I rushed to the bathroom, seeing as most of the guests quieted down and went back to talking and gossiping. I stared at myself in the jaded mirror; my black ponytail messed up a bit. I quickly fixed myself, splashing some cool water on my face.
I didn't understand. Why did I feel so happy just meeting Prince Zeke? I knew why I was here, and it wasn't to be friends with him. But it'd be so much more fun if I was. I looked back at my reflection, seeing my hair much neater now with a small trace of water trickling down my cheeks. I sighed, realizing I was gone longer than I wanted to be.
I shook my head as if I were shaking all the thoughts out of my head. I might be wrong after all; he turned away to not face me for a while, so maybe then he was smiling? It was stupid being controlled by such emotions and thoughts that I knew were just false feelings.
A hot, red tint came to my face as I stood by the bathroom door. I wiped my face off with my paper towel again just to be sure I wasn't drenched in sweat. I reached out for the door handle, feeling its coolness hit my clammy hands before yanking it open. The lights hit my eyes, much brighter than in the bathroom. I squinted, looking around as my eyes adjusted. Massive trays of shrimp, steak, veggies of all sorts, and more cake rushed in, replacing old trays.
"Hey, watch it! I have a lot of stuff to carry, so don't get in my way!" One of the old, mean-looking waiters yelled at me. I glared at him. It seemed to have quieted down even more from when I left, a small sigh escaping my lips as I found the quiet to be a bit more peaceful now. Remy was off on her own, probably asleep by now in her own dorm. Lucky. Maybe if we weren't trying to kill everyone here, we might've actually liked this more. The Prince and Queen were walking around together now, chatting about how their kingdom was working on different projects for the upcoming year. Having some of the generals around them as well, they talked less about the war threats from Yales and more about other useless matters. My eyes wandered a bit, looking at the different faces of everyone. Most of the people here were tall and young and looked to be the same, boring to look at. One in particular caught my eye, though. He was the one who yelled at the lady from earlier, the same one who glared at me. He looked a bit dirty for this type of party; he really didn't belong here. He was tall and muscular; I'll give him that. But he didn't stand out that much the more I stared at him. He looked uninterested, as if he had other ideas of what else to do than be here. His brows were a bit bushy, eyes narrowing in on his almost empty glass of beer. He finally slammed his cup down, raising his hand to comb through his dark chestnut hair. As one of the waiters slowly walked by me, I picked up a glass of fruit punch that sat out for a while, tasting the sweetness of it before taking my leave.
The castle garden, conveniently right outside the ballroom doors at the other end of the room, was illuminated with little white lanterns. The smell of cigar smoke and that awful smell of cologne suddenly vanished finally as I stepped towards the fountain. The fountain was huge, a huge display of money for what it was worth. The calming sound of water pouring down from its spout was almost a comfort to me. The fountain was in the middle of the large garden. The center of all its beauty. Small little shrubs and bushes surrounded the outside of the fountain, along with some roses intertwined. In the middle of the white marble fountain was a statue of someone. Tall, armed, and too hard to tell who it was. It was old; small cracks could be seen in the hands and legs of the person. They stood tall, a small blade in their hand pointing out past the garden. I continued my stroll in the garden, seeing some more statues of who knows. He glanced down at the lilies near us, seeing their current condition.
"Oh. I can leave then, sorry. I was just bored and wanted to look around." I mumbled, turning away. I silently begged God to let me leave without him saying a word. "You don't have to. I'm bored too, actually, so you'd make good company." He tilted his head back towards me, allowing some of his dark hair to fall in front of his emerald eyes. As he craned his neck a bit, I noticed a small tattoo on his right side. It wasn't cute or anything but it was interesting to look at. I didn't know princes were able to get tattoos anyways. I huffed out a sigh. I could easily run away, saying how it was cold and I wanted to head to bed. Which was mostly true. "Ok."
I couldn't help myself as I nodded. The small part of me wanted to stick close to him, even if it wasn't to kill him. I watched as he casually sat down on the marble bench next to the fountain. He pulled out his lighter and lit it before grabbing his cigarette from his pocket. He glanced up at me, his eyes wide like a puppy. I knew what he was going to say. I plopped down next to him before he'd tell me too, feeling my shoulders tense up. He grinned before finally breaking the awkward silence.
"Don't talk much, do you? Or is it because it's me that you aren't talking?" His sudden, cold words hit me like a boulder. I grinned a bit, trying to seem interested in him. Easier said than done. "I don't like small talk. Gets boring real fast." I admitted. He nodded in acknowledgement before leaning back. I tensed up, being all too aware of how close he was to me right now.
"You don't seem like you want to be here. At the castle, I mean. You don't even seem like you want to be a knight." He admitted it to me. I tensed up more, my shoulders aching now. "What do you mean? I went through training for a reason, you know." I fired back, glancing to see his reaction. He was a closed book, a hard case to crack. And he didn't seem offended by how I addressed him. How can he be so unbothered? Even when he was pickpocketed, he seemed so casual. He was scary like that—a smile on his face and not a care in the world, it seemed. But almost everyone knew it was an act. "Yeah, but you could've done better, honestly. With a job, I mean." I turned back at him, my eyes wide. He looked down at his feet, leaning forward a bit with his elbows resting on his knees. If only he knew my real job was to assassinate him.
"Most people who join the academy and go through training are like puppies; they don't have a mind of their own. They seem to just follow what others say, even when they don't need to follow others' orders. That's how it's supposed to be until something happens and there's no one to listen to and they all panic. They seem timid too. Most of them are afraid of actual danger, but I guess we gotta pick someone to be guards here." He looked at me, not looking around but directly at me. His eyes narrowed on mine, a small but seductive smile on his ivory face. "Not you, though. That's why I wanted you to keep the ring. Plus, it looks good on you." He chuckled. I lowered my gaze, feeling my ears burn up. "Thanks. I mean, I didn't go through all that training for nothing, you know." He nodded and sighed.
"Sir?" A quiet but harsh voice asked in the dark, standing off to the side of us. I flinched as I looked up at him. I didn't even see him. Damnit, I let my guard down. "Oh, yes?" The prince asked, standing up immediately. I stood up fast, bowing down towards him. "Have a good night, your highness." He nodded, turning back to the man. I rushed past the burly man standing there in the dark. His sharp eyes caught mine when I walked past him. He looked even taller now that I was standing next to him than when I spotted him from the ballroom.
I passed by the maids and kitchen staff members as they cleaned up as I headed back inside. I watched as they cleaned up quickly, heading to the kitchen. I could only think of Prince Zeke. Not because we talked or because he must have some sort of soft spot for me. But because he followed me. He knew there was something up about me. Whether he knew I was here for more than just being a knight or he was trying to feel me out, he still followed me. He was a horrible liar, that's for sure, seeing as the garden hadn't been kept for a while now. There's no way anyone had been there, not for a while anyway.
Chills danced down my back at the thought of this all. I've never killed before. Of course, I've seen people get murdered, but I was never the one doing it. My uncle was. King Hampton, the king of Yales, was one of the most feared leaders around. And also the man I've decided to work for.
It was one thing to become a killer, but working for King Hampton, you'd be a serial killer in no time. With his fierce personality, it was no wonder he had so many enemies. One being the King who killed his son.