Claimed by the Prince of Darkness

Chapter 187 - 187: Step Aside

As the snowfall grew heavier, it whitened the glass dome above and the guests were eventually led back inside the mansion.The room they entered was larger than the one before, softer too. Fire burned brightly in the fireplace, filling the air with the smell of burning wood and warm spice. Velvet chairs sat around low tables, and candles flickered against polished walls.

"Do you enjoy playing cards, Mrs. Belmont?" One of the women asked as the others settled around the round table. "Though perhaps cards are less appealing in your household. I heard your husband favours them a little too much."

Ruelle saw the tightness in her stepmother's smile.

If not for coming along as Ruelle's chaperone, Mrs. Belmont would have never entered this place or bothered to mingle with these people.

"Ruelle, you should come to the soiree I'm hosting in four days," another vampiress spoke up. At those words, Mrs. Belmont rubbed her forehead as though the thought alone wearied her.

Ruelle smiled politely, "That is kind of you, Mrs. Witherspoon."

Mrs. Witherspoon waved her hand. She said, "You will soon be part of a vampire household. It is better to know the people around you before then. When I first entered society, I struggled terribly. Of course, I doubt you will have such difficulty with Maxine beside you."

Ruelle glanced at Lady Maxine.

"Then I will be in good hands," Ruelle replied, receiving a grin from Lady Maxine.

"Isn't she lovely?" Lady Maxine said proudly. "Even Olivia has taken to her."

Ruelle smiled faintly at that. One of the older vampiresses from earlier leaned forward. "She is very pretty," the woman said, studying Ruelle openly. "Tell me, Miss Ruelle, do you know how to play the pianoforte?"

Before Ruelle could answer, Mrs. Belmont spoke, "Ruelle plays quite well." Ruelle turned slightly at that. "Why don't you play for them, dear? The one with the lilacs."

"I don't believe I know one by that name. Let us hear it," another vampiress said.

And before she knew it, Ruelle was seated at the pianoforte.

Lady Maxine stepped behind her and leaned down. She whispered only for Ruelle's ears, "You do know how to play, don't you? Or I can have Angelina faint and distract everyone."

The warmth of being quietly defended made Ruelle's chest warm. She said softly, "I can manage."

Lady Maxine gave a small nod before returning to the others with a glass in her hand.

In the meantime, Ruelle stretched her fingers once, feeling the stiffness leave them. Then she placed her fingers on the keys before the first notes came softly. The room slowly quieted around her, while she let her eyes fall to the keys and followed the music instead of the people.

It was a song that she had learned for her sister years ago. It was warm and simple, like sunlight after rain. And for a few minutes, the noise in her mind quieted.

When the final note faded in the room, Ruelle looked up to catch several women giving nods.

"That was lovely, Ruelle," Lady Ravencroft said, smiling at her. "I enjoyed it very much. You must sit beside me now. I feel everyone has been stealing you away."

"You should be grateful you get to see her at all, Mother," Angelina muttered behind her third glass.

Lady Ravencroft gave her daughter a sharp look, though Ruelle caught the corner of her mouth twitch. Ruelle left the pianoforte and made her way back to the seats, settling beside Lucian's aunt.

"I told you my daughter plays beautifully," Mrs. Belmont said, sounding almost proud.

"What was that other piece?" the older woman asked suddenly, tapping her finger against the arm of her chair. "The one they used to play at the theatre."

"Massacre of the Birds?" Lia offered.

The woman's face lit up. "That's the one. Play it for us, Miss Lia. Everyone will enjoy it."

Ruelle watched the young woman rise without hesitation. Ever since learning that Lia had once been considered as Lucian's possible bride, her eyes kept returning to the young woman without meaning to.

Lia sat at the pianoforte with the ease of someone who had done it all her life. When she began to play, the song rose quickly without pause. The song made one feel a quiet despair that sat beneath the notes and made Ruelle's chest feel heavier the longer she listened.

She found herself holding her breath.

The woman looked like she belonged here. Like she had always belonged in rooms like these and in Lucian's world.

"Bravo!" The older woman clapped loudly, and the others followed. "What a beautiful piece."

"It takes real control to play that one," one of the women said.

When the room filled with talk again, Hailey leaned toward Ruelle, "Come with me."

Ruelle nodded at once and the two slipped away toward the powder room.

The powder room was as grand as the rest of the mansion. Even the walls seemed to glow gold beneath the candlelight, and the mirrors were so clear Ruelle could see every loose strand of hair near her face. The air smelled of rosewater and lavender, warmer than the rest of the house.

Hailey excused herself not long after, muttering something about drinking too much tea.

Ruelle moved to the basin and washed her hands in warm water. She stood there longer than she needed to, staring at the water, when the powder room door opened, and Lia stepped inside with the older vampiress beside her.

"I liked the lilacs piece, Miss Ruelle," Lia said as she stepped up to the mirror beside her.

"Thank you," Ruelle looked at her reflection.

"What are you saying?" the older vampiress scoffed. "You played far better than her. There is no one in that room who can match your skill."

Lia's shoulders stiffened at the words.

Ruelle bowed her head slightly and said, "I would agree. You played wonderfully. It must have taken years to become so skilled."

"Two years," the older vampiress answered before Lia could speak. "That is all it took."

Ruelle ignored the woman's tone. It was obvious what she was doing. Trying to prick her pride. But she had no wish to measure herself over music. Some people were born with talent and others sharpened theirs through effort.

"Don't you think Miss Lia would make a better match for Lucian?" the older vampiress questioned her bluntly. "The poor girl has been waiting for him all this time. She has been patient. Proper, unlike attending as a groundling."

Lia's face flushed red. She tried to intervene, "Lady Martha, you sho—"

"Oh, hush. Someone should say it since no one else will," the older woman waved her off. Her sharp eyes turned on Ruelle. "She and her mother think they can simply walk in and change everything. After what they put that poor boy through? Driving him toward corruption because she claimed she despised vampires."

Was this when she was a child? Ruelle questioned herself. She replied, "I understand you dislike the decision. But there is nothing you can do to change it."

Lady Martha snapped, "There is. You can step aside and let Lia take the place she deserves."

"Lady Martha, perhaps we should leave," Lia said quickly, stepping closer. She turned to Ruelle and apologised, "I am sorry about this. This wasn't supposed to happen—"

"Damn right, it wasn't supposed to happen!" Lady Martha scoffed.

Ruelle knew some people were hard to deal with, but this woman was hardly difficult compared to what waited for her at home. A soundless exhale slipped past her lips and she then said,

"You should go and let Elder Minister Carnifex know about it."

The older woman frowned. "What? Are you saying that you will step away from the current place?"

Ruelle looked at her calmly. "Tell him I no longer wish to marry him. Tell him to choose someone more suitable. Or better yet, tell Lucian yourself."

It was when Hailey stepped out of the stall that Lady Martha shot her a pointed look, as if forgetting why she had entered the powder room. With a sharp huff, she turned and left, muttering under her breath.

Lia stepped forward and bowed deeply. She apologised, "Please forgive me. You should not have had to hear something like that. Not after Lucian has already made his choice."

Ruelle couldn't blame Lia for any of it. The woman hadn't said those words. Both of them looked equally uncomfortable standing there.

"You don't need to apologise. I've heard worse," Ruelle said, trying to ease the stiffness between them.

Lia gave an awkward smile. She murmured, "I can imagine." Her fingers tightened lightly over her skirt as she added, "But I promise you, nothing happened between Lucian and me. It was several years ago and it fell apart—"

"You don't have to explain yourself, Miss Lia," Ruelle cut her off gently. "Lucian has been honest with me. I trust his word. We can pretend none of this happened. It was only the four of us."

Lia nodded. She bowed and then left the powder room. When the woman stepped out into the corridor, she caught sight of two women standing near the far wall, whispering to each other. Their voices dropped the second they noticed her and the young woman's lips pursed.

Back in the powder room, Hailey had her hands on her hips and she said, "What that old woman said was awful. And the other one—"

"She didn't do anything," Ruelle said.

Hailey crossed her arms as she spoke, "I used to think marrying rich solved most problems. But I forgot rich people come with society. And society always wants to chew on someone."

Ruelle almost smiled.

"Are you alright? Should I inform Lucian about this?" Hailey asked.

Ruelle shook her head. "It was hardly something I couldn't handle," and she meant it. There were bigger things pressing against her mind than old women and their opinions. "It doesn't bother me so don't worry about it."

Hailey hooked her hand around Ruelle's arm and replied, "Maybe, but I feel irritated on your behalf."

Ruelle suggested, "Lia's biscuits were good. That might improve your mood."

Hailey looked appalled at the idea and said firmly, "I will not eat your rival's biscuits."

"She isn't my rival," Ruelle corrected her.

"That's not the point," Hailey said firmly. "And if this ever happens to me, don't you dare eat my rival's biscuits either."

"Alright," Ruelle said, still smiling. "I will remember."

By the time the soiree ended, Lady Maxine personally walked Ruelle to the carriage. The ride back was quiet, save for Mrs. Belmont muttering to herself, "God knows what state Caroline is in, and here I am attending a soiree."

Ruelle leaned against the carriage wall, watching the dark roads pass by through the frost-clouded window.

Far from the moving carriage, in an abandoned building at the edge of a distant town. Inside it, Caroline stood with a frozen expression. Three vampire bodies lay across the floor. They were stabbed over and over again. The building carried the stench of the dead bodies that had begun to mutilate themselves.

Caroline's stomach turned and her lips were pale. Marjorie asked, "What's wrong? You look ready to faint."

"That…We were only supposed to escape the dungeon," her voice shook. "I want to go home."

"Not yet, Caroline," Marjorie responded. "My friends helped us escape and you wouldn't want their effort wasted, would you? They need our help right now."

"Help?" Caroline asked, her voice small. Were they going to ask her to kill someone? Her hands trembled at the thought of it.

Marjorie patted Caroline's shoulder and she informed, "It is simple. But first, let's hang these bodies where everyone can see."

Only then did it truly sink in.

Caroline had made a terrible mistake. The dungeon had felt like hell, but this one was far worse! Her eyes darted, looking for an escape.