Chapter 65: crossing the line

Emily burst into laughter at her reaction. "I don’t know, Hazel. Why don’t you ask him when you get back? Maybe he’ll tell you about his other businesses, assuming you can survive a conversation with him without getting into trouble."

Hazel scoffed, pretending to be offended. "I can talk to him perfectly well. He’s the one who doesn’t know how to have a normal conversation."

"Of course," Emily replied, clearly unconvinced. "Anyway, I need to get myself busy until my mate becomes capable of taking care of himself. I can’t just sit here and wait forever, can I?"

Hazel’s expression softened as she understood what Emily meant. Her sister was trying to find something meaningful to do instead of allowing her life to revolve around an unborn child who wouldn’t be able to do anything for himself for a long time. It was a reasonable decision, and Hazel was glad Emily had found something she wanted to pursue.

She nodded in approval before remembering another matter that had been bothering her.

"By the way, do you think we should tell Father about what happened with Mom? I mean, the woman wearing her face is still here, and our real mother is somewhere else. Shouldn’t we explain everything to him?"

Emily thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Honestly, Hazel, Father is difficult to understand. Sometimes, I think he knows more than he tells us, and he simply chooses not to talk about it. Would it really surprise you if he already knew about the face swap?"

Hazel paused, then slowly shook her head.

"No, actually. That man can be so difficult to read sometimes that I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew everything and decided to pretend he didn’t."

"Exactly," Emily replied. "Let’s leave it for now. If he wants to talk about it, he’ll bring it up himself."

Hazel nodded, accepting her friend’s decision, and soon it was time for her to leave. She said goodbye to Emily before heading downstairs, where Iris and several other members of the household were waiting to see her off.

The moment Iris spotted her, the head maid hurried forward and pulled Hazel into a tight hug, holding her as if she were afraid the girl might disappear if she let go.

"My goodness, I can’t believe you’re leaving again!" Iris cried dramatically, pressing a hand against her chest. "First Emily tells us she’s leaving for the human world, and now you’re going back to Basileia. What are we supposed to do without both of you? This house will be so lonely!"

Hazel couldn’t help laughed as she hugged the older woman back. "Iris, I’ll only be away for a while. It’s not as if I’m never coming back."

"But that’s what everyone says before they leave!" Iris complained, wiping at her eyes even though she didn’t seem to have any tears. "You young people don’t understand how difficult it is for those of us who have to stay behind and miss you!"

Hazel smiled warmly and held her a little tighter. "Thank you for everything, Iris. I love you, and I’ll make sure to visit whenever I can."

After saying goodbye to everyone, Hazel climbed into her father’s car with the driver waiting to take her back to Basileia. She could have asked the Light Witches to teleport her directly to the palace, but for some reason, she preferred to travel by road this time. She needed some time alone to think, even if the journey took the entire day.

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The car passed through several towns and villages as they travelled toward Basileia, but Hazel barely paid attention to the scenery outside the window. Her thoughts were too busy circling around the same questions she had been asking herself for days.

Caius.

The mysterious past life she supposedly had.

And the strange words the moon goddess had spoken to her.

She had been told that she was someone who had returned because of a wish, which meant she might have died in another life before being reborn into her current one. The problem was that she couldn’t remember anything about that life, no matter how hard she tried.

What kind of person had she been before?

Why had she been chosen as Caius’s mate?

And most importantly, who on earth would make a wish that resulted in becoming the fated mate of the most dangerous man in the immortal world?

Hazel pressed her forehead against the cool window and sighed.

"Seriously, what was wrong with my previous self?" she muttered. "Out of all the men in the world, why would I choose someone like Caius? Couldn’t I have wished for a handsome, kind man who would bring me flowers and tell me sweet things instead of looking at me as if he wanted to throw me out of a window?"

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror but wisely decided not to ask what she was talking about.

Hazel continued staring outside, feeling a little sad as she remembered that Emily would soon be leaving for the human world. She wouldn’t have her friend nearby anymore, and there would be nobody to listen to her complaints about Caius or help her understand the strange things happening around her.

By the time the car finally reached Basileia, it was already very late at night.

Hazel felt guilty when she noticed how tired the driver looked, especially since he had spent the entire day on the road because of her. She asked him to stay at the palace and rest until morning instead of driving back immediately, and after making sure he had everything he needed, she entered the building alone.

The palace was unusually quiet.

Hazel walked through the familiar corridors, expecting to return directly to her room, but something caught her attention before she could reach the staircase. One of the doors she had passed countless times was slightly open, allowing a warm golden light to spill into the dark hallway.

She stopped immediately.

She had walked past that part of the palace many times, yet she had never noticed a room there. Curious, she moved closer and peered through the opening, only to discover a spacious chamber with beautiful golden decorations and a peaceful atmosphere that felt completely different from the rest of the palace.

And inside the room stood Caius.

Hazel’s eyes widened slightly when she saw his long white hair resting neatly down his back. He was standing before a large frame, looking at something with a distant expression, and for once, he didn’t seem like the cold Werewolf King who could make an entire room tremble with a single glance.

Instead, he looked strangely quiet.

Hazel couldn’t help smiling at the sight.

She was almost certain he had already noticed her presence, considering how powerful his senses were, but since he hadn’t told her to leave, she decided to take that as permission to enter. She stepped into the room quietly and began walking toward him, trying not to make too much noise with her shoes.

When she finally reached his side, she turned her attention to the picture he had been studying.

And then she gasped.

"My goodness!"

The picture showed a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, a delicate face, and striking features that looked strangely familiar. Her eyes were bright, her smile was gentle, and there was something about her appearance that reminded Hazel so much of Caius that she almost wondered if she was looking at his female version.

The resemblance was incredible.

Hazel leaned forward to get a better look at the woman’s face, completely forgetting that she was standing beside the most dangerous man in the immortal world. She tilted her head to one side, studying the picture with genuine admiration before whispering, "Your mother is beautiful."

She straightened up, pressed her lips together, and nodded as if she had just confirmed something very important.

Then she tried to hold back her laughter.

She had successfully crossed yet another boundary without even asking for permission.