The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-78

Madeline had been frantic while searching for the garter as it was an intimate possession of any lady and to drop it and to be found by another person was embarrassing. From the time she had realised it to be missing she had been trying to think where it could have been dropped but who knew Calhoun had it.

Her brown eyes glanced at Sophie, who was busy looking at the paintings, and Madeline looked back into Calhoun's eyes that were filled with amusement. Gulping down softly, she asked him, "D-do you mean y-you have it?" it was hard to keep her head straight at the thought that the piece of fabric was in his possession now.

"It?" asked Calhoun, ready to twist her around with his words as he enjoyed seeing those pink lips stutter out words.

Madeline pursed her lips and came to realise it was true. The King had it, and she didn't know how it came to be with him, but the most decent thing for him to do was to return it to the person whom it belonged to. In this case, she was the owner of it.

"Could you please return it to me?" asked Madeline, but in response, she heard Calhoun chuckle and her eyebrows furrowed.

"How can I give it to you when what you are looking for is not that but your handkerchief," stated Calhoun to the point. He put his hands into the pockets of his trousers and continued to look at her—a small smile on his lips which was subtle as if he were enjoying it.

It was true that Madeline had spoken about a missing kerchief but when he knew she was looking for it, it was unfair how he was making her search for something he had already picked. Calhoun leaned forward to have his lips against her ears as if he didn't care if Sophie were to turn and witness their current closeness, "How careless of you to drop something like that in the middle of the castle. Careless people don't get the right to keep things." His breath was warm against the shell of Madeline's ear, and she quickly stepped away from him with her face turned red.

She was worried where Lady Sophie had seen them, but the vampiress was in her own world, "You cannot keep things that don't belong to you!" she whispered to him and saw his lips twist.

"Watch me keep it," he replied back to her and Madeline's heart sank in her chest.

The amount of anxiousness that he made her feel, she doubted she had ever felt it to be so much if she were to consider her entire life. What was he even going to do with her garter?! He was a man and not a woman to steal it from her!

Madeline closed her eyes, trying to calm her heart when she heard him say, "You have a very reactive heart and its good to see how much my words affect you, but then you wouldn't want Sophie to know that it wasn't the kerchief you were looking for but something that was on your thigh, holding the stockings snuggly."

She would have never thought that one could describe a garter in such a way, and for a moment she felt the words affect her.

The wicked smile appeared on his lips when Madeline stared into Calhoun's eyes. Madeline had not dropped the garter anywhere on the ground, but Calhoun had taken it away from her when she had turned around while she was sleeping on the couch in the afternoon. With the hem of her petticoat that had moved up to her thigh, it had left one side of her thigh to his view where the stockings rode up her leg and to show the frilly and lacy innocent garter.

"What are you going to do with it?" asked Madeline because she didn't find any actual reason for him to keep it with him.

"As a souvenir," was his simple reply and at the same time, Sophie had turned around to see King Calhoun and the human standing in front of each other.

"Souvenir?" asked Sophie, who had not heard the short conversation that took place between the two of them in the room.

Madeline didn't want Calhoun to speak out loud about their conversation, and she gave him a quick look and then at the Lady to say, "I was saying how I would get a souvenir for everyone here if I go back home. There are a lot of things that one might find to be nice in the village market that people might like it here."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "I don't know what good would be there that people like us haven't seen yet."

"Maybe, if I go there tomorrow I can buy some for the King," her words came out careful, and she saw how the smile on Calhoun's eyes faltered while his eyes continued to be fixed on her.

Madeline knew she was not supposed to test Calhoun, but he was being difficult and doing things that were embarrassing by taking away things that didn't belong to him! He was the one who spoke about souvenir, and she had only continued to talk about it.

The vampiress shook her head, "I definitely don't want any part of it. No offence but I have seen the people there and God it is so crowded and sweaty. I mean I didn't go there obviously," she laughed by placing her hand on her chest, "I heard it from Lady Jules. She said the market looked like animals going back and forth. So, no, thank you."

Calhoun then said, "If you want something, you just have to ask." That is what she did! Thought Madeline to herself when it came to the fabric, "I will have Theodore or someone to go get it for you."

Madeline had never met a person like Calhoun before, which was why she could not just ignore him apart from him being the King. He did things that pushed her buttons and expected her to sit put without reacting. But the truth what Madeline didn't know was that Calhoun pushed and tested her because he liked to see those reactions from her.

Sophie had wasted her time on the human which she wouldn't have done if it weren't for Calhoun being here. Her own eyes looked around the gallery to find the handkerchief which was not here. She had to be under good light. Therefore, she asked Madeline, "Do you remember where else you might have dropped it?"

Madeline, who now knew where the garter was, shook her head, "I will look for it in the room."

The vampiress rolled her eyes at this, "I guess we can all stop looking then," she said turning to Calhoun and say, "We can ask the tailor to get some new ones made for her. This way, she wouldn't have to worry about a single piece of handkerchief."

"I have asked Theodore to call the tailor to get some of the clothes stitched. He will mention about it." Hearing Calhoun's casual words, Madeline's eyes turned wide in fear.

"No!" Madeline exclaimed to have both of their attention. The last thing she wanted was to have James brought back here in the castle in front of the King.