The Crown's Obsession (WN)

After buying the wedding gown from the tailor and placing it inside the carriage, both the young women had decided to take a stroll in the village before heading back to the castle. When they were going to cross the road, Madeline was the first one who caught sight of Rosamund, who stood on the other road with her daughter Sophie.

Her footsteps had slowed down, and Lucy, who noticed this, followed her gaze to see what had caught Madeline's attention.

Lucy was surprised to find them here, and she walked halfway to be followed by Madeline closely, and her aunt and her cousin covered the other half. The condition they were in was something she had not expected to see. The clothes both wore were overused and dull in colour, with patches on some places to cover the torn areas. There was dirt on their faces, and their eyes had turned slightly hollow.

"I-Its so good to see you here, Lucy," she heard her aunt express to her with a forced smile on her lips.

Calhoun had given strict orders to the royal family to not mingle with the Wilmot's, but Lucy offered her aunt a smile. By blood, the woman was still her aunt. Rosamund then turned to look at Madeline, who did nothing but stare at the older vampiress.

Madeline knew the history between Rosamund and Calhoun; therefore, she didn't feel the need to speak to the woman.

"My Queen!" Rosamund bowed her head. Sophie, who stood behind her mother, gritted her teeth in bitterness and bowed her head. "It is so good to see both of you here. Did you come here to have a look at the market?" her tone was polite.

Madeline didn't respond, and Lucy, who stood next to her, nodded her head, "We did. I didn't know you were here."

Rosamund shook her head, "There is no place to go now, Lucy. Some man, whom I presume was the devil, took your uncle away with him, and it has been just me and poor Sophie. We have no place to go or stay, no roof over our head and we have been starving," she said in a whisper and her eyes in tears.

Sophie came forward to speak to Lucy and said, "Sister Lucy, please speak to brother Calhoun. I know he will listen to you."

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed on seeing the small amount of blood smeared on her cousin's face.

Her cousin continued, "I didn't do anything. I don't even know why I am being punished. We were even kicked out of the shop that was told to be ours. How can he do this to us?" cried Sophie. "People treat us like rats and no one ever opens the doors and they aren't nice. We have been sleeping on the ground. Please, sister Lucy."

Rosamund nodded her head, "We went to the people whom we believed we have helped in the past, but no one cares. They chase us away and threaten us to not show up in front of them. I agree Markus did the mistake and he was executed for it, but we are getting punished because we grieved for his death. He was my son-"

"You should have thought about it before trying to poison Calhoun or killing his mother," Madeline interrupted Rosamund's words. Her eyes looked straight at Rosamund with little sympathy for the Wilmot's.

The older vampiress stared at the Queen, trying to not snap at her as she still needed favours from her, "I didn't do anything, my Queen. You are under wrong assumptions."

"You can drop the act with me, Rosamund," Madeline's words were colder than usual. After seeing the wedding gown that Calhoun's mother had lovingly got it made, the thought of how her life had ended left a bitterness in her mouth. "You and I both know why you are in this place today."

"My mother did nothing! If you feel she is involved, how come your sister was not sent on an exile? How is she pardoned?" turning to look at Lucy, Sophie questioned, "Is this unfair, sister Lucy? Why is there a partiality? Aren't we family?"

Though Lucy didn't know the full details, she knew the overview of what had occurred in the past.

"Elizabeth made a mistake, but she is trying to fix herself unlike you Rosamund, who has been given plenty of chances in the past," stated Madeline. "You weren't satisfied driving Constance into a corner and killing her, that you decided it was time for Calhoun to die." She then turned to look at Sophie, "You should ask your mother what she did to deserve this that she has also dragged you into it."

Rosamund shook in anger, "How dare you say that to her," she spoke in a low tone and turned to her niece. "Calhoun killed your parents, Lucy. He killed them."

"I know," came the calm words from Lucy. Rosamund was surprised that Lucy didn't care about it. "I know what brother Calhoun did, and whatever he did, he did it to protect people who were right. The life you gave him and his mother was not something anyone deserved. But you did it anyways, and it has come to you now," her words were calm.

"I had nothing but the best interests for the Hawthrone family, Lucy! You should believe it!" pleaded Rosamund, and Sophie nodded her head. "Please forgive me, Lucy! I never did anything to you! Please think about your sister Sophie!" she begged for Lucy to convince Calhoun.

People treated them like dirt, badmouthing them right in front of their face while they could do nothing but listen quietly. The acquaintance and people who used to visit their mansion for the soirees and to receive favours from Rosamund had turned their backs and behaved as if they didn't exist anymore.

Lucy bowed her head, and she said, "I cannot help you."

Rosamund was desperate to get her life back, and she went to catch Lucy's hand so that she could continue to persuade her, but to others, it looked as if she was about to attack. Madeline pulled Lucy behind her, and at the same time, a tall man appeared to stand between them.

He caught hold of Rosamund's hand tight enough to let one hear the crack in her bone.