Chapter 56: holiday

Hazel bowed her head and forced a nervous laugh as she stood in front of Caius, who was still watching her with his usual cold expression. She had no idea why she suddenly felt so uncomfortable around him, even though she had faced dangerous witches and demons without begging anyone for help. Perhaps it was because she had come to ask him for something, and she didn’t want him to misunderstand her intentions.

"I... I mean, thank you for saving me," she finally said, raising her head to look at him.

Caius lifted one eyebrow but said nothing.

Hazel swallowed and continued, "I know you were probably forced to save me, but I still want to thank you. At least, it’s only right for me to show some appreciation after everything that happened." She gave him another awkward smile, hoping he would say something, but Caius remained silent, his silver eyes fixed on her face as if he were trying to discover something hidden inside her mind.

His silence made Hazel feel even more uncomfortable.

"Anyway, can I spend the weekend with my family?" she asked, looking at him pleadingly. "I’ve missed them so much, and I haven’t been home for a while." She suddenly remembered something and quickly added, "Besides, I’m much stronger now! The witches’ ritual to kill you unexpectedly gave me my full strength." She chuckled and looked at him with interest. "Do you know what they wanted to do with that ritual?"

Caius continued watching her without answering, which made Hazel wonder whether he was even listening to her.

She cleared her throat and continued anyway. "Susan wanted to bring her mother back to life because she didn’t want Rita to rule the witches. Honestly, I think the light witches deserve to have their own kingdom too, especially after everything they have suffered. They shouldn’t have to live under the control of people who don’t want them there."

Hazel sighed when she realized she had been talking to herself for several minutes. She knew Caius wasn’t the nonchalant type or person who spoke carelessly, and he certainly wasn’t someone who needed to fill every quiet moment with unnecessary words. However, this silence was beginning to make her curious because she was used to his sharp tongue and the way he could easily make her angry with only a few words.

She folded her hands together and looked at him again. "Are you going to say something, or should I leave?"

Caius finally moved. "I cannot allow you to enter places where I need to see things through your eyes when I don’t even know who you were in your past life."

Hazel’s smile disappeared.

He continued in his usual cold voice, "What if you were one of those witches? What if you returned to this world because you had unfinished business with me? I cannot risk allowing you into my secret chamber when I don’t know what you might discover or what you might do with that information."

Hazel froze before slowly lowering her head."Oh..."

She had completely forgotten about the strange things the witches had said about her being reincarnated. She didn’t even understand what they meant, so how was she supposed to explain it to Caius?

After a few seconds, she nodded."I understand." She looked up at him again, and despite the strange feeling in her chest, she gave him a small smile. "But I can’t betray you, Caius."

The moment the words left her mouth, Hazel froze.

Wait! Did I just call him Caius?

She had called him His Majesty so many times that using his actual name suddenly felt strange. She stared at him, and he stared back at her, neither of them saying anything for several seconds.

Hazel quickly looked away, feeling her cheeks become warm. "Ahhh... thank you for allowing me to visit my family!" she blurted out, bowing before turning around and running away.

She didn’t even wait for his response. Caius remained where he was, watching her disappear with a strange expression on his face.

When did I tell her she could go?

He frowned slightly, wondering how the conversation had ended with Hazel thanking him for permission he hadn’t even given her. However, instead of calling her back, he simply looked toward the pool and remained silent.

For some reason, he didn’t feel like stopping her.

...

The next day, Hazel finally returned to Blackwood Pack, and the moment she arrived, she was welcomed with so much love that she almost forgot all the unpleasant things that had happened to her recently. Emily was the first to rush toward her, wrapping her arms around her while Iris followed closely behind, smiling happily as she looked at the girl they had missed.

"Hazel! You’re finally back!" Emily exclaimed, holding her tightly. "Do you know how worried we were about you?"

Hazel laughed and hugged her back. "I’ve missed you too!"

Iris joined them, but the moment she got a proper look at Hazel’s face, her smile slowly disappeared. She leaned closer and studied the dark circles under Hazel’s eyes with concern.

"Have you not been sleeping well?" she asked. "Look at your eyes! You look as if you’ve spent the whole night fighting demons."

Hazel chuckled awkwardly.

"I just slept late. I was busy thinking about all of you."

Emily gave her a suspicious look but didn’t question her further because they were all too happy to have her back. They took her to eat, and Hazel enjoyed the meal while listening to their stories and answering their questions. For the first time in days, she felt comfortable enough to relax without worrying about witches, missing coffins, or a certain cold-hearted Werewolf King.

After eating, Hazel returned to her room and immediately began searching through her belongings. She checked the wardrobe, opened the drawers, and looked beneath the bed until she finally found the romance novel she loved most. The moment she held it in her hands, a happy smile appeared on her face. " This is it!!"