The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Calhoun's wicked smile appeared on his face, and he could tell how Madeline was trying to bring justice, and he was amused by it. Instead of thinking about how to run away from the castle or escape, she was thinking about saving someone who Calhoun didn't care much about, but it was good to see how it had favoured him with Madeline in it. The more time Madeline would stay in the castle, knowing and talking to the people, the more accustomed she would get, and it would leave less space in her mind to think about leaving the castle.

"There is something I found," she whispered, and Calhoun tilted his head, waiting for her to speak, "The servant said that the bottle he was found with was having a bulbous end. When I was young, someone told that such a shape was made only in Yorkshire. It was stopped as the maker died."

"And?" asked Calhoun.

Madeline's lips pursed before she said, "What if it's from someone who is from Yorkshire?"

"That's a very broad accusation. That won't be anything less to what you said to Sophie a few hours ago in the dungeon," replied Calhoun with how she had told Sophie that just because a person was poor didn't mean they were going to do something bad, "There are only a few hours left. You should give up."

"But he is innocent," she said, which had Calhoun smiling.

"Is he?" asked Calhoun, bringing doubt in her mind, "When your time is near death, you will say anything and everything to get yourself out of the sticky mess. Sometimes even the man who helps the drowning man ends up getting drowned because the drowning man uses the help that is given to him to push himself up the water, not caring if the helper drowns. Do you understand, my sweet love?"

Calhoun was letting her play, giving her thinks to keep her mind busy.

"I have something to ask you," she said to him, and Calhoun couldn't be any happier.

"Apart from your freedom, anything," he chimed.

Madeline wasn't going to ask that, but with him reminding it, she wanted to.

"Don't the servant's get a trial in the court?" she asked him, her eyes looking into his mischievous dark ones.

"No, they don't."

"Why not?"

"Because there is no privilege to the servants. The ministers are the ones who handle them, to send them to the dungeon, which is where the questioning takes place. Don't think it is unfair, because there have been times in the past where even some of my relatives have visited in and out of the dungeon. To be guests in there," his words were calm as he spoke.

"It seems like not many like you," she commented, her words coming like a whisper. Hearing this, Calhoun laughed. A good hearty laugh that made Madeline stare at him. She had tried to be careful with her words, not knowing if he would be offended, but he was laughing.

He then took a step forward, and Madeline tried to get away only to realise she had been standing near the wall, "I am not here to make people like me, and I don't care about it. The King is often not liked because of the decisions that need to be taken. I will be fine with just you liking me. What do you say?"

"Why do you often try to step into my space?" asked Madeline because Calhoun had stepped even closer to her.

"Because you always like to run away. Skittish little thing that makes me want to catch as quickly as I can," the smile on his lips had died down, and he placed both his hands on either side of her on the wall, "You smell like flowers," he said to her when his face got closer to her head, and Madeline stopped breathing which she couldn't hold forever to let it go finally.

Madeline had her back against the cold wall of the castle where she stood in the middle between it and Calhoun.

She wished Calhoun would give her some space, but the man was not having any of it, "We can speak without you-" she stopped speaking when Calhoun bent forward and levelled his face to look straight into her eyes.

"I loved the adjectives you gave me but let me give you some more to remember along with it," Calhoun's eyes looked dark, and Madeline could see her reflection from it. He didn't blink even once as he said, "I am very possessive when it comes to what belongs to me. I don't care what others think, I will claim you in front of the whole damn world. I believe there are a few things that should be between us, isn't it."

"Is that why you brought up about the garter in the courtroom?" asked Madeline, her throat softly moving because of the gulp.

A wicked smile spread on Calhoun's lips, "Isn't that good? The person who needed to know understood and left. Don't you think it would be funny that the tailor will have the thoughts of me with you as he makes it?"

"He didn't do anything to you, for you to treat him that way."

"Like what?" he hummed, finally blinking his eyes, "I was nice enough to have him use the carriage that belonged to me. To have him picked and dropped safely," and Madeline noticed how Calhoun stressed on the word 'safely' like he had other plans, "I gave you my word and didn't pull a single strand of his hair from his head." The daunting smile had settled itself on his face.

"Even in the future?"

His lips parted, and she noticed the fangs, "We will see about that. I have been very thirsty. You know...I usually take the blood from the maids or any other lady who is willing, but since the time you have stepped into the castle for the second time, every time I feel thirsty I wish to sink my fangs in your neck."

This was what Madeline was scared about. He was going to bite and kill her. Calhoun then surprised her by bringing his hand up to place below her chin, and his lips hovered over her pale pink lips. If she moved now, it would only end up in her lips touching his.

"Like a person in the desert who hasn't had a sip of water to drink," his cool breath reverberated on her lips that sent down a shiver down her spine.

"No one is stopping you from drinking another person's blood," she replied.

"I thought you would take it to be cheating." On his words, her eyes fell on his full lips where the smile only widened further where his tongue ran over his lips.

The crazy King was telling it as if they were already in a relationship with each other, when there was nothing like that for her even to consider to be cheating, "You can do whatever pleases you. I won't question it," stated Madeline to notice how his eyes flickered when her breath fell on his lips.

"Are you sure you won't regret it" she heard him question her.

"Yes."

"What a sweet girl, saying I can do whatever pleases me," he chuckled, and Madeline's eyes narrowed. She didn't mean it that way!