The Crown's Obsession

During the time of supper, Madeline chose to sit next to her sister Beth and away from Calhoun as a precautionary measure. Having experience with Calhoun's hand sneaking up on her leg, on her thigh, she doubted she would be able to sit still without turning red with embarrassment. Not to mention, her family and his relatives were seated at the table.

And even though Calhoun had not touched her, Madeline couldn't stop her thoughts that were running in her mind.

"Lady Madeline, you changed your seat," said Lady Lucy loud enough for everyone to hear it, who were at the table. Madeline was holding the cutlery in her hand when Lady Lucy spoke. She wished the kind vampiress wouldn't have mentioned it loud because everyone could see her sitting not next to the King but between her mother and her sister Beth.

All the vampires, including Calhoun's eyes, fell on Madeline.

"I wanted to spend some time with Beth. It feels too long since we last sat next to each other at the table," replied Madeline with a polite smile on her face.

"It must be nice to have a sister, isn't it," chimed Lady Lucy, who was the only child for her parents until Calhoun came to live in the castle.

Beth replied to this, "Indeed it is. Madeline is a dear sister," the elder daughter of Harris wanted to show everyone at the table that she was the best sister. "Madeline and I share so many things. From clothes to shoes, even we have almost the same shoe size." Hearing this, Lady Lucy nodded her head.

"I am glad I don't have a sister," came the statement from Sophie. Since this week, where she had visited the castle with her mother, her days had turned dull, and she had turned bitter, "I don't think I could live with one, especially with all the jealousy."

Sophie had been trying to think of a plan to put herself back in getting the crown and position. Her mother was paying more attention to this human girl who was planning to marry her brother Markus, and on the other side, the King was going to get married to Madeline.

"Madeline and I are never jealous about each other," said Beth, her eyes narrowing at Sophie, "I am guessing you would feel like that, the jealousy," she muttered the last words.

Unfortunately, there were no crabs on Sophie's plate that she could throw it at both the Harris' sisters.

Sophie didn't understand how things changed in a matter of a few days. One day she was close to the King, someone who was always around Calhoun and the next thing she knew, she was sitting on the other side of the table, away from the King as if she was some stranger.

If she knew she would have done something quick on the day she had met Madeline in here. But Calhoun had other women in the past who accompanied him. How would she have known, that the person who she was meeting was going to turn her life upside down? Even her mother was busy entertaining Madeline's sister, whom she despised. Sophie couldn't help, but think to poison the two girls. But killing two would be obvious, thought the vampiress to herself.

Sophie's red eyes coyly fell on the blonde girl whose eyes were on the plate. Clutching the knife in her hand, Sophie wondered if it was right to target Madeline. It needn't be poison as there were other ways to break a fragile human, thought Sophie to herself.

It wasn't her who had shot the arrow at Madeline, but Calhoun had gone as far as to humiliate her in front of everyone. She didn't see the reason why she should stop herself from turning the table around.

On the other side, Beth, who sat diagonal to Sophie, could feel the glare coming from the opposite side of the table before it was dropped. While playing with a lone pea, she wondered what would happen if she directed it to Sophie's face. Beth still held a grudge against Sophie for the flying crab.

Madeline who sat next to Beth could feel someone staring at her. She didn't have to turn and look, to see that it was from Calhoun. She had taken a seat far away from him, and she was somewhere thankful that he hadn't made her change and return to the chair she had been using all these days. Opening her mouth to eat now felt like the most difficult task to do, especially with Calhoun's eyes that was watching every movement of hers.

The people at the table spoke to each other, and when the meal was done, Madeline knew she couldn't stall anymore. She had followed Beth to Beth's room in the name of providing company.

"You have been acting strange today, Maddie," noted Beth who had changed herself to her nightgown.

Madeline, who had been staring at the wall, turned to ask, "Why do you say that?"

"The last time you stayed beside me at almost every opportunity, it was when you broke the vase that was at Aunt Mary's house," laughed Beth, "Is there something you want to talk about?" Beth looked at her sister. Madeline shook her head.

"Not at all. Everything is fine," smiled Madeline, and asked playfully, "Am I not allowed to spend time with my sister?"

Beth rolled her eyes, "I never said not to."

The time they shared right now, it felt like they were back in time where both the sisters were close without any apparent appearance of envy or insecurity. Madeline missed her sister Beth, but at the same time, the words that Calhoun had shared with her resonated in her mind. Would her sister do something to hurt her? It was an answer Madeline didn't want to venture in.

"I have an extra pair of night dresses. You can wear it if you want to sleep in here?" Beth offered, making her way from the dressing table to come to sit on the bed.

"No, that's okay. I thought it would be nice to spend some time with you," said Madeline. She doubted it would be wise to hide in her sister's room because she couldn't hide here forever. After spending almost two hours, Madeline finally wished Beth goodnight and started to head back to the quarters where her room was. The corridors were empty, and flames flickered from the torches that were on the walls as she made her way.

Reaching her room, Madeline couldn't help but turn to look towards Calhoun's room and she noticed the light coming through the window. It seemed like she had been worried for no reason, thought Madeline to herself before turning back and stepping inside her room.

Some candles were already burning in the room and Madeline closed the door. Her hands locking it when she heard,

"Make sure to lock the door properly."

Hearing Calhoun's voice, Madeline jumped out of her skin, and she snapped around to see him standing on the left side of where the candles were burning. He stood there with his hand playing with the flame. Calhoun finally dropped his hand, and he looked at her,

"Did you think you could escape from the paws of a wolf?"