The Crown's Obsession

With her trunks in the room, Beth met her parents, who were happy to have her here with them. It was good to be back home, where she felt a feeling of belonging. At the dining table, she noticed that her parents had slowly started to get comfortable around the King, and he was right now feeding Madeline.

While she was having her meal, a sound of crackling fire came to appear next to her, and when she turned around, she was greeted by the old bat.

"Look, who we have here. It is the werewolf," smiled Vladimir, his eyes brightly shining. "How are you doing, Elizabeth? I was planning to visit you, but with the baby that is going to come, time has been scarce."

"I heard. I have been well thank you, Vladimir," answered Beth.

"How was the land of Warrings? Interesting people, aren't they," the Devil asked in a nonchalant tone. "Did you turn into a complete werewolf? It is time for Calhoun to implement new rules."

Madeline nodded her head in agreement. She turned to look at Calhoun and said, "We should make sure Beth doesn't get into trouble if people were to find that she's a werewolf now."

"The High House has already prepared the new rules for all the lands, so it should be fine," replied Calhoun. "You should have already caught wind of it unless you do something else in the High House," he looked at the Devil, as he had heard about Vladimir hanging around the High House.

Beth bowed her head, and she turned to look at Vladimir and said, "A lot of people in the land of Warrings, don't believe about the existence of demons as well as the Devil. The magistrate told me to convey his message to you, that he would like to have tea with you."

"Did he now," replied Vladimir.

"It is similar to the time when people had a hard time digesting the existence of the vampires and the werewolves. Like many other things, people will finally come to understand the truth," stated Calhoun.

"Mortals have always been like that. Though I would love to meet this magistrate," smiled Vladimir.

"I am sure he would appreciate it," replied Beth before getting back to her meal.

When she returned to her room which was spacious and prepared for her sake, Beth went to take a warm bath as the journey had been long and tiresome. While in the bathtub, she had her head leaned back to stare at the ceiling while wondering what to do.

Though her parents had welcomed her, she could still sense the way they treated her. There was a slight awkwardness because of the event that had taken place before she had left the castle. Her hand reached out for the pendant that was around her chain, touching the smooth surface while wondering if her prayer wasn't considered to be wholehearted.

The following day, Beth had left the castle to visit the nearest church, hoping her prayers would reach Heaven faster than praying in the castle.

Using the royal carriage, she arrived at the front of the church and stepped inside to pray.

Beth folded her hands together while kneeling, hoping her words would reach him or any other angel.

"You seem to be in better shape now," came a voice from the side, and Beth opened her eyes to notice one of the archangels, who wore the white uniform of the priest.

Standing up, Beth bowed her head in greeting, "Good morning, Father Gabriel."

"Good morning, Ms. Elizabeth," Gabriel greeted her back.

"I was hoping to meet you," said Beth and Gabriel slightly tilted his head, "I have confessions to make."

With no one else in the church at this hour, Gabriel waved his hand towards the confession box, and she started to walk towards it. Beth didn't know how else to speak to Raphael, but she hoped her words would reach him through Gabriel.

Stepping inside the wooden box, Beth took a seat while holding her hands on her lap. Hearing the rustle and door closing on the other side, she could tell Gabriel had taken a seat too.

"What is it that worries your mind, Ms. Elizabeth?" asked Gabriel as if he didn't know anything about her or the person she wanted to speak about.

Beth's lips parted, wetting it, she said, "I have done bad things in the past, things I am terribly ashamed of now. It makes me worry that my past deeds are catching up to me."

"You have been working on making things better, haven't you?" asked Gabriel.

"I have," whispered Beth, "But I still feel terrible about it. That may be the reason why my prayers have not reached."

A smile appeared on Gabriel's lips that Beth couldn't see because of the wooden separator.

Beth continued, "I have never killed people intentionally. I don't know if it is his punishment or even mine. When I left Devon, I decided to pray and wish to see him after I got into a better condition so that I wouldn't end up hurting him or anyone else again."

"You're too hard on yourself. Maybe Heaven has been busy with work, considering how many people pray. You should pray again, until your prayers are answered," replied Gabriel, his words calm. "You have reformed yourself to be a new person, and it isn't something easy to do."

"But what if my prayers never get answered?" questioned Beth, doubt in her mind.

"God and the angels answer everyone's prayers. Sometimes it is only a matter of patience," said Gabriel and Beth wondered if there was still hope. "And if you still don't find the answer to it, maybe it is time to pray for something else and let the one you are holding on to go."

This was something Beth had been worried about. People spent years hoping and wishing, but nothing came out of it.

"Do you deliver messages, Father Gabriel?" asked Beth.

Gabriel pursed his lips at this. The interaction of a mortal and the angel in Heaven was something that couldn't be passed, but considering how Raphael was most of the time spending his time with the magical vessel, Gabriel doubted he would need to pass anything at all.

"What is it that you would like to tell?"

Gabriel didn't know if the girl had prayed to see Raphael, but sometimes the prayer required more sincerity. He was a little curious about what was going on.