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Eve turned to look at where Jeffry Sullivan stood next to his wife. The man had spoken as if his hands were clean, only for her to realise that he could or was the person who had killed his own son.
"Now that we know he's the culprit, what next?" Eve asked Vincent with her blue eyes starting to pick golden flecks.
"If he's Erasmus, we will know tomorrow," Vincent replied, and this had Eve's eyebrows furrowed.
"Tomorrow?"
"Mm. There's only three more days before the golden moon appears," Vincent said and Eve frowned further.
"I thought we had nearly a week," Eve murmured, has she counted the calendar dates wrong? She asked him, "How do you plan to lure him tomorrow?"
"Invite him and his family to a meal. To let them know how sorry we are for their loss, which we are. Everyone has gloves on their hands, him included today because of the weather. It is hard to read if he has all the abilities. Because if he did suck all of Noah's abilities and soul, leaving a hollow shell behind, it only means that somewhere like me, his memories of being Erasmus have returned."
Eve pursed her lips, trying to remember if the man had approached her and he hadn't. But his wife, "Before leaving, Lady Hilda looked at me strangely. As if she didn't like me."
"I thought she always looked at you like that," Vincent helped Eve climb inside the carriage.
"Why would you think that?" Eve asked, and Vincent smiled as he followed her inside the carriage.
Vincent wondered if it was just Eve or other people around Noah, who was oblivious that the Duke loved her. He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Probably worried that her son would be stolen by you and not Anaya Chambers."
Eve stared at Vincent and then said, "That's not possible. Noah and I barely spoke in front of his family, and even without them, there was nothing like that between us."
"One can never know what brews in one's mind, can we?" Vincent picked up Eve's hand in his.
Eve hoped to bring justice to Noah's soul. For the way, he was killed, and if his father had indeed killed him, it was only right that they avenge it.
Once they returned to Skellington, Vincent was called by his father to speak in the study room about Noah's death, while Eve walked up the flight of stairs.
The corridors had gone eerily quiet in Woodlock and Sullivan's mansion since the news of the Duke's death. Jeffry Sullivan had gone to Darthmore to sign a few formalities and take back the title of the Duke to fill the position, while his wife and brother were in the mansion.
Lady Hilda stood in front of Noah's portrait in the drawing room. She lit a candle, staring at him. Hearing footsteps entering the room, her eyes moved to the corner.
"Where is Jeffry?" James asked, closing the door behind him and walking to where she was. When he went to place his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, Lady Hilda moved to the side and went to the couch before taking a seat there.
"He's at Darthmore," Lady Hilda replied with a serious expression.
"I see," James nodded, and he said, "You have been avoiding me since this morning."
"I am grieving for my son's death. Which you clearly aren't," Lady Hilda remarked with her eyes blazing in anger.
James cocked his head and asked, "Are you trying to imply something, Hilda? You don't have to hold back. We don't have such a relationship."
Lady Hilda closed her eyes before getting up as if ready to leave the room as she wanted to be alone. But she asked him, "Why did you do it?"
James stared into the woman's eyes for three seconds and then replied, "Because it had to be done. He was my flesh as much as he was yours, Hilda. Look at the bigger future we have."
Lady Hilda's eyes teared and spoke through gritted teeth, "Noah was our son! How could you fucking kill him, James?!" She caught hold of the man's shirt and shook him in question. She then broke into tears. When Lady Hilda had decided to help James achieve his goals, she hadn't expected their son to be sacrificed.
"I can always bring back Noah to life, Hilda. We just need to see through the plan that we have been building for all these years," James consoled the woman. When he went to touch her face, Lady Hilda smacked it away.
"Keep your dirty paws off of me. You killed Noah with these very hands," Lady Hilda picked up the knife resting in the bowl of fruits and aimed the tip at his neck.
"Don't be silly, Hilda. Once I become the king of all the creatures, land and sea, you will be the queen," James said calmly.
Lady Hilda was ready to stab the man, as the loss of their son hurt her. But just before the knife could touch him, he disappeared from her sight and her throat went dry. Her eyes widened, and she looked left and right.
"Drop the knife, Hilda. You and I both know that you won't hurt me. You love me," James said behind her, and she turned around.
"H--how did you do that?" Lady Hilda asked him.
James smiled, one of his eyes turning completely yellow, while the other stayed black as he couldn't see through it. He replied, "I am Erasmus Gauntlet, and my powers have returned. Not one but many that I was blessed with," he smiled, revealing his big teeth that resembled the wolves.
Lady Hilda didn't know that one could apparate from one place to another in a blink of an eye. She wondered what other powers James held in him. She pursed her lips and said, "Are you sure you still want me next to you? I didn't miss the way you were looking at Vincent's wife."
A snicker left James's lips, and he said, "I was just curious as to why the last descendant of Acheron married a simple human."
"Then... Did you find the siren or the mermaid you have been looking for then?" Lady Hilda asked James because if all his memories had returned to him through Noah's death, then that would also mean that he knew what that sea creature looked like.
The cunning smile on James's lips faltered, and he said, "That is something I have been trying to figure out. With one of my eyes damaged, the other eye has very blurry information when it comes to faces. But we will know soon."
"The golden moon is near. How do you plan to do it?" Lady Hilda asked him with a deep frown and her lips setting themselves in a thin line.
"With my returned abilities of course. How else? But I need you to prepare something for me," James stated, receiving all of the woman's attention. "Arrange werewolves to be set around the grounds. When the ritual of sacrifice takes place finally, I don't want any interruption."
Lady Hilda gave it a thought before she nodded, "Okay. I will have the men arranged to scout the area and keep any nuisance away."
"Wonderful," James caressed Lady Hilda's cheek and said, "We make a lovely pair, don't we? I was thinking of having my brother off this board game once we achieve our dreams and goals. I don't think you would like to stay with him as his wife."
"Whatever you see fit to be," Lady Hilda replied with an emotionless voice, which only widened James's smile.
Back in the Moriarty's mansion, when it was night, Vincent and Eve stood in the study room of Eduard Moriarty, who held a troubled expression on his face.
Eduard said to Vincent, "I have sent my men to check the grounds and so far, none of them have noticed anything that stands out. The ritual is said to be done in a vast ground, which can also host sacrifices. And this is not just one single sacrifice, Vincent," his eyes moved to look at Eve as if he had finally figured out what his daughter-in-law was. "Are you sure it is Jeffry?"
Vincent shook his head, "It has to be him. Look at the book in here," he pointed at the open book on the table.
"And you think having them visit us will fix things?" Eduard asked with a question in his eyes. "Inviting an enemy to a corner?"
"I think it would be best for our family to go and visit Holy Oak. I am sure grandfather and grandmother are missing you, and they would appreciate it. This place is unsafe and so are the members of the Moriarty family," Vincent remarked in a serious tone. "If a fight does take place, it would be better that we are prepared and take precaution. You can take mother and Allie with you. The servants can be dismissed until the golden moon appears."
Silence fell in the room, and after a minute, Eduard said in a grim tone,
"I had heard about the curse. And I had hoped that it wouldn't fall on you or on your children." He had hoped that his family could live in peace, especially after what happened to his first wife.
On seeing Vincent's father turn serious and quiet again, where the man closed his eyes as if to control his emotions, Eve said to Vincent, "I will be in the room."
Vincent gave her a nod and said, "I will be there soon."
Eve politely bowed at Eduard and stepped out of the room so that the father and son could have their moment.
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