The Crown's Obsession

Music Recommendation: Rhythm of the breeze- Chapavich Temnitikul

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Lucy looked at the wedding gown for the tenth time in her room, pulling the cupboard door where the wedding gown had been left to hang for tomorrow. As eagerly she had waited for the day, now it felt as if it had approached quickly.

Though she had already been married once, looking at the preparation and the way people were hustling around the castle, it felt like she was going to marry for the very first time. The excitement and the nervousness hung around her, warmly wrapping herself with it.

"Lucy?" Aunt Monique appeared at her door, knocking it before she entered inside.

"Aunt Monique, good afternoon," Lucy bowed her head to greet her aunt. "Was there something you needed? You should have asked one of the servants to summon me."

The older vampiress stepped forward, coming to stand next to her niece to take a better look at the gown that had been making whispers and murmurs within the castle.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" asked Lucy, turning again to look at the gown where the colour from bright white had turned a little pale because of its age.

Even though Madeline said Calhoun was alright with her wearing this for her wedding and Vladimir was also fine with it, somewhere, she still felt guilty to wear something that belonged to Lady Constance. This dress was specially made for the lady's wedding, and it had come to her.

"It looks just like her. Something she would wear," commented Aunt Monique, staring at the upper part of the dress and the elongated sleeves that were intricately designed.

"Were you close to Lady Constance, Aunt Monique?" questioned Lucy, and the woman pursed her lips.

"I wouldn't say we were close, considering how we didn't spend enough time with each other unlike Rosamund who was here with her when she was in the castle. But she was kind, just like you Lucy. There was something very special about her, I am not sure what it was, never been able to figure it out but the same spark is there in Calhoun. Not too much, but enough to know whose son he is," replied Aunt Monique, and she looked away from the dress. "She was a beautiful woman. A life of her own."

Luy smiled at her aunt's words, "Sometimes I wished you were my father's direct sister, and not Aunt Rosamund. Maybe life would be different. It could have been different."

But that would also mean she wouldn't exist in this world. It was strange to wish upon things and find out. It wouldn't work as she would want it to.

"I wonder about that," hummed Aunt Monique and then said, "We shouldn't worry about the past, when we have a whole future ahead of us. Waiting for us, especially you, to walk and enjoy it," the woman offered her an encouraging smile.

Lucy nodded her head and asked, "Do you know who is going to walk me down the aisle?" She had been a little shy to ask it openly.

"It is me," Aunt Monique smiled at Lucy, and Lucy returned the smile.

"That is wonderful. I wasn't sure if brother Calhoun was going to walk me because Madeline is the bridesmaid. I wonder if I should have invited some more people but then I don't know them well enough, as much as I know you all," her words turned low at the end of the sentence.

Lucy had asked Madeline to be her bridesmaid, and she was the only one to attend. Elizabeth was somewhere far away in the North as she wanted to find a way to fix herself because of the werewolf bite, not to forget, things were still yet to settle down between her and Elizabeth. Lucy had spoken her mind in the past with Elizabeth so that the girl would fix her attitude with people around her, and Lucy was glad to see the person making an effort.

"You know, Aunt Monique," started Lucy and her aunt hummed in question, "In the past, I used to dream about my wedding. I used to dream about the beautiful church bell that dings loud enough for the entire village to vibrate with its sound, and making me feel warm. Me in white gown, walking down the aisle carrying flowers, walking towards the groom, but in that dream I used to walk alone," she confessed. Strangely she never had her mother or her father there, nor her grandmother with her.

"It seems like your dream didn come true, dear Lucy. I am glad to see that you have finally found your happiness," smiled Aunt Monique before one of the maids came to interrupt them.

"Apologies for interrupting you, milady," the maid bowed her head. "Your shoes for the wedding have arrived and Lady Madeline asked me to inform you about it."

"That's good. I was worried where I would be wearing the same shoes," said the older vampiress. "Where is Lady Madeline? I had to discuss something with her."

"She's in the viewing hall, milady," answered the maid politely.

Lucy noticed how Aunt Monique had cut her straight hair further short, and it slanted from the back to the front, leaving the front of her hair long. It made her aunt look younger in appearance.

"I will be back soon, Lucy. Make sure not to go visiting the cemetery or outside," Aunt Monique gave a pointed look at Lucy, making her chuckle. It seemed like everyone was aware of her habit of going out of the castle since she was small.

Aunt Monique left the room in which Lucy was present, and she made her way to the viewing hall to find Madeline, who was getting the paintings removed on the wall.

Madeline stood in front of the wall where the servants were getting the paintings down from the wall.

"Be careful with it," said Madeline to them, and as if sensing the vampiress, who stood behind her, she turned around. "Lady Monique! Did you find your new shoes in the room?" she asked her.