Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198: In The Minister’s Chamber

The last thing Ruelle expected was for her stepmother’s voice to ring through the courthouse. She continued to point straight at Ezekiel, and cry,

"Put him behind the bars for killing my husband! He’s been trying to kill us all! First my daughter, and now my husband!"

Ruelle’s eyes immediately flew to the people gathering around them. Caroline looked from her stepmother to Ezekiel, confusion and disbelief slowly settling across her tired face at her father’s news. Her stepmother wasn’t trying to convince Caroline but she was trying to separate her from Ezekiel.

And to Ruelle, it felt like the right opportunity. If everyone believed Ezekiel had murdered Harold, no one would pay attention to anything else. Perhaps...Whatever the guard had overheard would disappear beneath this accusation.

"What’s the commotion?" The familiar voice made Ruelle look up. It was Minister Sylvan, who approached with a frown, his sharp gaze sweeping over the humans before settling on Peyton. "It seems you aren’t carrying out your duties very well, Peyton."

Ruelle barely heard the remark when her eyes fell on the familiar-looking guard standing a few steps behind the minister.

"Please calm down," Peyton said as she moved towards Mrs. Belmont. "This is the courthouse. Allow me to escort you to another room."

"No!" Mrs. Belmont pulled away before pointing again. "Caroline! Stay away from him! He isn’t to be trusted!"

"Enough," Minister Sylvan’s voice cut cleanly through the courtyard. "We will settle this properly." His eyes moved across each of them. "My chambers," and he turned without another word.

One by one, everyone began following him.

Caroline remained rooted for only a second before her mother dragged her along. Ezekiel followed a few steps behind, his expression unreadable, while Peyton stayed close enough to prevent another outburst from the woman.

Ruelle caught Lucian’s sleeve before they could move. She whispered, "He knows. The guard... he heard us."

Lucian’s gaze shifted immediately towards the guard walking behind Minister Sylvan and his eyes narrowed. Then he looked back at her and said,

"Don’t worry." The warmth of his hand settled against the small of her back. "Come."

With most of the people walking through the courthouse being pureblooded vampires, Ruelle knew better than to whisper anything further. There were too many ears around them and too many people who didn’t need to be invited into their conversation.

Yet it didn’t stop Lucian from speaking with his brother. His voice dropped no more than a breath, but they spoke in a language that made even the men walking past them curious. She wondered if this was Coven language. It had hard and soft consonants.

Dane’s lips twisted in displeasure before he answered in the same quiet tone.

When they finally reached Minister Sylvan’s chambers, the first thing Ruelle noticed was the cold. It settled over her skin almost immediately, making the hairs on her arms rise beneath her sleeves. Her eyes instinctively searched for the fireplace, which had no remnants of logs.

The doors remained wide open behind them, allowing the winter air to drift through the chamber until the room felt scarcely warmer than the corridor outside.

Ruelle caught Minister Sylvan seated behind the desk while everyone else remained standing. His fingers tapped the polished wood once before his gaze swept leisurely across the room.

"Who would like to begin?" he asked. "And preferably one at a time. I have little interest in feeling as though I am presiding over a marketplace."

"I would like to speak first."

Mrs. Belmont didn’t wait for anyone else. When Minister Sylvan gave a nod, she immediately said, "My husband was killed by Ezekiel Henley. He needs to be executed for it!"

Ruelle’s eyes shifted to Ezekiel. The man looked every bit the picture of bewilderment.

"Why would I do such a thing?" he asked, his brows drawing together. "What would I gain from killing a man who didn’t have a single penny to his name?" He turned briefly towards Caroline before looking back at the minister. "Father-in-law’s death came as a shock to me as well. But to accuse me of it..." He shook his head. "I have been here at the courthouse waiting for Caroline."

Ruelle glanced at her sister. The last time they had met, Caroline would have stood between her husband and anyone accusing him. But this time... something was different.

"That may explain this morning. What about last night?" Mrs. Belmont shot back. She had already decided who Harold’s murderer was.

Ezekiel let out a humourless scoff before turning towards Minister Sylvan. "Minister, I am being falsely accused."

"But you can verify where he has been. Last night and the nights before that. If you investigate properly, you’ll find the truth," Mrs. Belmont insisted.

The steady tapping of a quill against wood interrupted the room. Minister Sylvan rolled the quill slowly between his fingers before setting it down with deliberate care. The faint tapping that had filled the room ceased at once and he then spoke to the woman in distress,

"Mrs. Belmont, we will gladly assist you in uncovering the truth." A faint smile touched his lips. "But accusing Mr. Henley requires more than suspicion. It requires proof."

And that was something her stepmother didn’t have because the woman had accused him just because she felt it was convenient and a quick solution.

His gaze drifted across the room before stopping on Lucian. He then said, "It would be unfortunate if the two of you spent your time accusing one another while the true culprit slipped away."

Dane lazily adjusted one of the cuffs beneath his coat before saying,

"The officer believed it was a witch."

But Minister Sylvan didn’t look surprised. If anything, he looked as though he had expected someone to say it.

Her fingernails pressed deeper into her palms beneath her sleeves and she forced herself to keep her face still while her stepmother spoke again.

"Mr. Henley also tried to frame my daughter for the murders. Your own men took our statements after the arrest. My husband and I both—"

"Mrs. Belmont," Minister Sylvan’s calm interruption was enough to halt her. "I have read both your statement and your husband’s. And that is precisely why I find this difficult. Your husband spoke very highly of Mr. Henley."

The room fell quieter.

"He described him as a generous son-in-law. A man who supported your family financially when no one else did. One who asked for no dowry, married your daughter, and later welcomed you into his home. So you must understand my confusion," as his gaze rested on Mrs. Belmont. "I am unsure which account I am meant to believe."

Ruelle watched the colour drain from her stepmother’s face before anger quietly took its place. For a brief moment, the woman closed her eyes and if her father was alive, she might have killed him herself.

"Cimerian. Bring me Mr. Belmont’s statement from his previous visit," Minister Sylvan looked towards one of the guards. The guard bowed before leaving the chamber. The minister then continued, "In fact, it wasn’t Mr. Henley whom your husband seemed wary of." His eyes drifted to Lucian.

Ruelle felt the air turn thick as eyes turned on Lucian, but he remained as composed as ever.

"It is possible," Lucian agreed with the minister, before continuing, "that he simply struggled to accept his daughter marrying into a pureblooded family. Wasn’t that the reason he kept himself hidden for so many years? He trusted neither the courthouse nor those within it."

Minister Sylvan smiled faintly and it was a smile that Ruelle had grown uncomfortable towards. "It is possible." Then his gaze returned to Mrs. Belmont and he asked, "Tell me... Did your husband ever suffer at Lucian Slater’s hands?"

If this had happened weeks ago, Ruelle knew exactly what her stepmother would have said. But not today. Her stepmother lowered her eyes before shaking her head and replied,

"Not that I am aware of."

"I suppose they are only rumours then," Minister Sylvan mused. "Though people often say there is no smoke without fire." His eyes settled on Lucian. "And Mr. Slater has quite the fondness for fire."

Lucian didn’t so much as blink. "And who witnessed this fire?" he asked.

The question hung in the room, a silent challenge that the minister looked happy to unravel.

Mrs. Belmont drew a slow breath and said,

"My husband... I never wished to speak ill of the dead, but he disliked pureblooded vampires. He believed neither the Elder Minister nor the council could be trusted." She paused briefly before adding, "Caroline had just been taken away at the time. He was frightened... and under a great deal of stress. I don’t believe he was thinking clearly with whatever he wrote."

"And you weren’t in stress, Mrs. Belmont?" Minister Sylvn probed, his red eyes settling heavily on her.

"I was, but less. As you know, women handle stress better than men do," Mrs. Belmont offered him a naive expression.

Whatever her stepmother’s reasons, she was protecting Lucian. Relief quietly settled in Ruelle’s chest. The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted them and when she turned, she caught Elder Minister Carnifex enter the chamber with Peyton following a respectful step behind. His eyes swept across those gathered before settling on Minister Sylvan.

"Was a meeting arranged without my knowledge?"

"There was no intention to trouble you," Minister Sylvan replied as he rose from his chair. "The Belmont family wished to discuss Mr. Belmont’s death. Though the discussion has taken an interesting turn."

Minister Sylvan looked towards Lucian and continued, "It appears Mr. Lucian Slater may have had reason to involve himself with Harold Belmont’s death. Mr. Belmont was known to strike his daughter, who left scars on her. And Mr. Slater has never been known for overlooking such things."

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