The Crown's Obsession

The action had left Rosamund in shock, and Constance didn't stay there. She turned her back and placed her hand on Madeline's arm. "Let's head back."

"Yes," replied Madeline, giving one look at the Wilmot's before leaving the place.

Madeline knew how much Constance loved Calhoun and Calhoun loved his mother equally, respecting her for the person she was. As they travelled back in the carriage, she remembered when she was not yet married and how rumours about him killing his mother had reached her ears through Rosamund.

It had scared her, believing the King had killed his mother heartlessly, but now that she knew the circ.u.mstances, she understood his helplessness.

"Are you alright, Lady Constance?" asked Madeline.

The woman turned away from the carriage window to meet her gaze, and she offered her a warm smile. "Why wouldn't I be? I have you next to me now."

Madeline couldn't help but smile at Constance's words. The woman never spoke about the past or how people had treated her. Not that she didn't remember it, but she kept all those to herself.

"You know when Cal was young, I would often wonder which girl might end up with him. Somewhere also worried that he might end up alone," said Constance. "But seeing you now next to him, it makes me happy to see him complete. Thank you for that, Madeline."

"I didn't do anything," replied Madeline with a smile. If Calhoun had not pursued her from the time of the ball, she would have probably been living a different life, she thought to herself.

"Oh, you did," Constance nodded her head, "You brought light into his dark life. Sometimes even a spark is enough for a man who is drowning in darkness. You turned the place so bright that now I am here."

Returning to the castle, Lady Constance went to her room, and Madeline went straight to meet Calhoun, where he was with Morven and Lucy.

"Did you have a good time?" asked Calhoun.

"I did," replied Madeline, coming near him and her son, who sat on his l.a.p. Her son raised both his hands as if wanting to hug her only to kiss her cheek. Their adorable son, she thought in her mind.

Calhoun let Morven down from his l.a.p, who quickly went to his Aunt Lucy's side.

Lucy looked down at her nephew, running her hand over the top of his head. "Aunt Lu? We go get cookies now?" Hearing this, the vampiress smiled. She gave him her hand and said, "Let's go to the dining room to get those out of the jar."

"He's turning into a sweet tooth," commented Calhoun and hearing this, Madeline smiled.

"Beth is spoiling him with a lot of biscuits," she said, watching Lucy and Morven slowly walk out of the room. This left Madeline and Calhoun alone in the room by themselves.

Calhoun brought his hand forward, and Madeline placed it in his hand. Tugging her hand, he brought her to come and sit. A tranquil of comfortable silence and peace fell in the room. Madeline leaned her head against his c.h.e.s.t, hearing his heartbeat.

She could feel him run his fingers through her blonde hair.

"Cal?"

"Hm?" Calhoun responded to her.

Lifting her head, she looked straight into his red eyes, "Do you have more work today?"

"I always have work, but I can always slide them for a while to spend my time with my family. Why do you ask?" he questioned, a look of curiosity coming to settle in his eyes.

"I was wondering if we could go and visit that cliff, just you and me," said Madeline, while her fingers traced the side of his jaw.

"Who would have thought that you would like to cliff dive just like me," murmured Calhoun.

"I have wings too, and even if I didn't, I now know you have a pair of wings to catch me," responded Madeline, leaning forward and sharing a kiss. Things that she had been afraid of had turned into something that she didn't mind anymore.

"Alright, let's go then," said Calhoun with a grin.

Away from the village of East Carswell, Beth was busy mixing the batter to make a cake for one of the children's birthdays, which would be delivered by evening. She turned around to get some of the dried fruits that she had roasted. On turning back, a small gasp escaped her lips.

"Good afternoon, Elizabeth," greeted Vladimir.

"Good afternoon, Vlad. Raphael isn't here, he will be back home by evening. Do you care for a piece of cake?" Beth politely asked him. Having seen and interacted with Vladimir so many times, the Devil was no stranger to Beth, and her tone was more casual than the first time they had met. Though the same could not be told about her parents as they were still wary of the Devil.

"Hm," came the response, and Beth pulled out a tray of the cake she had baked a while ago, and brought the knife forward, cutting a slice and offering it to him. "I am not here for him. My business is with you."

"Me?" asked Beth, not knowing what he wanted from her.

Vladimir ate the slice of cake in one go. Running his tongue over his teeth, he said, "I was getting my portrait to be painted, when I remembered something that you told me about this magistrate who didn't believe my existence."

"Magistrate Langston?"

"So that is what the fool's name is," and in a blink of an eye, he disappeared from there.

Beth didn't get the time to say another word, and seeing the Devil in a hurry, she could only pray for the magistrate life, "Rest in peace, Mr. Langston," she murmured to herself.

"Whom are you praying for?" came a voice from the front door, and within a few seconds, Raphael entered the room where she was.

"The magistrate's life in the North land," replied Beth and then said, "You are early. Did you finish for the day?"

"I did. I missed you," he answered, walking around and coming to kiss her on her cheek. Receiving the kiss from the angel, Beth couldn't help but smile like a child and seeing that, Raphael smiled even more. Like many other times, she explained to him what she was making. Once Beth had placed the cake on slow fire to bake, she sat next to Raphael while waiting for it.

Raphael then asked her, "What are your thoughts on adding another person to our family?"

Beth's eyes turned wide, and she looked at him, "Is that allowed?"

Raphael smiled at her like a saint and pulled Beth up with him. "Wait, the cake is not done!"

With one snap of his fingers, he said, "There," and Beth blushed.

Away from Devon, Vladimir now stood in the land of Warring's and in front of the magistrate's office. With everyone busy in the family, he had decided to kill some of his time by torturing people. He made his way up the stairs and stepped inside the magistrate's office.

Vladimir saw a man sitting behind the desk, and the Devil questioned, "Are you Langston?"

The magistrate looked at the stranger up and down before answering, "That is me. Who are you?" he questioned the Devil back.

"I?" Vladimir asked in a polite tone. "How rude to not remember me. I am that person whom you were eagerly wanting to have tea with. The person from...Hell," and he offered the magistrate his fang smile.

While the magistrate started to sweat, faintly remembering what he had told a young woman about the existence of the Devil, on the other side in Devon, Calhoun and Madeline had stepped towards the cliff.

"It has been a while," said Madeline.

She looked around the trees that spread themselves below the cliff and the sky that was clear. With the evening approaching, the wind was cooler that moved around them. She couldn't believe how long it had been. With everyone around, she had lost track of time, and it was only when she was returning to the castle today, did she want to come to visit here.

Calhoun's wings were quick to sprout from behind, the black-feathered wings that looked proud, "Indeed it has been a while. Time did pass quickly, didn't it," he hummed.

Madeline then slightly pushed her back, and her white wings erupted from her back.

She was the first to fly, her wings flapping. Calhoun, who stood at the edge of the cliff, watched Madeline, and with one flap of his wings, he soared to where she was.

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