The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-172

Madeline stared outside the little window, the trees passing one after another. She noticed the carriage crossed one of the towns and continued to move. She didn't know where exactly they were going because Calhoun's answer about the man appeared to be vague. A card reader? Why were they going to meet someone like that?

When the carriage finally came to a halt, they stepped down from the carriage. Madeline saw a building that looked old. A board hanging at the front of it that read 'Sanguis Peccatum'. Her brown eyes looked at the doors and the windows of the building, and the name was something she didn't understand.

She noticed a woman and a man stepped out of the oak doors. The woman looked posh with red eyes, and a smile on her lips while talking to the man who was holding her. The man was human.

"What kind of a place is this?" asked Madeline because she didn't know why she had a bad feeling about this building. The woman was looking in such a way as if he was a prey who was going to be sucked dry by her.

"A place for people like me and for some of the elite humans," answered Calhoun, "Come, sweet. Stay close to me." They walked towards the doors which were guarded by two men who stood like statues who greeted the King.

As they stepped inside the building, the doors were pushed for the King to step in. Madeline did as Calhoun had advised her to do, to stick close to him. She noticed a desk at the right, and the man who stood behind it, bowed his head.

"Milord," greeted the man.

"Is Raphael here?" asked Calhoun.

"Yes, milord. Mr. Sparrow is in his chambers. Would you like to see him?" asked the desk man, his curious red eyes shifted to look at Madeline who stood next to the King, who was now busy looking around the place.

"She's with me," the words came from Calhoun and the man quickly bowed his head.

Madeline, who was staring at the walls made of dark wood, couldn't help but question at the quietness of the building. There was some eeriness present in here. Not too far away from where they stood, she could hear noise coming from the other side of the door which was not the way they had stepped in the building but the opposite side.

The man who was standing at the desk gave a look at the lady with a curious look in his eyes. Without questioning, he moved away from the desk and led them through the door. As expected, when she and Calhoun stepped in the next room, she noticed there were people. A lot of people, where some were seated at the round tables while some stood near the bar counter. Men and women there were mostly vampires which Madeline noted because of their red eyes.

Each and every person stopped what they were doing when they noticed who had entered the room, leaving the room suddenly quiet. They stood up from their chairs to give the King a deep bow. Calhoun didn't bother to greet anyone, and he continued to walk.

Madeline could feel the eyes on her, which was even worse compared to when they were in her village. There was something strange in the way when the vampires and some of the humans who looked at her and she gulped the nervousness she felt. In time, Calhoun moved his hand to place it on Madeline's small back, as if claiming who the human girl belonged to. As much as Calhoun enjoyed to flaunt what was his, at the same time, he didn't like the fact of people eyeing the girl like she could be preyed upon.

The vampires in here could have anyone they wanted except Madeline. And the rule didn't apply only in 'Sanguis Peccatum' but outside in Devon and other kingdoms.

Madeline for the first time welcomed Calhoun's hand.

She didn't know anyone here, and if there was someone she did know, it was the King himself. It was better to stick to him. She caught sight of a woman who had a man in her arms, and the man had his head leaned back, almost lifeless. If the man had not bothered to bow the King, it only meant one thing. He was either dead or in the process of being dead.

They walked through another set of doors, and the people in the room resumed to continue what they were doing.

"Please wait here," the man who had accomapined them said before going inside the room.

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Madeline turned to look at Calhoun and said, "I didn't know there were places where the King had to wait."

Calhoun was running his tongue over his teeth smiling when he heard Madeline's words, "Sometimes, with some people. Yes." This made Madeline ponder, who was Raphael Sparrow. Was he an important man? "How are you doing so far?" he asked, his red eyes had turned even darker than before, and Madeline wondered if it was because of the lack of light that was present here.

"It seems very dark in here. A vampires cave…" she trailed, her voice low so that by mistake no one would hear it.

"You are not wrong about that. Do you know what does 'Sanguis Peccatum' mean?" he asked.

Madeline shook her head. It sounded like a made-up word from vampires, "What is it?"

"It means 'Blood Sin'."

Blood Sin, Madeline repeated the words in her mind, "It's interesting," she commented. Considering that a man was almost dead back in the room they had just walked by. It suited the place.

"It's Latin," said Calhoun.

Madeline gave him a nod. She hadn't got the opportunity to learn many languages. When her Aunt Merlin offered to teach her and her sister, Beth, they had jumped at the chance because not every girl had the luck to learn, especially not village girls.

"I never knew you were the kind of person who believed in tricks of cards," she said, something that she was still trying to understand.

"Why do you think that?" Calhoun asked her, with delight in his eyes, "There are a lot of other things I believe in. Are you interested to hear it?" when his lips twisted into the wicked smile Madeline shook her head.

She had a feeling that it would be something embarrassing and she didn't want to hear it right now. The man finally returned back from behind the closed doors. And with him, another man stepped out, who had blonde hair who bowed his head at the King with a smile before leaving the place.

"Mr. Sparrow is ready to see you, milord," informed the desk man, opening the doors for them to step in.

Calhoun walked in, and Madeline was quick to follow before the door behind them closed. Torches of fire burned on the walls. Madeline saw that the table was clean where a man stood behind it.

"King Calhoun, it is a surprise to see you here," said the man who Madeline pegged to be Raphael Sparrow. The man was probably two inches shorter than Calhoun. He looked a little older to Calhoun. His hair was black which was combed backward that reached up to the level of his shoulder because of the length. The clothes that he wore looked old that was tied with a rope around his waist.

Raphael bowed his head, and Calhoun said, "I thought I would pay a visit to you as it has been quite some time."

"Indeed, it has been quite some time," answered Raphael. The man didn't have red eyes; instead, he had black ones. Madeline had grown to notice the eyes of the people, to see who she was talking to if it was a vampire or a human, "And who is this lovely lady you have in here?"

Madeline observed the way Raphael smiled as if she was a piece of meat and it got her worried, moving unconsciously towards Calhoun.

"This lovely lady is going to be your sister-in-law," answered Calhoun and Raphael snapped his eyes to look at Calhoun with surprise.

"Oh," was all that came from Raphael, "What a pity," he came around his table to take a better look at her, "Raphael Sparrow," he introduced himself, stretching his hand towards Madeline.

Instead of Madeline going to take his hand, Calhoun moved his hand to hold Raphael's hand. Shaking it enough for Madeline to hear a crack.

"Madeline," she greeted back, bowing her head.