The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-197

Music Recommendation: Satie: Enfantillages pittoresques - 2. Berceuse

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When the arrow had come towards Madeline, Calhoun had turned furious by the thought that someone wanted to harm her. Now that word had spread about his wedding with her, there would be many who would like to befriend and poison her mind, wanting to harm her physically. But he hadn't expected it to happen this fast.

"You left abruptly," Madeline replied to what he said.

With her eyes adjusted to the light in the room, Madeline heard the dripping sound of water on the floor. Her eyes moved to look down to realise his slacks were wet. Did he get into the water with his clothes on?

"Was there something you needed?" asked Calhoun. For the very first time, he wasn't teasing her and was directly asking her the question. Seeing Madeline's hesitation, he said, "You don't have to worry about getting killed. I won't let anything happen to you."

Madeline knew that. His reflex had been so fast that she didn't even know what happened until she saw him holding the arrow. She herself didn't understand why she had come here without having an actual reason.

"I don't think she did it," Madeline said to him.

"She didn't," he answered, his body turning around and he sauntered away from her. She followed him with her eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

He knew Sophie didn't do it? "Why did you hurt her then?" Madeline questioned him not knowing what Calhoun was thinking by taking his anger on an innocent person.

Calhoun entered the bathroom and Madeline continued to follow him, "It is because someone who is acquainted with her was the one who shot the arrow. I wouldn't say I am a hundred percent sure but I am sure it is someone whom both she and I know. To look for enemies, one doesn't have to look too far because they are often found standing close by."

"Are you speaking about the Wilmots?"

On Madeline's question, Calhoun smiled, "Yes. But it doesn't have to be concentrated only on them. My father had other relatives, and so did Lucy's mother. It is only obvious that they would like to rule and take the throne for themselves. The easiest way would be to not let an heir be produced which thereby makes the woman who stands next to me as an appropriate target."

She watched him step down the stairs that led to the pool of water. He turned around to say, "Take off your shoes. Take a seat," jerking his head to a spot where one of the statues of the lions was built at the corner of the bath.

"I can come back later to talk," she offered. If Calhoun was going to take a bath now, Madeline decided that it was wise for her to step out and give him time, without disturbing him.

"Sit," his words were firm, and he turned away with his back against her, and she saw him step down further where his body immersed itself in water.

Madeline removed her shoes, placing it in the corner before she walked to where the statue of the lion was. Unlike last time, the water was not flowing from the mouth of the lions. This kept the water mostly still except for Calhoun's movements that created a light wave on the surface of the water. Sitting down on the ground, Madeline wondered why Calhoun was taking a bath with his clothes on. The weather felt fairly tolerable today.

She saw Calhoun dip into the water, immersing himself. The floor beneath the bath was painted black. Madeline saw the blurry image of him below the water. When he got his upper body out of the water, she couldn't look away from him.

Like in a daze, she saw Calhoun use both his hands to push back his wet hair. Moving in the water, he made his way to where she sat. Water dripped down from the top of his head. While she sat with her legs folded, water spilt out to reach where she was as the water was filled until the brim, but Madeline didn't move away. She stared back at Calhoun, who was looking at her.

"Doesn't your hand need to be tended?" asked Madeline to him. It was because it looked like someone had dipped the ends of the arrow in poison.

A sinful smile spread on his lips, "Did you come here to treat my wound?" Without her asking him, Calhoun brought his hand forward and placed his elbow on the surface of the ground she sat on with his hand up that was wrapped with her handkerchief that was now wet.

Madeline's eyes moved from his red eyes to his hand. As if he had given his permission for her to see, she moved her hands, unwrap the handkerchief to be greeted with nothing but smooth fingertips. Gone was the wound that she had seen and she lifted her gaze to meet his eyes.

"I-it got healed," she said, astonishment in her voice.

Calhoun chuckled, "I told you I won't die. Even if people want to kill me, they can't do that."

"And the poison?" asked Madeline.

"They don't know," his lips twisted in amusement, "Let the people do what they want, and I will do what I want without their knowledge."

Calhoun appeared much calmer than the time they had spent in the forest after the arrow was shot. When she had entered his room, the lower part of his slacks were wet that meant he had already stepped in the water but on her presence in his room, he had stepped out of it.

Now that she was going to be a queen, that only meant she would be facing many more arrows in her way and poison that would be made just for her to consume.

"The wings...were they from your mother?" Madeline asked him. On her question, Calhoun stared at her with a curious look in his eyes.

"Something like that," he said, retrieving his hand from the ground and taking a step back. His tongue played with the edge and tip of his teeth before he asked,

"What are you doing here, Madeline? Are you feeling lonely and coming here for my comfort...or yours?"