The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-286

Silence filled the closed room of the cell. Madeline stared at James' face that looked like he had used his own hands to claw his face, but instead of the bruises looking harsh, they looked mild.

Without waiting for a response from James' Madeline turned around to ask Calhoun, "Is there any cure for a person who has turned to a werewolf?"

Calhoun shook his head, "So far, none. Though there have been rumours about it, no one has ever turned back to a human after turning to a werewolf."

"The rumour must have sparked from somewhere, isn't it?" asked Madeline. After seeing what James turned out to be and taking in his current situation, she didn't want him continuing to suffer. "What about Lady Catherine's marriage to him?"

"They do not hold any leverage with me anymore."

Madeline heard James speak behind her, and she turned around to see James who pulled up the sleeve of his shirt which was frailly resting on his shoulder. "Mr. Barnes had threatened my father and me, that they would kill us, but now with my father gone, they cannot force me into it."

Madeline gave Calhoun a pleading look, wanting him to help James. Calhoun, on the other hand, wasn't sure if he wanted to help the werewolf. Calhoun was more than happy to brush this case of James Heathcliff off his hands, but this was also an excellent opportunity to bring and seal the deal with Madeline. He didn't want to miss such a golden opportunity.

"Do you know who might be wanting to frame you for the murder that took place? And maybe why?" questioned Calhoun to James, wanting his perspective, even though he had already found some of the trailed pieces of evidence.

James answered, "I don't know. I didn't have a brawl with anyone and the villagers in East Carswell, they have always been peaceful."

"Sure, but nobody decides to leave a body behind in your backyard, thinking it to be for decorative purpose," Calhoun's words were sharp, and James only glared. Just because Madeline had made peace with the King, it didn't mean James liked the vampire. He continued to despise the man but knowing nothing could be done right now, he decided to behave civilly.

"The body was not found in one piece, but it was torn. Forcibly. The head was pulled away from the body, not beheading," Calhoun said, his gaze falling on Madeline, "Do you want to know who it was?"

James shook his head, "If it was someone who tore the body, it must be a vampire's work."

"Yes, that's right," Calhoun agreed, and then said, "Mr. Barnes who had come to the cremation of the dead girl said he didn't know where you are. He hoped that I would help you out from the sticky situation which you were put in."

"That's because he wants me to marry his daughter, Catherine," answered James, his voice dull, and he looked at the ground. James didn't know what to do right now. The one girl he loved didn't love him, his father was dead, and he had turned to a werewolf.

"Lady Catherine's family must be looking for Mr. Heathcliff right now," replied Madeline and she saw Calhoun nod his head.

"Yes, considering Mr. Heathcliff didn't go to his in-laws asking help to protect him, I would say yes. They are looking for him," stated Calhoun. "I found some fascinating trails from the Barnes' family. Young Catherine has been killing people in her mansion."

Madeline and James furrowed their eyebrows.

"Y-you mean she's the one?" asked Madeline.

"That's not possible!" James defended Catherine Barnes. The vampiress was pushy, but she was a person who would never hurt a fly, "You must be mistaken."

Calhoun chuckled at James' naivety. He wondered if turning to a werewolf had turned the tailorman's mind more dumb than before.

"I have no obvious proof, of course, because I heard it from someone, but it is very much possible. Your future wife to be is trying to do something and who knows what is running in her head. There have been no leads so far, and you are the only suspect. Not to forget with your current transformation...You will be directly sent to execution."

"I didn't do it!" James defended himself, "I was with my father the whole time. At the graveyard."

Calhoun said, "I believe you. Only because Madeline believes that you are incapable of killing people."

Madeline looked up at Calhoun, her heart turning warm over his words. To Madeline, Calhoun was willing to respect her words and thoughts right now, it meant a lot to her. The King then continued to speak,

"I don't think Mr. Barnes would be happy if he heard about his future son-in-law turning to a werewolf. But if we informed the Barnes, it is possible that Mr. Barnes' will get rid of you by informing the authorities himself."

"What do we do then?" asked Madeline with a worried look, bringing a broad smile on Calhoun's lips.

"Leave it to me, sweetheart," he said to Madeline. He then said to James, "We don't know if the cure exists. But if it is true, I will get one for you," and it was only because having James as a werewolf was troublesome. Calhoun wanted James far and away from Madeline, "But for that, you will have to do what I tell you. Do you agree?"

James stared at Calhoun, "Is this your way of getting rid of me? What if you set me up to be executed?" he questioned the vampire.

"Isn't that why Madeline is here," Calhoun smiled down at James. "Me hurting you would be nothing less than breaking her trust. This way, we have an assured deal. Now that Madeline has also confessed how she feels, I am hoping that you wouldn't be foolish enough to chase her any more. It is a very unattractive quality."

"Is that what you did?" asked James, challenging the King but Calhoun was in a pleasant mood to take any offence.

"Every rule has an exception, and I am the exception," responded Calhoun.

Madeline stared at both Calhoun and James, her eyes moving back and forth until Calhoun said, "I will have my men come and unshackle you. But you will be shackled back during the time of night. It is just for precautionary measures until we find the rumoured antidote."

When Madeline and Calhoun stepped out of the cell room and then from the dungeon, she asked him,

"How are we going to find the antidote?"

"We shall look for it from where the rumour was stemmed. Not to forget, you are not human anymore. You must have more abilities apart from cracking glasses and picking up locks. Does your sister know how to pick locks too?"

"Not as good as me," answered Madeline. As they were out in the open, she could smell the fresh air, "You said the people of the High House are on their way. What if they put James up for execution and frame you for it?"

"The High House people will take three more days before they arrive. Three days is a lot of time," Calhoun looked confident, and somewhere Madeline believed James would be able to return to his everyday life. At least she hoped she would.

Far away from the castle, and in the Barnes' mansion, the young vampiress paced back and forth in her room.

When she heard her father enter the room, Catherine stopped walking and asked, "Did you find him?"

"No, there's no trace of him," answered Mr. Barnes', internally smiling and happy that he had somehow got rid of the lowly human.

"Where do you think he is?! He shouldn't have gone too far away from here!" Catherine cried as she turned hysterical by the disappearance of James Heathcliff, not knowing where he was. Did her plan backfire? Catherine had been expecting James to come to her for help, but instead, the man had disappeared.

"We don't know, Catherina. He must have left this land," stated her father.

"No!"

Mr. Barnes had sent his own men to find James, but he was nowhere to be found. If the tailorman would not return to Devon, Mr. Barnes would throw a party next month. There would be no pressure from the King, nor would his daughter be hung up on the human.

"There there, my dear," Mr. Barnes hugged his daughter, patting her back and he smiled internally. Good riddance thought the vampire in his mind.

Catherine, who couldn't see the change in her father's expression frowned, wondering what she could do to fix the situation. She had found out that James' father had passed away, which gave him a reason to leave this place unless his shop meant something to him.

Next day in the Hawthrone's castle, a man who wore black robes with a rope tied around his waist stepped down from the carriage, looking up at the walls and pillars of the castle,

"You don't have to carry that one," said the man with a small polite smile on his face to the servant who had come to pick his trunk. "I carry my things myself. You can let the King know that Mr. Sparrow is here."

Instead of stepping inside the castle, the man chose to walk in the garden. Playing with a card in his hand, he twirled and twisted it around. It had a picture of the fool with a hat on the character's head. He was idly playing with it when he heard the slightest sound behind him.

Without a thought, the man threw the card behind him. The man turned around to see Calhoun, who had caught hold of the card with his two fingers, near his face.