Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191: What Is Mine

Ruelle felt her stomach drop at the sight before her.

The guards entered first, their eyes sweeping across the church until one of them spotted her and shouted, "Miss Belmont is here!"

Her eyes widened as more than ten guards entered and right behind them came her father. But he wasn’t alone. Lord Azriel was there, Elder Minister Carnifex beside him, along with a local officer whose expression looked far too tired for this hour.

Before she could think of what to say, her father walked straight past the guards and pulled her into his arms. His hold tightened around her so hard it nearly suffocated her.

"Why are you here, Ruelle?" her father demanded, his voice low near her ear which carried irritation hidden beneath concern. When she tried to push him away, his arms loosened reluctantly.

"Mr. Belmont was convinced you had eloped with Lucian Slater," Elder Minister Carnifex remarked with a wry expression. He looked as though he had been dragged from sleep and wasn’t happy about it. "It is good to see you are safe, Miss Belmont. Your father caused quite the disturbance, though I suppose it is understandable."

Ruelle’s eyes lowered. She had only wanted to get away from her father for the night. She hadn’t expected him to drag half the courthouse and Lord Azriel out of bed in the middle of winter.

"I had a bad dream about my sister," Ruelle said, piecing the lie together quickly enough that it sounded believable. "And because it has been days since we heard anything of her. I... felt I needed to come here and pray for her safety."

"In the middle of the night?" her father asked, suspicion lacing his voice.

Ruelle bowed her head, "I apologise. I didn’t think it would cause such disruption. I didn’t mean to worry anyone. I will be more careful."

Before anyone could speak further, Lord Azriel stepped in and spoke, "She must be exhausted after spending the night here. We should let her return and rest first."

"That she will," Mr. Belmont said firmly, and when Ruelle looked at him, she could see the anger sitting behind his eyes despite the calm in his voice. "It is obvious the guards have not been doing their job if my daughter can slip in and out of the house so easily, Minister. Perhaps the windows should have iron grills installed for her safety."

Carnifex’s mouth tightened before he gave a short nod. He replied, "That can be arranged."

Grills on the window where she would have nowhere out? Ruelle felt like things were getting worse.

"If you wish to visit the church, you need only ask Claude to escort you here," Lord Azriel said, and she nodded awkwardly. Then he turned to Mr. Belmont, his expression cooling. "And I believe an apology is owed. Considering you accused Lucian of stealing your daughter away."

After a pause the pureblooded vampire added, "Though he cannot steal what already belongs to him."

Ruelle’s breath caught at the words.

Minister Carnifex spoke in a grim voice, "Lucian has been occupied with the case involving your other daughter. It would be wise not to make such accusations carelessly."

Mr. Belmont’s expression tightened.

Carnifex then looked to Ruelle and continued, "And you, Miss Belmont. You must inform your family before leaving. Times are not as the last few months. If you disappear without a word, you place yourself at risk and there may be nothing we can do for you."

The weight of his words settled heavily.

Ruelle lowered her head again and agreed, "I understand."

"Children can be reckless," Mr. Belmont said, smoothing his expression as though none of this had rattled him. "I simply didn’t want the treaty endangered when Ruelle’s future is so close to being settled." His hand came to rest on her back, guiding her toward the doors. He said to her, "Come. Let us go home."

The warmth of his hand against her spine felt less like comfort and more like a warning.

When they stepped outside the church, Ruelle caught sight of the four carriages stood waiting at the front, their horses stamping against the frost-covered ground while the townspeople who had woken early lingered nearby, their eyes following the little procession leaving the church.

Whispers had already begun. A missing bride-to-be found at dawn was enough to stir any quiet town.

The local officer who had come with them still looked at Ruelle with visible confusion, as his eyes darted to her neck. When their eyes met, he quickly lowered his head in apology.

"Thank you for helping find her," Mr. Belmont said to Elder Minister Carnifex as though he were nothing more than a worried father. "I should discipline her now, so she doesn’t think she can do the same once she’s married."

The words made Ruelle’s stomach tighten.

She climbed into the carriage without protest, her father following after her while two guards took their place behind the carriage before it began moving.

Inside, silence filled between them, broken only by the steady turning of wheels and the horses pulling them through the frozen streets. Ruelle kept her hands pressed tightly in her lap and her eyes fixed outside the window, watching the bare trees pass by. But even that wasn’t enough to ease the weight of her father’s gaze on her right now.

"Is there a reason," he finally asked, his voice calm in a way that made her skin crawl, "why you chose the window instead of the front door last night?"

Her fingers tightened. Maybe she should have truly run, she thought. Not to the church but farther.

"I didn’t want to wake anyone," she replied quietly, still looking outside. "It was late."

"Then why didn’t you return after your prayers?" he asked, his voice sharpening. "Look at me when I am speaking to you, Ruelle. Or are you hiding something?"

The only thing she was hiding was herself from him. Slowly, she turned her head and met his eyes. There was no warmth there now, only that familiar glare she had known for years.

"I didn’t mean to fall asleep there. I already apologised. What more do you want me to say?" She asked him.

A low chuckle escaped him, but there was nothing pleasant in it.

"You have been having bad influence since you came in contact with the Slaters," he said, leaning back as though studying her. "As if they have filled your head with rebellion when all I have tried to do is protect you. Or are you eager to end up like Caroline? Taken in the night and dragged into God knows what."

The mention of Caroline made her jaw tighten.

What she didn’t know was that after finding her room empty the night before, Ezekiel had gone through the streets twice, tearing through alleyways and corners before waking Elder Minister Carnifex himself to search for her. Rage had hollowed him out when he realised she had slipped through his hands.

Then his eyes narrowed. He demanded, "The letter Lord Azriel mentioned. Was it from Lucian Slater?"

Ruelle couldn’t help but feel paranoid that her father was trying to look for loopholes over the false reason. That he would know that she had climbed out of the window because he had tried to open the door.

Then again, the way he spoke just now pressed a nerve and she replied, "What if it was from Lucian? I don’t think sharing letters is a crime."

His face darkened, and he murmured, "So you were trying to meet him."

Ruelle said nothing.

Ezekiel stared at her, anger burning beneath his skin. He had wanted to take her away last night, somewhere quiet where she would finally come with him and remember who she belonged to. But the one night he had planned everything, she had slipped away.

The carriage rolled to a stop.

The moment they arrived back at the mansion, Mrs. Belmont hurried down the front steps. She questioned, "Where have you been, Ruelle?"

"That won’t be necessary," Mr. Belmont’s voice came from behind them as he stepped forward, his expression vacant. "Seeing how Ruelle still struggles to know right from wrong, she will remain at home today. No outings. She needs time to reflect on what she has done."

Ruelle didn’t stay to argue. She walked past them and into the house, her feet moving faster than usual. Halfway to her room, Hailey caught up to her and whispered,

"You could have waited until morning. I would have come along with you."

"I don’t think I would have survived if I had," Ruelle glanced behind them first, making sure no one had followed before lowering her voice. "My father came to my room last night. He tried to get in using a key."

"Maybe he was worried when you didn’t answer?" Hailey frowned. "I mean... when I woke up, the door was broken and everyone was panicking. They thought you’d been taken."

But Ruelle shook her head. "No. He didn’t even call my name," she said softly.

Ruelle knew it was difficult for her friend to understand completely. The Elliots were nothing like the Belmonts. Mr. and Mrs. Elliot loved their daughter openly. They worried for her, protected her, fed her until she complained there was too much food on her plate.

She pressed her fingers against her temples, trying to ease the pounding in her head. She then admitted, "I panicked. I just... didn’t expect everything to turn into this."

Hailey offered her an awkward smile. "Well... you are the most important person in the house right now. It would be strange if they didn’t care." After a pause, she murmured, "It is strange that I didn’t hear the crash. I must have slept like a log."

The appointment to visit the seamstress was cancelled at Mr. Belmont’s word. He claimed there was still enough time for adjustments to be made and that there was no need to rush.

The next two days, Ruelle wasn’t allowed to step outside the house even to walk in the mansion’s garden.

The iron grills had been installed over the windows in the name of safety, but Ruelle knew better. Whether it was because her father no longer trusted her to stay inside or because he feared Lucian might come through those very windows, she couldn’t tell.

Perhaps it should have given her time to go through the books she had taken from the witch to practice and learn.

But that would have required her to be left alone.

"I should go bathe now. I don’t want the water to turn cold," she laughed as she said it to her husband who had come home from work. She crossed the room while removing the delicate chain from her neck and keeping it on the dressing table.

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