Hazel’s POV
The towering gates of the Royal Palace loomed before us, grand and unwelcoming, as we arrived once again at the place I swore I’d never return to. The marble columns gleamed in the sunlight, and the massive double doors slowly opened as we approached.
My heart hammered in my chest, a tangled mess of dread, anger, and that all-too-familiar pull that tightened my gut the closer I got to them. I said I didn’t want to come but they forced me.
I knew something is up and I would kill myself finding out what that is.
I tugged on the oversized hoodie Calix had forced me to wear, irritation gnawing at me. It swallowed my frame, and I could still feel the remnants of his body heat clinging to it. He said it was to cover me up, that my sheer gown was too “tempting.”
As much as I
