Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 165

Chapter 165: A Mother’s Mistake

Caroline was shoved into the cell without warning. She stumbled forward and her hands flew out to hold the damp wall that seemed to swallow light. The lantern outside lit only half the cell and there were no windows. She felt as if she had already stepped one foot into the coffin.

The cell door creaked behind her before it locked. She quickly turned and ran to the front, gripping the iron bars in panic. The officer then spoke,

"There are witnesses who said that you often got into fights with young women. Like Miss Clifford, Miss Mina Hyde, Miss Imogen McKenna and Miss Rosalind Ellis. Did you ever tell them that you were going to bury them?"

Caroline turned pale. She shook her head in desperation, wiping her tear-streaked face.

"No, no! Those were only passing remarks. Everybody gets angry and says things—Y-You must do it too—" Caroline blurted, realising how guilty she sounded, "No, what I meant—" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"You were angry and you got rid of them," the officer interrupted her. "With no one at home, it was easier for you to move. You did leave your house too often."

"No—" Caroline’s hands shook. Her wedding ring caught the dying lantern light. She exclaimed, "Ask the servants! The ones who work in my house!" They would vouch for her. They would tell these officers that she’d been home.

"You dismissed them yourself several weeks ago," the minister sighed.

When the officer turned, Caroline panicked. She asked, "W-Wait, where are you going?" but the footsteps faded. "No... don’t leave me here! I didn’t do it—!"

"SHUT UP!"

The voice exploded from somewhere down the corridor which belonged to a male. He muttered, "Or do you want me to rip your gut out when you are sleeping?"

Caroline bit her lower lip but she didn’t make a sound. What had she done to be punished like this? Were they going to behead her tomorrow?

Far away from the dungeon, Mr. and Mrs. Belmont walked through the corridors with desperation, while Ezekiel had gone to find help through Mr. Helsing. Mrs. Belmont now held the front of her skirt tightly. The rim of her eyes had turned red and swollen by the time she caught sight of a minister’s robes. She quickly ran to the person, calling,

"Sire!" Coming before the person, she pleaded, "Our daughter—Caroline—she has been arrested. Please help her get out!"

Mr. Belmont, who caught up, introduced himself when the minister stared at them, "I am Harold Belmont and this is my wife Megan Belmont. We need to visit our daughter."

The minister’s eyes flickered with recognition and he asked, "Belmont, you say?" His eyebrows rose. "Are you related to Ruelle Belmont?"

Mrs. Belmont’s tears stopped, not knowing why this person was bringing up Ruelle’s name, while Mr. Belmont wondered if word had spread about the treaty. So he quickly nodded, "Yes, she is our elder daughter."

"Is that so?" The person was none other than Minister Griswold, whose tone shifted to something thoughtful.

This was the same Ruelle Belmont who had gotten him beaten. The young woman had caused a lot of inconveniences. Mr. Beckett had been breathing down his neck since this weekend, trying to arrange a marriage with his gap-toothed daughter as compensation for that night’s incident.

The minister’s lips twisted and he asked, "What about you two? She must have taken your help, because small crimes don’t land a person in the courthouse’s dungeon."

"We didn’t have anything to do with it!" Mr. Belmont spoke in frustration.

"Hard to say with that look on your face," Minister Griswold huffed before he murmured, "You look like someone who has murdered people before. We should have you two interrogated. Guards."

"W—What?" Mrs. Belmont’s voice cracked like thin ice under her foot.

Mr. Belmont’s hand grabbed around his wife’s arm before the guards would appear. He muttered, "Come, Megan. Let us go wait at the house for Ezekiel," and he pulled her away from the minister. "We can return later."

Minister Griswold watched them retreat down the corridor. Then after a minute, he made his way towards the dungeon.

He climbed down the stairs, walking past the weak burning lanterns before he came to stand before the cell with the latest addition.

Caroline, who heard footsteps approaching her cell, quickly came to stand in the front, while rubbing her nose with the back of her sleeve. She caught sight of a man who had grey hair.

"Belmont. Your family must love you a lot."

He stepped closer to the bars, where she could see his face and he smiled at her.

"I’m personally going to oversee your execution. Make sure the person takes his time with it by asking the axe to go slow and careful, so that you feel the metal nick your skin before the weight drops. Or perhaps hanging would suit you better?"

His eyes travelled down her body and he murmured, "What a shame." He then turned and walked away without bothering to spend another second there.

"These dungeons are famous for holding men, women... they don’t discriminate," came the voice of a woman from the opposite cell. "I’ve seen children down here. Eight, nine years old. Their crime? Being born as humans."

Caroline then heard the movement of a chain which dragged forward and a woman in her thirties stepped to the front. Her face was gaunt, but her eyes were alive.

"Don’t be sad. You only need to be ready to brace for death. Marjorie Hill," the woman offered her name.

"...Caroline," her voice was hoarse from crying. Cautiously, she asked, "What did you do... to end up here?"

"They killed my lover. Drained him dry in front of me. For sport. So I tried to return the favour." Marjorie’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Vampires can be wretched creatures, can’t they?"

Caroline’s response was defensive as she quickly said, "My husband isn’t like that. He’s a halfling."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify