The Crown's Obsession (WN)

Music Recommendation: Existence by Tim Wynn

.

"You…"

Lucy felt her heart flip like every time when this person had appeared in front of her room because it was rare to have him here, "What are you doing here?"

It was Theodore who had made his way here, wearing casual clothes, and his expression looked more relaxed than when he stood next to her brother Calhoun.

Theodore bowed his head at Lucy. It was something she didn't like him doing as she felt the already existing gap between them widen. "I wanted to check if you need any help for tomorrow." Hearing this, she bit the inside of her cheek, but not letting her emotions surface upon her face.

"No, I got everything packed. Ethan was here earlier, he helped me with it," replied Lucy. He took a step forward, and the vampiress took two steps backwards to allow him to come inside.

"Everything?" asked Theodore, his eyes fell on the open trunk that was on the bed.

Lucy turned around to see the trunk that she had kept open, seeing some of the intimate garments of hers at the top, she quickly went to it and closed the trunk while her cheeks turned slightly red. After two decades, she would have thought that things would have changed and passed, but it seemed like they were back to where they started.

Without holding back, she asked, "What are you doing here, Theodore?"

"To help you, milady." He looked at her through the clean glasses that he wore.

"I think you have already offered enough help of yours. I need to stop relying on people," Lucy's words were bitter. "You never turn up unless there's something important to say."

A faint smile appeared on Theodore's lips, "You know me so well, milady." Lucy realized how painful it was to see someone you loved for years, to see them smile, but not for you and with you, thought Lucy to herself, it made her heart squeeze. "I came here to tell you something."

Lucy turned to look at him. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her red eyes waited for him to speak. Somewhere deep in her heart there was a spark of hope, hoping it was something she wanted to hear.

Theodore said, "I think you shouldn't leave tomorrow."

Gulping down the slight nervousness, Lucy parted her lips, "Why not?" Was this his way of asking her to stay?

"I think it would be more suitable if you leave right now, instead of waiting until tomorrow," and her heart sank. Lucy stared at Theodore, her teeth gritting against each other in anger.

"Do you always have to do this?" she whispered, her eyes glaring at him while it started to shine under the candlelit room. Not wanting to show her face to him, she turned her back to Theodore.

Theodore looked taken aback. "I think you misunderstood my intentions-" Lucy picked up a vase that was nearby to throw it at Theodore, who dodged it. He raised his eyebrows at her, "-Lady Lucy, I only want you to be safe-"

"I don't want you to watch over me!" exclaimed Lucy as she lost her cool. The vase's broken pieces laid on the ground. She looked at Theodore to meet his eyes. "The last time you went to watch out for me, you put me in a place where I have been unhappy for so many years. Don't you understand that it doesn't make me happy? You willingly sent me away...every single time."

Theodore's expression composed back, "It is you who decided to leave the castle with Mr. Morryet, milady."

"We have already had this discussion, and you know the reason," responded Lucy looking at him. She had been waiting, waiting for him but nothing happened. "I must be the most delusional person in history, not to know when to stop. Or is it because I am married. Someone who is not fresh anymore."

"We can discuss about this later, but I need you to leave the castle right now," said Theodore. Since the time Calhoun had mentioned about the new guests appear in the castle, he had a bad feeling, and he wanted Lucy to leave the castle at the earliest and return only after some of the things in the castle would settle down. "I am telling it for your own good."

Lucy stared at him, "Is that why you came here? To chase me away. I will be leavinf with Ethan tomorrow morning, and after that, you don't have to concern yourself with me."

A sliver of spark appeared in Theodore's eyes, but he didn't go to comment on Lucy's words. Compared to the vampiress, he was way older and wiser, knowing this was not the time to rebuke an argument. Turning her face to not look at him, she waited for him to leave, but he didn't.

Theodore went to speak something when he heard a screech outside and a few corridors away from where they stood now.

"What was that?" asked Lucy with a frown appearing on her face.

"Do me a favour and stay here in the room. Please don't open it until I return. Can you do it?" asked Theodore, waiting for her to reply.

Lucy didn't know what was going on as she had been busy packing her things while somewhere in the back of her mind hoping she would be able to start fresh and at the same time waiting for Theodore. She gave him a nod, "Okay."

Theodore closed the doors behind him, leaving Lucy safe in her room.

Back up in the tower, Raphael who continued to watch over to see her regain her consciousness. It had been only two minutes since Madeline had left the tower to look around the castle. Beth suddenly panicked when she saw the chains around her furry ankles, and she started to tug on it.

"It is only for tonight," she heard Raphael's voice come from her left. "You have been turning to a werewolf back and forth without the moon's presence. It is only for the precautionary purpose that you have been bound in chains and are in here."

"Where is my sister?" asked Beth.

"She left a moment ago. She will be back up here soon," answered Raphael, his eyes catching on to her movements, "You should stop doing that unless you want to get hurt."

Beth looked at the place where she was in. It was an empty place and its roof was shaped like a dome at the top with an opening in the middle. The last time she was conscious, the sky was still bright, and now it had turned dark. She didn't remember a thing that had happened, and she looked at the dress that she wore that looked tattered. Her heart sank at the thought of the inevitable.

"Why are you here?" Beth asked Raphael who was playing with a stalk of the hay.

"I am on werewolf duties. Watching over you," Raphael replied with a polite smile on his face.

"Why?" questioned Beth, her eyebrows furrowing deeply.

"Why?" prompted Raphael.

"I have been turning to a werewolf, and you have seen the hideous creature I am turning into. Why are you still being nice to me?" Beth, who was aware of Raphael's abilities when it came to extracting memories from a person's past, she knew he had taken a peek at her memories.

"Would you rather have me not stay here? Every person needs someone around. Haven't you felt that when you fell ill? That you wanted your sister or mother next to you?" asked Raphael as if it was the most obvious thing. He saw Beth continuing to stare at him with questions in her eyes. There was a doubt in her eyes, and the doubt was not about him.

Beth had grown up being praised for the way she looked and right now the confidence in her was breaking. Though she had come back to her conscious her feet which once used to be dainty, it looked repulsive in her eyes. She wondered if it was better to die than live like this. If people found out about what she had become, she would be banished, not to go back to the life she once had.

"I will never be me anymore…" whispered Beth.

As much as Beth had tried to chase behind wealth and status, she had always craved to be loved, and she realized how distant that thought turned right now.

"You don't have to feel that way, Miss Elizabeth," commented Raphael, taking a seat not too far away from where she was chained.

Elizabeth shook her head, a tear slipped past her eye when her eyes went back to look at her furry legs. "You don't understand. My entire life, I have craved to fall madly in love with the man I want, and then have a marriage on top of it. To be treasured and treated well. I cannot have any of those. No one will want me, and instead, I will be hunted."

"Once the cure is here, you won't have to worry about such things," said Raphael.

That is if the cure existed. But the cure didn't exist. She wondered if this was nature's way to give her back everything that she had done to people around her and was now being punished.

"I think you look much better than how you looked two days ago," commented Raphael, gaining Beth's attention.

"Did you not look at me," asked Beth, a slight amount of frustration laced in her voice. As if it wasn't enough, her hands slowly started to morph into the werewolf's hands, and her hands turned to fists.

"I have. For a while now, I have been looking, " Raphael's answer surprised her. Beth's emerald eyes stared at Raphael. "I think you are a beautiful person, Miss Elizabeth. No matter what you did in the past, it wasn't entirely your fault."

"But partly they were my fault."

"Shut up," said Raphael and her eyes widened. Before she could say anything, he said, "Stop wallowing in self-pity. I don't think you are that kind of person to do that. I know you have a lot of pride and even when a pebble touches that glass-like heart of yours, you prevent it from cracking. Haven't you heard that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, milady? As I said, you look better than how you used to look in the past."

Beth's eyes welled up, and she blinked back quickly.

Breaking her gaze away from him, she looked everywhere before going back to look back at him. "Are you not worried? That I might kill you?" asked Beth, her green eyes focussed on him.

Raphael offered her a smile, "I guess not."