Pure (ON HOLD)

The Escape

They both went down and met Marcel by the Garden. A few chairs and a nice table had been set up with an assortment of dishes. Klaus and Hayley reached hand in hand, giving the illusion of a happy couple. 

"Such a lovely day, Good morning Marcel", said Hayley with a cheerful voice but her expression was irritated. Thankfully her face was hidden due to the mask, which is customary for every woman to wear. It was tradition and Hayley didn't mind it, she was quite open-minded.

Although, she was relieved since she would not need to hide her expressions. Whereas, Klaus was meant to wear it only while traveling, lucky for him Marcel did not seem to recognize him from the night at the castle. 

"Yes it is and your presence is making it lovelier", he said with a flirty expression. Klaus's mood was already fouled, wondering what type of man he is to flirt with his wife right in front of him. However, lashing out or ignoring it would not be the solution. 

Klaus was trying to be his partner, not his slave. Thus he made a stern expression and coughed a bit, letting Marcel silently know that he is crossing a line. The act had shocked him, most would be too scared to say anything. He was pleasantly surprised and took note of it. Klaus noticed this and smirked internally. 

"That is very sweet of you", said Hayley. Knowing what was going on, and flirting back would just undermine Klaus so she decided to give a diplomatic answer. Not shutting down his attempts but also not encouraging them. 

Causing Marcel to be quite intrigued by the couple. "These two are quite an interesting couple, they would make good allies", he thought to himself. After a while, he spoke aloud, "If you don't mind shall we talk business? " he asked. 

"As I have already mentioned yesterday. Our company would be good during a big war. We have endorsed some of England's and France's greatest war", Klaus said to seem authentic and powerful. "Wow that is quite impressive, but why would you want to work with me?" Marcel questioned. 

"We are a private business, profits must be retained daily. We had offered the royal family a discount for a bit of advertisement but they refused. This would soon lead us to a lack of business. Thus we decided to approach you with the same offer", Hayley said. 

"She has read business!", Klaus thought to himself. "That seems reasonable", Marcel said. "Could you show me your best weapons by the next two days?", he asked. Both of them nodded, after which they went on to converse about trivial things.

After breakfast, all of them retired to their rooms. "I do not think we should waste much time. He will soon see through our lies, we must act fast", Hayley said in a concerned tone. Klaus picked up on that and asked gently, "What do you suggest?" 

"Well I think I should drug him", she simply stated. "How do you plan to get the means, such substances are sold only in the black market. Visiting it here would be rather dangerous as we are tourists", Klaus replied. 

"You're right but that is not the only way to drug someone. Plants are an excellent medium for such tasks. We will just need to go search for it", Hayley said with conviction. "Well let us get going, meet me down. I will just tell the minister that we are going for a romantic stroll", Klaus winked and left the room. 

Hayley let out a small laugh and was amused by his ability to make her smile in the most stressful situations. Frankly, she was exhausted by this whole charade, missing her home and family. To her surprise having Klaus by her side was the only silver lining. 

For some reason, he provided a sense of comfort that put her at ease, especially at night. Soon she snapped out of her thoughts and focused on the plan. If she played her cards right today, they might be able to return home.