Silence engulfed master Finley's office as Finley and Hazel stared at each other, the latter letting the words sink in.
"A crown prince?"
"Yes," Finley immediately responded, his eyes gauging her reaction. Her brows remained furrowed and he expected her to refuse the job but surprisingly…
"If it's that important then I'd rather discuss the payment now," Hazel said in a matter-of-fact tone, leaving Finley a little bewildered.
"Hazel–"
"I should know if it's worth risking my life," Hazel cut him off before he could start coaxing her. "Killing a crown prince is no joke and you should be aware of that too. How am I even supposed to enter a royal castle and leave without being noticed?"
Finley sighed, his hands planted on the surface of the desk. "How much do you want?" He finally asked and Hazel shot back instantly,
"How much are they offering?"
Finley closed his eyes, seeming to be frustrated with her. He scratched his brow with the back of his thumb then straightened his back and stared back at Hazel.
"I promise to negotiate a reasonable amount for you. These people are not short of money or wealth and I can assure you that they will pay a good amount to eliminate the crown prince," he assured, his voice now lowered to make the explanation more convincing.
Hazel was quiet for a few seconds, her keen eyes searching Finley's as she made a disturbing observation. "Are you one of those people?" She directly asked and Finley's mouth fell open, taken aback by the question. But Hazel's voice had no accusation in it and only sounded curious.
Seeing him flabbergasted she added, "Well, it seems to me that you're protecting them. I don't care if you kill the prince or the entire royal family but I'm just curious because I haven't heard any political disputes in this Kingdom."
Finley answered while sitting back down. "That's because you have been locked up for a while now. And I doubt you would know even if you were out. They're very secretive."
Hazel also took a seat opposite him. "Alright then. Make sure I do get a very good reward. That's all I ask for."
Finley nodded. He had already thought this through and decided that even though he had James and some of his most trusted men for the task, they were different and they would be too hesitant to do it. The formidable Greenock family was feared by many and not just anyone would easily agree to kill the first son, the heir apparent to the throne. It was too much of a risk.
But Hazel was different. Not only did she not know much about Kragon or the royal family, but she also had a grudge with them which would aid his purpose. She was desperate, both for money and revenge. But if he told her to kill the second prince first, then she would leave immediately if she survived and he didn't want that. Now he could kill two birds with one stone; Kill the first prince and slowly bring down the Greenocks and keep Hazel around for as long as he wanted.
"I have everything planned out. Tomorrow there will be a tournament and the prince will be in attendance. You–"
"Only one prince?" Hazel cut him off with a question and he looked at her intently.
Finley was a bit hesitant, then answered indifferently, "No. Both princes will be present. The attendance of the king and queen is not ascertained."
Hazel's head bobbed up and down, then she shifted in her seat and leaned forward, her eyes expectant. "Then… can I just kill both princes?"
"No!" Finley's voice slightly rose in alertness, then he realised his mistake when he saw the confusion on Hazel's face. "At least not yet."
Hazel sighed in resignation, inwardly deciding that if everything went well with the first prince, then she would surely kill even the second prince. She didn't want to jeopardize her safety or the organisation's, but she wanted to get her revenge as soon as possible.
"The tournament will be a good opportunity because there'll be a lot of people. It might pose a problem because you'll have to shoot from a distance but I know your aim is perfect," he praised flatly and Hazel didn't react either. It was a fact.
If only… "Won't using a rifle be better?"
"Yes, but you have no experience with firearms. Here's prince Leocade's information," he handed her a piece of paper which Hazel only glanced at with disinterest.
"Do I need it?" She asked.
"Not really because you just need to kill him and leave, but it's good to have information beforehand. Prince Leocade is prince Sebastian's elder brother, the man who supposedly killed your uncle and sent you to prison," Finley saw Hazel clench her fists and her gaze darken.
"There's nothing more important to the Greenock family than the two Princes so the King would do anything to protect them. There'll probably be guards disguised as commoners so be careful not to be seen by anyone. I suggest you also disguise yourself."
"Where will the tournament be held?" Hazel asked.
"The palace," Finley answered and Hazel's eyes widened. "I know how it sounds but the problem isn't the location but getting a good shot," he added but Hazel's expression remained stiff.
She had never been to a palace before, but she knew how nobles valued security so it would surely be harder than what Finley made it look like. Even the information he was giving didn't correspond with his assurances. The two Princes were highly valued, so while among so many people, the security would be tight, but that won't be a problem?!
Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Finley went farther to ascertain, "I'll give you my right hand man just in case things go wrong."
After finalising the details for the next day, Hazel retired to her room and Finley continued with his work.
She was deep in thought the entire time and even though it was still early in the afternoon, she suddenly felt the need to sleep.
Immediately after walking into her room, she first checked her weapons and found them intact, then checked her clothes and considered buying new ones. She would also need a new head wrap, and a pair of shoes. Not to forget she hadn't tried the weapons she was to use in her assassination.
As soon as the word crossed her mind, Hazel's eyebrows furrowed. Was she an assassin now?
Shaking the thought out of her mind, she went out again to get the things she needed. Finley listened to her concerns and gladly gave her the money she needed, then offered to accompany her to test the arrows she would use.
By the time evening arrived, everything was ready for the next day and Finley and Hazel were on the deserted training grounds. The other occupants of the organization were retiring for the day and having their meals.
Finley stood on the side while Hazel took her bow and arrow and aimed at the target. Finley observed everything; from her posture to the way she pulled the arrow, and how good she could detect the wind's direction. But Hazel was as good as she had ever been. She released the arrow and it shot straight on the bullseye.
A smile of satisfaction curved Finley's lips.
After a few more shots with Hazel adjusting the distance between herself and the target, they also retired for the night and Hazel went to get her food. It was only then that she realized she hadn't eaten the entire day. Her prison habits were catching up with her.
Deep into the night, Hazel tossed and turned in bed, her mind unable to rest despite needing sleep more than ever. Lack of sleep wouldn't affect her performance while eliminating the prince since it was something she was used to, but having a clear mind would be better.
The entire organization was quiet and everyone was asleep, which only seemed to amplify Hazel's loud thoughts.
This was her first mission in five years. Her missions before involved hunting down local criminals or animals in the wild. The first time she ever killed someone was in prison and back then, she didn't feel any remorse or anything that should come with killing. She only felt immense anger that could not be quenched.
Afterwards, she had come way too close to killing someone more times than she could count so it wasn't killing that was intimidating her.
What if she got caught and sent back to prison? She shivered at the thought. Or worse, be held in the palace's dungeon?
With a sigh, Hazel forced her eyes close and started counting imaginary sheep.