The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: Andrei by Martin Phipps

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Lucy, who had reached her room, was too stunned, and her back hit the door that she had closed. Leaning against it, she brought her hands up to touch her cheeks that had turned warm.

"What just happened?" asked Lucy to herself.

One moment she was dancing in the deserted corridors, and the next moment, she had been saved from hitting her head against the pillar or falling on the ground. Dropping her hands down, she quickly shook her head.

This unknown feeling that she felt in her heart and spreading in her mind brought a certain tingle into her body, and she curled her toes from where she stood. Her eyes lowered on the ground as she recollected what had happened a couple of minutes ago. Having never been involved too closely with men, with their hands around her waist or her mouth, this feeling was different for her.

Slowly she moved towards her bed and climbed before lying flat on the front of her body. A pillow rested below her head, and she pulled it closer to her, and she fell asleep.

The next few days continued the same as usual in the castle and its people.

Lucy had finished her time with her governess and with her grandmother, who had left in the carriage for some work, leaving King Laurence and Lady Samara in the royal court, Lucy was a free bird.

With her shoes off her feet, as she had removed them, Lucy quickly walked through the corridors, and the servants bowed their heads to greet the princess.

"Lady Lucy, wait! Please wear your shoes, or Lady Samara won't be happy if she notices you walking with your bare feet!" The maid fretted, her hands carrying the shoes while tailing behind the princess, who padded her feet forward. "Your feet will get dirty, milady!"

"Then I will clean it later. And look, the floor is clean. It is alright. I am inside the castle so they wouldn't get dirty. You worry for nothing, Wenry. Mother is not here," said Lucy, holding the front of her dress so that she wouldn't step on it, "I heard she is attending the royal court meeting along with father. I wonder what it is about."

Lucy wished her family would involve her in the matters in the court, but since she had come of age, her parents wanted her to focus more on her studies and preferred for her to concentrate on turning herself more beautiful.

The maid followed the princess's crossing corridors when they met the King's illegitimate son and his guard. The maid was the first one to bow, and Lucy bowed next to have the two men bow in return.

Remembering what happened last night, Lucy quickly distracted herself by greeting her half-brother.

"Good afternoon, brother Calhoun," Lucy greeted him.

Like how Calhoun elicited the reaction from the Queen when he addressed the woman as his 'grandmother', Lucy did the same to Calhoun, but without her knowledge. It was because Calhoun wasn't here in the castle to build a relationship with anyone.

"Afternoon," came the uninterested voice from Calhoun, and he stared at her with his dark red eyes. Darker than the others who lived in the castle.

Lucy smiled, not minding his short reply. She was glad to have a brother, just like Sophie had Markus, "Are you not going to attend the meeting in the court today?"

"It is an unimportant meeting," Calhoun replied to her. When his eyes fell on the maid's hands who stood behind Lucy, he questioned, "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

Lucy beamed, "I wanted to feel the heat. Today, it's warmer than the last few days. Did you know that?" she asked him.

"You can keep your legs in the fire if you're looking for heat," he suggested, and the maid's eyes turned wide. Theodore, who stood a step behind Calhoun, cleared his throat. "Wear your shoes," Calhoun said before walking away from there.

Seeing Calhoun leave, Lucy finally looked at Theodore, and she saw him offer her a polite smile. Last night, he looked daunting, something opposite to now, and it was something she hadn't been able to forget.

Before Lucy could say something about last night, Theodore said,

"You have beautiful feet, princess. You should wear your shoes if you want to keep them the way they are." He didn't stay back, and he followed Calhoun.

Lucy's cheeks instantly turned red, and she looked at Theodore's back. Why? Asked Lucy to herself, unable to get rid of the heat and the little butterflies that had started to flutter in her stomach.

Lucy then quickly waved her hands to her maid, who stood behind her, "I think I have taken enough strides with my bare leg. I should wear my shoes now."

The maid didn't know if the princess had decided to wear her shoes because of Calhoun or Theodore, but glad that the young vampiress was finally listening and willing to wear her shoes before one of the royal members would notice and scold her.

Theodore, who caught up with Calhoun, who continued to walk in the corridor, heard him say, "I am going to go and see what is taking so long for Morganna to return to the castle."

"I will take care of the things here," offered Theodore, and Calhoun turned to look at him, staring without a word. "I will keep myself out of trouble," and he smiled.

Though Calhoun had left the spot where Lucy stood along with Theodore earlier, he still could hear the conversation between Theodore and the princess, and after leaving her alone too.

Now alone, Calhoun looked around him.

Using the carriage would only let Morganna's people know that he was away from the castle, so Calhoun walked to the isolated part of the castle where no one walked and that had a patio. In a matter of seconds, his black wings spread out from his back, and he flew to the place where Morganna had headed to.