"Thank you Lady Carla, I feel better now", Hazel said smiling at the middle aged woman
"Sir Richard has always been a strict teacher I hope you have the strength to bear him Your Highness", Lady Carla said looking at the young lady in front of her
"Don't worry Lady Carla, if Sir Richard is a strict teacher then even I am a tough student. I will be fine", Hazel affirmed the old lady and Lady Carla beamed happily
"She is so resilient just like her mother"
"Alright your Highness, Kloy and Anna will come help you get ready" Lady Carla said and stood up.
"I am quite hungry Lady Carla", Hazel said rubbing her stomach shyly
"Your Highness will have breakfast at the Royal Hall along with everyone. Kloy and Anna will take you there once you are ready",
"Okay please send them in", Hazel said and Lady Carla nodded and left.
"Your Highness", Zobrah, Aluna, Kloy and Anna came in and bowed.
"We will prepare the bath for you", Kloy and Anna said and entered the washroom
"I will take away the clothes your Highness", Zobrah said and Hazel nodded, Zobrah left after packing the clothes and Anna notified Hazel that the bath was ready, while Aluna cleaned up her room in the meantime, Hazel wore a light yellow dress with white heels after her bathe and left the room after her hair was adorned, she didn't bother using any jewellry apart from the one in her ear as she was in a hurry to eat.
Hazel entered the hall and met the King, the Queen, Roshan and the Royal Mother, Klara and Astrid weren't present yet.
"Morning Your Majesty", Hazel bowed in greeting and the King replied while the Queen just ignored her.
"Good morning your Highnesses", Hazel greeted the Royal Mother and the Crown Prince
"Good morning My dear", the Royal Mother replied smiling
"Good morning Your Highness", Roshan replied with a bright smile and stretched his hand to pull Hazel to sit beside him but The Royal mother was faster and Hazel was quickly sitted beside her.
Prince Roshan glared at the Royal mother and puffed his cheeks, "Royal Grandmother is so mean Sister was meant to sit beside me", the Royal mother smiled at him victoriously "My Granddaughter will sit beside me today", Hazel just smiled and shook her head while watching there glare fight.
"Good morning Father, Mother", Astrid and Klara bowed in greetings on entering the hall.
"Good morning grandma, Morning Roshan", Astrid greeted with a smile.
"Morning", "let's begin", The King said and signalled the maids to serve the meal.
The aroma of the food sent Hazel's stomach dancing wildly, all her energy had been expelled at the field today and food was like heaven to her now.
"See me in my studies after breakfast", The King said after he was done. Hazel raised up her head to know who he was talking to and he was looking at her.
"Are you talking to me your Majesty", Hazel asked
"Yes", The King replied calmly and cleaned his hands with the napkins.
"Alright your Majesty", Hazel replied and continued her meal while the King stood up and left the hall. A while later the Queen and her daughters also left
"I am done as well, I will go for my classes now. I will come play with you once I am done Sister Hazel", Roshan said and stood up from the chair
"Okay Prince Roshan", Hazel replied and Roshan left.
"I am done as well grandma. I will go see the King", Hazel said and left.
"Why do you think Sebastian called Hazel, Sona", The Royal mother asked her personal maid after Hazel left.
"I have no idea Royal Mother", Sona answered honestly and the Royal mother just looked at the door thoughtfully.
"Your Majesty, Her highness Princess Hazel demands your presence", the guard in front of the King's personal study notified him
"Let her in", the King replied from inside
"You asked for me Your Majesty",Hazel said and bowed respectfully. The King raised his head to look at the girl who reminds him so much of the mistakes of the past, "She looks exactly like Her", he thought silently before saying
"Yes, come in", Hazel moved closer to stand I front of him.
"Richard reported your performance in the field to me and I think its okay for a first timer", "Women in Lexan Kingdom are equal to men that's why they do the things men do. You have to hone your agility, flexibility and fighting skills both with weapon and in combat, and you also have to be extremely good at riding horses", The King said looking for a change in her expression but her face didn't give her thoughts away.
"She has the same indifference as Astra as well, her face is so expressionless its like everything am saying is not related to her, an attribute that got Astra the position of General in the Lexan army" he thought then continued
"You must be feeling scared and pressured right, you are not used to all this but Sorry you have to get used to it. If it were up to me I wouldn't have allowed you to come here....." you are better off in your simple and happy life, the world here is too tough and dangerous for you child it even killed your mother" he said the latter part of the sentence in his mind.
Hazel looked at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes
"He really never wanted me",
"You have to take a lot of lessons before you can be introduced to the kingdom. Your teachers will start coming from tomorrow and I hope you will focus and learn whatever they teach you, you will be introduced to the kingdom during your coming of age ceremony next year and I hope you will be presentable by then.
I am not asking you to make the royal family proud just don't disgrace us", The King said sternly and Hazel could feel her eyes turn misty but she refuses to show him her weakness and how hurt she is by his words".
"I will keep that in mind your Majesty, but I have a question to ask", Hazel stood up straight and looked at the King straight in his eyes
"Do you hate me" the question stunned the King for a moment and he could feel immense pain in his heart but he refused to show it, Hazel looked at him for a while then said
"Fine I got my answer from your silence", "Please excuse me your Majesty", she said and the King waved his hand signalling her to leave.
After she left the King finally stood up from the chair and held his heart which was twitching in pain and remembered that night thirteen years ago where he got separated from his children. No one knew but he was there when Astra breathe her last breath that night and he was the first person to hold Hazel as a baby even before her mother did.
Astra forgave him for everything before she died but he hasn't been able to forgive himself even after so many years, he was the one that gave Hazel her name and he told Astra to hand her over to the couple she was staying with because the palace was dangerous for her. He tried everything he could to keep her hidden especially from Marah and he has been successful until his mother used her personal secret guard to trace Astra last abode and found Hazel and when he tried to convince her not to bring Hazel here she became angry.
He has been in love with Marah ever since he was a teenager but Astra was the sister he never had to him, she was his friend and his partner, she understood him even if he didn't say anything and she was always there for him every single time he needed her, the both of them were inseparable since childhood. He knew Astra loved him more as a man than as a brother but he never led her on, he always reminded her that she was just his sister and best friend and Astra would always laugh it off.
The night he took her virginity was on the night of the new moon festival and they all had a lot to drink, Sebastian was very excited because that night Marah had informed him she was pregnant and he was so excited to welcome his first child. He looked for a chance to tell his father, the then King and Marah's father about everything but he didn't get a chance, he told Astra instead and she congratulated him but afterwards she went to a corner and got herself drunk with wine. That night eighteen years ago Sebastian got drunk in happiness but Astra got drunk in sorrow, the both of them were out of their senses and they both staggered supporting each other into Sebastian's room.
In his drunken state Sebastian thought Astra was Marah and forced himself on her, Astra tried to resist but he was too excited and drunk to realize. The both of them were spotted by one of Sebastian Quarters maid the next day who had informed the Royal Mother the then Queen. The King ordered Astra and Sebastian to get married but Astra refused and told them that Marah was pregnant with Sebastian's child, she asked for Marah and Sebastian to get married instead since she wouldn't want to separate two lovers or a father and his child, Marah and Sebastian got married and Princess Klara was born eight months later, ten months after Klara's birth, the King passed away.