“P-PRINCESS!? PRINCESS HAZEL!!”
The loud, ardent screams of the maid vibrated across the hallway of the giant castle, as she hurriedly barged into the magnificent room. Elegantly dressed in a royal pearl-embellished white wedding gown, Hazel looked like a gorgeous maiden, seated in front of the mirror. Her radiant white skin glittered under the mild warm sunrays drifting inside the room through the glass windows.
Holding a cold gaze in her wadded beautiful ocean eyes, she peeked an irked glance at the maid who was almost running out of breath, at the doorstep of her room. Two other young maids who were grooming her shimmering, wavy long black hair also flinched a little at her loud scream, as they quickly turned around at the door.
“Do you intend to burst my ear drum?” Hazel scolded her in a frigid, low voice while keeping her gaze stern.
“P-Pardon me, Princess! But i-it’s an emergency…” Panting hard for a while, the maid nervously walked inside the room. “Y-Your groom…ran away with the dowry, P-Princess.” In a shaky, fearful voice, she fidgeted while stating the ultimate situation.
“W-WHAT!?” Immediately with a sudden jolt, Hazel sprang up from her seat and scowled, holding a death stare in her eyes. With an angry expression, she gritted her jowls before she exclaimed, “What the heck are you talking about!?”
Watching her furious temper, the maid shivered in fear as she bowed her head, and murmured, “I, I am not lying, Princess. Since it was almost time, a few maids visited his room to fetch him for the wedding ceremony…but the room was empty. Not only in here, but in the whole castle we couldn’t find a single trace of him, neither we could find the precious jewels, food and medicine herbs that your father had granted him, Princess. Which means…probably…he has run away…”
Instead of making her upset, the flame of wrath blazed inside Hazel as she stood still for a moment, like a piece of art. Her eyes rolled bigger with an extreme bitterness in them. A scornful chuckle escaped from her as she grumbled, “Hah…Haha…I had really hoped it would be different this time…but how gullible of me to consider that bastard as a nice man…”
All the maids inside the room froze in fear, exchanging bewildered glances at one another. Her fierce temperament had always worried everyone inside the castle, but they were aware, that she would only grin scornfully when her anger had surpassed every limit.
It was a terrorizing ambiance.
The maid who blew up the terrific news gulped in fear before she quivered, “P-Princess, w-what should we do then?”
“Hah, there’s no way I will let him go off the hook so easily this time!” A bitter smirk sliced the corner of her velvet red lips, as she retained her furious glare. “I am amazed, how could someone be so brazen to run away with the dowry? But I am more offended to discover what kind of person did father find for me this time!!”
As soon as she finished venting out her grumble, she didn’t take a second to tear off the hem of her beautiful wedding dress up to the knee-length, putting every maid inside the room deadpanned in shock! The one who was braiding her hair almost choked her breath as she shrieked, “Milady! What are you doing—”
“It’s uncomfortable to move with this darn heavy gown, anyways, this is much better. And, I will catch that shameless gold-digger with my own hands and make him pay for his audacity!” She declared her verdict aloud, with a fuming glare, sounding much hoarse from her tone. She clenched her fist tight, and proclaimed, “I believe, he hasn’t gone too far yet…”
“Milady!” The maid wadded her orbs in shock and walked a few steps near her while looking at her torn portion of the gown. She sounded quite anxious, as she held her hand, “W-What are you saying, Milady? All the wedding guests have arrived at the imperial hall downstairs and…d-do you wish to go outside in this ragged gown? At least let me dress you up in something else—”
“I have no spare time to waste anymore!” Hazel shoved her hand away and scoffed back at her, fuming in rage. “Move out of my way!!” She shot her glares at her and immediately rushed out of the room with big footsteps, clenching the hem of her torn gown.
.
“Hazel!?”
Before she could rush downstairs, a loud, heavy masculine voice startled her from behind, making her turn around. A tall, middle-aged, sturdy-looking man, in embellished royal attire, was standing a few steps apart from her, looking anxious.
The person was the mighty, powerful Pirate king as well as Hazel’s father, Aarav Marcus.
As soon as Hazel gazed at the distressed look on his face, the splurge of anger and sadness from betrayal grew stronger in her heart. She clenched her fist tight but before she could walk away, being aware of her aggravated temper, Aarav grabbed her arm from behind and tried to stop her.
“Wait! Hazel, w-where are you going in this way?” He glanced at her torn gown and grew more anxious for her.
“Father,” Hazel turned around and peered a cold, irked gaze into him by rolling her scornful ocean eyes. “I am not letting that brazen golddigger get away from me so easily! Enough…is enough! I won’t forgive this man for ruining your reputation before everyone…”
“Wait, Hazel,” the man sounded a little impatient as he hurriedly tried to convince her fuming self. “Ervin had told me that he would come back for the wedding after dealing with some urgent matters in his kingdom. So, please, calm down a little, and let’s wait—”
“And…you were too naive to believe that!?” Immediately Hazel yanked his gip away from her arm and growled aloud at him. Her eyes were filled with pain and anger as she shrieked, “This is not the first time for me to watch my groom escape from the wedding! But…how could you still have faith in that shameless golddigger even now? Why!?”
“Hazel—”
“Don’t stop me anymore, father!” This time a cold, threatening voice escaped from her as she gazed deep into him, with a heavy sigh as she concluded. “I don’t deserve to be treated this way…and that’s what I am gonna teach him.”
.
As soon as she finished her answer, Hazel quickly rushed downstairs to head outside the castle, followed by two royal guards behind her. As she passed through the imperial hall, a cold, uncomfortable silence persisted among the guests for a moment, while their gazes were especially glued on her. Some were gawking at her pitifully, whereas some looked amused to watch her in that disheveled state, whispering among themselves.
“Ah, this is the sixth time her groom ran away from the wedding, what a pity!”
“She isn’t even ugly, but who would marry a she-wolf with no wolf? Maybe if I was the groom, I would have run away too, haha!”
“Just because she is the powerful pirate king’s only daughter, she acts like a haughty, spoiled brat with a crazy temper. But isn’t she too pitiful? Just look at her now, dressed in torn gown…”
.
Hazel didn’t fail to hear those scornful whispers circulating around her but even in that harsh period, she kept her stern gaze forward, without bothering to spare a glance at anyone else.
A blaze of anger and torment stirred her insides as she commanded the guards, “Tell all the guests to leave out of my sight right now! And let us go to the river bank…I believe he will opt for that route for escape.
And once I lay my hands on him, he’s dead meat…” She gritted her jowls and clenched her fist again.
