless?

  “Don’t worry about it,” came a quiet, gruff voice. Lucien's.

  Vanessa’s heart skipped a beat, and her face grew even hotter. She couldn’t tell if he was irritated, indifferent, or simply dismissive. She couldn’t bear to find out either, so she kept her eyes glued to the floor as she continued to clean.

  Robin and Emma rushed over, their faces filled with concern as they knelt beside Vanessa to help.

  “Don’t worry, Ness, we’ll handle this,” Robin whispered, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as she knelt to gather the broken pieces.

  “We’ll get you two some fresh tea. On the house, of course,” Emma added quickly, flashing an apologetic smile toward Lucien and Elias, who had yet to say much.

  Elias hadn’t even glanced at the mess. His eyes were still fixed on some distant point beyond the bakery, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever. The tension between him and Lucien was palpable, but neither of them seemed overly concerned about the tea.

  Robin and Emma took over, their calm presence somehow making the situation feel even worse for Vanessa. She wanted to crawl into a corner, to disappear entirely, but her feet refused to move.

  Her mind was a whirlwind of self-doubt. "Why did I have to mess up now? In front of them, of all people?" She could already imagine Robin and Emma’s voices comforting her later, telling her not to worry about it, but she knew this moment would stick with her—another small failure added to the long list of reasons she wasn’t like them.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Vanessa swallowed hard, blinking back the moisture that threatened to cloud her vision. She couldn’t stay here. Not right now.

  “I’m… I’m so sorry,” she mumbled again, her voice barely above a whisper. She stood quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone, and hurried toward the back room, her footsteps heavy and uneven. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest that it drowned out everything else.

  Once she made it to the back of the bakery, she pressed her back against the wall, her hands covering her face. The cool, flour-dusted surface of the wall was a slight relief from the heat radiating from her embarrassment, but it did little to calm the storm of shame swirling inside her.

  She slid down to sit on the floor, her apron still stained with flour and now tea. Her head rested against her knees, and she tried to breathe, but all she could think about was how horribly wrong everything had gone. This was supposed to be a normal day. Why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be Captain Vale?

  The nerves, the insecurities—everything had collided all at once, and now she had made a fool of herself. Vanessa’s mind raced with the weight of it all, and she wished more than anything that she could just disappear for a little while.

  She was too embarrassed to face the bakery again, too flustered to even consider stepping out and seeing their faces. Especially Lucien’s.

  Robin and Emma exchanged glances as they watched Vanessa rush into the back room, her footsteps uneven, and her figure trembling with embarrassment. They knew Ness had always been shy, but neither had ever seen her this flustered before. Robin's eyes softened with sympathy, while Emma let out a quiet sigh, shaking her head.

  Lucien, sitting at the counter with his tea still soaking into the floor, remained impassive. His sharp, unwavering gaze followed Vanessa's retreat, his expression unreadable. He hadn't said much when the accident happened, just a brief "Don't worry about it," and now his silence hung in the air like a heavy curtain.

  Elias, sitting beside him, barely blinked. His hands were folded in front of him, eyes distant and locked onto some unseen point beyond the bakery's walls. If he had any reaction to the spilled tea or Vanessa’s mortified escape, it didn’t show. His stoicism had only deepened since the war, his emotions buried deep beneath layers of purpose and detachment. Lucien could sense it, but right now, he wasn’t focused on Elias.

  "Did you hear that?" Lucien muttered quietly to Elias, his voice low. "One of them called her 'Ness.'"

  Elias’s gaze shifted ever so slightly in acknowledgment, but he didn’t respond. Lucien’s eyes narrowed as he glanced toward the back room where Vanessa had disappeared. He wasn’t sure why the girl's clumsiness had caught his attention, but something about the way she fled, so visibly shaken, lingered in his mind.

  Emma quickly knelt down to clean up the remnants of the spilled tea while Robin, with her ever-friendly smile, stepped forward and spoke gently to Lucien and Elias. “We’re so sorry about that. Let us get you both a fresh batch, on the house. It’ll be ready in just a moment,” she said, her tone warm and professional, though the tension was still evident in her voice.

  “Take your time,” Lucien replied coolly, his eyes still glancing toward the back where Vanessa had disappeared.

  Robin and Emma worked quickly, trying to ease the awkwardness that now filled the bakery. Robin glanced toward the back room, where she could only imagine Vanessa was hiding, and then looked at Lucien and Elias. They had seen enough tension and battles to last a lifetime; this incident was nothing compared to the things they had faced. But for Vanessa? It felt like the end of the world.

  In the back room, Vanessa sat on a small wooden stool, her hands clutching the sides of her apron. Her heart hadn’t slowed down since the moment she dropped the tea, and her cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment. The air back here felt heavy, thick with the scent of flour and sugar, but nothing could soothe the panic swirling inside her.

  “How could I be so stupid?” she muttered to herself, her hands pressing against her face as if that would somehow hide her from the outside world. Her mind raced, replaying the scene over and over again, each time worse than the last. She could feel the weight of their eyes on her as the tea spilled, hear the shattering of the porcelain, see Lucien's indifferent expression that somehow made everything feel even worse.

  She had messed up in front of Captain Lucien Vale—Lucien Vale. And not just him. Elias Thorne, too. The two most intimidating men in the whole of Rosemoor, and she had embarrassed herself in front of them. Vanessa groaned, covering her face with both hands as she slouched against the counter.

  “I can never go back out there,” she thought, her chest tightening with each passing second. “Robin and Emma are going to think I’m such an idiot. I can’t even serve a cup of tea without making a scene.”

  Her stomach churned, and she wished she could disappear, hide in the back room forever, where no one could see her, where no one could judge her. She imagined herself quitting the bakery, moving to some far corner of the country where no one knew her, where no one would remember the clumsy girl who spilled tea on Hero of Rosemoor.

  Her thoughts spiraled, and she could feel the embarrassment sinking in deeper and deeper. Vanessa was the kind of person who prided herself on staying in the background, unnoticed, blending into the routine of the bakery. But now, she had been noticed for all the wrong reasons.

  "What am I even doing?" she mumbled, her voice strained. "I’m not like Robin or Emma… I’m not the one people notice."

  She knew they would handle the situation with ease, fix the mess, and charm their way through it. Meanwhile, here she was, hiding like a scared child.

  Vanessa took a shaky breath, trying to compose herself, but it felt impossible. She was trapped in her own mind, a whirlwind of self-doubt and humiliation swirling around her. Her hands fidgeted with the fabric of her apron, twisting and pulling at it as she tried to focus on anything other than what had just happened.

  “Why does this always happen to me?” she whispered under her breath. It wasn’t the first time she had felt out of place. She had grown used to being overlooked, used to standing in the shadow of her friends. But today… today was worse. It wasn’t just being ignored. It was being noticed—noticed for being a mess.

  The thought made her cringe, her hazel eyes closing tightly as she wished, once again, for the ground to just swallow her up. She imagined Robin and Emma out there, handling the situation, probably making jokes with Lucien and Elias, smoothing over everything. They were good at that. They knew how to charm, how to make people feel at ease.

  Vanessa, on the other hand, couldn’t even manage a cup of tea.

  As she sat there, torn between wanting to hide forever and forcing herself to face the embarrassment, she heard the faint murmur of voices coming from the front of the shop. The bell chimed softly again, probably signaling more customers arriving. Her heart sank at the thought of facing anyone. But more than that, the idea of seeing Lucien and Elias again—after what she had just done—was unbearable.

  “No… I can’t… I can’t go out there,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head.

  Vanessa took in deep, shaky breaths, trying to steady herself as the distant murmur of customers entering the bakery filled her ears. She could hear the bell above the door ringing repeatedly, the sound of new footsteps and low voices mixing with Robin and Emma’s hurried chatter. More customers.

  “No, no, no…” Vanessa muttered under her breath. Robin and Emma were good at handling the crowd, but they couldn't do it alone, not when it was getting this busy. She knew they’d need her help soon, and that meant one terrifying thing: going back out there.

  Her stomach twisted. She wasn’t ready to face Lucien or Elias again. Not after spilling the tea. Not after making such a fool of herself. Her hands were still trembling slightly as she clenched them into fists, trying to ground herself. "Come on, Ness. You’ve handled worse days than this. You can do it. Just… pretend they’re not there."

  Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut, pressing the back of her head against the cool wall behind her. She ran through the usual routine in her mind—taking orders, serving tea, carrying trays. It was nothing she hadn’t done a thousand times before. So why did it feel like her entire world had collapsed after one small mistake?

  "Because it wasn’t just any customers." she reminded herself bitterly. The weight of their presence still hung over her like a dark cloud. But there wasn’t any time to think about that now. She couldn’t leave Robin and Emma to handle this alone. They needed her.

  Her breath hitched as she heard Robin’s voice call from the front. “Ness? Hey, we’re swamped out here!”

  Vanessa bit her lip, her mind racing with excuses to stay hidden in the back room. But none of them sounded reasonable. She couldn’t hide forever. She had a job to do, and no matter how much she wanted to disappear, she couldn’t let her friends down.

  “Okay, you can do this,” she whispered to herself, running a hand through her curly hair, still tied in a messy ponytail. “Just go out there, get through the rush, and avoid making eye contact. It’s simple.”

  She stood up, her legs still feeling a little wobbly beneath her. Her hands smoothed down the flour-stained apron over her curvy frame, and she glanced at herself in the small mirror hanging by the door. Her hazel eyes were still wide with anxiety, and her freckles stood out more against her flushed skin. The deep dimples that usually softened her expression were absent, replaced by the tight line of her lips.

  “Just pretend it didn’t happen,” she muttered, giving herself one last look. “You’re fine. You’re not invisible. You’re just… you. And that’s enough.”

  With a final deep breath, Vanessa turned the handle of the back room door and stepped back into the bakery. The familiar smells of freshly baked bread and floral tea wafted through the air, but the atmosphere had changed since she last left. The place was bustling now, with a line forming at the counter, and Robin and Emma were darting between customers, their usual grace tested by the sheer number of orders.

  Vanessa’s heart raced again as she tried to center herself, moving to help with the orders without glancing toward the spot where Lucien and Elias still sat. The memory of her earlier mistake burned in the back of her mind, and she couldn’t help but feel a knot of self-consciousness tightening in her stomach. She desperately wanted to avoid their gaze, but the weight of it felt like a tangible force pressing down on her.

  Robin gave her a quick glance of relief when she saw Vanessa emerge from the back. “Thanks, Ness. Couldn’t do this without you,” she whispered in passing, balancing a tray of pastries and tea cups.

  Vanessa forced a small smile and nodded, though her heart was still pounding. She focused on the customers, taking their orders, preparing drinks, and doing her best to ignore the fact that she was still mortified. But no matter how hard she tried, she could feel him.

  Lucien’s gaze.

  It was subtle—so subtle that no one else would have noticed—but Vanessa could feel it, like a constant pressure at the edge of her vision. Even though she kept her eyes averted, she knew Lucien was watching her. His piercing eyes, known for their ability to see through anything, felt like they were analyzing her every move, every gesture.

  She swallowed hard, trying to keep her focus on the tea she was pouring. Her hands shook slightly, but she forced herself to breathe. "Just keep going. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. It’s fine. He’s probably forgotten all about it by now."

  But that feeling wouldn’t go away. Lucien wasn’t the kind of person to forget things. And even though he hadn’t said anything, the fact that she had spilled tea in front of him—of all people—was enough to make her want to shrink into herself. Every movement felt awkward, every step too heavy. She was hyper-aware of her presence now, the way her curvy frame moved through the small space of the bakery, how her apron strained against her waist and hips as she bent to retrieve an order.

  She risked a quick glance in Lucien’s direction, though immediately regretted it. He was still sitting there, his expression unreadable, but his eyes… they were on her.

  Vanessa’s breath hitched, and she immediately looked away, her face flushing even deeper. She nearly stumbled over her own feet as she rushed to deliver the tea to a waiting customer, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. "Why is he looking at me? Is he mad? Does he think I’m incompetent? Oh, God…"

  Elias, for his part, seemed uninterested in anything happening around him, his distant expression unchanged. It was as if the chaos of the bakery didn’t exist to him.

  But Lucien’s gaze never wavered. Vanessa could feel it with every step she took, every order she prepared. It made her feel even more self-conscious, her earlier confidence rapidly draining away. She wasn’t used to being noticed, not in the way her friends were. She wasn’t used to being under scrutiny, especially from someone like him.

  The pressure mounted as she continued her work, moving through the crowd as more customers came and went. She tried to keep herself composed, but the weight of Lucien’s attention was too much. Every mistake she feared making seemed magnified in her mind, and the memory of spilling the tea loomed over her like a dark cloud.

  As she passed by the counter again, Robin caught her eye and whispered, “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Vanessa nodded quickly, forcing a tight smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… you know. Busy.”

  But she wasn’t fine. The truth was, she was on the verge of a panic, her nerves fraying more with each passing second. She could feel Lucien’s gaze following her, and it was making it impossible to focus. She felt exposed, vulnerable, like every movement was being judged.

  With another shaky breath, Vanessa forced herself to keep going, determined to make it through the rest of the shift without any more mistakes. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Lucien Vale’s eyes were still on her, watching her every move.

  …

  An hour later, the atmosphere in "The Sweet House" had calmed down after the rush of customers, and Vanessa found herself breathing a little easier, though her nerves were still on edge. She tried to focus on wiping down the counters, refilling the tea kettles, anything that would keep her busy and distracted. But the weight of Lucien’s gaze still lingered in the air, even though she refused to look in his direction.

  At the counter, Robin and Emma had returned to their usual cheerful selves, chatting softly as the last few customers finished their drinks. Elias, still silent and brooding, sat across from Lucien, who looked as stoic as ever. Neither man had spoken much since they’d arrived, and the tension Vanessa had felt from Lucien’s silent observation was starting to wear on her.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she noticed Elias and Lucien stand to leave. Her heart fluttered with relief. "Thank God," she thought, her hands pausing their work as she took a deep breath. She could finally relax.

  She heard Robin thank them for coming, her voice as bright and professional as ever. Vanessa turned her back, not wanting to accidentally make eye contact with Lucien or Elias as they walked past. The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself again. Her face was still burning with the shame of what had happened earlier.

  But then, just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, something happened that she never expected.

  "Hey, Ness."

  Her heart stopped. She froze in place, her fingers gripping the edge of the counter. Did she hear that right? Was he… was he talking to her? And did he just called her “Ness?”

  Vanessa slowly turned around, her hazel eyes wide, and met the gaze of the captain. He stood there, only a few feet away from her, his intense grey eyes locked onto hers. His expression was as unreadable as ever, but there was no mistaking it—he was addressing her.

  Her mind went blank. For a moment, all she could do was stare, completely flabbergasted. He was speaking to her. To her. She could barely process it. Her heart raced, pounding in her chest so loudly she could hardly hear anything else. It took everything in her to not outright panic.

  "Y-Yes?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Lucien’s eyes didn’t waver. He glanced briefly at the back of the shop where she had run off earlier, then back to her. “You shouldn’t be so nervous. It’s just tea.”

  Vanessa blinked, her mouth suddenly dry. Was this really happening? Was he really talking about what happened earlier? She had expected him to ignore it, or worse, silently judge her for being clumsy. But this? This was something else entirely.

  "I… I’m so sorry about that, sir," she managed to say, though her voice was shaky. “I didn’t mean to… I just—” She was rambling. Why was she rambling? She mentally kicked herself for not keeping her cool.

  Lucien raised an eyebrow, his expression remaining impassive. “Don’t apologize. It happens.”

  Vanessa didn’t know what to say. Her mind was racing, and her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest. This was Captain Vale, The Blade of the North, known for his ruthless efficiency and no-nonsense attitude, and he was standing here, talking to her about spilling tea. Talking to her.

  She wanted to say something—anything—but her brain wasn’t cooperating. Instead, she just stood there, staring at him like an idiot, her hands still trembling slightly.

  Lucien glanced at her for a moment longer, his sharp eyes seemingly assessing her. Then, without another word, he turned on his heel and headed for the door, Elias following silently behind him.

  Vanessa remained frozen in place, watching them leave, her mind struggling to catch up with what had just happened. The bell above the door chimed as it swung closed behind them, and the bakery felt strangely empty without their presence.

  She could barely breathe. Her face was still flushed, and her hands were gripping the counter so tightly her knuckles had gone white. Lucien Vale had spoken to her. Not only that—he had noticed her nerves, her mistake, and he hadn’t been angry. He had actually been… kind? At least, as kind as someone like Lucien could be.

  Vanessa’s mind spun. She replayed his words over and over again in her head, trying to make sense of it. Why would he say that to her? Why would someone like him, who had fought countless battles, cared about something so trivial?

  Her thoughts were interrupted when Robin came over, a knowing smirk on her face. “Well, Ness, looks like someone made quite the impression,” she teased, her tone playful.

  Vanessa blinked at her, still too stunned to form a coherent response. “I… what? No, I—”

  Emma appeared beside her, chuckling softly. “Don’t worry, Ness. You’re not the only one who gets flustered around him. Trust me, half the girls in the Rosemoor would probably faint if Lucien Vale said more than two words to them.”

  Vanessa swallowed hard, her mind still spinning. She tried to calm herself, but it was no use. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Lucien had noticed her. That he had spoken to her.

  “I’m… I’m fine,” she mumbled, her voice shaky. She didn’t know how to explain the whirlwind of emotions crashing through her. She was embarrassed, mortified, confused—and a small part of her was weirdly flattered.

  As Robin and Emma moved on, giggling to themselves, Vanessa found herself standing there, still gripping the counter as she tried to process what had just happened.

  Lucien Vale had spoken to her. And she had no idea what to make of it.