Chapter 70: I trust you now

Caius said nothing for a moment, but his mind was still on the strange maid and the bodyguard. He couldn’t understand how a woman could stand so close to a man without feeling nervous, especially when she knew what men were capable of doing. It was even more confusing that the maid had openly admitted she was comfortable with the bodyguard because he was different from other men. What exactly did she mean by that? And why had the thought been bothering him so much?

He cleared his throat, deciding he had wasted enough time thinking about something that had nothing to do with him. "Let’s start preparing to visit the dragon people. We have some matters to discuss with them, and I don’t want us wasting any more time here."

Then he turned to Alexander, who was still wearing an amused smile. "You will be in charge while I’m away. You can also tell Azula to come back if you need her help."

Alexander’s smile disappeared immediately as he shook his head. "No, I’m not allowing her to come back for the time being. Hazel seems not to like her, and I don’t want to deal with another problem because those two cannot stand each other."

Caius raised an eyebrow at him, wondering why Alexander suddenly cared so much about Hazel’s opinion. However, he wasn’t interested in questioning him about it, so he simply replied, "Do whatever you want."

He was about to leave the meeting hall when Janet appeared at the entrance with Hazel beside her. Hazel was fully dressed, looking as though she had somewhere important to go, and the moment Alexander noticed her, his face brightened with curiosity.

"Oh, wow! You seem to be going somewhere," he remarked, looking between Hazel and Caius.

Janet bowed respectfully before answering. "Your Majesty, she wants to follow us."

"No," Caius replied without hesitation, his voice making it clear that he wasn’t interested in discussing the matter.

Hazel’s expression changed immediately. She hurried toward him before he could take another step, reaching for his hand with a pleading look on her face. She had barely managed to hold him when her entire body stiffened, and the words she had been about to say disappeared from her mind as several images suddenly flashed before her eyes.

The images came so quickly that she couldn’t understand everything she was seeing, but she recognized the strange room.

Everyone in the hall became alert when Hazel stopped moving. Alexander’s playful expression vanished as he stepped closer, while Ethan watched her carefully, ready to react if anything went wrong.

"She’s seeing something," Alexander said seriously.

Hazel suddenly released Caius’s hand, but before she could move away, he caught her wrist and pulled her back toward him.

"What did you see?" he demanded, his silver eyes fixed on her face.

Hazel pouted, clearly unhappy with the way he was holding her. "I already know what’s inside your secret chamber, and I know what you want me to do. So, congratulations, Your Majesty, your secret is no longer a secret to me."

She tried to pull her hand away, but Caius refused to release her. Hazel glared at him, feeling annoyed that he was suddenly interested in what she had seen when he had refused to let her enter that room in the first place.

"Do whatever you want," she snapped. "I’m not helping you."

Caius stared at her for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. Instead of releasing her as she expected, he adjusted his grip and held her hand properly, his expression becoming more serious.

"We are going together."

Hazel’s eyes widened, and she immediately tried to step backward. "What? No! I don’t want to go anywhere with you again and, You can find someone else to help you with whatever you’re planning to do."

She tugged at her hand again, but Caius remained firmly beside her, refusing to let her escape. Hazel was already regretting the moment she had touched him, and she couldn’t help wondering why her visions always appeared at the worst possible time. If she had known that holding his hand would reveal the things he wanted to keep hidden, she would have kept both hands safely inside her pockets.

"Stay still," Caius warned when she continued struggling. "There are witches who can enter your mind and use what they find against me. You cannot keep running away whenever something happens."

Hazel turned to look at Rita, who had been watching the entire scene with an expression of complete impatience. The Light Witch rolled her eyes before pointing at Caius.

"You have to help him, Hazel. You know how important this is, so stop making things difficult."

Hazel glared at her. Will he help her if she’s in this type of situation? She woke him up after he had been trapped for two hundred years, and what did she get in return? Nothing! He didn’t even appreciate what she did, and he still refused to trust her with his secret chamber. Now that he needs her help, everyone suddenly expects her to cooperate as if nothing happened

"Leave me alone!" she exclaimed, trying once again to pull her hand free. "I don’t want to help you anymore!"

Instead of getting angry, Caius suddenly smirked.

Before Hazel could understand what he was planning, he pulled her closer and wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her firmly against his side. The sudden movement caught her by surprise, and she stared up at him with wide eyes, completely forgetting the argument she had been making only a moment earlier.

Caius lowered his head slightly, his silver eyes meeting hers as he spoke in a calm voice that made her heart behave strangely. "I trust you now."

Hazel froze, her mouth falling open as she tried to understand what she had just heard. For a moment, she even wondered if she had imagined his words, because Caius was the last person she expected to say something like that to her.

"You... what?" she managed to ask, staring at him in disbelief. " Well, good for you!"