The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-361

Madeline was startled by the question, and she stared at Calhoun. He had a look of seriousness in his eyes. The smile on his lips had lowered down as he waited for her response. She was glad that he was asking her permission, instead of ushering her out of the room along with her belongings to his room.

"Nothing needs to happen before the wedding," he added, and this had her question even more on what had got Calhoun to ask her to move into his room. "Nobody ever comes to enter this quarters. We don't have to tell it to your family or anyone else."

She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if she should say yes or a no. In a few days she would be living in his room so did it make much difference if she moved now or later? Madeline asked in her mind.

"Okay," she agreed, and Calhoun beamed.

And the same day, most of the cupboards and drawers were cleaned out from the King's room to make room for the lady's belongings who would be sharing the space with the King. She saw the servants move one thing after another until everything was properly organized and they left the room. Calhoun had the largest room compared to anyone else in the castle, and maybe even the largest bed that was draped with curtains on the bedposts.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching the door close and her eyes then shifted to look at Calhoun who was keeping some of his things on the other side of the room.

"Was this the same room that was used by the previous King and Queen?"

"No, it was on the other side of the castle. This used to not be the King's quarters until I turned to a King," replied Calhoun returning to her side. Madeline remembered Lucy mentioning about Calhoun modifying things around the castle, "This has been my room since I entered the castle. Back then it was less fancy."

"I see," she replied, slightly feeling awkward. It would take more than an hour to get used to the fact that she would be living here from now, thought Madeline to herself. Was this how a new bride felt? But then she had visited this room many times before and she had also slept on this bed.

She heard a knock on the door which was left open, "Milord. The meal is here."

"Don't you think my aunt will be suspicious about my absence?" questioned Madeline. Even though her aunt behaved like nothing was wrong, and she was here only to attend the wedding, but there was something in the way the woman looked at her. Raphael had warned her to be careful around her aunt.

Calhoun dismissed the maid after the trolley was brought towards the bed and the maid left the room immediately without spending another second there. "Theodore will inform your family that you are having a private lunch with me. One meal away from prying eyes shouldn't hurt."

"Did Raphael tell you about the cards we picked?" on her question, he nodded his head.

"Your aunt doesn't look like she's sure about you and is only trying to confirm if you are a dark angel or not. So far with what I have seen and what has fallen on my ears, her opinions are shifting," Calhoun picked the lid of one of the containers so that the food could be served on the plate, "Her connections outside the castle has been cut off which will lead people to come here looking for her."

Madeline wasn't sure about the future, "You mean at the wedding?"

"Who knows. It is better to be prepared, isn't it?" She wondered what Calhoun had on his mind. "As we all are aware, holy water is something that helps in identifying the demons and the vampires because they both belong to the dark side. Right now, we have connected the water connections from each house and building to the well of the church."

"But won't that alert them?" she frowned.

"Only the connection has been given. The water is yet to flow. Given that it will hurt the ones who are living in the villages and town, it will be enough to alert the ones who are new. It's going to be chaotic," the old smile that belonged to Calhoun returned to his lips, one that was malicious. Looking at the worried look on Madeline's face, his smile turned back to a mischievous one, "Everything will be over before you even know."

Madeline hoped it wouldn't be as chaotic as Calhoun wanted. His bloodthirst was more compared to others, but when the needle pointed at her, she wondered how things would go. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Theodore's wound didn't heal as quickly as yours did," she muttered under her breath.

"Hmm," agreed Calhoun, "It must be because he's old," but Madeline shook her head.

"The day when Lady Lucy had the argument with Samuel, both he and Theodore fought," hearing Madeline's words, Calhoun's eyes immediately narrowed because he knew where this was going, "I saw wounds on Samuel's face-"

"Because he's a demon," Calhoun gritted his teeth. It wasn't that he hadn't met demons before or vampires who were part demons like him, but Samuel had never let the fact out that he was a demon. Running through the time he had spent with Samuel, Calhoun finally stopped at the not so recent memory when everyone had gone hunting in the forest with Madeline.

The arrow.

With the past rifts with the Warrings thanks to his senseless father, Calhoun had come to assume that it was the people from the other land who were coaxed by his dear Aunt Rosamund to harm Madeline. But it was not her, but possibly Samuel who had drawn the arrow at Madeline.

Four days passed, and the news about Isaac Barnes involved in his daughter's murder spread like wildfire in the public as the man was captured by the members of the High House for execution. The news had even reached Madeline, and she wasn't excited about it, because death was not supposed to be celebrated. But the High House were doing their job and two members came to the castle to visit the King.

Madeline, who had heard about the High House members visiting Calhoun, she hovered not too far away from the room where the men were in now.

"Lady Madeline?" came a voice behind her, and Madeline turned startled to see it was Lucy. Both the girls bowed at each other, "Are you waiting for brother Calhoun?"

Madeline had tried not to hover around the room, but it was hard not to do it. She smiled at Lucy's words, "I was waiting for him."

Lucy returned the smile, "You don't have to worry about Weasley. He usually never brings bad news except for rare times," that was convincing, thought Madeline. "When the High House had come to existence, I remember father not being happy about it. He had too many things that needed to be cleaned up." Both the girl's left the corridor to start taking a walk, "I used to not to get to witness it, but I did overhear the servants of the castle speaking of how my family treated people. I don't think just because one is a King and Queen, one should not treat people like that."

The vampiress opened up to the thoughts which she had turned a blind eye until now, "People often take advantage of things, taking it for granted and consumed with power, thinking things will be the same forever without knowing there are ups and downs to everything," explained Lucy, letting her thoughts out which she had never discussed.

"I think people deserve their fate for the deeds they have done. Having grown alone in the castle, I was happy to see brother Calhoun along with Theodore here. It was more like a company," came a faint smile on the vampiress's lips, "I think in the past even the High House didn't look too much into the case because they knew what had transpired. There are some good people we can count on. Weasley has always been one of Calhoun's informants. So be at ease."

Was it evident on her face that she was worried? Asked Madeline to herself, "How are things on your end, Lady Lucy?"

"I think I will be staying here in the castle for a few more days before going to the mansion which my parents had gifted me. It comes in the North of Norberry."

Madeline slightly frowned hearing this, and she asked, "What about Theodore?"

"Sometimes we think and hope that the other person feels the same, to reciprocate the feelings. Sometimes we imagine things that are not there," Lucy's words fell to a whisper at the end, a trace of sadness in her voice before she brightened it with a smile. "Maybe it is for the best. I will have a place just for myself and live the way I want. You can keep visiting me when you can."

"I will do that," responded Madeline with a smile.

Didn't Theodore like Lucy? Though it wasn't evident to the eyes, there were some hints which made Madeline feel like the man did care about Lucy. They took a few more walks before noticing Calhoun step out of the room with the two men whom she recognized one of them to be Weasley, and the other was the silver-haired man.

"Who is that?" inquired Madeline, "The one next to Weasley."

"That's Reginald Frost," answered Lucy, "He is the one who is in charge of most of the church. You can count him to be a priest."

What a strange combination, thought Madeline. Vampire, demon, and the priest under one roof.