Madeline was with her mother, sitting in the corridor where there was a bench for one to sit. After having supper, her father retired to the guest room while her mother stayed back to spend time with her.
“He said you both would be getting married in the church. Is it true?” inquired her mother with her. Madeline nodded her head.
“He did mention it to me,” replied Madeline. The first time when Calhoun had spoken about it, she thought he was joking because vampires and church didn’t go together. The vampires usually never stepped in the holy place of the church, and many humans came to believe that it was because vampires are different, “He said he wanted to have it in the church as he thought it was something I would want.”
Madeline noticed how her mother frowned after hearing this, “He’s doing it for your sake,” hummed her mother in thought before asking, “Will the vampires be fine? I thought the vampires were allergic to places like the church.”
“It should be fine if he’s decided to marry me there. He also said it would be much more comfortable for our relatives and us to attend the wedding,” replied Madeline.
Mrs. Harris looked at her younger daughter. Madeline looked calm and collected, instead of looking like a tearing mess when they last left her alone in the castle on the King’s orders. It was good to see that the King was looking after her and he wasn’t mistreating Madeline. Yesterday during the time of dinner, the atmosphere had turned awkward and tense.
“Mama, I need to talk to you about something,” Madeline said, and her mother nodded her head, waiting for her to go ahead to speak, “Do you think you can keep an eye on Beth and Mr. Wilmot for some time?”
“An eye?” asked her mother.
“The Wilmot’s family, they are not exactly nice even though they might try to look like one,” Madeline didn’t want to drop the information like this, but she didn’t know how to bring it up with Beth. She had tried to find an opening with Beth earlier today, but every time she tried to bring up the topic, Beth had only deviated it with her thoughts and plans of a wedding. Beth looked like she was too smitten by the vampire, Markus Wilmot.
“Is this about what happened yesterday at dinner?” asked her mother with a questionable look on her face, “Lady Sophie’s hand slipped during dinner. It was an unfortunate incident. You shouldn’t think too deep on it.”
“No, it’s not that,” Madeline looked at the quiet corridor, “It’s not about Lady Sophie.”
Mrs. Harris placed her hand on Madeline’s hand that was resting on her lap, “Have they hurt you? It would be best if you told the King. He will make sure nothing happens to you.”
Madeline was surprised by her mother’s words. It was only a few days ago that her mother had encouraged her to run away from the castle. But now she was willing to accept the King as Madeline’s future husband.
“I am just worried for Beth, mama. Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence that the man was out there? Near the shop when the shop was being demolished. I feel like he’s trying to do something. You heard the King. He had nothing to do with it.”
Her mother’s face turned grim in thought, “Why would he do that? Do you think he did it to gain Beth’s attention?”
That is not what Madeline was speaking about, but her mother had deviated from what Madeline meant and said, “I know vampires can be, the way we think they are. They are, after all, different from the the…humans. The young vampiress Sophie seemed not to like your sister, but her mother, Lady Rosamund, loved Beth’s company. This noon, she invited your sister and me to join her for tea.”
Madeline smiled at her mother’s eagerness. Though the royal family consisted of vampires, they were still creatures who one was supposed to be wary of. The reason her elder sister had grown the way she had, was because of her mother, and Madeline doubted that her mother realized it.
Her parents had a good marriage life. A simple and stable one, but her mother often had dreamed of having a better life. It was something that was passed on to Beth.
“Even if Markus’ sister doesn’t like Beth, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Lady Rosamund said that they are searching for a good suitor for her daughter Sophie. This would mean Beth and Sophie won’t be living under the same roof. But then sister-in-laws sort out their differences in time,” her mother nodded her head and continued to speak, “I was worried when the King announced his marriage to you, and Beth was being left behind. There have been many rumours that have been surrounding her.”
Madeline furrowed her eyebrows, “Like what?”
Her mother pursed her lips and then said, “They are ill rumours. Of how she is an unsuitable girl to get married to and how many of them are rejecting her. That she is rude and whatnot.” The woman shook her head in worry, “I have been making sure to keep her busy in the house, but it has been hard. I don’t know if she’s heard about it.”
“People have no right to speak about her like that,” Madeline was not happy hearing it.
When her marriage was announced, somewhere in the back of her mind, Madeline knew a situation like this would arise. It was customary to get the daughters of the house married in line. When one was skipped, the question arose on why she was not married, and people would start talking behind their backs.
Madeline was hoping her mother would listen to what she had heard from Calhoun, but at the same time, she doubted her mother would stay quiet about it. Madeline had taken over her father’s genes when it came to keeping things to herself.
“I am just worried Markus will break her heart,” Madeline said in the best way she could, “Vampires usually don’t do things out of seriousness. They have motives. We all know how the night creatures don’t take the humans as a bride but only as a sacrifice.”
“The King has proven our thoughts to be wrong. Markus has not shown any signs as such,” her mother said squeezing Madeline’s hand, “But if it makes you feel better, I will keep an eye on him for any signs. Initially, I did think about it, that it was indeed strange, but both the man and his mother appear to enjoy Beth’s company. If we questioned every little thing, it would be hard to lead our lives.”
“But questioning avoids possible misery,” stated Madeline. Beth was hard to convince, and somewhere, after what happened in the garden yesterday, Madeline doubted her sister would listen to her. Beth liked to lead the way and didn’t like taking orders from others. Before more words were shared, Elizabeth arrived in the corridor.
“Good that you haven’t gone to sleep yet!” came the cheerful voice of Beth, who carried a small box in her hand, “I wanted to show you something!”
Madeline wondered what was inside the velvet box. She saw Beth open it carefully to make sure it wouldn’t break. When the light hit what was inside it, both Madeline and her mother saw it sparkle. They were a pair of diamond earrings.
“Where did you get that from, Beth? Did you steal it?” Was the first question that came out of Mrs. Harris’ mouth. It was because there had been a few instances when Beth was a young girl, where she had ‘borrowed’ things from others, and it was Mrs. Harris who went back to return these borrowed items from others.
Beth turned embarrassed at her mother’s words, “Why would I do something so shameful! This is a present given by Lady Rosamund.”
The earrings sparkled brightly, light-reflecting back on Mrs. Harris’ face, who looked too stunned to speak, “This is too much for a gift, Beth. Return it,” said their mother as their family could not afford it.
Beth nodded her head, “I know. I was shocked myself when Lady Rosamund presented these as a gift. She also said that it was an apology for what took place in the dining room because of Lady Sophie. Don’t you think she’s generous?” Beth asked.
“I don’t know what to say,” Mrs. Harris was speechless by the sight of the expensive jewel. Even if her husband worked for years, they wouldn’t be able to afford something close to this.
Madeline looked at the studded earrings, looked up at Beth, who had a broad smile on her face. Beth, meeting her younger sister’s eyes, said, “What do you think, Maddie? I told you Markus was trying hard to woo me for marriage. He’s not hidden his intentions about me from his mother, which only tells how serious he is when it comes to taking me as his wife. We will be more than sisters!” came Beth’s excited voice.
Like her mother, Madeline offered her sister a smile.
Madeline then said, “If it’s a gift for welcoming you, I think it is very kind of her. But if the reason is to apologize for what happened, I think it should be Lady Sophie who should be apologizing to you and not Lady Rosamund. By words.”
If a person wanted to apologize genuinely, why not do it through words, asked Madeline to herself.
But unlike Madeline, Beth didn’t think like that, and she had a look of displeasure on her face.
“Are you unhappy with the possible marriage that is going to happen with Markus?” Beth directly questioned Madeline.
Madeline wondered if Beth could sense her feelings towards Markus and their relationship.
Calhoun had warned Madeline about his relatives and their intentions. She already knew about those things because Lady Rosamund had not treated her the same way she was treating Beth now by using polite words and giving gifts.
She tried to put it in the best way she could in front of Beth, “Both of you should take it a little slow, to get to know each other. Let mother spend time with Lady Rosamund so that they are more well acquainted with each other. I mean its a marriage between two families-“
“I don’t see the King waiting to know mother or father or me. He’s getting married to you like in what? Since the time you both met for eight or seven weeks?” questioned Beth.
“This is not about the King we are speaking of. Our situations are different. You have a choice from the beginning,” Madeline knew this was a delicate matter, and she couldn’t tell things openly to her sister. She doubted if she could speak about it to her mother too. Beth’s eyes had stars and dreams, which was now being granted by Lady Rosamund, “I am only asking you to take it slow.”
Beth scoffed, “You speak as if you are still a victim in what is happening.”
“I never said I was. I have accepted to take the King as my husband out of my own choice,” Madeline retaliated back, “I am telling it for your own sake.”
Beth turned to look at her mother and said, “It looks like our dear little Madeline has all grown up. Behaving like she knows everything in the world and has turned wise.”
Madeline frowned at her sister’s words, “I think you forgot that I warned you about the wolves, but you went ahead to touch them anyways. If you take that, yes, I am wise,” she owned up to the words that Beth just uttered.
“You told me that the wolves came out of nowhere and bit you!” Mrs. Harris whispered to Beth, with a questionable look on her face.
“The wolves are stupid little mutts who are left out in the wild, mama!” Beth replied to her mother and then raised her hand that was still dressed with white bandages. She then turned to look at Madeline, her eyes narrowed, “Looks like you are finally shedding that delicate nature of yours to show your true self. And all because you are now going to be a queen.”
“Yes, I am going to be the queen,” affirmed Madeline, “But I am saying it not to show my status, but because you’re my sister.” She had heard enough from Beth about how she was using her current status, when in truth, all Madeline was trying to do was to protect Beth. Beth was beautiful, smart, and Madeline didn’t doubt it. Madeline was only giving a word of caution, to see how things would turn out with Markus in time rather than jumping on the ship to set it to sail.
Beth quietly glared at Madeline. It was because Madeline had never spoken to her in such a tone. And her sister was talking to her like this only because she was going to turn to be a queen. This made Beth only wonder what would happen if Madeline never turned to a queen. What if the crown was taken away from her before she even had the opportunity?
“I would prefer to get married to the man early than delay my time, to only be called as the girl who couldn’t marry or find a suitor before her younger sister,” Beth replied. She then closed the box that was open until now, “I like Markus a lot. Not to forget, he is the King’s cousin. I thought you would be happy Madeline,” said Beth. And before Madeline could say anything, Beth had turned around and left the place to walk back to her room.
Madeline sighed. She had been as subtle as she could, but Beth had turned defensive.
Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder, “It isn’t like she’s getting married to the man tomorrow. Things like these take time. And there are plenty of days for Beth to know and mingle with his family.”
Madeline nodded her head.
“I didn’t mean to show my status to her,” she said to her mother.
“I know, dear. I know you didn’t mean it. Beth will be fine by the time of the morning,” and both of them stood up. Madeline hugged her mother, who hugged her back before letting go, “I will see you in the morning. Okay?”
“Yes, mama.”
Madeline saw her mother get back inside the guest room that was allotted to them by the King. It was as fancy as other rooms in this side of the corridor while away from the Wilmot’s rooms. This was the second day for her family to be spending their time in the castle, and there were eighteen more days left for the wedding to take place.
She didn’t pay too much attention to her sister’s words because Beth often got angry, but it always went back to normal after some time. Madeline believed it was healthy to fight and bring the words out than keep it within oneself.
Walking away from the corridor, Madeline made her way through the other halls. As the feeling sank in her mind of her going to be a queen, it felt surreal. She was going to her room when she caught sight of Calhoun, who was talking to Theodore, his face looking severe. Whatever it was, it seemed like it was something of a severe matter. Her footsteps turned slow as she stared at him. Calhoun’s red eyes didn’t stay on Theodore for long as they snapped to look at her.
Madeline saw Calhoun walk past Theodore, making his way to where she was.
“Is everything alright?” she asked, looking into his eyes.
Calhoun’s eyes were calm as he returned her gaze, “Yes, everything is perfectly alright. Why do you ask?” he asked her in a curious tone.
Madeline wondered if she should point out that he wasn’t smiling like he often did, “Just like that,” and she heard him hum in response.
“Did your parents go to sleep?” Calhoun asked, receiving a nod from her, “Your father is very passionate about cutting woods.”
Madeline smiled, “Is that what you both spoke about?” She had heard Calhoun had invited her father for a drink in one of the many rooms of the castle. She had been slightly anxious when she heard it from her mother.
“We spoke about other things. Though I felt there were some things he was hiding,” murmured Calhoun that caught Madeline’s attention.
“About what?” she asked, and Calhoun noticed how brown her eyes were.
“I was trying to know how your childhood was,” and finally, a slow smirk appeared on his face, “I doubt you remember about your childhood. Therefore, I decided to ask him. I would like to know more about you, sweet stuff.”
It would be a lie to say that Madeline had not been worried about Calhoun scaring her father. He aced in those things, and she was a little weary until she saw her father again, who appeared to be in a decently good mood.
Who would have thought that the tyrant King wanted to know little things about her. Something she didn’t remember. But now that she had learned more about him, things others weren’t aware of, Madeline could see him wanting to know more about her.
“What did you find out?” Madeline asked Calhoun.
Calhoun stepped forward, running his fingers over the side of her hairline to smoothen the errant strands of her hair, “That you were an adorable little girl. A quiet one.” His hand then dropped down to his side, “Did you have a good day?” he asked.
“It was alright. Did your day go well?” Madeline asked him something she wouldn’t have questioned a month ago.
“I missed spending my time with you, but then I know you want to spend your time with your family. I will have you wholly to myself soon.” His eyes focused on her face. It was good to see her standing here in front of him, without escaping from his sight. “I would love to spend more time with you, but I have somewhere to go.”
“Work at this hour?”
Calhoun cracked a grin, “Yes, a King always has his hands full with work. It is something urgent. Let me walk you to your room,” he offered.
“I will go myself. You will be able to finish the work sooner,” Madeline said looking at him. Calhoun leaned forward as if going to kiss her on her cheek, but instead, his lips brushed her ear only to bite the side of her ear lobe, making her flinch. He then licked it.
“If you are awake, I will come to see you later,” Calhoun whispered, feeling her heart skip a beat, and he smiled before pulling away from her.
Madeline didn’t respond to his words, but she didn’t evade it either. Calhoun saw her walk until she disappeared behind the end of the corridor. The smile on his lips finally dropped as he made his way to meet Theodore.
“The carriage is ready,” informed Theodore.
