Rayel's POV "Hazel…" I was lost for words at Hazel's sudden change in behavior. Just a few minutes ago, she was crying and sobbing about what had happened to Elara. And now, she was saying words that I found hard to understand. "Hazel, she died. Elara died today and it was all our fault." There was a hitch in my voice that prevented me from being able to continue. "It was not our fault, Rayel," she replied softly, looking up at me through her lashes. Before Elara, I would have melted the very moment she looked at me that way. But this time around, I was enraged. I felt like I was dying inside, but no one felt the same way, which made me want to scream and shout and throw things. My hands curled into fists, coaching tightly as Hazel continued, oblivious to the intense emotions raging within me. "She left. No one forced her to. She was taken well care of here…" "She was in a literal prison!!!" I could not stop myself from yelling out those words. It had been eating at me ever si
~ Hazel’s POVI mulled over the events of the past few hours. I could not believe that Elara had actually summoned up the courage to try and escape. I would have never thought she would have the guts to do something like that. That stupid girl nearly ruined my plans with the stunt she just pulled. I pondered over it and remembering the blood soaked piece of cloth, I wondered if she was truly dead. The thought sobered me a little bit, but I had to shake it off. I was so pained when Rayel asked me when I was going to go through the pain of getting pregnant. After instructing Beta Boris to get me a new breeder as soon as possible, I tried talking to Rayel but he wasn’t ready to talk to me and then I exited his room and returned back to my room.I laid back on my bed lazily and wondered why Rayel got so worked up over Elara’s death. I was a bit sad when I heard the news about her death but then she ran away from home and her death doesn’t have anything to do with anyone. I brought out
Elara's POVRufus stared at me with a bewildered expression on his face, one that seemed so funny yet adorable at the same time that I could not stop myself from bursting into laughter. “Are you okay, Elara?” He asked again.“I’m fine, Rufus,” I replied to him as I wiped off some tears off my face.“You know you can confide in me, Elara,” he said, sounding like an elder brother I never had. I nodded my head and then he asked me to continue eating my food. I glanced at him occasionally and saw that his attention was on me. He watched what I was eating, telling me the food to eat and not to eat.I stuffed everything he gave me into my mouth and then I told him to eat as well.“I will stop eating if you keep staring at me, Rufus,” I said.He smiled at me and told me that he wanted to be sure that I was fine.“I’m fine, Rufus,” I said curtly and then motioned for him to eat. I watched as he dug into his food and continued eating his food as well. I stopped eating when I was full and then
Elara's POV"No… I don't, but…" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say. My stomach lurched. No family. The warmth I felt next to Rufus started to feel tinged with a new worry. Was I burdening him? He'd saved me, taken me in, fed me, and now... this baby. Was it all too much?"Elara," Rufus said, his voice gentle, "look at me."I hesitantly turned my head towards him. His eyes were soft, the harsh edges I'd seen before completely gone. "You don't have to rush anything," he continued. "Think about it. This place can be your home for as long as you need it. We can figure things out together."Together. The word echoed in my mind. Together meant not being alone. Together meant having someone to face the unknown with. It was a terrifying and exhilarating prospect at the same time."But what about the baby?" I whispered, the fear creeping back in. "What kind of life will it have here, with no father?"My voice trembled as the question left my lips. The fear that had been simmering ben
~ Elara's POVA flicker of concern crossed Rufus's face. "A job? You don't look well enough to be working right now.""I know," I admitted, "but I'll get better… I hope."He sighed heavily, not saying anything else and we resumed walking back to the house. I looked around the house and there was only one bed. I wondered how our sleeping arrangement would be. I thought to myself that Rufus should be the one to sleep on the bed since he was the owner of the place. I quickly took a bedspread on the bed and laid it down before sleeping on it.“What are you doing?” Rufus asked, staring at me with the same adorable, confused expression that had been on his face when I had been sobbing while eating. "Um… sleeping," I replied, looking down at the sheets on the floor and then back at him. "What does it look like I'm doing, old man?" I teased him. He rolled his eyes at me and huffed out an exasperated breath. "I know that. But why are you putting blankets on the floor?" He asked. "Did you
~ Rayel’s POV I waited for a couple of seconds, hoping Hazel would leave. But she didn't, instead, she was staring at me expectantly and had a hopeful grin on her face. I realized that she was waiting for me to start and most likely wanted to stay with me as I ate. As much as I loved Hazel, I didn't want to be around her at the moment. I was still torn between mourning for Elara, anger at Hazel for her nonchalant attitude towards Elara's death and knowing that Hazel loved me, which was the only reason she was desperate to give me an heir. The thought of Elara and how she had died, brought a lump to my throat. I hurriedly swallowed it and moved closer to Hazel and the food she had laid out for me. I thanked her again for the food, feeling guilty for the way I had treated her as she beamed at me and then I started eating. She sat beside me and watched as I ate and then she started telling me how she woke up early and headed to the kitchen to cook the food.“I made the food alone with
~ Rayel’s POvA part of me wanted to roar in frustration, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. Elara was gone, ripped from this world in a way that I still could not wrap my head around. And now, Hazel, the reminder of our desperate situation, of the weight of expectation that threatened to crush me. It all felt too much for me to deal with. "Hazel," I mumbled, my voice thick with emotion, "You're not to blame for any of this."Her words echoed in my mind - a laughing stock. Shame burned in my gut. Could I truly be so callous, so consumed by my own grief that I wouldn't consider Hazel's feelings? She had been by my side for years, a pillar of strength, enduring whispers and sideways glances with a quiet dignity.I held her tighter, the warmth of her body a grounding presence in the chaos of my emotions. "Look at me, Hazel," I said gently, cupping her face in my hands. Her red-rimmed eyes met mine, filled with a vulnerability and pain I hadn't seen before.She must have been feeli
~ Hazel’s POVI stared at Mr Louis for a while waiting for his response but he wasn’t saying a word.“Are you even listening to me at all?” I asked him.“I heard you right, your Majesty. I will try and raise the issue as you wanted,” he said with a bow.“Thanks for unwavering support, Mr Louis,” I thanked him before dismissing him. I stood up from my seat and walked closer to my mirror, stared at my reflection and then smiled at myself. Hazel, you are brilliant, I thought to myself as I winked at my reflection in the mirror. I knew fully well that Rayel might have just agreed to my demand for a new breeder to appease me. And I was not certain he really meant it. He still looked upset by Elara's demise and I was trying to not let his sullen behavior get to me.A niggling doubt did flicker across my satisfaction. Rayel's despondency over Elara's death was undeniable. The spark that usually danced in his eyes was dimmed, replaced by a dull ache that I could not understand. We both mourn