The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Since their first meeting in the ballroom during the time of Hallow, he had caught every single word that had come out of Beth's vile lips, but he would have never guessed that she had such ill intentions towards Madeline.

"How dare she call her as her sister," came the threatening words from Calhoun.

The blood in Calhoun's body boiled out of rage, and he made Madeline lean against the wall, when Raphael said, "She regrets it."

Calhoun glared at Raphael. He stood up, taking one step after another towards the card reader before towering him as he was two inches taller, "Do you know what could have happened if the man didn't hear Madeline scream for help?"

Raphael nodded his head, "It is the most terrible thing a woman could do to another woman, to allow a male to prey upon. But I know she regrets her past actions now."

"She might regret it right now, and it might be easy to blame her personality for being something that was molded by her grandparents. But there's something called consciousness, which most demons and vampires ignore while the humans often ponder," said Calhoun, his eyes ablaze after seeing how Beth had refused to offer her help to Madeline. "What is the guarantee that her personality will not flip again like before? Don't tell me you have never experienced people changing personalities and their behaviour to the way they used to be again."

For a moment, Raphael stayed quiet. A while ago, he was taken aback when he saw the memory surface above Beth's mind. He had met many people in the past, lived more years than what people perceived his age to be, but this had been surprising.

"I don't think she understood the severity of her actions in the past, but she does now, which is why the girl is plagued by memories of her wrongful actions," stated Raphael, his eyebrows furrowed in thought and he glanced at Madeline who continued to stay asleep. "There was another memory that I picked upon. It must have taken place the same time when this incident took place."

Calhoun raised his hand forward, waiting for Raphael to give his hand so that he could look at the next piece of memory. The card reader carefully stretched his hand forward below the King's hand.

Again the surrounding around him disappeared, and Calhoun now stood in a room where Madeline was lying on the bed with her eyes wide open. Her grandmother, who was sitting at the edge of the bed, said,

"What happened today, forget it, Maddie. We are glad that your sister and the young man Blake appeared on time to rescue you," her grandmother smiled down at her. Madeline didn't utter a word, and had a lost look on her face. Snapping out of it, her brown eyes met her grandmothers. "You don't have to feel scared anymore. We have made sure to scare the men away and they will never do anything like what happened today. Your sister will be right here with you. Your big sister, Beth," her grandmother emphasized on the word big.

If Calhoun had the ability, he would have caught hold of the older woman's neck right this instant and ripped it apart slowly, so that she would know what pain felt like. How could they let the men go without giving them any punishment?! Calhoun wanted to find those men right away and beat them until they could not walk or see the next day.

"You will be alright, right?" asked Madeline's grandmother and the young girl gave a small nod. "Beth," the older woman called the girl, who hovered at the door of the room.

"Yes, grandmother," answered Beth.

"Make sure to keep your sister company and don't let her feel lonely. What happened today was an unfortunate incident. It would also be a lesson to both of you that you should return home early rather than wander by yourself. Sometimes no place is safe," said the woman before bending down and kissing Madeline's forehead. "Now rest and dream something good. I promise you would have forgotten everything bad that happened today and start the new day as nothing happened once you wake up."

Their grandmother got up from the bed, looking at both the girls before stepping out of the room. Beth stared at Madeline, and Calhoun tried to find an ounce of guilt on Beth's face, but there was none of it.

"Are you doing okay?" asked Beth in a low voice from where she stood at the door, and Madeline stared at Beth before nodding her head.

"Did Mr. Blake leave?" questioned Madeline, and Beth shook her head.

"Grandpa was speaking to him in the living room a while ago. But Blake has left now and gone to his own house. I thanked him on your behalf for coming to your aid," said Beth, and she then stepped inside the room that they used to sleep in, closing the door behind her.

Beth walked around the other side of the bed, getting her pillow ready, and then sliding inside the blanket. "Do you want me to keep the lights on?" she asked Madeline.

"No," whispered her sister, "You can blow the candles."

Not needing to be told twice, Beth leaned forward towards the candle-stand that was on the side stand. Once she had blown out all the candles, she slid back in the bed and placed her head on the pillow with little to no words to spare for her sister, who was nearly assaulted today.

A few minutes passed before Madeline asked Beth, "Did you clean your shoes?"

Beth, who had her back facing Madeline, slowly turned towards Madeline in the darkness of the room. "Shoes? Why?" There was a tone of puzzlement in Beth's voice.

Madeline didn't answer right away, and she took her time as if gathering her thoughts. "Back in there, you stepped in the puddle of water that was outside the hut."

Beth herself didn't remember what Madeline was speaking about and when it finally dawned on her about her shoes and her dress that got dirty, a deep frown formed on her forehead in the dark.

Her eyes then suddenly widened. How did Madeline know that she had stepped in it?!

"I-I will be cleaning them tomorrow," answered Beth, and without another question, she turned her back again to get some sleep, with a doubt of how hovering on her mind.

"I see," came the dull answer from Madeline, who had been staring in Beth's direction, before pulling the blanket close to her neck while staring at the darkness around her.

When Madeline was being held by the men, she had tried to get away from their hold, while looking at the door hoping that someone would barge in and help her. The hut had been built in such a way that the bottom part of the walls of the hut had an opening, letting one know if someone was standing outside.

She had caught sight of her sister's shoes from the gap of the hut, standing out there for a long time without moving to help her. Thinking about it, Madeline took a deep breath before exhaling it out.

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Note: You can find my other books by tapping on my profile. Or search the books by their names: Valerian Empire, Heidi and the Lord, Bambi and the Duke, Young Master Damien's pet, Belle Adams' Butler.