The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Music Recommendation: White Church - Lasse Enersen

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When the news about Queen Morganna's treason towards the King of Devon reached Greville's mansion, Lucy went straight to meet Samuel, who was in the study room working.

"Is it true?" questioned Lucy after entering the room and finding Samuel sitting behind the desk. "About what grandmother did?"

She had been in the drawing-room with her maids when the news reached her ears through one of the maids. She would have never expected her grandmother to poison her father.

Samuel held a grim expression on his face, "It is true," he replied to her and a deep frown appeared on Lucy's forehead.

Lucy quickly walked to stand in front of the desk, and she questioned, "What else did you hear? Did you hear why she might have done it? Shouldn't we be going to Hawthrone's castle to see if father is alright?"

Samuel saw his wife being distressed by the news, and he pushed his chair back before standing up and walked around to face Lucy. "I received the news last evening."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. This was about her family, and she wanted to know everything that was going on in there.

She saw her husband offer her a kind smile, and he then placed his hand on her arm, "I didn't want you to get worried until I heard things in the castle are calm." He paused for a moment and then said, "The High House have involved themselves in this matter and in their eyes, everyone is a suspect because it wasn't just the King, but also Calhoun who was poisoned. Anyone entering the castle will fall under the radar."

"Brother Calhoun was poisoned too?" Lucy's tone turned worried. Why were bad things happening after she had left the castle?

"Unfortunately that is how it is," replied Samuel to her before going to answer the rest of her questions, "Queen Morganna tried to frame one of Calhoun' men for someone's murder and she has been caught not only for holding poison in her room that affects vampires, but she also stole wealth from the kingdom's treasury for her own use."

Lucy pursed her lips and then asked, "You wouldn't mind if I go and visit the Hawthrone castle, would you?"

Samuel felt a tick in his jaw because he had just explained why Lucy shouldn't go there. "What do you plan to do by going there?" he asked her.

Lucy could feel the disapproval from Samuel, but she brushed it away. It had been nearly a week since they had been married, and even though Lucy married the Duke's son, she found it hard to love him. She didn't feel the connection…

Her husband was an understanding man, letting her do what she pleased in the mansion, dotting on her, but why was it that her heart continued to feel empty, questioned Lucy to herself.

"I want to see if father and brother Calhoun are in good health. Maybe I will be able to find out something from mother," she looked into Samuel's eyes with pleading eyes. The reasons she listed weren't the only ones why she wanted to go to the castle, but she also wanted to check on someone else in the castle.

Samuel sighed and then offered her a smile, "Okay."

A smile spread on Lucy's lips, and she was quick to leave the room so that she could get ready and leave the mansion to visit the Hawthrone's castle. When Lucy left, the smile on Samuel's lips instantly fell, and he called one of his servants.

"Get the carriage ready for Lady Lucy, and another one for me," ordered Samuel.

The servant who was right outside the study room looked taken aback by the Duke's request, and he politely asked, "Won't you be travelling with Lady Lucy to the castle, sire?"

"No, I have some other important work to attend to. I will go to pick her up later," said Samuel before dismissing the servant from the room.

The Grivelle's mansion and the Hawthrone's castle weren't nearby, and the journey took quite some time before Lucy finally reached the castle. Even with only a few days that had passed since she had left the castle, the atmosphere felt foreign, making her wonder why it was so.

While she continued to walk through the corridors, Theodore, who was walking from the other direction, his eyes narrowed as if this castle was no place for her. The look didn't go unnoticed by Lucy, and she felt a prick in her heart.

They came to stand right in front of each other, and Lucy's eyes fell on Theodore's neck that still had a round mark that was under healing. She was about to ask him how he was doing, but instead, he was the one to speak first.

"Good evening, Lady Lucy," Theodore bowed his head, "Did you come alone? Mr. Gerville didn't come with you?" he asked, looking behind her.

Lucy clenched her fists, "No, he didn't. I came to visit father and mother."

"I see," he responded to her. "King Laurence is in the royal court room with your mother. Would you like me to walk you there?"

The pain and sadness that had covered Lucy's heart had slowly started to replace her love with hate, because it was easier to cope with hate than with the heartbreak. Was she the only one to feel this way? But then Lucy had to remind herself that she was a married woman now, and she was no more that girl who she was a few days ago.

"I haven't lost my memory on where the royal court room is, I can find it myself without your help," she retorted to Theodore's question before walking past him without waiting for him to say anything more.

The servants who caught sight of her were quick to bow their head in greeting, and Lucy finally stepped into the royal court room where her parents sat with a few ministers.

"Lucy?" came the surprised voice from Lady Samara, and she quickly left her husband's side to welcome her daughter. "Is everything alright? What are you doing here?"

Lucy said, "I heard what happened here and decided to come here as soon as I could." Her mother looked behind her before looking back at her. "Father," she bowed her head in greeting.

Laurence, who was already in a bad mood since his poisoning and his mother's treason towards the crown, wasn't pleased to see Lucy coming all alone by herself without her husband accompanying her.

"How are you feeling father?" asked Lucy, her voice filled with concern, while noticing the paleness in her father's complexion.

"Doing much better now. You should have informed us beforehand that you were arriving here. Where is Samuel?" questioned Laurence.

"He had some important work to finish and said he would come here later," informed Lucy. Laurence dismissed the ministers who were in the room so that it could have only the Hawthrone family members. "I couldn't believe when I heard grandmother did something like this."

Laurence nodded his head, "I don't think any of us saw it coming. She's not only grown old but lost her sense of what is right and wrong," he clicked his tongue in the end.

Apprehensively, Lucy asked her mother, "W-where is she now?"

"Locked away in the dungeon. We are waiting to see what the High House is going to do as they want to be involved in our family matters, tch, the strangers," Laurence was not happy with the fact that Helena and her people wanted to involve themselves when he could take the necessary actions himself. "Calhoun has gone to visit the High House and check what decision they have taken."

Lucy moved to the side, talking to her mother who said, "You shouldn't leave the mansion by yourself, Lucy. You aren't a little girl, but a married woman now. The next time something like this happens, don't come running here all by yourself. You belong to the Gerville's family now, not the Hawthrone's, do you understand that?"

She had hoped her mother would tell her she missed her presence in the castle, that she would invite her for tea and talk to her. Instead, it looked like her parents were displeased by her sudden presence in the castle.