The Crown's Obsession

Theodore stared at the invitation card that was in his hand, where a lot of cards had been made and sent to the people across Devon so that they could create a better relationship with each other. The card was smooth to touch along with the writing, and the seal from the royal castle stamped in it.

Hearing the carriages' sound enter one after another through the large gates of the castle from a distance, he turned his head to look at the moving carriages that approached the castle. Guards had taken their position to welcome and serve the guests at the castle that had been decorated as if it was someone's wedding, but then that's how the celebration of Hallow usually took place. The humans celebrated Halloween, but the vampires used the Hallow to mark their own existence to let the other kinds know about them.

It was the day of the Hallow where a ball had been arranged, young women and men, people of significant value, including the common people from the villages had been invited. Putting the invitation card down on the table, Theodore left his room to head to where the King was.

"Good evening, Sir Theodore," the servants of the castle greeted him as he made his way through the corridors.

"Good evening to you," he greeted them with a soft smile on his lips.

Theodore offered them a polite smile even though it was only for show that looked harmless. After Calhoun had turned to the King of Devon, the man hadn't left him behind but instead had raised his status to the advisor in the court, giving him the same position and the status that belonged to Calhoun before he had taken full control of the crown and throne.

There was a murmur of chatter that could be heard around the castle, excitement and eagerness filling up in the air as this time, the ball and Hallow had been combined.

He then caught sight of Calhoun who stood not too far away from where he was, talking to a High House member about a person's body that had been retrieved from a river. On arriving at where the gentlemen stood, Theodore offered his greetings,

"Good evening, King Calhoun. Good evening, Weasley."

"Good evening, Theodore," Weasley chimed in. "It is good to see the castle being decorated so beautifully. It looks absolutely enchanting."

Theodore smiled, "The King has the best taste, doesn't he."

"He does," Weasley agreed with a smile.

King Calhoun didn't pay heed to the compliments. Spending around two decades as the King of Devon, he had been showered with compliments, praises and words of flattery that had numbed the value of it.

"You should stay for at least an hour, Weasley," said King Calhoun while looking straight into the man's eyes. "To come so far and not attend the Hallow, what a sad thing to do. I can only believe that the members of the High House don't know how to enjoy their lives."

Weasley smiled, "Unfortunately that is how it is for us. I don't think Helena would be happy about it. I will cover up the tracks, but please make sure you don't kill someone tonight."

Hearing this, a broad grin started to spread across King Calhoun's lips. "When you tell me like that, it only makes me want to do it more. But I will try."

"Morganna's men have been trying to fill Helena's ears with the information of what you have been doing. You do not want to end up with a trial, King Calhoun," advised Weasley. "Until the case is solved, it would be best to not attract any attention that will lead to any suspicion."

Calhoun offered the man a smile, "Have a drink and leave, Weasley."

The member of the High House bowed his head before leaving the corridor. "One would think Morganna's men would be tired of trying to trace the crime on me. I am surprised that they continue to work for her or must I say for Rosamund."

Theodore, who stood next to Calhoun said, "The guests have started to pour into the castle and the ballroom."

"Indeed they are. Did you get the guards secured and ordered in the castle," questioned Calhoun. Being someone who had killed people in this very castle, Calhoun knew where the blind spots were. "How annoying to be attending the Hallow when I am not even in the mood. To make it worse the minister has added more people in the list."

Hearing Calhoun's words, Theodore smiled, "I also wanted to alert you that Rosamund and Sophie will be attending the ball."

"I did not forget about that," said Calhoun, barely interested if his aunt was coming or not. "Keep an eye on Sophie, it is quite troublesome to have her stirring trouble with other women whom I meet."

"You should have saved Ms. Lipton for later and have Sophie taken off the board," suggested Theodore as they started to walk.

"It would be too soon. Who knows if my dear aunt is using her own daughter as a bait to catch me off guard," said Calhoun before mentioning, "I received a letter from Lucy."

Upon hearing the King mention about the woman's name, Theodore's eyes slightly moved towards Calhoun.

"She said she couldn't make it as Samuel hasn't returned to the mansion yet," stated Calhoun in a nonchalant voice. "I sometimes worry about her because she believes in her husband too much. It makes me wonder what would happen when she finds out the truth."

"The last I heard, he is still working on improving Devon's relation with the trades minister," informed Theodore, and the sides of Calhoun's lips quirked up though he didn't comment anything on it.

"Come it is time to attend the ball and see who is going to be whose prey for the night and the rest of the life," smiled Calhoun, a twinkle in his eyes.

Theodore knew part of why the minister had proposed to invite so many people into the castle so that the castle would look full even if some of the people went missing later. He saw Calhoun wear a silver mask that covered his entire face, while he wore a black mask that covered his eyes and part of his forehead.

"You seem like you don't want to have any attention tonight," commented Theodore.

"A King doesn't have to show his face to let a person know who he is, Theo," said Calhoun with an evident smile in his voice. "The mere presence that can intimidate someone is enough. And sometimes, mingling in the crowd as a commoner is more thrilling, isn't it?"

"I don't know if I should be worried about it," answered Theodore.

A servant who was carrying a tray of drinks stopped on Calhoun's sign, and the men took hold of the delicate glasses in their hand. Instead of entering the ball through the entrance, Calhoun and Theodore took the stairs from the next room before entering the passage and then the ballrooms' gallery.

Music played in the corner of the room, filling up not just the ballroom but the other nearby rooms and corridors with music. The ballroom had filled itself with people who had shown up at the castle while leaving the dance floor more spacious compared to the rest of the room.