The Crown's Obsession (WN)

As much as Samuel loved her, there were a few things her husband was very peculiar about. Lucy didn't have many 'friends' with whom she could speak to. The one time she had invited women in the mansion, Samuel had turned very upset with her telling how the women would only use her for her status and told her to maintain distance from them.

"How is everyone? It has been quite some time since I heard from Sophie or Markus," said Lucy when they took a seat next to each other in the drawing-room.

"Markus has been busy helping in the court duties with the King, you know how busy things get. And Sophie, she's finished her studies and is now learning ballroom dancing. You would be proud to see that she has turned into a quite remarkable lady," assured Lady Rosamund.

"I am sure she has. She has turned more feminine now. Did you have something to deliver to the magistrate who lives here?" asked Lucy.

"Oh, I did. It was regarding a work that your brother wanted to see it to be finished today and I decided to personally come here," replied Rosamund. At the same time, the maid who had earlier left Lucy's side appeared in the room with a tray in her hand. "I was going to ask you if you will be attending the ball that is going to be held in shortly. The ball of Hallow."

Why did Lucy know that this question would appear in their conversation? She asked in her mind.

"Samuel isn't back yet, and I think I would feel odd to attend the ball without his company," answered Lucy.

She had received the invitation about the ball a week ago, and since then, she had been waiting for Samuel to return sooner, but there had been no news from him. Going to the Hawthrone castle was like opening wounds that she had not closed, which was why her visits to the castle had been very scarce and only for a concise time.

The Hallow ball was arranged by the King, her half-brother, but to her he was her very own brother Calhoun.

Calhoun had appeared late to the castle a few months before she got married to Samuel, but even with the little time she had spent with him, it felt like they were actual siblings. And unlike her parents, he never questioned why and what, giving her the space she needed while replying to her letters on time.

"It has been arranged a month sooner than usual, isn't it," murmured Lucy.

Rosamund raised her hand so that the maid wouldn't add sugar cubes into her cup, and she picked the cup, "The minister and some other person advised Calhoun that this time he needs to involve the local villagers to the ball. Frankly I do not know what they were even thinking when they said that."

"But isn't it good, that we will have commoners who will get a chance to interact with the people whom they usually don't get to speak," stated Lucy. Society was divided into the poor and wealthy people, who often never crossed paths directly.

Rosamund rolled her eyes, "That's going to be a disaster. I am telling you. It isn't some local fair in the town that people can attend," said the older vampiress, and she took a sip from the teacup. "There's a reason why the commoners are prohibited from involving with us and are only ordered."

"I would say otherwise, Aunt Rosamund," responded Lucy. "Brother Calhoun doesn't appear in front of the public eye , and people only have an idea about him. The villagers think he's a phantom and maybe it would be ideal to show himself so that they know how the King is."

The older vampiress wasn't least bit excited about Hallow, except for the fact that her daughter would stay in the King's vicinity to woo him. Years had passed since the throne had slipped right through her fingers and was passed to the illegitimate son of her brother Laurence, and she was still bitter about it.

"How are they making arrangements to accommodate many people in the castle? I don't think it would be wise to have people inside the castle as it would only pack up the place," said Lucy.

"Who knows," Rosamund seemed too tired to speak about it. "I thought it would be lovely to have you during the time of the ball, Lucy. I would personally love to see you there."

"You are too kind, Aunt Rosamund. I will try," Lucy said and then she heard her aunt say,

"Did you give a thought about what I said about Sophie and Calhoun?"

Lucy chuckled, hearing this, "Sophie is too young, and I don't think Calhoun sees her that way. It would be too odd for Calhoun to marry Sophie, their cousin sister."

"This was how we have been preserving the pure blood line of the vampire and vampiress. It would be nice of you if you help Sophie with it by mentioning about it to Calhoun in your next letter," Rosamund patted Lucy's hand and continued to sip her tea.

Lucy didn't know from when and where her aunt got the idea that it would be good to have her daughter married to the King. Though Lucy had not spent lots of time with Calhoun in the castle, she knew how brother Calhoun was and that Sophie was not the right person. She knew about his reputation of killing people for their mistakes and the audacity they showed in front of him.

As more years had passed, he had turned more talkative than the first time he had straight away ignored her existence. But like many other things, he had turned ruthless. Rumours had it that there was quite some clash in opinions between him and some of the High House members.

"I will keep that in my mind," she replied to her aunt with a polite smile on her lips.

After her aunt spent some more time talking to her, the woman finally left the mansion, leaving Lucy all alone again in Greville's mansion with the company of servants.

Away from the land of Devon, Samuel wore a hood to cover his head while he spoke to a man in the dark alley.

"I thought it would make it easy to hunt the person. What's taking you this long to see where the soul is located?" demanded the man who had a short beard.

"Do you think finding the dark angel is that easy?" scoffed Samuel. "The child hasn't shown up."

"The reason why we even killed Greville's boy was so that you could take a lead. You even got married to the fucking princess and work in the royal court yet you have nothing?" spat the man. "It has been nearly two decades and nothing."

"I told you already. The section that deals with the crimes doesn't come under my job, but Chauncey's. The King is a sharp who keeps a look at each and every person's work. I have been doing my best in trying to find the dark angel, but I don't think she has appeared in the living realm yet," explained Samuel.