Chapter 113 - Who Was He?

Hazel was surprised by the sudden invitation as she knew that the apology was perfunctory, but she did not want to waste her time in knowing about the tricks of a small girl. 

She still had to find a perfect and most expensive dress for both of them and return to the palace before the sunset. So, she shook her head and replied with an apologetic smile on her face,

"I apologise, but I have some work to deal with. So, I will not be able to join you for a meal!"

"Are you refusing to eat with a member of the royal family?" asked Eli in a sharp tone. This was the first time that someone had dared to deny her!

"No! We are only saying that we have some urgent matters to deal with today! How about we have a meal tomorrow?" asked Hazel in a polite tone. Though she did not like how Eli was trying to push them for everything from the start, she did not want to get into further argument with Eli as she was still the royal princess and she was just a count's daughter. 

She did not want to rely on the power of Richard every time she was pushed by the nobles.

Though Eli still felt that it was an insult to keep the royal family waiting, she did not want to ruin her image in front of the man. So, she nodded with a polite smile even when she was roasting and beating Hazel in her mind,

"Alright then I would send a carriage to escort you personally to the count's house!" with that she did not wait for them to deny as she walked past them towards the exit of the shop leaving the grieving man behind.

"What a strange girl! What do you think, why did she suddenly want to have a meal with us?" asked Hazel as she looked at the disappearing figure of the princess.

But Richard did not reply as he looked at the girl with a complicated gaze. His eyes lingered on her disappearing body for a few more seconds before shaking his head.

"Shall we leave now too?" asked Hazel as she came back after picking up her purse from the table and Richard nodded without saying a word.

"Where shall we go now?" she asked with a deep sigh! She had many hopes from this boutique but it all broke badly!

"I think I know a place for you!" he replied in a cryptic tone as he walked to the other side instead of returning back to the carriage.

She raised a brow but nodded and followed her without asking anything further. For her that man was full of mysteries and she would not be surprised if he would be able to take out a dress out of thin air.

After walking to a distance, they stopped in front of an old shop that was looking more like a museum than the one which sold clothes.

"What is this place for?" she asked as she entered the small shop. The place had all kinds of things like jewellery, clothes, portraits and statues. But all of them had a rusty vibe around them.

"This is the first shop that was opened by the people of Alienore here but it was soon left out due to the difference in culture. But as the hopes were that the land would once again have alliance with this empire, the things were never called back,

You can find all kinds of things here!" he walked in when a man sleeping on the seat turned with an annoyed face towards them.

"The shop is closed. Did you not see the board outside? So you better leave when I am still a human!" replied the man with droopy eyes without sparing them a proper glance.

But soon he sniffed the air around him and turned towards the direction where the smell was coming from falling from the chair in the process. 

His eyes snapped open as he looked at Richard and howled!

"Wolff" without waiting for the presence of the hazel, he turned into a wolf and pounced on Ricard like a dog pouncing upon his master after a long time.

Hazel took a step back as she looked at the scene with wide eyes.

"Oh my! I never knew our empire had shapeshifters too!" Only then did the man notice her presence too and showed his fangs as if trying to scare her and protect her master.

But instead of getting scared, she chuckled. 

"Oh boy, you are a feisty one! Aren't you?" she bent a bit and patted him as if he was a kid.

"Take your paws away from me!" growled Ricard when the man did not stop wagging his tail while looking at him and tried to get his affection

The smile on his face faded and he looked at Richard with an abandoned face before turning into human again.

"Master, have you finally remembered me and came here personally to take me?" asked the boy in an eager tone. He was like a wife that had been waiting for his husband all this time.

But Richard just glared at the man as if he would kill him if the man did not stop his act and finally the man sighed and shook his head.

"And here I thought that we were going to be together for eternity! But you forgot about my presence just when you found a pretty girl.

And here I thought that you would be loyal to your lost mate!" the man was muttering while shaking 

His head but he stopped abruptly. Realising his mistake, he looked at the man with apologising eyes when he felt his glare getting fiercer when he bit his lips and asked again.

"Are you really going to abandon me this time, master?" his tone was full of pain and for a second Hazel felt like she was an outsider coming between two lovers!