The days after the prince's arrival passed in a blur for Hazel. Her world, once confined to the gilded cage of the palace, had suddenly expanded in ways she couldn't have anticipated. The whispers about Prince Azrael, son of the Devil, only grew louder, and she found herself tangled in the web of rumors that surrounded him. The courtiers were abuzz with speculation, and Hazel could feel the tension in the air, as though something monumental was on the brink of happening.
Azrael—his name, when spoken aloud, still carried an air of disbelief. The kingdom had long been accustomed to the legend, but the reality of it felt so much darker. The prince's eyes, so deep and consuming, haunted her every waking moment. She couldn't shake the feeling that his gaze was always on her, even when they were not in the same room. His presence had unsettled her, but it also stirred something deep inside her, something she didn't fully understand. Something dangerous.
She spent her days in solitude, locked within her chambers, and the night brought only restless sleep filled with dreams of shadows and whispers. Her mind kept returning to the moment when Azrael had spoken to her. His voice had been like a velvet trap, smooth and enticing, yet edged with an unmistakable darkness that made her heart race. He had not been the prince she expected—charming, courteous, and composed. No, he was something else entirely. Something far more dangerous.
But it wasn't just Azrael that was on her mind.
In the dead of night, when the moon hung low in the sky, Hazel heard a faint, haunting sound—an eerie wind that swept through the palace like a warning. She had thought nothing of it at first, chalking it up to the strange noises of the old palace. But then, the next morning, a shadow appeared in the courtyard, one that she couldn't ignore. It was a figure—a man—draped in a cloak that shimmered with an otherworldly darkness.
Azrael was not the only one who commanded the shadows.
Hazel watched from her balcony, her breath caught in her throat as the figure moved with unsettling grace. There was something deeply familiar about him, something that made her heart skip a beat, though she could not place why. The figure's dark cloak billowed around him like the night itself. The man moved like an apparition—silent, almost spectral—his every step seeming to pull the darkness closer to him.
Before she could turn away, his head snapped up, and his gaze locked with hers.
A chill ran through Hazel's spine, and she instinctively stepped back from the railing. His eyes—those eyes—were familiar. Dark, piercing, and filled with an ancient sorrow that made her heart ache. It wasn't the gaze of a stranger, but of someone who knew her. Someone who had been waiting for her.
The man turned, his cloak swirling around him as he disappeared into the shadows of the palace gardens, leaving behind a lingering sense of dread. But it wasn't just fear that clung to her. It was a memory—a memory that had been buried deep within her mind, hidden from her for reasons she couldn't yet understand.
The next day, Hazel sought out Selene, her most trusted maid. She needed answers.
"Selene," she asked, her voice trembling as she closed the door behind her. "Who was the man I saw in the courtyard last night?"
Selene's face drained of color, and she glanced nervously over her shoulder, as though to ensure no one else was listening. "You saw him?" she whispered, her voice a mix of awe and fear.
"I did," Hazel replied, her heart racing at the memory. "He... he looked at me like he knew me. Like he had been waiting for me."
Selene's lips pressed into a tight line, her eyes darkening. "That man is Azrael's guardian—his most trusted protector. His name is Azrael, too, but he is not just any man. He is a creature of darkness, bound to Azrael's family through blood and magic."
Hazel blinked, her mind struggling to make sense of what she was hearing. "A creature of darkness? But he looked... human."
"That's what he wants you to think," Selene replied, her voice low. "Azrael's guardian—known as Azrael, too—is no mere mortal. He is one of the Devil's most loyal servants, a being created by dark magic. He is bound to Azrael's bloodline, as his protector, his shadow. There are many stories about him, but they all say the same thing: he is as dangerous as he is loyal, and he will do anything to protect the prince."
Hazel's mind raced, but she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Then why did he look at me like that? Like he knew me?"
Selene hesitated, her eyes shifting nervously. "There are some things about Azrael's past that have been kept hidden, even from him. His bloodline is tainted with darkness, and there are powers that neither he nor you understand. It's said that the guardian can sense certain things—things that are tied to fate."
"Fate?" Hazel echoed, feeling a knot form in her stomach. "What does that have to do with me?"
Selene took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for something she wasn't ready to say. "You have no idea, Your Highness. But I think it's time you learned."
Hazel's heart pounded as she waited for Selene to continue. The silence between them stretched for what felt like an eternity.
"The prince... Azrael, the son of the Devil... he's not just your betrothed," Selene finally whispered. "He is the key to unlocking a power that could change the fate of the entire kingdom. But you, Hazel, you are part of this prophecy too. You are bound to him in ways you can't yet understand."
"Bound?" Hazel repeated, the word echoing in her mind.
Selene nodded gravely. "Yes. You and Azrael are fated to be together. But it's not just a marriage. It's a bond forged in darkness and magic. And the consequences of that bond will echo throughout the kingdom—and your soul—forever."
Hazel's mind was spinning. She had known there was something off about the prince, something otherworldly, but this... this was beyond anything she could have imagined. She had no choice but to meet this man, to marry him, and to fulfill the role she had been forced into.
But was she truly ready for what awaited her? Was she prepared to face the darkness that had been following her since the moment she was born?
She couldn't answer those questions yet. But she knew one thing for sure—Azrael's return would bring more than just a marriage. It would bring a storm that would change everything.
And Hazel would be at the center of it all.
---
As the days grew darker, Hazel could feel the weight of fate pressing down on her, and the shadow of Azrael's return loomed larger with each passing hour. Would she be able to face the power that she was destined to unlock, or would the darkness consume her before she could discover the truth?
Only time would tell.