Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 185

Chapter 185: Under His Roof

An hour had passed since Lucian and the court officers had left, leaving guards posted at every entrance of the mansion. Right now, Ruelle sat at the dining table with her parents.

She could smell the fresh wax on the wooden floor, which made it obvious that the house had been prepared on short notice. Her fingers rested quietly on her lap while her eyes stayed on one of the vases as they waited for the food.

"The seat here is empty. Why are you sitting there?" Her father’s voice drew her attention away from the empty vase.

Ruelle looked at him, surprised. She replied, "That is Caroline’s seat... And you always preferred I sit beside Mother."

Something seemed to pass behind her father’s eyes, which she couldn’t deduce as it faded quicker than it had appeared.

"Well, Caroline isn’t here," her father said, as if that explained it. "Sit here now."

But Ruelle did not move. Was it easier for him to strike her that he was asking her to sit there? No, thought Ruelle. He was too much of a coward right now. With Lucian in the picture and one of the guards in the dining room, her father was too much of a coward for that. She said,

"I am comfortable here. And I would rather sit beside Mother."

Her father’s lips twisted before he spoke, "You must have missed your mother. Fine. Sit there. But from tonight onward, you will sit on this side."

"Why? So you can look at me while blaming your bad fortune on me?" Ruelle’s hands clenched tightly, before what she wanted to say this morning came to her lips, "There was no reason for you to insist we live together. You could have stayed in this mansion while I returned to the Slaters."

"Ruelle," her father’s voice sharpened. The look in his eyes changed into something she knew well. It was the same look he used before his temper broke. "Do you no longer care to honour the treaty? Or have you forgotten how little humans matter to them? Do you think the courthouse would hesitate to replace us? You? They could find another family just as easily."

Did he think everyone was like him, who would use and dispose of people whenever he saw fit?

"They may find another human woman. But what makes you think Lucian would take another bride?" She trusted Lucian. More than she had ever trusted the man across from her.

Mrs. Belmont quickly placed a hand over her husband’s. "What matters is that we are eating together after so long," she said softly. "If only Caroline were here too."

The food arrived soon after.

Warm bread, thick soup, roasted meat. The smell filled the room, rich enough to make one want to eat it, but Ruelle barely tasted any of it. She could feel her father’s eyes on her the whole time, and with every bite it felt harder to swallow. If he wanted to say something, she wished he would be done with it.

After only a few mouthfuls, she pushed her chair back.

"Done so soon?" her father asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Sit down and eat more. I would hate for the ministers to think we are starving you."

Ruelle wiped her mouth with the napkin. "I have no appetite. I fear I will throw up if I take another bite." She was about to leave when his voice stopped her again. "Then have dessert. You like sweets, don’t you?"

How odd for her father to even remember what she liked.

Beside her, Mrs. Belmont began, "Harold, if she does not feel well, there is no reason to force—"

"Are you the head of this family?" His voice cut through the room.

Ruelle saw the sharp irritation in his eyes shift to her stepmother, and for a second it felt strange seeing someone else receive the look she had grown up with.

Mrs. Belmont’s face reddened at once. "I apologise," she murmured.

Ruelle stood there for a moment. The smell of meat, wine, and candle wax suddenly felt too thick. The room felt smaller than before.

"I am unwell. So, I would like to rest for now and eat when I have an appetite." And before he could stop her again, she turned and walked out of the dining room.

It was obvious that he wanted to keep this mansion to himself after he had lost two houses in the past. One from the war and the other by Lucian.

When she entered her room, she locked the door behind her at once.

The firewood in the hearth had burned low, leaving behind only warmth in the stone and the faint smell of ash. The bed was soft beneath her when she lay down, her eyes fixed on the pale ceiling above. Even here, she could not stop thinking of the dining table.

She closed her eyes as she felt her forehead grow warm again. She let out a breath and wished for time to move faster. For the wedding to come.

At some point, sleep took her.

When she opened her eyes again, there was knocking at the door. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Beyond the windows, the sky had turned dark and the only light came from the lantern outside her door, its glow slipping through the cracks.

The knocking came again.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice carrying through the door. But the knocking continued.

Crossing the room barefoot, she finally opened the door. Two arms suddenly wrapped around her so tightly that she froze for a moment and then the person pulled away.

"I missed you, Ruelle!"

"Hailey?" Ruelle stared at her friend, almost unable to believe it. Was this a dream? "What are you doing here?"

Hailey stepped inside at once with a grin. "Lucian went to see King Septimus for work and asked if I could be borrowed for a few days until the wedding." Her eyes flickered toward the guards outside before returning to Ruelle. "So here I am! We finally get to share the same room!"

The fever that had been sitting in her body seemed to fade little by little, as if her mind had finally been given something else to hold.

They sat on the bed together, catching up on everything that had happened since the auction. By the time Hailey had heard about Caroline escaping, the pudding in her hand was nearly gone and her eyes had widened.

"I can’t believe Caroline broke out of the dungeon," Hailey said. "But in some ways, I understand. If you’re standing at the gallows, of course you’d run. Still... this makes everything worse. Your parents must be losing their minds."

"They are," Ruelle nodded.

Hailey turned toward her. "What happened? Are they blaming you for it too?"

Ruelle shook her head. "That would have made more sense."

"I don’t understand. You’re unhappy they’re not?" Hailey frowned.

Ruelle was quiet for a moment. She then spoke, "No... it isn’t that." She looked toward the dark window. "Something feels strange. They’re trying to fix things with me. As if none of those years happened."

Especially her father.

At the dining table, she had felt his eyes on the mark at her neck more than once. The thought made her skin crawl even now. Was he thinking of what he could still gain from her? Because with Lucian’s mark there, harming her was no longer simple.

Hailey gave a short laugh. "They’re scared of Lucian. I would be too if I treated you the way they did and senior has a reputation to keep."

But that wasn’t it. Ruelle knew fear when she saw it. Pushing the thought away, she asked, "How is the castle? I hope King Septimus isn’t making your life miserable."

Hailey raised her hands and looked at them. "Not as bad as I thought. My limbs are still attached."

That made Ruelle smile.

"The servants are nice," Hailey continued. "Hermes has helped me a lot. He watches over me. Kevin is doing well too. Prince Edward hardly stays in the castle. He spends most of his time at his own place," while skipping the part where the prince had torn the wedding invitation in two halves.

Ruelle nodded.

"Oh, and I’ve been given books to study," Hailey said, making a face. "King Septimus said he’ll test me."

Ruelle was surprised. "He did?" She heard her friend sigh.

"Maps. Lands. Forests. Mountains. Before I came here, he told me to memorise the streets of Rimebridge. Either from the books or by going there myself. I think he’s just bored and is finding other ways to torture a person."

That was an odd thing to do, unless the king was trying to promote her friend from maid to a better position, thought Ruelle to herself. "Maybe he wants you to take Hermes’ place one day."

Hailey shook her head at once, as if trying to throw the idea away. "I refuse! I’ve seen what that job does to Hermes. I might go bald, Ruelle..."

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