The next morning Hazel woke up earlier than everyone else in the organization. It was ironical because she could barely sleep the entire night, but even in her sleep, her mind kept repeating to her that she was sharing a bathroom with a hundred other men. It was disgusting to even think about it, but she comforted herself with the memory of how she would go for days without bathing in prison.
After a quick bath because she didn't want anyone to find her there, she changed into the clothes she had bought the previous day. A pair of black trousers, a white blouse shirt and a pair of black ankle boots. She went back to her room while drying her long, slightly curly hair and sat in front of the mirror.
As soon as she saw her reflection, her actions paused and her brows furrowed. She leaned closer to the mirror and frowned further. The scars had opened up again. She vaguely remembered scratching her eyes the previous night when she couldn't sleep, but now it looked like a fresh wound.
This wasn't the first time that this happened. There were times when the wound would open by itself. For some strange reason even she couldn't understand, Hazel believed that the wound didn't want to heal. Why else would the scars open every time they were close to healing completely?
Pushing the thoughts at the back of her mind, Hazel continued drying her hair. She tied it up in a neat bun, then put on her eye patch without bothering to put any medicine on the wound. She finally wrapped the head wrap around her head and hid her knives carefully in her boots and under her sleeves. Those would be useful in case she had to fight.
She went out to find master Finley. She heard muffled voices from his office and her footsteps briefly slowed down as she strained to listen but heard nothing.
She pushed the door open without knocking and two pairs of eyes looked up at her in surprise.
Hazel's eyebrows arched up. "Good morning," she greeted with an awkward smile.
The two men recollected their thoughts and greeted her back in unison.
"Good morning."
"Good morning Hazel. I was just about to wake you up," Finley said as he motioned for her to sit down.
Eddie's eyes followed her movements with a foolish grin on his face, making Hazel's mouth twitch.
"Isn't it too early? The tou…" her words trailed off and her gaze shifted to Finley, then to Eddie. Shouldn't master Finley send him away?
Seemingly noticing her concerns, Finley smiled lightly. "Eddie will accompany you."
Hazel's eyebrows arched upwards and she blinked twice, not sure she understood what Finley was trying to say. "To… the tournament?" She asked with uncertainty.
"Yes," Finley replied.
The frown on Hazel's face deepened. Him? Didn't he say he was the newest student? How was he going to help her in such a critical mission?
"I don't understand," she confessed with a shake of her head.
Finley remained smiling. "Hazel, meet my right hand man, Edward. Edward, this is Hazel," he introduced the two.
"We already met, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Hazel," Eddie, who hadn't said a word the entire time, said with a pleasant smile.
Hazel gave him a curt nod, still a bit confused.
Finley understood that it would take time for Hazel to trust Eddie, but he was also a crucial part in the task at hand.
Finley went ahead to estimate the number of guards in place for the security of the princes and Eddie filled her in on the escape routes in the palace. According to him, it would be easier to leave without being noticed because if an attack was made, chaos would break out and the people in attendance would be frantic while fleeing for their lives. They could use that opportunity.
If it failed, he knew a few tunnels inside the palace that they could use to escape.
Hazel's eyes stayed glued to his face with an intense gaze as he explained everything to her, questions flooding her mind then she blurted out, "How do you know all this?"
Her curiosity was evident in her voice and her narrowed eyes. Eddie and Finley shared a look.
"Uh…"
"Eddie used to work in the palace before," Finley's voice chimed when he saw the conflict in Eddie's eyes and the latter sighed in relief.
Hazel's frown only deepened. "Then he is not trustworthy," she remarked resolutely and both men stared at her with blank expressions.
After a moment of silence, Finley sighed in resignation. "He is," he insisted, then paused and locked eyes with Hazel. "Do you trust me?"
"Yes," Hazel responded instantly and firmly. Of course she trusted him. Why wouldn't she?
Master Finley's stiff shoulders relaxed at her firm words and resolute expression. "Then trust him too. I would know if he is trustworthy or not," he implored lightly and Hazel's gaze darted to Eddie.
"I'll try," she finally conceded and they went ahead with their discussion.
After a few hours of sitting in the office and idling around waiting for the tournament to start, Hazel and Eddie finally left Finley's office. They had already had breakfast which was brought by a chef to the office and the only thing remaining was to head to the palace.
"There is no need to doubt me, Hazel," Eddie tried assuring her as they descended the stairs.
Hazel sneered inwardly, casting him a cautious glance then wordlessly walked ahead of him. She was carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows was slung over her shoulder. On the other hand, Eddie only carried a spy glass which Hazel pointed out as unnecessary but was reassured by Finley that it would be needed.
When they were out of the building, Eddie jogged to catch up with her as she swiftly strode towards the entrance.
"No, not that way," Eddie warned, a little out of breath.
Hazel briefly stopped and glanced back at him. He was blowing out air through his mouth and couldn't talk properly so she waited for him to catch his breath.
"We're not using the main entrance. People might see us," he said but even then, Hazel didn't say anything and raised a quizzical brow, looking up at him indifferently.
"Ahem! This way," Eddie pointed to a small path around the building, feeling a little uncomfortable with Hazel's aloofness.
He led the way while Hazel followed behind him quietly. From time to time, he would glance back at her, intending to say something to strike up a conversation but her cold gaze made him swallow back his words and continue walking.
It was quite a distance from the organisation to the palace, and Hazel had thought that the hidden path in the forest was a shortcut but it seemed to take forever till they reached the place.
When the shadow from the tall trees started to clear and bushes and a stream came to view, Hazel looked up to see a magnificent castle standing proudly on top of a mountain. It's tall towers loomed over the surrounding forests and Hazel's steps slowly came to a halt, her eyes gleaming. She had never seen anything like it.
Eddie only realized that he was walking alone when he started talking to Hazel about their plan to go inside.
"I would have preferred going in through the back to avoid being recognized by anyone, but master Finley insisted on going through the front. You see–" the rest of his words died at the tip of his tongue when he turned around and there was no one behind him.
His eyes widening, Eddie frantically looked around as his heart started racing inside his chest.
"H–Hazel?" He called out with uncertainty, his voice a bit low. "Where did she go?" He muttered to himself, his brows pinching inwards as worry shrouded his features.
"Hazel!" He yelled as he started walking back, but he was only answered by his own echo.
Almost close to tears, Eddie held the spyglass in one hand while the other rubbed his forehead in deep concern.
"Hazel!"