The Man In The Shadows

Anslem, Rubian Capital

2030

       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 like a failure for quickly giving in to the demands of the Silverans that had visited the previous night.

He sighed deeply, hoping that his daughter was doing alright. She wasn't the fragile type and she definitely had an attitude. She was also stubborn sometimes but she was very much capable of taking care of herself.

Suddenly, the small device in his ear that looked like a small earpiece beeped and he stiffened.

"General Spiers, we have a message from the Silveran royals" his bestfriend, Lit. General Wade's voice boomed through the earpiece.

"What is it?" He asked hesitantly.

"Your daughter, Hazel has been chosen by the crown prince as his bride to be. There will be a celebration feast at Jotham in three days and you have been invited"

The intercom beeped one more time and went silent.

Barron smirked as he leaned back in his seat.

So far, everything was going fine. All he needed to do was fill Hazel in with his plan.

The knock on the door of his study alerted him.

"Come in!" He called and the door swung open. His three sons stormed in with rage clearly visible on their faces.

"What is the meaning of this, father? How could you send Hazel to Silvera to get married to that bastard!" Shade, the most outspoken of the triplets exclaimed and Barron sighed.

"I did what I had to do"

"Really? Is that all you have to say?!" Trey, the tallest of the triplet spat, his eyes burning with fury.

"Look, what's done is done and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it" Barron said, his statement only angering his sons even more. "This is just part of the plan" he said and they frowned.

"What plan?" Carl, who was the only one that was usually quiet and reserved said, his brows furrowed.

Barron gave him a knowing smile and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Sit down, boys" He said and their frowns deepened. They didn't like the sinister look on their father's face and they could only guess that whatever it was couldn't be something good.

***

Jotham, Silveran Capital

          Hazel sat stiffly in her chair, listening to the melodious music playing in the room. The room was quite spacious and was painted a bright purple. Light expensive looking, silver and blue, silk curtains were draped over the windows.  There was a standard sound system and a large organ in the room as well. There was also a very large flat screen TV and a few meticulously designed royal blue couches. In the center of the room was a small silver table that was made of iron. A white silk was draped over it and a flower vase containing different flowers was positioned right on top of the table. The room smelt of roses which oddly reminded her of the crown prince. The room also had a large balcony which had a beautiful view of the palace surroundings.

The crown prince had asked her to wait for him in this room. According to him, he wanted to get to know his future wife. Hazel didn't even get the chance to refuse his proposal, the prince was clearly used to getting everything he wanted. The fact that she found him attractive wasn't helping matters. After declaring to his parents that he'd found the woman he wanted to make his queen, he'd then slipped on an ornate silver ring onto Hazel's finger. Hazel was worried. She knew she was dealing with dangerous people who could torture her by using their raw magic. Hazel couldn't help but wonder. What exactly had he seen in her? He was a royal, a Silveran royal at that. Whereas, she was a mere red-blood. She wasn't even a royal.

She lifted her head at the sound of the faint pitter patter of footsteps heading towards the room. The crown prince stepped in, his hair in a ponytail. He gave her a smile and took a seat directly opposite her. Shortly, a maid walked in and poured them a glass of white wine each. Hazel felt the prince watching her intently and her cheeks flared pink, her stomach tightening with nerves.

"Don't be shy, love. I don't bite, not if you want me to" he said and she gritted her teeth; gods above, he was starting to get on her nerves.

"Tell me about yourself" the prince said and she looked up to meet his endearing gaze. "There's nothing interesting about me, your majesty. My name is Hazel Spiers and I'm a red-blood. That's all you need to know" Hazel said and he grinned.

"How old are you, beautiful Hazel?"

She bit her lower lip, unconsciously fisting her dress. "Twenty one" she muttered and his grin widened.

"Do you have any questions?" He asked and she sighed.

"I practically know nothing about you"

"All you had to do is ask, love" he stated and she looked away. She hated his incessant flirting.

"My name is Caden Capellan and I'm a full blooded Silveran, although I have a tiny bit of blue blood. I'm twenty four years old and I'm the future king of Silvera. I so happen to meet a particular adorable bundle of beauty who won't talk to me because she's too shy" he said and she rolled her eyes.

"You're an asshole" she said, her eyes widening a second later. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.

She mentally kicked herself for insulting the prince and she was worried that she was going to get punished for that. But she was stunned when he suddenly burst into laughter. "That's much better. I love your attitude better than your shyness" he said and Hazel blushed, a fiery shade of red.

"Look, I know I haven't been cooperating that much. But, I need some time to process all of this. It's a lot to take in and I need to take a breather" she ranted and Prince Caden nodded slowly, his eyes unreadable.

"Take all the time you need, Hazel. I understand" he said and rose to his feet.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "A maid will be here shortly to take you to your chambers. Also, you must stay away from the East wing of the palace and I mean it" he said and sauntered out of the room, his steps elegant and confident.

****

     Hazel groaned inwardly as she paced back and forth in her new room. She'd been stuck in the palace for three days now and she was bored. Today, there was going to be a feast to celebrate her engagement with the prince. Caden had given her the space she'd asked for but she was tired of doing nothing but sulk in her room all day. She was miserable. In a few minutes, the feast would begin and she was very nervous.

"My lady?" She looked up to see Zena, her personal maid.

"I think you should relax or you'll ruin your dress, my lady" Zena said, bowing her head politely.

Hazel groaned in exasperation and sat down on one of the armchairs in her room.

"I'm bored" she whined and the maid smiled.

"Prince Caden gave me the permission to help you explore the palace tomorrow. But for now, you have to relax"

Hazel sighed and closed her eyes. "I've been feeling so awkward. Royalty just doesn't suit me" she groaned and Zena gave her a small smile. "I believe you'll get used to it, my lady"

I don't want to get used to this, Hazel thought with a frown on her face.

Soon, she was heading towards the main court with a couple of guards as well as her personal maid.

Caden looked as handsome as ever in a white tuxedo. He kissed her knuckles and smiled at her, his eyes twinkling. She curtseyed in front of the queen and the king before standing side by side with her soon to be husband.

There was a whole lot of people in the main court, drinking and eating to their heart's content.

When it was time for the prince to give a speech, Hazel's stomach churned with nerves.

"Good people of Silvera, I greet you all!" the prince began and the people cheered. Hazel noticed a figure lurking in the shadows. It was a male, she could tell that much. But, he seemed to be hiding from probing eyes.

Hazel couldn't stop looking at the figure hiding among the shadows. She was so distracted that she missed the rest of her fiance's speech. She only snapped out of her daze when Caden wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to himself.

"Isn't she beautiful?" the prince said and she blushed when the people cheered.

"Dance with me" he said and she exhaled slowly before nodding her head. Since she was the daughter of one of the wealthiest general of Rubia, she was very much used to the whole 'dance with me' stuff. If there was one thing she was good at, it was dancing. As she was pulled to the dance floor, she caught a glimpse of the figure in the shadows. A low gasp left her lips when she noticed the violet eyes staring at her in the dark.

"Are you okay?" Prince Caden asked and she swallowed hard.

"I-I'm fine" she stuttered, and turned to look at the figure in the dark one more time. But this time, she didn't see anyone there.

He was gone.