Klara woke up feeling a bit disorientated. How and when she got into her bed, she couldn't quite remember. She wasn't even wearing her nightgown, which was strange because she always changed before going to sleep.
Not thinking further about it she went to freshen up. Once back into her room she changed into a new dress and began to comb her hair. What happened last night? She remembered drinking with Roshan, having one glass more of the delicious wine, but after that, she just couldn't recall anything. She got probably wasted.
Foolish girl. You were only supposed to have a taste, she scolded herself.
Once she got ready she left the room and headed to the garden where Irene liked to serve tea every morning, but once she arrived only Hazel was seated there.
"Good morning." Klara greeted.
"Good morning." Hazel smiled.
Klara sat down and poured some tea for herself. "Did you sleep well?"
Why was she asking as if she cared? But then she kept remembering all the bruises she saw and wondered if Hazel could even lay down without being in pain.
"Yes I did. You?"
"Well if you are not complaining then I can't say otherwise." She shrugged.
Hazel just smiled.
"I heard why you are here. I am sorry it turned out like this and I am forever grateful to you for saving and helping me."
"I am actually regretting it right now." Klara joked.
Hazel chuckled.
"Is...is Lucian alright?" Klara asked.
Hazel nodded. "Yes."
Klara looked down at her tea feeling suddenly strange in this situation but then she decided to say what she was really feeling so that she could get closure and put everything behind her.
"Hazel. I Don't want to pretend as if nothing happened anymore. Yes, I liked Lucian, I mean I still do but I just... I am not trying to get him anymore. I know I wasn't the nicest person to you and what I did was wrong but I was hurt and angry. Angry because...while I was waiting he got married to someone else. Hurt because he was the only person I ever liked but he couldn't be mine. Yes, I was selfish, I grew up learning to never give up but eventually, I did because I wanted him to be happy and I wasn't the person who made him happy."
Klara felt her heart ache at the last sentence.
"What I am trying to say is..." She continued. "Is that Lucian belongs to you and I am not trying to change that...I just..."
"I know." Hazel cut off. "I have actually tried to put myself in your shoes. What if I liked someone very much and he suddenly showed up with a wife. What would I do? How would I feel? It's not like I could stop liking him suddenly just because he got married. I would probably be as angry as you were and project my anger onto someone else. It's understandable, you don't have to explain anything. I don't have any hard feelings for you."
Klara nodded a bit relieved that Hazel was understanding. Unlike her, Klara grew up using her fists instead of her mouth so she wasn't very good at explaining herself. This was actually the first time she had a long conversation with a woman other than her sister and it felt good.
"I can really understand why Lucian loves you." Klara smiled.
"You are not so bad yourself." Hazel said with a smug look on her face.
"Oh really?" Klara pretended to be surprised and Hazel chuckled. "By the way, where are the others?"
Hazel shrugged. "Irene said she had somewhere to be and the others, I am not sure."
Klara sighed. "You know, I am tired of just staying here. I want to go out for awhile. Want to join?"
"I am not sure. What if we don't find our way back?" She looked at the gate and just then it opened and Irene walked inside. "Well Irene is here, she could go with us." Hazel suggested.
"What are you two chattering about?" Irene said as she neared.
"Nothing. We just...I mean I wondered if we could go outside for awhile?"
"No darling it's very da..." She stopped as if changing her mind. "Actually you might want to with us somewhere."
"Us?"
"Yes, me and Hazel."
"Where are we going?" Hazel asked.
"Lucian released his men but they have a hard time reaching home safely."
Hazel stood up quickly. "Well, then we have to help them."
"Yes. Are you ready to leave now?" Irene asked.
Hazel nodded.
"I am coming with you." Klara said.
"Let's go then."
Klara packed some food while Hazel went to fetch some water and Irene brought a few medical kits. When everything was packed Irene used her magic to transport them to where they could find the soldiers.
Klara gasped upon her arrival where the men were resting somewhere in the woods. Many were injured but most of them looked starved, their bodies only skin and boned. These men needed something to eat.
"Your highness." They noticed Hazel who was standing in the same place, frozen in shock. Then slowly her face turned into one of anger and concern but she tried her best to hide it.
"Oliver." She breathed looking at a young soldier who seemed to be in a very bad condition.
They all stood up and bowed.
"Your highness, what brings you here?" They were all surprised.
"Lucian....sent me here to help you." Hazel stuttered.
They all looked at each other, probably wondering why Lucian would do that. Send his own wife to help them.
The one that Klara recognized as Lincoln looked at her questioningly but he didn't ask what she was doing there.
"You don't have to stand up, sit down. I got some food for you." She said and hurried to give everyone something to eat.
They looked happy and thanked her. Irene had already begun to tend to someone and Klara went to help. She went to a soldier who seemed to have hurt his leg.
"Can I look at it?" She asked kneeling down.
He looked at her surprised. "I am fine." He said.
"It doesn't look like it. Let me take a look." She said.
He just nodded with large eyes.
Klara looked at the wound on his leg. It was from a sword she could tell but fortunately, it wasn't deep so there was no danger there. She just needed to keep it from getting infected so she began to clean it.
The man seemed uncomfortable and Klara understood that he knew who she was and having a princess kneel down and clean his wound could be distressing. When she was done cleaning she wrapped his wound with a piece of fabric.
"It's done." She said.
"Thank you." He breathed.
Klara went on to the next one and realized she knew this man, she just didn't know his name.
"Princess Klara, I didn't think I would see you again." He said. He seemed to be in a slightly better condition than the others despite having more injuries she realized.
"And you are?"
"Callum, My Lady, and I am alright. I think the others need more help."
Klara looked around. No one seemed to be as badly injured as him and most of them only needed food.
"I'll help you first." She said and then without waiting for him to protest she began her task.
He didn't say anything else and got occupied with watching Hazel as she helped the others.
"You don't seem happy to see her." Klara said.
He averted his gaze and looked at Klara. "I thought Her Highness was dead." He got silent for a moment and inhaled deeply. " And even though I am very relieved to see her, I can see she has been through a lot."
He was talking about the bruises and probably about how thin Hazel became.
Guards and maids without knowing usually got attached to the one they served the most and even though Callum was one of Lucians men, Klara could see that he was more attached to Hazel.
"She is strong, so she is probably fine now." Klara assured him.
"May I ask why you are here, My Lady?"
"It's a long story." Klara replied.
He just nodded but then took notice of Irene. She was hard to miss and all the men seemed to have their eyes on her. They weren't just looking, they were ogling and drooling.
"Who is she?" Callum asked staring at her.
Lucian's mother, Klara thought with a shiver. And a witch by the way.
Klara still had a hard time digesting that fact. It would probably take her awhile and she still had many unanswered questions on why everyone thought Lucian's mother was dead, when she was very much alive.
"Just a friend." Klara shrugged. "I am done now."
"Thank you." He said.
Standing up she looked for anyone else who might need help but to her surprise Irene was very quick and took care of all those who were injured.
"I think we are done." Irene said brushing dirt off her dress.
"Yes," Klara said and then they both looked at Hazel who took her time to speak to everyone and make sure they were alright.
"She has a pure heart." Irene said watching.
Klara nodded in agreement. "She just needs to use her brain sometimes."
Irene chuckled. "You are funny."
Klara left to look for water to wash her hands with. As she found a bottle and grabbed it some pieces of her memory from last night came back. She remembered pouring more and more wine into her glass and drinking until she was wasted and then...Roshan..no, no, no!
She shook her head violently as her memory slowly came back. What had she done? How could she? No! God help her, she wished the earth would swallow her right then.
How would she ever be able to face him again and why did she even ask those questions?
"Is everything alright?" Hazel startled her. "Your face is red."
"No, nothing is alright." She said waving with her arms, making the water splash everywhere. "I am so stupid."
"What happened?" Hazel asked worriedly.
"I asked him to kiss me. Why?!" She yelled.
Everyone who was busy eating their food now looked at them but Klara was too embarrassed to notice. "Why would I do something like that? I even asked him to make me his woman?" Klara wanted to die of embarrassment. No, she just wanted to die.
"Well," Hazel began trying to give her a sign that everyone was looking and that she needed to calm down. "Talk slowly. Who is he?"
He? He was an annoying man who made her feel things and do things she shouldn't. How would she face him now? He would see her as a woman desperate for love or maybe even worse, s.e.x.
"Klara?"
"Yes!"
Hazel looked at her with a frown. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing is wrong." Klara said to embarrassed to even tell anyone. Walking passed a confused Hazel she went to sit down near a tree alone. She tried to come up with ways to avoid Roshan or explain herself as to why she acted that way, but nothing she came up with seemed logical.
"Maybe I can help?" Irene came twirling with a mischievous smile. Of course she listened to her thoughts. So annoying.
"How?" Klara asked. "Will you erase his memory or something?"
Irene laughed. "No. Memories are precious and shouldn't be erased."
"Then?"
"I was thinking that you could pretend as if you still don't remember or..."
"Or?" Klara strained her ears.
"Or you could act as if it's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal. My life is over Irene."
That seemed to only entertain her more.
"Then it's option number one I guess."