The Crown's Obsession

Morganna, the previous mother Queen of Devon, looked around to see people walking past them. She felt like life was breathed back into her as they were not in Hell anymore. It seemed like Constance's father was someone who had powers as he was able to bring them back here, and she wondered if asking for forgiveness would help in receiving pardon to all the sins they had committed.

"Why did you bring us here?" asked Morganna.

"To let you see how people don't remember you to be the Queen that you claimed to be. We are in the market place, yet you are nothing but ghosts," said Vladimir. His eyes looked around the place, and he could sense traces of his daughter still in here.

It was like a memory that had stayed behind, and Vladimir saw his young daughter holding a basket in her hand whilst she supported it on one side of her waist. As she walked, some people whispered something in each other's ears. A woman came behind her, pushing her and the basket fell on the ground. People around her laughed without offering their hand to help her to stand up. His eyes hardened seeing this, and when he closed his eyes and opened them again, the scene in front of his eyes changed back to the present.

"Look here, who we have today! The previous King and the Queen mother have graced their presence," Vladimir spoke loud enough for people to start looking at them and a collective amount of gasps was heard. Many people's eyes had turned wide in shock, seeing Laurence and Morganna stand in the middle of the crowd that was forming in the marketplace.

"That's not possible," whispered one of them.

"The previous King and the mother Queen have been dead for over two decades unless they went into hiding," said another commoner.

"That is the previous King and the Queen!" said another woman in her late forties. "But it can't be!"

"Look at their clothes? It is worse than what any man or woman can wear in here," came the hushed voices.

Vladimir stepped behind Morganna and Laurence. He said, "Now Laurence. Why don't you reveal what you and your mother did to my daughter so that they are well versed with you. But before that!" the Devil clapped his hands and came to stand next to Morganna. "I need you to finish a small task."

"What makes you think I would do it?" Morganna stared back at Vladimir, and when the Devil smiled, she felt pain ascend in her body.

"Now…" said Vladimir, "Get on the ground and lick my shoes." He wanted to break the prideful vampiress and humiliate her. He smiled, seeing how appalled she looked by the idea of it.

A horrified look appeared on her face.

"Do it," said Vladimir, "You saw what happened to your husband."

Morganna gritted her teeth, feeling the public's eyes on her. Her eyes fell on her son Laurence, who was the apple of her eyes until he decided to turn his back against her, her words deaf in his ears. When the sharp pain passed through her body, it automatically pushed her body down so that she fell right at Vladimir's feet.

It felt as if something strong was holding her shoulder, and she couldn't get up from her position.

"This is a suitable time where you start speaking about your repentance, Useless. Make sure you don't lie, and I will see how I can lower your punishment, hmm?" stated Vladimir, the smile had fallen from his lips and his eyes narrowed in controlled rage. He turned to look at the previous King, who was staring at the crowd that had turned larger in the last few seconds.

Laurence had seen his father being castrated right in front of him for misbehaving with Constance in the past, he didn't know what would happen if he refused the Devil. He regretted meeting the girl and bringing her to the castle.

"That is King Laurence!" someone shouted from the crowd.

Laurence then opened his mouth, "I am the previous King of Devon, Laurence Hawthrone," he said to the people. "This is my mother, Morganna. We are here to confess how we have treated people with injustice. I would like to clear the woman's name today. Constance…"

"Shit doesn't even know the last name," Vladimir hissed, and this was enough to have chills run down Laurence's back.

"Lazarus. Constance Lazarus. I will have your eyes skewered in the fire and feed it to my grandson's beloved wolves."

Laurence gulped.

"Constance Lazarus, she should have been treated with more respect. She was a beautiful and kind woman, and I misused her kindness, taking advantage of her by persuading her to come to live in the castle before I ruined her," said Laurence and the people around them didn't whisper a word. What the vampire didn't know was that his words were only building the Devil's ire. "She used to live here, but I didn't come to meet her. She suffered because of me, and I did nothing to prevent it."

"But it wasn't just me, but also my mother who was greedy to have a daughter-in-law who would bring in wealth. I didn't mind having Constance next to me. I heard from my sister that my mother, the previous mother Queen of Devon, had sent men after Constance, to kill her after she was thrown out of the castle, but they had been unsuccessful as Constance had already left the village. My mother here was not satisfied, and she made sure Constance's life turned to Hell. She stole the money from Constance so that the girl would succumb to death. It wasn't I but her, who took the decision," said Laurence turning to face Vladimir.

"And what are your mother's thoughts towards the people?" asked Vladimir. Laurence bit his tongue from saying anything, the Devil snapped his fingers to have the vampire reveal the truth.

"My mother believes that people are not equal to us, they are nothing but dirt and do not deserve to live, and even if they do, they should live under our rule. She levied taxes on the villagers and the townsmen so that people would die out of starvation and the barren land would turn to her use," said Laurence as if a pistol had been placed on the back of his head, where the trigger would be pulled any second if he didn't speak.

Gasps erupted from the crowd, and they stared at Laurence and Morganna with their judgy eyes.

"Laurence!" Morganna looked up at her worthless son, who was running his mouth without thinking.

"It looks like the bad mother queen needs to be punished for her deeds," declared Vladimir, his eyes calm. The crowd that had formed looked at Laurence and Morganna with disgust in their eyes. Vladimir's voice then turned low only for Morganna to hear, "Now."

Morganna looked at the people and then back at Vladimir before she unwillingly bent down towards his shoe. Opening her mouth, she then licked the shoe that was covered in dirt. Most of the people raised their hands to cover their mouth, while some chuckled over the state of the vampiress.