Chương 18: Sinister
"Yuka, you don't look so good" she said, gazing at him, worried. She had never seen him look so defeated and drained.
"I'm fine"
"No, you're not"
"Hazel-"
"You can talk to me, you know"
He clenched his fist and lowered his gaze.
"Yuka-"
"Hazel, why are you here?"
"Nazi told me about Lyraine" She said slowly, her eyes on him. He stiffened and slowly met her gaze.
"I want to hear your side of the story"
"Why?" He asked.
"I don't want to believe that you are capable of murdering a woman in cold blood, Yuka"
He let out a sad chuckle.
"What if you're wrong? What if I am truly a sadist and a monster? What if all along, I've just been putting up a front to fool you?"
She could see the pain in his eyes now and this made her heart to ache. There was no denying it now, she cared about him and she was worried about how much he affected her. She tried to consider the fact that he could be a monster, but she just couldn't.
"Do you trust me?" He suddenly asked. They both stared at themselves for a while, their gazes locked.
Hazel knew that deep down, there was a part of her that felt that he was trustworthy. The part of her that was sceptical about her was barely present. This man had risked his life to hide the Sceptre, just so he could put her wedding with Caden on hold. He had also saved the lives of the members of her family and had supported her even when she'd felt weak. "You shouldn't trust me, Hazel. You barely know me" Yuka said.
"Why do you assume that I don't know anything about you? I know that you're selfless and kind. I know that you're bold and courageous. I know that you're a fighter and survivor" she said.
Surprise crossed his handsome features.
"I- How? You've barely known me for three months. How are you so different from everyone else?" He breathed, his voice thick with emotions.
"I want to know what happened that night, Yuka. I want to hear it from you"
He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with unshed tears.
"Lyraine was a nice person. She hung out with me most of the time and she made me feel like I was worthy. I loved her as a friend but my brother seemed to always get the wrong message. He believed that I had spelled Lyraine. I tried, I really tried to keep her away from me. But, she wouldn't stay away. She was very stubborn, so I gave up. One day, she confessed to me, that she loved me. I was worried that my brother was going to find out and he did. I remember her crying to me because my brother had just found out the truth about her feelings for me. He attacked me and I passed out because I was caught unawares. When I gained consciousness, I found myself lying on her bed right beside her corpse"
Hazel held his hand and squeezed it gently.
"You didn't kill her"
"What if I actually killed her? I don't remember what happened" Yuka stated, a tortured look in his eyes.
"I know you didn't do it, Yuka. You have to believe it too" Hazel whispered.
"I failed her, Hazel. I failed to protect her like I said I would" Yuka said to her, his eyes glassy.
"It was not your fault, Yuka. Don't punish yourself. Come on, let's go outside. You look like you need fresh air"
She brought him to his feet and led him out of his chamber. Then, she took him to the garden and made him sit down on a bench. She sat down beside him and took his hand in hers.
"I believe in you even when you don't believe in yourself, because you were there for me, even when I felt like I was alone" she stated.
'How did I get so lucky?' Yuka thought as he gazed at her with admiration. He wished that they had met under a different circumstance, because she was everything he wanted. His fate seemed to always be crooked because for the first time in his life, there was a woman who he really liked, but she was the fiancee of his own brother. For now, he didn't mind being her friend as long as it gave him the chance to be around her most of the time.
He embraced her, a grateful smile tugging at his lips.
"Thank you, Hazel" he whispered and she grinned. Few metres away, Reu, one of the queen mother's men watched the duo with an evil glint in his eyes. So far so good, things seemed to be going according to plan and he was sure the queen was going to be pleased.
...
"Your highness, the second prince seems to have taken a liking for Hazel" Reu said to the queen who was sitting on her throne, her expression stoic. She was dressed in a silver dress, her previously waist-length silver hair cut short to shoulder length.
Queen Clarice tapped her fingers against the arm rest of her flamboyant looking throne, a smile slowly curving her lips. It was good news. The queen was prepared to use Hazel and Yuka's relationship against them. As it was, she couldn't wait to get rid of Hazel even before she could become her daughter in law.
....
Just before dinner, Clarice made her way into the royal kitchen, ignoring the greetings the chefs sent her way. Her piercing silver eyed gaze roved over the faces of the kitchen staff as she moved past them slowly. Her gaze finally rested on a beautiful blonde red-blood who was standing by the corner of the kitchen, slicing some cucumbers without paying attention to the queen. She was totally oblivious to the presence of the queen and this irked her off. She walked up to the red-blood and cleared her throat, startling her. The red blood nearly jumped out of her skin with fright, her eyes wide with fear when she saw who had just startled her. "Your highness. Forgive me, I didn't-"
"Save it, red-blood. Come with me" the queen said and started to walk out of the kitchen. The rest of the kitchen staff watched the unfortunate red-blood as she followed behind the queen, her eyes filling up with tears. When she finally stepped outside with the queen and her maid, she knelt down and pleaded with the queen to forgive her for not acknowledging her. "I have a job for you and I think you'll be perfect for the job" the queen stated, the sinister look in her eyes growing by the second.
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