Chapter 98: The evil plan

After Hazel left the study, Caius let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair, his expression turning gloomy. He had allowed her to go out without asking too many questions, yet he could not help feeling unhappy about the way she had behaved around him. She looked nervous while asking for permission, and even after he agreed, she had seemed more comfortable with Janet and Akeelah than with him.

Was he really that frightening to her?

He lowered his eyes to the file on the table, but his mind was nowhere near the paperwork. Hazel was his mate, the woman he had waited for without even knowing it, yet she still acted as if she had to be careful around him. He wanted her to trust him, to speak freely with him, and to stop looking at him as if he might suddenly change his mind and hurt her.

However, he knew he had no right to complain about it. He had done many things that could make Hazel doubt him, and he could not expect her to forget everything just because he had started treating her differently. If anything, he was the one who needed to work harder to earn her trust.

"Give her time," Ethan said, noticing the unhappy look on his friend’s face. "She will become more comfortable around you eventually. You can’t expect her to change overnight, especially after everything that has happened between you two."

Caius did not reply immediately. He simply sighed again, his fingers tapping lightly against the table as he thought about Hazel.

Alexander, who had been watching them quietly, finally closed the file in his hand and looked at Caius with a confused expression. There was something important they needed to discuss, and he did not understand why Caius kept avoiding the subject.

"Now that Hazel is fine and has regained her strength, what about the thing you wanted her to do?" he asked. "You haven’t talked about it again, even though so much time has passed. We need to act quickly, don’t we?"

The moment he finished speaking, Ethan also raised his head to look at Caius. They both knew there were important matters they could not keep putting aside, especially with the dangers surrounding Hazel and the strange power she had recently gained.

Caius sighed deeply before standing up and moving toward his chair. He sat down and leaned back, his silver eyes showing how tired he felt.

"She doesn’t even trust me completely," he said quietly. "I don’t mind waiting until she feels comfortable enough to tell me what she wants. There is no point in forcing her to do anything when she still feels nervous around me."

Alexander frowned. "But we don’t have much time."

"I know."

"Then why are you acting as if waiting is the only option?" Alexander asked, growing frustrated. "You know how important this is, Caius."

After a moment, Caius looked away. He had already done enough to destroy her trust. When he thought about everything she has gone through, he realize that he owe Hazel far more than he can explain. He can’t keep expecting her to trust him when he haven’t given her enough reasons to do so.

If he wanted her to trust him, he would have to give her time to make that choice herself.

Alexander rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh. He still believed they needed to move quickly, but arguing with Caius would not change his mind once he had made a decision.

....

Meanwhile, Hazel was in a much better mood as she waited for Janet and Akeelah. She stood near the entrance with her handbag in one hand, smiling happily as she checked its contents to make sure she had everything she needed for their little outing.

She had been looking forward to exploring Basileia for a while, and now that Caius had agreed to let her go, she could hardly wait for the two women to arrive. She wanted to see the place properly, visit some interesting spots, and enjoy herself without having to worry about anything for a few hours.

"What do we have here?" The unexpected voice made Hazel raise her head.

A woman was walking toward her, dressed beautifully with her chin held high and a cold expression on her face. Hazel recognized her as Doris, the woman who had recently arrived at the palace with Anita.

The moment their eyes met, Hazel felt something strange inside her.

It was a familiar feeling, almost like déjà vu, as if she had seen Doris somewhere before, even though she could not remember where. Her heart gave a strange beat, and the wolf inside her suddenly growled.

Hazel stiffened. ’What’s wrong with you?’ she wondered silently, trying to understand why her wolf had reacted that way.

Hazel stared at Doris, wondering if there was something about the woman that she had failed to notice.

Doris stopped directly in front of her and looked her up and down with open dislike. "I heard there’s a hopeless little wolf here who keeps clinging to His Majesty," Doris said coldly. "I hope it isn’t you, because if it is, then you’re even worse than I imagined. You should know your place instead of embarrassing yourself by following him around."

Hazel blinked.

For a moment, she wondered if Doris was actually talking to her. The woman had barely greeted her before insulting her, and Hazel could not understand what she had done to deserve such treatment.

However, instead of arguing, Hazel simply looked at her for another second before turning her attention toward the entrance. "Hazel! Over here!" Akeelah called, waving happily when she spotted her.

Hazel’s face immediately brightened. She smiled and waved back at Akeelah before turning around and walking away as if Doris had not said a single word to her.

Doris froze. She had expected Hazel to become angry, defend herself, or at least ask why she was being insulted. Instead, Hazel had completely ignored her and walked away without giving her another glance.

Was that girl deliberately trying to disrespect her?

Doris folded her arms and watched Hazel join Janet and Akeelah. The three women exchanged cheerful greetings before walking away together, leaving Doris standing by herself with an expression that grew darker by the second.

Just then, two maids approached her from the side. They had been watching the entire scene, and both of them wore unpleasant smiles as they looked in the direction Hazel had gone.

"She’s the one," one of the maids whispered. "She’s the girl who stopped allowing us to attend to her because she didn’t like the way we treated her. I still can’t believe the head maid actually listened to her and changed everything just because she complained."

The other maid nodded in agreement, clearly unhappy about what had happened. "She acts as if she’s someone important just because His Majesty allows her to stay close to him. We were only doing our jobs, yet she made it difficult for us to serve her."

Doris slowly turned her head toward them. "Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, my lady," the first maid replied quickly. "We heard that she’s going out to explore Basileia with Janet and Akeelah today. They seem to be very close to her, and she has been looking forward to the outing."

Doris’s expression changed as she glanced toward the entrance where the three women had disappeared. A small smile slowly appeared on her face, and the maids exchanged a curious look when they noticed it.

"If something happens to her while she’s outside," Doris murmured, "those two will be the ones blamed for it."

She turned back to the maids and leaned closer, lowering her voice as she whispered something into their ears.

The two women listened carefully, and their eyes gradually lit up with understanding. By the time Doris finished speaking, both of them were smiling.