The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Entering back inside the castle, Lucy was making her way when she caught sight of Theodore, who talked to a woman she had never seen here before—how strange, thought Lucy to herself. In the past, her eyes would seek for him, wanting to catch a glimpse of him, and it would take a long time. But now, when she tried to hide from him, it seemed like he was everywhere.

"I used to live right there, four streets away from the center place of the town," responded the woman to something he said. "How strange that we have never crossed paths before."

"Indeed, the world is small and vast at the same time," replied Theodore.

As Lucy was approaching the place where they stood in the corridor, she heard their conversation and her gaze hardened. "Lady Lucy," the woman bowed her head, who was probably as old as Theodore. "Good afternoon."

But Lucy's attention was on Theodore, who looked at her hand that held the cigar and noticing this, she was quick to hide her hand between her flowy dress.

"Afternoon," Lucy greeted the woman, but she didn't stay there to watch them chatter or to speak to Theodore.

"Doesn't she behave as if she has everything and is proud about it to not spare another word?" commented the woman when Lucy had disappeared from their sight. "I know these princesses, little girls like those, they can be quite a hassle to deal with-"

"Are you done with your work here, Lady Selina?" Theodore cut in her words.

The woman looked taken aback, and she stared at Theodore, "Yes, but I am in no hurry."

"I think you should. Queen Morganna isn't fond of people who don't deliver their work in time," Theodore then stepped forward, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I heard that you have been working for her for so long and responsible for taking care of her treasury. I am surprised a woman like you, who is efficient, has not been promoted in her work or in status," he praised the woman.

She smiled at Theodore by the position of his hand, "What can I tell, the Queen is peculiar in a few things."

"Mm," responded Theodore, and he slowly brought his hand to her face. "I was wondering if we could meet to have supper together. You wouldn't mind would you?"

"Of course not," answered the woman with a coy smile. "Let me see what I can cook for you tonight."

Lucy turned sad when she found out from Calhoun that Theodore had gone out on personal work, and he had given him the day off until tomorrow morning. At the time of night and after dinner, where no one was there to talk or interrupt her, she was back in her room.

She pulled out the cigar that she had hidden in her room, and she looked at it before bringing it up to her nose. The smell was similar to when Theodore came to visit her at night when her mother would punish her by locking the room. Though Theodore didn't openly smoke in front of everyone, making himself appear to be a gentleman, Lucy came to realize he was far from it.

The smell was heavy at the time of night, and in the morning, it would disappear like it was never part of it.

The log of woods in front of her softly crackled in the fireplace, and Lucy brought the tip of the cigar near the fire and lit it up. Getting up from there, she came to sit on her patio's floor. Bringing the cigar near her nose, she smelt the smoke while closing her eyes and remembering the times Theodore sat next to her, right here in the middle of the night.

As painful as it was to part away and make her heart understand what had happened, why was it that she still wanted to stay in his company, in the company of Theodore's memories, who had broken her heart.

Lucy couldn't forget what he said to her about earning money by selling his body to offer sexual favours to please women. When he had kissed her wound, there was a certain tenderness in them that she doubted she would ever be able to erase the memory from her mind. The memory had rooted in her mind.

She took a deep breath of the smoke, and she put her head back to look at the sky.

"So ironic," whispered Lucy. "It's always the good memories that haunts us in the end."

The excitement and happiness was slowly turning into vines of thorns around her...and it hurt.

On the other side of the castle, Morganna was waiting for her man to frame Calhoun's bodyguard. Hearing the footsteps, she turned around in the deserted corridor where no one was there except for her, and now the man.

"Is it done?" demanded Queen Morganna.

"My Queen, there seems to be a problem," answered the man as he bowed his head.

"Is there any time that you do not bring problems along with you? What is it?" snapped Morganna in slight anger.

"The three people we spoke to, two of them have left town and we don't know when they will be returning to speak against Theodore. There's only one woman, Lady Christine, who is still in the town who is there to speak against him," informed the servant.

"That is fine. What about the house?" questioned Morganna.

"The bloodstain on the floor is still there along with his clothes in the house," Morganna smiled at this. "Well the news isn't as bad as I thought. Now make yourself useful by going and informing the magistrate of the town about it."

The servant bowed and quickly left the corridor to relay the message even though it was the time of night.

Morganna couldn't wait to frame Theodore so that Calhoun would be alone without any support.

But when the servant went to the magistrate's office, the place was already closed, and he decided to wait until the time of the morning to deliver the news of Madame Fraunces' murder.