The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-704

Music Recommendation: Timeless- Jorge Mendez

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Theodore took a sip from the glass, wondering what Lucy was doing at this hour. By what he had heard and found out, she had spent more time alone with herself than with her husband, Samuel. And after many years that had passed, somewhere, it made him question if the decision he had taken in the past was wrong.

When a maid arrived to give them another glass of wine who looked like a trembling leaf in the presence of the King, Theodore picked up the glasses and dismissed her. Calhoun was busy looking at the crowd of the people when Theodore asked,

"Are you planning to go down there, Calhoun?" questioned Theodore, dropping the title that he used in front of others. When it was just them, Calhoun and Theodore's spending time in each other's company, the time went back to the way things were between them in the past, only that the King had turned a little more eccentric than he was in the beginning.

"Go ahead. I will join in sometime," said Calhoun as he was still observing the people.

Theodore finished the drink that was in his hand, and he bowed his head before leaving Calhoun's side. He spent some time greeting the people he knew before stepping outside the castle's corridors and in the garden where some of them were enjoying themselves.

Away from the ballroom and the chatter, the music had dulled down on his ears, and he took a seat on the bench. Pulling out the cigar from his pocket, he lit it up before taking a smoke.

"Theodore!" came a minister's voice who seemed slightly drunk.

"Minister Fitzwilliam. Fancy seeing you here," greeted Theodore.

"I should be saying that! I wouldn't peg you to be a smoker, do you have another one of those?" asked the minister before coming to sit next to Theodore.

Theodore had come here to spend some time alone by himself and to have company now, he wanted to chase the man away, but at the same time, he reminded himself that this was a minister. He pulled out his cigar-case before handing a cigar to the man.

"You seem to be enjoying the ball, Fitzwilliam. Found anyone you like?" asked Theodore before taking a deep puff.

Before the minister could even take a puff from the lit cigar in his hand, he gave a sad look at Theodore. "My wife died four years ago. It has been very lonely to enjoy anything without her. Even to drink some good blood in my mouth?" the men then leaned towards Theodore to whisper, "I would have picked a nice person, but I doubt the King would be pleased if he finds it. Especially after receiving instructions to behave."

Though Calhoun had ordered the people not to do something that would cost their head, Theodore doubted Calhoun would hold himself back if he found prey to feed on, and Theodore held the same values. It was an advantage of being the King and being close to the King.

"I loved my wife, she was beautiful," started Minister Fitzwilliam to continue. "She was the apple of my eyes. You know she eloped from her house to marry me. We were lovers."

"What a wonderful story," stated Theodore with little excitement in his voice. Not that the minister minded as he was drunk.

"You should elope with someone too, Theodore!" decided the minister.

A dry chuckle escaped Theodore's lips, "I think the time has passed for it to do such things."

Fitzwilliam turned to look at Theodore and asked, "Why? You shouldn't give up hope!"

"Thank you for cheering me, minister Fitzwilliam, but I think you should stay here until you turn sober," advised Theodore to the man who was loyal to Calhoun when it came to his royal court duties.

"I am fine," the man waved his hand. "Why don't you want to elope? Is the girl not ready?"

It wasn't that, thought Theodore in his mind. It was him who had refused the idea, and it was his fault. Theodore had never spoken about Lucy or his feelings to anyone until now. Though he was aware that Calhoun had come to find out about his feelings for Lucy on her wedding day, he had never openly spoken about it.

Theodore doubted Minister Fitzwilliam would remember what he said in the morning, and he said,

"She's somebody's wife."

All these years, Theodore had no issue in having sexual relationships with married women, but for him, Lucy was different, and it might be because he cared for her. In Theodore's eyes, she was the girl who was still innocent and unaware of the threats in the world, and he wanted to keep her unaffected.

"I thought I did the right thing, but recently I have started to question myself if I let her go without thinking it through and did things in a spur," said Theodore staring at the lit cigar that burned brightly. He tapped it so that the ash that was on the tip fell on the ground. "She loves her husband now," and she despised Theodore, he knew it.

"Hmm, that is a tricky thing to deal with," agreed the minister. "You need to come out as the saviour, to make her see what she's missing."

Theodore smiled at the man's words, "I am sure her brother wouldn't approve it."

"Fuck the brother and the husband! You should always follow your heart. If you want help, I am right here, I will help you in beating both of them up," said the minister and Theodore's lips twitched.

"That would be too troublesome but thank you for your support, minister Fitzwilliam," Theodore wondered how Calhoun would react or the minister himself if he found out that he had told he would beat the King up.

"By the way, where is King Calhoun?" The man looked left and right, trying to have a glimpse if he had missed the King's presence.

"He is in the ballroom," replied Theodore, and the minister nodded his head.

The place where Calhoun and Theodore were earlier standing in the balcony-like gallery was now left empty with just empty glasses resting in the corner.

Calhoun had caught sight of something enticing on the ballroom floor, and he made his way towards the ballroom entrance to notice a few people noticing the silver mask he wore. With his identity completely hidden, it made it easier for him not to be interrupted. He stood in front of the entrance, his red eyes catching sight of the person for whom he had left the gallery.

Her features were delicate, and Calhoun found it hard to look away. He wondered if she would be his prey for the night, to drink blood from so that he could quench his thirst.

He continued to move towards her, seeing how she was trying to get away from the crowd and when their eyes met, he noticed her eyes slightly widen behind her mask, as if she was startled to have someone looking at her. The corner of his lips pulled up in delight.

With every second, he moved closer to her and even with the loud music and people's voice in the room, he could tell she was wary of him.