A/N: Part Two as promised

[Hunter, Servant or Prince? (Part Two)]

"My Queen, please remember that the next time you have to take this is in three hours. It will be during the party. If you wish, I will drop by during the time to give you a reminder." Lissiana spoke as she waited for her queen to finish the mug of tonics. After being assigned to the Queen, Lissiana had worked hard to select a good combination of herbs that served as the Queen's daily health-boosting tonics.

Lissiana also had to thank her lucky stars that the Queen was a very amiable woman –definitely one who understood that consistently drinking the tonic was the best and most sure-fire way to keep her health up. In return, Lissiana had done her best to select a few more ingredients to make the tonic a little more appetising without reducing the effectiveness of the tonic as a whole.

"Please do, Lissi dear." Queen Eva finished the last of the tonic, grimacing in her lady-like manner at how bitter the tonic had been. "Where will you be during the party?"

"I was thinking of going down to take stock of the Royal Apothecary. There were some herbs that were running low the last time I went there, and it appears that a flu bug is spreading amongst the hunters." Lissiana answered, accepting the mug back from her queen, passing over a small mint candy to chew on for a better after-taste. The mint candy had also been carefully decanted from nourishing crushed herbs as well after her queen had complained about the tonic leaving a too-bitter taste on her tongue for too long.

"Yes, I heard about that from Sparda. I was worried that my son might have gotten the flu as well from training with some of them, but it appears that Vergil is all fine. Sparda told me that Vergil came to Court Meetings and presented himself very well against the Lords." Once more, the proud words came as Lissiana put on her smile. While she could not connect with her queen in the feelings of being a mother, Lissiana definitely thought that the Queen was a very loving mother who really worried much about her son and husband –despite the fact that she was probably the person that the two of them were the most worried about as well.

What a strange royal family in which the members constantly worry about each other.

"You must have little to worry about, my Queen. I am sure your husband and son are fine, strong men who are able to hold off on just a little bit of flu." Lissiana reassured.

"Our soldiers are also fine and strong men, but they have been largely been struck by the flu. No mother or wife will remain nonchalant to possible threats like these." Queen Eva answered easily. "But talk of the flu aside, do you truly intend to stay in the Apothecary for the entire duration of the party, Lissi dear?"

"I could help out at the Medical Wing." Lissiana answered, wondering why her queen seemed to be pursuing this conversation so eagerly.

"Lissi dear," The queen sighed, then patted the empty seat beside her on the velvet couch in an open invitation for Lissiana to take her seat. Having been invited many times before, Lissiana sat herself down comfortably beside the gentle woman. "Lissi, I've started to treat you like a darling daughter of mine ever since you came in. I don't want your life in the castle to  completely revolve around herbs and medicine."

"But I am here as a Court Physician, my queen. The reason why I even came to the castle at all was to be a Court Physician."

"My dear," Eva's careful fingers pulled Lissiana's fringe back, threading it behind her ear in a caring, loving movement, "Have you considered any men that you have met so far in the castle? You have been here for at least half a year; has anyone caught your eye?"

Lissiana found that she could not lie to the woman; both because the woman was her queen, and her queen really cared too much for her to even think about lying.

"I... have." Lissiana admitted for the first time aloud.

"That is great! Who is he? What is his name, and where in the castle is he working at? How far have the both of you gone?" Queen Eva seemed genuinely happy that Lissiana had someone in her sights –like a genuine mother. Lissiana supposed that Queen Eva was a good image of what Lissiana's own mother would have been like if she hadn't passed away early on in her life, leaving only Lissiana and her father.

"His name is Viburn, and he works as the Prince's attendant. We haven't gotten very far at all... I've only met him twice. He saved me from some bad people in Visternia the first time we met, and I met him near the Prince's quarters the second time. I don't think he remembers me much at all..." Lissiana said shyly.

"Viburn?" Queen Eva repeated, a pondering tone. "I don't believe I have heard of anyone of that name. But then again, that son of mine is always up to things. Viburn must be his trusty aid, because it took much insisting for him to accept his bodyguards. We had to force his current attendant on him when he was younger."

Expectedly, the queen could not keep the conversation topic far away from her son at all, as Lissiana listened to more stories about the Prince that she had yet to meet.

"Oh, look at me, going on about Vergil." The Queen finally brought the conversation back around once more, looking happily unrepentant. "If you want to look for your Viburn, Lissi dear, then he will most likely be at the party. My son is attending the party as well, and any rightful attendant will be right beside him for any possible trouble. Attend the party as well; meet your man."

"My queen, I cannot." Lissiana protested quickly. "I am a mere Court Physician."

"No, Lissi dear, you are my Court Physician. You have to be at the party to remind me to take my tonics, dear. You must be at the party to watch over my health."

"But I have never been needed to be around to-" Lissiana's following protest was cut off when Queen Eva put a no-nonsense hand over her mouth, forcing the words back in.

"Don't bother to protest, Lissi dear. This is your Queen's order. In fact, I've already asked Mary to prepare a dress for you. After Mary dresses me this evening, she will go to your room to find you, and she will dress you. She will do your makeup and hair. I have told her to make sure to escort you to the party, so please do not bring her more trouble, Lissi dear."

There was really no way for Lissiana to say no to her queen, and thus she found herself dressed and made up very nicely later in the same evening. Lissiana had been very shocked when she admired herself in the mirror, because the Queen's personal attendant Mary had done her up extremely well. Lissiana almost could not recognise herself in the mirror, but she had not been spared much time at all to admire the woman in the mirror as she was rushed to be escorted to the party held in the conference hall.

It was a social party organised by the King, inviting the many Lords and neighbouring powerhouses for a gathering, and Lissiana immediately felt weird being part of the mess of very well-dressed men and ladies, exchanging talk about things that Lissiana inherently could not understand. Even though she had been dressed to fit in, it simply remained a fact that Lissiana could not fit in well with the atmosphere as she rushed quickly to greet the hosts who presided over the party sitting in their royal thrones.

"Lissi dear!" Queen Eva's squeal was one of delight, and Lissiana saw a wide smile appear on King Sparda's face at the sound of his wife's happiness. "You are a really beautiful woman now! I'm sure you have turned many heads in the room already. Am I right, Sparda?"

"Yes, it is a refreshing change to see Lissiana dressed up." King Sparda nodded to acknowledge Lissiana's respectful greeting bow. "Please feel free to enjoy the party, Lissiana."

"Yes, and look for your man!" Queen Eva encouraged brightly, urging her away quickly with the news that Prince Vergil had already arrived at the party –which meant that Viburn had to be here as well.

"Lissiana has a lover?" She heard King Sparda's surprised question when she turned away from the hosts of the party, escaping quickly before Queen Eva could keep her back by making her admit more about her one-sided love. Despite being very touched that her queen was being very supportive of her love, Lissiana prayed that Queen Eva would not find the man directly herself and force Viburn to love Lissiana back or something along that line.

Still, her employer and queen had brought her here with a mission, and Lissiana guessed that she at least had to do her best to attempt on that mission. Threading through the sea of people, entertaining some stray questions directed to her before being turned away by confused people who didn't understand why a Court Physician was at the party all well dressed up, Lissiana eventually found herself with a flute of complementary champagne, standing in the open balcony.

In a social party like this, most participants were too busy making connections with each other to stand outside on the balcony to enjoy some peace and quiet, and thus Lissiana found herself thankfully alone in the cool air.

"Lissiana? Is that you?"

Spinning around at the sound of someone addressing her, Lissiana was utterly shocked to find the man she had been looking for all this while standing in front of her.

They took a long moment to assess each other's clothes, as Lissiana's heart picked up pace. Her queen had dressed her up very well, but the Prince had done the exact same for his attendant. In fact, Lissiana had no idea that attendants were supposed to be dressed so smartly for a party like this.

His shoes were brightly shined, and his clothes were tailored to fit him like a glove. His impressive figure was very well advertised in his clothes, and pinned on his breast were some golden decorations. At his side hung his usual sword, but the hilt glimmered as if it had been given a recent polish. His silver-white hair had been styled very well, and when he took steps closer to her on the balcony, the moonlight caught something sitting on top of his head, and shone in her eyes.

"You are beautiful, Lissiana. But why in the devil's name are you dressed like this, and at a party like this?" Viburn's words were both a comment and a demand, and Lissiana wasn't sure what she felt from those words. In fact, she couldn't really feel much beyond the overwhelming feeling that she had suddenly met her idol, and that he looked even better than what she could imagine him in.

"The Queen... She dressed me up and made me come..." Lissiana answered breathily. "Y-You are dressed very well today, Viburn...... Are attendants supposed to wear a crown?"

The question clearly made Viburn aware of the accessory sitting on the top of his head, as he quickly reached up and took it off, holding it in his free hand while the other one held a glass of wine.

"I am on a mission today." Viburn's voice was a low conspiracy as he closed the distance between him and her, leading the both of them to the ledge where they faced outwards so that no one would be able to catch their conversation as they huddled close. "The Prince has run out on this party, and because many people comment that we look very much alike, he has me made up today to look like him. After he greeted his parents, we swapped clothes and he went running out. I am currently his stand-in."

"The Prince has what?" Lissiana repeated, utterly surprised. The Prince that she had always heard of from the queen and the maidservants was a very responsible, obedient and mature man. She had had a good impression of the guy until today. Why would a prince run out on a party hosted by his own parents?

"Shh." A gloved hand covered her mouth. "You and I are the only ones at the party who know of this. Far as anyone knows, I am currently Prince Vergil."

"B-But hasn't anyone recognised that you are not the real prince?" Lissiana removed the hand from her mouth, whispering to show that she was on Viburn's side.

"The prince generally doesn't like to make social calls unless he absolutely has to. Most of the lords and officials here have only seen him when he sits on the throne a good distance away from them, so they cannot get a very good look of his face. We look alike enough in face and stature to pass off as each other." Viburn explained, picking up his wine and taking a sip. His –or rather, his prince's –crown sat innocently on the ledge between them.

"I never knew Prince Vergil to be someone who runs off from parties." Lissiana admitted quietly.

"He has never really liked social events or social calls. He only visits lords and officials when he absolutely has to, but when he does, things usually go his way. Prince Vergil is a convincing man, but he does not like to have to do the convincing personally."

"I assume he convinced you to stand-in for him as well?" Lissiana giggled a little, watching as the man nod in admission.

Lissiana was so happy and grateful that she had managed to see Viburn once again –and in such a regal, princely outfit –that she lost track of the time they shared talking to each other. Their conversation covered many things between them, and Lissiana felt warm in her heart when she talked easily with the man. Viburn –true to his position as an attendant –was very knowledgeable of many things, and though he took hard, unforgiving stances against certain issues, Lissiana found out that he had a very upright and admirable character. Lissiana had witnessed a little of that up-close when he had saved her during her first day in Visternia, but it was different to learn about it through hearing about his opinions on many things.

"Oh yes, you promised me that you would tell me what happened to the Second Prince if we met again." Lissiana brought up another conversation topic after a short pause in which the man took to sip once more at his red wine.

"I did promise you that, didn't I?" Viburn looked amused, and completely charming under the moonlight glow. "There is really nothing much to say about the Second Prince."

"What is his name?"

"Prince Dante."

"How much younger is he as compared to Prince Vergil?"

"Just a few minutes. They are twins."

"What happened?" Lissiana decided to quickly jump into the deep end of the pool. "Why did he leave?"

Viburn shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "Prince Dante simply didn't like life in the castle. He didn't want to be trapped in the castle walls. He was always an adventurer –when the princes played together when they were young, Prince Dante was always the one who got lost because he exploring too far. The princes grew up together until they became of age, then Prince Dante said that he was going to leave the castle to explore the world."

"Just like that? All of a sudden? Didn't King Sparda try to make him stay?" Lissiana's shock was easily understandable.

"Everyone tried to make him stay. King Sparda even went so far as to lock Prince Dante up in his room with guards posted to make him reflect. But instead, Prince Dante just took the chance to pack his things and escaped. Queen Eva's begging did not get through to Prince Dante, and her health took a turn for the worse as she worried over her runaway son. No one could find him, and we were only finally assured of his well-being when he sent a letter back to the castle through a far-travelling caravan to report. By the time, he was already very far away from Vistern, and enjoying his life outside."

"Wow. Prince Dante ran away so abruptly. Wasn't King Sparda furious?"

"Very. But at the end, the King had to accept that his son was just like that. Everyone knew that Prince Dante was a drifter. Now that I think about it, it would have been impossible to force him to take his duties as a prince seriously. Eventually, everyone just forgot about Prince Dante, especially when Prince Vergil covered for the duties for his brother and did exceptionally well."

"So, that's why nobody talks about the Second Prince in the castle..." Lissiana nodded in understanding.

"Because of the way the Second Prince ran off, it was a big shock to the Queen. Nobody wants to remind her of her runaway son, so nobody talks about him." Viburn concluded.

"But how did Prince Vergil take it?" Lissiana asked, not exactly willing to let things go. "Wasn't it doubly hard for him, especially if they grew up together? It must have been such a big event in his life that changed him; he had to take over duties for his brother, comfort the queen, and deal with his own emotions of losing his twin?"

The look of hesitant shock clearly meant that Viburn had not expected anyone to care about the leftover prince. Lissiana understood why most people wouldn't care –the queen was the one with the frail health after all.

"Prince Vergil coped very well. He took everything in his stride in the days and months afterwards. But..." Viburn hesitated.

"If you don't want to speak ill of your master or show his weakness to me, it is fine. I understand." Lissiana put in quickly, not wanting to pressure the poor man into betraying his master.

"No, if it is you, it will be fine, Lissiana." Viburn shook his head. "Prince Vergil sometimes stayed up at night trying to track where his brother might have gone to. Behind the scenes, he sent a few soldiers to the places he thought were most likely to have traces of Prince Dante to search. It went on for over 2 years with mixed results, but eventually Prince Vergil stopped."

"That is so sad." Lissiana felt her heart squeeze a little in pity. "Your master clearly loves his brother a lot."

"Prince Vergil will refuse to admit it aloud." Viburn answered easily.

"It is completely understandable for a Prince like him to want to hide his weakness." Lissiana answered understandingly.

She would have continued their conversation, if not for the sudden sound of rushing feet. Turning in surprise, she found her queen's attendant Mary and a few of the queen's familiar bodyguards running into the balcony.

"Prince Vergil! Please excuse our rudeness, but we need to borrow the lady." The small party bowed and did a very quick and rushed greeting to Viburn, who was still in disguise and looked equally shocked.

"What happened?" Lissiana beat Viburn to the words, already moving towards Mary in concern at her obvious fluster.

"The Queen..." Mary panted, clearly having run many corridors trying to look for Lissiana. "Her majesty... she fainted..."

"What?" Lissiana demanded. "Where is she now?"

"The guest room beside the hall. I will take you to her now." Mary reported quickly, and Lissiana was quick to follow.

Lissiana was so caught up in the sudden emergency that she hadn't realized that Viburn had followed her –and been stalled outside the guest room –until she walked out of the room to meet a very worried King Sparda and Viburn who was still under the disguise of Prince Vergil.

"How is she? How is Eva? Why did she faint?" King Sparda grabbed her shoulders hard the moment she stepped out and Lissiana winced. She understood the loving husband's anxiety, but the hard grip definitely hurt.

"Her majesty is fine." Lissiana rushed to say. "She simply feasted a little too much beyond her usual diet today because of the party, and the sudden spike in blood sugar came with a fainting spell because her body is still weak."

"She's okay?" King Sparda's wide eyes were flooded in relief at her announcement as Lissiana did her best to smile reassuringly.

"Yes, my King. She feels fine now that I've given her something to bring down her blood sugar to more manageable levels. She might have to control her diet for the next few meals, but otherwise there should be no long-lasting effects."

"Can I see her?"

"By all means, please go ahead. Her Majesty is looking forward to receiving you as well." Lissiana gave the go ahead, and the King spared absolutely no hesitation to go tearing through the door.

"You have done very well, Court Physician." The praise surprised Lissiana, and she turned around to find Viburn standing close to her, the crown once more affixed on his head. She had been momentarily surprised at his modest royal tone used on her, before she realised that they were in full view of the other maidservants, bodyguards and concerned lords. Viburn had to act according to the situation in the shoes of the missing Prince Vergil.

"Thank you for your kind compliment, Prince Vergil." She bowed politely as she would to the actual prince.

"No, I sincerely thank you very much for watching over my mother." Viburn insisted, and surprise Lissiana when his arms took her in a tight hug. Pressed against the warm and strong body, Lissiana could not help but melt a little on the inside.

This mischievous Viburn was taking the advantage of the situation to hug her, wasn't he?

Still, Lissiana decided that it was better than nothing as she hugged the man back in reply.

She could not deny; she really liked the man.

________________________________________________________________________________

It was a real pity that Lissiana could not get the chance to meet Viburn once again since the party. According to the Queen, Prince Vergil had been tasked by his father to oversee the improvement and development of a particularly poor area of Vistern, and the prince had been doubly busy ever since. The results of his hard work was finally just starting to show after a few months, but it also meant that the prince's attendant had been equally busy and absent as the prince was.

Lissiana could not help but feel longing for the day that they would meet again. Even if they happened to just pass each other in the corridor; Lissiana would be very satisfied and happy. She knew that she was acting like a hopeless maiden-in-love, but she could not help it. He was a gentleman with character traits that really attracted Lissiana. He had a smile to-die for, and his thoughtfulness was Lissiana's biggest weakness.

"How is the progress with the man of your dreams so far, Lissi dear?" The queen must have clearly read her mind, because the question pierced through her reverie as Lissiana once more received the empty mug of finished tonics.

"Not much, I'm afraid." Lissiana regretted to answer. "Ever since the party, Prince Vergil has been busy, and so has his attendant."

"Ah, yes. That is a pity." The queen looked honestly regretful for a moment. "No worries, Vergil is coming to the royal meeting today to report on the progress in Lisben. You might be able to catch a glimpse of him if you stay around."

As the queen's personal Court Physician, Lissiana had the permission to be wherever the queen was at all times. However, Lissiana was not interested in the politics of the royal family and the proceedings of development of the rest of Vistern, and thus had excused herself to the waiting room where the maidservants and retainers usually waited in. Only attendants were allowed to stay by their master and mistress's side, and thus Lissiana had never been able to catch a sight of Viburn despite them being in neighbouring rooms during royal meetings.

"Do you know why I am so jittery and cautiously happy today, Lissi dear?" The queen's sudden question both surprised and amused her. It wasn't often that someone said something like that, so obviously eager to be asked the obvious now that it was pointed out.

"No, my Queen. Would you like to tell me about it?" She obliged, watching as the Queen smiled widely and beautifully.

"Today, my husband and I sent out a message to as far as our messenger birds can go. It is a letter ordering my son to come back from wherever he has gone to because we have family matters to discuss. If he is no longer in Vistern, any citizen who possess the letter are bestowed with the duty to pass it to its rightful owner. Vergil assured me that using this method; we can expect Dante's reply by the end of this week!" The queen was almost bursting forth with anticipation and excitement, and it was definitely contagious as Lissiana found herself unconsciously waiting as well. Seeing the son that she missed so much would definitely improve the lady's health by leaps and bounds, and Lissiana herself was honestly curious to see the face of the prince who had escaped his life in the castle to go explore.

"May I know what family matters is to be discussed?" Lissiana asked cautiously in curiosity. It technically was not in her position to know much about the royal family, but if the queen was being chatty, she figured why not. Lissiana liked chatting with the queen as much as it was vice versa.

"The King of our biggest ally country has written to us and requested for a marriage meeting between his just-turned-of-age daughter to our son. We have to choose between Vergil and Dante." The queen explained.

Arranged marriage between royalty to strengthen ties were not surprising things at all. In fact, the marriage of love between King Sparda and Queen Eva was one of the rarest example of the opposite.

"So I assume you have called Prince Dante back to ask if he agrees to be married off? Why not Prince Vergil?" Lissiana asked, a little confused. Since the Second Prince had run away, would he really agree to let himself be tied down by a woman in marriage just because his parents asked it of him?

"Dante still loves his parents." The queen explained, the confidence in her son unshakeable. "If Vergil has someone he cherishes in his heart, we will let Vergil do what he wants. That boy has sacrificed so much for this country; I will feel so bad if we force him into marriage. I'm sure Dante will understand."

"I do hope that it will go well for you, my Queen." Lissiana nodded both because she honestly believed that Prince Vergil deserved a reward for his silent hard work from his parents, and also because Prince Dante's cooperation would definitely make the Queen much happier, which would in turn do very well for her health.

"One thing by one thing; I'm firstly looking forward to seeing Dante again!" The glee on the queen's face was almost childish, and Lissiana could not help her amused smile at the queen who wrote her feelings so obviously on her face.

Their soft conversation was interrupted when a rushed knock on the door sounded, and the queen announced permission to enter the room. Mary gave a short bow of greeting.

"My Queen, he... he is here! Prince Dante is back! He is currently waiting in the hall with King Sparda." Mary reported quickly, and the effect was instantaneous as the queen sprang to her feet all of a sudden.

Lissiana quickly grabbed on to her queen's hand when she swayed a little when the blood rushed to her head. The queen's weak constitution also meant that she could not do anything too quickly, and thus Lissiana protested when the queen understandably tried her best to run for the door.

"My Queen, I understand your rush, but you must not take it too quickly! If you were to faint before reaching the hall, then you might not be able to catch sight of Prince Dante." Lissiana insisted, watching as the conflict appeared on the Queen's face.

"Very well. You must lead me there then, Lissiana. As fast as you will allow me to walk without fainting, and I will follow." The queen tasked, and Lissiana nodded to show that she understood the seriousness of the mission placed on her shoulders. Assisting her lady to the hall in the fastest possible speed that would do little harm to the queen's body, Lissiana quickly pushed the heavy double doors open for her lady.

Her advice was clearly unheard when the Queen made a cry of happiness, and Lissiana turned to find that she had run into the hall, meeting the awaiting prince in a running hug.

"Dante, my boy, you are back!"

The replying chuckle was made in a strangely familiar voice, but Lissiana's concern was still mainly on the lady who was now collapsed in the arms of her son.

"Mom, you're looking as beautiful as you were years ago." The compliment was well-received. "Really, if you cry, I might cry also."

"No, don't cry." The queen's tears had already run by now. "I'll stop, so please don't cry, my son. Let me see your handsome face again."

The touching reunion warmed Lissiana's heart, and she accidentally met the King's eyes as she took place standing behind the thrones.

"Congratulations on the return of your son, King Sparda." Lissiana whispered.

"Thank you very much, Lissiana. To see Eva so happy; I am also very happy to have him back." King Sparda replied in an equally low whisper, not wanting to break up the scene in front of them. "Will you stay beside your queen today?"

"I am afraid so. She seems to not be able to hear to my advices when it comes to her son, particularly Prince Dante." Lissiana admitted. "Please excuse my presence here today, King Sparda."

"Nonsense. I'm glad that you are here. Your presence always reassures me, because you take such good care of Eva." The King answered, and Lissiana brimmed with silent pride as they watched the queen finally untangle herself from her son.

"Mom, I'm fine! Really!" The familiar voice was loud now, whining. The overly-worried queen was currently ruffling her son up and down, trying to see if had lost any bits of meat or hair from any place.

"You are not fine." Queen Eva declared. "You've gotten thinner!"

"They're muscles! I was fat before I left. Now I'm back better than ever." The returned prince boasted, showing off his impressive biceps. "I'll even beat Vergil to a showdown now."

"Beat who?" A second, exactly similar voice answered right behind the first voice, and eyes turned to the heavy double-doors opening again to let in someone.

This newcomer –because his face was not still blocked by the queen like the other prince was –shocked Lissiana.

Viburn had said that he looked very much like his prince, and had been able to become a convincing stand-in during the party. He could not have said it any better, because Lissiana realised that she was looking at the carbon copy of Viburn. Even his hair was the same shade of silver-white that Viburn had, the tautness of his eyebrows and the sharpness of his stark blue eyes were the same as Viburn.

"Beat your lousy fat ass, Vergil. I'm sure Mom has fed you like a pig in the castle while I was out training myself and living off what I could." The princes were clearly twins in how similar their voices were, and in fact Lissiana could make out very similar body shapes. If Viburn were here, she wouldn't be surprised if they were mistaken to be triplets by voice and body shape alone.

"We can settle that question later." Prince Vergil answered, walking to where Lissiana's queen still refused to let go of the returned prince. "Mother, Dante is not five years old anymore. He won't run away if you let go of him."

Lissiana quickly thought back about what Viburn had said about his master. Prince Vergil clearly didn't show much of his mother's elation about having his twin brother back, but Lissiana could see the smile tugging on his lips. The guy was seriously charming –as charming as Viburn was. Really, how could no one have told her that Prince Vergil's attendant looked and sounded exactly like the prince himself?

"Are you sure you won't run away, Dante?" The queen's voice was so wary that Prince Dante laughed, a melodious laughter that Lissiana remembered Viburn to have. Really, how good was her luck to have the princes looking and sounding exactly like that man she had fallen in love with?

"If I try to run away this time, Dad will upturn the entire country looking for me. Besides, Vergil will personally drag my ass back, and I don't want to suffer the humiliation." Prince Dante answered with cheerful laughter. Even from where she stood, Lissiana could hear the differences between the princes; Dante as the easy-going, cheerful one while Vergil was the more upright and serious one.

Lissiana preferred the serious tone, because it reminded her of Viburn.

The second shock was not as great as the first one when the queen finally moved out of Lissiana's view, and she saw both princes looking almost exactly alike, but wearing different clothes and slightly different hairstyles standing side by side, looking up at their parents.

"Wow, Dad, when did you get such a young concubine? I didn't know you had such a dirty mind, old man." Prince Dante's comment shocked everyone, as eyes landed on Lissiana the same way Dante had caught sight of her.

"Dante! That's nonsense. I have never, and will never love anyone else other than your mother." The disciplinarian tone of the king mattered none at all to the returned prince. "That girl is your mother's personal Court Physician. Your mother's health has not been very well ever since you ran off."

"Really? But she's quite the looker." Prince Dante replied with a grin, and a wink to Lissiana, who blushed up almost immediately. It was weird to see someone with Viburn's face and voice, but acting so flirtatiously.

Escaping Prince Dante's gaze by letting her eye contact run off, she suddenly found herself catching the eye contact of the other prince instead. A chill struck through her spine, and Lissiana's mind went blank all of a sudden when she saw warm blue eyes looking back at her. It was strange; how Viburn had the same warm eyes.

"Let us get quickly down to business before we go for a good family meal together." King Sparda started the ball rolling as Lissiana aided her lady to the seat, respectfully passing a glass of water to her queen who could not stop smiling. "The reason I have called you and Vergil back, Dante, is because we have marriage in mind. The other party is the daughter of King Triyan. She has just turned 18, and King Triyan wants to marry her off to strengthen ties. The lady has expressed consent."

"Arranged marriage?" Prince Dante repeated in horror, the emotion written very well on his face. "You called me back to talk about arranged marriage?"

"Dante, dear," The Queen put in quickly, "We're just asking the two of you. If any of you have anyone you love, your father and I will respect that decision. We will not be tyrants."

"Then, I have a lover!" Prince Dante raised his hand, clearly eager to do anything to get out this situation –as Lissiana had expected.

"I suggest you think carefully of what to say next, Dante. I will check up on this lover you say you have." King Sparda clearly expected it of his son as well, for the warning was stern, earning results in the form of an uncertain expression written on the prince's face instead.

"T-Then, why not Vergil?" Prince Dante raised his voice again, this time pointing the accusing figure on his still-silent and more mature brother. "He's older, shouldn't he get married first? King Triyan will be happy if he gives his precious to Verge here! Verge will treat her very nicely, won't he? He doesn't mind. Right, Verge?"

"I admit that Vergil is a much better choice." King Sparda nodded his head with a sigh. "What do you think, Vergil?"

There was a short pause in which the prince in topic took to think, then met his father's eyes fearlessly.

"I have followed your wishes all my life, and will always continue to follow them." Vergil answered solemnly.

"But." The sudden word cut off the sounds of Dante's cheer of victory, putting the entire room in sudden stillness. Even Lissiana did not realise that she had held her breath. "In this one wish, I cannot follow."

"What do you mean?" King Sparda demanded.

"I have a lover, and this I say purely not for reasons of evading an arrange marriage like Dante." Vergil answered.

"If you say so, then who is it?"

Lissiana could not understand why the prince had suddenly started walking towards the throne, towards his mother sitting on the throne. It couldn't be....... Did Prince Vergil have a mother-complex?!?!

"I'm sorry, Mother, but I could not tell you this." Prince Vergil paused in front of his mother with an apologetic bow as Lissiana blinked. What... What was Prince Vergil about to do to his mother? Steal a forbidden kiss?!?

Lissiana gave a short shriek when a hand grabbed hers, and pulled her forth with so much strength that she could not help but stumble into a hard chest.

Yet, somehow, that hard chest felt familiar as arms wrapped around her.

"Lissiana is the one. I have fallen for your Court Physician, Mother. I am sorry." The voice that spoke from the throat connected to the body that she was pressed against made vibrations.

"Wait, my son..." Queen Eva sounded equally shocked as well behind her, as Lissiana froze up, not sure of what to do at all. "Lissi said that she had someone in her heart as well... She loves an attendant of yours by the name of Viburn."

"There is no worry about that, Mother." Lissiana dared herself a peek upwards at the man who was hugging her tightly. It most definitely sounded and felt him, but at the same time, it wasn't...?

"The man that she loves –this Viburn –is also me. I am Viburn, the fictional attendant I made up to court her beyond the capacity of a prince. I love this woman who calls me Viburn, who had absolutely no knowledge that I am the prince of this country she stays in, who shows kindness and compassion towards you, who shows utmost consideration to people out of her own family." Prince Vergil announced proudly, then finally looked down to meet the eyes of the girl that he had now trapped in his embrace.

"Y-You are Viburn?" Lissiana asked, the tears crowding around her eyes. She wasn't sure what to feel; shock, anger or happiness at knowing the person she loved shared her feelings as well. Everything was a ball of mess in her heart, and the only thing that was happening was that her heart was pounding and her eyes were tearing.

"I am sorry I lied. I was in disguise the day we first met in Visternia, and you mistook me for my own hunter. I did not correct you the second time we met, and when you asked for my name, Viburnum was the first thing outside I saw. That night we met at the party, I did not want to tell you of my identity and thus fabricated a lie on the spot. I didn't want you to be aware of my status, Lissiana. But everything else was real, Lissiana." The sincerity in Viburn's –no, Vergil's –voice was unmistakeable as he gently wiped a tear that had escaped the corner of her eyes.

"Wait a minute, Verge." Lissiana watched as Prince Dante's face popped up over the shoulder of his brother, looking at her with a cursory glance. "You mean you've only met the girl thrice, and you say you've fallen for her?"

"Yes, that was what I meant." Vergil answered, giving an irritated look over his shoulder to the nosy twin brother who had ruined their lovely atmosphere.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't have to prove anything to you."

"You have to, because it's me that is going to be marrying the princess if you really love this girl." Prince Dante answered, and unfortunately Lissiana agreed with his logic as well.

"Fine." Prince Vergil sighed with a roll of his eyes, and Lissiana had to stifle a giggle. Didn't he admit –at least by third person view through 'Viburn' -that he cared very much for his twin brother? "What do you want me to do?"

"Kiss the bride."

"I haven't proposed to her yet. She isn't a bride."

"Well," Dante's grin was goofy and not-at-all suitable for a prince of his status. "Make her. If I'm going to be marrying a princess, you damn well make sure you're married to this one by then, because the princess won't be able to divorce one twin for the other."

"How about it?" Lissiana almost could not believe her ears when Vergil –the man that she had fallen hopelessly for after meeting him for a total of three times –turned back to ask her with the sincere question in his eyes. "Will you agree to be my bride? It would make little difference, because my wife will also have the capacity to live closer to the Queen. Should my mother have any need for you, she will still be able to call for your help."

"Do you..." Lissiana swallowed, blinking out the tears in her eyes. "Do you really mean it?"

"Every word of it."

Never in a day of Lissiana's life would she have imagined that she would end up marrying a prince.

"Yes." Prince Vergil's wide smile at the moment was Lissiana's greatest wedding gift.

"Vergil, you idiot!" Dante's shout cut off the celebrative atmosphere that had arose since Lissiana's consent, the younger twin slapping his brother back sharply with a large grin on his face. Lissiana would learnt shortly afterwards that the grin always meant that Prince Dante had something stupid in relation to his brother swimming in his thought.

"Me? An Idiot?" Lissiana's fiancé answered evenly.

"Imagine if you saw roses outside on that second time you met your wife." Dante stage-whispered, almost loud enough to be a shout. "Wouldn't your fake name be Rose?"