The Crown's Obsession

227 Cloverleaf- Part 2

"What are you doing here alone by yourself? Where are your parents?" he asked the girl who was looking straight into his eyes. On his question, the girl turned her head in the direction from where she had walked through before looking back at him. action

With the girl standing this close to him, Calhoun could smell the fresh blood running through her delicate veins. His fangs appeared in full form, and the girl looked at his fangs curiously. Calhoun doubted with her naivety, even if she carried hundreds of clover-leaf with her, she would end up as someone's meal.

As if the little girl was not done, she dabbed the handkerchief on his face, and Calhoun's eyes only continued to narrow down as to what she was trying to do, by being unbothered and standing this close, next to him.

"You know I am starving," said Calhoun. With her naivety, he was prolonging the moment to take a bite and suck her blood out. With the parents who weren't with her, he doubted they would find her today if he were to throw her body somewhere in the forest.

On hearing his words, the girl turned worried. So she wasn't completely unaware, thought Calhoun to himself. At least she had a little sense when it came to bei-

"I have no food," she replied to him.

A chuckle escaped Calhoun's lips. The smile on his lips broadened so wide that the girl gave out a confused expression on her face.

"Why will I ask my food to bring me food? It makes no sense, stupid little girl," Calhoun brought his hand up and flicked the girl's forehead before pushing her forehead with his index finger so that she would keep a distance by taking a step back away from him, "You are funny," he said to her.

Calhoun's first sentence was nothing less than a puzzle to the girl, making her wonder what food was bringing food. After staring at the little girl for some more time, he said,

"I will do something that I usually don't do. Here," Calhoun handed the clover-leaf back to the little girl.

The little girl let go of her hand, where she had been holding her handkerchief that dropped down on the man's lap as she made use of both her hands to take the leaf—holding it protectively before her eyes raised to look at him.

"Go back to your parents. I cannot promise that I will spare you if I meet you next time," he said to her. The girl heard his words clearly but not understanding the depth of it.

Calhoun stood up from where he had been sitting. The wound on his stomach had healed itself by now. There were only a streak of lines left on the side of his lips and jaw.

"I will spare your life today and take this in return," he said, putting it in his pocket. He doubted the little girl's parents would be pleased if they found blood on her handkerchief, "Go back to your parents," he ordered. Turning around, he made his way to the end of the alley and he heard the voices of the adults. Calhoun had already left the place when the girl's mother came looking for her.

He left the village which he had entered, going back to hunt the men who tried to kill him some time ago. It took some time, but he killed all of them. Earlier that day he had been unprepared, but with his body in a better condition now, it wasn't hard to tear their limbs and head off their body.

After reaching the castle, Calhoun had changed his clothes, burning them in the fireplace before making his way to the court where his father and the Queen were present.

"Calhoun, I was wondering where you went," his father remarked after seeing him enter the big room. Calhoun bowed his head. As he raised his head, he noticed the older woman who sat not too far away from the King and the Queen. The woman's hair had turned grey. Her skin wrinkled, yet the gaze of hers was still fierce as she looked at Calhoun with her intense eyes.

Calhoun replied, "You asked me yesterday to go and meet Mr. Sporttle. I didn't want to waste the time and got it done." His father nodded his head.

"It's been only a few months, and my son looks like he's going to be a fine King in the future. I would expect nothing less from the boy in whose body my blood runs," Calhoun's father praised him, but the same didn't sit well with the King's wife or his mother that an illegitimate child of the King was going to take over the throne in the future.

"Let's not make any hasty decisions here, Laurence," spoke the King's mother. Her eyes that were on Calhoun shifted to look at her son, "Didn't you say, you were going to see his full potential before deciding, whether he should take the throne or if it is going to be Markus? It is not like the world is ending that we need to decide it right now."

The King agreed to his mother, "Calhoun has been doing fairly well though. Much better than Markus."

"I wonder how the public will take it once they find out who you want to appoint. To have the bastard on the throne," said the King's mother. The old vampiress then sighed, getting up to only hear commotion come from the entrance of the court. Men entered the room, carrying bags before bowing their heads.

"What have you brought in here?" asked the King. When everyone sniffed the air, their faces scrunched in the foul smell.

"My King, Sir Hendrick and his men were found dead," answered one of the men.

The King frowned, a displeased look appearing on his face, "Show me!" One of the men unloaded the gunny bag for the head to roll over on the floor. It was the man's head who was in charge of the men who were hunting Calhoun earlier that day. "Who dares to do something like this?!" the King asked in anger.

"We don't know, milord," the men bowed their heads, "We were tipped to go to the forest and found the bodies scattered over there."

While the King was speaking and showing his anger, Calhoun felt eyes on him, and he didn't have to know from whom it was. After two seconds, his eyes slowly moved to meet the eyes of his beloved grandmother, who was staring at him.

"Calhoun," the King called him, "The loss of Hendrick is heavy on us. He was the one who was helping in the trades between the cities and the lands. I want you to find who did this to him! I am sure he would be pleased if you bought his soul peace by finding the person who did this to him. Especially knowing how close you both were."

"Yes, my King," Calhoun obliged with a bow, "I won't let his death go in vain. The last time I heard?from him, he was speaking about Brougham. I will make sure to get to the bottom of it. You can always count on me."

His father nodded, turning to the men and ordering them to take the bodies away and bury them. The King and the Queen were the first one to leave the courtroom as the stench of foul blood was filling the place.

Calhoun's eyes met the old vampiress' eyes. People in the court started to leave and so did the older woman who started to walk, almost walking past him when she stopped next to him, to say, "You smell of blood, boy. You should be more careful."

"Thank you for the advice, grandmother." She looked at him with distaste, and Calhoun offered her a smile, "I hope you can watch your back."

The woman's eyes flared, "How dare you try to threaten me. Did you forget what I did to your mother?"

"Never could," Calhoun continued to smile, "I was only asking you to be careful because you're an old woman. Bones at your age often turn weak. You take things too personally, grandmother."

"You think you are so smart because you killed my men?" asked the older vampiress in a whisper, "I will bring you down on your knees. You filthy child."

Calhoun tsked, "I don't think your son would like to hear, that the filth was passed from him." The vampiress quietly glared at him before seeing her way out of the court.

Theodore walked inside the court after he took care of the bodies to be thrown in the forest while Calhoun spent his time in Mr. Sporttle's mansion to create proof that he was busy with other work and he wasn't involved in the killings that just happened today.

"What are you going to do with her?" asked Theodore, "She's not going to stop, until you leave and stay away from the castle."

Calhoun put his hand in his pocket as he said, "Take away the support that she has from the King."

He pulled out the handkerchief that he had put in his pocket earlier in his room before burning the other clothes. His eyes fell on the small folded white cloth that had red spots of his blood. He needed blood to drink. When he went to unfold it, something fell on the ground from it.

His eyes fell on the dainty looking chain and pendant. Bending down, he picked it up in his hand.

"Whose is that?" Theodore asked, curious.

"My food's," replied Calhoun.