04: Prince Yuka

       Jotham, Silveran Capital

  "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 beautiful glow, she was envious.

He took her gloved hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her palm. "Prince Yuka at your service, my lady" he said and her eyes widened further.

Prince?

Did he just say prince?

"You must be Hazel Spiers, my brother's fiance" he stated and she cleared her throat. "It was you" she said and he raised a brow.

"You were staring at me in the dark" she continued and he shrugged.

"That's right"

"Why were you hiding?"

He chuckled softly.

"Let me ask you something. Why would a person hide?"

She blinked.

Was he really antisocial or was it something else?

"You are really something else, Hazel. You are not supposed to be here, you know that, right?"

She nodded slowly.

"I don't get it. Why all the secrecy?" She asked and he sighed. "I can't tell you. As it is, you might've already gotten yourself into trouble by trespassing into the East wing"

Hazel frowned.

"I don't see why this is a big deal" she said and he smiled.

"You're a lot different than I thought you would be. You have to be careful, Hazel. Being different can earn you so many enemies" he said.

Hazel decided not to brood over his statement for now. But as she stared at him, she grew even more curious.

"So, you're really a black blood" she breathed and he shrugged.

"It's as obvious as it gets" he responded and Hazel tilted her head slightly, noticing the color of his hair.

"Did you dye your hair or is it naturally that way?" She asked, referring to his shoulder length black and red hair. "It's not dyed"

"Really? Do you have nine lives?" She asked and he blinked.

"What?"

"I heard that black bloods have nine lives. Is that true?"

He laughed.

"Really, Hazel? Is that even possible?" He said and she laughed along with him.

"Gosh, I really believed it! That's just ridiculous" she laughed. But then, she realized that he had stopped laughing.

"What?" She said and he smirked.

"We actually do have nine lives, Hazel"

Her eyes went wide.

"You're messing with me, aren't you?"

"I'm being serious"

She gaped at him, jaw slackened.

"Wow, that's..... wow" she breathed and he began to casually take a stroll down the garden. Hazel followed behind him, realizing that he was the only one in the palace that she felt comfortable around. It was a little weird especially since he was a black blood.

"I think I know why Caden asked me to stay away from the East wing" she suddenly stated as she strolled alongside the prince.

"You do?"

She nodded.

"I think he wanted me to stay away from you because you're a black blood. Am I wrong?"

He stopped and turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. Hazel couldn't tell, but he really liked her company despite the fact that she kept asking several questions. Talking with Hazel felt like breathing fresh air. For him, it had been quite a long time since he spoke with anyone who wasn't afraid of him. This was another reason why he found Hazel interesting. She knew that he was a black blood but she didn't show fear. Caden seems to have hit quite the jackpot, He thought.

"Maybe"

Hazel groaned, not satisfied with his vague answer.

"Do you- do you get lonely?" She asked and he froze. She let out a sigh and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I know how it feels to be out of place. I mean, look at me. I'm a boring red blood. I'm not even pretty but your brother chose me anyway. I don't know why he did that. But, I don't feel like I belong here. I have no idea why it's different with you. Maybe it's because you're easier to talk to. Talking to you feels nice" she rambled.

Prince Yuka smiled at how adorable she looked. She was definitely not a pushover, he knew. He had a feeling that somehow, he would be seeing more of her soon. "Hazel" he said and she gazed at him with her beautiful brown eyes.

"Caden isn't blind. You're not pretty" he said and she raised a brow.

"You're beautiful and even Caden could see it"

Hazel felt her cheeks burn, butterflies erupting in her stomach. She felt different when Yuka complemented her. When he told her that she was beautiful, she felt beautiful. She knew it was a bad sign. No one had ever made her react like this before and Hazel was starting to get worried.

"Yuka" she said his name for the first time, liking the way it felt on her tongue.

"Yes, Hazel? I think I've been gone for so long. Caden is going to throw a fit when he finds out where I am" she said and he nodded in understanding.

"I'll see you when I see you" she said and he grinned.

"Of course"

She turned and had barely walked three metres away when she realized that she didn't know how to find her way back to her chambers. She turned around and mentally scolded herself.

"Yuka?"

He turned to face her.

"I can't find my way back to my chambers. Can you-- help me?" She said, grimacing at herself, sheepishly.

Yuka smirked and walked up to her. "Fine. Follow me"

Hazel gazed at the cloudy sky as she sat in her room, two of her maids attending to her. "Zena?" She said.

"Yes, my lady?" Her personal maid responded.

"Does prince Caden have a brother?"

Zena stiffened.

"Yes. Why do you ask, your highness?"

"What is he like?" She asked and Ophelia, Hazel's other maid responded.

"He's a black blood. He's evil and murderous. It's why we were all instructed to stay away from the East wing"

Hazel frowned.

She was very sure that their description of Yuka didn't fit him at all. Was he hated that much? If he was evil and murderous, he would have killed her already. Besides, he didn't seem to be a bad person.

She let out a sigh, still staring at the cloudy sky. The wedding was supposed to take place in two weeks and to be honest, she wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to become Caden's wife and queen. The mere thought of it made her feel very nervous and nauseated.

Later that evening, she made her way towards the court room and was heading towards the dinning area to have dinner with the rest of the royal family.

Just as she walked past the main court, she heard Yuka's voice. She slowly moved backwards and peered into the main court through the half open door.

"I did nothing wrong, father" Yuka said.

"Don't try to fool me, Yuka! With that smug look on your face, I'm sure you know what you did wrong" the king snapped.

The prince sighed and lowered his head.

"It wasn't my fault. She came to me herself"

"I'm sure you made her do it, you two faced liar!" Caden spat and Hazel clenched her fist. She didn't understand why they were accusing Yuka of making her go to him. She'd gone to the East wing of her own accord, she needed to let them know.

"Your highness, I suggest you stay out of it. Your interference is only going to make things worse for Prince Yuka" Zena said from behind her.

Hazel clenched her jaw when the king smacked Yuka on the face, hard.

"You were trying to seduce your brother's fiancee, weren't you?" The queen said and Yuka rolled his eyes.

"You know, if I really wanted to do that, would you really be able to stop me?" He asked. Caden rose to his feet, his eyes burning with fury.

"Stay away from her!"

"Caden, sit down" the king ordered and he lowered himself onto his chair hesitantly.

"Yuka. You will be punished for luring your brother's wife to the East wing" the king stated and Hazel let out a low gasp, clasping a hand over her mouth.

Yuka sighed and clenched his fists. A maid handed Yuka a cup containing a white liquid.

"You know the drill" the queen said and he scoffed before bringing it to his lips. He emptied the cup and handed it over to the maid.

"I hope that this time you will learn your lesson. You must learn to respect the crown prince" the king said.

Hazel watched as Yuka doubled over, his face contorted with pain. Caden looked very pleased and so did the queen. Hazel let out a gasp as Yuka coughed up black blood. Tears filling her eyes when she saw how much pain he was in. She froze when Yuka's gaze met hers. "Who's there?" the queen asked and Hazel's blood ran cold.