Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187: Step Aside

As the snowfall grew heavier, it whitened the glass dome above and the guests were eventually led back inside the mansion.

The room they entered was larger than the one before, softer too. Fire burned brightly in the fireplace, filling the air with the smell of burning wood and warm spice. Velvet chairs sat around low tables, and candles flickered against polished walls.

"Do you enjoy playing cards, Mrs. Belmont?" One of the women asked as the others settled around the round table. "Though perhaps cards are less appealing in your household. I heard your husband favours them a little too much."

Ruelle saw the tightness in her stepmother’s smile.

If not for coming along as Ruelle’s chaperone, Mrs. Belmont would have never entered this place or bothered to mingle with these people.

"Ruelle, you should come to the soiree I’m hosting in four days," another vampiress spoke up. At those words, Mrs. Belmont rubbed her forehead as though the thought alone wearied her.

Ruelle smiled politely, "That is kind of you, Mrs. Witherspoon."

Mrs. Witherspoon waved her hand. She said, "You will soon be part of a vampire household. It is better to know the people around you before then. When I first entered society, I struggled terribly. Of course, I doubt you will have such difficulty with Maxine beside you."

Ruelle glanced at Lady Maxine.

"Then I will be in good hands," Ruelle replied, receiving a grin from Lady Maxine.

"Isn’t she lovely?" Lady Maxine said proudly. "Even Olivia has taken to her."

Ruelle smiled faintly at that. One of the older vampiresses from earlier leaned forward. "She is very pretty," the woman said, studying Ruelle openly. "Tell me, Miss Ruelle, do you know how to play the pianoforte?"

Before Ruelle could answer, Mrs. Belmont spoke, "Ruelle plays quite well." Ruelle turned slightly at that. "Why don’t you play for them, dear? The one with the lilacs."

"I don’t believe I know one by that name. Let us hear it," another vampiress said.

And before she knew it, Ruelle was seated at the pianoforte.

Lady Maxine stepped behind her and leaned down. She whispered only for Ruelle’s ears, "You do know how to play, don’t you? Or I can have Angelina faint and distract everyone."

The warmth of being quietly defended made Ruelle’s chest warm. She said softly, "I can manage."

Lady Maxine gave a small nod before returning to the others with a glass in her hand.

In the meantime, Ruelle stretched her fingers once, feeling the stiffness leave them. Then she placed her fingers on the keys before the first notes came softly. The room slowly quieted around her, while she let her eyes fall to the keys and followed the music instead of the people.

It was a song that she had learned for her sister years ago. It was warm and simple, like sunlight after rain. And for a few minutes, the noise in her mind quieted.

When the final note faded in the room, Ruelle looked up to catch several women giving nods.

"That was lovely, Ruelle," Lady Ravencroft said, smiling at her. "I enjoyed it very much. You must sit beside me now. I feel everyone has been stealing you away."

"You should be grateful you get to see her at all, Mother," Angelina muttered behind her third glass.

Lady Ravencroft gave her daughter a sharp look, though Ruelle caught the corner of her mouth twitch. Ruelle left the pianoforte and made her way back to the seats, settling beside Lucian’s aunt.

"I told you my daughter plays beautifully," Mrs. Belmont said, sounding almost proud.

"What was that other piece?" the older woman asked suddenly, tapping her finger against the arm of her chair. "The one they used to play at the theatre."

"Massacre of the Birds?" Lia offered.

The woman’s face lit up. "That’s the one. Play it for us, Miss Lia. Everyone will enjoy it."

Ruelle watched the young woman rise without hesitation. Ever since learning that Lia had once been considered as Lucian’s possible bride, her eyes kept returning to the young woman without meaning to.

Lia sat at the pianoforte with the ease of someone who had done it all her life. When she began to play, the song rose quickly without pause. The song made one feel a quiet despair that sat beneath the notes and made Ruelle’s chest feel heavier the longer she listened.

She found herself holding her breath.

The woman looked like she belonged here. Like she had always belonged in rooms like these and in Lucian’s world.

"Bravo!" The older woman clapped loudly, and the others followed. "What a beautiful piece."

"It takes real control to play that one," one of the women said.

When the room filled with talk again, Hailey leaned toward Ruelle, "Come with me."

Ruelle nodded at once and the two slipped away toward the powder room.

The powder room was as grand as the rest of the mansion. Even the walls seemed to glow gold beneath the candlelight, and the mirrors were so clear Ruelle could see every loose strand of hair near her face. The air smelled of rosewater and lavender, warmer than the rest of the house.

Hailey excused herself not long after, muttering something about drinking too much tea.

Ruelle moved to the basin and washed her hands in warm water. She stood there longer than she needed to, staring at the water, when the powder room door opened, and Lia stepped inside with the older vampiress beside her.

"I liked the lilacs piece, Miss Ruelle," Lia said as she stepped up to the mirror beside her.

"Thank you," Ruelle looked at her reflection.

"What are you saying?" the older vampiress scoffed. "You played far better than her. There is no one in that room who can match your skill."

Lia’s shoulders stiffened at the words.

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