Jotham, Silveran Capital.
2030Just last night, she’d been in the safety of her father’s house in Rubia. But then, hours before dawn, some uniformed men had visited her dad’s home and after the men had embarked on a brief discussion with her father, he had called her to his study. Without further ado, he’d apologized to her and had allowed the uniformed men to whisk her away. Hazel had been too shocked to do anything, even while she’d been led to a train that had contained thirty other young ladies and a couple of uniformed men. That train had taken her to Jotham, the great capital of Silvera. Only when she’d arrived at the palace did she find out the truth of the matter. Her own father, one of the greatest generals of Rubia, had shipped off his own daughter to be among the ladies that the crown prince would choose from to make his own bride. Hazel was distraught on learning about this bitter information and she just couldn’t wrap her head around the reason her dad had done so. For all she knew, Rubians hated the Silverans.
The Silverans, also known as silver-bloods, were characterised to be selfish, self-righteous pricks that felt like they were above everyone else because of the raw magic they possessed. They were at the top of the food chain. They had everything going for them and they had a gigantic wall surrounding the expanse of their territory and other kingdoms feared them greatly. Whereas the Rubians, also known as red-bloods, were at the bottom of the food chain.
They didn’t have magic or wealth, and they were totally under the mercy of the other kingdoms. The silver-bloods would steal from them and oppress them despite how less privileged the red-bloods were because Rubia was a small nation and it was clearly no match for Silvera.
Hazel had heard her father times without numbers, claiming that he hated the silver-bloods. Yet, he had let them take her. Hazel’s blood was boiling, and she desperately wanted to confront him but, it wasn’t possible.
Making an entrance into the Silveran palace was not a cakewalk. Leaving the palace wasn’t simple either. So she was stuck, and she decided she was well and truly fucked.
“You seem like you’re a second away from punching that mirror” a soft, willowy voice said from beside her and she turned to glance at the petite lady who was standing beside her with a warm smile on her face.
“It’s okay, I understand. I just got here too. I don’t even remember entering the train. It turns out that my parents drugged me and let them take me away” the young lady said, still wearing a bright smile on her face. Hazel stared at her, wondering how the young lady could smile even when she’d been literally sent away by her own parents.
“I’m Charlotte” the smiling lady said and Hazel forced out a bland smile.
“I’m Hazel”“Nice to meet you, Hazel” Charlotte said and Hazel nodded. Charlotte didn’t seem to be a Silveran because she had the typical ordinary look. She didn’t have silver eyes like the Silverans and she didn’t have startling aqua blue or green eyes like the blue bloods. So, she was definitely a Rubian like Hazel.Just then, a loud bell rang in the main hall, catching their attention. The other ladies started to gather. Charlotte and Hazel exchanged bewildered glances. “Come on, let’s go. I think an announcement is about to be made” Charlotte said and Hazel followed her to the center of the large hall where the rest of the ladies were gathered.
“Attention, Ladies!” A masculine voice bellowed, and all the whispering and the chattering came to an abrupt halt. A middle-aged man wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, a black bow tie and a pair of black dress shoes stood on what looked like a podium. He had a well-styled silver hair that was cut short, piercing grey eyes, sharp cheekbones, thin pink lips and a regular jaw dusted with a day old stubble.
“Listen, carefully. My name is Aaron and I’m the chief butler. I was assigned by his royal Highness, the crown prince of Silvera, to lead ten of you to the main court where the prince will begin his choosing. After each hour, ten more ladies will follow me to the main court and the previous ten will return to their quarters. After the prince has chosen his bride, the rest of you will be screened and tested further. If you’re lucky, you’ll be selected as maids here in the palace. But if you’re not, you’ll be sent to serve the prisoners”
The previous chattering began, and Aaron narrowed his eyes.“Silence!”Once again, everyone went silent. Two uniformed men walked in and began to select from the ladies, the first ten candidates to be brought before the crown prince. Hazel held her breath and didn’t release it until the uniformed men had moved past her.She noticed the indigo eyed lady standing just behind her and Charlotte. The lady looked like she was on the verge of having a panic attack. From the looks of her aqua blue colored hair and eyes, as well as her numerous ear piercings, Hazel gathered that she was neither a Rubian nor a Silveran. Only blue bloods possessed hair and eyes of any shades of blue or green. They were also known as the Sapphirans.
“Are you alright?” She asked the Sapphiran who looked at her with teary eyes.
“I-I’m scared” the Sapphiran whimpered and Hazel embraced her.“It’s going to be okay” she whispered and the Sapphiran nodded.“Thanks” she responded and Hazel smiled.“What’s your name?” She asked.“Violet” she replied“I’m Hazel. It’s nice to meet you” Hazel said and Violet grinned.“You’re going to be the queen” Violet said and Hazel furrowed her brows, confused.“Sorry?”“He’s going to choose you”“How can you tell?” Hazel asked slowly, trying not to let her fear get the best of her.“I’m a blue blood, duh“Hazel inhaled sharply, rubbing her temples where an ache was starting to form.
Surely, Violet was just joking, right? But Hazel couldn’t shrug off the fact that blue bloods were known for both their healing powers and their ability to see into the future. Charlotte walked up to the both of them, her signature golden smile tugging at her lips as usual.“Hey. What’s with the distraught look on your face?” She asked, and Hazel swallowed hard.“It’s nothing. I just need to sit down” Hazel breathed and Charlotte frowned slightly, feeling concerned for the brunette.“Come on, let’s sit over there” she said, taking Hazel’s hand and leading her towards a couple of empty chairs by the corner. Hazel sank into one of the chairs, suddenly feeling vulnerable.She missed her elder brothers, who were triplets. They were a handful sometimes, but right at this moment, she missed them terribly. She couldn’t help but wonder if they’d figured out what had happened. She knew they were overprotective most of the time and would most likely find a way to barge into the castle if they found out where she was.“Now what?” She mumbled under her breath.“I say, we wait” Charlotte responded, and she heaved a sigh. This is going to be a long day.****
She hated her dress. It was blood red and was completely sleeveless. Her back was very much exposed and so was her left leg. The dress was quite long, but it had a long slit from the corner of her left thigh, downwards. Her cleavage was also exposed, and this was not making her feel any better. She felt like a slut, a royal slut. Hazel wanted to scream and cry as she stared at her reflection in front of one of the full-length mirror in the corridor. Her brown, waist-length hair was wrapped up in fancy braids and a chignon. Her usual dull brown eyes now looked strangely seductive, especially with all the makeup and that god-awful red lipstick.Aaron had returned to the hall thirty minutes ago and this time she was picked alongside Charlotte to be among the next ten candidates to be brought before the crown prince.
As if the annoying make up wasn’t annoying enough, they’d made her wear the stupid dress.“Wow, you look.... gorgeous” Charlotte said from behind her. “I feel like a slut” Hazel groaned and turned to look at her friend.Charlotte’s golden brown eyes twinkled at that statement.“Come on, Hazel. You’re just overreacting. The dress isn’t too bad” she said and Hazel sighed.“I would choose your dress over mine, anytime” she grumbled and Charlotte rolled her eyes, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes. “Well, my dress is skin-tight and believe me, it’s not that great” she chirped with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.“Get moving!” A deep voice yelled at them, and they both flinched. They hurried over to join the other eight ladies and they were immediately led towards the main court.
Hazel was strongly apprehensive, and her stomach churned with unease. She hoped and prayed that Violet had been wrong. Hazel didn’t belong in Silvera. She didn’t want to become a queen, much less the queen of the people she’s hated all her life.She quietly took in the sight of the palace. Everything in it was virtually in just purple and silver. The garden was a beautiful sight, though. The place was so colorful; it reminded her of a rainbow.
They finally got to a large double door that shone brightly of silver. Three guards stood by the door, their expression stoic. The door slowly creaked open and the ten ladies were promptly ushered in.As they were lined up before the crown prince, Hazel took her time to observe. On the left, the king of Silvera sat in his throne, silver eyes cold and vacant. On the right sat the queen. She had long silver hair and blue-gray eyes, which could only mean that she was a half-blood.
The queen had both Sapphiran blood and Silveran blood in her veins.Half-bloods were extremely rare, in the sense that they usually die a few days after their birth.The crown prince, on the other hand, was a sight to behold. He was gorgeous, drop dead gorgeous in every sense. His eyes were a bright silver that was warm and kind at the same time. His long silver hair had blue streaks among them and his long eyelashes were silver.
His lips were pink, the lower lip slightly fuller than the top. His nose wasn’t big or small, it was just perfect for his face. He was pale, just like every other silver-blood Hazel had come across and he was dressed in a simple black shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a pair of gray pants and a pair of black dress shoes.The ladies curtseyed in front of the royal family and the prince smiled, his gaze quickly wandering over the figures of the ten candidates.
Time seemed to freeze when his gaze finally rested on Hazel. A strange emotion flashed in his eyes and he rose to his feet. Hazel felt her heart thump harder as he started to make his way towards her.When he finally stopped in front of her, the sweet scent of apples and roses invaded her senses. She lowered her gaze, her heart beating a thousand miles per second.“Look at me, beautiful“ his sultry, deep voice sent an alien feeling settling low in her belly.
His fingertips touched her chin and tilted her head a little. Their gaze met, and he grinned. Hazel felt her heart sink to the bottom of her shoes. She knew her fate was sealed....
P.S: What is Hazel Spiers first impression on you? Please do well to leave your lovely comments and reviews. Thanks!
Anslem, Rubian Capital2030 General Barron sat in his study, staring into space as he was plagued by disturbing thoughts. Barron was starting to regret sending his only daughter to Silvera just so she could become queen. Barron knew his daughter was very beautiful and he loved her dearly. Hazel's beauty was beyond the beauty of the Rubians and if she didn't have brown eyes and hair, he would've believed that she was either a silver blood or a blue blood. He snorted to himself, he was being totally ridiculous. She was his daughter and as far as he could tell, he was a red- blood. He hated the Silverans and he had only sent her there so that she could help him infiltrate the kingdom and pull it down. The problem was that Hazel probably hated him and he felt
Jotham, Silveran Capital2030 Questions surfaced in Hazel's mind. Who was the figure in the dark? Why did he have violet eyes? As far as she knew, only black bloods possessed such color of eyes. The black bloods lived in isolation from other kingdoms. They were known as the Galacticans, since the name of their kingdom was Galactica. The black bloods were demonic in nature and they had hair and eyes ranging from red to black. In other cases, some black bloods possessed violet eyes. Black bloods were believed to have nine lives and the ability to shape shift into big or small cats. Other kingdoms despised them but really it was their fear of black bloods that drove themto hate the black bloods.Hazel couldn't help but wonder why there was a black blood in Silvera especi
"Who are you?" Hazel asked, watching him carefully. He smiled and her eyes widened. If Caden was gorgeous, this black blood was drop dead gorgeous. He slipped his right hand into the pocket of his pants."I would've said curiosity killed the cat. Who am I kidding? You're no cat. But, you really are nosy, aren't you?" He said, turning away from her. She watched him as he plucked one of the multicolored flowers that looked really attractive. He walked towards her and lowered her shawl from her head. Hazel's heart began to thud madly when his lavender scent drifted into her nostrils. He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes swimming with amusement. He slowly positioned the flower on her hair."There, that's much better" he said but Hazel couldn't stop staring at him. She noticed the length of his dark lashes, wondering why on earth a man would have such lovely lashes.His skin was so pale and it had such a
Jotham, Silveran capital2030*** For a moment, Hazel was frozen to the spot, too shocked to move. She hadn't expected the queen to notice her presence. But again, the queen was no ordinary person. Hazel's wide eyed gaze met Yuka's and he sighed, wiping off the blood from his lips."There's no one there. I'll take my leave now" he said and the queen narrowed her eyes. "I was so sure I sensed-""You must've sensed the maids and the guards" Yuka interrupted her, his eyes discreetly telling Hazel to leave. She snapped out of her daze and walked away, feeling troubled. Why was Yuka being treated like an animal? Why did they despise him so much? Hazel did not have the answers to these questions and this worried her to no end. So, when the royal family joined her at the table, she felt utterly ill at
Yuka stared at Hazel as she embraced him. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that he was shirtless. But then, he felt her crying, her tears dampening his skin. It bothered him a lot. He knew that she was probably going through so much and was barely adjusting to life as the future queen of Silvera. He felt sorry for her. "Yuka?" She whispered, her head still resting on his chest. "I really don't want to make you uncomfortable, but you're so warm and you smell so good" she said and raised her head from his chest to look at him."You know that, right?" She asked with a smile on her face, despite the tears in her eyes. "Of course, I know. It's my body, isn't it?"She grinned and embraced him again. Suddenly a bubble of laughter escaped her lips. "I have no idea why I'm enjoying this. I really wish..."She stopped herself, but Yuka knew what she was going to say. She wasn't going to say that she wished that he wasn't Caden's brother. Neither was she going to say that she
"Your highness? Can I come in?" Hazel sighed and stroked Yuka's fur one more time. She watched him as he jumped down from her bed and was soon staring at her from the window."Come in" she said, still staring at Yuka's cat form."I'll see you later" she whispered and he jumped out of the window right before the door was opened.Violet stepped in. She was dressed in a white blouse and white pants, her blue hair in a ponytail. Hazel's eyes widened when she saw her. "It's good to see you, Violet" she said and Violet grinned. "How is the royal life treating you?" Violet asked, smiling at her."Adapting to it isn't as easy as I thought" Violet squeezed her hand gently and set to work. A bluish glow appeared on the tips of her fingers and spread further to her upper arms. She gently touched Hazel's black eye and healed her. By the time she was done with healing the future queen, Caden walked
"Are you threatening me right now, your highness? No, wait. You are threatening me. Wait until Caden hears about it" The queen was getting more riled up by the second. She couldn't understand why Hazel was so immune to her. She hated it. Evey other person in the palace was completely under her control. Everyone but Yuka and Hazel. She was frustrated. Since she couldn't get either of them to fear her, she was pissed. "I have a hunch that you stole the Sceptre. But since I have no proof, I'm going to let that slide.... for now.You want to act all tough and fearless. That's fine by me. Maybe, just maybe, you're going to end up six feet below the ground sooner than I thought" the queen said and walked away. Hazel glared at the Queen's retreating figure even though, deep down she was worried. Prince Caden was boiling with anger by the time he arrived right in front of the door of Yuka's chamber. He
"Yuka. Hey, can you hear me?" The second prince groaned as he slowly came to, Hazel's voice sounding like it was coming from far away. "Can you hear me?" Hazel asked one more time as she gazed at him. He squinted at her when she finally came into focus. "How are you feeling?" She asked and his eyes widened when he realized that she was in his chambers again. "No, no, no. Hazel, you shouldn't be here. The queen-" he began but was silenced by the finger she placed across his lips. "Forget about the queen. You lied to me" she said, her brows furrowed. He sighed and lowered his gaze. "You told me that the effects of the poison was only going to last for a night" she said. "Hazel-""Don't 'Hazel' me. What the queen has been doing to you is just not right. How can you even stand it?""I'm sorry, I just didn't want you to blame yourself for my punishment" "How are you feeling?" She asked and he gave her a h