The morning sun streamed through the grand windows of the dining room. Kazi entered, offering a respectful bow to everyone present. Queen Evangeline returned a small nod. Concubine Coriel greeted her with a kind smile, and even Prince Aradiel offered a curt nod of acknowledgment. Layil, however, remained silent, her gaze fixed on her plate.
Kazi took his seat across from Prince Akiel. The mute prince looked at her with and gestured to a plate of food. Kazi smiled and helped herself to some bread and fruit.
"Good morning, K," King Eldarion, spoke up. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well, Your Majesty," Kazi replied, her voice maintaining the slightly lower pitch it had taken on since disguising herself as a man. "I slept quite well, thank you."
"Excellent!" the King said with a smile. "Now, the matter of your assignment. Queen Nia asked me to assign you to be the personal guard for one of my children."
Kazi nodded his understanding. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Before he could finish, Princess Athiel, her blue eyes sparkling with an uncharacteristic boldness, blurted out, "I would love for K to be my personal guard, Father!"
King Eldarion chuckled. "Well, that settles it quickly, doesn't it, K? Are you alright with being assigned to Athiel?"
Kazi looked over at the young princess, noting the determination in her gaze. She nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. I would be honoured."
The door to the dining room swung open and in walked in Azrael. Without a word of greeting, he slid into an empty chair, his eyes narrowed at Kazi.
"Azrael! Late again, I see. Why must you always be so..." King Eldarion trailed off with a sigh.
"Why does it matter? It is not like you all enjoy my presence anyway." Azrael said as he rolled his eyes.
Queen Evangeline's lips thinned into a disapproving line. Concubine Coriel offered Kazi a sympathetic smile, her eyes filled with a silent apology for her son's behaviour.
Kazi, however, refused to let Azrael's rudeness rattle her. King Eldarion sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Before he could speak, Queen Evangeline intervened, her voice cool but firm. "Azrael," she began, "we were discussing assigning K as a guard to Athiel."
Azrael scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Athiel?" he scoffed. "The girl cannot even handle a butterfly without screaming. She doesn't need a guard, let alone another one. She already has three tripping over themselves everywhere she goes."
"That is not true! I can handle a butterfly just fine, and I need K as my guard!" Athiel insisted, her cheeks flushed with anger.
Aradiel, leaned towards Azrael. "Perhaps, brother," he suggested mildly, "K would not mind being assigned to you instead? You could use the extra protection."
Kazi cursed inwardly. Being assigned to the arrogant Azrael was something she desperately wanted to avoid.
Azrael shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine by me." He glanced at Kazi, a sneer curling his lips.
Queen Evangeline, unsurprisingly, looked less than thrilled with Azrael's behaviour. "K," she said, turning to him, "are you comfortable with this arrangement?"
Kazi gritted her teeth, forcing a smile. "I am content to serve in whatever capacity is deemed most advantageous, Your Majesty."
Athiel, clearly unhappy with the turn of events, slammed her napkin onto the table. "But I want K!" she protested.
King Eldarion, his patience wearing thin, spoke with finality. "Athiel, for once Azrael is right. You already have three guards. It is unnecessary."
Athiel who was furious, pushed back her chair and stormed out of the dining room, her white gown flowing behind her.
Queen Evangeline excused herself from the table. "Please forgive Athiel's behaviour, K," she said. "She can be...impetuous sometimes." Then, with a small, tired smile, she followed her daughter out of the room.
Kazi thought for a wealthy and well-respected family, they were certainly very childish. This entire family, she thought, threw tantrums like toddlers when things did not go their way.
Unable to contain herself entirely, Kazi spoke up, her voice cool and polite. "Wouldn't it be wise, considering the recent...unpleasantries, to ensure the princess's safety? After all, four guards are better than three? I would think that would be in everyone's best interest."
Azrael raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his blue eyes. "So," he began his voice a touch too smooth, "K doesn't believe men need protecting? That is rather unfair, would not you say? Especially considering you are the nephew of the great General Kazi?"
His words were like a slap across the face. Kazi gritted her teeth, internally cursing herself for letting Azrael get to her. She couldn't afford to give anything away. Not yet.
She met his gaze evenly, her expression impassive. "Of course not," she said, her voice steady. "But the safety of the princess should be of utmost importance, regardless of gender. And with the recent events," she added, her voice lowering slightly, "I think it would be wise to err on the side of caution."
"But do you not think, someone would rather attack me, the second prince rather than the last child of the king?" Azrael asked, a smirk curling his lips.
The tension in the dining room was palpable as everyone waited for someone, anyone, to respond to Azrael's taunt. Even the servants outside could feel the weight of the words hanging in the air. Knowing she had been cornered Kazi sighed. "Fine," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, "the arrangement suits me." She turned back to her plate, the rest of her breakfast suddenly unappetizing.
"Well then It is settled," the king declared, ending the stalemate. "K will be Athiel's guard, and Azrael, I trust you will not abuse your position and antagonize K any further. Is that understood?"
The tension in the air was palpable as everyone waited for Azrael's response. He smiled, the expression not reaching his eyes. "Of course, father," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "I would never dream of doing such a thing."
Azrael turned back to Kazi, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. Kazi wanted so desperately to wipe it off his face, but she remained still, her expression neutral. This was going to be a long, excruciating assignment. Breakfast ended in a tense silence.
As Kazi walked behind Azrael out of the dining room, a young woman who was rushing through the corridors, bumped into Kazi's shoulder
As Kazi walked behind Azrael out of the dining room, a young woman who was rushing through the corridors, bumped into Kazi's shoulder.
"Oh my, I am so sorry!" she gasped, her face flushing with embarrassment.
Kazi mumbled a quick apology, but her eyes were drawn to the woman's unusual features. She had white hair like normal Althean's, but she was not as pale as most of them. Her skin had a hint of golden tan to it. Kazi then noticed something about the woman. Her eyes changed from brown to blue. The woman must have caught her looking at her because she flushed even more and hurried away.
Shock coursed through Kazi. Had she imagined it? Was the stress of the situation finally getting to her? She shook her head, trying to clear the confusion.
"K!" Azrael's voice, tinged with arrogance as he cut through her thoughts. He stood a few paces ahead, a scowl etched on his face. "Are you deaf? I said stay close."
Kazi gritted her teeth internally, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "My apologies, Your Highness," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm that only she could detect. "Seems I was momentarily distracted."
Azrael narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on her. "See that you do not become a habit," he finally replied, his voice dripping with venom. "The last thing I need is to be embarrassed by my own protection."
He turned and continued walking, leaving Kazi boiling with anger. She fought the urge to slap him across the face. The next few days stretched before her like an unwanted journey. Stuck with Azrael, babysitting a prince who treated her more like an annoyance than a bodyguard, Kazi knew this mission had just taken a turn for the worse.
But amidst the frustration and annoyance, a seed of curiosity had been planted. Who was that strange woman? And what, if anything, did her eyes turning blue mean? Kazi had a feeling this was just the beginning of a series of mysteries waiting to be solved.