Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Invitation To The Night

When it was time to leave the Elder Minister’s mansion, they gathered beside the waiting carriage. Carnifex informed them,

"I’ll see what else I can find about the Mirror Portal. Until then, it would be best not to let word of the fragment spread. There are people who would go to great lengths to find something like that."

Ruelle nodded. "I won’t." She was about to turn towards the carriage when Carnifex called her name.

"Ruelle," just when she turned, Carnifex stepped forward and hugged her. For a heartbeat, she was rigid. Not out of discomfort, but because she didn’t know how to be held by this man.

When Carnifex released her, Ruelle’s hands remained awkwardly at her sides for a moment. There was something in his expression that made her think he wanted to say more, but whatever the words were, they never came to his lips.

They climbed inside the carriage finally and left the mansion behind. Ruelle now leaned back against the seat, the tension in her shoulders eased with every mile away from the mansion. Turning to Lucian, she asked,

"Could we head to see the seamstress? I need to give him something to sew into the wedding gown."

Lucian knocked twice on the carriage wall. "Head to Noah’s shop," he ordered.

"Yes, Master Lucian," Claude’s voice came from outside, followed by the flick of reins and the clatter of hooves against cobblestone.

As her fingers traced idle patterns against the fabric of her skirt, she said, "Lady Amelia was surprisingly nice."

"She’s known to be an amiable lady in society." After a pause, he asked, "Were you worried she was going to chew you out?"

A small, reluctant smile tugged at Ruelle’s lips. She had prepared herself for her father’s wife to treat her with indifference, perhaps even quiet resentment. Instead, Lady Amelia had been surprisingly thoughtful.

"Carnifex and his wife have maintained neutrality for years. It’s why the lands haven’t tipped into chaos. And Lady Amelia was my mother’s friend," Lucian let her know. At this, her eyebrows rose in surprise, while he continued, "When my mother left the castle she went to live with my aunt—Maxine’s mother. Lady Amelia’s family were their neighbours."

"It feels like a small world," Ruelle murmured as everyone seemed to know someone.

The steady rattle of carriage wheels filled the silence as they travelled, accompanied by the sound of horses’ hooves against the road. She was watching the streets blur past the window when Lucian spoke again.

"I know you prefer dealing with things yourself rather than letting anyone know you’re in trouble," his dark red eyes were fixed on her when she turned to look at him. "But before you start experimenting, I want you to know which kinds take from you. And which don’t."

She immediately understood that this was about what Carnifex had explained about her mother exhausting her life force. Wanting to ease whatever worry had taken root in his mind, Ruelle reached for his hand. She replied,

"I’ll be careful. I won’t do anything that puts me in danger."

Lucian’s fingers closed around hers. "I mean it, Ruelle." The intensity with which he looked at her made her smile fade. He continued, "Many witches don’t live past thirty."

Ruelle’s eyebrows drew together. She replied, "I don’t think that’s true. The witch I met in Aunt Imogen’s town must have been fifty or sixty."

"And do you know what she did to live that long?" Ruelle fell quiet. He asked, "Would you be willing to sacrifice other people’s lives if it meant extending your own? Because I wouldn’t object if you did."

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in his expression. Ruelle searched his face, half expecting something there to soften the meaning of his words. If the choice were between her life and that of a stranger, Lucian already knew whose he would choose.

Ruelle swallowed. "I... no. I couldn’t do that."

Lucian’s eyes dropped to their joined hands. His thumb traced the line of her knuckles, slow and deliberate, as if memorising the shape of them. He replied,

"Then don’t touch magic that requires something you aren’t willing to give. Magic doesn’t create something from nothing. If you force the world to give you what it wouldn’t naturally give, it takes something in return."

The thought of her mother’s slow decline settled in Ruelle’s chest like a stone. A future already rewritten before she’d even drawn her first breath. Her fingers twitched against Lucian’s, the pressure of his grip a silent, unyielding anchor.

"I’ll learn before I use anything," she said, voice steady.

Lucian didn’t move but the fingers around hers finally eased, just enough for her to realize how tightly he’d been holding her. Not painfully. Not even possessively. Just... inescapably. As though some part of him feared she might disappear if he loosened his hold.

The realisation sent a strange, warm pulse through her veins.

"Perhaps the witch I borrowed the books from might know something about it," she offered, forcing her voice lighter. "She was helpful last time. I could take Hailey with me—"

"Why?"

Ruelle turned toward him. Lucian’s dark red eyes were fixed on her, unreadable as ever, but the space between them had shrunk. When had he leaned in? Her gaze flickered, traitorous, from his eyes to the cruel curve of his mouth.

Just for a second. Just long enough to forget what she’d been saying.

"Why Hailey?" he repeated, slower this time.

Oh, that was what he’d asked, Ruelle realised. A laugh bubbled up in her throat, nervous and bright.

"I thought you’d be busy," she replied before she could stop them. "You’ve had so much to take care of lately. I didn’t want to trouble you." She amended, "We could go together."

A quiet hum of approval left Lucian, and then he finally leaned back.

Ruelle turned to the carriage window so fast it should’ve been comical. Her eyelids fluttered shut. When she opened them again, the world outside was a blur of green. Her gaze flicked to the window’s dim reflection—her own face, flushed and wide-eyed and then to him.

Lucian was devastating. Even in the dim carriage, with little more than pale daylight catching the sharp planes of his face and the way his black strands of hair wavered, Ruelle found it difficult to look at him for too long without becoming painfully aware of herself.

She didn’t realise her fingers had tightened around his until his grip firmed in response.

Lucian’s fingers gently closed around hers before he brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand tender enough to make Ruelle’s heart flutter as though it had suddenly grown wings.

"What’s occupying your mind?" he asked.

When his eyes met hers, the answer slipped out before Ruelle could think better of it. "You."

"What about me?" Instead of lowering her hand, Lucian turned it slightly in his grasp. His lips brushed against one of her fingers before his teeth caught it in a gentle bite.

A current ran straight down Ruelle’s spine. Her breath caught, and whatever answer she might have given disappeared entirely. The faintest hint of amusement touched Lucian’s eyes, as though that had been precisely what he intended.

"You were saying?" he prompted.

Ruelle stared at him, her thoughts now in considerably worse condition than before. She murmured, "I don’t remember."

"How unfortunate."

Outside, the countryside melted into town and the carriage rolled over cobblestones. The carriage came to a stop in front of the seamstress’s shop. A moment later, the door opened, allowing the cold air from outside to sweep inside.

"Why don’t you head inside the shop? I will be right there," Lucian said, his voice a touch rougher than before. Ruelle wondered what happened, but she nodded, stepping out of the carriage.

"Ruelle!"

Ruelle turned and caught Hailey standing beside Edward, but there was no sign of her cousin. Her eyes briefly searched the street before she asked surprised,

"What are you two doing here?"

"Hailey wanted to buy a g—" Edward’s words broke off abruptly when Hailey’s foot connected with his ankle and he glared at her.

Hailey ignored him with remarkable composure. "We thought it would be a good time to take a stroll, and His Highness decided to bring me here." A place which was way too expensive for her to get anything, she thought in her mind.

Edward, still looking mildly offended by the kick, turned his attention back to Ruelle. "I saw the Slaters’ carriage, then recognised the coachman. I knew you had to be somewhere nearby." His eyes moved towards the shop. "Did you come to buy something?"

"I had to hand in something," Ruelle replied.

"You could have sent a maid instead of coming all the way here," Edward chattered.

They began towards the entrance, but Ruelle had almost reached the door when something made her slow. She glanced over her shoulder and the carriage remained where they had left it.

Through the open door, she caught a glimpse of Lucian still seated inside, one arm resting casually beside him. Their eyes nearly met before the carriage door swung shut.

Ruelle’s steps faltered. Wasn’t he coming?

Edward appeared in front of her, completely blocking the carriage from view. He said, "You and Lucian left so abruptly. I even caught a deer."

Ruelle blinked, her attention snapping back to the prince. "Oh, you did?"

"That’s right," Edward said with a nod as they reached the shop. "By the time we return to the mansion, it should be ready to serve." He pushed the door farther open and held it when Ruelle stepped through. "Careful."

"Thank you," Ruelle replied. Warmth immediately wrapped around her as she entered, chasing away the chill that had followed them from the street. Her attention was soon drawn towards the seamstress who stepped into her view and she went to talk to him.

Behind Ruelle, Hailey raised her eyebrows at Edward.

"What?" Edward whispered, taking immediate offence at the look. "I can be charming."

Hailey stepped through the doorway he still held open. "You do know that’s a closed door, don’t you, Your Highness?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "What do you take me for? I know when my feelings aren’t reciprocated. You could learn something from me."

Hailey’s head snapped towards him.

Somehow, during the short time they had spent together in the Slaters’ mansion, Edward had discovered precisely why she had wanted to come into town. She had originally hoped Mr. Hawksley would accompany her, only for him to say that he needed to rest. Edward, upon discovering her failed plans, had apparently decided that this made them companions in misery and invited himself along.

Hailey sent a quiet glare in his direction, only for the prince to raise his eyebrows "Did you just glare at me?"

Her expression changed with impressive speed and she offered him a small bow. "Of course not, Your Highness. I couldn’t see you clearly and was widening my eyes."

In the meantime, Ruelle handed her mother’s handkerchief to Noah, who entrusted it to an assistant before it disappeared into the back room. It didn’t take long for the seamstress to get occupied with Edward, before moving on to take Hailey’s measurements.

Ruelle waited nearby, occasionally glancing towards the entrance. The bell above the door tinkled and her head turned almost immediately to check if Lucian had returned. But instead, it was a woman who brought a brief gust of cold air with her. She wore a fitted black dress beneath a dark coat, the neckline cut low enough that Ruelle’s eyes were drawn there before she could stop them.

Her gaze immediately jumped back to the woman’s face, feeling faintly embarrassed, and she met the woman’s eyes, who smiled at her in confidence.

"Good afternoon."

For a moment, Ruelle assumed the woman was speaking to Noah, but he was occupied on the other side of the shop. The woman’s attention was unmistakably fixed on her. Seeing it would be impolite not to respond, she offered a small bow. She murmured, "Good afternoon."

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