The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: Much loved by Rachel Portman

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Lucy scribbled something in her parchments while the governess sat in front of her at the table, scrutinizing the young vampiress' writing. Two hours had passed since they had taken their seats at the table, and the governess had made her write and understand the meanings of the poems, which Lucy still didn't understand why she had to learn them. Especially ones that belonged to people whom she hadn't met or known.

When Lucy finished writing, she pushed the parchment towards the governess, and Ms. Lewis picked it up to examine it through her glasses.

"Wonderful," praised the governess. "Your inferences on the poem and ability to read between the lines seem perfect, though we will need to work on those metaphors."

Lucy beamed with a smile, "I guess we can work on that slowly as there's plenty of time for it."

The woman nodded her head, "Yes, you are right. I don't think your suitors would go in-depth by asking you about poetry unless the in-laws decide to question you on literature."

"Is it true?" questioned Lucy.

Ms. Lewis, who was going through Lucy's beautiful handwriting, looked up from the parchments, meeting the vampiresses eyes, "What is?"

"That I will be married within the next two months?" there was a spark of fire in Lucy's eyes, and the governess mistook it to be Lucy's excitement over the matter.

"Isn't that splendid? I believe it is something that you have been looking forward to, to find a suitable man and marry him," said the governess, "Now that I know how eager you are, it only makes it that much easier for your parents to find the suitor. I know some girls who were being educated and didn't want to marry at the correct time."

"What happened to them?" asked Lucy, sensing there was more story to the governess' words.

The governess leaned over and whispered to Lucy, "They were forced into the marriage, of course. It is what the girl should rightfully do, to marry a man and have children."

Lucy nodded her head, "I suppose that is what men should do too, right? Considering how a woman needs a man to marry, it should hold the same the other way round."

The governess wanted to deny what the princess said, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself and said, "You can take some break, and we can continue to study with your music lessons."

"You seem well versed with everything, Ms. Lewis. Why aren't you married?" It was an innocent question by Lucy, but the governess didn't take too kindly to it.

"Some of us choose this path to enlighten children who need to be taught the right and wrongs, Lady Lucy."

"Are you from the church? I heard that the priests and the nuns there are very kind. They never refuse to help and offer nothing but kindness," Lucy bombarded the woman with the next question.

"I have no relationship with the church, Lady Lucy, and I prefer it that way. Now, if you don't want a break, we can continue with the next lesson," suggested Ms. Lewis with a stern look in her eyes, and she looked somewhat displeased by the mention of the church.

A few minutes later, Lucy was found walking in the corridors, which weren't far from her study room. She had spent only two hours studying, and she was already tired.

Her mouth parted open, and a yawn escaped through her lips, and she brought her hand up, but it was late in covering her mouth.

"What a loud yawn," came a voice from somewhere, and Lucy looked back and forth but found no one around. Did studying poetry put her in a hallucination state now? She asked herself.

"W-who is it?" demanded Lucy, her eyebrows deeply furrowed.

Lucy then heard a thump on the ground behind her, and she turned around to see it was Theodore. Did he come from above? She looked up at the tall walls and the roofs.

"You startled me!"

"My apologies for startling you, Lady Lucy," he deeply bowed his head.

"You must have been a cat in your previous life, Theodore," commented Lucy, and the man tilted his head to the side.

He questioned, "If I may know, why do you think that?"

"You keep jumping here and there, I mean on the ground," stated Lucy while wondering what he was even doing up on the roofs.

Theodore's ever so polite expression stared at Lucy, and the vampiress wondered if she should leave. At least since she had last seen him in the alley, there was something very strange about him. The ever so calm smile on lips that pulled up was something that daunted her, yet it was also something that intrigued her curiosity in him.

Being the Devon's princess, Lucy was used to people flocking around her and opening their mouths to please her, but this person and her new half-brother stood apart from the rest of the crowd.

"How is your leg now?" inquired the man, and Lucy looked down at her feet, that was now wearing shoes and hidden behind the dress.

"Much better than last night. Thank you for asking," Lucy responded.

"You don't have to thank me, milady. It is only right that we take care of our beloved princess with a lot of care and make sure no harm befalls her." The smooth and sweet talk, along with the smile that quirked up Theodore's lips, was enough to have Lucy's heart skip a beat, and she softly gulped before lowering her eyes. The smile subtly increased on his lips, and he asked, "I see that your class with the governess has commenced."

"Yes, it has," replied Lucy, she wondered how long she had strayed away from the study room, and right now, she didn't have the heart to go back.

All these days, Lucy had spent her time outside the rooms, not sitting in one place and walking in and out of the castle. This sudden change of having to sit in a closed room and with only the governess was too fast of a change for Lucy.

"You must be delighted to have someone to teach you," Theodore humoured her with a question.