Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 125

Chapter 125: Elite’s Invitation

Music Recommendation: Lies We Tell – Lee Sang Min

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Three hours had passed since Ruelle had left Mr. Swan’s class, yet she still couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lucian’s sculpture had been ruined. The instructor had apologised before passing him with a high grade, while Lucian had stood there as though the damage meant nothing to him.

Was there anything that ever truly bothered him? Ruelle wondered who now sat in the potion class. Yet the thought faltered when she remembered the way he had questioned her about moving out of his room.

Ruelle’s gaze drifted to Hailey who sat beside her, who was just about to throw the siren’s scales into her cauldron when she stopped and turned to ask,

"How many am I supposed to add? Two?"

"Keep adding them until it turns blue. Give it a second before you add another," Ruelle patiently explained. "If you add more after the colour changes, the antidote will turn poisonous."

"So I’ll either be saving or killing a vampire..." Hailey muttered grimly. "You’ll come visit me in the dungeon, won’t you?"

"Without doubt," Ruelle smiled before a shadow fell on their table. When she looked up, she found an Elite vampire leaning over it, his forearms resting casually beside her cauldron. He wore a lazy grin as he said,

"There’s a private soiree after this class." His eyes moved between the two young women. "Only a few people are invited. You two are invited."

Ruelle didn’t even have to imagine what kind of soiree he was trying to invite them into. She replied, "We are occupied this evening."

"Occupied?" the vampire repeated.

"That is right," Hailey laughed, "We skipped lunch and need to—"

Before she could finish, the vampire reached forward and dropped several more siren scales into Ruelle’s cauldron. The liquid inside hissed violently and a sharp, sour smell rose from it.

"Whatever occupies you," he murmured, watching the potion bubble, "can wait. What could possibly be more important than attending the soiree?" he tilted his head in question.

"You shouldn’t push it. The prince wouldn’t take it kindly..." Hailey said hesitantly.

A chuckle slipped from the vampire’s lips. He responded, "The prince isn’t here. And besides... all of you groundlings are free for us to choose and pick from."

"We’ll have to refuse the invitation," Ruelle said firmly.

The vampire studied her for a moment, as though the refusal amused him.

"Are you sure?" he asked and lowered his voice, "I hear your father carries quite a lot of debt. It would be unfortunate if something... unexpected happened to him. Debt has a way of growing," he continued thoughtfully. "Imagine it swelling so large that it crushes the family entirely."

Ruelle stared at the vampire’s threat and after a second she answered, "If that is what pleases you."

For a moment, the vampire blinked as humans rarely spoke that way when their families were mentioned. He murmured,

"Is that so..." Then his gaze slowly shifted to Hailey. "I hear your father works as a coachman. It would be terrible if he were accused of stealing from the earl’s family."

Colour drained from Hailey’s face and her hands tightened. She said, "Keep my father out of it."

The vampire straightened with a soft laugh. He responded, "Then perhaps you two should think carefully. It would sadden me—and the others—if something unfortunate happened to your families."

He stepped back from the table.

"And the invitation is only for the two of you. No need to share it with anyone else."

"Mr. Orpheus, what are you doing away from your table?" The instructor’s voice cut through the air.

"The Groundlings made a mistake and wanted my help fixing it," the vampire replied with an easy smile before returning to his seat.

The instructor’s gaze moved to Ruelle’s ruined potion and his lips thinned. He stated, "Miss Belmont, you need to pay attention rather than waste the ingredients. Dispose of it and start another batch." He moved on without waiting for a response.

For a moment neither of the young women spoke. Then Ruelle said in a whisper, "Hailey... I was thinking we shouldn’t move into the new quarters."

Hailey nodded slowly before replying, "I forgot how sheltered we’ve been until now." They could only fend for themselves for a short while, she thought to herself. Her voice then dropped to a whisper. "By any chance, do you know the potion that makes us faint... and lets us sleep until Edward returns? I am worried about father..."

"We won’t let anything happen to him," Ruelle assured her, "I can inform—"

"No!" Hailey shook her head. "You heard what he said about not inviting anyone... We just have to attend the soiree. I thought having the prince’s favour would have leverage..."

Ruelle noticed how Hailey was getting nervous, while not wanting any harm to befall on her family. Maybe if there was a gap in the window, she thought to herself.

She couldn’t be reckless. Thinking about her parents, she wondered if they had gone to visit another relative’s house to avoid being harassed by the debt collectors.

Far away from Sexton, a carriage headed with speed and intention before it stopped at the Henleys’ residence. Out stepped Ezekiel, who had returned home to kick the Belmonts out of his house. Since their arrival, things between him and Ruelle hadn’t been the same.

Before he could head towards the door, he caught sight of a carriage parked outside and he questioned whom the Belmonts had invited into his house. When he stepped inside, he found Lorenzo Helsing seated with a cup of tea.

"Oh good, you are here, Ezekiel," Lorenzo said upon catching sight of him.

"Pardon me, I didn’t know you were visiting," Ezekiel replied.

"No trouble at all," Lorenzo said, lifting his teacup. "I came to collect the confidential document that I had asked of you, but your mother in-law insisted I sit and have some tea. I must say, you are fortunate to have such affectionate in-laws. Mrs. Belmont was just telling me how dearly you care for your wife... even to the point of considering selling this house to buy your wife’s freedom."

Ezekiel’s eyes hardened as they met Mrs. Belmont’s, who offered him the sweetest smile. "Did she now?" he asked with a tight smile.

"Ezekiel loves our Caroline dearly and works so hard for her," Mrs. Belmont said with a small sigh. "But I do worry about where they will stay if he sells the house. Things have been difficult."

"Indeed, it sounds unfortunate," Lorenzo nodded thoughtfully. "Sexton does have some iron rules. I shall mention about Mrs. Henley’s special case at court and see if the price on her head can be reduced. It would be good to see her return safely to her husband."

"That is very thoughtful of you, Mr. Helsing," Mrs. Belmont thanked him. She turned her eyes to Ezekiel and added sweetly, "Isn’t it wonderful, Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel smiled before turning to Lorenzo. He said smoothly, "Caroline has indeed been worried. Your help is greatly appreciated." He offered a small bow before retrieving a document from his study room and handing it to the man.

"In a month the new minister’s selection will be announced," Lorenzo said as he accepted the document. "Hopefully your name will be among the candidates." With that, he took his leave.

The moment the door closed, Ezekiel’s hand shot out and wrapped around Mrs. Belmont’s throat. His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, "Stay out of my affairs. Or I will snap your neck."

Mrs. Belmont laughed, even though her face started to turn red. She replied hoarsely, "Try it and you will be behind bars instead of being a minister."

Ezekiel’s hand tightened before he pushed the woman away, who coughed for air.

"If you believe you can cast Caroline aside and hide behind Sexton’s contract, you are mistaken," Mrs. Belmont said. "She is your wife, Ezekiel. You are bound to her whether you like it or not. And if you are foolish enough to sell her, I wonder what Mr. Helsing would think of such devotion or your position in the courthouse."

Ezekiel let out a bitter laugh. He would have wrung the woman’s neck until her life was taken, but things weren’t the same as in the past. He asked,

"Is this how you secured Mr. Belmont?" Ezekiel asked with a thin smile. "Caroline mentioned you wasted no time after his first wife died. Grief clearly did not deter you."

Mrs. Belmont’s cool black eyes stared at Ezekiel. She answered, "Harold was drowning in grief. I merely offered him a shoulder during his time of need." She pressed her fingers against her neck.

"Faron!" Ezekiel called one of his servants, who quickly appeared in the living room with a bow. "Prepare a feast for the poor with what we have in the house. In the name of hope that my wife is freed from Sexton quickly."

"Would that be today, sire?" asked the servant.

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