Chapter 55 - Midnight
Elias stepped out of the room without a single glance back. The door shut with a quiet thud. His footsteps echoed in the hallways. With each step, the lights flickered off, shrouding the corridor in utter darkness. The moon lit a path for him, though it was unnecessary.
Humans slept better in the dark. Vampires saw better at night.
It was an interesting parallel that always humored him. Adeline should sleep in pitch blackness. That way, nothing would disrupt her, and she wouldn't have to wake up for anything. Or so, he thought.
"Keep a watch over the Queen," Elias instructed the guards that stood at the end of the corridor. They had just come upstairs after receiving the order a few minutes ago.
Elias often left this hallway without a guard or soldier. It wasn't that he trusted his security, it was because people knew better than that. They were wise enough to not snoop around His Majesty's estate, filled with security cameras, high-tech weapons, and invisible laser pointers. The wrong person could have their head cut off within the first step.
Unfortunately, Adeline was a special case. She was human, weak, and frail, but filled with emotions and life. He could not have her attacked in his domain.
The hallway's technology kept her safe, but he preferred to have people with her at all times. That way, someone would be able to run off and inform him of an attack.
And if only Elias knew, she didn't need a guard in the first place. Her entire body was a weapon.
- - - - -
"Where is His Majesty?" Weston growled as he stormed out of The King's private study. The room had been empty and untouched since yesterday. Everything was in the exact spot.
"I've already looked everywhere for him," Easton huffed out. He leaned upon the walls, his hair slightly dampened from running around. He had even gone near the King's sleeping corridors but found no one there. Strangely, there were guards near Adeline's room, but he didn't question it. She needed protection.
Suddenly, something flickered in the corner of Easton's eyes. He turned his head in time to see His Majesty walking down the hallways with a bottle of wine.
"Apparently not the wine cellars," Easton muttered with disapproval. He pushed off the walls and stood up straighter.
"What?" Weston's head snapped towards his right, where His Majesty had a wine glass in one hand and alcohol in the other. His eyes narrowed upon the dark green bottle, the dark drink swishing. He hoped it was liquor.
"Your Majesty!" Weston hissed.
"Your Majesty," Easton greeted.
"Where were you, Your Majesty?" Weston asked in the same voice as a paranoid lover suspecting a cheating significant other.
Elias flashed them a humored smile. He held up the bottle in his hand as if questioning the intelligence of his advisor.
"Of course," Weston scoffed. He closed the doors behind him with speed.
"Careful!" Easton yelped, just as his suit was nearly caught in between the door.
"You should be more nimble," Weston snapped. Without another word, he stormed towards His Majesty's desk, ready to list out all the problems of tonight.
"You should be more kind," Easton grumbled out. He quietly approached the King's desk, with a troubled look upon his face.
"You see, Your Majesty," Easton began. "We made an unpleasant discovery today."
"What could be more unpleasant than Weston's soured expression?" Elias muttered.
He heard Easton's stifled laughter and Weston's low growl. Hiding his smile, Elias began to pour himself a glass of the drink. Instantly, the smell came out, and their eyes turned the same color as the blood.
"Deer blood?" Easton said upon the first sniff. He recognized the grassy scent with a hint of sweetness from the nibbled berries.
"Don't change the subject, Ease," Weston said. He couldn't care less about what animal it was. He already had his fill on the first day of the ball and it sustained him for three days.
"I wasn't. I was only making an observation, you know, the scientific thing to do and—"
"My brother is stupid, ignore him, Your Majesty, " Weston said.
Weston turned to the King with a hesitant look on his face. He didn't believe what Lydia Claymore had said. But then, why would she lie? What was her incentive? Humans wouldn't know anything about the Golden Rose. Only the supernaturals do.
Weston opened his mouth to speak, but Easton beat him to it.
"Your Majesty, Lady Claymore said something startling today," Easton blurted out.
"When doesn't she say something surprising?" Elias scoffed.
Quietly, he took a sip of the blood, his eyes flickering with the taste. For some reason, it was a lot sweeter than usual. Why was that?
"I agree," Weston grumbled under his breath.
"She said there was a third door in the ballroom, and that she was in there for five minutes, but by the time she came out, an hour had passed," Easton stated.
Elias stiffened. This story was exactly like the one that Adeline told him that night.
"We suspect it's Matriarch Dorothy's meddling," Easton added on. "Only she has the abilities to manipulate the environment as she deems fit. It's very similar to the haze you created the first time you danced with Adeline, and only our kind saw it."
"Yes, I'm aware of my Grandmother's powers," Elias deadpanned.
"And well…" Easton trailed off. His fingers wrung together with disapproval as he cast a doubtful look towards Weston.
"That crazy woman informed us she met an older woman who is most likely Matriarch Dorothy in one of her peasant disguises," Weston said.
Elias took another sip of the blood. This time, an image flickered in mind. A little fawn. With great disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, he slammed the wine glass down. A disgruntled look flashed onto his face, and he no longer enjoyed the deer blood.
"What's wrong?" Easton instantly asked. "Is the blood not fresh? Isn't deer blood your favorite?"
"That's not the main point!" Weston hissed at his brother.
Easton slapped a hand over his mouth and apologetically looked away. He glanced towards the ground.
"Anyways," Weston started again. "The crazy woman made an audacious claim, which is impossible, given the circ.u.mstances of her birth."
Weston pulled out his phone. The screen was already on Lydia Claymore's government profile. Listened in bold letters was her birthday, October 30th. It was exactly one day away from Halloween. Next, he took out Easton's phone and placed it directly beside Lydia Claymore??s profile. On Easton's screen was Adeline Rose's government profile, where her birthday of October 31st was revealed.
"The claim Lydia Claymore made is practically impossible," Weston said. "We looked into her records, and it seems she was also born at home, with a group of private doctors and nurses, very much like Princess Adeline."
Elias already knew where this conversation was going. He peered at Adeline's profile. October 31st, her birth was at 11:59 PM just a minute or two before midnight. But he already knew better than that.
"Lydia Claymore claims the older woman, which is suspected to be Matriarch Dorothy, told her that she is the Golden Rose," Weston stated.
"I see," was Elias's only response.
The twins exchanged puzzled looks with each other. They expected more than that. A deathly silence fell over the three of them. Soon, the screens dimmed and turned black.
Once again, the private study room was shrouded in darkness.
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