The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-94

Calhoun's words rang in her ears, and his steady eyes did not once move away from hers. This love, this love he felt was not right where he wanted to keep her, and it was because it scared her. When he raised his hand, catching hold of one piece of her blonde hair to feel the soft texture of it, he said,

"Don't look so scared. I did tell you I wouldn't do something you wouldn't want," and Madeline gave a look to him, "You don't believe me. It seems like we need to build trust between us if we want to move forward. I will tell you what happens when a girl is often forced to get married to a man for political reasons, and here the girls are as young as you or sometimes even younger. They are dragged to the man's bed, abused physically until they are broken and have no other way out. In the world we live, it isn't anything new."

"I know that," said Madeline.

She wasn't as naive as he thought her to be. She knew the stories she heard of the families who belonged to the high status. Though the things she heard always came out to be rumours that were never acknowledged as the girls were happy with the position they received, she knew there were truths in there that were never openly spoken or discussed. It was considered to be normal.

Calhoun had scared her enough to make her think he would do it, but he hadn't, "Thank you for not forcing me," she said, but if he never kept her here, there would have been nothing to be thankful about.

He hadn't let go of her hair as he continued to play with the length of it. He saw how her gaze turned away, the goosebumps that formed on her neck, which he noticed under the light that fell from the torched fire on the wall. He had the urge to trace it under his fingers, but Calhoun had other plans.

There were times when one didn't have to use physical methods, and as much as he would love to take her to his bed, he was being patient in waiting for her to open. He had noticed the change in the garden, and his words had been right that she wasn't close to the tailorman. He wouldn't do something to her, and even if he did, he would see that she enjoyed it.

There were other ways to break a person's resolve, and Calhoun knew how to do it.

"Why are we here?" she asked him. The last time she remembered, when someone loved a person, they brought flowers or gifts or did something sweet, but this was anything but that. It was a dungeon where the smell of death floated in the air.

"I want to show you the life that you are going to be part of. It would be best if you find it through me than from someone else, like Sophie or any other person. I want you to know the person I am Madeline. The good things, the terrible things I am capable of, because isn't that what accepting means?" he asked her.

Madeline didn't know what to reply to it. Somewhere she was impressed that instead of putting the good foot forward like the others in the world, he was putting both his feet forward for her to know the kind of person he was.

"Sophie wants to be your Queen."

"She can keep dreaming about it. It is good to dream," his lips twitched.

She pressed her lips together. Everyone was tolerating someone here in the castle. She wondered if it ever got tiring. He had finally let go of her hair when it came to the tapering ends.

"Shall we?" said Calhoun and Madeline nodded her head to follow him further into the dungeon.

Both their footsteps echoed until they reached the place where Sophie had a grin on her face as she looked at something or someone.

When Madeline's eyes fell on the man who was placed behind the bar, she took one step closer to see a badgered looking man who was covered with blood which was possibly his own.

"Would you like to hear what the man did?" asked Calhoun as he slipped his hands into his pockets. The man on hearing the King's voice stood up, but when he tried to do that, he fell on the ground. The man had been punished to the point that his legs had turned weak.

She turned towards Calhoun to hear him say, "The man tried to poison me."

"No! No! My King, I would never do something so cruel to you! Please believe me!" the man cried from where he was.

"What a gutsy servant," commented Sophie, "You should know better than try to do that. What an ungrateful mongrel," huffed the vampiress. The way the servant appeared, it wasn't anything new to Sophie as her own family had a dungeon to torture the people and make them behave.

"Please, I swear on my children. I had nothing to do with it. I was there in the wrong time," the man's words pained Madeline as she sympathised with the man, "Please! I didn't do it. I would never-" the guard who stood at the front used his metal rod to bang it against the rods of the room to get the man quiet.

"When is the trial? We should have him hanged in front of everyone, maybe then no one would dare to do it," suggested Sophie.

Calhoun looked down at the man, "He will be executed tomorrow in the afternoon."

"What if he's not the one who done it?"

The people who stood outside the solitary room turned to look at the human girl who had spoken like she said something she shouldn't have said.

Madeline came from a place where people trusted each other. At least, the ones she knew did and seeing this man swear on his children. She somewhere felt he hadn't done it.

"Lady Madeline, brother Calhoun said this person tried to poison him and they found evidence of it," reminded Sophie, "He should be lucky that he is even getting the extra days to live before his execution. Or are you telling us that you doubt our King's judgement?" Everyone continued to stare at Madeline, waiting for her to answer the question.

She shook her head, "I would never doubt the King's judgement, but the man is swearing on his children, and people don't do that."

Sophie looked at Madeline as if she was dumb, "It is not necessary that everyone needs to have a clear conscience. Look at the man. It is evident he tried to poison brother Calhoun, and it is an unacceptable action. When it comes to money, people will stoop as low as they can to gain favours; after all, it is easy to sway them."

Madeline didn't like the way Sophie said it. It was like telling every servant was the first prime suspect just because they were poor. Unable to keep her tongue to herself she said,

"Is it because it resonates with you when it comes to the conscience?"

The vampiress took sometime before her eyes narrowed at Madeline, "What do you mean? Are you saying I have no clear conscience?" glared Sophie.

"I only mentioned conscience. I never said about you not having a clear conscience," Madeline responded to Sophie, "Next time who knows, someone will frame me that I was the one who poisoned the King."

"Who knows. I wouldn't be surprised if you did, especially the way you appeared here out of nowhere," Sophie shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Then we can also agree that someone from the higher status or a relative would have done it just to overthrow the King. Yes?"

Sophie fumed. Taking one step forward, she asked, "Are you pointing at me? You should know that I am the King's cousin sister. A close relative, unlike an outsider who came only yesterday."

Madeline had a soft smile on her lips, "I don't think you are the only relative of the King, and there are many more. First, second or more families of his holding a possibility. I don't know why you feel I am pointing at you."

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I made the chapters longer today~