Chapter 181: Dead Man Returned
At the sight of her husband, Mrs. Belmont walked past Lucian with desperate urgency before she flung her arms around her husband’s neck and a cry escaped her that was hours of accumulated fear.
"Where have you been?! I have been looking for you all over the place. Thank God you are here!"
The man frowned over her words, his expression shifting into something defensive. He huffed, "I got chased around by some of those damn debt collectors. I had to travel on foot and hide in the trees."
Mrs. Belmont pulled away from the embrace before she smacked his arm in frustration.
"W—What are you doing?! My hands are still weak," he looked offended.
"It is what happens when you keep gambling!" Her worry had transformed into irritation. "I was worried something happened to you. Did you not think about what I might go through?"
Mr. Belmont gave a weak nod and patted her hand as if physical touch could absolve him of his failures. He then said, "But I was able to win a gold coin. We can now find a better person to represent Caroline, huh?"
Mrs. Belmont gritted her teeth before tears gathered in her eyes. She shook her head, and replied, "Caroline is not here, Harold."
"What do you mean she’s not here?" he demanded, staring at his wife.
"Wait, did they let her out?" His expression turned hopeful.
"No..."
"Mr. Belmont," Lucian’s voice cut through the moment like winter wind through open windows. His eyes were trained on the human, the human who looked perfectly fine for someone whose throat had been slashed. "Your daughter escaped from the dungeon with the other prisoners last night. The courthouse has already ordered to find and retrieve them back here."
When Mr. Belmont stared at Lucian, the pureblooded vampire waited for the familiar panic he had witnessed before. The desperate terror of the human who knew exactly what Lucian was capable of. But it never came.
Instead, confusion crossed the human’s features.
"She escaped?... By herself?"
"No, others are missing from the dungeon too, Harold," Mrs. Belmont rubbed her forehead.
"What? What were the damn guards doing instead of watching over?!" Mr. Belmont demanded and when Lucian’s eyes narrowed subtly, the human flinched at the gaze. "The—The courthouse is responsible for this."
Mrs. Belmont nodded her head, desperately seeking agreement, seeking someone to blame besides the fragile man she’d married.
"First she is framed and now—now you tell us she’s gone. Caroline must have been forced."
"That is what I told them too, but they have put a bounty on her head," Mrs. Belmont snivelled, bringing her handkerchief to her face.
"Mr. Belmont, you said you were being chased by the debt collectors?"
Lucian’s voice was eerily cold, noting the fact that the man he had killed was standing before him, breathing, speaking, existing when he should have been rotting in an unmarked grave.
"I—yes, why?" Mr. Belmont’s eyebrows drew close in suspicion. "Wait—don’t tell me you, I am going to be the suspect of who let her out." A look of panic crossed his features.
Mrs. Belmont’s mouth fell open, her face turning as pale as her husband’s at the possibility. Her lips trembled and she turned to Lucian, half in anger and half begging,
"Why are you doing this to our family? Must my family continue paying for this?"
The corridor had gradually fallen quieter as the officers carrying parchments slowed their steps. Mrs. Belmont’s trembling voice carried further than she realised and some people began to whisper.
"If I intended harm toward your family, Mrs. Belmont, we would not be having this conversation. I merely asked where your husband spent the night," Lucian remarked, his eyes not leaving Mr. Belmont. "I wasn’t aware that was an accusation."
A couple of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Elder Minister Carnifex appeared with Minister Sylvan. Peyton stood at the back.
"Is there a problem here?" Minister Carnifex questioned, his expression grave.
"If it isn’t Lucian Slater and Sawyer Ravencroft," Minister Sylvan murmured with mirth in his eyes.
Mr. Belmont looked back and forth before he began,
"Minister, our daughter has gone missing... I feel our entire family is in danger. This person here, he—"
Before another word could leave her husband’s mouth, Mrs. Belmont dug her nails into his arm to shut him up. Complaining about Lucian wasn’t going to help them. If anything, it would only make matters worse.
"Stay quiet," she whispered.
In the meantime, Peyton had leaned forward to whisper about who these humans were to Minister Carnifex, who stared at them.
"Mr. Slater and the others are trying to find them, Mr. and Mrs. Belmont. I understand you have your worries after what happened yesterday," Minister Carnifex spoke in an even voice. "Your family is important and will be protected closely. We will arrange guards for you."
Mrs. Belmont looked relieved for a brief moment, and she bowed deeply, "Thank you, Minister! Thank you!" Mr. Belmont gingerly bowed.
"But if I am not wrong, I doubt the Belmonts have their own residence. I hear it was lost through cards and they now live with their relatives," Minister Sylvan uttered in a calm voice.
Mr. and Mrs. Belmont looked uncomfortable at the information shared out in the open.
"Yes, I was scammed!" Mr. Belmont defended his pride, the words coming desperate. "And we—we..."
"It seems the Belmonts are scared and worried," murmured another minister who worked under Minister Sylvan, the observation dripping with false sympathy.
"Lucian, I hope you remember the conditions of the treaty," Minister Carnifex reminded him, his old eyes meeting the young Slater’s wine-red eyes.
"That’s harsh, Carni—Minister Carnifex. We did nothing here," Sawyer commented, only to receive a pointed look from the elder minister.
"The terms are set to protect both sides. Not just one," Minister Carnifex replied, and out of everyone, Mrs. Belmont seemed the most affected by it. She hoped her husband would not mention anything about what Lucian had done. "And this is a courthouse, not a port market when things are dire here. What brought it on?"
The old vampire turned to look at the people involved.
Lucian was the one to speak up, his voice steady, "I was worried about Mr. and Mrs. Belmont, Minister."
Huh? Mrs. Belmont looked at the pureblooded vampire in suspicion.
"It is no secret that my father-in-law had to suffer debt to support his family all by himself and things have only turned worse. Ruelle Belmont is going to be my wife. I see no reason for her family to continue carrying debts that can be settled," Lucian explained in a calm voice.
With the way it was phrased, Mrs. Belmont was briefly swayed at the thought of no debt. If that was the case then...
"We will give you all the names my husband owes to. Forgive us for taking it the wrong way," Mrs. Belmont bowed once more before tugging her husband’s sleeve and he followed suit.
"You mean all of it?" The suspicion on Mr. Belmont’s face quickly gave way to interest. "Even the interest?"
Lucian noticed the man carried the same cowardice and greed in his voice. He responded, "Yes."
"How generous. Shouldn’t there be apologies for the misunder...." Sawyer’s voice trailed when Minister Carnifex stared at him. "Communication is the most important thing in relationship," he preached.
As the discussion continued, Mr. Belmont suddenly lifted a hand to his neck and quietly grimaced, when one of the officer asked,
"Something wrong, Mr. Belmont?"
Mr. Belmont turned to the officer before nodding. "It is nothing. My neck has been bothering me since I woke up." He rolled his neck slightly. "Feels irritated," before his eyes fell on Lucian and silence settled between them.
