Claimed by the Prince of Darkness novel Chapter 234

Chapter 234: A Turn of the Tide

By the time Ruelle and the Belmonts left the mansion, she let out an inaudible sigh, half-hidden beneath the sound of the carriage door closing behind her.

Mr. Belmont was already grumbling before they completely left the estate. He spat, "So much for pureblooded vampire and their superiority! Did you see what the boy did?! Trying to threaten us!"

"Hush, Harold," Mrs. Belmont whispered, turning in the direction of the coachman.

Ruelle said nothing. She turned her face toward the window, watching the dark forest pass against the glass as the carriage rolled forward. Her mind drifted to the black tendrils she had seen earlier outside the mansion. With the timeline untouched by trauma, she wondered if the corruption had somehow tried to continue to cling to Lucian.

And this time, it didn’t corrupt and try to control him.

"We have to let the relatives know about it before it reaches through the paper," Mr. Belmont muttered and he then huffed.

"People are definitely going to be questioning it," Mrs. Belmont said with a frown. "But the minister is going to keep his word right?"

"Of course. I will have the position in the courthouse once this is sealed," Mr. Belmont laughed at the thought. "I have to go explain to my sister about it before anyone else."

Hearing them talk about the family, Ruelle turned to Mrs. Belmont and asked, "Will Brother Lachlan come too for the celebration?"

"Brother Lachlan? Who is that?" Mrs. Belmont’s eyebrows furrowed.

Ruelle stared at her. For a moment, the rolling of the carriage seemed to fade.

She had expected things to change, but she hadn’t expected Lachlan to no longer be her relative. Was he somewhere else in this timeline? Had he been born into another family—or had his life shifted so far from hers that they had never met at all?

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress.

Where are you, Brother Lachlan?

"What names is she spouting? Ruelle, if you speak out of line, I will make sure you will regret it. Do you understand?" Mr. Belmont snapped at her.

Unlike before, Ruelle didn’t cower. Her body remembered enough to tense when his hand rose, but the terror that once followed never came.

She had seen Harold Belmont beg. She had heard him cry. Whatever monstrous shape he had occupied in her childhood had already been broken. And she was no longer the child he thought he knew.

And this led to her staring back at him.

"What?" Mr. Belmont demanded, ready to raise his hand and Mrs. Belmont quickly held him back, whispering to him, "Not here. Wait, until we arrive home."

When the carriage arrived at the Belmont residence, Ruelle stepped outside before the wheels had fully come to a stop. She quickly entered the house, disappearing into it in a hurry, while Mr. and Mrs. Belmont offered their thanks to the coachman and the Slaters for offering their carriage for the night, as theirs had broken.

She looked around, searching for that one person who had cared for her in this house. The memory of Daisy had surfaced the moment she’d stepped through the door. The woman who had cared for her when she was sick and beaten by Mr. Belmont. The maid right now was fixing the table. She stood at the far end, straightening the cutlery, when she looked up upon hearing Ruelle’s footsteps and a smile lit up on her face.

"Miss Ruelle, welcome back home."

"Daisy..." Ruelle uttered the name.

Getting closer, she turned behind her to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Belmont hadn’t caught up. Their voices echoed in the hall while they spoke to little Caroline.

"Yes, Miss?" Daisy looked at her curiously, tilting her head slightly, her eyes warm behind the curiosity.

Ruelle’s heart was pounding now. She could feel the seconds slipping away, could hear her Mr. Belmont’s voice growing closer with every passing moment. Whatever she was going to do, it had to be now.

"If I asked you something odd or crazy, will you help me with it?" she asked, and she knew she must look strange at the request. But Daisy didn’t laugh. She took the question with utmost seriousness, and she nodded.

"Anything, Miss."

"Ruelle?" Mr. Belmont’s voice echoed at the entrance, which was impatient. "Where are you?"

She stepped closer to Daisy, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper and asked, "Do you have money on you? Enough to travel for two?"

Daisy’s expression moved to worry, her eyebrows creasing. She replied, "I don’t think running is a good idea, Miss Ruelle. We will be caught, and—"

"It is just for the night," Ruelle cut in, her voice urgent. "I promise I won’t get you into trouble. I won’t let them punish you for helping me. Please, Daisy. I promise," she looked at the woman earnestly.

She knew it was a gamble, but she didn’t want to stay in the Belmont house with the people she had already decided to move on from. Not to mention, whatever she had to do, it had to be done quickly without wasting time!

When the footsteps grew louder, Ruelle ducked down, pressing herself behind the maid’s skirts just as Mr. Belmont appeared in the corner.

"Did you see Ruelle?" he demanded, as he snapped his belt.

The maid looked slightly uneasy. Without using words, she shook her head. It was a silent lie delivered with a skill that surprised even her. Mr. Belmont’s eyes swept the room once. Finding nothing, he snapped the belt against his palm with a sharp crack.

"She must have gone to her room," he muttered, before turning and leaving the space.

Ruelle stayed hidden until the sound faded entirely. Then she peeked carefully around the maid’s hip and found Daisy looking down at her with an expression that held neither judgement nor fear. The woman said softly,

"You are acting very strange right now, Miss Ruelle. Are you sure about this?" She knew the risk. By tomorrow morning they could be caught. Daisy would be sent to the prison dungeon or worse. For a servant, trying to escape with the house’s daughter was not a small crime.

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