The Crown's Obsession (WN)

"Odin," Vladimir called his servant, and Odin thought his master wanted him to complete turning the lever. Thankfully he didn't, because his Master said, "Go get me a cup of blood tea. I can spare some time for some chit chat, and it seems like the night hasn't moved much since the time we left."

Being the dutiful servant he was, Odin bowed his head, leaving behind Madeline and Vladimir in the room.

"Now I see," it dawned in Vladimir's mind. "I was wondering why there were uninvited guests in the castle, but this explains it." Suddenly, Vladimir started to laugh like someone had told him a joke, and his laughter echoed through the almost empty room. Madeline felt uncomfortable as it sounded malicious to her ears.

Vladimir would have never guessed that, he would be meeting the dark angel today. Though he had heard a lot about the dark angel and the powers that came with it, he had never bothered to find it like the rest. Vladimir didn't chase after things that others did. He had always been different, and it was because of Paschar did he realize how right his decision was, even if others saw it to be going against the Heavens.

"Where is Paschar?" asked Vladimir, and Madeline shook her head.

"I don't know." The last she had met Paschar was back in the church's library in the village of Cossginton, and after that, the angel had not come back to meet her again. "Wait. How do you know about him?"

The smile on Vladimir's lips broadened, "You can say that we go way back in time. I heard how he joined Heaven again, but if I were him, I would have not bothered because the Heavens have reduced his angelic abilities while also lowering his position. Don't you believe in the saying, if you are doing something, do it right else don't fucking do it? I do sympathize with you. Your life must have been rough, and you ended up with the King-"

"Calhoun is a good person to me!" defended Madeline, "And I will be forever grateful to have met and known him. Things and people change Mr. Lazarus along with situations. You must have heard the saying: To know a person, you need to go up close and then find how he or she is. Calhoun wouldn't have killed her-"

Vladimir's eyes turned cold, "The villagers have already testified that it was he who killed my daughter." At the same time, Odin appeared holding blood tea in his hand for his Master and offered it to Vladimir. The servant went back to stand next to Madeline, readying himself to turn the lever. Vladimir stared at the red blood and said, "Constance was the only person who mattered to me. I had no one else."

Hearing this, the loyal servant's eyes slowly moved to look at his master and Vladimir rolled his eyes. "You are not my daughter, Odin."

Madeline frowned, hearing the name and whispered, "Constance?"

Her eyes widened, and it snapped at Vladimir. Her lips parted to speak, but she couldn't get any words out of her mouth. It was like a sudden rush of thoughts that had blocked her thinking process.

"I-Is this the Belmont area?" Madeline whispered the question.

"The only Belmont that is present in Devon," replied Vladimir. He was ready to signal Odin to finish the process of breaking her finger when Madeline rushed her words,

"You have got the wrong person! The King you are looking for isn't him but his father!"

"You are lying," Vladimir scowled at her.

Madeline continued to stare at Vladimir. If Constance was Calhoun's mother, and if what this vampire said before was true, then that would mean this was Calhoun's grandfather who had been hibernating! He did say he was sleeping when his daughter had disappeared!

Seeing how Madeline stared at him, Vladimir turned his eyes at Odin, "Is this true?"

Odin quickly shook his head and bowed, "I asked the villagers, and they said it was the King who was with Lady Constance and put her out of the castle before killing her."

"There's an inaccuracy in there!" said Madeline. "The King of Devon indeed hurt Lady Constance, but the King you are looking for is dead."

Vladimir was not happy hearing that the person he wanted to torture was not alive. "You are telling me that the current King didn't kill my daughter? Calhoun Hawthrone?"

Hearing how Madeline's heart skipped a beat, Vladimir looked at her with rage filling back up in his eyes, and he closed the space between them and caught hold of her neck. "Are you trying to save him."

Madeline felt the cold fingers of the vampire around her neck, and she closed her eyes.

"Calhoun didn't kill her because he wanted to. He was forced to do it so that he could end her sufferings. He loved his mother, Mr. Lazarus," she whispered before he could squeeze her neck.

Vladimir let go of his hand instantly, "What did you just say?" He would have ripped the person's gut for trying to make a joke about his daughter, but he sensed that this girl was speaking the truth.

Madeline slowly opened her eyes, "Your daughter left Belmont and never returned because for a few years she lived in the Hawthrone's castle with the previous King before she was forced to leave the castle. It was only a few days ago did I find out that someone tried to get rid of your daughter because of her closeness with the previous King. The person presented her a cursed chain that deteriorated your daughter's health over the years, before she couldn't take it anymore, Calhoun ended her pain. If you are looking for revenge, you should catch hold of that person, who presented the cursed chain and not Calhoun."

Vladimir turned his gaze at Odin, who looked as if he was ready to pass out. "I will go verify the information, Master!" and he turned to a bat, disappearing from the room.

Madeline then said, "The current King, my husband, whom you intend to kill, he is your grandson." And the straps that had been holding her suddenly opened, letting her free.

"I have a grandson," murmured Vladimir, who took a few steps away from her as he immersed into a deep thought.

Madeline pulled her hand out of the device, rubbing her wrists. Out of curiosity, she asked, "When did you meet the angel Paschar?"

Vladimir's eyes went back at the human before he responded, "When I was still in Heaven, living there. I haven't met him after I left, thought I would meet him here but the fucker went back to Heaven." At the same time, a white cat appeared in the room, and it walked towards Vladimir. "Meet Lucy with the Fur. She takes after my name. She misses Constance's presence."

With the chaos and the other crazy things that had taken place, Madeline took time to join the dots and she stared at the man in the room. "Y-you are the angel who turned to the dark side."

Vladimir didn't answer her question, but he had a frown on his face.

"If he is my grandson, that would mean you are my granddaughter-in-law. An angel," he stated, and then a wide smile spread across his lips. Seeing the smile, Madeline could tell that Calhoun had acquired his features from his grandfather. "My grandson married an angel. How wonderful."